If there was no time to share this letter with his fellow commissioners and, most especially, the County Attorney prior to this meeting, he should have waited. That it was politically expedient to bring it up during the commissioners’ most public forum is obvious. It does nothing to further this citizen’s case and could actually hurt it.

It’s not smart to blindside your attorney. If any sort of litigation is even possible on behalf of the county, it’s not a good idea to put the County Attorney in the position of making public comments before he’s had the chance to research the law and develop a strategy.

Between NCGS Chapter 40A and the US Supreme Court’s decision in Kelo v. City of New London it may be that there is absolutely no legal recourse to Midland’s claim of eminent domain. If that does prove to be the case, will Commissioner Privette issue such a public apology for the board’s not having the power to intervene? Or, will he more likely follow his MO and accuse this board of inaction when the timing suits him.

I’ll be watching…

The project tab for bailing everyone out - $5 Trillion

Seeing that each and every American is going to be on the hook for about $16,500 each - what’s another $15,000 (nearly $5 Trillion)?  

Get while the gettin’ is good, folks.  So, it’s time to confess - what stupid thing did you or someone close to you do that entitles you to a bailout.  Hurry now - the money is going fast!

5. I’m so busy at work I’m not going to observe this weekend.

4. Most analysis of the last election is so vapid, people are just fast-forwarding to 2012.  In that spirit, with 1453 days left until the polls close in 2012 - I’ve made my choice.  The video explains my reasoning.

3. Because I’m still dealing with the lead item from last week’s Five…even though that was the one least influenced by the election.

2. Because I’d love to see what would happen if I only gave 4 items for the Five

See y’all Monday

While the Democrats scored the White House and scored serious gains in the House, Senate, and State Houses around the country – Conservatives scored a major victory: the beginning of the end of public financing.

In a story you may have missed, President-elect, then candidate, Obama opted not to take public financing after promising he would.  While an adequate description of federal public financing would fill several editions of this paper, the basic concept is pretty easy: candidates agree to spending limits in order to have access to federal money for their campaigns.  If both campaigns take public financing, a share of your taxes go to a campaign that you wouldn’t vote for.

Obama figured he could raise more money from individual donors than from the government.  McCain, long a proponent of campaign finance reform, accepted the public financing with its limits.  The result: Obama outspent McCain more than 10-to-1 in the first half of October alone.  

As of November 5th, someone who supported Obama who continues to preach the virtues of public financing has just as much credibility as someone who claims to be a fiscal conservative and voted for Ted Stevens. 

Public officials with any intellectual honesty will take the tired, 20th Century idea of taxpayer-funded campaigns and kill it as soon as possible.  We must reappropriate funds towards core government services like roads and public safety.  While it used to be unlikely that politicians would kill programs that were designed to take hard-earned money from you and me coercively to promote them without them having to work for it – the election of Barack Obama offers all taxpayers hope.

I will be shocked – completely shocked if the Democrat-controlled General Assembly does not work to cut out the wasteful public funding scheme and restrictions on freedom of speech for Judges and Council of State.  I would implore out local representatives to listen to the voice of the people who voted against welfare for politicians and for hope and change.  As a fellow Republican, I call on Representatives Linda Johnson and Jeff Barnhart, and Senator Fletcher Hartsell to reach across the aisle and offer their enthusiastic support to lifting the restrictions on free speech within the General Statues that were brought by the introduction of this program in the earlier part of this decade.  I’m sure that the Democratic leadership in the North Carolina General Assembly will consider the example of our President-elect who they all supported and make legislation to abolish taxpayer-funded campaigns.

Can we bring back free expression and end public assistance for politicians?  

Yes, We Can.

Townhall Article

Thank you again.  I look forward to serving you for another four years!

At Gettysburg, Lincoln referred to those who died there as giving “the last full measure of devotion” to the cause of liberty.  While we have an obligation to remember those who sacrificed their life, we have an equal obligation to remember those who have sacrificed the best years of their life for us.

Most reading this just casted a vote in an open, free, and fair election.  You’re reading this column alongside another – of a differing opinion – written by private citizens without compensation and delivered to you without censorship.  Many attend a range of houses of worship where the message is received without boundaries, without the presence of coercive enforcement, and in plain sight.  Citizens’ and volunteer organizations have the option to peacefully assemble should they choose.  At City and Town Council and county Board of Commissioners meetings, you have the right to address your elected officials and be as critical as you’d like without fear of reprisal.

Most people in the world do not live with many of these freedoms, let alone all of them simultaneously.  It is those who serve and those who have served that have kept those who would take any of those freedoms away outside of our borders for our entire history.

Veterans will tell you they were just doing a job, their jobs were much different from ours.  It’s easy to think of the intense physical training and the wounds they have to endure and the horrors of combat, but we often overlook other sacrifices they make.  Like that of my friend who held his firstborn for the first time only to have to leave him and not see him again until he was nearly walking.  There are reservists who leave their families whose children can only comprehend the danger faced by their mothers and fathers and receive intermittent communication from a world away.

At Arlington National Cemetery, I saw a quote that will stay with me forever: “For those who served, freedom has a flavor the protected will never know”.  When I thought of that quote I thought of my Dad who was stuck in a submarine for months on end and what his first breaths of fresh air must have tasted like.  I thought of feel of the heavy stock of a homebound boarding pass in the hands of my friends who were leaving situations where they may not have come back in one piece.  I thought of what their loved ones must look like through tear-filled eyes.  All of that eclipses the sound of a general “Thanks” from the protected; but, to those who’ve served and who are serving: Thank You and have a great Veterans’ Day.

