Guarino

Bill Knight on what the city should be doing

Bill Knight spoke briefly at the City Council meeting last Tuesday night, May 20.  His remarks are found at about 21 minutes into the meeting.  The video can be accessed here.  His remarks were primarily about various ways the city can achieve cost savings.

But to provide additional information, he has a more detailed blog post on the subject.

Check it out.

Skip Alston's Comments on Sales Tax Disingenuous

I had a chance to watch on television a part of Thursday night's meeting of the Board of County Commissioners.  This morning, the News and Record saw fit to give prominent placement to an article highlighting an ill-advised comment by Billy Yow.   Less prominently discussed, however, was a prolonged, emphatic diatribe by Skip Alston that made little sense.

Yow proposed to revisit the issue of a sales tax increase.  And Alston repeatedly- for what seemed like an interminable, insufferable length of time-- made the point that the voters had already rejected this possibility. 

Yes, they had.  But since the time that vote was taken, circumstances have changed dramatically.  Most of the bonds passed that were on the ballot-- in amounts totaling hundreds of millions of dollars-- and Guilford County property owners now face very hefty future tax increases.  That knowledge was not available when voters considered the sales tax increase.

And of course, voters approved these measures, at least in part, out of ignorance.  But Commissioner Winstead began to explore the issue of whether individuals not owning property-- renters, college students, etc.-- may have skewed the outcome.  That is a legitimate question.  After all, it is very easy to support a bond issue at the polls when you perceive you will not have to pay for it.

But Skip Alston protested once again.  He said that renters pay property taxes.  And of course, he is right.  They do so indirectly through the rent they pay.  But this does not mean that they necessarily perceive they will be subject to a rent increase if they vote in favor of bonds.  And Skip is smart enough that I suspect he knows that.

(It should be noted that Alston opposed most of the bonds-- and I agreed with him on that.)

Winstead made the point that when property taxes rise, rents can only be increased to the extent that the market will bear.  It is not necessarily true that every dollar in property tax increases will be passed along to renters.

So it can actually be argued, for the reasons I discussed above, that Skip's arguments were disingenuous, wrongheaded and/or misleading on three key points-- that the voters rejected a sales tax increase, that renters pay property taxes, and that rents increase directly in response to property taxes.

I wonder if his reaction was merely intended to Protect My People.

In any case, Yow and the five commissioners voting with him are correct that the sales tax needs to be a part of the mix to relieve the burden on property owners, and to diversify the tax base.

But if this measure is placed before voters once again, I think there should be two additional provisos.  First, it should be guaranteed that the sales tax increase will be instead of a property tax increase-- not in addition to one.  We don't want it to be merely another revenue source that politicians will excrete freely.

Second, any ballot question should be exceedingly clear in the way it is presented; and present two options to the voters, like this:

In May, voters approved hundreds of millions of dollars in bonds for school construction and for a new jail.  Taxes must be raised to pay for these bonds.  Please choose which option you prefer to pay for them:

1. A sales tax increase of 1%

2. A property tax increase of $xxx dollars for each $100,000 in valuation.  Renters will likely have to pay this tax, at least partially, through monthly rent increases.

Clear, plain, instructive language should be on the ballot so that there is no confusion as to the implications of the vote taken; and so that those who do not follow or understand politics and local government will understand the issue.

Let the voters choose their poison; and let them understand that the decision they previously made necessitated this choice.

A Fable Illustrating our Contemporary Politics

I received the following in an e-mail from a friend.   It illustrates the difference between what a traditional Aesop's-like Fable would have taught, and the teachings of a more contemporary version based on our current politics. 

OLD VERSION:

The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long, building his house and laying up supplies for the winter.

The grasshopper thinks the ant is a fool and laughs and dances and plays the summer away.

Come winter, the ant is warm and well fed.  The grasshopper has no food or shelter, so he dies out in the cold.

MORAL OF THE STORY: Be responsible for yourself!

-------------------------------------------

MODERN VERSION:

The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long, building his house and laying up supplies for the winter.

The grasshopper thinks the ant is a fool and laughs and dances and plays the summer away.

