More posturing from DAG McCrory on teacher issues
scharrison @
Sunday, March 9, 2014 - 12:33pm

The happy talk express is pulling into town:

Gov. Pat McCrory says his staff will consider making changes to a new law that offers raises to top teachers who give up tenure rights.

“I think it’s an example of passing a policy without clearly understanding the execution,” McCrory said.

McCrory says his staff will review the impact of the law between now and the short session in May. “I share some of the concerns expressed based on the implementation of the rule. The intent of the rule is very good -- the implementation process needs to be more clarified,” he said.

No, the intent of the rule is the root of the problem, not the implementation. The intent is to tear down the ranks of experienced teachers so they can be replaced by less-expensive and less-experienced rookies. And with those new teachers continuously worried about their short-term contracts, they're less likely to complain about having no new books or other needed materials. It's a policy of destruction, plain and simple, and it needs to be reversed.

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DAG McCrory NC GOP NC Teachers NCGA Republican attack on public education
312

Sunday witness: Murmuration
James @
Sunday, March 9, 2014 - 11:56am

In the face of so much human destruction and hate, take time to consider the magnificence of nature.

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189

Will Roy Cooper shed a tear for NC's gays and lesbians?
teddyrooseveltprogressive @
Sunday, March 9, 2014 - 11:51am

Last week, news outlets covered the tearful statement by Kentucky's attorney general where he said he could not defend that state's ban on gay marriage. Meanwhile, as NC's Amendment One is challenged in court, our own attorney general has remained silent.

Will you join the attorney general of Kentucky, Mr. Cooper, and do the right thing? Or will liberals be too embarrassed to cast a vote for you in the governor's race in 2016?

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3 Comments
Amendment One gay marriage roy cooper
237

How to avoid controversy: say nothing, and mean it
scharrison @
Saturday, March 8, 2014 - 5:58pm

Via e-mail from NCDP Headquarters:

MEDIA ADVISORY: NCDP STATE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL MEETING

WHAT: The State Executive Council Meeting of the North Carolina Democratic Party will meet on Sunday, March 9, 2014 at 2:00 pm to discuss Party business. This meeting was announced on February 24, 2014 and all Council members have received notice.

DURING THE MEETING THE COUNCIL WILL ENTER EXECUTIVE SESSION, WHICH WILL BE CLOSED TO THE MEDIA AND TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC. ONLY MEMBERS OF THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL AND LEGAL COUNSEL FOR NCDP WILL BE PERMITTED ACCESS AT THAT POINT. MEDIA AND THE GENERAL PUBLIC WILL BE PERMITTED ACCESS DURING THE OPEN PORTIONS OF THE MEETING.

WHERE: GUILFORD COUNTY DEMOCRATIC PARTY HEADQUARTERS 2300 West Meadowview Road, Suite 110 (Wrightsville Building), Greensboro, NC 27407

Where (apparently) three mystery candidates will be voted on for Executive Director. Hopefully the EC has had a chance to vet these individuals. If not, another shitstorm is approaching...

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NCDP Politics. Democratic Party Chairman
523

Duke Energy to consumers: You'll pay for our incompetence
James @
Saturday, March 8, 2014 - 11:00am

Start watching at the 1:30 mark, where you'll find something like this:

We've cut corners for years to barely comply with environmental regulations, including coal ash. Now that the jig is up, we're going to pass the full cost of fixing the problems to you consumers. You've already paid once for us to put the ash in sub-standard holding ponds, and now you're going to pay again for us to move the mess somewhere else. Don't forget. We're Duke Energy. We own your deputy assistant governor, and we own this state. Get used to it.

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Duke Energy
498

Justice Paul Newby's dirty hands
James @
Friday, March 7, 2014 - 5:17pm

Over the months ahead, it's almost certain that Duke Energy will find itself appealing to the North Carolina Supreme Court. There they'll find a friend they can count on, Justice Paul Newby, who is one of their wholly owned subsidiaries. It's a sick and sad affair that should be of grave concern to anyone in interested in justice. Facing South has the story.

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Paul Newby
534

Pay-to-play politics Tillis-style
scharrison @
Friday, March 7, 2014 - 12:57pm

You scratch my back, I'll give you some television time:

It was the spring of 2013, and lawmakers were busy drafting more than 1,700 bills, including a handful that had big implications for companies that manage homeowners associations and condominiums. At the same time, a group called Alliance for Better Communities, which is bankrolled by property management companies, gave four donations totaling $51,000 to a nonprofit closely tied to Republican state House leaders.

There's a lot more to this sordid tale, but (as is almost always the case) the people slinging money around were able to do so legally. Proving once again, there's often a huge difference between "legal" and "ethical."

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2 Comments
campaign finance irregularities NC GOP NCGA Republican greed Ruth Samuelson Thom Tillis
512

Jerry Brown's revenge
James @
Friday, March 7, 2014 - 11:58am

There's a fascinating column in the Times today, one that explores the growing momentum in California: reinvestment in higher ed, infrastructure planning, etc., etc. And it's all because the Governor Jerry Brown pushed through a significant tax increase on the wealthiest Californians. They now have a $5 billion surplus. Three times more people are coming into the state than leaving. You get the picture.

So what's the lesson for Pat McCrory? There is no lesson. Pat McCrory is a hapless lapdog of Art Pope, the erstwhile emperor who has no clothes. Unlike Governor Brown, who is proving the value of a progressive tax system, Art Pope is blinded by his passion to cut taxes and deregulate. Millions of hard working people in North Carolina are suffering while a few thousand laugh all the way to the bank. If I believed in hell, I'd be reserving a special place for Mr. Pope.

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ncgop
537

RIP Senator Martin Nesbitt
James @
Friday, March 7, 2014 - 10:19am

Few people pass from this earth with such universal appreciation.

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Martin Nesbitt
473

Cliffside, coal ash, incompetence and Mike Hager
James @
Friday, March 7, 2014 - 10:10am

Another Duke Energy operative in state government says all this coal-ash business is overblown. Here's Rep. Mike Hager in February.

Hager, a former Duke Energy engineer for 17 years, agreed with Culbert that a situation similar to the Dan River is not as likely in Cliffside. "You have a small amount of ash and a pond near the Broad River," Hager, who was in charge of the Cliffside plant for seven years, said. "If you have a berm failure, you could have that situation but it is highly unlikely in Cliffside, especially with all the regulations in place."

Here's a DENR press release from this week.

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Cliffside Mike Hager
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