Guarino

No State Tax Increase?

The North Carolina House surprisingly proposed a budget this week that would not include any tax increase.  But that would necessitate some significant job cuts.

Brian Balfour of Civitas seems to agree with the JLF's John Hood that the roof would not collapse if such a budget passed.  But he doesn't think the House ultimately will refrain from raising taxes.

With its budget crisis, unfunded retirement pension obligations, state health plan shortfall, and depletion of rainy day monies, North Carolina's state government is rapidly placing itself in the same category as some other noteworthy failed institutions-- the investment banks and certain other financial institutions, GM, Chrysler, and the state of California.  And, of course, the federal government in the not-too-distant future.

The question is whether our state leaders are learning anything with regard to how they got themselves in this predicament.

Hagan's Move on the U.S. Attorney Appointment

Senator Kay Hagan predictably won plaudits from the local media with her press statement regarding the previous effort to replace U.S. Attorney George Holding.  Recall that Holding is in the process of investigating some prominent North Carolina Democrats including Mike Easley and John Edwards.

Hagan said she is now telling the Obama administration not to replace Holding.  It is not certain whether this communication has actually been made; if so, whether it was delivered with a wink and a nod; and also whether the recommendation will be adhered to by Obama.

But John Hood had some excellent analysis regarding this particular development.  He tried to explain what this move by Hagan represents:

Three potential explanations suggest themselves.

First, Hagan could simply have changed her mind. Politicians get to do that...

Second, and somewhat more cynically, Hagan, her advisors, and other powerful Democrats may have concluded that it was not in their political interest to replace Holding at the moment, however much they might want to...

Third, and most cynically of all, something may have gone haywire on Sen. Hagan’s advisory panel that made it impossible for her to act.

Recall that her advisory panel included Locke Clifford, the attorney who may now be advising Easley; and Burley Mitchell, who served on the key university board with one of Easley's friends under scrutiny.

We should be glad that Hagan seems to have made the right decision.  We cannot presume, however, the purity of her motivations or the outcome of her recommendation.

$9 Trillion and the Fed

A couple of weeks ago, an officer of the Federal Reserve was testifying before Congress, and could not account for $9 Trillion in off-balance sheet transactions; its $1 Trillion-plus expanded balance sheet; and the losses on its $2 Trillion portfolio.

See if you find this reassuring:

Virginia Palmieri Foxx Update

I unexpectedly received an e-mail today from a knowledgeable individual who had seen my blog post from a couple of days ago.  Recall that I had reported that Congresswoman Virginia Foxx is of Italian descent.

This person advised me that her paternal grandparents had immigrated to the United States from Italy.  They apparently settled in the New York area. 

But her mother was originally from Avery County, here in North Carolina, and had moved to New York during WWII to work.  And thus the congresswoman's parents met in New York and later married; and her maiden name was Palmieri.

So it appears that Congresswoman Foxx is of mixed heritage-- half southern, and half Italian.  (Just like my two sons!)

And that is, as best I can tell, the rest of the story.

 

Annexation Abuses: In Need of Reform

There is a push at the state level to reform North Carolina's annexation law.  Cities are emboldened by this law to adopt an abusive, avaricious posture toward county residents, sometimes to further the interests of developers.  Civitas has a good video on the subject:

The Obama Budget Cuts

Several weeks ago, Barack Obama announced his planned budget cuts in dramatic fashion as evidence of his alleged commitment to fiscal responsibility.  The mainstream media dutifully provided generous coverage, and went along with the scam.  Of course, many have expressed grave concern with regard to the President's profligate spending, including moderates such as Bob Samuelson of the Washington Post.

In any event, a clever video demonstrates the minimal impact of Obama's alleged budget cuts: (HT:Fred) 

Manipulating the City Manager Search and State Action on the City Attorney

We learn with some good reporting that new manipulations have been taking place within our city governmental structure.  The objective?  To give certain favored interest groups input into the choice of a new city manager; to shut several council members out of certain activities; and to stall state legislation to bring the city attorney under the direction of the City Council.