Come winter, the shivering grasshopper calls a press conference and demands to know why the ant should be allowed to be warm and well fed while others are cold and starving.

CBS, NBC, PBS, CNN, and ABC show up to provide pictures of the shivering grasshopper next to a video of the ant in his comfortable home with a table filled with food. America is stunned by the sharp contrast.

How can this be, that in a country of such wealth, this poor grasshopper is allowed to suffer so?

Kermit the Frog appears on Oprah with the grasshopper, and everybody cries when they sing, 'It's Not Easy Being Green'.

Jesse Jackson stages a demonstration in front of the ant's house where the news stations film the group singing, "We shall overcome". Jesse then has the group kneel down to pray to God for the grasshopper's sake.

Nancy Pelosi & John Kerry exclaim in an interview with Larry King that the ant has gotten rich off the back of the grasshopper, and both call for an immediate tax hike on the ant to make him pay his fair share.

Finally, the EEOC drafts the Economic Equity & Anti-Grasshopper Act retroactive to the beginning of the summer.

The ant is fined for failing to hire a proportionate number of green bugs and, having nothing left to pay his retroactive taxes, his home is confiscated by the government.

Hillary gets her old law firm to represent the grasshopper in a defamation suit against the ant, and the case is tried before a panel of federal judges that Bill Clinton appointed from a list of single-parent welfare recipients.

The ant loses the case.

The story ends as we see the grasshopper finishing up the last bits of the ant's food while the government house he is in, which just happens to be the ant's old house, crumbles around him because he doesn't maintain it.

The ant has disappeared in the snow.

The grasshopper is found dead in a drug related incident and the house, now abandoned, is taken over by a gang of spiders who terrorize the once peaceful neighborhood.

MORAL OF THE STORY: Be careful how you vote in 2008.

"Painter Boulevard": Who Dropped the Ball?

There was a good article in the News and Record this morning regarding the Painter Boulevard situation.  The conflict depicted involves neighborhood residents vs. the state DOT.

But here is the real question.  Who dropped the ball on "Painter Boulevard" such that neighborhood residents could have purchased homes, and apparently have been unaware they would be exposed to such high noise levels?  I will offer a menu of options from among the involved parties:

1. The federal DOT
2. The state DOT
3. Local developers/realtors
4. Local planning or zoning boards or agencies
5. Local elected officials
6. The local media
7. The area residents themselves

But there is another important question.  Who should be responsible for any efforts to remedy the situation, whether it may be landscaping or walls to reduce noise?  Again, I offer a menu of choices:

1. Federal taxpayers
2. State taxpayers
3. City taxpayers
4. The developers/realtors involved
5. The area residents themselves

It seems this issue requires some analysis and discussion.  It would, after all, be best if the responsible parties paid the bill.

Cops in Black and White, Part LIII

Jerry Bledsoe's installment today in the Rhino Times focuses on the City Attorney's report written during fall of 2005.  The following represents a summary.

It should be noted that this installment contains considerable amounts of information covered previously.  We will not duplicate all of that here.

One major focus, however, is the public statement David Wray gave soon after James Hinson went public with his allegations in early June, 2005.  Unfortunately, the RMA report claimed that Wray misled city officials and the public with his statement.  The city attorney's report said the statement he made was "pivotal".

Wray had said that there was an ongoing, multi-jurisdictional investigation.  But what he actually said was that his actions were "due to a number of considerations, including ongoing, multi-jurisdictional criminal investigations involving a number of law enforcement agencies."   This was all true.

He said information was found that necessitated internal reviews and investigations-- and that was true also.  He said he had been unable to provide further information because of legal constraints.  And he said Special Intelligence had been involved-- again, all correct.

He also indicated that there was no truth to the allegation that a family member of a GPD (Beverly Hinson) had been monitored by the GPD.  (We later learned he was right on this also).

The City Attorney's report said he claimed authority to act based on a green light given by the US Attorney.  This was incorrect.  But he had obtained assistance from the City Attorney and the Police Attorney-- Maurice Cawn-- with respect to the content of his June statement.

