I may start deviating from the current conservative paradigm from time to time. I hope that doesn’t get me in too much hot water.
For starters, I don’t find any reason for our troops to remain in Afghanistan. Historically, I can think of a lot of reasons why our being there is a bad idea.
Remember also that the minimum plausible cost of 40,000 troops — $10 billion — could pay for two million disadvantaged American children to go to a solid preschool. The high estimate of $40 billion would, over 10 years, pay for almost half of health care reform. Are we really better off spending that money so that more young Americans could end up spilling their blood in Afghanistan without necessarily accomplishing much more than inflaming Pashtun nationalism?
Mary Ransome Sykes, affectionately known as “Mickie”, of Winston-Salem, passed away on Sunday, October 4 at Forsyth Medical Center. Ms. Sykes was born on May 18, 1948.
Ms. Sykes graduated from R.J. Reynolds High School in 1966 and worked as a legal secretary for many years, both for Womble, Carlyle and as a self-employed typist. She was a member of Center Grove Baptist Church and served as a Sunday School teacher. She is preceded in death by her father, Charles Ransome of Winston-Salem.
Ms. Sykes loved God and is survived by her mother, Mary Lawson; sister Julia Moore; brother John Davis; and Edward Hayes Sykes Jr., the father of her children; son, Jeffrey Hayes Sykes and wife Hannah; daughter Johanna Sykes and her twin brother, Jason Sykes and wife Christine. Her three loving grandsons are Joseph Sykes, Hayes Sykes and Jake Sykes. Other survivors include numerous dedicated family members and very close friends.
A celebration of life service will be held at Center Grove Baptist Church in Clemmons at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 17. The family will receive friends following the service.
Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice of Forsyth, 101 Hospice Lane, Winston-Salem, N.C. 27107.
We love you mom.
Today I filed to run for city council in Reidsville. My intention is to build a municipal pool, oversee a comprehensive overhaul of parks and recreation facilities and bring increased openness and transparency to local government.
UNC-TV will hold a televised forum on Aug. 25. They are taking questions via Facebook and email:
We have confirmed Sen. Richard Burr, Rep. Brad Miller, Rep. Mel Watt, Rep. Bob Etheridge and Rep. David Price for our August 25th interactive broadcast on the health care reform debate. This program is 100% about YOU!
If there’s a q…uestion on your mind about health care, let’s hear it. Leave a question here if you’d like or you may email healthcare@unctv.org if you prefer to ask in that manner. We’d like to have your first name and your county if you’d indulge us when submitting your question. It’s a nice human touch to say "Fred from so-and-so writes."
In many ways, this program could set the standard for how we bring "people with answers" to the "people with questions" via the Internet and statewide television. As much chatter as I’m hearing when I’m not at work about the health care reform issue, there must be a million questions or comments out there!
Kelly McCullen
Producer, "Health Care Reform: NC’s Watch on Washington
Here is the question I submitted:
The Washington Post on July 17 described the CBO director’s testimony as "devastating" to Congressional Democrat’s health care plan. Given that CBO contends that there is no bending of the cost curve in the current plans, would you vote for any health care bill that adds to the federal budget deficit?
For political junkies with nothing better to do on a Friday night, this might be interesting:
This could turn out to be like having a front row seat at a movie about North Carolina politics. Gary was part of Jim Hunt’s first two administrations as Governor. Hunt’s campaign against Jesse Helms. Hunt’s comeback in 1992. This will be an interview about North Carolina politics with someone who’s lived through a good part of it – and who despite it all has kept his sense of humor.
My sense of it is that even if the elections are a long way from meeting the minimal standards that would be accepted in much of the developed world, and they undoubtedly are, they are far better than having no elections at all. You only have to ask what the reaction around the world would be if the United States and its coalition allies in Afghanistan declared that it was impossible to conduct elections, and adopted some other way of choosing the country’s leaders – let’s say by holding another loya jirga, or grand tribal council, of the kind that confirmed Hamid Karzai as interim president until he faced his first nationwide election in 2004. The cries of “puppet!” and “stitch-up!” would be deafening.
President Obama participated in a scripted online commercial for his health care overhaul with religious voters and pastors Wednesday that ended with him bemoaning those who bear “false witness” against his plans – and then making a claim of his own that’s been widely shown to be false.
“There’s been a lot of misinformation,” Obama said as he joined the program near its end, complaining about “people who are bearing false witness.”
He said the first thing he wanted to correct was the idea that the proposed overhaul would force some people into different health care plans. “If you like your health care plan, you can keep your health care plan.”
But that’s not true, according to factcheck.org, an independent truth squadding effort run by the University of Pennsylvania.
