Guarino

At Long Last, Informed Consent for Abortion in North Carolina

I was extremely gratified yesterday to learn that the North Carolina state legislature overrode Governor Perdue's veto of Woman's Right to Know legislation that addresses elective abortion on demand.  The bill incorporates informed consent; a waiting period; and an opportunity for the pregnant mother to see an ultrasound.

Recall that Governor Perdue had traveled to Greensboro to stage her veto "ceremony" at Melderec Headquarters, with various pro-abortion state legislators from our area in attendance.

There have been statements made in various places about the cataclysmic effects this legislation would have.  In fact, sweet Alma Adams recently was quoted in our local paper calling the bill "an outrageous insult on women's reproductive rights".  By all appearances, it seems that she is not opposed to the black genocide that is taking place.

But approximately half the states already have laws requiring a waiting period; and half also have informed consent laws.  This has been tested in many other states, and has been allowed by the courts.

In addition, a recent Gallup poll indicates 87% of the public supports informed consent legislation; and 69% favor a waiting period.

I am very glad the Republican legislative leadership made this bill a priority item.  This is a great victory for the pro-life movement in North Carolina, and of course, for unborn children.

I will now resume my break from blogging for another 11-12 days.  See you soon. 

Guilford Redistricting: Cries of Victimization

I had the opportunity to attend the redistricting hearing held last evening at the Old County Courthouse.

Of course, the big news has been that the state legislature passed a bill establishing a new district map for the Guilford County Board of County Commissioners; and also making it impossible for Skip Alston to engineer a referendum.

This is a classic example of retributive justice.  The Democrats did it to Republicans-- over and over again-- and now Republicans are responding in kind.

The fact is that local Democrats engineered a massive expansion of the board and gerrymandering of seats during the 1991 redistricting.  And then they gerrymandered again during the 2001 redistricting.  They shut Republicans out of the process both times.

The legislature made one previous attempt within the last couple of months.  Senate President Pro Tempore Phil Berger met with Skip Alston; and it was reported that an agreement took place.  The board would reduce to nine seats, and Skip would get to manage the process of drawing the lines.

The ink was hardly dry on the new legislation, and Skip was already back in Guilford County, looking for ways to gerrymander; talking about a referendum to reverse the legislature's action; and discussing Justice Department challenges.  Clearly, he was not respecting the understanding that had been reached.

And now with the General Assembly's action this week, Skip Alston was dealt the comeuppance he richly deserves.  He had behaved dishonorably. 

But now, we are hearing cries of victimization from local liberal Democrats.  Don Vaughan was quoted in the paper saying that "the citizens of Guilford County should be outraged".  Vaughan neglected to mention that he has been the beneficiary of one of those gerrymandered seats.

Last night, Bruce Davis, Alma Adams and Skip Alston issued howls of consternation over the gerrymandered nature of the map passed by the state legislature this week.  But Alston's utter shamelessness was astonishing.  He had proposed his own map that was just as severely gerrymandered as that passed by the legislature.  But now we were to believe that the legislature had committed an unacceptable violation.

Another interesting thing that happened last night is that a couple of local Democrats-- Bruce Davis and Kay Cashion-- began to say positive things about Keith Brown's map.  It turns out that Keith's map is the best among those submitted that I have seen.  But I somehow doubt that Democrats would have been permitted to consider Keith's map had the legislature not taken action.  All of a sudden, it began to look like a good alternative to some of them.

The News and Record's coverage continues to be tilted to the Democrats, but I suppose that is to be expected.

The Republican map, even though it is gerrymandered, has some good features.  It restores competitive districts.  It increases the percentage of seats that are majority-minority to make Voting Rights Act compliance more likely.  It also turns out that Democrats are in the majority in all seats except, I believe, one.  Correct me if I am wrong about that.

The matter is now going likely going to be considered by the Justice Department and the courts.  It is still possible that the Republican plan will be reversed.  There are partisan Democrats in the Justice Department willing to find ways to stretch the Voting Rights Act beyond recognition.  And there are liberal judicial activists in the courts.

