Guarino

Tenth Amendment Revival

One of the unintended benefits of the Obamacare debate and the current presidency is the increased awareness among citizens of the Tenth Amendment. 

My guess is that, eighteen months ago, few people knew what it says, or what it means.  Now, many do.

Two-Thirds Oppose Obamacare

I thought public sentiment was supposed to be shifting in favor of socialized medicine subsequent to passage.  Apparently not yet.

Conservatives for Guilford County

HT: Yes Weekly Blog

Mel Watt on Health Care

Are his comments in the paper today a reflection of genuine ignorance regarding the Constitution; artfulness and disingenuousness; or just plain old hypocrisy? 

Or do his comments somehow reflect a combination of all these items?

Sam at Piedmont Publius has more.

First Physicians' Organization Files Suit Against Obamacare...

... and it is a group to which I belong.

You Picked a Fine Time to Lead Us, Barack

HT: Fred

Intrigue Over Intimidation to Vote in Favor of Obamacare; and a Break

I am about to relate a story that has all the elements of high political intrigue: a Chicago-style White House intent on passing Obamacare; a so-called moderate Democratic Congressman in a swing district running for reelection; and the great-grandson of a man who ran for president in 1928.

It turns out this drama unfolded in a congressional district with which I am quite familiar-- New York's 13th, which includes all of Staten Island and a small part of Brooklyn.  It is the district my two cousins-- Guy and Susan Molinari-- served as members of Congress from 1981 through 1997.  And I was employed on a part-time basis in the district office of this congressional seat during the early 1980's.  So I have an acute interest in this particular district.

Some readers might recall my having written about how this seat was lost to the Democrats in 2008 when then-Congressman Vito Fossella got himself caught up in scandal.

The man who currently holds the seat is Michael McMahon.  He likes to regard himself as a conservative/moderate Democrat.  Think of him as Heath Shuler with a New York accent.  But he serves in a district that could easily go Republican.  And in a swing district with a strong Republican presence, a Democratic representative could get voted out even if he voted against Obamacare.

McMahon had signalled his intention to vote "no" when the odious legislation was to be voted upon in the House.  But that was not to be the end of the story.

The New York Daily News reported that the Chicago White House was very unhappy with McMahon over the prospect that he would be voting against Obamacare.  In fact, Obama's political director sent a New York political donor to meet with McMahon.  The name of the donor?  Alfred E. Smith 4th.  He is the great-grandson of Alfred E. Smith, who ran for President against Herbert Hoover in 1928.  The Daily News explains:

"The message was that a 'no' vote could
cause you a problem in the fall, but the
other side of it was we can help you raise
money," said a knowledgeable source. The
Tammany-style squeeze play was
delivered at a Democratic Club lunch in  
Washington last Friday by Alfred E. Smith
4th, great-grandson of the former New
York governor and 1928 Democratic
presidential candidate.

In response to this report, McMahon tried to downplay the incident.  But the implications were clear:

McMahon conceded the White House asked Smith "to talk to me as a fellow New Yorker, and he did in a personal, professional way. He kept saying it could be advantageous to me, in terms of my political career. But I told him it is not about me, it's about what is good for my district."

In any event, it is pretty clear that McMahon was the recipient of a not-so-veiled threat delivered indirectly by the Chicago White House.

On the Republican side, there is going to be a primary.  Michael Grimm is an ex-FBI agent and Marine Gulf War veteran.  His opponent, Michael Allegretti, is employed with the Climate Group as a policy adviser.  This group deals with climate change issues.

Allegretti's Italian surname can actually be somewhat of a political asset on Staten Island.  But nonetheless, the climate change candidate does not necessarily possess a clear path to the GOP nomination.

A debate between the two GOP primary opponents was recently held by the Molinari Republican Club, and over 400 people attended.  There is intense interest in the race:

(Staten Island Advance photo)

Cousin Guy endorsed Grimm-- the ex-FBI agent, Marine Gulf War vet.  The large Republican Club that bears his name then followed suit.  This assured Grimm would have considerable support if he wins the primary. 

