Guarino

Tuesday's Election: The Best Choices

Our state and our nation are in a precarious state because of years of financial mismanagement, the wrong priorities and a legacy of corruption.  Many are concerned about a creeping socialism that besets us and threatens our way of life.  We need to make some changes.

None of the folks I am recommending for elective office are perfect.  But area residents will benefit from candidates whose lodestar is conservative.  Links to their respective websites are found in the upper right hand corner of this blog page.  My picks:

North Carolina House

District 65-- Bert Jones is running in the eastern part of Rockingham County against the incumbent Nelson Cole, who used to be a close confidante of disgraced and formerly imprisoned Jim Black.  Jones is running an aggressive campaign, and I think Cole is concerned.  The challenger has years of community service, local professional practice as a dentist, and a deserved reputation as a fiscal conservative having previously served as a county commissioner.  He has highlighted Cole's previously stated intention to consider a new vehicle mileage tax; and has otherwise run on economic issues.

District 57-- Jon Hardister, like my friend Bert Jones, is the kind of candidate who benefits because he is exceedingly likeable.  His opponent is the ultraliberal Pricey Harrison.  Hardister's campaign has been extremely focused and disciplined, rarely veering from discussions of economic policy areas like taxes, spending and jobs.  He has said a few things well, over and over again; and has worked very hard.  That can be a very good formula. 

District 59-- I first met Theresa Yon late last winter when she was beginning to plan her campaign.  She was already demonstrating an enviable fund of knowledge and a solid command of the issues.  Since that time, she has impressed a lot of folks and also worked very hard, culminating in the News and Record endorsement this week.  Her opponent is Maggie Jeffus, who is a tool of the education establishment with a very liberal voting record.

North Carolina Senate

District 27-- Jeff Hyde is fighting an uphill battle against incumbent Senator Don Vaughan.  Jeff has done his homework, and is well prepared to be an elected official.  And he genuinely views the issues through a conservative lens.  His opponent tries to masquerade as a conservative, but votes and conducts himself like a liberal Democrat-- which, of course, he is.  Jeff in the Senate would help reverse the awful decline we have seen in our state.

District 28-- Trudy Wade has earned a promotion to the North Carolina Senate.  Her work on the Greensboro City Council has been excellent; and citizens have ample reason to appreciate her service.  Her breadth of knowledge on the issues, and the degree to which she prepares herself for debate, is evident nearly every council session.  She has been right on the issues consistently.  Her opponents include a fellow who owes back taxes; and a woman who was dishonestly pegged to be the Democratic nominee by the incumbent Senator.

Guilford County School Board

At Large-- Lisa Clapp is challenging the incumbent Nancy Routh.  Routh, like the aforementioned Maggie Jeffus, is a standard-bearer of the status quo in our public schools.  Clapp reminds me of Jon Hardister, because she also tends to focus on just a few issues-- for instance, school safety and discipline, budget accountability and neighborhood schools.  Anyone who is paying attention knows what her platform is.  Ms. Clapp would be a breath of fresh air on a school board that has been so wrongheaded for so many years.

District 2 Seat-- Garth Hebert's opponent, Ed Price, arises from the same old High Point/Dot Kearns/Susan Mendenhall establishment that was so destructive of our local school system.  Mr. Hebert, by contrast, initially ran for office in response to the social engineering that former Superintendent Terry Grier was trying to foist upon the High Point community; and actively opposed it.  Hebert deserves another term-- alongside another conservative like Clapp-- so that more good can be done for our local schools.  As an accountant, he can be very helpful from a fiscal standpoint if there are more conservatives on the school board.

United States Congress

13th District-- Bill Randall is running against the incumbent Brad Miller.  I have pointed out previously that Miller is a socialist; and his constituents likely are not aware of that fact.  Miller is quite fortunate because the media covers for him systematically.  Randall offers a refreshing alternative because he is a consistent, principled conservative with many years of military service under his belt.  Brad Miller should not even be permitted to shine Randall's shoes-- let alone serve in the Congress.

