I have long heard that the Food and Drug Administration forbids the claim that consuming citrus fruits can cure diseases like scurvy. Scurvy is caused by a vitamin C deficiency. Citrus contains vitamin C, therefore preventing and curing the disease. The British Navy found this out in the 1700’s and thus supplied their naval vessels with limes and other citrus fruits. Hence the origin of the term “limey” in reference to English sailors and later the English in general. The FDA, however, says that the claim of a fruit curing scurvy shall cause said fruit to be considered a drug and therefore subject to its regulation. I don’t know what sort of pinheads get hired at the FDA, but they certainly lack common sense. They just struck again and you will not believe their controlling nonsense, effectively requiring their almost religious doctrinal endorsement.
You may not be able to buy Blue Diamond Walnuts at the supermarket any more. When you go to Cold Stone Creamery or Hula Girl, you may not be able to get walnuts in the near future. The FDA has classified walnuts as a drug. This is based upon the fact that Blue Diamond claimed that the Omega-3 fatty acids contained in their nuts can have health benefits. It has long been known that Omega-3 fatty acids are good for health, according to several studies. Walnuts happen to contain these Omega-3, but apparently once a nut company claims this, the nuts are considered a drug. Without the expressed approval of walnuts as a drug, the Blue Diamond company can no longer distribute their product in the USA if they continue to make the health benefit claims.
Blue Diamond is going to cooperate with the FDA on this, but they could have generated an entire black market demand for their newly classified drugs. I can just see Selma Vice cracking down on walnut dealers here in town. It would make me want to hang out near one of the local convenience stores near the railroad tracks carrying a ziplock bag and say, “Psssstt...hey you! Wanna buy a walnut? It’s good stuff!”
Of course this restriction on freedom of speech (and accurate speech at that) is incredulous. On the other hand, a restriction on freedom was recently lifted here in Selma.
I was ambivalent about the school uniform policy adopted by Selma Elementary School several years back. I figured that maybe a decent quality dress code might be a good thing for school discipline. Of course the uniform policy was not really uniform, since colors and styles of clothing were not really homogeneous across the board. However the policy was more restrictive than the Johnston County dress code. What this meant was that we had to purchase a certain type of clothing each of the last 3 years for our grammar school aged child. Shirts had to have a collar and could have no logo or brand name on them. Pants and shorts had to be plain with no trim on them. This was OK at first, but got to be a real pain as time went on. Our child could not go out to play in the school clothes later or wear clothes that he got for Christmas or his birthday to school.
My boy loves Star Wars and has several Star Wars shirts. There should be nothing wrong with wearing a Yoda t-shirt and a pair of good, clean denim jeans to elementary school. We had to essentially purchase two sets of clothes for our son. That got old real quick. Clothes that he could wear to church were not allowed at school, even though they are modest apparel. We have a much more casual dress style at the church we attend and we much prefer that to dressing up. My son could not express his good, clean individuality with his choice of clothing.
Thankfully, the dress code will be reverted back to the standard Johnston County Schools dress code for Selma Elementary beginning next month. My mind was changed after we had to abide by the abrogation of freedom and additional expense for three years. I can see perhaps a private school requiring a restrictive dress code, but the government run “because I think it’s a good idea” experiment thing got real old real fast.
A government hireling made our lives difficult in terms of school apparel. A government hireling is exercising control and dogma over common sense claims over walnuts. Let freedom ring, let the walnuts freely flow to consumers who can benefit from Omega-3 fatty acids, and I shall let my son wear his Yoda shirt to school.
Saturday, August 06, 2011
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Column for July 28, 2011
“As I read the Constitution, the Congress writes the laws and you get to decide what you want to sign.” That is what Speaker of the House of the United States Congress told President Barack Obama recently. He is exactly correct. I am not a huge fan of Speaker John Boehner so far, since he has sold us out on a few issues, but at least he is taking a stand on this issue. It is true that the President of the United States does not write legislation. The context of this comment was about the debate over the debt limit and budget.
For weeks we have heard about possible debt default by the US government. We have heard a bunch of Chicken Littles running around predicting that the sky will be falling on August 2nd. Of course that is nonsensical. All the government has to do is stop spending money in non-essential areas. Furthermore, even if we did default on a few debts, the rest will not also be in default. We do still have a monthly revenue stream.
When we run short on funding in our home, we end up spending less in areas in which we can cut spending. I have to admit that ever since the Town of Selma hosed us by changing the due date on our utility bills that we have had to dramatically cut back spending during the latter half of the month. We have to cut back also because of increased debt that we took on by necessity. Cars broke down, our air conditioning system broke down, and unexpected medical bills popped up. As my French relatives would say, c’est la vie. We just spend less on groceries and luxury items, eat out less, and now have things for supper that normally sit in the back of the pantry and we don’t want to fix unless we have to roll pennies in order to buy a gallon of milk. The government must do the same.
Here is another quote. See if you can guess who said this. “The fact that we are here today to debate raising America’s debt limit is a sign of leadership failure. It is a sign that the US Government cannot pay its own bills. It is a sign that we now depend on ongoing financial assistance from foreign countries to finance our Government’s reckless fiscal policies. Increasing America’s debt weakens us domestically and internationally. Leadership means that ‘the buck stops here.' Instead, Washington is shifting the burden of bad choices today onto the backs of our children and grandchildren. America has a debt problem and a failure of leadership. Americans deserve better.” That was Senator Barack Hussein Obama in March of 2006. It is ironic that he is the one who is leading the charge to raise the debt ceiling yet again, claiming that it is irresponsible not to do so. I wish that he would take his own advice.
In our home, we are faced with two choices. We can cut spending and refuse to use any of our credit cards or we can apply for more credit and keep borrowing. I fully realize that unforeseen circumstances can happen to anyone and emergencies arise. There are times when borrowing is necessary. In our household, when our air conditioning system died, we elected to put the repair on our Master Card rather than sit in a sweltering house. One of the greatest inventions that God gave man was refrigeration, whether for environmental comfort or for food preservation. When my dog was too feeble to walk and incontinent, I could either take her out to the country and put a bullet into her or take her to the veterinarian to have her put out of her suffering and pay for it with my Master Card. Since I did not feel like shooting my own pet (her name was not Old Yeller) we chose the plastic route.
In my analogy, I understand that America will have times in which we do need to borrow. During the crafting of the US Constitution, this topic was debated. The founders knew that there may come a time when we have a need to borrow money, such as wartime. Borrowing is how we obtained The Louisiana Purchase.
However, bank bailouts, automobile industry bailouts, welfare programs, foreign aid, cowboy poetry festivals, teapot museums, bridges (or roads and tunnels) to nowhere, extended unemployment benefits, early childhood education programs, prescription drug benefits, socialized medicine, USDA loan programs, and the like are just unsustainable costs and not worthy of borrowing trillions of dollars. Like we do in our household, government must stop spending in some areas in order to take care of the essential obligations. Just because something is a good idea or a nice thing to have does not mean we can or should afford it.
This same principle applies to state, county, and town governments. Whether you are running for Congress, County Commission, the state legislature, or Town Council, take heed. The constituency is growing weary of unsustainable debt, reckless spending, and we simply cannot take it any more.
For weeks we have heard about possible debt default by the US government. We have heard a bunch of Chicken Littles running around predicting that the sky will be falling on August 2nd. Of course that is nonsensical. All the government has to do is stop spending money in non-essential areas. Furthermore, even if we did default on a few debts, the rest will not also be in default. We do still have a monthly revenue stream.
When we run short on funding in our home, we end up spending less in areas in which we can cut spending. I have to admit that ever since the Town of Selma hosed us by changing the due date on our utility bills that we have had to dramatically cut back spending during the latter half of the month. We have to cut back also because of increased debt that we took on by necessity. Cars broke down, our air conditioning system broke down, and unexpected medical bills popped up. As my French relatives would say, c’est la vie. We just spend less on groceries and luxury items, eat out less, and now have things for supper that normally sit in the back of the pantry and we don’t want to fix unless we have to roll pennies in order to buy a gallon of milk. The government must do the same.
Here is another quote. See if you can guess who said this. “The fact that we are here today to debate raising America’s debt limit is a sign of leadership failure. It is a sign that the US Government cannot pay its own bills. It is a sign that we now depend on ongoing financial assistance from foreign countries to finance our Government’s reckless fiscal policies. Increasing America’s debt weakens us domestically and internationally. Leadership means that ‘the buck stops here.' Instead, Washington is shifting the burden of bad choices today onto the backs of our children and grandchildren. America has a debt problem and a failure of leadership. Americans deserve better.” That was Senator Barack Hussein Obama in March of 2006. It is ironic that he is the one who is leading the charge to raise the debt ceiling yet again, claiming that it is irresponsible not to do so. I wish that he would take his own advice.
In our home, we are faced with two choices. We can cut spending and refuse to use any of our credit cards or we can apply for more credit and keep borrowing. I fully realize that unforeseen circumstances can happen to anyone and emergencies arise. There are times when borrowing is necessary. In our household, when our air conditioning system died, we elected to put the repair on our Master Card rather than sit in a sweltering house. One of the greatest inventions that God gave man was refrigeration, whether for environmental comfort or for food preservation. When my dog was too feeble to walk and incontinent, I could either take her out to the country and put a bullet into her or take her to the veterinarian to have her put out of her suffering and pay for it with my Master Card. Since I did not feel like shooting my own pet (her name was not Old Yeller) we chose the plastic route.
In my analogy, I understand that America will have times in which we do need to borrow. During the crafting of the US Constitution, this topic was debated. The founders knew that there may come a time when we have a need to borrow money, such as wartime. Borrowing is how we obtained The Louisiana Purchase.
However, bank bailouts, automobile industry bailouts, welfare programs, foreign aid, cowboy poetry festivals, teapot museums, bridges (or roads and tunnels) to nowhere, extended unemployment benefits, early childhood education programs, prescription drug benefits, socialized medicine, USDA loan programs, and the like are just unsustainable costs and not worthy of borrowing trillions of dollars. Like we do in our household, government must stop spending in some areas in order to take care of the essential obligations. Just because something is a good idea or a nice thing to have does not mean we can or should afford it.
This same principle applies to state, county, and town governments. Whether you are running for Congress, County Commission, the state legislature, or Town Council, take heed. The constituency is growing weary of unsustainable debt, reckless spending, and we simply cannot take it any more.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Column for July 21, 2011
It is hard to believe, but this column marks the five year anniversary of my first column in The Selma News. When I first got the opportunity to write for the paper, I had run once for Selma Town Council, I was an active blog writer on the internet, and had an active interest in community affairs. I don’t blog anywhere as near as much as I used to for a number of reasons and I don’t attend all town council meetings like I used to. There have been a good may changes in my life since my first column here. The topics have varied from town affairs to state and national ones, and have included politics and religion. The people and events that have been the subjects of my commentary have changed over the years, but my core values of freedom, faith, and conservative values have remained constant. For that, I make no apologies.