In a single night, the residents of Cabarrus County went from being represented - at the federal level - by people that most of them voted for (Bush, Hayes, and Dole) to seeing the other guys win the day.

Here are Five Ways I’m Dealing With It.

5.  I’m buying a gun.  No, not an AK-47 or a Howitzer.  Something simple and small like a Glock or Ruger…basically, my brother-in-law will pick it out.  As a Mechanical Engineer, I’m smart enough to know that I don’t know enough about this purchase to make an informed decision.

No, it’s not because Obama will take away all of our guns.  Well, not just because Obama wants to take away all of our guns.  I don’t think that public safety will be any more of a priority in the Perdue administration than it is with Gov. What’s-His-Name and I work in Mecklenburg where the County Commission is now controlled by people for whom ex-cons are an important voting block.

Anyhow, I’m buying a gun.  Before January 20th.

4. I’m not moving back into stocks.  I locked my losses in after the worst of the crash, because - even as an aggressive investor - I couldn’t handle the volatility.  Given the two days after Obama’s election - that doesn’t seem like a bad idea.

By the way, Caleb…you were right and I was wrong.  Flat wrong.

3. I’m joining the Media Bloggers Association.  Republicans liked to bypass major media outlets and go to local and non-traditional media.  

Democrats just simply want to control it.  

Examples include taxpayer-funded National Public Radio and the Fairness Doctrine.  During the campaign, Democrats intimidated media outlets in ways that could be a harbinger of things to come.  I think that $25/year is a small price to pay to keep my First Amendment rights intact.

2. I’m listening to - gulp - AM Radio.  For the entire Bush Administration, I’d consumed a steady diet of NPR and the Daily Show.  Well, Rush and others will be cutting into that.  Usually, the best work in media is done by the opposition.  Rush’s show was popular before the 1994 Revolution.  There will be something that will pop up on TV that’s critical of the Obama Administration…it’s just a matter of finding quality production that will counter the mass media’s Lord and Savior.

I took a steady diet of the opposition media during the Bush years - I’ll take a healthy portion during the Obama years.  I’m still listening to NPR also…you might as well, we have to pay for it.

1. Starting here and now, I’m a member of the Loyal Opposition.  There are times where I’m pretty sure that I was born too late.  I believe in things like civility, honor, and grace.  You won’t see me sporting a “Not My President” bumper sticker on my car or an “Impeach Obama” graphic on my blog (until he does something impeachable).  I found people who participated in that crap as shrill, stupid, and childish during the Bush years and it would be offensive to my character to delve into the mire with them.  If that makes me a lousy partisan or uninteresting as a blogger - so be it.

Barack Obama is my President-Elect.  Furthermore, Bev Perdue is my Governor-Elect, Kay Hagan is my Senator-Elect, Larry Kissel is my Congressman-Elect and Mike Helms & Tim Furr are the new School Board members of the schools my kids will be going to in a few short years.   As duly elected officials in the country that I’m a citizen of, they are entitled to my support, prayers, and service just as much as the other folks were.  As a matter of fact - given that I didn’t vote for them - they will probably get more of the benefit of the doubt from me as they can’t betray my vote.

I accept the returns of the 2008 election.  That means that you won’t see me delving into the cesspool talking about their past associations, citizenship, religion, etc.; because my fellow Americans already factored that into their decision.  I do predict that I’ll be very critical of their policies and conduct in office given my convictions - they’ll get my criticisms, but not my hate.

We each have a choice in how we deal with Tuesday - I’ve made mine.

See y’all Monday.

Humor is the spice of life or something to that effect. Whatever it is, there’s plenty of it here:

Every post is just as funny as this one.

It’s official: I have a new second favorite website. (Sorry, soonersports.com)

I cannot think of a more appropriate occasion to show this video.

County Trends - The County went hard for McCain/Palin, Local GOP, Hayes, and Dole…pretty much in that order; but the gap between straight Republican and Democrat Straight Ticket was narrower than in the past.  The real test to see if this is a solid trend will be the midterms.  

It’s easy to see where this came from: Mail-in Absentee went hard for the Republican candidates while early voting when for the Obama list.  I guess in a situation were you have to sign things, have witnesses, and there’s a stamp involved - we win.  Where you have to show up with a letter from Publishers Clearhouse the other side wins the day.

Soil & Water Conservation - Congrats Jonathan Johnson.  By the way, did anyone find it funny that the Party that preaches the most about the environment could produce a candidate for this position? 

School Board - Only one person I backed (Holly Blackwelder) returned.  Given the results and the comments on Steve’s latest post, it looks like my ballot simplification idea could be a little more popular.

County Commission - Congrats to Liz and Bob - both Cheap Seaters. What I found interesting is that if you go to the results, Archie rocked the Early Vote…but it wasn’t enough.

State House and Senate - Fletcher, Linda, and Jeff all made it back in - which is good for the community.  What I found amazing was that even though this state may go for Obama, it was Republicans that made gains in the State Legslature: one Senate seat and even in the House.

Council of State - We lost the Auditor; but kept Labor and Agriculture.  Should we expect more scandals with the Party of Jim Black hold the Auditor position or better coverups?

Governor - This was unfortunate.  In any other year, McCrory would have mopped up the floor with Perdue; but since Perdue’s national candidate seriously outspent McCrory’s it was an uphill battle.  However, it was close and - given our performance in other areas - I’m optimistic about 2012.

