I've been rethinking my opposition to the healthcare bill based on arguments put forth by the analysts at NC Policy Watch. Paul Krugman makes a similar case. Then I read this diary at Daily Kos, which shifted my opinion significantly.
Progressives should make the rallying cry of “no public' [...]
Doesn't make sense to me, doesn't make sense to constituents, doesn't make sense to a Washington Post reporter. I guess Congressman Kissell is smarter than everyone else.
' [...]No matter what you think of the obstructionist self-interest of Bob Greczyn and the leadership at Blue Cross Blue Shield, those guys aren't stupid.
A significant flaw in the proposed Senate bill, Greczyn said, is that the penalties for those who choose not to buy insurance - $95 the' [...]
Stop. This a waste of your time and your life. It makes no discernible difference in anything that matters. Go tend your garden. Finish the novel. Get a real job. Take a nap. All these excellent people who come and go and write and lurk. All these excellent conversations. So [...]
Kill the bill.
I don't trust the judgment of very many political people these days, but one person I do trust is Howard Dean. Especially when he agrees with me. For those who'd like to see another side to the argument, here's the most thorough discussion I've [...]
The Winston-Salem Journal does an excellent job today dissecting the blatant political posturing of Bank Run Burr's in the matter of Obama's U.S. Attorney choice.
North Carolina's junior U.S. senator, Kay Hagan, has let the Obama administration know that she also opposes Holding being replaced until he is through with' [...]
NC newspapers are rightly taking the Governor to task for her blatant pandering to citizen fears over releasing prisoners who have earned reduced sentences through good conduct.
In Greensboro:
Perdue's poll ratings have climbed since she took up this cause in October. Her problem, though, is that she's appealing [...]
Where 1 means "full of crap political double talk" and 10 means "insight, clarity and leadership" please give your rating on this snippet of an interview with Cal Cunningham about Obama's surge in Afghanistan.
' [...]How exciting! Art Pope's daddy's money is now going to create the illusion of a grass roots uprising, with hundreds of Puppets joining Dallas (who is neither a dog nor a bus driver) Woodhouse on a road trip to Washington!
Via email
Senator Richard Burr to speak at Code Red [...]
Joe Sinsheimer today called on Governor Perdue reconsider the appointment of Tony Rand to the state's Parole Commission. I couldn't agree more.
Senator Rand’s statements to the Raleigh News & Observer on Friday, December 11, 2009 (“Rand says he knows little of LEA”) are absurd and misleading and raise questions [...]
Just when you think the takeover of public schools in Wake County by free-market fundamentalists can't get any more bizarre, it turns out that the new chair of the school board is a card-carrying Christianist, a founding director of Called2Action, a zealot set on remaking public education in his' [...]
I guess you could say that Anglican leaders don't approve of Uganda's plan to kill teh gays, but if a gay person does happen to die, will he or she find a place in heaven or hell?
This is one screwed up church.
As far as gay rights are concerned, [...]
Rob Schofield at NC Policy Watch seems to have taken over as watchdog in combating Art Pope's influence, and thank goodness for that. Someone with a stronger stomach than I needs to be on the job, and it's a big job indeed.
Those unfamiliar with the [...]
When a friend called to ask me to support Leto Copeley for NC Court of Appeals, I had that deer-in-the-headlights reaction. Who? What? Judges? Already? That's a familiar pattern for me around judicial races, and seems to be a common among many friends who have almost no idea [...]
For all the rhetoric in Washington and Raleigh about energy independence, you'd assume our policy makers were driving that agenda with all deliberate speed. And you'd be wrong. Our policy makers are asleep at the switch, caught up in their love affair with Big Oil, while other countries with far [...]
One of the organization's I'm most proud to support is the Southern Environmental Law Center. Their lawyers are working on behalf of the NC Coastal Federation and Cape Fear River Watch to hold our state's policy makers accountable for their irresponsible permitting of this mega-polluter. Here's the story from' [...]
Want a lesson in how not to maintain anonymity online? Read the crazy comments in this mildly amusing thread.
Tony Rand isn't the first person I've heard about who serves as the chairman of a corporate board with no apparent knowledge about the company he keeps. So it's entirely possible that Rand is telling the truth when he says, "I know nothing."
How long has he been [...]
A new lawsuit challenging the Titan permitting process reveals the absurdly weak case being put forth by the Department of Administration. The Wilmington Star News has the story.
Read more [...]When you've lost newspaper editors in Elizabeth City, you've lost the heartland.
We believe BCBS has a right to be involved in the debate, but not in lobbying North Carolina residents to do its bidding. It’s an obvious conflict of interest and borders on blackmail. What’s to stop BCBS from [...]
