Carolina Journal Weekly Report

For the week of October 26, 2012 - carolinajournal.com

Reaction of the Week

RALEIGH — Cherry Hospital, a state-run adult inpatient psychiatric facility in Goldsboro, welcomed a federally funded nonprofit organization to conduct a voter registration drive of mental patients, likely a violation of state law, reports Carolina Journal.

Moreover, a memo from a hospital administrator indicated the nonprofit, Disability Rights North Carolina, assisted patients in completing absentee ballots, which may have been illegal as well.

Records from the Wayne County Board of Elections obtained by Carolina Journal show 34 persons using Cherry Hospital’s address — 201 Stevens Mill Road in Goldsboro — are registered to vote. Cherry Hospital, with a resident population of more than 200, serves patients in 38 eastern North Carolina counties.

Local election board records obtained by CJ show an additional 144 registered voters with home addresses at the other two state inpatient mental hospitals in Butner and Morganton, but CJ was unable to determine if Disability Rights N.C. conducted registration drives at those hospitals.

CJ: N.C. tax burden second-highest in the South
RALEIGH — North Carolina residents pay nearly 10 percent of their income in taxes, placing the state squarely among the 20th-most taxed in the nation, said the nonprofit Tax Foundation in its most recent Annual State-Local Tax Burden Ranking.

CJ: Huge cash differential in race for U.S. House District 9
RALEIGH — While Republican Robert Pittenger invokes a need to return to the principles of Ronald Reagan, and Democrat Jennifer Roberts implores voters to remember she works in a bipartisan manner, the campaign cash gap between them grows.

CJ: Electric-vehicle charging stations mostly unused
RALEIGH — Electric vehicle stations are springing up in North Carolina, partly a result of federal stimulus money going to the stations. The stations have yet to catch on with the general public, quite possibly because so few people have purchased electric vehicles.

CJ: Raleigh considers allowing more food trucks
RALEIGH — Since Raleigh legalized food trucks a year ago, 18 have been permitted to operate in 11 locations. After receiving only positive feedback about the roaming restaurants, city council now is considering opening up a few more places for them to park.

Goldman named colleague Malone in theft
RALEIGH — Wake County school board member Debra Goldman named fellow board member Chris Malone as a suspect in June 2010 when she reported a burglary from her Cary home of $130,000 worth of jewelry, cash and coins, according to a police report.

Monday, October 29, 2012 at 12:00 p.m.
Shaftesbury Society Luncheon
with our special guest Scott Gerber
Justice Thomas's Legacy After 20 Years

Thursday, November 15, 2012 at 12:00 p.m.
A Headliner Luncheon
with our special guest Fred Barnes
Post Election: What the Election Results Really Mean

Capital Quotes

“[Beth Wood] at least had the courage to stand up to the Perdue administration on some broken government issues.”
— Republican gubernatorial nominee Pat McCrory, as quoted by the Associated Press, responding to a question about Debra Goldman, the Republican nominee for state auditor, by indicating in part that Democratic incumbent Beth Wood had done a good job.

“The challenge for him is many of the things are really out of his control.”
— Eric Heberlig, a political science professor at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, talking to the Associated Press about Democrat Walter Dalton’s run for governor.

“Compared to the numbers we were seeing during the merger, it’s pretty small.”
— Jim Hoard, head of the accounting division at the N.C. Public Staff, as quoted by the Raleigh News & Observer, reacting to Progress Energy’s $9 million in projected savings during the first year after its merger with Duke Energy.

“At this point, I think it’s in the bag that we’ll end the year (with an unemployment rate) above 9 percent.”
— N.C. State University economist Michael Walden, talking to the Raleigh News & Observer about the state’s economy.

This week on C J Radio…
JLF’s John Hood discusses the legacy of William Friday; Fox Business Network’s John Stossel shares key tenets of libertarianism; lawmakers wonder if plan to move HHS workers is really about helping Gov. Perdue’s goals for Dorothea Dix campus; Barton College historian Jeff Broadwater examines James Madison’s legacy; JLF’s Roy Cordato explains the role of the Federal Reserve and why it’s rarely been discussed this election cycle.

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. Topics this week: Elections almost here; how much education do we need; and 80 on 95. This week’s panelists: John Hood, president of the John Locke Foundation; Chris Fitzsimon of NC Policy Watch; columnist Cash Michaels; and former legislator Connie Wilson.