Tag Archives: North Carolina Politics

Unemployment in North Carolina: Up

Posted on January 4, 2011 | Leave a comment

Troubling news in the Tar Heel State.

RALEIGH — Unemployment rates increased in 99 of North Carolina’s 100 counties in November, according to statistics released today by the state’s Employment Security Commission. The rate remained the same in Davie
County.

Not so good.  I continue to hope for the best here in North Carolina, but we continue to struggle.  I’m not sure why.  Even though we are a Democrat dominated State, and have been for well over 100 years, even the Democarst have been relatively pro-business here in North Carolina.

I suspect that the reason we continue to see jobs drift away is that we have been so heavily dependent on furniture and textile mills.  And, as we all know, that work has been moving over seas for some time now.

I’ll have to do some research to see how long it took other cities [see Pittsburgh] to recover as they saw their jobs vanish.  In any event, let’s hope that 2011 does better than 2010:

Over the year, the unemployment rates dropped in 81 counties, remained the same in one county, and increased in 18.

So, year over year, Carolina has dropped its unemployment, but only by 0.7%.

 

 

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Posted in Economics, Economy, Politics: North Carolina

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When Government Embraces Technology

Posted on January 3, 2011 | 2 comments

I haven’t run the numbers yet, so I don’t know if this makes sense or not, but I like the innovation of the whole thing.

See, typically when a government agency is faced with a problem, they work hard, REALLY hard, at fixing the problem.  Not eliminating it.

For example, the county works hard at repairing roads, not making roads that don’t need repair.  The post office works hard at delivering mail netter, not at reducing the need to deliver mail.

And to be fair, there ARE some instances where government embraces technology.  Take the DMV for example.  You can now renew your registration and license online as oppossed to going to the office and doing it in person.

Awesome.

Which is why programs like innovating the water utility makes me so happy.

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Posted in Politics: North Carolina, Technology

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Health Care the Right Way

Posted on December 25, 2010 | 1 comment

Compensation.  What one offers another in trade for goods or services.  Most often today, it’s money.  That is, I pay the service station money in exchange for gasoline.  Or, I pay the tavern in cash in exchange for beer.

Occasionally, the compensation may be something besides money.  Then it becomes a sort of barter.  One party trades a good or service in exchange for another; wheat for milk.  Dental work for electrical work.  Whatever.

Another example is health care.  Rather than our employer compensating us in cash, they instead compensate us in insurance.*

Imagine, if you will, if our employer compensated us in groceries rather than cash–just like health insurance.  What would our world look like?

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Posted in Economics, Health Care, Politics: National, Politics: North Carolina

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Monopoly

Posted on December 23, 2010 | Leave a comment

Wanna know the only way to establish a monopoly?

Government regulations.

And I find it funny that the very same people who clamor when companies like Microsoft or Intel have a “strangle hold” on the market are the very same one who demand, DEMAND I tell you, that the government regulate a monopoly for something that they think needs regulating.

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Posted in Economy, Lobby/PAC, Politics: North Carolina, States Behaving Badly

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She Calls Herself Fiscally Responsible

Posted on December 18, 2010 | 1 comment

Again with politicians making up language that fits their needs.

I once had an English teacher in high school.  We were reading “The Merchant of Venice”.  In the story, Shylock loses his estate due to a quirk of law.  On one of our tests, the English teachers asks the True or False question:

Shylock lost half of his estate due to his legal dealings with Antonio.

I answered, “False”.  After all, he lost the whole of the estate.

She marked it wrong, saying that if he lost ALL of his estate, certainly he lost half of it as well.

Words have meanings.

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Posted in Economy, Politics: National, Politics: North Carolina, Senate

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Value Based Decisions

Posted on November 22, 2010 | Leave a comment

We make ’em every day.

Do we want this product knowing that if we buy it, we won’t be able to have that product.

This for that.

Is it worth it for me?

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Posted in Health Care, Politics: National

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Confusion in Durham

Posted on November 16, 2010 | Leave a comment

It’s heating up.  And something has to be done.

We need strong leadership on the issue and we need it now.

Sadly, Obama isn’t gonna be the guy to do it.

1.  He simply doesn’t know HOW to lead.  Which, of course, has been my main complaint all along.

2.  He doesn’t WANNA lead right now because it’ll interfere with his election prospects.

So, it’s left to the states and the towns.

And THIS is what you get when that happens:

Durham council supports police accepting Mexican IDs

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Posted in Immigration, Politics: National, Politics: North Carolina

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Sacrifice

Posted on November 12, 2010 | 2 comments

There’s an old saw that says:

There’s a reason it’s called “Risk Taking”.  If there wasn’t, they’d call it “Sure Thing Taking”.

The same holds true regarding decisions of fiscal responsibility.

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Posted in Economics, Politics: North Carolina

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You Can’t Do It

Posted on September 23, 2010 | Leave a comment

I’m listening to the Brad and Britt show this morning.  The topic of the hour is taxes and health care.  Both are timely and appropriate topics.  Health care reform is being implemented soon, or at least portions of it.  And taxes, well, taxes have been the hot topic because of the expiration of the “Bush Tax Cuts” as well as the new Republican “Pledge to America” that’s being released this afternoon.

Both topics are fascinating.  And, to a degree, related.

Any way, while discussing the reforms that are kicking in soon, Brad takes the stand that if you object to Health Care Reform, you can’t take advantage of it.  “You Can’t Do It” he yells, “You Can’t Do It”.

This, of course, is asinine.

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Posted in Health Care, Liberty, Politics: National

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Great News for Third Party Candidates

Posted on September 18, 2010 | 1 comment

For ever we’ve had to pick our leaders from one of the two main political parties.  And the problem with that is we tend, especially lately, is that the primaries seems to give us only the most extreme candidates that each party has to offer.

If you want moderation, or if you want something other than the party line down the line, you’re kinda oughta luck.

Want a fiscal conservative but a social moderate?  Good luck.

Want a social liberal but a fiscal moderate?  Again, good luck.

So it seems that we’re stuck in the middle.  Sending our “Knights” out to do battle that look like every knight before him.

Rather depressing.

But there may be a way out.

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Posted in Elections 2010, Politics: North Carolina

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