I had one of those “no apologies for my views” brief exchanges just today with one of our County Commissioners. He was critical of those in Congress who seemingly refused to compromise. He quoted an unknown (to me) news source that quoted an unknown (to me) individual which said, "What lawmakers lack in congress is the courage to compromise, therefore they do not do anything." I, on the other hand, applaud those who do not compromise. Personally, there are many things on which I don't want compromise. Compromise is not always a virtue, it can be a weakness. It is when Congress does something that we get hosed with more regulation and freedoms eroded. It is when they do nothing that we are the safest from intrusion in our lives and wallets. Sometimes the best thing for the citizenry is gridlock. There is no founding document, principle, speech, or precedent that government has to constantly pass some sort of legislation (doing, doing, doing) in order to be effective or viable. Inactivity is often the best thing, especially in Washington, D.C. I feel that same way about our towns, counties, and states, as well.
As I mentioned, I have an interest in public affairs and even ran for town council twice. I was tempted to run again, but quite honestly, I don’t know if I can devote the time to a campaign or the position, so I stayed out of the running. Some of my extra-curricular activities have died down lately, which is causing me to ponder my next media exploit. On the other hand, my work schedule has been hefty. I had a 15 hour day today, and I was about to go to bed when I realized that I had not banged away on my keyboard to write this week’s column. Before my generic brand version of Tylenol PM kicks in, I figured that I had better type something and get it in before deadline. I have come up with a fresh column each and every week for five years. It would have been shameful to miss the five year anniversary column.
By the way, I have each and every column I have written still on my computer and have also put them online. You can find every single previous column I have written for The Selma News through my web site, www.troylaplante.com. I even have LaPlante’s Rants t-shirts, if you want one. Nobody has bought one in five years, but I still have them available. I do believe that I have the only one in existence until someone buys one. Yes, I made t-shirts available, and I make no apologies for that, either.
It is hard to believe that it has been five years already, but it has. I would like to thank Rick Stewart, the publisher of this fine hometown newspaper, for the opportunity that he gave an opinionated nobody like me to be able to write my inane babblings in a newspaper. I would like to thank everyone for their feedback whether positive or negative. I love both, believe it or not, especially when the criticisms are civil. I also want to thank you, the readers. I do not take it for granted that you actually read my unintelligible musings. I am grateful for the opportunity and will endeavor to continue being faithful in the work.
I had one of those “no apologies for my views” brief exchanges just today with one of our County Commissioners. He was critical of those in Congress who seemingly refused to compromise. He quoted an unknown (to me) news source that quoted an unknown (to me) individual which said, "What lawmakers lack in congress is the courage to compromise, therefore they do not do anything." I, on the other hand, applaud those who do not compromise. Personally, there are many things on which I don't want compromise. Compromise is not always a virtue, it can be a weakness. It is when Congress does something that we get hosed with more regulation and freedoms eroded. It is when they do nothing that we are the safest from intrusion in our lives and wallets. Sometimes the best thing for the citizenry is gridlock. There is no founding document, principle, speech, or precedent that government has to constantly pass some sort of legislation (doing, doing, doing) in order to be effective or viable. Inactivity is often the best thing, especially in Washington, D.C. I feel that same way about our towns, counties, and states, as well.
As I mentioned, I have an interest in public affairs and even ran for town council twice. I was tempted to run again, but quite honestly, I don’t know if I can devote the time to a campaign or the position, so I stayed out of the running. Some of my extra-curricular activities have died down lately, which is causing me to ponder my next media exploit. On the other hand, my work schedule has been hefty. I had a 15 hour day today, and I was about to go to bed when I realized that I had not banged away on my keyboard to write this week’s column. Before my generic brand version of Tylenol PM kicks in, I figured that I had better type something and get it in before deadline. I have come up with a fresh column each and every week for five years. It would have been shameful to miss the five year anniversary column.
By the way, I have each and every column I have written still on my computer and have also put them online. You can find every single previous column I have written for The Selma News through my web site, www.troylaplante.com. I even have LaPlante’s Rants t-shirts, if you want one. Nobody has bought one in five years, but I still have them available. I do believe that I have the only one in existence until someone buys one. Yes, I made t-shirts available, and I make no apologies for that, either.
It is hard to believe that it has been five years already, but it has. I would like to thank Rick Stewart, the publisher of this fine hometown newspaper, for the opportunity that he gave an opinionated nobody like me to be able to write my inane babblings in a newspaper. I would like to thank everyone for their feedback whether positive or negative. I love both, believe it or not, especially when the criticisms are civil. I also want to thank you, the readers. I do not take it for granted that you actually read my unintelligible musings. I am grateful for the opportunity and will endeavor to continue being faithful in the work.
Sunday, July 17, 2011
FIVE YEARS
This week marks the five year anniversary of writing "LaPlante's Rants" in The Selma News. It is hard to believe that it has been that long, but it has. I am grateful for the opportunity and will endeavor to continue being faithful in the work.
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Column for July 14, 2011
Recently I started playing a game on the internet (on Facebook, to be exact). I am not much for games. I have tried a few over the years. Some have interested me for a brief period of time, others not at all. This one, however, has kept my interest for a couple of months now. Quite honestly, I have learned a lot about the “ins and outs” of the game, and can see many parallels to real life.
The game is called “Glory of Rome”. It is a war game set in ancient Roman times. In it, you establish a city, build it up with various buildings, farms, quarries, and other sources of supplies needed to build up armies. The more buildings and armies you create, the higher the glory level you attain. One can attack enemy encampments, other cities, join alliances, work together with other players, and make it as much or as little as you see fit.
How is this relevant, you might ask? There are some things I see that pertain to real life. The first is that you have to start out small and take responsibility for your own growth. If you grow in this game, it is your own fault. If you stay small, it is your own fault. The same applies to one’s career and family. Sure, we all have opportunities that others do not. There are some people in life that seem to have opportunities handed to them and it seems unfair. In this game, however, you are directly responsible for your own growth and destiny, as are the vast majority of people in this world.
In the game, I choose to associate with an alliance. I have been a part of three alliances so far. An alliance is merely a group of people acting together as friendly people and the strength of the whole outweighs that of the individual. In any alliance, there are new players and more experienced players. There are players with a high level of proficiency, and there are those with a low proficiency level. There are those with a high availability of resources at their disposal and there are those who struggle with basics like food and building supplies.
When I did not like how the alliance was going in my first association, I quietly left. They were a weakening alliance and some players were leaving. Sometimes that is by necessity, sometimes by choice. I have the duty to myself to associate with those who would help improve my situation. My freedom of association is entirely of my choosing, provided that they choose to reciprocate and associate with me. I chose to better myself by associating with a better group of people. I was invited to join another group and they were much more like family. We all shared game strategies, resources, troop reinforcements, and did battle together. As I learned the ways of the game, sometimes at great expense, I grew in stature and power. I have always taken the time to help newer players learn what I have learned and share my bounty with them. In return, others have done the same with me. The third alliance came out of a merger between ours and a former enemy alliance with whom we were in a bitter war. Together, we are stronger and work well together. We can look over world and even American history and see the parallel. That is basically how the colonies became the United States of America.
I notice that all people who choose to help others do so at their own discretion. Nobody is forced into helping others, but those who do typically are the bigger players. Their success trickles down to other either less fortunate or less successful players. They are able to share their abundance with others without the need of a governing official requiring that we each give a certain amount of money to be redistributed to others. The benevolence proves the adage, “a rising tide raises all ships”. The same applies to the real world and our economic system.
In my cities, I am the dictator. I set tax rates in order to extract money from my citizens. I choose what and how many facilities I can build. I am ultimately responsible for the citizens in my cities. If I tax too heavily, the number of citizens will decline, happiness will decline, and my production of currency will decline. This hurts my troop support, the availability of fresh population for troop development, and hurts production on my farms, in my quarries, in my iron mines, etc. There is a basic economics lesson there.
If I produce the troops and population, I am responsible for feeding them. I don’t ask some government chancellor to feed my own population. If I birthed them, then I have make the upkeep happen, or they do not get fed. Why should anyone else be responsible for the population that I created? For my houses? For my transportation? If I take poor decisions, why should others be forced to pay the price to fix my mess? Others may give willingly to do so, but that is their prerogative. See the parallel to life and good governance?
Just from something as simple as a game on the internet, I can glean nuggets and parables of life, so to speak. By the way, if anyone wants to play the game, hit me up on Facebook. Just search my name and you will find me. Freedom of association is a beautiful thing.
The game is called “Glory of Rome”. It is a war game set in ancient Roman times. In it, you establish a city, build it up with various buildings, farms, quarries, and other sources of supplies needed to build up armies. The more buildings and armies you create, the higher the glory level you attain. One can attack enemy encampments, other cities, join alliances, work together with other players, and make it as much or as little as you see fit.
How is this relevant, you might ask? There are some things I see that pertain to real life. The first is that you have to start out small and take responsibility for your own growth. If you grow in this game, it is your own fault. If you stay small, it is your own fault. The same applies to one’s career and family. Sure, we all have opportunities that others do not. There are some people in life that seem to have opportunities handed to them and it seems unfair. In this game, however, you are directly responsible for your own growth and destiny, as are the vast majority of people in this world.
In the game, I choose to associate with an alliance. I have been a part of three alliances so far. An alliance is merely a group of people acting together as friendly people and the strength of the whole outweighs that of the individual. In any alliance, there are new players and more experienced players. There are players with a high level of proficiency, and there are those with a low proficiency level. There are those with a high availability of resources at their disposal and there are those who struggle with basics like food and building supplies.
When I did not like how the alliance was going in my first association, I quietly left. They were a weakening alliance and some players were leaving. Sometimes that is by necessity, sometimes by choice. I have the duty to myself to associate with those who would help improve my situation. My freedom of association is entirely of my choosing, provided that they choose to reciprocate and associate with me. I chose to better myself by associating with a better group of people. I was invited to join another group and they were much more like family. We all shared game strategies, resources, troop reinforcements, and did battle together. As I learned the ways of the game, sometimes at great expense, I grew in stature and power. I have always taken the time to help newer players learn what I have learned and share my bounty with them. In return, others have done the same with me. The third alliance came out of a merger between ours and a former enemy alliance with whom we were in a bitter war. Together, we are stronger and work well together. We can look over world and even American history and see the parallel. That is basically how the colonies became the United States of America.
I notice that all people who choose to help others do so at their own discretion. Nobody is forced into helping others, but those who do typically are the bigger players. Their success trickles down to other either less fortunate or less successful players. They are able to share their abundance with others without the need of a governing official requiring that we each give a certain amount of money to be redistributed to others. The benevolence proves the adage, “a rising tide raises all ships”. The same applies to the real world and our economic system.