It's hard to question anyone who's 70 years old and wants to get out the sausage factory in Raleigh. But on the heels of Tony Rand's rapid fall from grace, you'll be forgiven for wondering if something smells a little fishy around David Hoyle's recent announcement.
Read moreA perennial topic that always gets me steamed. Baptist Planet wraps it up.
Perhaps also refugees from the war on Christmas, opponents of Asheville City Councilman Cecil Bothwell argued that he shouldn’t be seated because he’s an atheist. All reported by the Asheville Citizen-Times, which also explains that Article 6, [...]
A deal's a deal, except when it's not. You'd think with all the lawyers running around Raleigh, we could get a decent, transparent contract when millions of dollars are on the line.
As part of the incentives package that lured Dell here in 2004, the state granted the computer maker' [...]
The folks at NC Policy Watch are at the top of their game today, featuring a new postcard calling on Larry Kissell to get serious about health reform. For a guy who sang such a sweet populist song for two years as a candidate, he sure has turned into [...]
Conventional wisdom suggests that incumbent Democrats will be slammed next November for failing to do almost anything important, a description that certainly applies to Larry Kissell in NC-8. Perhaps that's why a slew of government-hating Republicans are lining up at the public trough to take him on.
It doesn't take much imagination to connect the dots between America's chronic health risks and our collective consumption of poisons and contaminants from the water we drink.
An analysis of E.P.A. data shows that Safe Drinking Water Act violations have occurred in parts of every state. In the prosperous town' [...]
Ed Cone thinks Richard Burr is not as vulnerable as Liddy Dole was, and he's probably right. After all, Burr appears to actually know where North Carolina is, and has even been here a few times. That said, the senior Senator definitely has his work cut out. From where [...]
Via email
Dear Friend,
I wanted you to be one of the first to hear: Today I'm announcing my campaign for the United States Senate.
Right now, more than ever, the people of North Carolina need someone to fight -- to create jobs, strengthen our schools, improve veterans health care, and stand up' [...]
This novel idea from John Skvarla is making the rounds on the intertubes.
Skvarla founded last spring the Alliance for Bonded Term Limits, which is trying to recruit candidates nationwide to sign legal documents pledging to give large amounts of their personal money to charity if they serve more time [...]
Being the most mercenary friendly state in the nation, North Carolina should be especially excited about Obama's unprecedented reliance on private armies to carry out the growth strategies of America, Inc. Gotta love those free markets.
Now that the much despised George W. Bush is out of the way and [...]
New Wake County School Board pisses on citizens, parents, process
One doesn't have to do much digging to be reminded of how uninformed and ideological the far right can be when it comes to the public education. This week's remarkable events in Wake County (in which a newly elected group' [...]
My wife got a letter from Senator Burrs when she wrote to inquire about his misguided enthusiasm for abstinence only sex education.
I believe it is important that we promote safe and healthy choices to our children, as well as focus on protecting them from abuse and teaching them to reject [...]
First Blackwater / Xe, then Dyncorp, now Tiger Swan. It's like that cancer Obama was worried about, except it's right here in North Carolina. The Fayetteville Observer has the latest news about our state's special cottage industry.
Neighborhood critics expressed concern that the firing [...]
Story here. Reasonable people agree that precautions should be taken to keep psychologically impaired individuals from buying guns. In the enduring debate over gun regulation, this has been one area of consensus. That's why it is difficult to fathom legislation proposed by Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.) that would make [...]
That the editors at the N&O were surprised this week when Tom (who is not gay) Fetzer expressed his undying affection is a testament to something, though I'm not sure what.
Read more ' [...]For a fine, upstanding public servant, Mr. Rand sure spends a lot of time doing business with crooks. If your stomach can stand it, WRAL has the story. Here's the letter accusing Rand of insider trading.
In case it's not already clear, the NC Democratic Party leadership [...]
Ex-Mayor Pat McCrory, the paradoxical darling of the free-market, anti-government crowd, must have felt something of a shiver yesterday when the EPA announced Charlotte's smart growth award.
"Of course I have mixed feelings," said hizzoner's ghost. "I'm a durn Republican. I hate government and I hate planning, especially transportation'" [...]
Obama's rationale for spending another fifty or so billion dollars more in Afghanistan reminds me of the proud British red coats fighting and losing to a ragtag army of colonists in the American revolution. He is fighting a war from another century.
In his speech tonight, Obama used a [...]
The Twitter machine is all lit up with rumors that Cunningham has decided to run against Burr in the wake of Etheridge's taking a pass. Deja vu all over again? We have two great candidates already. A third would be fine by me. But enough with the drama [...]
