Red Clay Citizen

One Czar down...

As the Auto Czar steps down, I think we should look to see what the term “Czar” refers to. The title “Czar” is derived from the Roman name “Caesar” and was used mainly in Russia by the Emperors. These Emperors were Kings, something that America was strongly founded against, and were all from a single family line during the years 1613 to 1917. Is this really something that we want to be calling officials in our federal government? On second thought maybe it is a perfect name, considering that they answer to no one, save Obama. Just remember, with Czars come serfs...

The Nine Million Dollar Stimulus Tracker

The nice folks here at Red Clay want you to know that we are looking out for you. 

The fact that $787 billion of your money is being spent by 537 people who have probably never even met you really troubles us.  We think you know how to spend that money better then they do.  The only saving grace in this whole process is the fact that the 537 people were nice enough to give you a website that you can use to track the money, and how it is being spent...Red Clay already knows what the first item put up for tracking will be.  It will likely look like this:

$9.5 million Spent on Stimulus Tracking Web site

It is interesting that this happens at the exact moment when Red Clay is revamping its blog.  I am told that it will be state of the art, and capable of displaying multiple pie charts and bar graphs (and the occasional picture of Bev Pedue as money).  See, we here at Red Clay World HQ think that you deserve to know what is going on in your government and home state.  We do these things because we care.  And by the way, it is only costing us one intern, one Mountain Dew per day, and an Apple Computer (that is called job creation folks). 

Just here to help.

NC Legislature cuts taxes!

Recognizing that cutting taxes encourages investment and creates jobs the North Carolina legislature lowered taxes... I can't go on and not laugh. The above is a headline you won't won't soon see about any of the taxes that would truly help the economy. It is true for a few politically connected industries. And therein lies the rub.

By voting for "targeted" tax cuts legislators are agreeing that lowering taxes encourages investment and JOBS. But when it comes to the rest of us, and that includes business that is not politically connected, it means higher taxes not lower taxes.

Since they obviously agree that lower taxes are good for some, why can't they see the foolishness of raising taxes for the rest. Of course it could be that legislators like an unemployment rate above 11%.

Healthcare Press Conference...

Maybe this should have been the topic of Mr. Obama's press conference:

"The last issue I'd like to address is health care the government costs.

Right now, Congress is debating various health care government cost reform proposals. This is obviously a complicated issue, but I am very optimistic about the progress that they're making.

Like energy, this is legislation that must and will be paid for. It will not add to our deficits over the next decade. We will find the money through savings and efficiencies within the health care government system -- some of which we've already announced.

We will also ensure that the reform we pass brings down the crushing cost of health care government. We simply can't have a system where we throw good money after bad habits. We need to control the skyrocketing costs that are driving families, businesses, and our government into greater and greater debt.

There's no doubt that we must preserve what's best about our health care government system, and that means allowing Americans who like their doctors legislators and their health care tax plans to keep them. But unless we fix what's broken in our current system, everyone's health care tax dollars will be in jeopardy. Unless we act, premiums taxes will climb higher, benefits will erode further, and the roles of the uninsured non-taxpayers will swell to include millions more Americans. Unless we act, one three out of every five dollars that we earn will be spent on health care government within a decade. And the amount our government spends on Medicare food and Medicaid entertainment will eventually grow larger than what our government spends on everything else today.

When it comes to health care government, the status quo is unsustainable and unacceptable. So reform is not a luxury, it's a necessity. And I hope that Congress will continue to make significant progress on this issue in the weeks ahead."

The transcript in its entirety  can be found here

Gambling OK - As Long as it is State-Sponsored (Part 2)

Video poker is bad.  It's harmful to society because people fall prone to its addictive nature many argue.

So any attempts to allow video poker in North Carolina should be opposed as well, correct?

Well, yes, but only if private enterprise are the ones running the operation according to NC Lottery Director Tom Shaheen.

In a Charlotte Observer article today, he argues that IF video poker is allowed, it should be operated by the Lottery.

Trade group representatives recently asked Tom Shaheen, the lottery's executive director, about the possible return of the machines. According to Shaheen spokeswoman Pam Walker, he told them that any legalized video poker should be run under the lottery.

So gambling is bad if private industry is earning the profits, but OK if government is the one profiting?  This hypocrisy is just plain laughable.

More Proof ATV Bill is a "Bad Bill"

In May, Chris Hayes wrote a Bad Bill of the Week on "The Government Wants to Know About Your ATV." Senator Eddie Goodall (R-Union) has written an excellent editorial giving a lot more weight in the form of numbers to why this is definitely a BAD BILL.

Ever wonder how North Carolina’s government got so large?

Senate Bill 642, “Require Off-Road Vehicles to Be Registered”, provides a textbook example of how NC’s government quietly grows and in the process adds countless regulations and bureaucracies its citizens must work through. This money grab will cost off-road vehicle owners $25 million in the first five years of this program.

Got an ATV or dirt bike in the shed you occasionally ride around on the farm or woods? Well it’s time to take your checkbook down to the DMV office.  In simple language, SB 642 mandates the registration and titling of all-terrain vehicles and motorcycles with the Division of Motor Vehicles.

In the first year alone over 100,000 off-road vehicle owners would be required to pay a registration fee of $15 and titling fee of $40.  Projections for the subsequent four years show over 25,000 additional vehicles annually subject to these title and registration requirements. Vehicle registration information will also be sent to counties for property tax collections, thereby imposing yet another financial burden.