We learned in the course of the GPD fiasco that having the city attorney under the control  of the city manager grants the latter too much unchecked power and a potential for abuse.  We learn today through the Inside Scoop that one council member intervened with state legislators to derail the process of getting the city attorney bill passed.

Who was it?  There are four choices-- Johnson, Bellamy-Small, Wells or Perkins.  These are the folks, by my recollection, who initially opposed asking the state for this legislation.

The second issue that we learned about today was an effort within the city administration to grant certain approved interest groups a place at the table when the chief recruiter for the city manager position was in town.  In addition, all but two council members were being shut out of a key planned meeting.  John Hammer reports that the city administration-- city staff!-- was making all the plans for the recruiter's visit.  But of course, it is the City Council that is supposed to manage the hiring process-- not staff.

It is disappointing that, even after Mitchell Johnson was terminated, more of the usual nonsense is taking place.  The Melderec con Simkins bunch is doing everything it can, in the shadows, to preserve its level of control over city government.

I think the council member who worked behind the scenes to stymie the legislative process in Raleigh needs to step forward and take responsibility.  If he or she does not, someone else should make public the identity of this person.

Moreover, council members need to gather the intestinal fortitude to wrestle this process away from city staff.  I know staff was chastised Tuesday night.  But unfortunately, the process must be open and transparent with all council members involved-- prospectively-- if trust is going to be maintained.

Charter School Update: What the Public Wants, vs. What the State Democratic Leadership Allows

Red Clay discusses the results of a new poll that suggests a significant majority of North Carolinians support the creation of more charter schools within the state.  

After a long period of time during which the number of such schools was limited, the House voted last week to raise the cap by a grand total of six schools.  It appears the state Democratic leadership is still maintaining a parsimonious attitude with respect to allowing this alternative to flourish statewide.

Culture Clash on American Idol

And the good guy wins.

Now, that is a change we can believe in.

Yesssss!

Appropriate in the Wake of Notre Dame

Cara Michele presents a powerful YouTube that is addressed specifically to President Obama.

Congresswoman Virginia Foxx of Italian Descent?

Congresswoman Virginia Foxx a few weeks ago was highlighted by the mainstream media in a manner that would be sure to focus negative attention in her direction.  The offense that she committed was to engage in free speech in violation of the dictates of contemporary liberalism.  Even today, there was a LTE from a person who called herself "Reverend" who vilified Congresswoman Foxx because of the statement the media deliberately played up-- to try to make her look bad.

In any event, I came across an interesting piece of trivia regarding Rep. Foxx.  It turns out that she is apparently of Italian descent-- something that would not ordinarily be expected in a North Carolina member of Congress.  In the latest issue of Italian America, a publication of the Order Sons of Italy (to which I belong), Virginia Foxx is listed as being part of the Italian-American congressional delegation.

I checked her biography on Wiki, and it turns out that she is originally from the Bronx.  I did not know that, either, but that would tend to corroborate her Italian background at least somewhat.

One of the things that makes her Italian heritage unexpected, of course, is her surname-- Foxx.

But there are also a few United States Senators who are, unexpectedly, of Italian descent, because they too have non-Italian surnames:

1. Senator Mary Landrieu

2. Senator John Ensign

3. Senator Patrick Leahy (boo/hiss!)

TDBS Input on City Manager Recruitment, and Water Rate Increases

A couple of items of interest arose from the City Council meeting last night.

First, the city maintains the pretense of keeping property tax rates constant, but water rates increase six percent.  Water rates have been on an upward trajectory for quite some time; and it leads observers to believe this has been to provide a source of increased revenue in lieu of higher property taxes.  Maintain the appearance of flat real estate taxes, but keep on jacking up water rates.

Mike Baron, of course, has been maintaining that the water rate increases are at least partially attributable to the costs associated with the dam, even though water consumption has been decreasing.  And of course, the diminished revenue due to decreased water consumption would tend to push taxes or water rates higher, all other things being equal.