In my cities, I am the dictator. I set tax rates in order to extract money from my citizens. I choose what and how many facilities I can build. I am ultimately responsible for the citizens in my cities. If I tax too heavily, the number of citizens will decline, happiness will decline, and my production of currency will decline. This hurts my troop support, the availability of fresh population for troop development, and hurts production on my farms, in my quarries, in my iron mines, etc. There is a basic economics lesson there.
If I produce the troops and population, I am responsible for feeding them. I don’t ask some government chancellor to feed my own population. If I birthed them, then I have make the upkeep happen, or they do not get fed. Why should anyone else be responsible for the population that I created? For my houses? For my transportation? If I take poor decisions, why should others be forced to pay the price to fix my mess? Others may give willingly to do so, but that is their prerogative. See the parallel to life and good governance?
Just from something as simple as a game on the internet, I can glean nuggets and parables of life, so to speak. By the way, if anyone wants to play the game, hit me up on Facebook. Just search my name and you will find me. Freedom of association is a beautiful thing.
Wednesday, July 06, 2011
Column for July 7, 2011
In last week’s edition of “The Selma News”, it was announced that Councilwoman Cheryl Oliver will run for mayor instead of re-election for her own seat on the Town Council. If Charles Hester follows through with his announced intention to run for re-election, that will make for an interesting race. The town politics rivalry between the Baptists and the Methodists should be very interesting. For years I have heard about the unofficial rivalry between the congregants of the Selma Baptist Church and Edgerton Memorial United Methodist Church.
One thing that I will say for Cheryl Oliver is that she had a well run and polished campaign when she first ran for town council. Ms. Oliver has been one of the most responsive individuals whenever I have had a comment or concern. I may not always agree with her decisions, but kudos belong to whom they are due.
Cheryl Oliver said that she wants to promote and implement a higher level of teamwork between our citizens, elected officials, town staff, committees, merchants, etc. Also, to increase the level of community involvement in critical matters affecting the town. I am in full agreement, though I don’t see those as two different items but one and the same. I have not much cared for the dictatorial, bullying style of management that I have witnessed over the past six years or so. I let my term expire on two town committees since they were either never utilized or rarely heeded, and did not appreciate the indifference that resulted in frustration and wasted time.
One other issue that Ms. Oliver raised is ensuring “a high level of fiscal responsibility that addresses the realities of today and the possibilities of tomorrow”. Ms. Oliver’s marketing background obviously shows in all of her points, especially this one, but again, I am in agreement. We are in times of tight budgets. There have been high calls for fiscal responsibility at all levels of government, and people are growing weary of the freedom and resources that have been taken from them in order to support the opulent spending of government and power grabs over the last 60 plus years. We have to look no further than next door to the Town of Smithfield and the recent spending issues they encountered with unauthorized, hefty pay increases for an example.
In the same vein as fiscal responsibility, I look again to “The Selma News”, this time from two weeks ago when the town looked (yet again) at the idea of a new town hall building. I am a huge proponent of taking care of the facilities that we have rather than acquiring new ones. I am not saying that I am in favor of doing anything at all with facility improvements, since inaction in this case is indeed a very viable option. However, when faced with the two options of renovation of the existing building or erecting a new edifice elsewhere, I can only look at the numbers and location. The numbers show a difference of $400,000 betwixt the two options. To a small town like ours, that is significant, so renovation gets my choice as the lesser of two evils. The present town hall is right smack in the middle of our downtown district, which is where a town hall ought to be.
I have a problem with the argument that the existing building does not meet building code as a reason to build a new one. I have found that officials or consultants will throw out generally ambiguous and often specious “code requirement” arguments in order to affect a desired result. I have my suspicions on this report and the direction it points. Perhaps things have radically changed since I got my NC State Building Code class certificate years ago. Perhaps not.
As to the desired “future growth” for town hall, why would we need to grow? I don’t want any government growing, especially that of the town. Town governments are often the most overlooked but can be the most impacting. Towns affect how and where you can build, how you use your property, affect trash collection, electrical use, the roads on which you drive, and your tax rates. And yet people often dismiss local elections and government as being unworthy of their time or effort. I certainly don’t see it that way. If a government grows, it means that it is taking in more revenue in order to feed that growth. With said growth often comes erosion of liberty.
I have already edited out much from this column and have so much more to say, but I have to wind it up for the sake of brevity. I am not endorsing any candidate for the mayoral race. The filing period does not close for another week, and I am anxious to see who else may file for not only mayor, but for town council as well. One thing is for sure, though. I am looking for fiscal responsibility and teamwork from any candidate who may be running for office in my town.
One thing that I will say for Cheryl Oliver is that she had a well run and polished campaign when she first ran for town council. Ms. Oliver has been one of the most responsive individuals whenever I have had a comment or concern. I may not always agree with her decisions, but kudos belong to whom they are due.
Cheryl Oliver said that she wants to promote and implement a higher level of teamwork between our citizens, elected officials, town staff, committees, merchants, etc. Also, to increase the level of community involvement in critical matters affecting the town. I am in full agreement, though I don’t see those as two different items but one and the same. I have not much cared for the dictatorial, bullying style of management that I have witnessed over the past six years or so. I let my term expire on two town committees since they were either never utilized or rarely heeded, and did not appreciate the indifference that resulted in frustration and wasted time.
One other issue that Ms. Oliver raised is ensuring “a high level of fiscal responsibility that addresses the realities of today and the possibilities of tomorrow”. Ms. Oliver’s marketing background obviously shows in all of her points, especially this one, but again, I am in agreement. We are in times of tight budgets. There have been high calls for fiscal responsibility at all levels of government, and people are growing weary of the freedom and resources that have been taken from them in order to support the opulent spending of government and power grabs over the last 60 plus years. We have to look no further than next door to the Town of Smithfield and the recent spending issues they encountered with unauthorized, hefty pay increases for an example.
In the same vein as fiscal responsibility, I look again to “The Selma News”, this time from two weeks ago when the town looked (yet again) at the idea of a new town hall building. I am a huge proponent of taking care of the facilities that we have rather than acquiring new ones. I am not saying that I am in favor of doing anything at all with facility improvements, since inaction in this case is indeed a very viable option. However, when faced with the two options of renovation of the existing building or erecting a new edifice elsewhere, I can only look at the numbers and location. The numbers show a difference of $400,000 betwixt the two options. To a small town like ours, that is significant, so renovation gets my choice as the lesser of two evils. The present town hall is right smack in the middle of our downtown district, which is where a town hall ought to be.
I have a problem with the argument that the existing building does not meet building code as a reason to build a new one. I have found that officials or consultants will throw out generally ambiguous and often specious “code requirement” arguments in order to affect a desired result. I have my suspicions on this report and the direction it points. Perhaps things have radically changed since I got my NC State Building Code class certificate years ago. Perhaps not.
As to the desired “future growth” for town hall, why would we need to grow? I don’t want any government growing, especially that of the town. Town governments are often the most overlooked but can be the most impacting. Towns affect how and where you can build, how you use your property, affect trash collection, electrical use, the roads on which you drive, and your tax rates. And yet people often dismiss local elections and government as being unworthy of their time or effort. I certainly don’t see it that way. If a government grows, it means that it is taking in more revenue in order to feed that growth. With said growth often comes erosion of liberty.
I have already edited out much from this column and have so much more to say, but I have to wind it up for the sake of brevity. I am not endorsing any candidate for the mayoral race. The filing period does not close for another week, and I am anxious to see who else may file for not only mayor, but for town council as well. One thing is for sure, though. I am looking for fiscal responsibility and teamwork from any candidate who may be running for office in my town.
Friday, July 01, 2011
Column for June 30, 2011
Governor Beverly Perdue plays hypocritical politics with no real logic sometimes. I have come to the conclusion that she is not looking out for the best interests of the citizens of North Carolina but is rather looking out for the interests of herself and those who may keep her in power. I realize that this is not exactly a newsflash, but though I disagree with Old Bev on a good number of things, I have been trying to give her the benefit of the doubt. There were a few things that she did that gave me a glimmer of hope that she may be better than I originally feared, but she has been choking off the hope I was holding.
When 75% of your electorate support something, you had better take notice. Three quarters of North Carolinians (so I have read) were fully in support of the idea of having to prove your identity when casting a ballot in the state. The last I checked, we were still a sovereign state (at least the last time I read the 10th Amendment to the US Constitution we were, anyway). As a free state, we can decide how we wish to run elections.
Governor Perdue has vetoed a bill requiring people to show official photo identification at the polls. She said, “North Carolinians who are eligible to vote have a constitutionally guaranteed right to cast their ballots, and no one should put up obstacles to citizens exercising that right...This bill, as written, will unnecessarily and unfairly disenfranchise many eligible and legitimate voters. The legislature should pass a less extreme bill that allows for other forms of identification, such as those permitted under federal law.”
You see, that is the problem. People who are eligible to vote should have to prove that they are eligible. I have to show a photo ID when I cash a check, use a credit card, purchase alcohol, apply for a passport, open a bank account, request government documents, get stopped by a police officer for speeding, apply for a job, or any host of different activities. Why should voting be any different?
The argument that we would unnecessarily and unfairly disenfranchise eligible and legitimate voters is a specious one and quite frankly, you can use that argument to fertilize your garden, if you know what I mean. I do not buy the idea for one minute that a legitimate voter would have any problem producing a valid photo ID, whether it is a passport, driver’s license, or a state issued ID card. The only possible reason to not want a photo ID requirement is that you actually support election fraud, non-citizens voting, and are hoping that people who have no business voting for your overly liberal ideals will cast multiple ballots for you under fictitious, fraudulent, multiple, illegitimate, or unverifiable names.
As to the argument that we should scale back any proposed law to meet federal law requirements, I again point to the fact that this is North Carolina, not the federal government. We set up our own laws and are not required to merely duplicate some other guidelines. Anybody who thinks that federal government regulation should trump our own autonomy has either lost touch with how our government should and can operate or is completely ignorant thereof.
The hypocritical part is that at the same time, Old Bev did sign into law a bunch of bills that make her appear to protect North Carolina residents. Bills signed include tougher DWI penalties, the creation of a task force on fraud perpetrated against the elderly (not that a task force actually does anything but have meetings), mental illness care provision, new building code requirements, and the like. She just does not want to protect us against financial crisis and election fraud.
I mentioned that she sometimes does things with which I agree and that occasionally give me a ray of hope. Gov. Perdue signed a bill that improves existing gun laws (not that I am a fan of gun laws, but these provisions are at least providing more freedoms) and establishes the castle doctrine for home defense. That is a huge positive in my opinion. She also signed “The Founding Principles Act” requiring the teaching of US history in high school, and the “Government Reduction Act” which is intended to reduce state government by abolishing certain state boards, commissions and committees.