US House of Representatives - I’m seriously disappointed here; but we fought the good fight.  Ladies and Gentlemen, you are not represented by Nancy Pelosi.  Larry Kissell is not Heath Schuler - he will do the bidding of his masters.  

Three years ago, I made a commitment:  everytime Harold Smith posted something, I would post something.  So, in fairness to Larry Kissell - I’ll make this commitment: Everytime Kissell breaks with his Party for the good of the district, I’ll post something.

Don’t expect too much from that thread.

However, in the theme of this post, given that we now have a far-left Congressman who took advantage of tax loopholes to win and came up through the Party of Jim Black - I see some serious blog fodder between now and 2010.

Senate - Ugh.  At least Burr is still around.

Prez - That’s for tomorrow

Rap artist NAS released an album entitled “Hip-Hop is Dead” as a response to what he thought was the destruction of the overall idea of hip hop music. He thought the main stream rap genre had lost it’s way and was too far gone to ever come back. One could find it ironic that most of his beats and structures on the album mirrored that of any other album of the genre but his overall contention was that the soul of the music lay in the lyrics and not the beats.

Yep, the above paragraph does show that I have far too much time on my hands!

I thought I’d get things started on 11/5 by sharing some other things that are “dead.”

First and foremost:
Publicly financed campaigns are dead
Dead as a doornail is the idea that you and your opponent can challenge each other on the issues alone. I don’t know how this bundling thing works but you can guarantee that every candidate from this day forward will be hiring marketing managers from the cable company to figure it out. The next presidential campaigns slogan will likely be “Bundle and Save with Candidate X.”

Second:
White Guilt is Dead.
It’s funny to see much more well off than me folks with such a strong desire to elect a black candidate. It’s gotten to the point where I think most of these folks would elect Al Sharpton if he’d run just so they could “feel better.” Now that Obama has been elected, they don’t have to worry anymore. They’ve done their civic duty and William Ayers must be so proud that after all these years, his teaching of the “Social Justice Doctrine” has gotten some of these evil white crackers to get the message. It’ll take 4 years to figure out whether all these guilty white bread’s were just placating their own sense of self remorse or whether they thought Obama was indeed the better candidates.

Third,
Neo-Conservatism is Dead
And not a minute too soon. It seems that with this latest election, the idea of trying to beat liberals by being as much like them as possible has become obsolete and proven to be unsound policy. Can anyone remember way back in ‘94? I smell another “contract with America” on the horizon. (and it stinks as much as the first one!)

Fourth,
The Republican Trademark on “Conservative” is dead
See #3 above. For someone who’s taken more that his fair share of crap over the past 3 weeks for voting for Bob Barrs inept behind, It feels kind of nice to know that at least I’ll have a clear conscience in spite of everything else that will go wrong in the next four years. During the primaries, some of my friends and family were buying into the Limbaugh philosophy of “it’s better to vote democrat than to vote McCain.” Well, in the end, they all took the bitter pill and redacted those ramblings and voted for the guy. None of them were happy about it and when I mentioned Third Party or Stay Home ideas, I was looked at like the idiot. Well, it’s November 5th and I’m still smilin’. Not so, for those family members who were calling last night and proclaiming it’s the end of the world. Well, to finish quoting REM. ” and I feel fine.”

Fifth:
Fake Glass Ceilings are Dead:
I’d suggest that every one with a job and a mortgage carry a picture of Obama in their pocket. When they hear someone whining about how things are unfair and they can’t get ahead because the “man” is keeping them down, they can remove said picture from said pocket and just hold it up for said whiner to see. It works on 2 levels because 1, they can’t blame the “man” because they voted for said “man” and 2, if said whiner is a minority that pretty much destroys anything they can say. If a black man can be president, they shouldn’t have any trouble working the fryers and McDonalds…

And finally:

The Modern Day Civil Rights Movement is Dead.
Hey, what can Jesse, Louis, Al and the Rev Wright say now??? Nothing, ZERO, ZILCH and ZIP.

If there’s anything else that’s dead that I missed, please add it.

What will be alive for the next four years you ask?

Well, The Fairness Doctrine, Higher Taxes, Higher Fuel Prices, Higher Energy Prices, Lower Quality HealthCare and a Decreased ability to protect us from threats at home and abroad.
Also alive are,
A second bill of rights, Social Justice Doctrine, Diminished First and Second Ammendment Rights, No Conditions talks with our enemies, Keynesian Economic Principles in full display and Franklin Raines career.

Welcome to a new world!

Obviously, there’s a certain amount of expense for the county involved in opening an early polling place,  but this is one of the most important functions of local government, and the biggest way that most people interact and have a say in what goes on in the government.

Other than the cost, are there any state/federal regulations involved in expanding early voting? Either more facilities or increasing the number of voting booths per facility… Whatever lets us handle more voters faster with less of a wait.

This is something that I’d like to see the county look into for the next election. Would this be the responsibility of the Board of Elections, the County Commissioners or who? I’m clueless about who all has input into this sort of thing… Which is why I’m blogging about it instead of emailing someone who can actually change things.

Depending on crowds/waits on Tuesday, there might be a similar complaint about waits on election day itself.

I’ve updated the Election 2008 post and the School Board post with some external information.

Also, I thought y’all might enjoy this video.

Anywho,

It’s no secret that I’ve spent an inordinant number of hours pissing, moaning, bitching and bloviating about public safety in Cabarrus County.

