Category Archives: Politics: North Carolina

North Carolina Toll Roads

Posted on November 25, 2011 | Leave a comment

I’ve seen people drive all over creation to find a gas station that sells gas for $0.02 cheaper than they can get at their local fill-up.  In fact, they’ll spend 15 minutes to obtain cheaper petrol.  I see the same thing with folks wanting to buy a CD, or a book or a video game.

People react to price variance, often outrageously so.

Further, I acknowledge that we need to pay for roads.  Society needs to be burdened to cover the cost of building and maintaining this infrastructure.  Currently we use gas taxes to cover this.  However, with the advent of more fuel efficient cars, and all electric cars as well, that tax may no longer be appropriate.  It is continuing to fall short of requirements, though I suspect this is in large part due to the fact that gas taxes fund other things besides roads and bridges, and so another method is required.

I think that method is tolls.

We have long ago mastered the technology that allows us to gather and collect tolls without having to stop at toll booths thereby slowing traffic.  We can do this automatically and accurately.  Now the only thing preventing us is fear of change.

By tolling a rod we are able to directly collect funds from the vehicles using those roads.  AND we can tax some vehicles more than others.  For example, an 18-wheeler is going to impact our highways much more than a Prius.  We can tax the truck more.  And, from a capacity perspective, we are able to tax our roads in order to increase capacity.

As I mentioned above, people will go to great lengths to avoid even a small increase in price.  It is my expectation that as we increase the cost of driving on a road during peak times, fewer people will drive during those times.  This will spread traffic out  more evenly and allow for much more traffic on our roads than we currently experience.

And I’m glad North Carolina is going to experiment with this use:

Raleigh, N.C. — Growing congestion on Interstate 540 could require an expansion of the state’s first toll road, part of which is set to open to traffic next month, a regional transportation planner said Wednesday.

The Triangle Expressway is an 18-mile stretch of road that includes the western part of 540. Tolling is scheduled to begin in January on a 3.4-mile stretch that runs through Research Triangle Park

The rest of 540 is currently free, but planner Chris Lukasina said that could change in the future.

The long-term plan for the road, slated for completion around 2035, includes widening it from six lanes to eight, Lukasina said. Two of those lanes could become toll lanes, with varying costs throughout the day depending on traffic.

“At different times of day, or as congestion picks up or slows down, they can change the toll on that particular lane,” Lukasina said.

In other words, drivers will be able to pay their way into a faster lane.

I’ll be fascinated to see how this works.

.

 

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Posted in Economics, Energy, Politics: North Carolina

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Election Rules: Cause No One Ever Cheats

Posted on November 9, 2011 | 7 comments

North Carolina, and other states, have taken significant heat from the Left for wanting to implement rules that govern elections and voting in them.  You know, crazy stuff like having to prove you are who you say you are and stuff like that.

I’ve always maintained that the idea is the right idea.  I think that we should have a system in place where people have to prove that they are a citizen of the precinct they are voting in.  Otherwise there’s nothing to prevent me from just opening a phone book and passing as any old random dude in the neighborhood.  However, I have also resonated with the idea that the problem isn’t that big of a deal.  That people MAY cheat, but if they are, it’s low impact and doesn’t impact anything.

Then this news:

Raleigh, N.C. — A three-term Morrisville Town Council member running for re-election tried to vote Tuesday after already submitting an early absentee ballot, Wake County Board of Elections officials said.

Linda Lyons, who serves District 1, was already under investigation by the elections board in connection with the handling of at least five absentee ballots for voters in her district, board Director Cherie Poucher said Monday.

Five absentee ballots had to be thrown out after voters told elections officials that Lyons was the signed witness on their ballots and that she took possession of the ballots after voters filled them out, Poucher said.

It is a felony to even touch a ballot belonging to anyone but a close relative.

So, Linda, THE candidate tried to vote twice.  To think that she didn’t also elicit others to help her is insane.  Further, she took possession the ballots of five other people who submitted absentee ballots.  This is illegal.  So illegal we call it a felony.  A felony.

How can a crime be a felony if you don’t require proof of self?

But really, how big a deal can this be?  I mean, can one woman really impact a race?

Unofficial elections results Tuesday night show that Lyons trailed challenger Mike Schlink by three votes.

Yes.