The blatant contradiction and hypocrisy here is hard for me, since I see the good, the bad, and the ugly in the decisions taken by our governor. I recognize the good decisions and want to have hope. But I have also seen the stupidity in action and that sort of cancels out the hope I had.
When 75% of your electorate support something, you had better take notice. Three quarters of North Carolinians (so I have read) were fully in support of the idea of having to prove your identity when casting a ballot in the state. The last I checked, we were still a sovereign state (at least the last time I read the 10th Amendment to the US Constitution we were, anyway). As a free state, we can decide how we wish to run elections.
Governor Perdue has vetoed a bill requiring people to show official photo identification at the polls. She said, “North Carolinians who are eligible to vote have a constitutionally guaranteed right to cast their ballots, and no one should put up obstacles to citizens exercising that right...This bill, as written, will unnecessarily and unfairly disenfranchise many eligible and legitimate voters. The legislature should pass a less extreme bill that allows for other forms of identification, such as those permitted under federal law.”
You see, that is the problem. People who are eligible to vote should have to prove that they are eligible. I have to show a photo ID when I cash a check, use a credit card, purchase alcohol, apply for a passport, open a bank account, request government documents, get stopped by a police officer for speeding, apply for a job, or any host of different activities. Why should voting be any different?
The argument that we would unnecessarily and unfairly disenfranchise eligible and legitimate voters is a specious one and quite frankly, you can use that argument to fertilize your garden, if you know what I mean. I do not buy the idea for one minute that a legitimate voter would have any problem producing a valid photo ID, whether it is a passport, driver’s license, or a state issued ID card. The only possible reason to not want a photo ID requirement is that you actually support election fraud, non-citizens voting, and are hoping that people who have no business voting for your overly liberal ideals will cast multiple ballots for you under fictitious, fraudulent, multiple, illegitimate, or unverifiable names.
As to the argument that we should scale back any proposed law to meet federal law requirements, I again point to the fact that this is North Carolina, not the federal government. We set up our own laws and are not required to merely duplicate some other guidelines. Anybody who thinks that federal government regulation should trump our own autonomy has either lost touch with how our government should and can operate or is completely ignorant thereof.
The hypocritical part is that at the same time, Old Bev did sign into law a bunch of bills that make her appear to protect North Carolina residents. Bills signed include tougher DWI penalties, the creation of a task force on fraud perpetrated against the elderly (not that a task force actually does anything but have meetings), mental illness care provision, new building code requirements, and the like. She just does not want to protect us against financial crisis and election fraud.
I mentioned that she sometimes does things with which I agree and that occasionally give me a ray of hope. Gov. Perdue signed a bill that improves existing gun laws (not that I am a fan of gun laws, but these provisions are at least providing more freedoms) and establishes the castle doctrine for home defense. That is a huge positive in my opinion. She also signed “The Founding Principles Act” requiring the teaching of US history in high school, and the “Government Reduction Act” which is intended to reduce state government by abolishing certain state boards, commissions and committees.
The blatant contradiction and hypocrisy here is hard for me, since I see the good, the bad, and the ugly in the decisions taken by our governor. I recognize the good decisions and want to have hope. But I have also seen the stupidity in action and that sort of cancels out the hope I had.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Column for June 23, 2011
I have had some interesting discussions lately on the purpose of government, the origins of government, and the rule of law. In this country, we are thankfully guaranteed a republican form of government as opposed to a democracy. That federal guarantee flows down to the states, counties, and municipalities, since we have representatives that we engage on our behalf from within the public (res publica, meaning roughly “public matter”, the root of the word, republic).
It is a public matter what happens in our government, and we should take note of things that are contrary to the public good. It has been said that “you get what you pay for”. That is not always axiomatic. It is a surety, however, that we pay for what we get. Keeping an eye on what we pay for is indeed a public matter.
Occasionally we contend with sheer hubris on the part of our hirelings in government. Here is a case in point. You may have read about the Town of Smithfield’s dismissal of their town manager. The town manager serves at the pleasure of the town council and when it is right to do so, they should indeed remove their hireling from his job. Ostensibly, the removal was for unapproved hefty pay raises for a number of Smithfield town employees. The town council did not give the assent to these pay raises; the town manager agreed to give them without seeking their approval. To be sure the town manager did not act solely on his own and he was not the only one who knew that unauthorized pay raises were being given. Not only has the town manager been fired but the town clerk has left her position in disgrace. The Smithfield town attorney has put in many hours of legal work and advice, and that has cost the town many more thousands of dollars.
In a down economy where every level of government has to cut spending (a lesson that North Carolina Governor Beverly Perdue had to learn the hard way), it was a travesty to see a town have a scandal like that, the public trust betrayed, and needless cost incurred in hard financial times. The government does not exist to provide employment for people. Rather it exists to serve and protect the people of the town. It is the creation of the townsfolk. The townsfolk of Smithfield did not get what they were paying for but they sure are paying for what they got.
The other day I interacted with a public educator who complained about last week’s vote by the North Carolina General Assembly to override the governor’s veto of the budget. The budget made necessary cuts to education spending. Since it is the biggest budget item, it has to be on the chopping block like everything else on which the state spends our money. We were spending far too much money in many areas, including education. We had a lot of extra staff that were not necessary and were funded by temporary revenue sources. Cutting the extra is not wrong, it is the responsible thing to do. We the taxpayers, via our elected representatives, demanded that our schools be run more efficiently and responsibly.
If any teachers or staff members will lose their jobs, I sympathize. My wife has been out of work for over two years and I have been unemployed before, too. Our household budget is tighter than it has been in years. But I also understand the public good versus the individual good. As I told this one educator for the record, I have worked for the federal government, the state, and a municipality in my career, so yes, I understand government work and public sector employment. It is both because of this and being a taxpayer that I have little tolerance for whining by public employees. Instead of decrying having to pay more for health care benefits and perhaps a slight pay cut, their attitude has to be one of gratitude that they still have jobs. I personally know too many people out of work who wish they had such employment.
Again, it is not the job of government to supply employment, it is to serve the public. As is the case with our public schools and for the taxpayers in the Town of Smithfield, the public did not get what they paid for, but are certainly paying for what they got from government.
It is a public matter what happens in our government, and we should take note of things that are contrary to the public good. It has been said that “you get what you pay for”. That is not always axiomatic. It is a surety, however, that we pay for what we get. Keeping an eye on what we pay for is indeed a public matter.
Occasionally we contend with sheer hubris on the part of our hirelings in government. Here is a case in point. You may have read about the Town of Smithfield’s dismissal of their town manager. The town manager serves at the pleasure of the town council and when it is right to do so, they should indeed remove their hireling from his job. Ostensibly, the removal was for unapproved hefty pay raises for a number of Smithfield town employees. The town council did not give the assent to these pay raises; the town manager agreed to give them without seeking their approval. To be sure the town manager did not act solely on his own and he was not the only one who knew that unauthorized pay raises were being given. Not only has the town manager been fired but the town clerk has left her position in disgrace. The Smithfield town attorney has put in many hours of legal work and advice, and that has cost the town many more thousands of dollars.
In a down economy where every level of government has to cut spending (a lesson that North Carolina Governor Beverly Perdue had to learn the hard way), it was a travesty to see a town have a scandal like that, the public trust betrayed, and needless cost incurred in hard financial times. The government does not exist to provide employment for people. Rather it exists to serve and protect the people of the town. It is the creation of the townsfolk. The townsfolk of Smithfield did not get what they were paying for but they sure are paying for what they got.
The other day I interacted with a public educator who complained about last week’s vote by the North Carolina General Assembly to override the governor’s veto of the budget. The budget made necessary cuts to education spending. Since it is the biggest budget item, it has to be on the chopping block like everything else on which the state spends our money. We were spending far too much money in many areas, including education. We had a lot of extra staff that were not necessary and were funded by temporary revenue sources. Cutting the extra is not wrong, it is the responsible thing to do. We the taxpayers, via our elected representatives, demanded that our schools be run more efficiently and responsibly.
If any teachers or staff members will lose their jobs, I sympathize. My wife has been out of work for over two years and I have been unemployed before, too. Our household budget is tighter than it has been in years. But I also understand the public good versus the individual good. As I told this one educator for the record, I have worked for the federal government, the state, and a municipality in my career, so yes, I understand government work and public sector employment. It is both because of this and being a taxpayer that I have little tolerance for whining by public employees. Instead of decrying having to pay more for health care benefits and perhaps a slight pay cut, their attitude has to be one of gratitude that they still have jobs. I personally know too many people out of work who wish they had such employment.
Again, it is not the job of government to supply employment, it is to serve the public. As is the case with our public schools and for the taxpayers in the Town of Smithfield, the public did not get what they paid for, but are certainly paying for what they got from government.
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Column for June 16, 2011
This past weekend, I had the pleasure of taking a camping and whitewater rafting trip with a pack of Cub Scouts in the North Carolina mountains. Since we were in Swain and Jackson counties, we visited the area’s famous “Road to Nowhere” (or “Tunnel to Nowhere”, depending upon whom you ask). It is a classic example of government stupidity. I did some research on the tunnel and road project and unfortunately found that this is not an isolated case. If you are on the internet, use a search engine to look for “road to nowhere” and “tunnel to nowhere”. You will be amazed at what you find.
In this case, the US Government took a great deal of land from residents with the promise of building a new road. The Tennessee Valley Authority was going to take the land (including a regularly used road) to build a man made lake. The new road was supposed to link residents to the town of Fontana and some family burial grounds stranded by the TVA project. This began in the 1930’s and stretched through the 1940’s. After building only six miles of road, including a tunnel through 1200 feet of rock, the road project was abandoned by 1969. That left the other promised 26 miles of road undone. Forty years later, instead of finishing the promised road, the federal government just gave Swain County $52 million to settle the issue.
There are several things I take away from this debacle. First, that the government is, in general, inefficient at keeping its promises and really has little regard for the personal inconvenience it inflicts upon its citizenry. I’ll have more on that later. Second, if you have a dispute with the government, it can take a half century to resolve the problem, and in a manner generally unacceptable to those most severely affected. Third, the government is actually capable of abandoning projects and spending.
Depending upon your source, it is said that the Bryson City “road to nowhere” (which literally just stops at a horse trail on the side of a mountain. I walked through the tunnel and on the road to its terminal point) was discontinued because of funding. If the government can stop paying for a project that it can not afford, why can we not do the same with entitlement programs? Why can we not stop wasteful spending? When we hired too many staff members in government, schools, and/or obsolete, duplicate programs, why can we not stop spending on them, just like the road to nowhere?
