Black

Commission wasting taxpayer dollars? The solution here is pretty straight forward. Just get rid of the Surplus Property Commission. Seems like a no-brainer...

In the photo at left by John Rottet... James Lamm, an Alamance County farmer, has offered $400,000 for 112 acres that the state owns next to his farm, but his proposal was rejected. The N.C. National Guard says it plans to use that land, although it has not done so in 15 years.

If this commission was created in the Jim Black era and hasn't produced any results then it should not exist. This is yet another example of waste in North Carolina's government and needs to be eliminated as soon as possible. According to Jim Troxler, a Republican who has worked with the commission on several properties "Members of the public shouldn't have any confidence in a commission that deals the way this one does."

The commissioners recently dismissed the director and hired one of their own to replace him -- and gave their colleague a jump in pay.

News and Observer
March 18, 2007
J. Andrew Curliss, Staff Writer

Surplus property panel raises doubts

Three years ago, in tight budget times, legislators came up with an idea few argued over: A new commission would seek help from real estate interests to sell land and buildings the state doesn't need.

The sales would add millions to the state's treasury. Properties would return to local tax rolls. Brokers and agents who spotted the surplus properties would get a cut of the action.

I watched the promotional video from last year, and I saw six Black people among 1,500 participants.

Cross posted at the Francis L. Holland Blog, MyDD, and Culture Kitchen.

Today, I came across a link to a publicity video for YearlyKos, an annual confernece of Democratic Party leftist anti-war bloggers, and I watched the entire video to confirm a suspicion:  That YearlyKos is an overwhelmingly white gathering - disproportionately white considering the number of Blacks in the Democratic Party.  http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=

-1234580617661540850&q=Mark+Bowllan  Watch the film for yourselves and tell me if my perceptions are in error.