The City Attorney's report also attempted to ascribe ill intentions to a statement Wray had made when he allegedly advised that those in the general public considering the matter should "connect the dots".  In fact, he made this statement on the phone to Lorraine Ahearn,   She had called him asking for more information on the Hinson suspension-- and he was advising her to connect the dots, not the general public.  He had not even consented to an interview, and yet his quote was headlined across the front page of the paper.

Finally the City Attorney's report mentioned the meeting, alternately described as an inquisition and/or an ambush, with Joe Williams and several black officers during August, 2005.  But the report does not mention that city officials had been told there would be no lawsuit if Hinson kept his job;  nor does it mention that Wray had not been advised about the inquisitional meeting in advance.

Bledsoe closes by indicating that Mitchell Johnson felt that after initial attempts at fact-gathering, that an independent investigation was warranted.  But in fact, much of the initial investigation was performed by two Assistant City Attorneys who answered to him and to Linda Miles-- hardly independent.  And according to Bledsoe, "Wray believed that they already knew what their bosses wanted from the report."

 

Guilford County Sheriff BJ Barnes to lead GPD?

Tony Wilkins has an intriguing post.   It discusses the possibility of a referendum at the polls to enable Sheriff B.J. Barnes to take over the leadership of the GPD.  He knows how many signatures it would take to get this measure on the ballot.

It would be great if this could be made to happen.  Tony points out a precedent for this type of thing having taken place in the state of Indiana.

I made some comments over at his site. 

Joe Lieberman, the 2008 election, and Jewish voters

The Wall Street Journal has a startling opinion piece today written by Senator Joe Lieberman in support of John McCain.  He criticizes the Democratic left-- which consitutes a huge chunk of the most politically active elements within the party at the national level-- because of its de facto opposition to the War on Terror.  And he states the following:

When total victory did not come quickly in Iraq, the old voices of partisanship and peace at any price saw an opportunity to reassert themselves. By considering centrism to be collaboration with the enemy – not bin Laden, but Mr. Bush – activists have successfully pulled the Democratic Party further to the left than it has been at any point in the last 20 years.

Far too many Democratic leaders have kowtowed to these opinions rather than challenging them. That unfortunately includes Barack Obama, who, contrary to his rhetorical invocations of bipartisan change, has not been willing to stand up to his party's left wing on a single significant national security or international economic issue in this campaign.

In this, Sen. Obama stands in stark contrast to John McCain, who has shown the political courage throughout his career to do what he thinks is right – regardless of its popularity in his party or outside it.

John also understands something else that too many Democrats seem to have become confused about lately – the difference between America's friends and America's enemies.

We knew Lieberman was leaning this way.  But today he uses unequivocal, plain, tough language openly.  He cannot be considered to be the definitive "voice" for Jewish Americans nationally, but there is ample reason for watching this particular voter segment.

Obama's support for Israel is tepid.  He talks about wanting to achieve "justice" for the Palestinians.  He refers to the "most hawkish" elements within the American Jewish community.  His former pastor was not a big supporter of Israel, nor were others from Chicagoland with whom his political/religious sponsors worked.  There is reason to believe, based on information regarding his past positions, that he might not do whatever it takes to defend and support Isarel. 

Greensboro has a large, active Jewish community.  Only within the last several weeks, there was a local Jewish event, and a media quote from prominent members of the community suggested how central the state of Israel is to their Jewish identity and concerns.  The question is how this will translate into votes at the polls in November-- yes, locally, but much more importantly, in various other states.

There has been some suggestion that the Jewish vote in states like Florida and Pennsylvania might be at risk for Obama.  Other states with heavier concentrations of Jewish voters might see this segment brought into play.  This group had in the past been overwhelmingly Democratic.

It will be an interesting election because the traditional red-blue state paradigm is going to be challenged because of various factors. And the Jewish vote could influence the outcome in certain key states.

Addendum:

An excellent article by Mark Hemingway details some of the case against Obama on issues of interest to Jewish Americans.  I suggest readers take the time to review it, because it contains fairly important information.  This includes his past relationships with terrorist sympathizers-- for instance, Rashid Khalidi, who has had a past working relationship with the PLO.

Zack Matheny's Town Meeting

I was regrettably unable to attend Zack Matheny's town meeting last night.  It sounds like it was a humdinger. 