To put an exclamation point on my perspective, just this afternoon I was sitting in stopped traffic on the Durham Freeway because all traffic was blocked in all directions around Durham and the RDU Airport because President Obama was giving essentially a campaign speech. When it was time for him to leave town, law enforcement closed down traffic, essentially shutting down the area for the movement of one person and his “yes men”.
The ironic thing is that the business he visited in Durham is Cree, Inc. Cree is a company that manufactures energy efficient lighting and employs about 5,000 people. He was supposed to talk about American job growth. This business has half of it employees in China and yet benefited from a $39 million advanced energy manufacturing tax credit through the last stimulus spending package. They have also received nearly two million dollars of direct taxpayer funding for research and development. OK, if tax breaks yield business development, why don’t we just lower taxes across the board? It worked for George Bush, Ronald Reagan, and John Kennedy.
I wonder just how much this major traffic inconvenience cost the US taxpayer. I am sure it was in the millions of dollars considering the employees who could not show up to work and were not paid because of the security, the cost of flying Air Force One and ground transportation into Durham, the cost of security at all levels of government, and the loss of advertising revenue on broadcast outlets that covered the speech.
If we can drop a promised construction project that would have given great benefit to a lot of people in a poor section of the country who lost their ancestral homeland to eminent domain, why can we not stop spending millions of dollars for a sitting politician to give campaign speeches at taxpayer expense? This is especially ironic and painful when I consider the fact that President Obama gave a speech on job creation and business recovery when he, probably more than anyone else, is directly responsible for the lack thereof.
We have proven that we can stop spending. Why, oh why can we not stop spending in areas that just plain make sense?
In this case, the US Government took a great deal of land from residents with the promise of building a new road. The Tennessee Valley Authority was going to take the land (including a regularly used road) to build a man made lake. The new road was supposed to link residents to the town of Fontana and some family burial grounds stranded by the TVA project. This began in the 1930’s and stretched through the 1940’s. After building only six miles of road, including a tunnel through 1200 feet of rock, the road project was abandoned by 1969. That left the other promised 26 miles of road undone. Forty years later, instead of finishing the promised road, the federal government just gave Swain County $52 million to settle the issue.
There are several things I take away from this debacle. First, that the government is, in general, inefficient at keeping its promises and really has little regard for the personal inconvenience it inflicts upon its citizenry. I’ll have more on that later. Second, if you have a dispute with the government, it can take a half century to resolve the problem, and in a manner generally unacceptable to those most severely affected. Third, the government is actually capable of abandoning projects and spending.
Depending upon your source, it is said that the Bryson City “road to nowhere” (which literally just stops at a horse trail on the side of a mountain. I walked through the tunnel and on the road to its terminal point) was discontinued because of funding. If the government can stop paying for a project that it can not afford, why can we not do the same with entitlement programs? Why can we not stop wasteful spending? When we hired too many staff members in government, schools, and/or obsolete, duplicate programs, why can we not stop spending on them, just like the road to nowhere?
To put an exclamation point on my perspective, just this afternoon I was sitting in stopped traffic on the Durham Freeway because all traffic was blocked in all directions around Durham and the RDU Airport because President Obama was giving essentially a campaign speech. When it was time for him to leave town, law enforcement closed down traffic, essentially shutting down the area for the movement of one person and his “yes men”.
The ironic thing is that the business he visited in Durham is Cree, Inc. Cree is a company that manufactures energy efficient lighting and employs about 5,000 people. He was supposed to talk about American job growth. This business has half of it employees in China and yet benefited from a $39 million advanced energy manufacturing tax credit through the last stimulus spending package. They have also received nearly two million dollars of direct taxpayer funding for research and development. OK, if tax breaks yield business development, why don’t we just lower taxes across the board? It worked for George Bush, Ronald Reagan, and John Kennedy.
I wonder just how much this major traffic inconvenience cost the US taxpayer. I am sure it was in the millions of dollars considering the employees who could not show up to work and were not paid because of the security, the cost of flying Air Force One and ground transportation into Durham, the cost of security at all levels of government, and the loss of advertising revenue on broadcast outlets that covered the speech.
If we can drop a promised construction project that would have given great benefit to a lot of people in a poor section of the country who lost their ancestral homeland to eminent domain, why can we not stop spending millions of dollars for a sitting politician to give campaign speeches at taxpayer expense? This is especially ironic and painful when I consider the fact that President Obama gave a speech on job creation and business recovery when he, probably more than anyone else, is directly responsible for the lack thereof.
We have proven that we can stop spending. Why, oh why can we not stop spending in areas that just plain make sense?
Thursday, June 09, 2011
Column for June 9, 2011
I don’t want to pay your electricity bill. I am sure that you don’t want to pay mine, either. In Selma, our electricity bills contain a lot of taxes. Anything above what we would normally pay by purchasing electricity through Progress Energy is in effect, a tax. The rate we are charged per kilowatt hour in Selma is significantly higher than Progress Energy would normally charge residential retail customers. I have done the math. That is why I kind of like the new “prepaid electricity” concept that Selma is moving towards.
With the majority of Selma residents being renters rather than homeowners, we have a higher than average possible transient population. This can lead to people skipping out on their utility bills. To combat this, the town instituted a hefty deposit requirement for new utility customers. I understand the concept, but also know that a lot of people cannot handle the $450 or so deposit. I know that when I bought my house in town, I would not have been able to fork out for that sort of deposit after all the money I paid just to be able to move in. I realize that the town has a different policy towards actual homeowners but, I am just saying it is difficult for many.
When people leave bills hanging and a deposit does not cover the cost, we, the remaining customers and townsfolk, pay for it one way or another. That is just the simple economics of it. The same principle works for auto or health insurance and private utility companies. We all pay for claims and losses in the end.
The pay as you go principle works well for a lot of people. I have a prepaid cell phone for my wife and we are happy with it for the little bit of use it gets. We can put as much or as little money on our account as we wish, depending upon our usage and budget. For a lot of people, this may be the way to go with electricity bills.
It is bad enough that our trash collection will be going up, which shows up on our utility bills. It is good to see that at least the town is considering ways to alleviate the heavy burden of paying utility bills all at once. Quite honestly, there have been a few times where it was a struggle for us to meet the entire bill. Money is tighter than it used to be for us, but I still make a comfortable living.
If you are like me, you struggled with getting two utility bills in the same month last month. I see that the due date is now different, and I am hoping it will not be permanent. Good grief, that would throw my entire monthly budget into chaos, since for almost nine years I have been budgeting to have my utility bill paid in the middle of the month and my mortgage payment at the end of the month. I am sure that others will have the same frustration. My utility bill can run as high as $400 a month and I don’t know about you, but a $400 swing across two weeks will take some getting used to.
The beautiful part of the prepaid or pay-as-you-go plan is that people can put money on an account ahead of time and their usage draws against that account. For those who can’t afford a whopping bill, are renters, are temporary residents, or frequently delinquent in paying their bills, this may be a great solution.
I have long said that if I am willing to complain about something, I had better be equally willing to compliment. I am complimenting the Town of Selma for the innovation. I am sure that the town would get a lot more compliments from everybody if they would change the rate we are paying on our residential electrical service. The town charges about 13 cents per kilowatt hour whereas Progress Energy direct residential customers pay 9.15 (or 10.15 depending upon the season) per kilowatt hour. Multiply that times the number of kilowatt hours you use and you will be amazed at how fast those extra three or four pennies adds up. One month that made about $100 difference in my bill. That extra $100 is what should be considered extra taxation.
If the town is going to be an electric company, I applaud the effort to be more flexible for its customers. Still, it would be better if we would just get out of Electricities all together, sell off our electrical grid, and let the private sector deliver the same service for less money.
With the majority of Selma residents being renters rather than homeowners, we have a higher than average possible transient population. This can lead to people skipping out on their utility bills. To combat this, the town instituted a hefty deposit requirement for new utility customers. I understand the concept, but also know that a lot of people cannot handle the $450 or so deposit. I know that when I bought my house in town, I would not have been able to fork out for that sort of deposit after all the money I paid just to be able to move in. I realize that the town has a different policy towards actual homeowners but, I am just saying it is difficult for many.
When people leave bills hanging and a deposit does not cover the cost, we, the remaining customers and townsfolk, pay for it one way or another. That is just the simple economics of it. The same principle works for auto or health insurance and private utility companies. We all pay for claims and losses in the end.
The pay as you go principle works well for a lot of people. I have a prepaid cell phone for my wife and we are happy with it for the little bit of use it gets. We can put as much or as little money on our account as we wish, depending upon our usage and budget. For a lot of people, this may be the way to go with electricity bills.
It is bad enough that our trash collection will be going up, which shows up on our utility bills. It is good to see that at least the town is considering ways to alleviate the heavy burden of paying utility bills all at once. Quite honestly, there have been a few times where it was a struggle for us to meet the entire bill. Money is tighter than it used to be for us, but I still make a comfortable living.
If you are like me, you struggled with getting two utility bills in the same month last month. I see that the due date is now different, and I am hoping it will not be permanent. Good grief, that would throw my entire monthly budget into chaos, since for almost nine years I have been budgeting to have my utility bill paid in the middle of the month and my mortgage payment at the end of the month. I am sure that others will have the same frustration. My utility bill can run as high as $400 a month and I don’t know about you, but a $400 swing across two weeks will take some getting used to.
The beautiful part of the prepaid or pay-as-you-go plan is that people can put money on an account ahead of time and their usage draws against that account. For those who can’t afford a whopping bill, are renters, are temporary residents, or frequently delinquent in paying their bills, this may be a great solution.
I have long said that if I am willing to complain about something, I had better be equally willing to compliment. I am complimenting the Town of Selma for the innovation. I am sure that the town would get a lot more compliments from everybody if they would change the rate we are paying on our residential electrical service. The town charges about 13 cents per kilowatt hour whereas Progress Energy direct residential customers pay 9.15 (or 10.15 depending upon the season) per kilowatt hour. Multiply that times the number of kilowatt hours you use and you will be amazed at how fast those extra three or four pennies adds up. One month that made about $100 difference in my bill. That extra $100 is what should be considered extra taxation.
If the town is going to be an electric company, I applaud the effort to be more flexible for its customers. Still, it would be better if we would just get out of Electricities all together, sell off our electrical grid, and let the private sector deliver the same service for less money.
Wednesday, June 01, 2011
Stephen LaRoque
Just for the public record, prior to writing my column, I wrote Stephen LaRoque to thank him for his stance.
On 5/27/2011 4:30 PM, Troy LaPlante wrote:
On 5/27/2011 4:30 PM, Troy LaPlante wrote:
Thank you for showing enough courage to stand up against William Barber and the NAACP. Racism is wrong, regardless of from whom it comes. Barber is a race pimp who constantly incites racist views in order to keep his job. Nothing will satisfy him on any topic as long as he can find a way to come up with an angle that enables him to stir up racism.