Second, council member T. Diane Bellamy-Small objected last night after the recruiter for the city manager position made his presentation.  She was unhappy that he had not initially suggested presenting the final candidates to city employees for their input. 

I wonder whether her approach is the best way to run an organization.  I wonder how many large private employers do that kind of thing.  It seems there can be risks associated with having employees choose their boss.  Would the interests of taxpayers and citizens be given sufficient weight if employees are granted the opportunity to sway decision-making?

 

What Greensboro Needs in a City Manager

The city of Greensboro is apparently soliciting citizen input as to what it should be seeking in the new city manager to be recruited. 

Last week, it turns out that we had a discussion here about how to root out all the problems with which the city of Greensboro has been wrestling.  Here is what I said:

First of all, you need a city manager and a police chief, both of whom are from out of town who do not have preexisting relationships and biases with respect to the situation in Greensboro. These people need to be tough, professional and objective.

The city manager needs to act as a business leader would-- protecting the interests of the taxpayers, and delivering good service to citizens. The police chief needs to be in the mold of military leadership-- tough, tolerating no foolishness, determined to reduce crime, and in possession of the freedom to get rid of corrupt officers.

And the city council needs to allow them to do these things. Indeed, it needs to require them to do these things.

I think that it is important that the new city manager understand that he is working for all of the members of the City Council, and through them, for all of the citizens of Greensboro. 

He needs to understand that it will no longer be tolerated that he would behave as if "the real boss" is a couple of power groups in town working in concert.  He needs to understand for whom he is rightfully working.

"Obama Man"

... sung to the tune of Candy Man: (HT:WS)

What are the city of Greensboro's chances with the Department of Justice Investigations...

... when this guy might be leading the DOJ Civil Rights Division: (HT: Fred)

Justice Department lawyers said they expected the number of prosecutions of police officers for civil rights violations would increase under Perez.

And when Thomas Perez was a councilman in Montgomery County, this was an indication of his perspective with respect to recruitment of firefighters (unposted, from an old press release):

The latest statistics on the most recent class recruit [sic] represent the lowest minority recruitment since the county began keeping such records. Councilmember Perez called for an investigation into the written firefighter aptitude test to determine if the test gives any unfair advantage.

"These statistics are unacceptable," said Perez. "But I have confidence that we can get back up to the original number of minorities in the Department, and develop a comprehensive plan to recruit diversely."

 

The Urban Loop, Development and Government

The recent story of the urban loop as it will affect a certain subdivision in northern Guilford County is yet another example of government fumbling the ball; and a developer also possibly having done the wrong thing. 

But this is clearly a governmental failure at the state and local levels.

Sam Hieb comments further over at Piedmont Publius. 

Bugs

When I was a kid, Bugs Bunny was my favorite cartoon, hands down.  Watching the Looney Tunes program on one of the local television stations in New York was a daily after-school activity.  It usually consisted of two Bugs cartoons plus one other. 

Many of these were impressive achievements from a technical standpoint, even according to today's standards-- the pacing, background music, humor and the textured personality of that time, all of which were woven into the production.  This particular scene was probably one of my all-time favorites:

Abortion, Illegitimacy and Citizenship

Priests for Life is an organization that is based in my home town of Staten Island, New York.  Its leader, Father Frank Pavone, made an interesting statement today.  He said that Barack Obama is in the minority with respect to his pro-abortion stance.  He made this statement on the day Obama was to speak at Notre Dame.

The protesters at that graduation event should not have interrupted him when he spoke.  This puts them in the same category as the folks who interrupted Tom Tancredo in North Carolina recently. 

But Father Pavone is right.  Obama is in the minority on this issue,  based on the results of a Gallup Poll released this week that indicates 51% of Americans now consider themselves to be pro-life.  This is unsurprising to some of us, because when questioned in detail, Americans tell pollsters they do not approve of abortion taking place in the vast majority of situations in which it typically occurs.  We have known that for years.  And the pro-life position has become more widely held since the advent of 4-D ultrasound technology, which has demonstrated to the American people without equivocation the vital life of the fetus.