Bubba has a very good summary over at his site.  Check it out:

The group... immediately started airing their feelings about crime, and Matheny got an earful. A large segment of time was spent on this discussion, and GPD Eastern Division Commander Captain Chris Walker did a good job fielding many of the questions.

Bottom line: A number of people are angry about this; a number of people are flat out afraid, and it's a matter of major concern. Matheny was short on answers, plans, and solutions, preferring instead to frame the issue as a funding problem.

I brought up the question of re-opening the White Street Landfill, and immediately Matheny went on the defensive. He dodged the question artfully, but the Rhino Time's John Hammer and I wouldn't let him off the hook.

Matheny claims that White St. is "not closed", which may be technically correct, but he danced all around my question of costs for the current way trash is handled. He referred to the issue as a political one, saying the votes aren't there (on City Council) to open it, and it would invite lawsuits if we did. I made a mental note to ask about lawsuits when we got around to discussing the fiasco of the management of the GPD and its on-going internal problems. Unfortunately, I never got the chance to bring that aspect up.

By that time, I think poor young Zack had started to wonder why he ever decided to do this sort of event, but he gallantly pressed forward. I think he used the term "exposing myself", which he most certainly did.

It was apparent by then that he wasn't relishing a discussion about the ongoing soap opera that has become the GPD and the City Manager's office. That led me to make the statement that "We (the City of Greensboro) lack the political will and management ability to solve the problem". His blood pressure must have shot up 30 points, and he immediately came back with a question that bordered on losing control. I resisted the urge to engage him, and instead told him he would be better served by calling on the other people who wanted to respond in light of my comment. Afterward, he made some whiny comments about the media, not so subtly directed Hammer's way, followed with an exclamation of "I'm one person!"

Ryan Shell also had a summary.  Here is one interesting excerpt:

It was only a matter of time before crime and the Greensboro Police Department were mentioned, but once it happened Matheny answered several questions about gangs and the department’s performance.  The officer in attendance gave some brief statistics, but one fact that stood out is that they have “arrested the same group of juveniles for breaking and entering several times” in one part of District 3.  In regards to the homicide in New Irving Park, both the officer and Matheny said they are “comfortable in the direction the investigation is headed.”

When the hiring of more police officers came up, Matheny reminded everyone that hiring additional officer’s takes money and that the $500k that was recently given to the GPD is probably almost gone.  That isn’t known for a fact, but when Mitchell Johnson gives his efficiency report they will know what is left, if anything, of the money.

While talking about crime and the need for more police a resident said, “We have a big issue, but we’re not handling it in a big way.”

A question from a resident that drew applause was “What does a city manager have to do to be considered incompetent?” Matheny answered by saying, “To lie.  I need to have proof that the manager has lied.”

That struck me as an unusual response.  It seems to me that someone who always tells the truth can be an incompetent manager; and conversely, a person caught in a lie can be an otherwise competent manager.  Competence and truth-telling are two different attributes-- admittedly with some overlap. 

But the fact that Zack Matheny perceives the city manager to be telling the truth does not necessarily mean that the manager should also be regarded as competent.  

Truth-telling is not an adequate barometer of competence.  It is necessary, but it is not sufficient.  We need something more in our city manager than a person who Zack Matheny perceives is telling the truth.

Update: Brenda Bowers adds her perspective over at her blog.

Greensboro/ Triad Bits and Pieces

Just a few recent observations:

1. I had the opportunity to attend the Greek Festival at Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church in Winston-Salem on Saturday.  It is a great festival, with good food and entertainment, culture-relevant items for sale and browsing, and tours of the church with all its icons.  The festival is much larger than the one we have here in Greensboro, with considerably more to offer.  I recommend it highly for next year.

Interestingly, the liturgy used among the Eastern Orthodox, according to our "tour guide", has not changed in the nearly 1,000 years that have elapsed since the Great Schism which separated Roman Catholicism from the Eastern Orthodox churches.  Accordingly, their liturgy is precisely what the Catholic liturgy was way back then.  They seemed to take pride in the fact that their church does not change in response to society. 

