Issues
911 for 999
Taxes are to politicians as zappers are to bugs. They can’t resist the temptation, and they end up getting fried. Latest example: Herman Cain. Or, as he would say, “Herman Cain!” In their debate this week, his Republican rivals pretty well ripped apart his 999 tax plan. Turns out it would raise taxes…
Read MoreOne Rip-off, Two Villains
Here’s an unusual experiment in ethics: Is Citibank guilty or innocent of bilking investors by selling home mortgage bond packages? The answer, the bank says, is neither. It’s neither innocent nor guilty. In fact, it’s neutral on the issue. But, the bank adds, it will pay a $285 million fine to put the past behind…
Read MoreBail Bonding
Some ne’er-do-well over in Johnston County got himself arrested, thrown into jail, hired a bail bondsman, then skipped town leaving the bondsman holding the bag. Which left the bondsman with 20 days to file a motion to get his money back – if he could show the bail jumper had died unexpectedly or been locked…
Read MoreBeating Around the Bush
Back in the old days hardly anyone noticed when a Governor took a stand. But times have changed. Just look at the newspaper headline: Perdue Announces She Will Take a Stand. From there the process gets more puzzling. Before she would announce whether she was for or against the Constitutional Amendment banning gay…
Read MoreFlawless Logic
First President Obama announced he was going to raise taxes on everyone making over $200,000 – then he fell victim to logic; Senator Charles Schumer did the math, looked at the numbers and to Schumer the message was clear: There are a lot more people making over $200,000 than there are people making over $1…
Read MoreOccupy Me?
The Occupy Wall Street/Washington/Raleigh/etc. protests are a classic example of a political movement that the general public may agree with, at least on some level, but not find agreeable. In politics, as in physics, every action generates a reaction. The Tea Party movement powered Republicans to victory in 2010, but may drag them to…
Read MoreThe Greatest Threat
There’s been an outbreak of populism on – of all places on earth – Wall Street. It started when a hardy band of protesters camped out in a small park near the Stock Exchange, waving anti-Obama, anti-Republican, anti-Democrat and anti-Wall Street greed signs. For a while no one paid attention. Then, suddenly, the protesters became…
Read MoreAmbivalent Bev
Now we see why it took Governor Perdue so long to come out against the constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriages. First, she was waiting to put it out Friday afternoon – in hopes nobody would notice. Not just any Friday afternoon, but the one right before the Columbus Day-fall break weekend. Second, it…
Read MoreToo Much for Ellmers!
How bad can the constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriages be if it’s too much for Renee Ellmers? According to Under the Dome, the congresswoman’s spokesman “confirmed that she planned to vote against the constitutional ban that was adopted by the legislature in September because it is too broadly drawn.” It would ban civil…
Read MoreThe Left’s Tea Party?
A TAPster asks: Is the Occupy Wall Street protest “a moment or a movement?” Is it a new political wave that, as the Tea Party shaped the 2010 election, will shape the 2012 election? The Tea Party took off two years ago – ironically, sparked by a CNBC reporter’s rant on Wall Street…
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