“Blah Blah Blah, high crime Blah Blah,

“Harumph Harumph Harumph”

It’s almost like I’m one of those idealists I described here:

It’s a combination of a lot of things.

First, there’s my time spent as an officer in Cabarrus County.

Second, was the loss of a good friend to what amounts to a crime of desperation brought on by those low salaries.

And finally, there’s some actual research I did (gasp) that shows how upside down our local salaries are for our public safety employees.

Whatever it is, it’s been a main focus of mine for years now. I still keep tabs on the insanity but don’t write about it that often because I’ve beat the horse to death and spent hours pounding it into french “hamburger” meat.

So when I saw THIS, I was quite shocked.

I guess you can say this is what happens when a good idea gets into the hands of not so intelligent people.

Yes, this post does infact have a point.

Given the stark contrast between the two situations here and in California, how could we keep ourselves from having either the super high turnover we have now and the budget slashing situation they have in California?

That’s a question that doesn’t involve a current candidate!

Enjoy!

Early Voting Sites - Open Until 11:00AM Saturday

Find Your Voting Location on Election Day

All Election 2008 Posts

Guide to Cabarrus County School Board Candidates

GOP Voter Guide

Justin’s Endorsements - General and Lew Davidson

Independent Tribune Endorsements

Candidate Articles:

Bob Carruth

Robert Tizon

Liz Poole

In Obama’s case, it’s all about the 4 laws of Attraction:

First, Obama attracts the “young-erns”

If you’re older than thirty or younger than thirty and have children, a mortgage, a middle class lifestyle and job (like me) you’ve seen first hand exactly what is wrong with government. If you’ve been outsourced, pinkslipped, downgraded or just plain fired and haven’t let it affect your soul or who you are as a person, chances are you’re one of the select few who doesn’t think that it was the governments fault OR that it was their responsibility to “fix” it.

Sadly, the young folks who are following Obama over the cliff in larger and larger droves haven’t experienced this much if at all. It’s easy to believe in redistributionist policies when you’re only on the good end. When a guy tells you he’ll cover your student loans, room, board and healthcare and all you have to do is push a touch screen, pull a lever or punch out a circle, chances are, you’re either naïve enough to believe him or arrogant enough to think yourself deserving of it. Add to all of this a full dose of socialism taught in many major universities and high schools and it’s a full on slam dunk. Is it any wonder Obama supports spending more money on exactly the same public education?

Obama attracts the Intellectually Lazy.

It’s one thing to be too young to remember anything about the history of politics (in spite of having been “taught” it in school)

It’s entirely another to be too plain old lazy to “use the google” and figure it all out.

Obama attracts the blindly faithful by talking down to their extremely narrow view of the world.

“Of course it’s the government (Bush’s) fault that gas prices are so high, the economy is faltering and their house payment went up. I mean, who elses fault would it be??????”

When you’ve been outsourced or pink-slipped and you actually believe that NAFTA or CAFTA caused it then it’s easy to believe Obama’s isolationist policies and punitive taxes will fix it all. Basic economic principles that disprove this nonsense are easily located but it’s easier just to believe a guy pre-election than it is to actually research any of it.

Obama has done a superb job of telling these folks exactly what they want to hear.

The media has done an even more superb job of sweeping any contradictory evidence under the rug. Your average voter who uses the 6 o’clock news to decide who to vote for has been told for almost 2 years that McCain will destroy the economy, keep us in a “perpetual war” and weaken our “international stature” while Obama will fix it all in his first six months in office.
The word “free” still has meaning to these voters.

From my own experience, these folks fall prey to identity theft and phone scams a lot more often than any of the three other groups.

The word “free” is still a noun to them.

Obama attracts Elitists.

This is no surprise considering that Elitists always vote Democrat.

Hollywood leans so far left that it will soon break along the San Andreas fault line and fall into the ocean. Regular liberals like Brad Pitt, George Clooney and the rest of the “Oceans 11-13” cast all the way to uuber socialists like Sean Penn have 2 things in common.

First, they know SOOOOOO much more than you or I about what’s really important and what we should do

And second,

They are SOOOO much better than you or I that they should be the “deciders”

Elitists from Jessica Alba all the way to Henry Zucker are throwing their support, their air time and their gobs and gobs of money to Obama. (no, I don’t know if Ms Alba or Mr. Zucker are actually supporting Obama but they are the only A-Z celebrities that I could think of, Just transpose your own rather than splitting hairs)

No one has been able to tell me what Matt Damon or Sarah Jessica Parker know that I don’t know but their blind (or blonde) ambition to have Obama in power seems to be matched only by their desire to make 25 million per movie.

It’s easy for folks like Damon and Clooney to support a guy who’ll raise their taxes by 40%. First, they are so rich that it doesn’t matter. Second, they have great accountants who can hide most of their assets and of course the fact that actors, singers and other “artsy” folk work in an entirely subjective field.
It costs 9 bucks to see a movie and 15 dollars to buy a CD because that’s what it costs. When you don’t produce anything tangible, it’s easy to support a guy who’ll make everything that is tangible cost more. This is especially true when you have more than enough money to buy anything tangible you could ever want.

Obama Attracts Idealists.

Yup,

Tree Huggers, Eco-Nuts, Vegans, ALF’s, PETA’s, Zero-Pops’ Goracle Followers, Social Darwinists, Zealots, Godless Heathens, Black Empowerers, Women’s Libbers, Abortion Lovers and Fairness Doctrine Fairness Lovers everywhere are absolutely, positively in love with Obama.