One thing is clear.  This is primarily a partisan dispute between Republicans and Democrats.  I think it would be highly inappropriate for Skip Alston to use county legal staff-- funded by the taxpayers-- to fight his partisan legal battles.  If Alston and his cronies want to challenge what the state legislature has done, it needs to be on their own dime. 

Hot New Blog

I was fascinated to see a new blog that critiques the management of the Guilford County Schools system.  If the anonymous author of this blog sticks with this task, it could have a real impact.

Check out Guilford County Schools Uncovered.

The TDBS Mayoral Bid

The surprising news that Councilwoman T. Diane Bellamy-Small has filed to run for mayor has generated much puzzlement among observers.  What is going on?  What is she trying to do?

Previously, it had seemed that she was joined at the hip with Robbie Perkins.  But now, her candidacy could theoretically undermine his bid to become mayor.

It must be understood that, in the eyes of some in the east Greensboro political community, Robbie Perkins is likely regarded as a Rich Republican White Male who happens to be developer-centric.  He has been groomed by the Melderec crowd as the Great White Hope for east Greensboro in the mayoral election.

One other point needs to be made.  Her opponent for the old district seat, D.J. Hardy, is viewed as a potentially strong challenger.  It is possible she might have had difficulty winning reelection for the district seat.

A number of theories have circulated around or been verbalized.  It must be emphasized that these are merely speculative.  But here are some of the ideas I have been hearing:

1. She might legitimately be running to win.

2. She might have filed to get attention; but instead may subsequently drop out and perhaps file for the district seat.

3. She might be running to champion a particular political cause or point of view that Robbie might not emphasize as much.

4. She might be the candidate to vocalize loud criticisms of Bill Knight and/or Tom Phillips leaving Robbie to run a more positive campaign; or might be the candidate to somehow create chaos.

5. She might have filed to extract something from Robbie.  It could be perhaps some policy concessions.  But another recently published item suggests that she is starting up a new non-profit.  There has been a precedent for east Greensboro political figures to set up non-profits, receive local governmental funding and in some cases derive income-- Yvonne Johnson, Michael King, Alma Adams, Skip and Earl's museum.

In any event, we will likely learn in due course the motivation for this filing.  Or perhaps we won't.

But we cannot discount the possibility that Robbie Perkins, the Rich Republican White Male, could somehow be made to pay for the black vote being delivered to him.  It should be noted that Robbie has not always been able to deliver to east Greensboro what it expects over the last several months.  Would he be required as mayor somehow to throw bones in their direction; and if so, what will it cost us?  The problem is that, during harder economic times, there are fewer bones to throw.  You can placate and acquiesce only to a certain degree.

But could it be that Robbie is not even trusted by his closest political ally on the City Council?

Commissioners Dropped Ball on Budget

Great job, Jeff:

Guilford County Gerrymander Hearing

There will be a hearing of the Guilford County Board of County Commissioners on Thursday, July 28 at 5:30 PM.  The topic will be redistricting. 

The specific purpose is to receive public comments on the gerrymandered maps offered by Chairman Skip Alston and county staff, all of which are designed to favor Democrats and incumbents; and also the alternative maps offered by the Guilford County Republican Party and Keith Brown, respectively.

Skip Alston has a 7-4 Democratic majority on the Board of County Commissioners; and it appears that he is determined to keep it that way.  He has proposed bizarre, irregular district lines to maintain his majority.  Previous Democratic gerrymandering and manipulations during 1991 and 2001 laid the groundwork for his current majority.

Recall how local liberal Democratic activists made a huge, ugly scene in the Greensboro City Council chambers when Republicans on that body attempted to redistrict.  This happened even though their side had been the beneficiary of prolonged, repeated instances of gerrymandering over a period of decades.  But the media was on their side; and their tactics were effective.

Republicans and conservatives need to show up in large numbers at the hearing Thursday evening.  I hope to be there.  We need to have as many people as possible speak in opposition.  And unfortunately, we need to make some noise, because that is what the media will cover.

Skip is in control of this process, and the moves he makes could potentially be effective for a period of ten years.  We need to be sure that his efforts are exposed, and that he does not have an easy time stacking the process in favor of his own party.

