Archive for 2006
Response to ‘Still Lost in the Desert’
Gary, I expect – whether Osama bin Laden carries out his threats or not – the 2006 elections are going to be about terrorism. We’re in a war, they’re people running around out there who chop people’s heads off with swords, take twenty-eight-year-old girls hostage, hate Americans and threaten to blow up or cities. What…
Read MoreStill Lost in the Desert
Friday, January 20, was the 25th anniversary of a dramatic example of events in the Middle East driving American politics: 25 years ago, Ronald Reagan was sworn in as President and Iran released the hostages. Same day, 2006, our news is dominated by Osama bin Laden’s latest threat against the U.S. Last time we heard…
Read MoreI Hear the Train A-comin’
The News & Observer headline Thursday (January 19) said “Wake school officials fear sticker shock.” I believe Raleigh Democrats are in for voter shock if they don’t wise up. This month, Democrats on the City Council refused to even talk about using city revenues to meet school construction needs. Fortunately, two Council Democrats – Jessie…
Read MoreImpact Fees
One of the School Board Financial Advisory Board members has come out for something called an Adequate Public Facilities ordinance (ADF) – which sounds like a good-old-fashioned impact fee. Now that’s wrong with that? First, it’s a hidden tax. The county slaps a big fee on developers – but whoever buys what the developer sells…
Read MoreScandal
It seems like there’s a new scandal erupting in Washington about every day. The News and Observer reports (January 12, 2006) court documents filed last Wednesday show Louisiana Congressman William Jefferson demanded bribes “in exchange for his help in promoting a pair of business deals in Africa.” Jefferson’s former legislative director already pleaded guilty. All…
Read MoreModerate or Insider
The News and Observer reports Wake County Commission Chairman Tony Gurley has switched sides – he’s now a moderate (he ran for election as a conservative). That doesn’t sound too bad. People have a right to sincerely change opinions. But in this case I feel there’s another tried and true political tradition at work here.…
Read MoreLet the Booze Flow
Chris Matthews seems to have uncovered a golden nugget about lobbying laws in Washington. He says current law restricts how much a lobbyist can spend on dinner with a member of Congress or a Senator. But there is no limit on how much the same lobbyist can spend buying the honorables liquor. Just another sign…
Read MoreNashville Hit With the Ethics Flu
Raleigh and Washington aren’t the only capitals where politicians are scrambling to get in front of the ethics reform train. Tennessee’s legislature is meeting this week in a special session. It was called after four state legislators were caught up in an FBI bribery sting operation – called Tennessee Waltz. As a long-ago politician was…
Read MoreOutrage of the Week
Here’s the outrage of the week. Two of them. Mayor Meeker has given us a downtown Convention Center, a downtown hotel and a new up-scale downtown supermarket – all funded, subsidized or paid for by taxpayers. Now he’s giving us a ritzy, white-tablecloth fine cuisine downtown restaurant – at a cost to taxpayers of $1,000,000.…
Read MoreThe Real Gas Tax Scandal
Republicans want to make an issue out of the recent state gas tax increase. They’re shocked – shocked, mind you – at a 2.8 cent tax hike. But they’re unbothered that the oil companies raised the price 15 cents. They’re missing the real problem here. I agree with an opinion piece that ran in the…
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