“We have $70 billion in road needs and only $11 billion to pay the bill.” It’s a lament commonly used to justify toll lanes. We heard it at the candidate forum last week, and we’ll probably hear it at the next one tomorrow night. But how did NCDOT come up with that $70 billion figure, […]
Just took a look at some of the historic losses by incumbent Presidents in their off-presidential year elections. 1918 Wilson -7 D seats; 1922 Harding -7 R seats; 1926 Coolidge -7 R; 1930 Hoover -8 R; 1938 FDR -7 D; 1942 FDR -8 D; 1946 Truman -12 D; 1950 Truman -5 D; 1958 Ike -13 […]
Asthma sufferers in the United States have become a casualty of the EPA’s war on emissions. Many used to rely on the Primatene Mist asthma inhaler for emergency relief from an asthma attack, but the product emits chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) which, according to the UN, are a major contributor to Ozone Depletion. In an attempt to […]
The Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners (“MeckBOCC”), while exercising the powers of a local board of health, will soon be voting to ban all smoking and tobacco use in County, City, and Town buildings, as well as vehicles, county parks, and public grounds. MeckBOCC Health and Human Services Committee members George Dunlap, Karen Bentley, and […]
At their regularly scheduled city council meeting this past Monday, Council members had the opportunity to learn about the I-77 toll lanes. NCDOT made a “managed lanes” presentation. The council asked lots of pointed questions, which is good. It’s the answers we take issue with. They heard the usual rhetoric about “giving drivers a choice” and […]
Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman claims he has unveiled the real motive behind opposition to the Federal Reserve’s policy of minting trillions of dollars to purchase toxic investments and government debt——technically known as quantitative easing or QE. According to Krugman, criticism of QE is not genuinely rooted in the oft-voiced concern that it may stoke […]
If one follows the arguments about Anthropogenic Global Warming (AGW), one becomes aware the subject is very politicized and is not just about science, but about control over the economy and man’s behavior. An example of this politicization comes in the Charlotte Observer’s Monday issue on page C1 “Hurricanes ‘burp’ the Estuaries” is the title and […]
I’ve written in the past about the seemingly cozy relationship between NC House Speaker Thom Tillis and NC Treasurer Janet Cowell. In addition to personal endorsements of the Treasurer, Tillis not only oversaw legislation requested by Cowell, he voted to ensure its passage. The state legislation increased the percentage of NC pension money that Cowell […]
Citizens United is a big problem for those of us who like transparency in government. Yes, I do believe that individuals or groups should be able to spend as much as they want promoting any candidate whom they so choose. However, we the public should have access to information on from where that money has […]
Ex-mayor Patrick Cannon gives us the sad example of what we must fear from government: quid pro quo. Mr. Cannon did no more than what can be expected from many people; he became friendly with those he did business with. More importantly, and what is missing from his case, those who did business with him […]