I am not from your district (I am from Johnston County), but I am proud of you for having the spine to take a stand. I wish that there were more like you in the NC Legislature.
http://www.wral.com/news/state/nccapitol/story/9653960/ is the story I read about you and I have shared it all over my web presence.
Column for June 2, 2011
I have a new hero. I am not familiar with all of his stances, but Stephen LaRoque, a member of the North Carolina State Legislator from the Kinston area, showed what I thought was courage and conviction. I have remarked in the past about how I consider the “Reverend” William Barber, the state President of the NAACP, to be nothing but a race pimp that exploits his own people for money and power.
The NAACP was recently planning a protest against proposed state budget cuts and proclaimed, "Tea Party extremists seized the Republican Party and declared war on African Americans, poor people and other minorities." I find this patently absurd. The budget cuts have nothing to do with race or financial class. Then again, maybe they do. It is because of the alleged poor that we have so much entitlement spending. It is because of minorities that illegally immigrate from other countries that we end up giving away tons of money in welfare, health care, child care, food assistance programs, and have an ever increasing cost of educating their children.
I applaud the courage of Stephen LaRoque for not taking allegations like that without fighting back. He wrote the NAACP and told them, "I have no interest in receiving anything from a racist such as William Barber. He and the NC NAACP represent everything that is wrong with race relations in our state and country. You should be ashamed of yourself for continuing to promote racism but that is the modern day legacy of the NAACP as a racist organization led by racist individuals who are cowards."
Groups like the NAACP have made themselves irrelevant. In particular, the NAACP has become nothing but a group of self-serving troublemakers. They have no real interest in ending racism. If they did, they would not find racism where it does not exist. In Wake County, the desire to return to community based schools has nothing to do with race; it is a matter of common sense and fiscal responsibility. Cutting state budget over spending has nothing to do with race; it is a matter of common sense and fiscal responsibility. When the NAACP “stirs the pot” and cry racism where none exists, it is obvious that it is just another effort to create perpetual anger and animosity so that people like William Barber (along with Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, and Benjamin Jealous) can still have a job. If there was no massive perceived racism, there would be no need for the NAACP and race pimps.
Don’t get me wrong, there is racism still alive and well. When I first moved to the South, I ran across racism quite a bit, much to my astonishment. See, where I grew up, everybody was White, for the most part. People were mostly of French, Polish, Italian, or Anglo extraction in that area. My best friend while growing up (and we still are good buddies) was a Pole with a long last name that ended in “ski”. I won’t type the whole name so I don’t flip out my spell checker. The only Black kid in school had a last name of White (I am not joking, really) and was adopted by White parents. We told jokes about everybody, including ourselves. I grew up in a very French family and we told Frenchman jokes all the time. We had Black jokes, Jewish jokes, Polish jokes, and well, you get the idea. We all had a sense of humor and were equal opportunity offenders.
Coming from New England, I had always heard about racism in The South. I sure ran across it in a major way after moving here. And for certain, racism is not just one way. There are racists and racism in every ethnic group. I got a lot of racism from Black folks and I saw a lot of White folks exercise their racist attitudes and actions, as well. Regardless from which direction it came, it was wrong. I can honestly say that I understand it, but do not excuse it.
Just because the “Reverend” William Barber (who should spend more time preaching the gospel of Christ rather than the gospel of social justice that he peddles) is Black, that does not mean that he can not be just as racist as any Klansman. They just wear different style robes.
Personally, I am sick and tired of claims of racism where none exist. To me, it is only common sense to stop spending money we don’t have, to have children attend public schools local to them, and that not every decision made by men has racist undertones. But then again, if everyone thought that way, the NAACP would be out of business.
The NAACP was recently planning a protest against proposed state budget cuts and proclaimed, "Tea Party extremists seized the Republican Party and declared war on African Americans, poor people and other minorities." I find this patently absurd. The budget cuts have nothing to do with race or financial class. Then again, maybe they do. It is because of the alleged poor that we have so much entitlement spending. It is because of minorities that illegally immigrate from other countries that we end up giving away tons of money in welfare, health care, child care, food assistance programs, and have an ever increasing cost of educating their children.
I applaud the courage of Stephen LaRoque for not taking allegations like that without fighting back. He wrote the NAACP and told them, "I have no interest in receiving anything from a racist such as William Barber. He and the NC NAACP represent everything that is wrong with race relations in our state and country. You should be ashamed of yourself for continuing to promote racism but that is the modern day legacy of the NAACP as a racist organization led by racist individuals who are cowards."
Groups like the NAACP have made themselves irrelevant. In particular, the NAACP has become nothing but a group of self-serving troublemakers. They have no real interest in ending racism. If they did, they would not find racism where it does not exist. In Wake County, the desire to return to community based schools has nothing to do with race; it is a matter of common sense and fiscal responsibility. Cutting state budget over spending has nothing to do with race; it is a matter of common sense and fiscal responsibility. When the NAACP “stirs the pot” and cry racism where none exists, it is obvious that it is just another effort to create perpetual anger and animosity so that people like William Barber (along with Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, and Benjamin Jealous) can still have a job. If there was no massive perceived racism, there would be no need for the NAACP and race pimps.
Don’t get me wrong, there is racism still alive and well. When I first moved to the South, I ran across racism quite a bit, much to my astonishment. See, where I grew up, everybody was White, for the most part. People were mostly of French, Polish, Italian, or Anglo extraction in that area. My best friend while growing up (and we still are good buddies) was a Pole with a long last name that ended in “ski”. I won’t type the whole name so I don’t flip out my spell checker. The only Black kid in school had a last name of White (I am not joking, really) and was adopted by White parents. We told jokes about everybody, including ourselves. I grew up in a very French family and we told Frenchman jokes all the time. We had Black jokes, Jewish jokes, Polish jokes, and well, you get the idea. We all had a sense of humor and were equal opportunity offenders.
Coming from New England, I had always heard about racism in The South. I sure ran across it in a major way after moving here. And for certain, racism is not just one way. There are racists and racism in every ethnic group. I got a lot of racism from Black folks and I saw a lot of White folks exercise their racist attitudes and actions, as well. Regardless from which direction it came, it was wrong. I can honestly say that I understand it, but do not excuse it.
Just because the “Reverend” William Barber (who should spend more time preaching the gospel of Christ rather than the gospel of social justice that he peddles) is Black, that does not mean that he can not be just as racist as any Klansman. They just wear different style robes.
Personally, I am sick and tired of claims of racism where none exist. To me, it is only common sense to stop spending money we don’t have, to have children attend public schools local to them, and that not every decision made by men has racist undertones. But then again, if everyone thought that way, the NAACP would be out of business.
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Column for May 26, 2011
It feels really weird typing right now. I just got back from my doctor’s office a little bit ago and my left middle finger is totally numb. I had an infection build up in my finger for some odd reason and went to my doctor to have it checked out. Well, I had to get my finger numbed with a shot and the abscess cut open. I was sent home with a Band-Aid and a prescription for an antibiotic. It just feels really weird banging on the keyboard and not being able to feel the keys below my finger. I keep having to go back and fix typos as I go along.
One neat thing I observed while driving back into town to go to my friendly neighborhood pharmacy in “Uptown” Selma was the sure sign of the beginning of summer in this sleepy little town. Just before Memorial Day, the town puts up American flags all up and down the main thoroughfares. I noticed it this past weekend, but got to enjoy the sight of fresh, crisp flags adorning the town yet again.
I have to admit, I love the sight of dozens of flags up and down Pollock Street and Anderson Street. The only down side is that we don’t put up the sort of poles and flag fasteners that are tangle free. Here is what I propose. I will be willing to sponsor a flag every year in Selma if other people and businesses are willing to do the same. I would love to see the flags continue flying, even in bad economic times. I would also like to see the flags fly freely without being bound up on a cheap little pole like I would use in front of my house.
I am not the sort who needs my name attached to a sponsorship of a flag. I am sure that there are others who would like the recognition. For instance, I am a member of The Friends of Fort Macon. They have a current fund raising drive to purchase some replica cannons for display there. Personally, I love Fort Macon and its historic value. That is why I got there at least once a year, patronize their gift shop, and joined their support organization. I don’t need my name on a plaque proclaiming my support of a cannon purchase. I am sure that is an enticement to others, so if that helps them, fine. I don’t need a Selma flag plaque or anything, but I am willing to bring about the idea and lead by example. OK, so my offer is now public for all to read. I hope to spur interest by others, as well in so doing.
Speaking of nice flags, it is probably time to replace both the American and State of North Carolina flags in front of Town Hall.
The longer it takes me to write my column, the more feeling is returning to my finger tip. After two and a half hours, I am glad to feel the keyboard. Taking off the Band-Aid helped some, as well, and my rate of typos has been cut down, though still not perfect. I am sure that tangent was of great interest to somebody, just probably nobody reading this.
On July 4th, Selma will put on a nice fireworks display, if all goes according to previous years’ tradition. I read that the town was looking for private donations and sponsorships for that display. So the flag idea is not entirely original. The town does well on displaying its joy of independence and pride in America. This is commendable.
Here is my hope, though. My hope is that residents and government officials at all levels would take the show of patriotism one step further. Take the time to learn more about the history of America, her values, and the truths that have buttressed this nation for a few hundred years. Get to know the sacrifice and morals that brought this country her independence and what makes her stand out from all of world history. Feel free to contact me for some recommended sources of great information.
My toddler, who is in my office, is grabbing my hand and pulling on it. I can definitely feel the pain killer wearing off and painful sensation return to my sliced open, infected finger. I guess it is time to stop typing and re-bandage my red, swollen digit. I think we have some cool Scooby Doo bandages somewhere. Hey, I have two young children at home.
God Bless America...and may he bless all Americans in the context of Acts 3:26.
One neat thing I observed while driving back into town to go to my friendly neighborhood pharmacy in “Uptown” Selma was the sure sign of the beginning of summer in this sleepy little town. Just before Memorial Day, the town puts up American flags all up and down the main thoroughfares. I noticed it this past weekend, but got to enjoy the sight of fresh, crisp flags adorning the town yet again.
I have to admit, I love the sight of dozens of flags up and down Pollock Street and Anderson Street. The only down side is that we don’t put up the sort of poles and flag fasteners that are tangle free. Here is what I propose. I will be willing to sponsor a flag every year in Selma if other people and businesses are willing to do the same. I would love to see the flags continue flying, even in bad economic times. I would also like to see the flags fly freely without being bound up on a cheap little pole like I would use in front of my house.
