Larry Kissell's blog

That's how much Americans on minimum wage struggling with high gas prices now earn per second since the Federal increase just this month.

In contrast, CNN is now reporting Exxon Mobil made nearly $1,500 per second last quarter.

Exxon Mobil once again reported the largest quarterly profit in U.S. history Thursday, posting net income of $11.68 billion on revenue of $138 billion in the second quarter.

That profit works out to $1,485.55 a second.

But as AP has questioned, just where is all that money going?

In North Carolina’s 8th District, the answer is easy – Republican Congressman Robin Hayes, who’s 2006 oil interest portfolio of up to $15 million is suddenly up to $23 million according to his own personal finance disclosures.

I've met Stuart Rothenberg. He seems like a very nice man. However, like my opponent Robin Hayes, I think that maybe Mr. Rothenberg has been in Washington too long to understand that a people powered campaign isn't an urban legend.

Thus in response to Rothenberg's latest column, For House Races now, It's All A Question of Money, I say he doesn't get it. At all.

Kissell’s fundraising this time has been stunningly inadequate. He may still win, but not because of anything he has done in fundraising.

"Some men change their party for the sake of their principles; others their principles for the sake of their party." ~Winston Churchill

Three years ago today on July 21, 2005, the spokesperson of my opponent Robin Hayes told the Winston-Salem Journal,"Congressman Hayes is extremely pleased to create a fair and level playing field, but it still does not change the fact that CAFTA is not a good deal for 8th District businesses."

The week before on July 14, 2005, the Associated Press reported Hayes insisted he would vote against CAFTA: "I know there is no way I could vote for CAFTA." That same day in 2005, the Raleigh News and Observer reported Hayes said, "What does CAFTA sound like? NAFTA. It's not in the best interests of a core constituency I represent."

Despite recognizing in advance that the CAFTA deal was contrary to the interests of his constituents, Hayes broke his promise and supported the measure anyway. Hayes had then actually cast the deciding vote both in favor of the Central American Free Trade Agreement and Fast Track Trade Authority for President George W. Bush after saying he wouldn't support either of the trade deals.

Though Winston Churchill may have been right at the time he said “History is written by the victors," that may no longer be the case.

That was a time before the age of the Internet, C-SPAN, citizen journalists, and 24 hour news shows. As a civics and history teacher, Churchill's statement has long made me skeptical of how much we can believe of what we read and see reported by our media and leaders. As a candidate for Congress in North Carolina's 8th District, I have recently had a personal reminder to be vigilant.

My opponent Robin Hayes, who many of you may recognize as one of the 10 richest members of the entire House or Senate, has been experimenting lately with some revisionist history of his own about jobs and the economy, his support of oil interests, and his reversals on bad Free Trade deals.

Then there is this video I'm sure Robin Hayes wishes didn't exist.

Imagine if you can an economically devastated Congressional district in the South that has been ground zero for the collapse of the American textile industry. This district has five times elected the heir of what was once the world's largest textile company, Cannon Mills, as their representative in Washington. Who better to trust and understand the hardships that unfair trade deals were causing the families of the district?

The people in this District believe in second chances. Robin Hayes was forgiven by the voters of this District for his reversal on giving President Bush Fast Track Trade Authority in 2001 because Hayes cried on the floor as he changed his vote promising to never do it again.

Anyone can make a mistake, and Robin's saving grace was his public remorse.

Hayes was forgiven by good people, his remorse believed, and his promise to never again allow his party's arm twisting to render him more detriment than voice of North Carolina working families was accepted. Then comes this date in history just 3 short years ago and Robin Hayes' solemn promises to the people to vote against the Central American Free Trade Agreement.

There's a strong tradition of spiritual revival in the deep South as well as many parts of the U.S. that have suffered the apathy that comes from hard times. An economic depression can be spiritually depressing as well, rendering the best in all of us effectively 'asleep at the wheel' and off course. The promise of HOPE is not some new political buzzword engineered in a focus group for the 2008 elections. Hope is what I learned from my parents, teachers, co-workers, community and growing up in church. Hope is what I now teach my own children, and the very promise of America. Hope is why no matter how we may stray, we all come home to the big tent in the end.

A famous story passed down through the generations of traveling ministries that would often set up their Revival Tents in some of the most economically depressed areas of the deep South goes something like this:

A minister was asked, "Why do you keep having revivals when it doesn't last?"

The minister replied, "Why do you keep taking baths?"

Hope is nourishment for the starved soul.

Boots on the Ground, Balloons in the Air, Up in the Polls!