The courts: the primary consideration is to elect the candidates least likely to exhibit judicial activism.

North Carolina Supreme Court-- Barbara Jackson

North Carolina Court of Appeals-- Steven Walker

North Carolina Court of Appeals-- Dean Poirier

North Carolina Court of Appeals-- Anne Marie Calabria

I am not commenting on all the races on the ballot.  But I have previously referred to the recommendations of Conservatives for Guilford County, with which I agree nearly all the time.  Check it out.

I am going to make a suggestion.  If you are concerned about what will happen on November 2, consider taking the time to send this post by e-mail to your friends and family.  We have an enormous opportunity, in particular, to turn things around in the state of North Carolina. 

I am going to try to refrain from posting again until after the elections, if I can resist.  Will talk with you soon.  

Rhino Endorsements

On most of the races, we agree:

Theresa Yon

Trudy Wade

Jon Hardister

Bill Randall

Jeff Hyde

Barbara Jackson

Anne Marie Calabria

Lisa Clapp

We disagree on a few, but that's OK.  Congratulations to the above candidates for earning the Rhino endorsement.

Ellmers Leading Etheridge by 5 Points

A new Civitas poll released today shows Renee Ellmers ahead of Congressman Bob "Who are You?" Etheridge, 46 - 41.  This would be quite a pick-up if it really happens. 

HT: Wendell

Jumpin' Jim Jeffords, Zack Matheny and Robbie Perkins

Last week, I began a discussion on the topic of encouraging both Robbie Perkins and Zack Matheny to change their party affiliation, and find their rightful home in the Democratic Party.

Both Matheny and Perkins are liberal Republicans in the tradition of Jumpin' Jim Jeffords.  Some readers might not remember Jeffords.

During the early days of the GWBush administration, the Repubicans had a one-vote majority in the United States Senate.  But it was a tenuous majority because of folks like Jeffords.

When Jeffords was squeezed a bit too much by the Republican leadership, he became an independent and caucused with the Democrats.  The Republicans lost their majority status in the Senate.  He was thus aptly named Jumpin' Jim Jeffords.

We currently have a Republican majority on the Greensboro City Council, but not a conservative majority.  Our Republican majority is nominal only, in large part because Perkins and Matheny tend to "caucus" with the Democrats-- both on the council and in the wider community.  This gains them the approval of the News and Record editorial page, but alienates local conservatives who think they should know better.

I have thought about what small steps we should be taking to motivate both Matheny and Perkins to switch parties.  Should we do an online poll on the question?  Should we initiate an online petition?

Perhaps another avenue is to get with the county Republican Party leadership.  The leaders of the local party have a serious problem with respect to Perkins and Matheny.  Deep down, they surely know these two men are not truly Republicans, and in fact tend to undermine the possibility of Republican policy outcomes.

Over the years, as I watched my cousin lead the Republican Party back in New York, I observed instances when decisions had to be made about party officials and candidates who were in it for their own benefit, who were less than moral, and who were working against good policy.  These types of folks present enormous challenges for party leaders.  But ultimately, the party itself is undermined if people such as these are countenanced.  I watched my cousin gradually eliminate these kinds of folks, and the party was strengthened.

I am not sure how we arrive at a solution for the problem that both Perkins and Matheny pose.  Ultimately, the answer is to defeat them at the ballot box.  But until then, I only have one message for these two men.

Go ahead.  Be our guest.

Make our day.

Jump.

 

News and Record Endorses For NC Senate Man Who Owes Back Taxes

Shockingly, the News and Record endorsed this morning County Commissioner Bruce Davis for the North Carolina Senate.  Davis was recently discovered to have tax liens against his business.

Davis is running as an independent against Republican Trudy Wade and Democrat Gladys Robinson.  Davis' party affiliation, however, is Democratic.