2. On the way back from Winston-Salem, I drove on the newly opened portion of "Painter Boulevard" for the first time.  It is, indeed, much different than expected-- a superhighway with four lanes in each direction, wider than many parts of I-40 and I-85.  The road has a lot of capacity that will be unused for some time.  One cannot help but wonder whether that capacity might be needed more in other places.

3. I also had the opportunity to attend the Carolina Pops presentation of John Williams' movie music the weekend before last.  It was held at Westover Church. 

The Greensboro Symphony did a great job with this production.  I do not attend their productions on a regular basis, but this was fun-- and it was the first time they had used Westover as its venue.  This is a good alternative to the War Memorial Auditorium, and unlike the proposal two years ago for a multi-million dollar cultural arts center, this does not appear to cost the taxpayers anything.  Westover has a great space for this type of production, and the acoustics seemed pretty good to me.

Greensboro Transparency Abysmal

Via Inside Scoop, the John Locke Foundation rates units of local government in North Carolina on matters related to transparency.

Greensboro's average score was D.  Guilford County received a D-.

The Guilford County School system scored C-.

What were the areas where we had the most problems?  Disclosure regarding governmental contracts, funding of non-profits, and issues related to employees and salaries.

We have much of which to be ashamed.  The voters, however, appear to be relatively content with the government we have locally.

Question: is anyone surprised at our performance?

Why Barack Obama is so popular in Greensboro, Part II

Several weeks ago, I posted an item that explored Barack Obama's connections with the corrupt machine politics in Chicago.  I cited an article written by Fred Siegel.

A columnist from the Chicago Tribune named John Kass is exploring the same questions ("Obama magically unstained by grime of Chicago Way", May 11, 2008):

The presumptive Democratic presidential candidate's politics were born in Chicago. Yet he is presented to the nation as not truly being of this place, as if he floats just above the political corruption here, uninfected, untouched by the stain of it or by any sin of commission or omission. It is all so very mystical.

Perhaps viewing Obama as a Chicago political creature would conflict with the established national media narrative of Obama as a reformer. Actually, there's no "perhaps" about it...

Except for his dalliance with his indicted real estate fairy, Tony Rezko, a relationship Obama considers a mistake, the  senator has not played the fly to Mayor Richard Daley's spider. Almost, but not quite...

Mobbed-up white guys party at the old Como Inn with Daley, and they get $100 million in city affirmative action contracts and Daley doesn't know how it happened and Obama endorses the mayor in the name of reform.

Obama had nothing to do with the Duff deal. But he kept mum. He has endorsed Daley, endorsed Daley's hapless stooge Todd Stroger for president of the Cook County Board. These are not the acts of a reformer, but of a guy who, as we say in Chicago, won't make no waves and won't back no losers.

Obama the reformer is backed by Mayor Richard M. Daley and the Daley boys. He is spoken for by Daley's own spokesman, David Axelrod. He was launched into his U.S. Senate by machine power broker and state Senate President Emil Jones (D-ComEd)...

As a candidate, Obama will do what he has to do to win. My argument is not with him—but with the national political media pack that refuses to look closely at what Chicago is. They're fixated on what it was, and they think it's clean now.

And they've spent years crafting, then cleaving to their eager and trembling Obama narrative, a tale of great yearning, almost mythic and ardently adolescent, a tale in which Obama is portrayed as a reformer, a dynamic change agent about to do away with the old thuggish politics.

It's as if Axelrod channeled it, wearing a peaked Merlin hat. Obama is a South Sider and does not hail from Camelot or Mt. Olympus or the lush forests of mythical Narnia...

So why the disconnect? Why is Obama allowed to campaign as a reformer, virtually unchallenged by the media, though he's a product of Chicago politics and has never condemned the wholesale political corruption in his home town the way he condemns those darn Washington lobbyists.

For an answer as to when pundits will ever put Illinois corruption in context, I called on Tom Bevan, executive director of the popular political Web site Real Clear Politics (which directs readers to my column on occasion) and a Chicagoan.