The only reason Democrats oppose rules that enforce fair elections is because they know that the people typically don’t have, or won’t show, proper ID are people that typically vote Democrats.  They won’t argue on the merits of rules.  They won’t argue on the merit of reasonability.  For the Democrat, this is politics pure and simple.  For the Democrat, this is about getting every single ballot for their side in the bucket; fair or not.  And when they’re confronted, they flop like Karl Malone and call “Foul”!

Well, they’ve been caught.  I no longer will give the Left the token “The impact is so small as not to matter.”

It does.  And they know it.  And if they say otherwise, they are lying.

 

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Posted in Government, Liberty, Politics: North Carolina

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OWS and North Carolina

Posted on November 7, 2011 | 2 comments

The movement has been active for nearly 2 months now.  We still don’t know what they want, but we know they’re mad.  We know who they’re mad at, but we don’t know what they’d do different if the they were the they.

Some of us resonate with some of the anger:

  • Bank bailouts
  • Auto industry restructure
  • Government involvement in causing the housing crisis

The difference between the 53% and the 99%, however, is that we’re out there gettin’er done day in and day out.  And when we ain’t doin’ what we do, when we DO decide to petition our government, we are clear in our goals, we make those goals known and then we go home.

Anyway, what does North Carolina think of the Occupy movement:

Of those familiar with Occupy Wall Street, 45 percent hold an unfavorable opinion of the movement, and the same number reported a favorable opinion. Thirty-two percent of respondents consider themselves supporters of the movement, and 26 percent consider themselves opponents.

I’d say it’s evenly split.

And for my own prediction?  I’ll go on the record to say that this number will continue to fall.  It’ll fall until the movement collapses and they’ll be no more movement.

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Posted in Economy, Lobby/PAC, Politics: North Carolina

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OWS: Occupy Raleigh : Disabled Woman Arrested

Posted on October 29, 2011 | 17 comments

The big news here in Raleigh in the last few days was the arrest of 8 protesters down at the State Capital grounds.  Apparently they were on the sidewalk in front of the Capital and the Capital Police asked them to leave.  I’m assuming, dangerous I know, that they were occupying the sidewalk and not just using it to go from the actual occupation to the Apple store where they could get more iPads, iPods, iPhones, batteries and a MiFi hot spot so that they could use Facebook and Twitter and WordPress to keep people abreast of their actions.

Anyway, I digress.

The big news wasn’t the arrest of the 8 people.  Everyone expects these guys to get arrested in some number now and then.  In fact, I suspect for some of ’em, it’s a badge of honor to be arrested for protesting and somehow adds to that individual prestige within the movement.  Again, whatever.  The big news was the complain by the Occupy Raleigh folks that the police somehow crossed a line by asking a woman, who is disabled, to disperse as well.  As if!

The whole idea, near as I can tell, of this whole movement is that we should all be treated fairly.  We should all be expected to contribute and we should all be expected to obtain compensation.  There is no special exceptions for anyone.  So it seems strange to me, but not unexpected given the Leftists tendencies and strategies of this movement, that they would call “foul” that one of the 99% be expected to abide by the laws just as the rest of us.

But no, what we get is shock and disbelief.  As if the cop was just such a monster.

And we get it from the paper too:

The arrests of eight people Thursday at an Occupy Raleigh protest did not sit well with Mayor Charles Meeker.

Meeker said it was his understanding that Raleigh police would get involved only “if there were an assault on a Capitol Police Officer or other similar disturbance.”

But a different scenario played out. City officers aided Capitol Police in arresting eight people, including a disabled woman sitting on a chair, after the demonstrators refused to leave a sidewalk in front of the Capitol.

Now we are hearing, from the newspaper mind you, that she was sitting on a chair, not the sidewalk.  More and more spin and perception changing.

But what does the woman herself have to say?

I respect this.  I disagree with her on many levels, but I respect it.

She admitted she purposely acted in such a manner that would result in her arrest.

The police were polite and offered her an “out”.

She wants no special treatment as a result of her disability.

Of course this’ll be ignored by the Occupiers.  They’ll ignore that an individual has the right to rights.  And this brings with it the right to be arrested for unlawful conduct.