This is not the first time in area politics that elected officials have persisted in public office, or even attempted to run for higher office, in spite of tax problems.  We saw it previously in the case of Rep. Earl Jones and former Greensboro Mayor Yvonne Johnson.

I think we should be able to arrive at a broadly agreed upon civic agreement that people who fail to pay their taxes should not be entrusted with making decisions to tax other citizens.  It should be considered a civic prerequisite that people who run for elective office should have a clean tax record.

How did the News and Record address Davis' tax issues?

He’s got some problems. One is a debt to the IRS on taxes owed by his child-care business. He should clear that up as quickly as possible. And, he is simultaneously running as a Democrat to keep his county seat. He made it clear that’s not his real interest, and he should have abandoned that race.

"He should clear that up as quickly as possible."  That is tantamount to almost glossing over the issue after it had been raised only in the latter part of the editorial.

When we fail to hold elected officials accountable on matters such as these, we enable them. 

The irony is that the paper's endorsement might potentially further split the Democratic vote, and unintentionally assist Trudy Wade.  But that would be OK.  As far as we know, Dr. Wade is not in trouble over her taxes.  And she is the better candidate anyway.

Update: Piedmont Publius has more.

Mary Johnson's Blog

Dr. Mary Johnson previously felt the need to disable comments on her blog because of harassment from another blogger.  She later was excluded from We101, apparently because the aggregator requires that blogs accept comments in order to be listed at that site.

Mary has restored the comment feature on her blog.  I think it should therefore be restored to We101.

Jeff Hyde at Tea Party Vote

Contrasting himself against his opponent, Senator Don Vaughan:

Today's Mailbox: Hardister vs. Pricey

I received three pieces of political mail today, all of which were high-quality campaign ads addressing the District 57 North Carolina House race.  Two were on behalf of Jon Hardister, and the other was on behalf of Pricey Harrison.

The piece promoting Pricey was circulated by the NC Democratic Party.  It was a two-page fold-out promoting Harrison's role in getting the Protest Petition passed in the state legislature for our area.  It talks about making it easier for us to fight reckless development in our backyards, but interestingly, never uses the words Protest Petition.

A large letter-sized card sent by the NC Republican Party is reminiscent of another they had sent recently.  It points out Pricey voted to raise our taxes by a billion dollars, and to increase spending by $600 million during the great recession.

A piece produced by Hardister's campaign-- smaller, but still well done-- talks about jobs and the economy.  It said Hardister favors spending caps legislation; lower taxes for families and small businesses; zero-based budgeting; and a "common sense approach to economic policies".

This was a mini-avalanche of fairly expensive campaign pieces.  On the basis of what dropped in my mailbox today, Hardister gets the edge. 

Sarah Palin Endorses Pantano

HT: Dome

Will that be the boost he needs to prevail?

Marco Rubio

The video seen below is extraordinary for several reasons.  First, it lends some insight into the Florida senate race.  Second, it is well-produced, and quite moving.  And third, it highlights an uncommon political talent.  Watch:

Local Notes: Landfill and Greensboro Partnership

There were a couple of interesting articles in the News and Record today:

1. The first demonstrates the pattern of foot-dragging on the part of the Melderec con Simkins crowd on the topic of finding alternatives for our waste disposal.  We had written about this yesterday here. 

It turns out there was a meeting yesterday, and Zack Matheny did not even show up.  And it appears Nancy Vaughan is having to sit out the issue.  Why?  Her husband is Don Vaughan, the state senator running for reelection against Jeff Hyde.  Senator Vaughan has a business relationship with one of the trash companies, so Nancy Vaughan cannot even do her job on the landfill issue. 

2. The second article expands upon the Greensboro Partnership's funding of the sales tax campaign:

Pat Danahy is president and CEO of the Greensboro Partnership, which includes the Greensboro Chamber of Commerce, the Greensboro Economic Development Alliance and Action Greensboro.