"To a large degree, the media has accepted much of the Obama narrative thus far," Bevan told me. "He's risen so quickly, but his history hasn't been bogged down with an association of Chicago politics and I can't tell you why exactly, except perhaps that some may have bought into the established narrative and can't separate themselves from it."

"And I don't know if the country understands just how corrupt the system is in Illinois. People don't see it. They're flying over us, cruising at 30,000 feet," Bevan said.

Of course, many political observers from Chicago like Kass know precisely what the score is.  They know that politicians do not emerge from a machine politics environment in places like Chicago or Greensboro "magically unstained".

The upcoming election is going to be very interesting.  If we presume that Obama will be the Democratic nominee, there are many issues to be sorted out:

1. His relationship with Rev. Jeremiah Wright, and the likelihood of his having had full knowledge of Wright's politics

2. His complicity with Chicago's dirty machine politics

3. His friendship and dealings with Bill Ayers, formerly of the Weather Underground terrorist organization, and Tony Rezko

4. The reality of his divisive, far-left policy positions-- contrary to the illusion he has created about moving beyond partisanship and division.  Over the last several days, I have focused on his statements regarding abortion and gay marriage, although there will be many others, including universal health care, negotiating with Iranians, etc.  Sean Hannity had a segment this week on his support of needle exchange programs. 

5. Bubba had an interesting post this week regarding how he will be regarded as an "apostate" by certain radical Muslims, because he was registered as Muslim when he attended an Islamic school in Indonesia, and had a Muslim father.

6. The equivocal nature of his support for Israel, his endorsement by Hamas, and reports that he is pro-Palestinian.

The excitement is going to die down over his candidacy, and the reality is gradually going to come into focus regarding what the Democrats are nominating.  I am not predicting the outcome; and this remains a potentially disastrous year for Republicans.  It would, however, also be very bad for the country if Obama wins. 

I hope that a concentrated effort will be made to disclose fully what Obama has been all about.

Slow Food and the newest Italian restaurant in Greensboro

We read in the News and Record of a new Italian restaurant opening downtown.  It is called Riva's Trattoria, and is located on Greene St.

We are told that the owners want the restaurant to be a part of Greensboro's growing Slow Food movement "by offering seasonal dishes based on what's available at the Greensboro Farmers' Curb Market and local producers".

This is pretty interesting.  Another writer has detected the irony that the trendy Slow Food movement has cited Italian cuisine and folk ways as an example of How We Should Be Doing Things:

The goals of the movement sound awfully similar to the life that my grandparents brought with them to the United States. A life that was abandoned a century ago as the giant wheels of progress turned, and immigrants, happy to have left the grinding poverty of their homeland, traded agrarianism for industrialization.

It’s always amusing for a third-generation Italian-American like me to see the ways of my grandparents reemerge in this new millennium – this time as a life to be imitated rather than looked upon with pity. Their customs, which I once believed were musty relics of the Old World, are now entwined with a movement that tells us how to seek a better, healthier life. I grew up wondering why my mother tipped heavy tins of olive oil when all the neighbors used Mazola; why we ate dishes like escarole and beans when everyone else was mixing Hamburger Helper into ground beef. I begged my mother to serve Chef Boyardee instead of Celentano frozen ravioli.

How strange my requests must have seemed to my mother, who grew up watching her own mother spend all morning in the kitchen. My grandmother stretched the ravioli dough and rolled it nearly the length of the table, moist yellow sheets which she spread with a thin layer of ricotta cheese before placing another sheet of dough on top. No wonder years later my mother felt guilty buying frozen ravioli. And to make matters worse, her daughter begged for limp, canned squares. But I didn’t want to be associated with any Old World traditions, New World daughter that I was. I believed that anything modern, anything American must be infinitely better.

My ancestors, those original Slow Foodies, were intimately connected to the land. After my grandfather settled in Maplewood, New Jersey, he dug a large garden next to the apartment building that he owned. He’d grow the vegetables and my grandmother would come down each morning to choose the day’s selection, which she would cook for dinner that evening...

I want to see how an alternative movement chooses to articulate values that my grandparents lived and never thought to question.

It is, indeed, hard to imagine that the way my grandparents lived could now be held up by the "in crowd" as the hip, cool approach.  Life is full of surprises.