The new reality that results from the novel corona virus pandemic will be fundamentally different. This crisis may prove to have as much long-term impact as the 2008 “great recession” or even 9/11. U.S. health officials are facing a situation made worse by massive American failures to act on warnings as the virus spread. By…
Author: Lowell Simon
UNFINISHED BUSINESS
The North Carolina General Assembly has been playing a game of “Chicken” with Governor Cooper for the past month and a half. They are playing with house money and the biggest losers have been NC taxpayers. For a political party that presents itself as fiscally conservative and a protector of taxpayer money they have proven…
The Truth About the Aberdeen School Site
I completely agree with The Pilot that the particular “forces of disinformation” they referenced on June 12 are “despicable” and that those despicable forces are shallow, transparent liars. However, I want to correct the record about the Aberdeen school site. I believe the current Board of Education is the best caliber board we’ve had in…
New Aberdeen School Environmental Assessment
For a full analysis see the link at the bottom of this post. I spent much of today – I know I need a life… researching the environmental issues surrounding the new Aberdeen school location and its proximity to the Superfund Site known as the “Aberdeen Pesticide Dump Site.” Unfortunately, there are some legitimate concerns….
Trump Snatches Defeat from the Jaws of Victory
You see that little tail upward at the far right of this graph? That’s what has President Trump in a frenzy of criticism aimed at the Federal Reserve and its chairman, Jerome Powell. Trump said in a recent tweet; “The only problem our economy has is the Fed. They don’t have a feel for the…
NC Gerrymandering V.5
On Tuesday, the state’s top legislators said The U.S. Supreme Court should rule against a lower court that just found North Carolina’s Congressional districts to be illegally gerrymandered. “In yesterday’s decision, the three-judge panel forecasted voiding the results of primaries and canceling the November election for Congress,” their statement said. The judges did not say…
Maryland, Another Tragedy Already Forgotten?
Yet another tragic shooting, this time at a newsroom in Maryland. Five people were killed and another three seriously injured. The gunman did not use an assault style weapon but was apparently harboring a vendetta that authorities knew about for years. More thoughts and prayers came from the White House but no discussion of sensible…
Amending the State Constitution
Do you believe that our state government should be run by and for the benefit of the people? Do you believe in the constitutional separation of the branches of government? The Republican legislature does not. Friday was the final day of the legislative “short” session, and the Republican super-majority used their unmitigated powers to seize…
Why SB 75 Matters More Than Anything
What might be the biggest threat to the State of North Carolina’s economic future is called Senate Bill 75. A very non-threatening moniker for a referendum to amend our state constitution by permanently freezing the state’s current income tax rate. Voters will have the opportunity to oppose this debacle in November. How will this permanent…
Mockery of Democracy
This week our State Legislature put out a 300+ page budget for 2018-2019. This is part two of last year’s two-year budget and one might assume that we write two year budgets so that we don’t have to redo them every year. But one would be wrong. This budget is packed with partisan pork. It…