This just goes to prove my point.  These people do NOT want a level playing field.  They want a tilted playing field just as surely as anyone else might want the field tilted.  No, trust me, these occupiers just want the tilt to be in their favor.

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Posted in Government, Idiots on Parade, Politics: North Carolina

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Occupy Raleigh: Follow Up

Posted on October 16, 2011 | 3 comments

I just finished a post I started this afternoon.  I had to wait until I got the family fed, the lawn watered, the driveway power washed, the grass sprinkled and the kids to bed.  Finally, I had to watch the NASCAR race.

NOW I can read some.

And I found this:

RALEIGH — Early on, Occupy Raleigh had the look and feel of a 1960s peace rally, with songs by Pete Seeger, Gil Scot Heron and John Lennon blaring from loudspeakers. A crowd that resembled a family gathering streamed from the old State Capitol grounds and onto Fayetteville Street….

That is exactly as I said it was:  A festival.  But then….

But by late afternoon Saturday, after most of the crowd had dispersed, about 200 protestors debated whether to stay overnight in the park, like their counterparts in New York and other cities, and risk arrest. After nightfall, police arrested 19 people and charged them with second-degree trespassing.

What the hell is the point of THAT!?!?

They got attention.  They got respect.  They got press.  What in the world is the point in getting arrested?

None.

They are adolescent children.

And the response from the official crowd:

Lynn DuPree commented 3 hours ago · Flag

It was a great protest and I want to be the first to say THANK YOU to the 20 brave people who stayed at the Occupy site and gave us the additional media attention we need by getting ARRESTED tonight. As Dr. King taught us, civil disobedience will often involve being willing to offer up our wrists to the police. Gandhi also said non-violent civil disobedience is the backbone of any serious movement intent upon real change; and if I were younger and healthier I would have been happy to stand beside these heroic young citizens and go peacefully to jail. To the RALEIGH 20: I will be honored to march along side you at our next rally!

Nice.  They praise it.

And as long as they do that for people doing that; they’ll never be taken serious again.

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Posted in Government, Idiots on Parade, Lobby/PAC, Politics: North Carolina

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North Carolina’s Toll Road

Posted on October 11, 2011 | Leave a comment

I’ve long been an opponent of toll based funding of our public roads, highways and bridges.  However, as I’ve been enjoying my Libertarian blossoming, I have come to embrace the idea.  And mainly for two reasons:

  1. The closer we can get to real use based funding, the better our roads will be funded.  Those that use the road more will end up paying for that road.  Big corporation drives trucks over our publicly funded freeways?  Charge those trucks for that privilege.  Don’t drive those roads but DO purchase the goods and services of those corporations?  Pay that toll through pass through costs.
  2. Tolls can easily be adjusted using technology to influence traffic patterns.  Traffic begins to choke things up at 08:00?  Reduce the toll for drivers up until 08:00.  And then increase it slightly through the rush hour until the demand goes back down.  Over time, traffic will normalize.

And so North Carolina begins its foray into toll based funding:

MORRISVILLE, N.C. — North Carolina’s first toll road is almost ready for drivers…

….

When Phase I of the toll road – a stretch of 3.4 miles between Interstate 40 at N.C. Highway 147 in Durham County south to Interstate 540 in Wake County – opens in December, it and the existing portion of N.C. Highway 540 between N.C. Highways 54 and 55 will be the Tar Heel state’s first toll road.

Drivers will have one month’s grace, and tolls will begin in January 2012.

I’m excited to see how the toll goes.  I’m hopeful that we’ll be able to recover enough money to fund these “infrastructure jobs” that the Obama administration continues to talk about.  The direct tax from tolls should be able to be easily tracked to highway funding.  This should be a no brainer.

However, I also fear that the money we normally collect for our roads will simply be diverted to other uses and that, in net, our roads will continue to be underfunded.

Sigh.

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Posted in Government, Politics: North Carolina

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Governor Purdue And Gay Marriage Amendment

Posted on October 10, 2011 | Leave a comment

I shouldn’t be surprised.  Democrats have long ago abandoned any hope of defending individual liberty.  In so far that the Liberal Left picks up any cause, it’s done simply to gather that group’s vote in future elections.  You think the Democrats support civil rights?  Look at their record on civil rights votes.  Think that Liberals defend folks who are discriminated because of who they are?  Consider the same Liberals who demand their music not be played at certain functions.