I am not the sort who needs my name attached to a sponsorship of a flag. I am sure that there are others who would like the recognition. For instance, I am a member of The Friends of Fort Macon. They have a current fund raising drive to purchase some replica cannons for display there. Personally, I love Fort Macon and its historic value. That is why I got there at least once a year, patronize their gift shop, and joined their support organization. I don’t need my name on a plaque proclaiming my support of a cannon purchase. I am sure that is an enticement to others, so if that helps them, fine. I don’t need a Selma flag plaque or anything, but I am willing to bring about the idea and lead by example. OK, so my offer is now public for all to read. I hope to spur interest by others, as well in so doing.
Speaking of nice flags, it is probably time to replace both the American and State of North Carolina flags in front of Town Hall.
The longer it takes me to write my column, the more feeling is returning to my finger tip. After two and a half hours, I am glad to feel the keyboard. Taking off the Band-Aid helped some, as well, and my rate of typos has been cut down, though still not perfect. I am sure that tangent was of great interest to somebody, just probably nobody reading this.
On July 4th, Selma will put on a nice fireworks display, if all goes according to previous years’ tradition. I read that the town was looking for private donations and sponsorships for that display. So the flag idea is not entirely original. The town does well on displaying its joy of independence and pride in America. This is commendable.
Here is my hope, though. My hope is that residents and government officials at all levels would take the show of patriotism one step further. Take the time to learn more about the history of America, her values, and the truths that have buttressed this nation for a few hundred years. Get to know the sacrifice and morals that brought this country her independence and what makes her stand out from all of world history. Feel free to contact me for some recommended sources of great information.
My toddler, who is in my office, is grabbing my hand and pulling on it. I can definitely feel the pain killer wearing off and painful sensation return to my sliced open, infected finger. I guess it is time to stop typing and re-bandage my red, swollen digit. I think we have some cool Scooby Doo bandages somewhere. Hey, I have two young children at home.
God Bless America...and may he bless all Americans in the context of Acts 3:26.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Column for May 19, 2011
Today was a very frustrating day at work. I didn’t get anywhere near the amount of work accomplished that I had hoped. The past several days have been long and tediously frustrating, as well. My computer, which used to work well, started to get slower than cold molasses. I did some basic maintenance on it and it sped up nicely, but then started giving me massive problems with a connection to my company’s private network. It was one of those days.
Then I started thinking about some of the other things in my life. My television show lasted a little over six months and just recently went off the air because of a few different circumstances to which I can only shrug my shoulders and speak of my gratitude for the opportunity.
Occasionally I turn on the radio and listen to a disc jockey or talk show host and know that I am better at it than the person to whom I was listening, but still give thanks for the career that I have and realize that I am making more money now than I would be if I had pursued my broadcasting career. I have never been the best at any job I have had, but have always done well at most jobs and businesses I have held or owned. Some jobs I was not so well suited for, some businesses were not sufficiently successful to warrant my continued efforts. Nevertheless, I learned from them all.
I think about how the whole time I was growing up that I never won an essay contest, science fair, or craft fair but sure did have a lot of second place finishes. I think about how when I played Little League baseball, municipal league flag football, and high school football, I was never on a winning team. I learned a lot about teamwork, but I spent a lot of time watching other people play while I sat on the bench or stood on the sidelines. I was never a tremendous athlete, but I competed as I was able.
I think about how I have never won an election of any consequence (not counting some small club or organization) in school or in government, though I was always good at civics and social studies. I was always the one involved in youth government activities, reported on government affairs in my first media job, and did get the top overall social studies award in my graduating class. Though I have never gone further than I have, I am grateful for the influence that I do have in this little column, in my circle of friends, and on the internet.
I think about how my finances have gotten tight since my wife has been out of work for two years and I have had to take on another car payment recently out of sheer necessity. Then I give thanks that my wife is able to stay at home with my children rather than have some day care center raise my boys, that I have employment sufficient to meet all of our needs, and that I have been able to provide a happy, loving home for my family.
I think about how much work there is to do around my little quarter acre patch of earth. The hedges need trimming. The lawn that is looking shaggy. The house, shed, concrete drive and walkways, and fence all need power washing. I have a roof leak and some repair work to do in my kitchen. I have a finite amount of time in which to get it all done and don’t know how I will be able to accomplish any of it. Then I stop and give thanks that I have a temperate, dry house in which to live.
My wife and I are both getting older but have still been talking about having more children. I think about the stupid things I did as a youth that would make me a father of children the same age as the waitress I had the other night. I think about how my first marriage yielded no children for some thirteen years and how my present wife and I have suffered through two miscarriages just this past year. Then I stop and give thanks for the family I have. I have a dedicated, loving bride, a step son I love dearly, and a toddler that is truly the cutest baby I have ever seen. I have also been able to give my boys much more of a father than I got to have my own self when I was young.
You can usually find out where my thoughts are going from day to day on Facebook or Twitter on the internet, and today is no exception. I “tweeted” simply, “At least with Christ, I am always on the winning team.” In all the thoughts about how some things in life have not been as stellar as I would have hoped, I have other thoughts that can be summed up in this: His grace is sufficient for me, and for that I am grateful. Thank you, Father God, for your grace and for your son that you sacrificed for me, someone who never knew a winning team until you took me on as one of your teammates.
Then I started thinking about some of the other things in my life. My television show lasted a little over six months and just recently went off the air because of a few different circumstances to which I can only shrug my shoulders and speak of my gratitude for the opportunity.
Occasionally I turn on the radio and listen to a disc jockey or talk show host and know that I am better at it than the person to whom I was listening, but still give thanks for the career that I have and realize that I am making more money now than I would be if I had pursued my broadcasting career. I have never been the best at any job I have had, but have always done well at most jobs and businesses I have held or owned. Some jobs I was not so well suited for, some businesses were not sufficiently successful to warrant my continued efforts. Nevertheless, I learned from them all.
I think about how the whole time I was growing up that I never won an essay contest, science fair, or craft fair but sure did have a lot of second place finishes. I think about how when I played Little League baseball, municipal league flag football, and high school football, I was never on a winning team. I learned a lot about teamwork, but I spent a lot of time watching other people play while I sat on the bench or stood on the sidelines. I was never a tremendous athlete, but I competed as I was able.
I think about how I have never won an election of any consequence (not counting some small club or organization) in school or in government, though I was always good at civics and social studies. I was always the one involved in youth government activities, reported on government affairs in my first media job, and did get the top overall social studies award in my graduating class. Though I have never gone further than I have, I am grateful for the influence that I do have in this little column, in my circle of friends, and on the internet.
I think about how my finances have gotten tight since my wife has been out of work for two years and I have had to take on another car payment recently out of sheer necessity. Then I give thanks that my wife is able to stay at home with my children rather than have some day care center raise my boys, that I have employment sufficient to meet all of our needs, and that I have been able to provide a happy, loving home for my family.
I think about how much work there is to do around my little quarter acre patch of earth. The hedges need trimming. The lawn that is looking shaggy. The house, shed, concrete drive and walkways, and fence all need power washing. I have a roof leak and some repair work to do in my kitchen. I have a finite amount of time in which to get it all done and don’t know how I will be able to accomplish any of it. Then I stop and give thanks that I have a temperate, dry house in which to live.
My wife and I are both getting older but have still been talking about having more children. I think about the stupid things I did as a youth that would make me a father of children the same age as the waitress I had the other night. I think about how my first marriage yielded no children for some thirteen years and how my present wife and I have suffered through two miscarriages just this past year. Then I stop and give thanks for the family I have. I have a dedicated, loving bride, a step son I love dearly, and a toddler that is truly the cutest baby I have ever seen. I have also been able to give my boys much more of a father than I got to have my own self when I was young.
You can usually find out where my thoughts are going from day to day on Facebook or Twitter on the internet, and today is no exception. I “tweeted” simply, “At least with Christ, I am always on the winning team.” In all the thoughts about how some things in life have not been as stellar as I would have hoped, I have other thoughts that can be summed up in this: His grace is sufficient for me, and for that I am grateful. Thank you, Father God, for your grace and for your son that you sacrificed for me, someone who never knew a winning team until you took me on as one of your teammates.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Column for May 12, 2011
In a time when governments are running a deficit and having to make budget cuts, I am amazed at the mentality of many people who are on the government dole. The elections of last November were supposed to send a message to the state and federal governments that we have had enough of reckless spending. To stop spending means just that. It means that we have to cease spending in some areas. The whole “not in my program”, “but it’s for the children”, and “leave my entitlements alone” stuff just ticks me off.
I have in front of me three different news stories about whining people who decry spending cuts for their own benefit or that of pet projects. Make no mistake that most all opposition to budget cuts is not about the “overall good”. It is almost always about personal gain.
About a week ago, thousands of teachers gathered in Raleigh to protest possible budget cuts. The funny thing is that some of these public school employees were not smart enough to realize that states don’t fund the military. Some were carrying signs whining that we should fund public services, not wars. Why would one protest state government spending cuts by whining about federal military spending? And these people are educating our children?
What were thousands of “educators” doing at a protest rally instead of teaching our children, anyway? If they were really about the children rather than their own personal benefit, they would have been in the classroom instead of chanting while carrying signs on sticks. Of course the rallying cry, “It’s for our pockets” is not as effective as “It’s for the children”. I don’t buy the claims of catastrophe and dire consequences for cutting spending in education along with all other areas.
Education funding is not the only controversial subject of potential cuts. The North Carolina health fund is a program that is under scrutiny. It is a trust fund that finances anti-tobacco and obesity programs for children and teenagers. The argument against cutting that program is that the prevention efforts will be cheaper than the cost of health care later.
Call me crazy, but I figure that the responsibility of raising children is that of a parent and not the government. It is not the job of the state to keep teenagers from smoking or dipping snuff. It is not the job of the state to keep kids from putting on a few extra pounds. That is the job of a parent. As to the idea of health care later, is it not also the job of a parent to take care of a child’s health needs and not that of every other taxpayer in the state? I have two children under the age of nine. One of them has a birth defect and I do not expect the government to pay for his treatment. That is up to me as his parent and not everyone else reading this newspaper. By the same token, any other parent bears their own responsibility for their children’s health care. And truth be told, the effects of the use of tobacco products or obesity in children will probably not be felt until the children reach the age of an adult. Then it is their own responsibility, not that of the taxpayer.
I read another article about some very selfish people. In November, America overwhelmingly elected conservative legislators in the federal and state governments. Recently, Congressional Republicans went home on break and many of them held town hall style meetings to meet their constituents. Some Congressmen were booed, shouted at, and jeered by older citizens whining about any possible cuts to their Medicare, food stamps, and Social Security benefits.
I have sympathy for them, I really do. But I have said it before and I will say it again. If your plan in life was to rely upon the government to take care of you and you made no provision for your own retirement, then that is your own fault. If you bought the lie that was handed to you that you can coast in life when you reach a certain age at the expense of the taxpayer, then you have used poor judgment in life. It is not my responsibility as a taxpayer and citizen to take care of you or anyone else outside of my family. We as a people simply can no longer afford to keep doling out the cash.