Sure, almost all of the above 3 categories have their own idealists that line up somewhere. “Brangelina” and “Cloon-tang” are big into the zero-pop/Africa thing, A lot of students are all about the animals or the abortions, or the social Darwinist club or any of the litany of other brightly colored flyers found on the billboards of UNCC. It’s even possible to find the Intellectually Lazy purporting the sky is falling attitude of the Goracle by saving all their money to buy carbon credits.

Idealists by their nature are one note songs. If you ask any Inconvenient Truth “frame by framer” you’ll get all the nifty “facts” he offers. When you talk cost, they’re clueless, or worse, they start with the “it costs what it costs” nonsense. When you talk the opposing view they call you stupid or a heretic or whatever else and just walk away.

Idealists are passionate about their cause, no matter how stupid, unethical or impossible it is. They care so much about this or that, that it’s impossible for them to see the bigger picture. They live in an all or nothing world. Kind of like your average Ron Paul voter.

Obama talks a good game to them as well. He’s really concerned about their cause because it’s all he has to be concerned about at that particular meeting. He’s not fielding questions about healthcare at Trinity Church. He’s not off script at the NOW meetings. When abortion lovers crowd the building, they’re not concerned about taxes.

In this modern age, a president, whoever he is will have his fingers in many pies. How much will Obama care about “women’s rights” when he’s meeting with Amedinijad without conditions or disassembling our defensive nuclear weapons?

These four groups support him regardless of their color, sex, religion and… any convincing evidence to the contrary. What’s worse is that all 4 of these groups will spend as much as they can possibly afford to get the Joe Average out to vote for their candidate. Those that don’t spend it will sign up to help him get elected either by campaigning for him or by registering fraudulent voters who’ll vote for him for a cheeseburger or whatever the going rate is.

IF, and I say that honestly, in spite of the overall demeaning nature of this post: IF Obama is elected, the above 4 groups will be most to thank for it. What’s worse is that they’ll be the ones he kowtows too while in office and worse than that, they’ll be the one’s running the country…

I’m “that guy” for about two dozen people.

I’m the guy a number of people call to get guidance on whom to vote for towards the back end of the ballot in a general election or anywhere on a ballot in a primary election. Admittedly, being “that guy” is difficult, because even though I might like someone for an office – I find that some of my friends have priorities that might differ from mine. So, it takes a different approach based on the individual and the candidate.

So, here’s my advice – consult a great voter guide. Both the State of North Carolina and the Federal Government have been making comprehensive voter guides available for centuries – they call them “Constitutions”.

In our country, when someone serves in the military or takes elected or many appointed offices – they do not swear allegiance to an official nor do they even swear to serve a people or a land. The common phrase is “to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States”. Each official – from County Commissioner to the President – takes an oath to a document. In the document is a set of job descriptions for each individual and a set of ideas on which our laws our based.

Voters’ willful ignorance of that State and Federal Constitutions allow our rhetoric to devolve into a glorified popularity contest based on who promises cut our taxes, give us a bigger share of someone else’s hard-earned money, or would be most fun at your Super Bowl party.

What would happen if each of us asked the question: “Who are the best people for each of these jobs as described in the Constitution?” That one question helps boil out most of the fat of the marketing elements from the campaigns and brings you back to the core issues of the role of government in any office in our Republic.

But what does all this have to do with being “that guy”? Well, this isn’t the first election that I’ve been an activist and it isn’t the first one that someone has asked guidance about people on their ballot. For those decisions where I factored in some inter-party dispute, some personal relationship, or matter of style – I’ve lived to regret it. For those where I’ve asked the Constitutional question – I’ve been at peace with it.

So, when you’re in the voting booth you shouldn’t parse which claims and promises those looking for your vote will actually fulfill – just look at their record and character and ask if they’ll be able to carry out the one promise that they swear to on a Bible.

A couple of weeks ago, US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson named his guy to fix credit markets: Neel Kashkari.  Kashkari is an Aerospace Engineer who also has an MBA 

Among the things he will be doing with $700 Billion of our tax dollars, Kashkari will be responsible for setting up reverse auctions to handle securities whose value is incalculable by standard methods.  Luckily, at 35, Kashkari forgot more math before he finished his undergraduate degree than his boss ever saw in his 62 years. 

Being an engineer myself, I have experienced the frustration of knowing the correct solution; but seeing it not get implemented because it couldn’t be explained in small enough words within the 15 second time span to a sales guy.  In college, I endured countless hours of “group study” with classmates parsing equations that utilized most of the Greek alphabet.  It became difficult watching roommates in other disciplines leave for parties where they would only have to remember three Greek letters in order. 

Graduation did bring justice.  The world has more of a need for highly-trained problem solvers than 22-year-olds who’ve read Siddhartha 50 times.  Our job offers reflected that cruel truth.

As mentioned in the famous Dilbert episode “The Knack” – engineering skills are usually tempered with complete, social ineptitude.  Like the complete lack of social judgment that allows for the rant you’ve just read.  

It also might explain why Dr. Lew Davidson has to run again for school board.  

How else could a Stanford Engineering PhD and RPI Engineering grad miss a chance to serve on the Board of Education?  Dr. Davidson is someone who’s used to fixing real-world problems and also has an understanding of what good teachers are made of – he was one and he raised one.  Dr. Davidson served as an “Alternate Entry” math teacher at Myers Park and his daughter, Sharon Motsinger, is the science department co-chair at Concord High and CHS alumi.  

