Archive for September 2015
The 60-year war on public schools
This didn’t start when the Republicans took over the legislature in 2010. It dates back to the US Supreme Court decision outlawing segregated schools in 1954. Now, a toxic crew of racists, right-wingers and private-school profiteers smell victory. Back in the ‘50s and ‘60s, Governors, legislators and school boards across the South pulled out every…
Read MoreA Tough Question
Ole Ned Barnett, the Editorial-Writing-Chief down at the News and Observer, is a fine fellow though like many Editorial-Chiefs he’s a bone deep liberal who frets over the vices of sexism and the virtues of gay rights and seldom finds an encouraging word to say about Republicans. Which is fine. The N&O’s spending its own…
Read MoreStrongmen. Or not.
Two would-be strongmen huffed and puffed, postured and blustered on 60 Minutes Sunday night, but neither Vladimir Putin nor Donald Trump could hold a candle to the strength that Pope Francis showed America during his visit. The Pope reminded us that real strength means faith, empathy and compassion, not name-calling, mouthing off and macho posing.…
Read MoreElections Where Issues Don’t Matter
Arthur walked through the door, dropped a four inch thick poll on the table with a thud, sat down, and said, If you don’t want to lose this election, you have to learn something new. That was in December of 1983 when Jesse Helms was fighting for survival against Jim Hunt and Arthur – who’d…
Read MoreThe Old Hymn
The old hymn goes, ‘Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow.’ Is that idea true? Or false? Do you agree? Or disagree? And if the old hymn’s true what happens if we elect a President who worships another god? Does it matter? Do blessings only flow to individuals – or does He also bless nations?…
Read MoreWebs
It usually begins with an evasion which leads to another evasion and soon, like a hapless fly, even for a Brigadier General (who was a paratrooper) the silken webs are inescapable: Tony Tata, explaining to the News and Observer about three affairs, an out of wedlock child, a forged court order, an army investigation and…
Read MoreNC Republicans waving white flag on taxes
The blog below is written by TAPster Daniel Gilligan, a policy consultant from Raleigh who has a keen eye for legislative follies: “New taxes shouldn’t be considered tax increases. That was the message from Republican legislators after they unveiled a state budget that includes over $200 million of new sales taxes over the next two…
Read MoreQuoting a Crazy English Lord
Since the day the John Locke Foundation opened its doors two decades ago it’s stood steadfast for free markets and steadfast against government regulations but then the unexpected happened: Its two perfectly reasonable abstract principles collided head-on and suddenly the Locke folks found themselves quoting an English Lord named Christopher Monckton who’d once claimed he’d…
Read MoreDickie’s dodge
Raleigh City Council candidate Dickie Thompson tried to pull a classic politician’s dodge last week. J.B. Buxton, also a District A candidate, held a press conference to blast what Indy Week called “one of the worst provisions in the new state budget: the sales tax on auto repair, maintenance and installation services that will go…
Read MoreRoy Cooper’s Lucky Day
Manna doesn’t fall from heaven often and falls on politicians least often of all but after Roy Cooper said he was dead-set against letting Duke Energy add the costs of cleaning up its coal ash ponds to its customers’ electric bills, Governor McCrory pounced – and it was ole Roy’s lucky day. Last fall, in…
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