President Obama tonight will make the case for pouring more resources into the sinkhole that is Afghanistan. He will argue that this action is a national security priority, worthy of many more lives and billions of dollars. But by all accounts, he will not devote any of his polished rhetoric [...]
Updated with new map!
There must have been a time when the Raleigh News and Observer didn't operate under the thumb of Art Pope's Puppetshow, but it's fading as a distant memory. These days, the newspaper reports Mr. Pope's manufactured opinions week in and week out, a [...]
But your grand children will. Yes indeed, they will live to see the utter collapse of North Carolina's current coastline and barrier islands. Sooner than you think.
Despite the happy talk of anti-science deniers, it's clear that today's rising sea levels are real, no matter what the cause. It's [...]
Some very good news about an old friend, received via email this week:
The Human Rights Coalition of North Carolina is pleased to announce Jerry Markatos of Pittsboro, N.C., as the recipient of its 2009 International Human Rights Award. Markatos is a “longtime unsung hero” in providing support for the [...]
In case you're feeling contemplative on this most gracious of days, here's another side to the story.
[...]
There's something about holiday breaks that pushes me into a pondering mood. Back when I was CEO of a company, the day before going on vacation was always emotional for me. It felt as though I was leaving forever and wanted people to know how much I appreciated them.' [...]
Lively debate today at Daily Kos about Obama's performance. I believe this was triggered first by the epic FAIL emerging in healthcare reform, and then by Obama's intention to "finish the job" in Afghanistan, whatever the hell that means.
So many stories about our senior Senator, all so very painful.
The Charlotte Observer bids adieu to Mayor Pat this morning, offering one singular thread of praise. According to the newspaper, McCrory was nothing short of a communistic central planner in the area of transportation policy, with the passion of a tax-and-spend socialist.
It's risky to try to proclaim anyone's legacy [...]
With so many Republican chickenhawks wanting to pour more money into the black hole of Afghanistan, Congressman David Obey of Wisconsin has taken a powerful and smart position on the matter:
[He] made it clear that he is absolutely opposed to sending any more U.S. troops to Afghanistan and says [...]
For all his imperial power, Marc Basnight still has a way with words, as evidenced in his letter last week to thick-headed admirals in the US Navy. The Elizabeth City Daily Advance has the story.
“The people of northeastern North Carolina do not wish to have an outlying landing field [...]
If you do nothing else this week, set aside five minutes to read this excellent column on wealth redistribution by NC Policy Watch's Rob Schofield.
The intrusion of god into public policy has long been a source of concern for me. It started early in my Navy career, at the Naval Academy to be precise, when roughly four thousand Midshipmen were rousted out of bed on Sunday mornings and marched off to church. We were [...]
Does anybody have any insight into this? Sounds like Mel Watt got leaned on by Obama's boys to go along with the Big Money Protection Racket.
In an unprecedented defeat for the Federal Reserve, an amendment to audit the multi-trillion dollar institution was approved by the House Finance Committee with' [...]
No matter what side you're on in the Great American Abortion Debate, you'll find this article of interest. I discovered it this week in UU World, the Unitarian Universalist monthly magazine. It traces the history of religious practices around abortion, including the Catholic Church's radical change in 1917, driven' [...]
For those following the wild dispute over the Yadkin River Dam between We the People and polluting profiteers at Alcoa, you'll find Bob Geary's story in this week's Independent to be a sight for sore eyes. I'll share a few snippets, but you'll really want to read the whole' [...]
The composition of this picture in the New York Times is extraordinary. A combination Last Temptation, Last Supper, Moses on the Mountain, and Beatles album all rolled into one.
I've always been a supporter of Israel. Today I believe their government's continued expansion could signal the [...]
And happy birthday! We're honored that you'd squeeze in time for BlueNC tonight. Thank you.
As you've no doubt read, our community members have posted some interesting and thought-provoking questions, which we'll weave into this live blogging event.
Thanks again for visiting with us.
(Those who don't' [...]
I don't know Joe Sinsheimer, but I like how he writes, and especially what he writes. Joe gave me permission to post this letter in full, a letter from him to Governor Perdue.
__________________________________________
November 18, 2009
Governor Bev Perdue
Office of the Governor
20301 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-0301
Dear Governor Perdue,' [...]
To all those moderates and right of center hand-wringers who say that emergency rooms are the ultimate safety net for the uninsured, your delusions have just been dashed.
Patients who lack health insurance are more likely to die from car accidents and other traumatic injuries than people who belong to [...]