In addition, Staten Island has a fairly large, active Tea Party movement.  I suppose that group might expend some efforts during the fall campaign as well. 

It should therefore be an interesting election season in New York's 13th Congressional District.  McMahon, the Democrat, is apparently at risk of being blacklisted from the usual Washington-based fund-raising mechanisms because of his "no" vote on Obamacare; and of course this is potentially a big year for Republicans.  

I will try to keep readers abreast of any additional drama that plays out in this race.  But it is shaping up to be a good one.  The race is now haunted by the ghost of Alfred E. Smith-- and also by Obama's political director. 

In the meantime, I am going to take a break from blogging until Easter Monday.  I need to attend to a backlog of paperwork and reading; and my son will be returning home from college in a few days for a long holiday weekend. 

Happy Easter to everyone who visits here.

Unnoticed Amidst the Obamacare Noise-- the Votes by Brad Miller and Mel Watt; and Misdirected Concepts of "Social Justice"

Congressmen Brad Miller and Mel Watt both represent part of Guilford County; and both represent heavily liberal Democratic districts.  Both have voting records in Congress that are way out on the left side of the political spectrum.  In fact, one could argue both are quasi-socialist based on their voting records.

Both, of course, voted in support of Obamacare.   It was relatively unnoticed because little else could have been expected from these two men.

Meanwhile, yet another member of the religious left has a pro-Obamacare piece in the News and Record this morning.  His name, which is omitted from the online version, is the Rev. M. Gray Clark of Greensboro.  He seems to be taking shots at those who support the nation's founding ideals and our Constitution; and at those who do not support a massive, centralized welfare state.

Noted thinker Marvin Olasky, however, would say this guy is all wet.  He says the religious left's concept of social justice is "thoroughly unbiblical".  My friend Mickey McLean of Greensboro, who edits World Magazine's web presence, provides the details.

Greenway Deceptions, Part II

Sam Hieb says the John Locke Foundation has studied Greenways; and the research suggests there is no evidence these glorified sidewalks increase property values.

Guilford County Tax Day Tea Party

Hosts: Conservatives for Guilford County

Date: Thursday, April 15, 5:30 PM

Place: Governmental Plaza, Downtown Greensboro

I plan to try to be there.

The sponsors say there will be inspiring guest speakers; family fun with patriotic face painting; voter registration activities; conservative candidates; and live music.

We need an effective nationwide Tea Party effort, now more than ever.

Update 03/29/10: The Facebook page for Conservatives for Guilford County is found here.  The Greensboro Tax Day Tea Party website is found here. 

Partnership Clarifications

I received a series of three e-mail messages from City Council member Nancy Vaughan today regarding the Greensboro Partnership story I posted a few days ago.

Her main points:

• She states the meeting was open to the media.  (It is not clear, however, that any press was present during the actual program.) 
• She states the order of priority given by the Greensboro Partnership for projects to be funded was (1) the Urban Loop (2) the Nussbaum Center (3) the Greenway and (4) the Natural Science Center.  This is a different order than what I had reported.
• She states the projected 10-20x level of property value appreciation adjacent to the Greenway is based on the assumption that the properties are upgraded and developed according to the recommendations of city staff.  It is apparently being asserted that the existence of the Greenway would make the adjacent properties more desirable for further development.

My reaction:  I appreciate Councilwoman Vaughan's clarifications.  The third point, however, tends to corroborate the premise I had shared that Action Greensboro is depicting the Greenway as a vehicle to increase tax revenues for the city.  It is fascinating that city staff should be seen as directing the development of adjacent properties to maximize valuations, and thereby tax revenues.  Is this a proper role for city staff?  Also, the 20x factor still seems fairly outlandish unless very high value properties are developed-- which seems unlikely in the foreseeable economic climate.

The third listed point also tends to corroborate the premise that AG/GP are development-centric.

With respect to the projects the Greensboro Partnership requested to be funded, I am now hearing that the contracted revenue picture for the city is even more severe than had been previously related; and it is unclear how many projects can be funded under these circumstances (unless more city staff are terminated). 

