Issues
Wiretaps
There’s been a big flap in Washington about wiretaps. The Bush Administration wants to listen in on ‘foreign communications’ it suspects may be tied to terrorism without court orders (The New York Times, 8-4-07). That sounded reasonable even to a fair amount of Democrats (who voted for it). But a lot didn’t and the usual…
Read MoreThe Next Political Tidal Wave?
The Democrats in Washington are thinking long term and they may have found an issue they can ride to victory after they’ve finished milking the war in Iraq. They’re moving to pass retaliatory trade legislation against China. For years, free trade has been a sacred cow for both Democrats and Republicans. No one seemed to…
Read MoreUnions and Realtors
To get the debate on the so-called ‘Transfer Tax’ out of the backrooms of the legislature and into public domain – so voters would know about the new tax on homes – the Realtors Association ran TV ads. They got Governor Easley so stirred up he let fly and told legislators they had to decide…
Read MoreMeeker and Five Points
One of the mantras of the Urban Correctness crowd – of which Raleigh Mayor Charles Meeker is High Priest – is “density.” “Density” is good. “Sprawl” is anathema. That’s what makes the flap at Five Points – involving the quasi-official, quasi-political CACs who’re usually among the mayor’s biggest boosters – interesting. Because they’ve decided “density”…
Read MoreA Line in the Sand
The Iraq battle lines are drawn in the presidential race. Republicans made clear in their debate this weekend that they want to keep troops in Iraq. Democrats are just as clear that they want troops out. So the American people will get to make a clear decision on the war next year. That should be…
Read MorePlaying the Outside Game
North Carolina’s Realtors spent $700,000 on a media campaign against the “home tax.” The campaign failed. Why? The Realtors had a good idea: Mobilize public opinion to change legislative votes. But they didn’t go far enough. Carter is the master of this strategy. He did it for Farmers for Fairness (hog farmers) in the ‘90s.…
Read MoreA Portrait of America from the Morning Newspaper
Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez – according to the press this morning – mislead to the Senate yesterday. (Even one Republican Senator, Arlen Specter, asked Gonzalez, incredulously, “Do you expect me to believe that?”) The House of Representatives – according to the press – is about to bring contempt charges against President Bush for illegally hiding…
Read MoreThe Bush Who Cried Wolf
President Bush now claims that intelligence shows we’re fighting Osama’s Al-Qaeda in Iraq. It’s his latest justification for the war: We either fight them in Iraq or in Illinois. But who believes him? Bush and his cronies cooked the intelligence to get us into Iraq in the first place. Does he think we’ll believe him…
Read MoreLucifer
Because of two stories about crimes I’m wondering what people think about ole’ Lucifer? Does he really exist? Both stories – about particularly brutal crimes – were reported in The News and Observer. The first was the Wake County District Attorney’s summation in the trial of Byron Waring, asking the jury to give Waring –…
Read MoreA Third Black Eye
First, the School Board’s Administrators got a black eye from the press for buying land without getting appraisals. Then they got one from the County Commissioners for raising their own salaries. Now they’ve gotten one from the U.S. Department of Education. Ten Wake County schools have failed to meet ‘No Child Left Behind’ standards, so…
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