schools

Today at our house in Fuquay Varina, all the lights went out, followed in seconds by a loud boom. It took us a few minutes to figure out that a local electric transformer a mile or so away had probably exploded, most likely from an overload in the 99 degree heat. It took about 2 hours to restore electricity in our neighborhood.

Most people write "Thank You" notes to express their gratitude. Tim Kent of the North Carolina Association of Realtors takes out 2/3 page ads in newspapers like this one for Dan Blue. Between the PAC ($750,000) the 527 ($350,000) and direct lobbying by NCAR ($500,000) when you've got $1.6 million to spend on legislators there are some things you just can't say with flowers, Hallmark or a horse's head.

Today is the due date for the NC Association of Realtors to file a "Principal Report" for lobbying expenses with the Secretary of State's Office. NCAR last week reported pumping $380,162 into its 527 committee, "North Carolina Homeowners Alliance" (sic).

In 2002 The North Carolina Association of Realtor (NCAR) reported over 26,000 members. That grew in 2007 to a claimed membership of over 42,000, a growth rate of 10% per year (30% increase in last two years).

Hey, guess what? Brad Paisley's coming to North Carolina. He'll be in Raleigh July 20 and Charlotte July 21 and he'll be checking you for Ticks:
Brad Paisley: Click for "Ticks"

It is clear that the large sums of money involved in real estate transactions are attracting a lot of people to the business. Individual realtors may be seeing a decline in income because there is more competition. More competition has not led to a substantial lowering of cost for consumers because of NCAR’s strong hold on the market and, it seems, on legislators.

[Read more below the fold.....]

In which I call the Realtor's bluff

At a press conference at the NC State Legislature in Raleigh yesterday political, non-profit and business leaders announced a new coalition, Partnership for North Carolina's Future, to urge the NC General Assembly to prepare now for the impact of the "population tsunami" on our state's economy and quality of life.

If you didn't read about it this morning it might be because the back of the Press Room, where reporters normally sit and stand, was crowded out by lobbyists opposed to the Partnership like Andy Munn of the Real Estate and Building Industry Coalition, Lisa Martin of the NC Homebuilders, Rick Zechini of the NC Association of Realtors, reeking with cynical commentary and Becki Gray, registered lobbyist for the John Locke Foundation, texting frenetically on her Blackberry about the "little children" at the front of the crowd.

Press release below the fold:

Well I've been out of town with limited access to the tubes but I've been busy as you can see with a video debut:

The people who take 6% of the value of a home every time it is bought and sold are opposed to using 1% of the value of a home to pay for roads, sewers and, schools which help to maintain and increase the value of homes and our quality of life.

The virtual monopoly of Realtor®s (who have an actual monopoly on the word Realtor®) is spending thousands of dollars in a multi-media campaign opposed to a nominal land transfer tax. This is puzzling from a number of perspectives.

In North Carolina the provision of public services is largely dependent on property tax, sales tax and income tax. County and municipal governments are largely dependent on property tax and sales tax. Sales tax revenues are volatile and, in many cases, are regressive and only capture 1/3 of commercial transactions. Property tax is the beast of burden for counties and is overloaded by the costs of growth in booming areas and low property values in poor areas.

North Carolina is again discussing the idea of using higher pay to attract good teachers. Since Math and Science teachers are such a hot item the legislature is considering increasing pay for these teachers in three school districts by $15,000 per year.

Three years ago in 2001 the state's experiment of offering an extra $1,800 a year to math, science and special education teachers at high-poverty schools or those where student performance lagged ended in disappointment. The N.C. Association of Educators says "differential pay kills teacher morale". Representative Ray Rapp, a Mars Hill Democrat who will help assemble the state education budget, doesn't think it is right to build a pay scale based on teacher specialty, when a school's English teacher may be working just as hard as the math teacher. "It has the potential to create a situation that is terribly demoralizing and destabilizing."

Read the article...

News and Observers
March 19, 2007
Lynn Bonner, Ataff Writer

More pay weighed for some teachers
Lawmakers are talking about raises for math and science instructors, or those at high-poverty schools

Math and science teachers are such hot commodities these days, legislators are considering offering them extra pay to fill North Carolina's classrooms.

The state has a spotty history with offering extra money to teachers-in-demand, but influential supporters want to try again.

Slate on Libby Day 1
NYT on Libby the puzzle
Firedoglake on they, the jury

Meanwhile,
Ali at 65

And in the wonderful world of Wake County, where subdivisions spring up unfettered by the heavy hand of government; where the homebuilding market is a gleaming success story; where the much-prized rights of property owners and the champions of the private sector have triumphed; it appears the masses who must rely on taxes to educate their children (poor things) are fussing. What would they have the more fortunate do? Cut profits? Slow the mighty engines of growth?
Let them eat trailers.*