Danahy said money the partnership receives from the city and county must, contractually, be used by the Greensboro Economic Development Alliance strictly for economic development.

The Chamber Foundation, a separate legal entity, is funded privately.

The money the partnership puts toward referendum campaigns comes from chamber dues and sponsorship and includes no public money.

Danahy said a few members — fewer than 10 — have threatened to leave the group over its support of the sales tax campaign.

“If an issue really divides our members, we would not get involved,” he said. “But our members, our leadership, the majority of them agree on this.”

Danahy said with debt payments looming on bond projects like the county jail, new schools and improvements to GTCC, the county has to find the money somewhere. A small sales tax increase is better for businesses than a larger property tax increase, and could shave several cents off the increase everyone knows is coming, he said.

“The county has not raised property taxes to make those debt payments in the last two years,” Danahy said.

Here is what Danahy did not tell us.  He conveniently fails to point out that Action Greensboro, one of the components of his Greensboro Partnership, gave an illegal $5,000 contribution to the Simkins PAC to get the bonds passed.  He does not overtly disclose the Partnership's bias toward higher local governmental spending, but one can certainly read it through the lines.

And the disingenuous claim that tax money is not used for the sales tax campaign, because they keep their money in different baskets, is unconvincing.  He claims the chamber membership supports all this covert political activity in favor of increased spending and taxation.  But have they polled their membership, and truly sought their input?  Or was it the unelected elites at the top of the feeding chain who made the decisions?

I  am convinced that our local chamber of commerce has become thoroughly corrupted because of its questionable, excessive entanglement with local government and some of its elected officials.  It has become compromised because it favors certain political agendas instead of the interests of its rank-and-file membership. 

  

Fred forwarded to me an audio recording from the early 1950's.  It is a fairly stark illustration that the problem of communists, Marxists and socialists infiltrating our federal government is, er, cyclical.  And, BTW, the song is a hoot:

North Carolina Among Bottom Ten States for Business Tax Climate

Civitas:

The Tax Foundation today released its FY 2011 State Business Tax Climate Index. North Carolina drops from 39th to 41st – placing it among the ten worst business tax climates in the nation. North Carolina rates the worst in the southeast...

A major indicator of NC’s economic performance is the rate of private sector job creation. I recently examined private sector job growth among the 50 states dating back to 2000, and found that North Carolina rated 35th. Similarly, the Kauffman Foundation has created their “Index of Entrepreneurial Activity,” which measures new business formation across the nation. Kauffman’s report for 2009 ranked NC as being tied with Kentucky for the 12th worst new business startup rate in the nation.

Furthermore, recent employment figures show that North Carolina’s job market has suffered greater losses during the recession than most states.

If you are concerned with this picture, you can do something about it at the polls.  Don't re-elect incumbents like Pricey Harrison, Maggie Jeffus, Don Vaughan and Nelson Cole.  Instead, support the following candidates for the North Carolina state legislature:

 

North Carolina Senate:

Trudy Wade

Jeff Hyde

 

North Carolina House:

Jon Hardister

Bert Jones

Theresa Yon

Melderec Crowd Already Retreating on White Street Landfill Fight?

We learned in the News and Record on Saturday some disturbing information. 

Amanda Lehmert reported that Robbie Perkins, Zack Matheny and Nancy Vaughan are calling for an option to dispose of Greensboro's household waste in Randolph County:

A handful of City Council members have already spoken in favor of exploring the Randolph option, including Robbie Perkins, Zack Matheny and Nancy Vaughan.

Young and staff members will meet with Randolph County officials early next month to get more details for council members.

Let's consider this news in the context of some other information that Ms. Lehmert had reported over at Inside Scoop.

It appears that both Perkins and Matheny showed up late for a recent scheduled work session to explore other alternatives.  I do not see that Vaughan attended the meeting.  The effort collapsed in part because there were not enough council members there on time.