Obamacare Primer

Greensboro Partnership: A Development Club That Exists for the Purpose of Advocating for Local Governmental Expenditures

About a year ago, I had a fairly lengthy post here about the Greensboro Partnership.  We had talked about its alliance with the Simkins PAC, and its tendency to advocate for ever-increasing amounts of local government spending and debt.  We discussed its highly questionable public statements regarding the GPD fiasco.   John Hammer had referred to it as "an unofficial arm of the Democratic Party".

We spoke about how the Partnership includes the Chamber of Commerce, which is supposed to represent local industry and small business.  But it also includes Action Greensboro, an oligarchical confederation of private foundations established by local wealthy families and individuals, many of whom happen to be liberal.

Several days ago, we had a post here that discussed how the Partnership wines and dines local elected officials to get them to agree to its agenda.  And the comment thread that ensued was quite surprising, because it gave us a taste of who sits on the Greensboro Partnership Board of Directors.  It was striking to see how many of these people have obvious development-related interests-- and how many had donated to the campaigns of certain local elected officials.  The board also includes our local liberal media, university and college representatives, and even the county school system.

Many of these people have never started a business, assumed risk, or met a payroll in the course of doing so.

The picture that emerges is of a behemoth organization that was created to overpower and place an irrevocable stamp on local government.  It doesn't represent industry and small business-- it represents a political worldview, and facilitates development interests having their way with local government.  That is the ticket.

But to the extent that the Partnership has represented a "shadow government" locally, it has also presided over a massive regional economic meltdown with myriad job losses.

And if its political orientation means advocating for over six hundred million dollars in local bond packages, well, that is the role it sees for itself.

Now the county-- awash in debt-- is considering cuts to social services; and the News and Record is voicing alarm.

Do you think any of these people might possess enough insight to appreciate cause and effect?

Will "Severability" Sink Obamacare?

I heard an interesting interview with the Attorney General of the state of Pennsylvania, Tom Corbett, this morning.  Corbett is among those state Attorneys General suing to overturn Obamacare. 

He had an interesting observation.  He said the legislation that was passed did not appear to have any "severability" clause. 

What are the implications?  It seems that, if the courts rule against Obamacare, the whole thing would most likely have to be thrown out.  If there had been a "severability clause" in the new law, then only the portion with which the court had a  problem would be overturned. 

If Corbett is right about this, it could turn out to be a major mistake on the part of the national Democrats.  And if the courts intervene, the absence of one little clause could sink the whole ship.

Robbie Perkins Watch: Allying Himself with TDBS

We learn from Jordan Green in Yes Weekly regarding the extent of Robbie Perkins' alliance with TDBS:

When Dianne calls, Robbie answers

I located a seat next to Greensboro at-large Councilman Robbie Perkins, who has long maintained an interest in transportation. Midway through the second panel discussion he glanced down at his Blackberry and then gathered his belongings. “All right, I gotta go,” he said. “Dianne Bellamy-Small’s got a meeting downtown. She needs me.” Perkins has forged an alliance with Bellamy-Small, who represents District 1 and who, like Perkins, is one of the council’s longest serving members.

This is a matter of some interest because of the news that the Pulpit Forum is going to be holding a press conference Monday because of Mayor Knight's campaign season comments regarding Chief Bellamy.  Recall that recent council meetings had also featured orchestrated protests regarding the "speakers from the floor" segment and also regarding the Knight/Bellamy disagreement.

My recollection is that, In the past, it has been reported that TDBS has some relationship with the Pulpit Forum.  Indeed, they came to her assistance when she faced a recall election a couple of years ago.

Robbie Perkins has also had a special relationship with the Pulpit Forum-- most notably with Michael King of Project Homestead.  I had posted a couple of years ago about the depth of that relationship.

I don't know whether Robbie's relationship with TDBS and the Pulpit Forum has anything to do with the planned press conference on Monday.  I don't know if any unhappiness he may feel over what happened at the Greensboro Partnership meeting Tuesday has anything to do with it.