Who'd have thought I'd ever agree with Sarah Palin. This excerpt from the Atlantic, emphasis added:
"We were informed today that she (Sarah Palin) no longer wishes to do talk radio interviews in the car. It's too distracting," wrote a senior Palin adviser, in an e-mail to senior headquarters' [...]
Most of what I can find about Senator Martin Nesbitt leans in the direction of positive in my view. I hope that bodes well for his tenure as majority leader in the NC Senate. A discussion I found on the Asheville Citizen Times website is encouraging.
Read more [...]That's why it's somewhat bizarre that North Carolina Sen. Richard Burr is standing behind legislation he introduced last March that would restore gun ownership rights to veterans designated by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the U.S. Department of Justice as "mentally incapacitated" or "mentally" [...]
I was lucky enough to meet Kenneth Lewis this morning for a cup of coffee. We talked for an hour, sitting at the corner table at 3 Cups in Chapel Hill. I'll report more on our conversation later in the week, but I do want to tell this' [...]
As you may have read, Secretary Marshall will spend an hour with us Wednesday night, starting at 7:00. Please drop in your questions here ... just in case you aren't able to make it on Wednesday.
Thank goodness. According to the Dome, the DSCC may be scrambling to find another conservative white guy to fill his non-existent shoes. If I were Elaine Marshall or Ken Lewis, I'd be ready to blow something up.
' [...]I'm not sure why this one tickled me, but here you go.
A professor at the University of Mississippi was giving a lecture on 'Involuntary Muscular Contractions' to his first year medical students. Realizing this was not the most riveting subject, the professor decided to lighten the mood slightly. He' [...]
Not that Mr. Kissell seems to care, but for those on his staff who track such things, many people throughout the state who worked for him are more than a little pissed. I'm talking about those who contributed to his campaign, who held fundraisers on his behalf, who knocked on' [...]
The N&O is all a-twitter today with stories about Big Bad Bob and his Senatorial dithering. Will he run? I hope he does. I'd love to watch him twist and turn, trying on one hand to defend his anti-women agenda, trying on the other hand to define the infinitesimally' [...]
You can tell a lot about the integrity of a person by the way he or she apologizes. Let's say, for example, that someone knocks you over while running toward their gate in an airport. The person could say, "Hey, I'm sorry I knocked you over" and that would be' [...]
Inside the so-called mind of a pro-life hypocrite.
“I’ve had several cases over the years in which the anti-abortion patient had rationalized in one way or another that her case was the only exception, but the one that really made an impression was the college senior who was the president [...]
When I think that Congress and Barack Obama allow our nation to do business with criminal mercenaries who take millions of taxpayer dollars and use that money to bribe Iraqi officials, it turns my stomach. We've known about these murdering thugs for years now, and yet' [...]
Admittedly, my ability to read tea leaves in today's political environment pretty much sucks. I was certain that Cunningham would run - and I was dead wrong. But that won't stop me from continuing to speculate about what might happen next. For example, I am happy to predict that [...]
Some exciting news tonight. Tom "who-is-not-gay" Fetzer has invited the latest darling of the Republican fringe, conservative lunatic Doug Hoffman of New York, to give a lecture on how to lose elections in North Carolina. We can only wish Tom well in his mission to [...]
Dear friends in Chapel Hill,
It seems like forever ago that I called so many of you, as I've done too many times, to help with a fundraising event here in Orange County. In this case, I wanted to introduce you to a new candidate in North Carolina's 8th District, Larry [...]
As you have no doubt read, Senator Tony Rand announced his retirement yesterday, spawning a wave of spinning from the chattering classes that will continue for months to come. Even the Wakers are weighing in, with nonsense like this from McClatchy reporter Mark Johnson, channeling Senate minority leader, [...]
Only in Republican WackoWorld can a woman who drove a major global corporation into the ground, and then helped crush the campaign of a mavericky presidential candidate, all the while failing to even bother to vote, be so full of herself to run for the US [...]
Just when I think North Carolina might be on the edge of the cusp of the remote possibility of intelligent leadership, misogynist Neanderthals like Health Shuler and Mike McIntrye open their self-righteous mouths and prove me wronger than wrong. This time, the two hypocrites are part of a coalition [...]
Chris Fitzsimon does a regular feature at NC Policy Watch ... a weekly column called Monday Numbers. They're sometimes hard to follow, but if you make the effort, always interesting. Yesterday's analysis looks at different performance measures in states with relatively high taxes compared to states with relatively low taxes.' [...]
It's hard to know whether my endorsement is a good thing these days, or if it ever was. But on the eve of the Big Election in Chapel Hill tomorrow, I offer my support for Mark Kleinschmidt.
I don't know Mark personally, nor do I know his opponent. But I' [...]