Meanwhile, the News and Record's treatment of the Randolph County alternative in its news section appears favorable.  The paper had also recently spotlighted favorably the grievances of White Street area residents who oppose increased use of the landfill.

And recall Perkins' shabby treatment of a speaker from the floor last week.

Does all of this mean that "institutional Greensboro" is lining up in favor of Randolph County, and against White Street?  It appears that way to me.

One thing is amazing.  If we are truly talking about continuing to truck our trash dozens of miles further south, it is breathtaking to note that no one is wringing their hands about greenhouse gas emissions; or about consuming all that fuel in a less-than-green way.  All of a sudden, we are not concerned about those things.  Apparently there is another political consideration locally that trumps those kinds of concerns among our enlightened classes.

I really hope that Matheny, Perkins and Vaughan are not going to undermine the process of seeking the most cost-effective alternative for disposing of Greensboro's household trash.  The taxpayers should be their first concern; and we are wasting a lot of money on trash disposal right now.  Let's hope these three council members are not bowing before the east Greensboro political establishment, and abandoning the taxpayers in the process.

Congratulations to Theresa Yon...

... for earning the News and Record endorsement for her NC House race against Maggie Jeffus.  She deserves it.

Library Filter Solution Adopted By City Council a Real Loser

A couple of months ago, when we first began to debate the library filter issue, some parties made it seem that we should not adopt the use of filters because of the cost.  Of course, when it turned out there would be no cost whatsoever, they did not change their minds.

Well...  guess what?

It turns out that the vaunted compromise adopted by the city council last week, praised by the anti-filter crowd, will cost us more money.

In a memorandum to the city manager, Library Director Sandy Neerman advises that it will cost an additional $8,000 - $10,000 to implement the city council's "solution".  Why?  It appears an additional device has to be purchased.  I am told it is hardware required to swipe the library cards.  (HT: Kathy Hartsell)

The approach decided upon requires that the library's systems differentiate between patrons less than 18 years old, and those older than 18.   The system has to be upgraded to allow that to happen.  The city council decided on a solution that requires higher complexity.  If they had just required filters across all age groups, this complexity-- and this expense-- would not be required.

But here is another twist.  Ms. Neerman advises that, because of this added complexity imposed by the city council, it could take up to five months to implement filters for minors using library computers.

So we have to accept added expense, and additional time required to implement the filters for minors.  Again, if council members had just adopted filters across all age groups, it could have been implemented almost at an instant, at no additional cost.

This is hard to believe.  The library staff and board have everything they need to implement filters right now-- and yet we must accept additional time and expense to adopt the city council's ill-advised policy.

This is a waste of time, and a waste of taxpayers' money.  The council's handling of this issue was turned into a political circus by Zack Matheny, with critical decisions made by several other council members to support his approach including Robbie Perkins, Nancy Vaughan, Mary Rakestraw and T. Diane Bellamy-Small. 

One last point.  Sandy Neerman likes to talk about the library's mission, which is as follows:

Mission:  In partnership with the community, the Greensboro Public Library strives to provide free and equal access to information, foster lifelong learning, and inspire the joys of reading.

 

When she previously spoke of the library's mission, it was intended to oppose the use of filters which would tend to defeat her misguided ideal of providing unobstructed access to information.  But now, the city council has decided upon an approach that is in direct opposition to the library's mission.  Why?  Because it requires that different age groups have different access to information.  It does not allow "equal access to information", almost by definition.

 

The city council blatantly violated the library's stated mission when it decided to adopt a stratified approach according to age group.

Bill Randall, Virginia Foxx and the Mainstream Media: Where is the Jubilation over Tim Scott?

I have been quite interested in the way the regional mainstream media discusses the campaigns of Bill Randall and Virginia Foxx, respectively.