Public schools?  Look where Obama sends his kids.

And now we have one more example of a Leftist going out in public displaying her finest pandering colors:

RALEIGH, N.C. — Gov. Beverly Perdue announced Friday she’ll vote against a change to North Carolina’s constitution next May that would prohibit gay marriage…

See.  A hypocrite.

“But Pino”, you may claim, “she is voting against the amendment and FOR liberty!  Ahhh, but look closer:

Perdue said in a prepared statement she believes marriage is between one man and one woman and voted while in the Legislature for a 1996 law so that North Carolina couldn’t recognize same-sex marriages in other states.

“I continue to support that law today,” Perdue said.

So, how does the good Govna of the Great State of North by God Carolina explain her fllippy floppyness of her vote?

“But I’m going to vote against the amendment because I cannot in good conscience look an unemployed man or woman in the eye and tell them that this amendment is more important than finding them a job.”

This is crap.

But I shouldn’t be surprised.

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Posted in Liberty, Politics: North Carolina

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Brad And Britt And Congressman Miller

Posted on October 10, 2011 | 2 comments

I mentioned that North Carolina has the dubious distinction of having elected the latest legislature to try and “regulate” the banks into behaving.  Well, in addition to ignorant congressmen, we have talk radio as well.  And this morning, Brad and Britt had Brad Miller on their show to discuss his new proposed legislation.

As you can imagine, much goodness ensued.

While discussing Mr. Miller’s proposed legislation, Brad admitted to being a customer of one of the big banks.  The conversation drifted into the details of the proposed law and how “hard” customers have it today when dealing with and switching banks.  During that conversation, Brad mentioned how hard it would be to switch banks, and he cited the reasons:

  • Direct deposit
  • Electronic bill pay
  • On line banking
  • Centralized banking for the whole family

All of which struck me as hilarious.  Brad is basically complaining that he doesn’t wanna switch banks because the services offered by his current bank ROCK.  Somehow the convenience of his current provider is SO good, that he just can’t imagine switching.  And, by gawd, we need a law to fix that!

Further into the conversation, Britt asks Rep. Miller what he would say to those people who have been “preached to” about the evils of government regulation? What would you say to those folks who have been told how to think and what to say?

Miller’s response?

That’s just silly.

Ahhh…

And THAT folks, sums up the entirety of the Left’s response to their actions.

Bank of America added this fee to us customers as a direct, a DIRECT, result of the Durbin amendment.  And now, Brad, Britt and and their guest are shocked, SHOCKED, I tell you, that we people would rather they quit.

But never mind facts guys, keep on keepin’ on.

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Posted in Economics, Government, Politics: National, Politics: North Carolina, States Behaving Badly

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Dear Occupy Wall Street, We Are Sorry, It’s Our Fault

Posted on October 9, 2011 | 4 comments

I’ve been making fun of the protesters up in New York.  Camping out for days on end, complaining about capitalism on hand held phones, and iPads and Facebooks.  They have laptops and smart phones and tablet PCs.  They can make websites and Twitter.  And they are mad at the people who made those things.  Weird/  The irony of a nation mourning one of the greatest capitalists of his generation while simultaneously protesting his work is fascinating to me.

Stinky hippies.

I firmly believe that they need to make better choices.  I don’t think that they should major in Middle Eastern Studies with a minor in Art History specializing in Persian pottery.  I don’t think that they should buy bottled water when they don’t have a job.  I DO think that they should get a job.  I don’t agree that it’s just okay to protest government over reach and then occupy private property when that private property owner wants to clean things up.

Anyway, there’s a ton I don’t get with these protesters.  A ton I DO get, but a ton I don’t. And I wanna blame ’em.  I do.  ‘Cause I’m good like that; assigning responsibility for actions.  So when these kids act like they do, I wanna blame them for their own actions.

But I saw something the other day that made me shake my head and shrug.  We can’t blame them.  Not after this.  Rather than teaching our youth that with hard work comes great success, we are teaching them that failure has no consequence.  That you can do just any ‘ol thing and it’ll be okay, just a-o-k.

We teach it at our Universities:

NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY

REG 02.20.16 – Undergraduate Grade Exclusion

Authority:  Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor

History: First Issued: August 23, 2011.

