Issues
Debating Incentives
Ben Bradlee of the Washington Post used to say: “I come in every day with an empty bucket, and somebody fills it up.” Some days I come in with an empty blog, but TAPsters (readers, commentators and contributors) fill it up. Here’s a guest blog that’s timely in light of Senator-elect Andy Wells’ letter to…
Read MoreA Gift that Keeps on Giving
The Taliban’s on a tear and ISIS is selling women as slaves and it looks like Limited Wars have turned out to be a gift that keeps on giving and we’re about to fight one more. ISIS has reconquered half of Irag but to whip ‘em we’re not sending in the Marines or the…
Read MoreThe Seed of Wickedness?
Generally speaking it looks folks see the riots in Missouri two ways – Jim Martin who serves on the local School Board gave an example in the newspaper of one way: After the riots he explained to his fellow School Board members they were watching a ‘classic disconnect between how officialdom and people in…
Read MoreWhat’s the Difference?
Obama and the Republican Leaders in Congress are eyeball to eyeball over immigration with the President saying he’s done a fine noble deed to bring five million people out of the shadows and with Republicans saying Obama’s fine noble deed is just an unconstitutional power grab. They’re having a fine row but the…
Read MoreGood Luck, Bad Luck
Talk about a fellow being star-crossed – after the election as everyone took a deep breath and settled back peacefully for Thanksgiving the Governor, without a lot of hoopla, quietly launched his reelection campaign, blanketing the Internet with a nice pleasant new video – then, the next day, an environmental group announced it had found…
Read MoreDemocrats and Education
One thing Democrats did right this year was push education onto the public agenda. But will it last? And the key question: Where do they take it now? The Hagan campaign came close largely because they almost turned a United States Senate race into a school board election. The same thing was true…
Read MoreStraight Out of the Dark Ages
Fleeing toward the mountains from her burning village, fifteen years old and trapped on a dusty road packed with refugees, she was captured and carried across the border to a town on the Euphrates River filled with captive women from other towns. The soldiers sold part of the women at an auction as slaves…
Read MoreA Waste of Time
The Governor sent a letter to Thom Tillis and Phil Berger taking the legislature to task for asking for an independent audit of the Department of Health and Human Services. Then the next day, when the Governor needed it least, the News and Observer reported that when DHHS’ new computer didn’t work the Department…
Read MoreThe Whole Tarbaby
Pat McCrory had one of those days. First, a typist switched an ‘h’ for an ‘f’ so he sent out a press release announcing a Wilmington company was ‘firing’ 1300 new workers instead of ‘hiring’ 1300 workers. Then a passing photographer snapped a photo of the Governor with his arm draped across…
Read MoreCloud Cuckoo Land
President Obama set out to restore his political fortunes by going to China – and announcing a new climate change agreement. Then, still intent on repairing his fortunes, he traveled on to Australia where he announced he was giving $3 billion to the U.N to help poor nations fight the harm done by…
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