Carter Wrenn
Gary Pearce
If the Ethics Commission has ever found anyone guilty of an ethics violation it’s one of the best kept secrets in North Carolina. But, nonetheless, now the Commission says it’s going to investigate two lobbyists who had affairs with two members of House Speaker Thom Tillis’ staff to find out what “things of value” the…
Read MoreFour years ago, Republicans accused Democrats who criticized the economy of “rooting for failure.” Now, one Democratic TAPster notes, it’s Republicans rooting. Item 1, from Florida: “Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign asked Florida Governor Rick Scott to tone down his statements heralding improvements in the state’s economy because they clash with the presumptive Republican nominee’s…
Read MoreAn AP story captured Democrats’ dilemma this election. It summarized where Mitt Romney and President Obama stand on the economy this way: “On planet Republican: The economy is backsliding, and the president is to blame. His stimulus spending did more harm than good, and his big-government rules are strangling businesses. The answer is repealing…
Read MoreLast year when the politicians in Washington sent down an order to the politicians in Raleigh telling them to implement Obama-care the politicians in Raleigh saw red and said the whole thing was unconstitutional. Which sounded pretty cut and dried until the other day when the Raleigh politicians gave an order of their own.…
Read MoreThis week I spoke to the Association of Government Information Officers in Raleigh. About 25 people were there (all but three were women, by the way; the reverse from when I was in government over 30 years ago). I asked two questions. First, how many think your agency (most all are in state government)…
Read MoreHere’s a fundamental difference between Democrats and Republicans. Democrats want to make it easier for people to vote. Republicans, harder. In Florida, Republicans are desperately trying to purge voters before November. In North Carolina, the Republican legislature doesn’t want to help counties improve and maintain voting systems. A party that doesn’t trust the…
Read MoreWalter Dalton beat Bill Faison like a drum in the Democratic primary. But Dalton could learn something from Faison’s ability to boil down an issue – and an attack – to its essence. Or, as one old Southern politician said, “he gets the hay down where the goats can reach it.” Example is Faison’s tweet…
Read MoreIt came as a surprise to open the newspaper and read that the United Nations, dead set on one world government, is on the verge of taking away our ‘property rights’ here in North Carolina through a cabal called ‘Agenda 21’ – which, as soon as unsuspecting local officials are done implementing it, will let…
Read MoreRepublicans are determined to define themselves as hard-hearted – and hypocritical. They give two explanations for cutting out $10 million to compensate people who were forcibly sterilized by the state. The first is: We can’ afford it. Let’s figure here. The budget is $20 billion. $200 million is 1 percent of that. So…
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