In 1753, Benjamin Franklin wrote, “Repeal that [welfare] law, and you will soon see a change in their manners. St. Monday and St. Tuesday will soon cease to be holidays. 'Six days shalt thou labor,' though one of the old commandments long treated as out of date, will again be looked upon as a respectable precept; industry will increase, and with it plenty among the lower people; their circumstances will mend, and more will be done for their happiness by inuring them to provide for themselves, than could be done by dividing all your estates among them.” It is as true today as it was 258 years ago. To demand or expect otherwise is selfishness.
I have in front of me three different news stories about whining people who decry spending cuts for their own benefit or that of pet projects. Make no mistake that most all opposition to budget cuts is not about the “overall good”. It is almost always about personal gain.
About a week ago, thousands of teachers gathered in Raleigh to protest possible budget cuts. The funny thing is that some of these public school employees were not smart enough to realize that states don’t fund the military. Some were carrying signs whining that we should fund public services, not wars. Why would one protest state government spending cuts by whining about federal military spending? And these people are educating our children?
What were thousands of “educators” doing at a protest rally instead of teaching our children, anyway? If they were really about the children rather than their own personal benefit, they would have been in the classroom instead of chanting while carrying signs on sticks. Of course the rallying cry, “It’s for our pockets” is not as effective as “It’s for the children”. I don’t buy the claims of catastrophe and dire consequences for cutting spending in education along with all other areas.
Education funding is not the only controversial subject of potential cuts. The North Carolina health fund is a program that is under scrutiny. It is a trust fund that finances anti-tobacco and obesity programs for children and teenagers. The argument against cutting that program is that the prevention efforts will be cheaper than the cost of health care later.
Call me crazy, but I figure that the responsibility of raising children is that of a parent and not the government. It is not the job of the state to keep teenagers from smoking or dipping snuff. It is not the job of the state to keep kids from putting on a few extra pounds. That is the job of a parent. As to the idea of health care later, is it not also the job of a parent to take care of a child’s health needs and not that of every other taxpayer in the state? I have two children under the age of nine. One of them has a birth defect and I do not expect the government to pay for his treatment. That is up to me as his parent and not everyone else reading this newspaper. By the same token, any other parent bears their own responsibility for their children’s health care. And truth be told, the effects of the use of tobacco products or obesity in children will probably not be felt until the children reach the age of an adult. Then it is their own responsibility, not that of the taxpayer.
I read another article about some very selfish people. In November, America overwhelmingly elected conservative legislators in the federal and state governments. Recently, Congressional Republicans went home on break and many of them held town hall style meetings to meet their constituents. Some Congressmen were booed, shouted at, and jeered by older citizens whining about any possible cuts to their Medicare, food stamps, and Social Security benefits.
I have sympathy for them, I really do. But I have said it before and I will say it again. If your plan in life was to rely upon the government to take care of you and you made no provision for your own retirement, then that is your own fault. If you bought the lie that was handed to you that you can coast in life when you reach a certain age at the expense of the taxpayer, then you have used poor judgment in life. It is not my responsibility as a taxpayer and citizen to take care of you or anyone else outside of my family. We as a people simply can no longer afford to keep doling out the cash.
In 1753, Benjamin Franklin wrote, “Repeal that [welfare] law, and you will soon see a change in their manners. St. Monday and St. Tuesday will soon cease to be holidays. 'Six days shalt thou labor,' though one of the old commandments long treated as out of date, will again be looked upon as a respectable precept; industry will increase, and with it plenty among the lower people; their circumstances will mend, and more will be done for their happiness by inuring them to provide for themselves, than could be done by dividing all your estates among them.” It is as true today as it was 258 years ago. To demand or expect otherwise is selfishness.
Wednesday, May 04, 2011
Column for May 5, 2011
Proverbs 11:10 “When it goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices, and when the wicked perish there are shouts of gladness.”
I am writing this on Monday close to noon time. I just got back from UNC Children’s Hospital where my son had minor surgery. Because of that, we were up very early this morning to have him checked into the hospital by 6:30. I tried to go to bed early as well. That means that I cut myself off from all media at an earlier hour than normal last night. When I woke up early this morning, I found the big news that Osama Bin Laden has been killed. I was elated.
I listened to the news, read some quick news reports online, and even put something on Twitter and Facebook about my “shouts of gladness”. With my gladness, I must give credit where credit is due. President Barack Obama continued the policy of engaging Al Queda and gave the order for the raid upon the compound where intelligence sources say that Bin Laden was hiding. I am proud of our military for the job they did and grateful that President Obama had the courage to whack this scumbag. Congratulations.
The Defense Department has said that this was a kill operation, not a capture operation. From what I have heard thus far, Bin Laden’s body was given a rapid burial at sea to accommodate the Muslim custom of burial within twenty-four hours. So, to quote my all time favorite movie, “The Godfather”, Osama “sleeps with the fishes”.
Personally, I had hoped that Bin Laden would have been captured alive. Granted, he has been fairly ineffective and out of play for a while, mainly because of the manhunt for his head. However, his capture would still have been a great symbolic victory. I would love to have had him paraded like a captured king. Then, I would love to have had him executed and the execution be made available on a pay per view basis on television and the internet with all the proceeds thereof to go to the families of the victims of 9/11/2001 and the families of the US soldiers who have died in Afghanistan.
Since Bin Laden’s execution has already happened (and ultimately I am OK with that), I would have preferred that his body not been buried at sea. This is first and foremost to deny him any consideration towards Muslim tradition. Most Muslims seem to deny that Bin Laden is a true Muslim (as I just heard on the radio yet again from a Muslim cleric) and not representative of their false religion. Thus, why bother giving him that dignity? I would rather the body have been preserved in some liquid preservation tank like he was an alien at Area 51 and taken on a road show across the country like a carnival sideshow. We could have charged admission to see his corpse with the proceeds again going to the families of the victims of 9/11/2001 and the families of the US soldiers who have died in Afghanistan. I would have even liked the idea of his corpse being permanently on display at the new World Trade Center when it is rebuilt in Manhattan.
I listened to one whining liberal woman today decry how much money it cost the US to find and kill this one man. When I got the chance to speak to her personally, I told her that it was worth every penny. She decried how other radicals will just take his place and we will have some retaliatory attacks against our country as a result. Well, there was a string of replacement waiting anyway, and I say, “Bring it on”. They attacked us ten years ago (not the other way around), and I have not forgotten. I have also not forgotten all the other attacks by the likes of Al Queda and other such groups belonging to the falsely so called “religion of peace”. I am so tired of the “let’s not tick off the Muslims lest they retaliate for the least little offense” mentality.
Legend has it that in 1911, General John “Black Jack” Pershing used brutal tactics in The Philippines when dealing with Muslim warriors, including burying their dead with pig entrails and dipping bullets in pig blood. It is said that to some Muslims, dying with unclean animals like will deny them entrance to Paradise. I am all for such intimidation tactics if they work. It is worth a try today. Radical and extremist Islamic zealots only understand the use of brute force. Since the days of the Crusades (which were in response to Muslim invasion and slaughter) all the way up to the Somali Pirates of present day, we have found this to be true. I am glad that we just showed the resolve to follow through. I pray that we have the spine to stay the course. Either way, I rejoice in the death of a scumbag and found the celebrations in the streets of New York City to be just fine with me.
I am writing this on Monday close to noon time. I just got back from UNC Children’s Hospital where my son had minor surgery. Because of that, we were up very early this morning to have him checked into the hospital by 6:30. I tried to go to bed early as well. That means that I cut myself off from all media at an earlier hour than normal last night. When I woke up early this morning, I found the big news that Osama Bin Laden has been killed. I was elated.
I listened to the news, read some quick news reports online, and even put something on Twitter and Facebook about my “shouts of gladness”. With my gladness, I must give credit where credit is due. President Barack Obama continued the policy of engaging Al Queda and gave the order for the raid upon the compound where intelligence sources say that Bin Laden was hiding. I am proud of our military for the job they did and grateful that President Obama had the courage to whack this scumbag. Congratulations.
The Defense Department has said that this was a kill operation, not a capture operation. From what I have heard thus far, Bin Laden’s body was given a rapid burial at sea to accommodate the Muslim custom of burial within twenty-four hours. So, to quote my all time favorite movie, “The Godfather”, Osama “sleeps with the fishes”.
Personally, I had hoped that Bin Laden would have been captured alive. Granted, he has been fairly ineffective and out of play for a while, mainly because of the manhunt for his head. However, his capture would still have been a great symbolic victory. I would love to have had him paraded like a captured king. Then, I would love to have had him executed and the execution be made available on a pay per view basis on television and the internet with all the proceeds thereof to go to the families of the victims of 9/11/2001 and the families of the US soldiers who have died in Afghanistan.
Since Bin Laden’s execution has already happened (and ultimately I am OK with that), I would have preferred that his body not been buried at sea. This is first and foremost to deny him any consideration towards Muslim tradition. Most Muslims seem to deny that Bin Laden is a true Muslim (as I just heard on the radio yet again from a Muslim cleric) and not representative of their false religion. Thus, why bother giving him that dignity? I would rather the body have been preserved in some liquid preservation tank like he was an alien at Area 51 and taken on a road show across the country like a carnival sideshow. We could have charged admission to see his corpse with the proceeds again going to the families of the victims of 9/11/2001 and the families of the US soldiers who have died in Afghanistan. I would have even liked the idea of his corpse being permanently on display at the new World Trade Center when it is rebuilt in Manhattan.
I listened to one whining liberal woman today decry how much money it cost the US to find and kill this one man. When I got the chance to speak to her personally, I told her that it was worth every penny. She decried how other radicals will just take his place and we will have some retaliatory attacks against our country as a result. Well, there was a string of replacement waiting anyway, and I say, “Bring it on”. They attacked us ten years ago (not the other way around), and I have not forgotten. I have also not forgotten all the other attacks by the likes of Al Queda and other such groups belonging to the falsely so called “religion of peace”. I am so tired of the “let’s not tick off the Muslims lest they retaliate for the least little offense” mentality.
Legend has it that in 1911, General John “Black Jack” Pershing used brutal tactics in The Philippines when dealing with Muslim warriors, including burying their dead with pig entrails and dipping bullets in pig blood. It is said that to some Muslims, dying with unclean animals like will deny them entrance to Paradise. I am all for such intimidation tactics if they work. It is worth a try today. Radical and extremist Islamic zealots only understand the use of brute force. Since the days of the Crusades (which were in response to Muslim invasion and slaughter) all the way up to the Somali Pirates of present day, we have found this to be true. I am glad that we just showed the resolve to follow through. I pray that we have the spine to stay the course. Either way, I rejoice in the death of a scumbag and found the celebrations in the streets of New York City to be just fine with me.
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