Let's put up a fight on Thursday night.  We need to make the argument for compact, sensible districts drawn with regular shapes and boundaries.  We must argue for competitive districts. 

We need to point out that the process of redistricting is not intended to ease reelection for incumbents.  These districts belong to the people, not to Democratic incumbents.

*************************************************************************************************************************

For a period of approximately 2 1/2 weeks, I will be taking a break from this blog.  I might make an occasional post; and likely will also be commenting on other sites.  

The Absurdity of the Call for a Health Impact Study Regarding the Landfill

Recall that, earlier this week, the political activists on the city of Greensboro's Human Relations Commission publicly called for a health study regarding the White Street Landfill.

Here is one interesting point.  If there was reason to believe the landfill has caused health hazards, then it would have been most prudent to have begun evacuating nearby residents; to close the walking trail along Nealtown; and to terminate further development of Keely Park.  Of course, none of those things have happened thus far.

I seem to recall opponents raising the issue of waste being hazardous at White Street.  But remember that the city's hazardous waste has been handled at the facility on Patterson St.-- not at White Street.  Hazardous waste is not allowed in the landfill.

Does anyone know whether a health study has been required for the landfills in Raleigh, Charlotte or Winston-Salem? 

Greensboro residents owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to Mayor Bill Knight, and council members Danny Thompson, Mary Rakestraw and Trudy Wade.  They have remained steadfast on this issue in the face of a withering barrage; and have resisted the temptation to lash back at citizens with whom they have disagreed.  They have treated opposing citizens with all the respect and dignity they could possibly muster.

This is to be contrasted with the shabby manner in which Councilwoman Bellamy-Small treated Rob Jones earlier this week.  She found a citizen who respectfully called into question one of her pet programs, and she pounced all over him.

Conservatives and Republicans need to show up for all the upcoming council meetings at which the landfill will be discussed.  They need to support Knight, Thompson, Rakestraw and Wade.

A great letter appeared in the paper written by Ryan Routh, and I am taking the liberty of republishing it here.  If the claims in his letter are true, then this is a remarkable persective:

In response to your “Mixing it up item, “Landfill and leadership,” (July 17): We can easily study the facts when calling for a rational debate. This is a 1,000-acre facility that has been in operation for more than 60 years. The landfill is more than 2 miles wide in any direction and the nearest White Street house is more than a mile from its gates.

The new dump site is more than a half a mile in from the gates and a great distance from the old dump site, which was closer to the perimeter and closer to homes.

Therefore, as far as odor is concerned, residents will be unlikely to smell much, if anything.

Factually, the mulch site has a worse odor and is easily noticed from Rankin Mill Road. If new entrances were installed, then neighbors would never know it was there.

Others such as myself live within walking distance of a hazardous waste site, chemical plants, Hilltop white goods, the transfer station and sewage treatment plants without complaint. These neighbors should visit the new site and realize they have nothing to worry about.

I celebrate our new leadership for having the strength to do what is right for our city.

Robbie Perkins Watch: Common Cause with TDBS

One of the things the last city council meeting reinforced is the extent to which Councilman Robbie Perkins is metaphorically joined at the hip with Councilwoman T. Diane Bellamy-Small.  They are close allies and political soulmates.

An interesting observation in the Rhino this week:

During breaks and after the meeting you could see Perkins huddle with the people who were disrupting the meeting. One of the worst is former City Councilmember Goldie Wells, who talked constantly at meetings when she was on the City Council and does the same now that she is in the audience.

Why is Robbie huddling with these folks?  Is it possible that the disturbances at the city council meetings are an integral component of his mayoral campaign?

Hagan Votes Against Cut, Cap and Balance

Greensboro's own Senator Kay Hagan had the opportunity to vote in favor of Cut, Cap and Balance.  However, it turns out that she followed her party leadership and voted to table.  (HT: Carolina Politics).

This is fairly astonishing.  Let's consider what we have been led to believe about Hagan.

First, this is the same Kay Hagan that our local media absolutely loves.  They consistently describe her as a "centrist" or "moderate".  They even promote her as a possible vice-presidential candidate.

Part of the reason she is described as a centrist or moderate is because she is described as being pro-business, and as being fairly conservative on fiscal matters.

