Issues
Political Disconnect
Politicians in Raleigh and Washington are spending their time and energy debating an issue that, I suspect, few Americans spend much time and energy worrying about: the budget deficit. Yes, the average person probably would say something has to be done about the deficit. But the real concern is the economy: jobs, paying the…
Read MoreA Priceless Gift
Sometimes meaning to kick you in the ribs, a fellow hands you a platinum covered gift instead. President of Afghanistan Hamid ‘The Corrupt’ Karzai just did that – he handed us a priceless gift, demanding we stop night raids on Taliban headquarters and adding it’s time we got the hell out of Afghanistan –…
Read MoreErskine’s Grenades
In business, government and education, one of Erskine Bowles’ great strengths – and, as a politician, one of his great weaknesses – was a fondness for speaking blunt truths. He relishes telling people what they don’t like to hear. But now he has truly surpassed himself. First, he set North Carolina on its…
Read MoreThat’s The Spirit
Republican legislators say they’ll balance the state budget by combing through every item. Now comes Ag Commissioner Steve Troxler – a Republican. The Greensboro News & Record reports that he “says there’s nowhere left to cut in his department and he has refused to give Gov. Bev Perdue recommendations on where to cut…
Read MoreReset
The great thing about political blogging is that the game never ends. For the next two months, we get to watch the positioning for the legislative session. Governor Perdue’s first statement got it right: We need to work together in a time of economic and fiscal crisis. But she’ll have conflicting advice. Move…
Read MoreElection Eve
Perhaps the essential truth about election days is their ambiguity. Today, of course, we Republicans are asking each other if the 2nd Coming, politically, is at hand. But even on Election Day the imponderables offer no answers. Realizing how we humans hate ambiguity the cable TV networks have fed us a steady diet of…
Read MoreA Small Problem
About a year ago, Governor Perdue’s Secretary of Health and Human Services, Lanier Cansler, a former lobbyist, did a strange thing: He gave an exclusive $30 million no-bid contract to a company that had only been in existence for two months – Prodigy Diabetes Care. Naturally, the press, suspicious, started digging and soon found…
Read MoreOver in Kabul
There’s more bad news from Afghanistan. The “backbone of President Obama’s plan to start withdrawing troops” has hit a wall. Literally. Right now, over in Afghanistan we’re spending millions to build police stations so the Afghan Army and National Police can take over from our Marines next July. But, the newspaper reports, the Police…
Read MoreAmericans are United…on One Thing
WRAL released a new poll the other day. Senator Richard Burr leads Elaine Marshall by fifteen points but Marshall shouldn’t take it personally as the reason Burr leads has little to do with her. 54% of the voters are Unfavorable to President Obama – and it’s no coincidence Senator Burr is getting 53% of…
Read MoreBuying Kabul…
For nine years we’ve been pouring billions into Afghanistan to prop up our hand-picked rascal-President Hamid Karzai. But it turns out our arch-enemies the Iranians have one upped us. For $2 million a year in cash – which they’ve been secretly delivering to Karzai’s office in bulging canvas sacks – they’ve bought our puppet. …
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