Dr. Davidson’s skills will come in handy as a scientist as Cabarrus County Schools figures out its role with the Research Campus.  His problem solving skills will be useful in sorting out the challenges that we face with our schools – particularly student growth and dropout rates.

Maybe that’s wishful thinking.  In my limited political experience, I’ve found that the way to win a School Board election is to have a lot of friends and remind people how much you love kids.  Wouldn’t it be nice to put an actual problem-solver on the Board for once?

Crossposted on the Concord Standard

Earlier, I outlined how the lines for fuel were due – in part – to a government policy that had good intentions; but was misused with bad consequences.  This week, in the wake of the bailout bill the first $700 billion installment on a $1 trillion mess – it’s important to be clear about where the government went wrong.

The issue at hand is that there are an inordinate number of houses that are in foreclosure.  Normally, there is a system of last-chance lenders and investors that handle this sort of property.  Over the past few years, the number of foreclosures has increased due to the number of risky loans that were offered to borrowers.  

The President should shoulder much of the blame.  The President backed changes in policy that allowed for a greater number of subprime loans and enacted legislation that allowed for more institutions to play in the subprime game by lifting New Deal-era restrictions on investment firms and lending institutions. 

The President was Bill Clinton.

Well, this happened under the Bush Administration and they sat idly by and watched it happen, because Republicans are all about deregulation under any circumstance, right?  Not quite. 

In 2003, the Bush Administration pushed for more stringent oversight of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.  One would think that given all of the rhetoric about the need for increased regulation that Democratic leadership would have been on board.  

They weren’t.  

Democrat Barney Frank complained in a 2003 New York Times article that the Bush Administration regulations would put more pressure in Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and reduce the amount of “affordable housing”.  North Carolina’s own Mel Watt agreed calling the new regulations a “shell game”

Of course, “Hope and Change” are on the way.  We have a candidate who – as a senator – aggressively backed 2005 legislation that would have significantly increased regulation of the Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.  The leadership would smother this legislation and take no action to quell the crisis.

This candidate is, of course, Senator John McCain.  

To his credit, Senator Barack Obama took a more laissez-faire approach.  He wrote a letter to the Treasury secretary.  Two years later.  The letter called for more money to back the type of loans that were causing the crisis.

Of course, the reasons behind the mess are far-reaching from individuals lying on their mortgage applications to billion-dollar companies on Wall Street rolling those bad loans into larger securities with an implicit government backing.  

When you hear more calls for regulation – be careful.  There’s one candidate who wants to change regulation to stop the roots of some of these problems, and there’s another who’s doing so to look good.  

I’ll leave it to you to decide who is who.

If you do not choose to vote early, then you will be asked on November 4 to make some big decisions concerning the national and statewide offices. 

Because of all the attention paid to the national and statewide races this year, and with 17 candidates running for school board in Cabarrus County, it is easy either to forget about the race for County Commissioner or to take the results for granted. 

I am once again asking for your support on November 4 ( or earlier if you choose to vote early).  I trust that during the past four years on the board of commissioners, you have seen my leadership, experience, and business-like approach to the job displayed, and that it has made a difference. We have seen growth managed, the overcrowding in our jail relieved, and the beginning of what promises to be a bright future for the community in the construction and opening of the North Carolina Research Campus.  I will continue to be transparent, and maintain a long-term vision for where this community should be pointing in the future. 

There are many new voters in Cabarrus County, even without the large upturn that has recently occurred in registrations surrounding the Obama candidacy.  I hope that you will do a couple of things this next week:

1.  If you agree that I have done a good job for you, then please use your own address books and forward this email to your friends and neighbors, asking them to support me as well.  Especially focus on folks that may be new to our community, that may not know Bob Carruth. 

2.  Make sure you go vote.   This is not an election year to sit at home, forgetting to vote or regretfully getting too busy to vote.  Much is at stake, and we need every registered voter to express themselves this year at the ballot box.  After you have voted, make sure you get your friends, family, and neighbors to the polls as well.

Thanks again for your support!  I look forward to serving you for another four years on the Cabarrus County Board of Commissioners. 

Your Friend,

Bob Carruth

PS - I also urge you to support Liz Poole, and cast your vote for her for the second seat.  She and I have worked closely as our respective board chairs, and I can attest that she has the smarts and shares a business like approach to getting the job done. 

Given that a number of articles appeared from y’all - I’ve embargoed my Standard Articles until this weekend.

I voted early last week and given from the information from this video - maybe I should have voted Democrat.

So, for this week’s Friday Five - Five Things To Read and Comment On.

5.  Watchdog writes their inaugural post - “Commissioner Remark Doubletake“.  While I’ve been reporting on the political manuvering of Coy Privette for more than three years, I haven’t brought video into it.  Watchdog raised the bar.

4. Meet More Joe The Plumbers - Can you find the Cabarrus Joe The Plumber?  Bob Carruth told me he’ll give us an answer this weekend…if one of y’all don’t come up with it first.

3. Caleb Has Lost Faith in His Generation.  While Caleb gives me faith in the youngsters, it’s hard being one of the few who votes for someone for reasons deeper than “Jon Stewart told me to”

2. Cabarrus GOP Chairman Chris McCartan posted the Cabarrus Voter Guide.  I just want to hear why local Democrats voted for Archie Barnhardt.  Really, people.

1. Endorsements.  You did/will you vote for and why - let’s hear it.

Next week, I’m going to put together an Election 2008 post that will be a comprehensive guide for those voting.

