Progressive Pitbull's blog

I was down at the Convention and SEC meeting in new Bern, and I was amazed at how many Democrats didn't know there was a runoff on Tuesday.

But there is, and John Brooks is running for Labor Commissioner. He has some good and very specific ideas on how to get more North Carolinian's working and doing so in a safe manner. Since his last term expired in 1992, worker protections have diminished over the years under both succeeding Commissioners.

We need to change that - and John Brooks is the candidate not only to do that, but to bring back some needed experience in an important Council of State position where the officeholder functions as a specialized Attorney General enforcing both state and federal labor laws.

In his four terms as Labor Commissioner, John Brooks did more for working people in North Carolina than any commissioner before him or since him - and that includes former Commissioner Payne. There are more pro-labor precedents in the case law books under John's name than under any other commissioner - go check it out in the law library to make sure!

Wayne Goodwin is running for Insurance Commissioner to succeed his mentor Jim Long.

Jim Long endorsed Wayne for this position. I trust Jim Long. Jim endorsed Jerry Meek for State party chair when the powers that be wanted someone else. Jim Long has worked long and hard to keep our insurance rates low. I saw Jim chair an insurance hearing a few years ago where he made some insurance industry "suit" really sweat to justify his claim that BCBS would be operating with one hand tied behind its back if it wasn't allowed to go private. The "suit" failed - as most of them have done over the years when they try to get one over on Jim and the rest of us.

It's not tough to do it - if I can do it - anyone can!

So why is the NC Democratic Party trying to find someone to run against him?

Doesn't anyone in State Government know how to "use" Google, or are they only able to be "used" by Google? Are the people who negotiate our trade deals in Raleigh asleep at their posts? Does anyone surf the net using Google to figure out if the Google deal is really good for North Carolina?

Why are we giving highly profitable companies massive long-term tax breaks to locate here in the first place? When we do that, we dump the costs of infrastructure improvements on the rest of the county and state who may or many not do well in the deal? And why do we do it in secret so the companies can play one state against the other. If VA was only willing to pay $30 million for Dell, why was it worth another $210 million for us? What did we get for that extra $210 million over and above what Virginia was supposed to get?

I have always wondered what exactly it is that makes some conservative pols focus so much of their energy on getting elected to issues about sex and the sexuality of their opponents, when it seems like they eventually shoot themselves in the foot when their own closet doors open up a bit.

Take for example former Congressman Foley from Florida. Here is a guy who focused on writing laws to punish internet pedophiles, and yet he was brought down because he was chatting innappropriately with some young male pages. I do not mean to "gay bash" anyone, but doesn't it seem funny that Foley got brought down by exactly the same thing he fought so hard against?

Which brings me to Vermin Robinson. Here is a guy who pulls a story out of his ass - about Brad Miller being gay because he and his wife don't have children. You all know why Brad and his wife don't have children, and frankly I am quite mad at Vernon for raising this issue. Sort of forcing Brad to explain exactly why he and his wife don't have any children. Frankly, unless someone's health issues have a direct impact on how they do their job, it's nobody's business. And the health issues which made Brad and his wife not have any children are no one's business - certainly not Vermin's business.