Someone WORKING...for a CHANGE is so much more than a campaign slogan for this working man running for Congress to finally represent the interests of the people. It's the very work ethic that permeates our campaign for North Carolina's 8th District and shows in our dedicated army of volunteers and recent polling.

JOIN US!

The time is now.

The U.S. jobless report for June is breaking front page news everywhere today.

WASHINGTON - Employers cut payrolls by 62,000 in June, the sixth straight month of nationwide job losses, underscoring the economy’s fragile state.

Of course, that's not news at all to folks in North Carolina's 8th District where we've lost 62,000 jobs ourselves since Robin Hayes took office.

In fact, if there's even anyone in this bellwether District that never saw this recession on the horizon, it's my opponent, Robin Hayes.

Hayes said the national economy is on the rise. "The economy around the country is very, very strong. Growth continues."

Can you even imagine?

NOTE: Sent to the front page by Dan B. Happy 4th of July.

Last year, North Carolina was named the 6th most popular spot for tourism in the United States.

That's important to the nearly 200,000 working folks across our 100 counties employed by the North Carolina tourism industry, but it's just as important to the millions of Americans who spend billions here to enjoy the best of everything, from mountains, to cities to our one of a kind outerbanks and pristine coastline.

George Bush and Robin Hayes want to change all that to line their own pockets on the way out of office with the Big Lie that energy independence requires giving the oil industry more corporate welfare and even more access to our fragile resources, like North Carolina's outer banks.

Yesterday, George Bush's Supreme Court struck a mighty blow for downtrodden multi-millionaire long-term Congressional incumbents everywhere - especially those in economically devastated District's like North Carolina's 8th. In the typical 5-4 decision we've come to expect from this SCOTUS, Justices Alito, Roberts, Scalia, Kennedy and Thomas declared the "Millionaire's Amendment" that seeks to level the playing field in an already millionaire dominated legislature a "violation of the First Amendment."

The title of the article in Hotline sums up the decision perfectly:

"It's A Great Day To Be A Millionaire (Like Most Days, We Guess)"

The Associated Press is reporting a new milestone in the ever-growing disparity between the wealthiest and the weariest as described in John Edward's mission to bring the "Two America's" together for a sustainable, strong future. For the first time in history, the planet is now home to 10 million millionaires, with the fastest growing segment of the newly rich emerging in places like India, China and Brazil. It's no accident those just happen to be the places that American millionaires, like George Bush, Dick Cheney and my opponent Robin Hayes, sent the jobs of the shrinking American middle class in their globalized race to the bottom.

Millionaires account for less than one-fifth of 1 percent of world's 6.7 billion people, yet the supperrich, with at least $30 million in assets (Robin Hayes has more than that just invested in defense firms making money off the Iraq War), are getting richer even faster off the Bush-Hayes economic policies of the last near decade while the entire world suffers global crises of poverty, energy, health, food and environmental insecurity.

Yesterday, my campaign suprised motorists traveling through the heart of the 8th District of North Carolina with $1.22 per gallon gas, the price when my opponent Republican Robin Hayes first took office. The event was unannounced, just a Father's Day surprise to help struggling families and do some good while getting our message out, so it was truly shocking to see literally hundreds of cars line up within minutes of the sign changing.

The reaction of people was even more revealing about just how much damage a near decade of the economic policies of Robin Hayes and President Bush have devasted this bellwether District.

Red and Blue make Purple, and put North Carolina in play.

OVERHEARD:

'We are a purple state.' - U.S. Rep. G.K. Butterfield, arguing that Obama will put North Carolina in play in November.

Our Democratic Nominee is even coming to North Carolina today to prove it.

Obama launches new tactics in N.C.
Campaign aims to turn red states blue

Barack Obama stops in Raleigh today, planning to use a populist economic message and a hefty campaign war chest to capture North Carolina's independents, newcomers and Hillary Rodham Clinton voters.

I recently wrote about the funding that was finally approved to fix the substandard housing at Fort Bragg just in time for Military Families First weekend.

It's sadly indicative of not only the current administration, but the prior near decade of complete Republican control over all government agencies, what it takes for any "progress" to finally happen for the average working American. It's tragically no different for our hard working military, in spite of all the "support our troops" rhetoric from those that do anything but...

Today's Fayetteville Observer.

My Finance Director usually asks people for money. Today he just sent a newsletter asking for a minute of your time to Take our Country Back.

Frontpaged by James. This is easy and fast. Please hit the link and vote for Larry!