Hello All,

I’ve been watching the County Commissioners’ Meetings for about a year now and have let an awful lot of stupid remarks go uncommented. This one by Commissioner Privette at the Monday, Oct. 20 meeting has prompted me to join this blog site:

In regards to the county adding two Sheriff’s Deputy positions…

“…we need more jobs here in this county. We got people losing jobs. I noticed unemployment has now hit 7% for this particular region and here we are adding more jobs while people are losing their jobs.”

Say that again?

 Now, before I’m accused of taking remarks out of context, I will note that Commissioner Privette’s objection is part of his overall objection to adding to the county’s payroll during a time of troubled economics. This included the addition of a secretary to the Office of Veteran Services even though they are currently without one due to the physical separation of the two departments which shared that position.

I presume Commissioner Privette’s objection comes from the quick math of more employees = more taxes. To be sure, the county does pay these salaries from the public coffers. But then, so do we pay the costs of criminal trials and the burdens of caring for our Veterans when they are unable to be adequately processed by the Veterans Administration.

To view a clip of Commissioner Privette’s statement quoted above (along with my own interjections) I have posted it to YouTube at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCDlboGvf2I

Commissioners beware…I will continue to watch.

For RSS and e-mail: Here’s the video.

Someone made an interesting observation to me the other day.

The majority of small business owners (57%) will vote for John McCain, and when you factor out the one-person businesses…you get 65% of the businesses who create most of the jobs will vote McCain.

With military personnel, it’s a 3-to-1 margin.

And, as was previously established, McCain voters probably give a greater portion of their income and volunteer more hours to charity.

So, the people who create jobs and are sworn to protect our country are voting for John McCain.  I wonder how those who’ve harmed us (i.e. with a criminal history) and those who live off the taxes of the small business owners (government bureaucrats) will vote?

If you know me, you know I enjoy a good, engaging political discussion. I watch the news more than anyone under the age of 80. Right now in my spare time I’m researching The Watergate Scandal because I’m curious. But the closer this election gets, and the more people I talk to or see on facebook, the more I am losing faith in my generation.

This does not apply to everyone. There are many people that stand by their views and don’t reduce to yelling and screaming and calling others mean. Thank you. But there are many more who think political debates between individuals should begin with calling Bush “stupid” and end with a joke about Sarah Palin that they saw on SNL or The Daily Show. I have seen more video posts for a PSA containing celebrities telling them not to vote for John McCain than necessary. Who cares what celebrities think? We can’t relate to them in any way, so why should we listen to them? People’s status’ read “Joe the Plumber is ignorant! Shut up Joe!”, but don’t care that he’s just a guy trying to run a business, and doesn’t want to see his taxes go up. What about this is reasonable political discourse? Everyone is trying to be “anti” everything Republican, without any real idea what the alternative is. Posting videos with celebrities who make fun of politicians is funny so they must be a reasonable way to sway votes. It should be embarrassing to use these measures as a way to promote your political views. You shouldn’t vote for Democrats because John Daily makes a Republicans look stupid on his show. You shouldn’t try to get other people to vote for someone by continually saying “George Bush is a moron! Bush Lied People Died! John McCain is old! Sarah Palin talks funny! Republicans are stupid!”

The most enlightening discussions I have had with people who are ideologically liberal have come from my classmates from overseas. They construct arguments with historical examples, policy analysis, and proposals for the future. The more I am exposed with my generation, the more outnumbered I feel. Conservatism is uncool to most. I think this is because no one will give us an open forum and actually hear us out, without reverting to name calling. Being liberal or being a Democrat has become the “cool” thing to do. This is a dangerous course for our generation, and our Nation. Following an ideology not because you agree with its central teachings, but because you think the Anti-Bush, Anti-Republican jokes make sense, is a bad way to approach the world. Examine the past, examine the policies. Read Marx. Study the fall of Soviet Russia. Study the Depression. Don’t base your view of the Economy on Barack Obama’s Website. One of the most brilliant economic minds ever, Milton Friedman, said of the Depression; “The elementary truth is that the Great Depression was produced by government mismanagement [of money]. It was not produced by the failure of private enterprise.”

The road to Conservatism is to be weary of a large Government. I do not understand why most my age support Barack Obama but still say everything the Government does is bad. If that were the case, why vote for someone who is going to make the size and scope of the Government larger? What is it about a large government that makes so many of our generation feel so good?

It is embarrassing to me, and should be to everyone, regardless of party affiliation, how our generation is handling political discourse. Our Nation is destined to suffer unless we learn how to discuss policy and facts without name calling and bandwagoning on a “cool” point of view. Learn to think for yourself, or allow Groupthink to lead us closer to Socialism.

Dear Friends,

As North Carolinians, we all share concerns about the future of this great country. That’s why this November’s elections are so important; it’s critical that we put our American ideals first, and political differences aside.

These elections are especially exciting for Cabarrus County, as we have the opportunity to be heard in many important and potentially close elections. Recent history has shown us that only a few votes can make a world of difference.

Now, more than ever, your vote counts!

The Cabarrus County Republican Party asks two things of you. First, we ask that you exercise your right to vote, as it is a duty of all Americans. And second, we ask that you consider the candidates we’ve listed, as we’re confident they’ll promote the principals that have made this nation the most incredible democracy in history.

Sincerely,
Christopher McCartan
Chairman, Cabarrus County Republican Party

It would be funny if it weren’t true.

