Category Archives: Politics: North Carolina

Anything I Can Do You Can Do Better…

Wait – wait.  That’s not how that goes.  Not at all.

However, for this purpose, it provides an interesting illustration.

For example, consider two bills:

One:

Raleigh, N.C. — Businesses, cities and counties in North Carolina are going to have to start checking the immigration status of new hires.

Gov. Beverly Perdue on Thursday signed into law a bill directing employers to use the federal government’s E-Verify system to prevent illegal immigrants from landing jobs. The legislation makes exceptions for companies that employ fewer than 25 people or which use seasonal workers.

Then, the other:

Two:

Gov. Bev Perdue has vetoed a controversial proposal to require voters to show photo ID at the polls.

Her statement:

“The right to choose our leaders is among the most precious freedoms we have – both as Americans and North Carolinians. North Carolinians who are eligible to vote have a constitutionally guaranteed right to cast their ballots, and no one should put up obstacles to citizens exercising that right.

Get that?

If you are a business and wanna  hire someone, you have to check and verify valid ID and legal status.

If you are a government and wanna protect the right that thousands have died to protect – not so ‘effin much.

The way of the Leftist ya’ll, the way of the Leftist.

North Carolina Budget: Veto Override

For the first time since Ulysses S. Grant was President, the North Carolina budget has been proposed by a republican controlled body.

And the state governor, Beverly Perdue, didn’t like said budget.  So, she vetoed it.

The state senate has a veto proof majority; the house, not so much.

But tonight the governor was told that she must obey the will of the people.  Her veto was overruled in the house and will be sent to the senate.

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Governor Perdure Vetoes Budget

Republicans hold both houses of congress here in North Carolina for the first time in about 140 years.  That’s a long time to wait.

For once, it’ll be a Republican lead agenda that shapes the fiscal direction in Raleigh.  Whatever bill ends up being passed into law will be one the Republicans drafted, and built and approved.  And it looks like Governor Purdue is making sure that the folks of North Carolina know that.

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William Barber: North Carolina NAACP

I don’t like groups of people that label other groups of people as racist.  Or of saying that they are doing things for racist reasons.  I mean, do those groups of people even know what racism means?

The belief that races have distinctive cultural characteristics determined by hereditary factors and that this endows some races with an intrinsic superiority over others.

Does the NAACP really think that a group of people, in this case the Tea Party, really feels that they hold beliefs that African American people have characteristics determined by hereditary factors?

It would seem so.

However, with that said, I don’t believe the answer to such gross mis-characterizations in such circumstances is to respond in kind.

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North Carolina Unemployment: May 27, 2011

The counties of North Carolina continue to heal; we’re lowering our unemployment and getting folks back to work:

RALEIGH — Unemployment rates decreased in 73 of North Carolina’s 100 counties in April. Rates increased
in 10 counties and remained the same in 17.

The good news is that this decrease in the rate is being brought about by adding jobs, not simply reducing the unemployed:

The number of workers employed (not-seasonally adjusted) increased in April by 6,751 to 4,046,255. The number of people unemployed decreased by 10,036. The number of unemployed people in April was 424,502 workers, compared with 434,538 in March.

I hope that the North Carolina congress holds firm on with holding continued unemployment benefits to our state’s unemployed.  We have long since passed the appropriate amount of time that those assistance dollars are required to transition to a new job.  It’s been nearly two years; two years to find a job.

The weekly benefit of those checks is nearly $300.00 a week, certainly not very much.  However, workers have adjusted to that amount by this time and taking a job that pays even $10.00 represents a 33% raise in wages.  Not an insignificant amount.

I hope that North Carolina can continue to lower her tax rates, keep the sales tax at a reasonable rate and bring business into the state.  It’s a good thing to see our unemployment rate fall, but there is much work to be done.

How Much Does Health Insurance Cost?

I haven’t posted this in awhile.  How much does health insurance cost?

In my ZIP code, a 30 year old man with no wife or kids can get coverage for $66.05 a month.

Are the uninsured really uninsured because they CAN’T be insured or because they CHOSE not to be insured?

Peak Oil? We’ll Never Burn Our Last Drop Of Oil

Long before we get to the very last drop of oil, we;ll have identified another form of fuel for our society.  It may be another form of fossil fuel, it may be solar or it may be wave.  In any event, the idea that the work will run out of oil and the implication that our society will wither and fade away is ridiculous.

As people who make money on oil begin to realize that were close to running out of oil, they’ll raise the price of said oil.  And when THAT happens, that new fuel will be found.

Fortunately, we may already have taken a step in that direction:

Sanford, N.C. — Geologists have wrapped up research on natural gas deposits in central North Carolina and are awaiting an assessment from the U.S. Geological Survey in July.

North Carolina Geological Survey chief Kenneth Taylor says his assessment shows that Lee, Chatham and Moore counties could produce enough natural gas to power the whole state for 40 years.

40 years.

Of power.

No oil.

What could prevent this awesome resource from being utilized?

Government:

But state law would have to change to allow horizontal drilling and a process known as fracturing that uses chemicals and water to force natural gas from shale.

Figures.

North Carolina Unemployment Benefits

It’s tough.  It really is.

There’s a ton of us out there without work; we all know someone who’s looking for a job, a shot.  And as long as they’re out there, shouldn’t we do what we can and give ’em the support they’ve worked for all these years?  Isn’t that the right thing to do?

No.

And I’ll tell ya why.

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Price of Gas and the Daily Commute

I’m a big BIG advocate of the market.

I tend to think that people, in search of their selfish self interests, will signal to the market what is and what isn’t, important.

Commutes are no different.

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Unemployment Benefits End: 297 / 40 = $7.42

First, we’re talking about $297.00 a week.

Don’t forget that:

About 45,000 people have lost extended benefits in the month-long standoff between Republican legislative leaders and Democratic Gov. Beverly Perdue, up from an initial estimate of 37,000 people who lost the chance to receive 20 weeks of federal benefits after normal benefits and all other extensions have been exhausted.

Each week, about 2,100 people are running out of benefits, which would pay them an average of about $297 a week, officials said.

So, I just checked and this is what I found:

I’m not sayin’……I’m just sayin’.