Archive for June 2014
Coal Ash
When it comes to avoiding another coal ash spill, the problem may not be (as the environmentalists believe) the villainy of Governor McCrory. The problem may be more subtle. Going back decades, the career state employees over at the Department of Environment and Natural Resources have told Duke Energy it was handling coal ash…
Read MoreMississippi
The unexpected almost always happens – but who’d have expected this: Down in Mississippi the Tea Party has been battling it out with the Republican Establishment, trying to whip Senator Thad Cochran and when all the votes were counted the Tea Party candidate led Cochrane by an eyelash 49.6% to 49%. The surprise? …
Read MoreSmart Voters
Everybody has a theory about why Eric Cantor lost, one that usually reflects their overall theory about politics: It was about immigration. Cantor was aloof and arrogant. The Tea Party is still a force in the GOP. Voters lie to pollsters. Pollsters are stupid. Let’s consider another possible factor, one that echoes last month’s primaries…
Read MoreCommon Core and Ernest Hemingway
I’m very, very nervous… Democratic State Representative Marcus Brandon said. Disagreeing, Republican Representative Michael Specialecountered, What’s the price of selling our souls? When it comes to keeping ‘Common Core’ the politicians in Raleigh have divided into two armed camps. Rep. Michael Speciale is dead-set against it. Rep. Marcus Brandon is for it. …
Read MoreA Sign?
“This is a miracle from God that just happened.” – David Brat, who rocked the political world Tuesday by upsetting Eric Cantor in a Virginia Republican primary. Well, that’s certainly one explanation. A more earthly one came from former Representative Thomas M. Davis III, another Virginia Republican: “There are some very angry people upset…
Read MorePicking Winners and Losers
Everybody knows Republicans, and especially conservative Republicans, don’t like government subsidies. They’re corporate welfare. They’re government picking winners and losers. And interfering with the free marketplace. That’s why Republicans opposed Obama’s solar energy subsidies like Solyandro – a solar business ought to be able to stand on its own two feet and if it…
Read MoreWho’s the Boss?
Governor McCrory is starting to look like Bev Perdue without the dress. He started out this legislature saying he’d be more assertive. Then Senator Berger released his budget and showed everybody who’s the Real Boss in Raleigh. McCrory clearly doesn’t like Berger’s budget. But it’s not clear what he’s going to do about…
Read MoreSomnambulance
Horrified by the vision of legions of fired Democratic state employees, back when Jim Martin was elected Governor, Democrats changed the law so Martin couldn’t fire much of anyone – then announced (with a show of virtue) they’d gotten nasty old politics out of the state government. But the best laid plans of…
Read MoreVirtue in a Swamp
Everyday emails float in out of the ether about miracle cures and hot stocks and how to meet the woman of my dreams in Moscow – it’s like having a swamp on my doorstep. But even in swamps virtue has a way of showing up now and then and the email below (part…
Read MoreThe Origin of Teacher Assistants
Here’s some history on teacher assistants – and a hint about why Senate Republicans want to get rid of them: They’re Jim Hunt’s creation. In his first race for Governor in 1976, Hunt proposed what he called the Primary Reading Program. As Lieutenant Governor and ex-officio member of the State Board of Education, he…
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