Link to interview with Obama voters for those reading via RSS or E-mail

I think a significant portion of this is because of the candidate that was nominated. I can’t say the candidate that WE nominated, because as with every year, NC has absolutely no influence on the primaries. We may as well hold our presidential primaries in August for all the impact we have. It didn’t matter who any of us in NC wanted, we got handed the candidate that other states picked for us.

How can we correct this? What can be done to give NC a seat at the table during primary season in the future?

I think the most fair method would be to have all primaries done on a single specific day nationwide. Of course, that would require both parties, AND all 50 states to agree on it. Which means it’s probably not a practical goal.

Barring that, how does NC bump it’s primary date up, and give us a seat at the table when it comes time to handle nominations?

We could attempt to leapfrog other states, and have them move their dates up, and all of us end up in a situation where the 2012 nominations take place somewhere around Halloween 2011.

Or…

We could go in together with some other states as a block and commit to a single specific and early date for primaries. I could definately see a regional block of states banding together for something like this. In a way, it’s similar to the “Super Tuesday” scenario, but we’d need to make it early enough in the process to matter.

Any thoughts? Is anyone at the state level looking into this sort of thing at all?

Tonight: Pittenger Rally - Midland Fire Department - meet the guy who’ll hold the gavel in the NC Senate and start holding the Party of Jim Black accountable for a decade of corruption in NC.  Also, you can meet local candidates.

Tomorrow: McCain Rally. Details here. 

5. Council of State:  I’m voting Republican.  Period.  In most cases, I’m alright with it.  In others, it was a little more difficult.  

I never thought I’d be voting for Richard Morgan - for Superintendent of Education - against someone with more credentials; but if I wanted to screw something up - I’d hire someone with  Ph.D in education.  The state schools need reform and - in NC - the only way to have a shot at that happening is to elect a Republican and hope for the best.  North Carolina Democrats are interested in maintaining the status quo of graft and inefficiency.  I challenge anyone to counter me on that.

And, yes, I’m voting for and supporting McCrory without one reservation.  He’s the best person for the job on this ballot.

4. National: Republican again.  We can vote for defeat in Iraq and isolationism on our ballot with Obama and Kissell.  If elected, Larry Kissell would be Nancy Pelosi’s proxy vote.  I had a choice earlier to live in Concord, CA or Concord, NC - and I chose to live here because of our values.  Robin Hayes represents local values while Larry Kissell will march in lockstep to those from the Bay Area.

3. State Delegation: Fletcher Hartsell, Jeff Barnhart, and Linda Johnson are all good friends of mine.  I don’t have the opportunity to vote for Linda, but would if I could.  She got her start on the local Parks and Rec board - just like me; and she’s been effective in Raleigh.  I’ll be voting for Jeff.  I’ve heard nothing from Wayne Troutman - besides him stroking the Odell Crowd.

Now, for Senator Hartsell.  I probably wouldn’t be voting, let alone politicking and blogging if it weren’t for Fletcher Hartsell.  If I had to list political heroes - Fletcher Hartsell would be near the top.  I went to school with all three of his kids and I can tell you that the values that make the community great: faith, sacrifice, and hard work were and are alive at the Hartsell household.  Also, they have - for generations - an appreciation for education that is admirable.  Chances are that my grand kids might get a chance to go to a high school named after Senator Hartsell for all he’s done for this community, including being one of the initiators of the NCRC.  Regardless of your political affiliation, would you rather send him to Raleigh or whoever the local Democrats cough up?

2. County Commission - I’ve thrown a full endorsement behind Liz Poole and Bob Carruth in the past and that still holds.  Liz, like Fletcher, is someone who has a deep understanding of the workings of government that when I disagree with her - I’m pretty sure I’m wrong.  Bob Carruth has the experience and the intellectual honesty to have the courage to stay on the right side of every difficult issue.

Wendell Fant, who seemed like a nice guy when he was walking by at an event, is an unknown quantity.  If you are prone to vote for “nice guy” unknown over prinicipled experience - then I won’t waste my breath.  As for Archie Barnhardt…I fail to see how any sentient being could support him managing anything anywhere.  I’d be afraid to let the guy get a hold of my TV remote.  

1. School Board: This one is tough.  I’ve had conversations with most folks on the ticket.  

I think Holly Blackwelder has shown an ability to connect with the community.  David Harrison has educational experience.  Lew Davidson…well…he is, hands down, the most qualified candidate - who would have though we’d have a shot at voting for a Standford Ph.D in Engineering?  

As for the newbies.  I’ll admit that Blake Kiger has resonanted with me; and I’ve enjoyed talking with Rob Walter, Robert Tizon, and Toni Wheeler Jenske.

As for the incumbents - we’ll be fine if Wayne Williams or Cindy Fertenbaugh return.  I’d suggest going to the county website and checking out the candidate forum.

I know, as I write this that I should expect a litanny of folks out there who will cast aspersions about me and my logic (or lack thereof) when I say that I won’t be voting for this or that candidate for this or that office. Therefore I thought I should preface all potential aspersion casters with a little VIDEO from YouTube. Pay no attention to some of the messages, just the Gist of the idea.

The video’s creator is an athiest. I am not but the logic describes the general malaise of the two party system in our country.

So, what of my decision not to vote for McCain/Palin? Some who’ve read some of my other posts on this site might try to use this post against me.

I’m not a lemming. I’ll never tow a party line. I’ll call Dubya a moron to his face because he’s acted as such. If McCain is 40 points behind come November- I’ll vote for Bob Bar. If he’s .40 points behind, he’ll get my hanging chad. I’m too much a realist to be a “L” ibertarian and not realist enough to be a “