For the week of
September 16, 2011
- carolinajournal.com
Reaction of the Week
RALEIGH — Buncombe County commissioners and the local community college
president are trying to “hoodwink” voters into endorsing a sales-tax
hike with an offer that's too good to be true. The John Locke
Foundation’s top local government expert reaches that conclusion in a
new Regional Brief.
“Voters are told that an extra $7 million per year in sales tax will pay
for new buildings and renovations at Asheville-Buncombe County
Technical Community College,” said Dr. Michael Sanera, JLF Director of
Research and Local Government Studies. “The government sales pitch
suggests this additional taxpayer spending will create jobs. But our new
report arms voters with questions that will help them put that sales
pitch to the test.”
Buncombe County voters will decide Nov. 8 whether to allow county commissioners to add 0.25 cents to the local sales-tax rate.
“The first thing voters should know about the sales-tax increase is that
money raised from the tax would go to the county’s General Fund, not
specifically to community college projects,” Sanera warned. “Voters
should beware that voting for the sales-tax increase would give county
commissioners a blank check to spend in any way they choose.”
News Features
CJ: NCGA session ends with amendments on table
RALEIGH — Despite preliminary plans to consider
up to four constitutional amendments during a special session this week,
state lawmakers adjourned Wednesday morning without taking final votes
on three of them. The sole winning amendment — one that defines marriage as the union of
one man and one woman — will appear on the primary ballot in May next
year for approval by voters.
CJ: Chapel Hill ends matching funds for elections
CHAPEL HILL — Municipal election candidates
counting on a bonus round of public campaign funding no longer have that
option. The state has declared Chapel Hill’s practice unconstitutional
with just weeks to go before early voting begins. CJ: Wildlife Commission considering major changes in hunting rules
GRAHAM — A generations-deep tradition of hunting
deer with dog packs would be outlawed in Orange County if opponents of
the practice get their way. Advocates of deer hunting with dogs fear an
Orange County ban could spark a domino effect elsewhere in the state CJ: Durham Rescue Mission serves needy without government support
DURHAM — Some social service nonprofit groups
fear they can’t survive without government funding. Not so the founders
of the Durham Rescue Mission. They don’t regret for a moment their
decision nearly four decades ago to rely on private donations to help
the homeless and addicted in one the state’s largest cities become
productive members of society again. Registers’ perks are public expense
RALEIGH — This weekend, county registers of deeds from across the state
will head to Boone for an annual association conference that is largely
underwritten by vendors seeking business and the fee-paying public
that’s on the hook for association dues and travel expenses. Last year
alone, the registers’ offices were required to chip in an additional
$20,000 in public money to the N.C. Association of Registers of Deeds in
the form of higher dues.
Upcoming Events
Monday, September 19, 2011 at 12:00 PM, Noon
A meeting of the Shaftesbury Society
with our special guest Rick Henderson
Jobbing the Jobs Stats: How to separate fact from spin in the
employment numbers
Thursday, September 22, 2011 at 12:00 p.m.
Luncheon and Discussion
with our special guest Hans von Spakovsky
Voter ID: Protecting Election Security Saturday, October 22, 2011 at 9:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
A Constitutional Workshop in Pinehurst, NC
with our special guests Dr. Troy Kickler & Dr. Michael Sanera
Workshop #2 in Pinehurst: "What would the Federalists and Anti-federalists say about the current political and economic crises?" Saturday, October 29, 2011 at 9:30 am - 3 pm
A Constitutional Workshop in New Bern, NC
with our special guests Dr. Troy Kickler & Dr. Michael Sanera
Workshop #1 in New Bern, NC- What the Founders and the State Ratification Conventions Can Teach Us Today
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Capital Quotes
“This is about democracy in action.”
— Sen. Thom Goolsby, R-New Hanover, as quoted by the Wilmington Star-News, talking about a proposed state constitutional amendment that will go before voters in May that would prohibit gay marriage. “It allows the majority to vote on the rights of the minority, which is not OK.”
— Katie Booher, a volunteer with Equality North Carolina, talking to the Winston-Salem Journal about the proposed amendment.
“North Carolina is a key state, so get used to it.”
— Democratic consultant Gary Pearce, talking to WRAL-TV about President Obama and Vice President Biden making appearances in the Triangle this week.
“He’s essentially a walking credibility problem.”
— James Early, an analyst at The Motley Fool, talking to the Charlotte Observer about Bank of America chief executive Brian Moynihan. Despite an announcement of 30,000 job cuts this week, Early still thinks it possible that that Bank of America might end up being broken up or end up in bankruptcy.
On The Air This Week…
This week on C J Radio…
JLF’s Terry Stoops discusses the role of Judge Howard Manning in education policy; N.C. State Professor Andy Taylor explains why the state should reverse the “quasi-judicial process” for local land-use decisions; Rep. Nelson Dollar, R-Wake, analyzes the benefits of legislative oversight; John Redmond, retired director of executive
education at UNC-Greensboro’s Bryan School of Business and Economics, discusses the slow pace of education reform; JLF’s Daren Bakst explains why the N.C. Board of Elections told Chapel Hill to stop issuing “rescue” funds to candidates.
This week on NC Spin…
Join moderator Tom Campbell
for another week of political discussion and debate on the most
intelligent television talk show in the state. Topic this week: Part one of a special edition of NC SPIN focusing on proposed amendments to our state’s constitution.
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