But I have been told that Robbie plans to run for mayor next year.  And watching the orchestrated citizen mobilizations at council meetings recently has been a sight to behold. 

The problem is, of course, that anything we do in the public sphere should be something we would be unashamed to display before prospective employers considering Greensboro for their operations.  Regardless of whatever happens Monday, it would tend to chase jobs away if prospective employers had a chance to see it, and thereby know what Greensboro is all about.

Fidel Castro Thinks Obamacare is a Great Idea

No kidding.

Media Objectivity

The Greenway Deception at the Greensboro Partnership Meeting

I had the opportunity to post two nights ago about a remarkable meeting of the Greensboro Partnership.  But it turns out that, in one important respect, it was not all that remarkable.  It apparently is standard practice for the Partnership to wine and dine city council members and county commissioners, and to exert some subtle intimidation to get them to acquiesce with its political agenda.

But the night was noteworthy from the standpoint of the business-as-usual crowd getting openly challenged.  I am told that it was Councilman Danny Thompson who spoke up and questioned repeatedly their spending designs for local taxpayers.  And Thompson received praise from several council members and county commissioners who were in attendance because of the manner in which he openly raised issues with the Partnership crowd.

The comment thread in response to my previous post was fairly interesting.  One issue that was questioned repeatedly was the Partnership's attempt to make it appear that the Greenway would cause valuations of adjacent properties to multiply by a factor of approximately 10-20.  Some commenters felt this was not credible, and that there must have been a mistake.  However, I have received a copy of the table that was distributed by the Partnership at the meeting:

 
(CLICK TO ENLARGE)

 
More to come.

Kay Hagan's Liberal Church: The "Religious Right" is the Big Problem-- vs. the Reality

The meeting First Presbyterian hosted here in Greensboro last week was sponsored by the Human Rights Campaign.  Its press release about the meeting gave a clue as to one of the chief problems they saw that they were trying to solve.

That problem is the dreaded "religious right":

The Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) civil rights organization, hosted today a town hall conversation in Greensboro, NC to engage people of faith in LGBT equality advocacy and address ways to combat misleading information from the religious right about LGBT people and families. 

This, of course, is all about the cultural normalization of homosexuality, which Kay Hagan's church apparently endorses.

But a couple of weeks ago, we received a slightly different message from the Centers for Disease Control, the federal public health authority:

A data analysis released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention underscores the disproportionate impact of HIV and syphilis among gay and bisexual men in the United States.

The data, presented at CDC's 2010 National STD Prevention Conference, finds that the rate of new HIV diagnoses among men who have sex with men (MSM) is more than 44 times that of other men and more than 40 times that of women.

The range was 522-989 cases of new HIV diagnoses per 100,000 MSM vs. 12 per 100,000 other men and 13 per 100,000 women.

The rate of primary and secondary syphilis among MSM is more than 46 times that of other men and more than 71 times that of women, the analysis says. The range was 91-173 cases per 100,000 MSM vs. 2 per 100,000 other men and 1 per 100,000 women...

Research shows that a range of complex factors contribute to the high rates of HIV and syphilis among gay and bisexual men. These factors include high prevalence of HIV and other STDs among MSM, which increases the risk of disease exposure, and limited access to prevention services. Other factors are complacency about HIV risk, particularly among young gay and bisexual men; difficulty of consistently maintaining safe behaviors with every sexual encounter over the course of a lifetime; and lack of awareness of syphilis symptoms and how it can be transmitted (e.g., oral sex). Additionally, factors such as homophobia and stigma can prevent MSM from seeking prevention, testing, and treatment services.

Also, the risk of HIV transmission through receptive anal sex is much greater than the risk of transmission via other sexual activities, and some gay and bisexual men are relying on prevention strategies that may be less effective than consistent condom use.

It appears there may be factors affecting the well-being of the "LGBT" community that are much more profound than anything the dreaded "religious right" can cause.  Perhaps Kay Hagan's liberal church ought to reevaluate its stance, and its alliances.

Controlling the People with Obamacare