For Sale

A TAPster notes that the House’s proposed budget includes a provision that would direct the Department of Administration to look into selling “state-owned land, buildings, and other assets that are unused, underused, or do not involve a core function of government.”   It did not take this wag long to come up with some suggestions:…

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Perdue-McCrory Poll Nuggets

A TAPster found the nuggets below in Public Policy Polling’s crosstabs on 2010 Governor’s race between Pat McCrory and Bev Perdue.  They illustrate the challenge the Governor faces. 29% of self-identified President Obama voters disapprove of Governor Perdue’s job performance 18% of self-identified Obama voters say they will vote for McCrory for Governor over Perdue…

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The Party of Lincoln No More

Suddenly I feel for Responsible Republicans.   There is such a breed. I know some of them personally. Some of my best friends are Republicans!   They’re more conservative than I am – on most things. But they’re responsible people. Generally, they feel that America would be better off if government spent, taxed and regulated…

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Follow the Money

Well, Gary, at least no one can say we’ve gotten more close minded as we’ve gotten older: Here you are (Putting Pocketbooks First – below) saying Republican Representative and lawyer Leo Daughtry voted against ‘Med-Mal Caps’ to protect his own legal fees and here I am saying, Hold on – you’re following the wrong money…

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A Predictable Train Wreck

Jack Betts writes that Republicans in the legislature are about to “blow it.”Mark Binker writes that – despite promises of bipartisan cooperation – “the state’s chief executive and top lawmakers are at loggerheads.”   Is anybody surprised?   Of course they had to promise to get along. No politician wants to be the first to…

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Politics to Make the Gilded Age Proud

Republican House Leader Skip Stam, according to the newspaper, has introduced a new law limiting how much corporations with state contracts can give to politicians who grant the contracts. Surely a step in the right direction.   But, that said, while Representative Stam’s limiting donations to the Democratic Governor and folks in the Executive Branch…

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Putting Pocketbooks First

Sometimes you have to rise above principle.   That’s what Rep. Leo Daughtry and several Republican House members did this week when they voted to weaken the tort reform bill.   Normally, tort reform is an article of faith for Republicans. It’s not only in their platforms, it’s in their genetic code.   But that…

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Bonehead Plays

It’s baseball season, and all across our land fans are enjoying hits, runs – and errors.   So it is in politics in North Carolina. Herewith, our Top 3 of the week.   Number 1, of course, has to be the pileup of errors by Governor Perdue and her staff over her whereabouts when the…

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$4.1 Million

For years auto insurers have locked horns with Insurance Commissioners over raising car insurance premiums, but, now, Republican legislators are about to solve their problem – by getting the Insurance Commission out of the auto-insurers hair – a move the Commissioner says is dead certain sure to bring higher car insurance premiums.   The newspaper,…

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Off to the Races

Governor Perdue & Staff are wrapped up in an unnecessary kerfluffle over where she was Saturday when deadly tornados struck North Carolina. It turns out she was in Kentucky, maybe – or maybe not – at a horse race.   Which led one TAPster to look past the political flap to the economic possibilities of…

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