Second, let's remember that this is the same Kay Hagan who ran against deficit spending during the 2008 election season.  She made it a point back then to boast that she had helped balance the state budget in Raleigh when she had served in the North Carolina Senate-- even though a balanced budget is required by the state constitution.

Yet, when she is given the opportunity to help resolve the national debt crisis via spending reductions and a Balanced Budget Amendment, she votes no.

This is an incarnation of Kay Hagan about which we do not learn through the usual channels.

Genocide

HT: World Magazine

The Morality of Obamacare

Item:

Obamacare may be requiring that health plans provide "Plan B" or the "morning-after pill" for free.  That means Obamacare may be essentially requiring that health plans pay the entire cost of chemically induced abortions.

Item:

John Goodman makes the case against the morality of Obamacare:

(H)ow can there be a moral case for a 2,700 page bill that was shaped and molded by self-seeking interests, with no more regard for principle than one would find in a game of musical chairs? Isn’t asking for a moral defense of ObamaCare sort of like asking what is the moral case for the IRS Code?

Even if you believe that some of us have a moral obligation to others in the matter of health care, what does that belief have to do with legislation in which costs and benefits are strewn about with all the care of a drunken sailor? Isn’t the Affordable Care Act (ACA) self-evidently immoral? Or at least amoral?

Crime Numbers Deteriorating

"Sensational" crimes tend to grab our attention.  These domestic situations are doubtless difficult for law enforcement and the criminal justice system.  Are the tools they have at their disposal adequate for dealing with this type of situation?

This particular crime incident may not necessarily be representative of the overall crime situation in Greensboro.  But there has been a recent deterioration in crime statistics locally.  

Chief Ken Miller has enjoyed somewhat of a honeymoon with the media and with much of the Greensboro City Council since taking his position.  But it is more than appropriate at this point for the City Council to let Rashad Young and Ken Miller know that they are being held accountable; and that we need to see good results with regard to crime control. 

Chief Miller has been implementing a new approach to proactive policing.  That should ordinarily enhance crime control, so we need to determine what factors are overwhelming the efforts being made.

The job of chief is inherently a political position.  Miller undoubtedly has to bow before the usual local political expectations.  James Hinson was recently made captain; and my recollection is that his responsibility includes some of our highest crime areas.  Each captain and command officer needs to be held accountable for the crime levels within their respective jurisdictions.  That Greensboro institutionally lacks seriousness with regard to crime control is illustrated by its continued sponsorship of Superjam at the Coliseum. 

I remember seeing some data recently that the GPD has sustained cuts in funding over the last couple of years, whereas other city departments have seen significant increases.  This is illustrative of the expected political status quo in our city that demands parks and recreational facilities and the Coliseum's activities and mass transit take precedence over law enforcement for funding.  But law enforcement should be the highest priority of local government.

A couple of years ago, the Buracher Report suggested we should have a net increase in police officers in Greensboro.  It is not clear whether that net increase has been attained.

I hope that the recent spike in crime activity is just that-- a mere spike.  But it needs to be taken seriously.  The Greensboro City Council should let the city manager and the police chief know that they are concerned; and that the situation needs to be turned around.

"Nancy's Folly", Trust, and the Black Vote

Recall that I attended and spoke at the Greensboro City Council meeting 19 months ago when the vote for the Greensboro Aquatic Center took place.  This was the meeting at which Mayor Pro Dem Nancy Vaughan enjoyed the cheers from the various interest groups assembled when she cast her vote in favor of the project.  It was the deciding vote, so it is more than appropriate to refer to the aquatic center as "Nancy's Folly". 

During the week leading up to that meeting, I had blogged about the fact that the aquatic center was a bad deal for local African-Americans.  Why?  Because the swim community is predominantly upper middle class and upper class; and is predominantly white.  Paying for the aquatic center means transferring income from black to white, from poor to rich.  This is one of the reasons it was amoral for the city council to proceed.  There were other reasons, of course-- the cost, the borrowing and the fact that the project was conceived and advanced in a corrupt manner.