According to the bill’s sponsor Senator Doug Berger, a Democrat representing Franklin County, a few constituents called him and complained of off-road vehicles trespassing on their property. These citizens could not identify and therefore prosecute the individuals involved. Lo and behold a statewide solution, costing millions of dollars – with countless regulations, was crafted to make his constituents happy.

While NC budget writers must enact substantial workforce cuts and deal with a multi-billion dollar budget shortfall, this program does exactly the opposite. In the first year alone, it adds over $1.63 million in state expense. New personnel officers will be sworn DMV officials – fully equipped with a “State vehicle, uniforms, weapons, offices and supplies, and information technology support.”

Postage costs alone to administer the program would run over $113,000 the first five years. Reprogramming the State Titling and Registration System (STARS) would require over 5,620 man-hours with costs running $569,075.

Buying an off-road vehicle for use by a child under 16? Be prepared for a trip to DMV to secure a North Carolina Identification card so they can ride around the farm or woods.

Union County Sheriff Eddie Cathey told me he had a few complaints but typically the culprit would be a neighbor’s child and the charges would be dropped. He estimated about one prosecution a year which, for the whole state, would mean about 45 annually.

Berger thought the licensing of the vehicles would somehow make it easier to identify the trespassers but it is difficult to imagine one catching a 4 by 7 inch (or smaller) license tag number moving across a field a few hundred yards away.

The next step the bill takes to becoming law is the Senate Finance Committee. Legislators can be reached by calling 919-733-4111 or via email at the legislative website, ncleg.net.

So beyond the millions invested to address a constituent issue in rural Franklin County is the questionable effectiveness of the solution. Will a small “registration plate or sticker” actually help identify distant trespassers on a moving vehicle? Will an owner now try to ride on the highway equipped with a shiny new tag? Will one owner sell a dirt bike for $500 to a neighbor and then both go down to the local DMV and spend a few hours getting the paperwork worked out?

Looks like these may be the 25 million dollar questions.

Sen. Eddie Goodall
R – Union/Mecklenburg

"Model" Legislation or saying no to Little Miss Sunshine

A tough week to pick our "Bad Bill of the Week" as there is so much competition. But Christine DiPietro found a real "winner" with Study Regulation/Beauty Pageant/Under 13 Yrs.

Folks you can't make this stuff up. Read how our elected representatives have nothing better to do than introduce legislation to regulate the details of beauty pageants.

One suggestion - a better title: Tots In a Regulatory Environment Atmosphere (TIARA) 

Tea Party Protests Taking Off!

Elected officials beware! Last night a "Tea Party" in Wilmington drew up to 1,000 people to protest against against ever expanding government. You can watch video in the above link from WECT-TV and in this story and this story from the Wilmington Star-News.

Local folks along with radio host Curtis Wright from "The Big Talker FM" and Americans for Prosperity North Carolina organized the tea party and dumped 80 pounds of tea into the Cape Fear river. The protest drew hundreds of people who had previously never attended a public rally. They came together to protest events at the national and state level and to protest a specific local issue - Forced Annexation (along with high local taxes) of the Monkey Junction area of New Hanover County by the city of Wilmington.

The one thing elected officials at all levels of government fear is an educated and engaged electorate. They count on citizens being too preoccupied with the chores of daily living to pay attention to what they do and hold them accountable for their actions. In most cases they feel that only they "understand" the problems and the solutions and will take action with the belief that by the next election the voters will either not vote or have forgotten their anger.

We can only hope that the people who are taking time out of their busy schedules to attend the "Tea Party" in their local community will stay engaged. For a listing of Tea Parties around the state in the coming weeks click here.

Fancy Green Bulbs Fail, Surprise!

Have you bought into the all of the hype about compact fluorescent light bulbs?  If you have then you may want to take a look at what the New York Times has to say about them.  In an article picked up by the Charlotte Observer on Saturday, some of the shortcomings of the light bulb that will save the world are discussed. 

The biggest problem appears to be the high rate at which they DO NOT WORK.  So you decide to go green and plunk down your cash to buy a light bulb that, although up to 10 times more expensive, will save you some money on the back end with the power company.  What you didn't realize was that these miracle bulbs require special handling and care and if they don't get it, they stop working.

My favorite line in the article is this one:

"Some experts who study the issue blame the government for the quality problems, saying an intensive federal push to lower the price essentially backfired by encouraging manufacturers to use cheap components."

Wait a minute!  You mean the government forced you to lower quality in order to lower your price?  I am shocked!  What do mean?  This is the government.  They control a lot of things these days.

Maybe the omniscient federal government can get the auto makers it controls to use the CFL bulbs that don't quite live up to the promises they have made.  I'm sure what ever the Gubmint' decides to do will work, right?

Corruption in NC?

The News & Observer has two stories this morning on possible corruption (my words not theirs) by former Governor Mike Easley. This one talks about trips and a car for he an his wife Mary (a $170,000 employee of NCSU). This one is about his son (a law student) getting a free car. 

Before the left screams we need public financing, remember that Just like the cases of imprisoned former House Speaker Jim Black and imprisoned Congressman Frank Balllance, this story has NOTHING to do with campaign contributions. From all appearances, it looks like powerful people wanting to help the governor enjoy a lifestyle to which we all could become accustomed.

It has nothing to do with campaign contributions and so is not an argument for public financing of campaigns. Welfare for politicians would not have precluded this appearance of unseemly activity in the least.