I really don’t mind if they go to school so long as they pay out of state tuition:
North Carolina community colleges leaders will consider reversing a ban keeping illegal immigrants out of the statewide system of two-year colleges.
A committee of the state Board of Community Colleges holds a special session on Wednesday to weigh the pros and cons of admitting undocumented students. A decision could come on Friday on keeping them out of the state’s 58 community colleges as they have been for the past year.
Doug Clark calls for an end to the death penalty in North Carolina. I can’t say I agree with him, but I respect Doug’s perspective:
State legislators and Gov. Bev Perdue should play it straight about the death penalty: Just put an end to it.
There are too many problems with implementation, too much inconsistency in application. Public opinion is slowly turning against it and juries are more reluctant to impose it. It’s time to replace capital punishment with life in prison without parole.
“For too long now, liberal Democrats in the State Legislature have not been held accountable for their mismanagement of the public trust. On November 2, 2010, they will be held accountable and the citizens of North Carolina will get their voices back.” NCGOP Chairman Tom Fetzer
Raleigh – NCGOP Chairman Tom Fetzer kicked off a statewide budget tour this week, leaving little doubt that the ultimate goal is winning a majority in the State House and Senate. “For too long now, liberal Democrats in the State Legislature have not been held accountable for their mismanagement of the public trust” said Fetzer. “On November 2, 2010, they will be held accountable and the citizens of North Carolina will get their voices back.”
The date refers to next year’s Election Day when every member of the State House and Senate will be on the ballot for re-election. Fetzer believes the recently passed state budget, which raised taxes and cut education funding, is indicative of the arrogance of politicians who have been in power for too long. “To raise taxes $990 million dollars during a recession is unthinkable; but to claim it was done to save education is unconscionable” said Fetzer. “These priorities do not reflect the hard working people of North Carolina and our citizens deserve representation that will speak for their values, not the liberal special interests.”
Fetzer will be traveling the state and his initial stops will be in Districts identified by the NCGOP as targets for the 2010 election. These are seats held by Democrats who played significant roles in crafting a budget that does not represent the values of their constituents. “We will target every Democrat in the General Assembly because every Democrat voted for this outrageous budget” Fetzer noted. “But there will be certain House and Senate seats that will be emphasized in our mission to give control of the State Legislature back to the people.”
The tour started in Burlington on Monday and visited Lexington and Salisbury on Tuesday. On some legs of the tour, Fetzer will be accompanied by Republican State Senate Leader Phil Berger and Republican State House Leader Paul “Skip” Stam.
“As the people of North Carolina struggle through a recession, the Democrats in Raleigh have added to their burden with higher taxes and cuts to education. The Republican Party will return our state back to the people and govern by the conservative values of lower taxes and less government that our great state was founded upon” Fetzer concluded.
I couldn’t help it:
A former Las Vegas director for a political advocacy group accused of illegally paying canvassers to register voters during last year’s presidential campaign has pleaded guilty to a reduced charge and agreed to testify against the group and another employee.
Chief Deputy Nevada Attorney General Conrad Hafen said Wednesday that Christopher Edwards’ plea deal strengthens a felony case against the Association of Community Organizers for Reform Now and Amy Busefink, a former regional voter registration director for ACORN.
The group Triad Patriots is part of a statewide freedom movement and will hold a Town Hall meeting in Greensboro this weekend:
Enough is Enough!
On August 22nd, 2009, during the break in session, we the people fully intend to hold mass rallies around the country.
Triad Patriots will answer the call! These events will represent a strong statement that we’ve been pushed to the edge and simply cannot be pushed any further. We are taking back our Country!
Where : Governmental Plaza Greensboro, NC
When: August 22, 2009 12 NOON
I signed up earlier this year for Duke Power’s pilot solar program. Here is an email update I received today:
## N.C. Solar PV Distributed Generation Program Update
Thank you for your interest and patience as we continue to move forward with Duke Energy’s N.C. Solar PV Distributed Generation program.
We have completed the selection process for Phase I and have chosen seven large nonresidential customers that best meet the program’s stringent criteria. We plan to begin installations at these sites by December 2009.
Our site selections are very dependent on three primary factors: convenient access to the electrical grid, solar productivity potential, and a roof under the age of five years. These criteria will continue to be applied as we move into Phases II and III.
Phase II of the program will begin in mid-September 2009. During this time, we will be considering both roof and ground mount installations for additional large (250 kW to 1 MW) and mid-size nonresidential customers (25 kW to 250 kW). Due to the limited nature of the program, we will select fewer than 20 customers as host sites for this phase and make notifications by late fall. Installations are expected to be completed by December 2010.