I didn't think that local African-Americans were thrilled by the project, although it was moved along by the Melderec con Simkins bunch for the most part.  At the council meeting, one of the city's foundation heads spoke.  As if by divine intervention or some other type of miracle, we were assured that black schoolchildren would be able to get swim lessons at the new aquatic center because of an anonymous donation.

But one other unexpected thing happened in the council chambers.  I found myself finding common ground with a couple of black folks in the room.  We encouraged each other when we spoke.  After I presented, I sat down next to a black gentleman in a business suit.  He told me that I gave a powerful speech.  I asked him if he agreed with my position, and he nodded his head that he did.

But that night, another black person spoke with me about Nancy Vaughan.  This person had known about Vaughan from her previous period of service on the city council, and said to me: "Let me tell you one thing about Nancy Vaughan.  You can't trust Nancy Vaughan."

Oh.

That is the kind of statement that sticks around in one's head for a long time.

Goldie Wells approached me after the meeting.  She had just rotated off the council, and began hollering at me that the aquatic center was going to attract lots of out-of-town visitors.  You just wait and see.

So the Simkins PAC was out of synch with the rank-and-file black community and its interests on the aquatic center.

Vaughan was being "talked up" by a number of Republicans during the months leading up to the 2009 election.  But it then became evident during the last few weeks that she was going to receive the Simkins endorsement.  That was a fairly painful revelation for me, because I knew what it would mean.  It seemed that she might be strong on the GPD issue, which was the most important issue that year.  But among the city council at-large field for the general election, I could identify only one potential conservative, and that was Danny Thompson.

If Nancy Vaughan wants to retain the Simkins PAC endorsement, she has to vote in the manner its leaders would expect on the vast majority of the issues they regard as most important.  That is how she had to be perceived during the 2009 election season, and that is how she needs to be perceived this year if she wants that endorsement once again.  My guess is that she will get it. 

But she also has to avoid voting in a manner that would antagonize the PAC because it might have implications for her husband's political career.  They come as a package.

The PAC is probably able to deliver to Nancy Vaughan a sizable chunk of the black vote.  But that does not mean she is serving well the best interests of African-Americans in the city of Greensboro.

Carter Morphs Into Obama

Take a listen.  This is amazing: (HT: Civitas)

Is Judge Manning a Judicial Activist?

Judge Manning has been involved for years in the review of North Carolina's educational system to assure that the requirements of our state constitution are met.  The concern is whether he believes that increased educational spending equates with better educational outcomes-- a theory that has been, for the most part, discredited.

The concern has further been that he will attempt to interfere with the budget passed by the North Carolina state legislature which reduces educational funding.

This week, it was reported that he has taken issue with the legislature's approach to preschool education.  I find it fairly absurd that taxpayer-funded preschool education now seems to be elevated to the status of an entitlement that needs to be protected by a judge. 

Carolina Politics says that Manning is engaging in judicial activism.  Francis DeLuca questions the logic behind Manning's decision.

Let's hope that GOP legislators are prepared to defend their budget to the state Supreme Court if needed.  We should be concerned as to whether the North Carolina Democratic Party and the state's education establishment have a willing accomplice in the courts who might be willing to enforce its policy agenda via judicial fiat.

Landfill History, Abridged

Jim Lewis gave a great brief history of the White Street Landfill at the Greensboro City Council meeting last night.  His presentation later attracted some acerbic comments in rebuttal by T. Diane Bellamy-Small, who has become the poster girl for the anti-landfill crowd.

Jim had to condense his presentation from 5 minutes to 3 minutes extemporaneously to comply with Mayor Knight's request.  And unlike the delightful chairman of the "Human Relations Commission", he willingly complied.  Here is Jim's presentation:

Rational Individualism

Charles Davenport wrote the following book review:

 

Rise above the dumb masses: Read Beitler’s Rational Individualism

Review by Charles Davenport Jr.

 

Dr. Michael Beitler’s Rational Individualism is a thoroughly-researched and well-written introduction to political philosophy for students and neophytes of all ages. (For those who attended public schools, a neophyte is “a beginner or novice.”) Readers anticipating a dry, scholarly read from Beitler, a college professor, will be pleasantly surprised not only by the good doctor’s decidedly right-of-center perspective, but also by the bluntness with which he condemns the statist/collectivist philosophy.