The fact that a majority of Americans are now pro-life makes me wonder about the claims some have made that the social issues have undermined the electoral success of the GOP.  I think these people are plainly wrong. 

But even as we learn about the movement of the American people toward a pro-life stance, we also learn some sad news of the increasing rates of illegitimacy in our country.  The rate is now approximately 40% of live births.  

Abortion is a huge injustice.  But illegitimacy is also, as a couple of sources have pointed out.

Mona Charen:

The life prospects for children born into intact families are so dramatically different from those born into single-parent homes that it would seem a gross injustice if it resulted from anything other than the free choice of parents. Actually, it is a gross injustice to the children — even if it is perpetrated by their parents...

Young women, especially poorly educated ones, have gotten the idea that marriage is all about them — about their romantic hopes. In fact, while marriage often does deliver on the promise of happiness for adults, it is only secondarily about adult happiness. It is primarily about safety and security for children. The old stigma against illegitimacy was harsh and led to its own kind of suffering. But it prevented narcissistic young people from impairing the lives of their children on a grand scale.

Dr. Pat Fagan of the Family Research Council has written about another reason why widespread illegitimacy is a very bad situation:

This system is a massive injustice. Married people are the source of a massive transfer of payments to broken families. Those who stay together are also paying for those adults who do not.

And Peter Robinson writes at Forbes.com about a graduation address given by Governor Mitch Daniels of Indiana.  Daniels, who is an otherwise mild-mannered midwesterner, had some edgy things to say:

Daniels...performed a feat rare among politicians: He talked about social issues without sounding either apologetic or preachy.

"Our parents," he said, "formed families and kept them intact, even through difficulty, 'for the sake of the kids.' To us [baby boomers], parental happiness came first. We often divorced at the first unpleasantness, and increasingly just gave birth to children without the nuisance of marriage. 'Commitment' cramps one's style, don't you know? Total bummer."

"Please, be judgmental," Daniels continued. (In the text the governor's press office released, those italics are his.) "As free people, we agree to tolerate any conduct that does no harm to others, but we should not be coerced into condoning it. Selfishness and irresponsibility in business, personal finances or in family life are deserving of your disapproval. Go ahead and stigmatize them."

Be judgmental? Stigmatize bad behavior? An elected official said that? He did indeed. And the audience gave him a standing ovation.

The great Obama suggested today that the differences we have in America on the issue of abortion are "irreconcilable".  The implicit message is that the cultural far left has won on this issue, and that's the bottom line.

But I don't think we can be satisfied with a status quo that suggests that individuals old enough to procreate are not responsible to the larger society on some core issues that have civilizational import; and that these folks are not expected to subjugate their own interests for the benefit of the child they have conceived.

That status quo is lunacy; and it is amoral.

I am reminded of one alternative to this lunacy in an article that describes the ancient Greek concept of citizenship:

In the West, our concept of citizenship originated with the ancient Greeks, who identified it with the essence of being human. Aristotle observed that only gods and animals took no part in the affairs of the polis, the city-state.

If you were a member of the polis, the public and private spheres were not separate realms. The obligations of citizenship were inextricable from the everyday life of individuals living in the polis. For the Greeks, citizenship was founded on citizens’ obligations to the community, not on a concept of inalienable rights. This worked because the city-states were small, organic communities whose members felt that their destinies were linked to that of the polis.

Citizenship, active and engaged, also was for the Greeks an opportunity to demonstrate one’s virtue, thereby winning the respect and honor of fellow citizens.

Obviously, there is an appropriate balance to be struck between individual rights, which we hold to be sacred, and the responsibilities that men and women have to the larger community, and to the children they conceive.  We have failed to find that balance in contemporary American society.  We ultimately need a higher call to citizenship that includes expectations regarding family life.

High rates of abortion and illegitimacy continue to be the clarion indicators in our society that something is terribly wrong.  The fact that a majority of Americans have taken the pro-life position, in spite of the position taken by a relativistic President Obama, is an encouraging sign.