Phase III will begin in mid-November 2009, with notifications to residential customers. Installations for this final phase will start in the first quarter of 2010 with completion expected by December 2010.
Again, thank you for your interest and patience as we continue with this landmark project. For questions or program updates, please visit our Web site at www.duke-energy.com/solarhost or send an e-mail to solarhost@duke-energy.com.
“The hard working people of Alamance County can’t afford the priorities of the Democratic party. The Perdue-Foriest budget raised your taxes by a billion dollars and cut education funding by a quarter of a billion. Alamance County deserves better representation and North Carolina deserves better government. “ NCGOP Chairman Tom Fetzer
Raleigh – NCGOP Chairman Tom Fetzer, joined by Senate Minority Leader Phil Berger and House Minority Leader Paul Stam, kicked off their statewide budget tour today in Burlington, having lunch with local leaders and concerned citizens at Sal’s Italian Restaurant. The purpose of the tour is to highlight the shortcomings of the Democrat-backed budget that Fetzer says puts emphasis on the wrong priorities.
“The hard working people of Alamance County can’t afford the priorities of the Democratic party. The Perdue-Foriest budget raised your taxes by a billion dollars and cut education funding by a quarter of a billion,” said Fetzer. “Alamance County deserves better representation and North Carolina deserves better government.”
Fetzer reminded the crowd that Alamance Senator Tony Foriest (D) not only supported the budget, but helped craft it. “Alamance County’s very own Senator, Tony Foriest, is one of those chiefly responsible for this budget debacle,” said Fetzer. “It’s a shame that someone who serves as Co-Chairman of the Appropriations on Education and Higher Education Committee could support a budget that slashed education funding.”
Foriest, an Alamance County Democrat, also serves on the Appropriations, Finance, and Commerce Committees, and Co-Chairs the Education Committee. “If there’s one person in the Senate who should have stood up for your teachers and children, it’s Tony Foriest,” Fetzer said. “But instead, he stood with Bev Perdue and the rest of the liberal Democrats, who cut education and raised your taxes. On November 2, 2010, Alamance County needs to send someone new to the North Carolina Senate who will represent their priorities and values.”
Raleigh – After signing a $20.3 billion state budget that raises taxes on all North Carolinians in the midst of a recession and cuts funding for education, Governor Beverly Perdue took the highly unusual step of issuing an executive order cutting the budget she signed just a week earlier by five percent for all state agencies – with exceptions for public safety, education, and health care. Executive Order No. 21 was released to the media and public late on a Friday afternoon, traditionally a time designed to blunt the impact of bad news.
At the same time as she is directing other state agencies to cut back, Governor Perdue hired a new staff member to handle communications duties for her office. The new staffer will make $136,000 as a communications and policy adviser. “Perdue already has a communications director, David Kochman; a senior adviser for government relations, Andy Willis, and a policy director, Al Delia. Their salaries are $115,200, $153,000 and $160,000 respectively.” (“New Perdue adviser homeward bound,” Under the Dome, 8/14/09)
Even Democrats and members of the press corps can only describe the Governor’s behavior as “erratic.” (“Good Luck, Pearse Edwards,” Talking About Politics, 8/14/09; “Friday: Whiskey Tango Foxtrot?,” Isaac Hunter’s Tavern, 8/14/09)
Senate Republican Leader Phil Berger (R-Rockingham) made the following statement:
“Just a week after signing her budget that raised taxes on every North Carolinian and cut funding for our children’s education, Governor Perdue is admitting that her budget was out of balance. Governor Perdue should immediately explain why she ignored North Carolina’s constitution which requires her to sign a balanced budget. Members of the media and her own party are now describing the Governor’s behavior as ‘erratic.’ As North Carolinians continue to endure record unemployment, we need strong, consistent leadership from the Governor’s office – not erratic decision-making and a failure to meet constitutional requirements followed by political spin.”
Not sure what’s going on with me. Maybe it’s a revolt against my petite bourgeoisie existence, but I still got this song in my damn head and can’t stop.
This version is tight, but if you don’t care for the Biz then you might not like it.
Not only does this song feature Perry Farrell with orange hair, but it showcases one of the most impressive uses of the auto-wah in the history of rock.
With an 87-year-old grandmother slipping away and a pre-schooler trying to break out of his shell, the opening line of this song was never truer for me:
Children are innocent
A teenagers f’ed up in the head
Adults are even more f’ed up
And elderlies are like children.
According to the Sunday morning talk shows, the Obama administration is backing away from a government-run health insurance program:
President Barack Obama’s health secretary is suggesting the White House is ready to accept nonprofit insurance cooperatives instead of a government-run public option in a health overhaul plan. A Republican senator says that is worth looking at.