Beitler’s assault on socialism is immediate, withering, and sustained. On the first page of the first chapter, the author opines as follows: “Highly successful people should feel a sense of pride. Most of them do not. Many of them feel guilty about their success. This guilt is not self-imposed. This guilt is imposed upon them by people of less ability and less initiative who are armed with the ideology of collectivism/statism/socialism.”

Many of our fellow citizens recognize that government is not always the answer to our economic woes; indeed, that government is often the problem. They also recognize the value of our founding ideals, as expressed in the Constitution. However, outside the realm of political “junkies,” the history of those ideals, as well as the nature of the threat from collectivist/socialist thought, remain relatively obscure.

Dr. Beitler provides readers with a sound, fundamental understanding of influential thinkers, including Plato, Aristotle, Locke, Marx, Friedman, and several others. Among those who will be most appreciative of Beitler’s work are members of the Tea Party. A substantial percentage of the movement is comprised of individuals who, until quite recently, did not closely follow politics. Rational Individualism is a superb starting point for neophytes (“new converts to a belief”), within the Tea Party.

There is plenty here to learn, however, even for long-time students of political philosophy. Beitler shares with us, for example, the disgraceful personal life of Karl Marx, who never held a steady job, and was repeatedly arrested and exiled. Marx’s sexual scandals were a combination of the antics of Arnold Schwarzenegger and former NC Senator John Edwards: Marx had an affair with his wife’s “unpaid servant,” Helene Demuth, who subsequently gave birth to a son. Rather than accepting responsibility, Marx persuaded a friend to claim that the boy was his.

Many readers likely will not be familiar with the Austrian economist Ludwig von Mises, who obviously played a pivotal role in shaping Beitler’s philosophy. Mises believed capitalism was loathed by so many because it is merit-based. (The same trend is evident today). “If merit alone decides,” Mises wrote, “then the unsuccessful feel themselves insulted and humiliated.” Capitalism, Beitler reminds us, requires self-reliance, a concept that some among us—socialists, in particular--reject. Mises believed “They are socialists because they are blinded by envy and ignorance.”

Dr. Beitler is aware that citing authority, such as Mises, increases an author’s credibility. Not surprisingly, then, Rational Individualism is chocked full of quotations from the greatest minds in economic theory. In addition to the aforementioned thinkers, Ayn Rand makes frequent appearances.

Unfortunately, Dr. Beitler yields so much real estate to the giants in the field, limited space is devoted to his own writing. And he is no slouch as an ink-slinger. The book features multiple passages in which Beitler sinks tooth and claw into socialism: “As long as there are jealous, unsuccessful people,” he writes, “socialism will be a weapon used against successful people. Socialism (the ‘legal’ extortion of the earnings of successful people by the government for the benefit of unsuccessful people) will always be favored by politicians and the uneducated masses. Since the majority of people are unsuccessful, politicians will always turn to socialism as a way to power.”

Dr. Beitler has written a splendid introduction to economic theory that is also entertaining for long-time political observers. Readers of Rational Individualism will have taken a significant step toward distinguishing themselves from “the uneducated masses.”

Rational Individualism, by Dr. Michael A. Beitler

Practitioner Press International/120 pages/$10.00

To order Dr. Beitler’s book, visit information@ppi-bookstores.com or www.rationalindividualism.com

Charles Davenport Jr. is a freelance writer in Greensboro, NC. Contact him via e-mail: cdavenportjr@hotmail.com

Another Ruse: Demanding a Health Study Before Opening the Landfill

The chairman of the city's "Human Relations Commission", Abdel Nuriddin, speaking on behalf of the commission, spoke fervently in opposition to reopening the White Street Landfill to residential trash last night at the Greensboro City Council meeting.  He demanded that a health study be performed before any further action is taken.  This demand was later echoed by another speaker.

Before Mr. Nuriddin spoke, Mayor Bill Knight asked speakers to limit their comments to three minutes instead of the usual five minutes because of the number of speakers.  Nonetheless, Mr. Nuriddin exceeded his three minutes.  When Knight tried to terminate his comments, Nuriddin pitched a minor hissy fit, and was allowed to continue.  He ultimately exceeded the usual five minutes allowed, by far.