The modus operandi is for the media to zero in on statements made by the candidate felt to be impolitic or inaccurate, and make them the primary focus of coverage of the campaign.  I have seen no balanced coverage of either Mr. Randall, a principled black man who served in the military for decades, or Ms. Foxx, who grew up in poverty in western North Carolina.

The unpardonable sins committed by Randall and Foxx, respectively, have been to adopt views that are socially conservative, and talk about them.  When that happens, the media feels compelled to try to snuff out that kind of candidate.  (Locally in Greensboro, it also happened to Jeff Hyde when he expressed belief in a creator God during the spring Tea Party event).

Here is an example used against Bill Randall.  The Winston-Salem Journal did it to Virginia Foxx (HT: Sam Hieb).

But there is also a huge story that has not been covered in a significant way.

In the state of South Carolina, a gentleman named Tim Scott from the lowcountry is about to be elected as a member of Congress.  Like Bill Randall, he is a black conservative Republican.

This will be an historic election if, as expected, he wins.  Why? 

Scott will be the first black Republican congressman from the Deep South in more than a century.

It was a British media company that published this particular story-- not an American one.

In the case of Bill Randall, our local MSM has failed to report and highlight one critical factoid that I have exposed here repeatedly-- that his opponent, Brad Miller, is a socialist.  Apparently, that is of little consequence to the folks at the N&R.  But it is the defining difference between the two candidates in that race, and they miss it intentionally.

 

Sales Tax Increase Promoters Spending Big Money

There was a full page ad promoting the sales tax increase in the News and Record this morning.  Also, as I drove to work this morning, there were signs promoting the sales tax increase in the grassy median along Cone Boulevard.  I am also hearing there are billboards.

Who is paying for all this stuff?  Could it be, at least in part, our esteemed Greensboro Partnership and/or its component organizations like Action Greensboro?  Could it be the foundations?

Is it possible our tax dollars are being used, in part, to fund this campaign to raise our taxes?

It is a filthy crowd that pushed for all the bonds, and that now is advocating for the sales tax increase.  Soon, they will also be pushing for property tax increases as well, regardless of the outcome of the sales tax referendum.

This crowd needs to be "outed".  From where is all the money coming to fund this campaign?

Update: Like magic, Joe Killian provides the data on the funding sources:

The Greensboro Partnership: check for $10,000

The North Carolina Association of REALTORS (Issues mobilization fund): check for $25,000

The High Point Partnership: check for $5,000

North State Communications: check for $2,500

Greensboro Chamber Foundation:

$5,000 as an in-kind contribution of Public Relations services from B&C Associates

$5,000 as an in-kind contribution of Public Relations and Design Services from RMA Associates

 

Dean Poirier and the Burr Rally Yesterday

I had the opportunity to attend the rally for Richard Burr yesterday in Greensboro.  A number of local and statewide candidates had the opportunity to speak. 

The most interesting thing I learned came from Court of Appeals candidate Dean Poirier.  Mr. Poirier indicated that after he filed to run, he received a call from his opponent, Judge Martha Geer.

Geer is the incumbent; and Poirier referred to her as a former ACLU attorney.  I have seen her in debate, and she is well-spoken.  But if we want to be sure about electing someone who will not be a liberal judicial activist, then Poirier is the candidate to choose.

In any event, Poirier indicated that Geer was less than welcoming to the race when she called him.  She referred to the judicial seat in contention as "my seat".

Poirier took a page from Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown.  He said it is not HER seat for which they were competing.  Instead, he said, it is the people's seat.

The crowd assembled loved it.  And Mr. Poirier was absolutely right.  But the interaction that he described spoke volumes.

With respect to the state Supreme Court race, we should note that Barbara Jackson is the candidate of choice.  It was announced that if she does not win, Republicans will lose their majority on the Supreme Court.

It should be noted that the Bob Hunter against whom she is running is not the same Bob Hunter who comes from Guilford County.  Voters should beware.

Fred Gregory forwarded some photos.  The second picture features Poirier and Jackson flanking Congressman Coble: