Taxpayer dollars

McHenry uses tax payer money to misrepresent his stand on Illegal Immigration and other issues.

Mr. McHenry’s close friends and neo-conservative allies like Tom DeLay, Carl Rove and Dennis Hassert are now gone from Washington, leaving a bad smell behind them. Suddenly Mr. McHenry wants us to believe he has helped Veterans and that he has always been against Illegal Immigration.

Welcome and thanks to Steve for posting this. Frontpaged. A.

The North Carolina Democratic Party today filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Office of the Inspector General to obtain a detailed list of Chairman Kevin Martin’s recent travel.

The request comes in the wake of numerous news reports that Chairman Martin may be using public funds and his position as Chairman of a large government agency to seek elected office in North Carolina.

Wal-Mart has saved millions of dollars over the past few years by essentially paying rent to itself and then writing off the taxes. Fortunately for North Carolina, Attorney General Roy Cooper and Judge Clarence Horton, Jr. aren’t going to let that slide.

The judge dismissed Wal-Mart’s bid for a refund. Had the tax shelter not been deemed illegal, the corporate write-off would have effectively cost North Carolina taxpayers $33.5 million. The company is using the rent strategy in dozens of states - several have already moved to close the loophole after Wal-Mart’s actions were exposed in a February article from the Wall Street Journal. The judge’s decision on Friday could set a precedent for communities across the country. Wal-Mart Watch applauds Judge Clarence Horton, Jr. and Democratic Attorney General Roy Cooper for fighting Wal-Mart and defending North Carolina taxpayers.

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.