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius says Obama still believes there should be choice and competition” in the health insurance market – but that a public option is “not the essential element.”
“There are not the votes in the Senate for the public option, there never have been,” North Dakota Senator Kent Conrad, one of the lead Democratic negotiators on health care in the Finance Committee, said on “Fox News Sunday.”
How does it feel?
Rock legend Bob Dylan was treated like a complete unknown by police in a New Jersey shore community when a resident called to report someone wandering around the neighborhood.
Dylan was in Long Branch, about a two-hour drive south of New York City, on July 23 as part of a tour with Willie Nelson and John Mellencamp that was to play at a baseball stadium in nearby Lakewood.
A 24-year-old police officer apparently was unaware of who Dylan is and asked him for identification, Long Branch business administrator Howard Woolley said Friday.
"I don’t think she was familiar with his entire body of work," Woolley said.
Tax increases, swelling deficits and government control — that’s what government-run health care proposals in Congress will bring, and it’s not what we want and not what America needs. To help get this message out, the Campaign for Responsible Health Reform turned up the heat this week with TV and radio ads that are running in some 20 states.
If you’ve not yet seen or heard the ads, visit the Campaign website ResponsibleHealthReform.com to play them, and we encourage you to share them with others.
As new Campaign ads help expand public awareness of the problems that government-run health care will bring, we all need to continue to make our voices heard in calling for responsible heath reform. As members of Congress travel around their home districts during the August recess, let’s speak out by contacting our representatives in Congress, writing letters to the editor, attending rallies and town halls and getting others involved in this effort.
Creating government-run health care is fiscally irresponsible, will causes delays for people needing care, and threatens the employer-sponsored health plans relied upon by more than 160 million Americans. Act now!
Dr. Ada Fisher is a national committeewoman from the NCGOP to the RNC. She’s a bright leader and has this to say about health care reform:
The debate really isn’t about nationalized health care for in many respects we have some forms of it with Medicaid, Medicare and Veterans Affairs Health Care. What Congress is proposing no matter what folks are being told is socialized medicine in a larger sense. Those nations which have some form of it such as Russia, Canada or Cuba still have a separate accommodation for those with money. When their systems don’t work, ask large distinguished teaching hospitals in the USA about the number of foreigners who come for specialized care including organ transplants while citizens, who paid the taxes which largely fund these facilities, are pushed to the back of the line.
Health care shouldn’t be paid for by burdening those who played by the rules and became economically successful as we are demanding of the rich. Why would anyone want to make money or become successful in this country if they are going to have to pay for everything for everyone else when in simply being mediocre they could get it for free?
Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory had an op-ed piece in the WSJ regarding the potential of a second stimulus package:
Our nation cannot afford another stimulus package—particularly one that is basically funding a social wish list and is not investing in our future. Let’s re-examine the first stimulus bill’s spending rules, or better yet redirect its money toward health-care reform. I urge Congress to read the proposed health-care overhaul bill and ask questions without fear of being portrayed as callous to the health of our citizens.
Just because we are experiencing an economic crisis and Congress wants to “do something” does not mean federal action should not be transparent, fiscally responsible, strategic, and sustainable for future generations.
In what has to be seen as a somewhat bizarre and highly questionable decision, the NC DOT has decided to continue with its plans to expand a Winston-Salem road that leads to the soon to be empty Dell manufacturing plant. From today’s W-S Journal: Even though Dell said earlier this month that it will close the plant early next year, DOT officials say they ar […]
I've been talking ad nauseam perhaps about the fact that very few Obama voters are leaving the Democratic fold but that the party's main problem right now is one of engagement and motivation.Here's a perfect example from the national generic Congressional numbers we're releasing tomorrow:Only 6% of Obama voters say they plan to vote Repub […]
UNCC professor and JLF traffic guru David Hartgen makes an appearance in this Winston-Salem Journal article on NCDOT’s plan to go ahead and widen Union Cross Road even though the Dell factory will….well, you know the story.
Political analyst and consultant John Davis always has an interesting take on North Carolina politics. Davis cut his political eyeteeth in Mississippi before settling in this state, and his savvy analysis of state legislative and other races has always brimmed with insight. Davis took note the other day that fromer Raleigh mayor Tom Fetzer, a longtime bachel […]
John Hood points out an analysis that looks at how Obamacare would affect the state of North Carolina. Because it would expand the rolls of those qualifying for assistance, North Carolina Medicaid costs would increase 44%. That does not augur well in terms of what our taxes will need to be in our state.Meanwhile, AT reports that the Baucus bill is running […]
Talking about it