1.1  Undergraduate students may select up to two NC State courses with posted letter grades of C- or below to be excluded from calculation of their cumulative grade point average.  Unsuccessful audits or credit-only attempts are not eligible for exclusion.

So, to all you misguided youth in NYC and all OVER this great land, I offer you my apology.  It may not be your fault that you are growing up to be Leftists.  I now see that we are actively teaching you to be Leftists.

My bad.

 

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Posted in Education, Idiots on Parade, Politics: North Carolina, States Behaving Badly

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I’m With The Government, I’m Here To Help You

Posted on October 5, 2011 | 6 comments

I wish life were a Jon Stewart show.

I love watching me some Stewart.  Now, I don’t watch it daily, in fact, I don’t watch it weekly, but I record it and watch 4-5-6 episodes a night every so often.  And I’m always glad I did.  He’s hilarious.  His comedic rhythm is very nearly unmatched, his voices are crazy funny and the physical communication he brings to his verbal communication is nothing short of perfect,

The man is mad skilled.

And he’s able to see the funny in the everyday.

Yes indeed, I wish that everyday was a Jon Stewart show.

Today, I have good news for you.  Today is a Jon Stewart show kinda day.  The day when you blissfully walk through life and the normal inane aspects of the day strike you as hilarious.  Simply hilarious.

So, we all know that the bankers on Wall Street caused the crash in 07 ’cause they’re greedy.  Right?  And after the crash of 07, the government bailed out those bankers in order that our financial system didn’t completely crash.  And, after getting bailed out by said government, those banks went on to report record profits and lavish themselves with more high salaries and bigger bonuses.

With me still?

So, then, in response to the unfairness of the whole thing, the government, led by the Intrepid Due of Frank and Dodd, crafted and then passed legislation into law that would protect the consumer from the predatory actions of those mean banks that crashed the system and then stole the government’s bailout money.

One of the things that said legislation did was to restrict the amount of money that banks could charge merchants for using a debit card at the point of transaction.  See, banks have record profits already and by the use of those fees, they were strangling economic growth at the checkout counter all over America.

Poof.  Just like that, the fees used to pay for the use of a debit card were sliced in half.

Thank gawd for that, right?

Wrong.

It turns out that managing debit card transactions isn’t free.  Further, that cost isn’t negligible.  And now that the banks are unable to charge the merchant, the banks went after another target to gather their money; the consumer!  Ahh yes, the very consumer that Dodd and Frank were trying to protect.  The irony is as delicious as it was unpredictable.  Certainly NO ONE would have seen this coming.

Dear Government, thank you for trying to save me from myself by passing ignorant laws that only make matters worse.  However, the consequences of your well intentioned law is that I am actually worse off now than I was before.  Can you please help me?

Love,

pino

And just like a great Jon Stewart show, the hits just keep coming:

WASHINGTON — North Carolina Democrat Congressman Brad Miller has introduced legislation he said will make it easier for customers to change banks if they aren’t happy with new fees.

The bill will modernize and streamline the opening and closing of personal checking and savings accounts, Miller said Tuesday.

“As megabanks flirt with menus of new fees, an increasing number of Americans will want to switch banks,” Miller said. “That is the way things work in a competitive, free market as unrepentant banks are still trying to rake in vulgar profits from their customers.”

With such flowing and beautiful language, I’m sure, just SURE, that this bill is gonna be a good one!

Miller’s legislation would allow customers to close an account without being charged a fee, even if the account has a negative balance. Customers would also be allowed to close accounts without actually showing up in person.

It would also prohibit banks from levying fees to a customer’s account after the account has been requested to be closed.

The great thing about great comedy is that future riffs are set up by hilarious content early in the show.  A great comic is able to set himself up for future use.  Most often this is done within the context of the single show and will have to be re-created for the next one.  But the truly great are able to so skillfully build content that it can span episodes.

This is one of those times.

I predict nothing but really great news for consumers should Brad Miller’s bill make it to law.

Okay okay okay.  In all seriousness.  I have already demonstrated that Liberals don’t understand things like economics.  So the fact that Miller is proposing this legislation isn’t so much surprising as it is an argument for better public education.

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Posted in Economics, Government, Idiots on Parade, Politics: National, Politics: North Carolina

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