One would think that members of an entity called the "Human Relations Commission" would consist of civil, peaceful individuals who seek harmony.  In fact, the reality is often otherwise.  One other member of the commission has spoken recently in an ugly, confrontational, objectionable manner at council meetings.

Demanding a health study is a major ruse planned by landfill opponents, and is intended to delay action by the city council.  There is not one iota of credible scientific evidence that the White Street Landfill caused health effects among area residents.

Consider the following.

First, landfill opponents have not demonstrated a single exposure-- or even a single route of exposure-- that explains the health effects they have claimed in the past. 

Second, public health agencies have looked at the issue of whether any health effects in the area were attributable to the landfill, and did not find anything.

Third, in order to study whether the health effects of dumping residential trash at the White Street Landfill is causing health effects, you would need to reopen the landfill to residential trash to reproduce any exposures originating from the landfill.  Performing a study without resuming the use of landfill would be pointless.  Be mindful also that it would take years to complete a good, prospective study. 

It should be noted that city staff years ago recommended against closing the landfill to residential trash.  Nevertheless, the Melderec con Simkins crowd led by former Mayor Keith Holliday acted against the recommendation of city staff.  Remember, this is the same crowd that holds city staff up on a pedestal.

Again, my belief is that the call for a health study was a ruse intended to delay city council action, and to make it appear conservative council members are unconcerned with health effects.   

T. Diane Bellamy-Small Mistreats Citizen at Council Meeting

A gentleman named Rob Jones spoke at the Greensboro City Council meeting tonight.  I was present at the time.

Jones spoke during a public hearing regarding the Greenboro Transit Authority.  He was speaking to the growth in tax revenues over the last decade in the city of Greensboro, and in particular, the spending of these tax revenues on mass transit.  He spoke from the point of view of a fiscal conservative.

What was the response from the City Council?  Robbie Perkins tried to zing him with a question to make him appear unprepared.  And T. Diane Bellamy-Small proceeded to treat Jones like a piece of trash.

Jones was a citizen who respectfully, professionally and earnestly brought his concerns before the city council.  It was a well-prepared presentation with excellent graphics.  And he was treated like a piece of trash by one of the council members.  Why?  Because he had expressed a politically impermissible point of view. 

That's Greensboro politics.

Update:

Sam Hieb has more.

Here is the video:

Racial Gerrymandering, for Me or for Thee

Polifrog has some interesting observations regarding the conflict between Democrats and Republicans on the matter of racial gerrymandering and the Voting Rights Act:

There is no doubt that the NC redistricting process has created another gerrymander only this time under conservative rule , but there is also no doubt that the gerrymander is the product of a racially based redistricting process created by democrats, a process that conservatives must abide by...

Since the 1980's democrats in the NC House and NC Senate have abused the Voting Rights Act so as to break the NC firewall against gerrymandering. In so doing they broke NC's redistricting process. The current republican NCGA is forced to abide by that broken democrat process. That the results are unpleasing to democrats I hope enlightens them to basic racism in the process they crafted, a racism they chose to ignore due to the political gains they received from the process...

If as a result of being at the receiving end of their own redistricting process democrats recognize that their redistricting process is evil due to its racially based roots, then it seems to me that we can all agree that the process itself needs to be changed.

Now that conservatives and/or Republicans have had real input into redistricting at both the level of the city of Greensboro and also at the state level-- for the very first time, apparently-- we have heard objections from the left over minority districts.  It seems they want these minority districts, but only on their terms.

This issue also is creeping into the matter of redistricting for the Board of County Commissioners for Guilford County, even though Skip Alston is in control of that process for the Democrats.  The precise manipulation of those minority districts is a key component of their achieving partisan advantage.

Today, we read in the paper that school board members are seeking to maintain their current districts as best they can (unposted).  But of course, just as in the case of the county commissioners, this perpetuates Democratic gerrymandering.  They doubtless have to be attentive to the composition of those minority districts as well, and manipulate them in their favor.

In other words, there is nothing new today in the Politically Virtuous City.