North Carolina's Senator Richard Burr is receiving national attention for his health care proposal presented as an Obamacare alternative. Some of the national conservative media are even writing favorably of the proposal.
But what does it contain? A highly redistributionist tax credit feature, and a guarantee of coverage for pre-existing conditions under some circumstances.
It is yet another welfare state program... yet another entitlement. It is just another proposal that is not among the legitimate federal powers enumerated in the Constitution.
Richard Burr is revealing himself to be just another progressive/socialist. Some might exult in how shrewd the proposal might be with its potential to replace Obamacare. But at what cost?
Would you like to hear about another unconstitutional Burr priority? He is mightily passionate about funding NIH, which is also not among the enumerated federal powers.
Attorney General Roy Cooper Politicizes Police and Public Safety
I recently had the opportunity to spend some time with someone who has inside knowledge of the Charlotte incident during which Officer Randall Kerrick shot and killed an assailant. This person was able to provide a second-by-second account of what truly happened.
And it was pretty clear that Kerrick was justified to respond as he did. That is why the first grand jury did not indict him.
But Roy Cooper is aligned with a Democratic Party tradition that politicizes public safety according to the ground rules of identity politics. Some of us recall the role his office played in the course of the Greensboro Police Department fiasco here several years ago.
We also need to be concerned as to whether Cooper will, in good faith, vigorously defend the state marriage amendment and the abortion right-to-know law. It is exceedingly difficult for him to serve the public interest legimately, and meet the requirements of his job, when he must simultaneously wear the hat of a partisan Democrat contemplating a run for higher office.
Perhaps he ought to step down, and allow a politically unbiased replacement to fill the position.
The same NAACP that is pressing this case is led in our state by Rev. William Barber-- a man who recently called conservative Tim Scott, an African-American U.S. Senator from South Carolina, "a good dummy". Scott responded by stating, correctly, that the organization practices "philosophical bigotry".
The New Face of the Moral Mondays Movement
The News and Record recently celebrated the fact that one of Barber's protesters was to be in attendance at the State of the Union address-- at the invitation of Greensboro's own Senator Kay Hagan. It was a piece of free campaign publicity for Ms. Hagan. The invited guest is a local teacher who happens to be the most recent face of the Moral Mondays movement:
(News and Record photo)
If Howard Coble or Richard Burr had any guests in attendance at the SOTU, they were not similarly feted by the local media.
Stacking the Republican Deck
Recently enacted rule changes will compress and shorten the Republican presidential primary season. This will make it much more likely that a homogenized establishment candidate, funded primarily by corporate interests, will be chosen.
This news comes on the heels of revelations that the US Chamber of Commerce is spending $50 million to oppose Tea Party candidates.
Do you want to see one local example of the forces of big money shooting down grass roots conservative ideals? Roy Carroll's Rhino Times cuts down Councilman Tony Wilkins when Tony rightfully tried to assure that taxpayers would not have to pay for the performing arts center.
One bright note, perhaps? Conservative HQ highlights and endorses the campaign of conservative Frank Roche, who is opposing Renee Ellmers in the May Republican primary.
City of Greensboro Notes
Much discussion is taking place regarding the city of Greensboro's failures to attract industry and new jobs. Some city council members-- including Mayor Vaughan and Zack Matheny-- seem to be blaming the Melderec crowd within the Greensboro Partnership. This is ironic because Matheny and Vaughan have both been implementing the policy agenda of this group over a prolonged period of time. Just as it becomes increasingly apparent their own high tax, big government approach is not working, they try to blame someone else for the city's failures.
Meanwhile, a major exercise in groupthink transpired when the City Council precipitously named a new city manager without even conducting a search. Many parties locally are praising the choice. Given the city's legacy of corrupt machine politics, however, one cannot help but feel a bit uneasy.
During the same meeting that Jim Westmoreland was selected, the council was scheming to pay off special interests with support of a downtown hotel that is not needed; and also jacking up taxpayer-funded construction costs by insisting upon set-asides for minority and female contractors.
Just as the new city manager was being named to replace Denise Turner-Roth, we learned of a new, Police Review Committee that seeks to politicize Greensboro's public safety function. The group is not officially recognized. Nelson Johnson, of course, is heavily involved.
Unemployment and Political Demagogy
One of the major themes of the regional media/left complex is that the curtailment of unemployment benefits in the state of North Carolina was wrongheaded and unacceptable. But along comes a study from the Ivy League University of Pennsylvania, which shows that the employment picture in our state has improved since the changes were effected-- even to the extent that the state now "stands out among its neighbors".
Who would have known, had we relied on the MSM for our information?
DeBlasio's Working Families Party = Obama's New Party
Some of us recall that Barack Obama was a member of the socialist New Party in Illinois during the 1990's when he was a local politician.
The New Party later disbanded, and its founders started the Working Families Party in New York.
The new mayor of New York City, Bill DeBlasio, has been heavily identified with the Working Families Party.
We therefore see another indirect tie between Obama and DeBlasio by virtue of the fact that they have been associated with two closely related socialist political parties-- both of which are to the left of the national Democratic Party.
The decline that has afflicted America is due to intensify in the city of New York any time now.
AG Cooper's tactic to obtain an indictment on officer Kerrick is reminiscent of how USAG Eric Holder Judge-Shopped to Get Warrant to Seize Fox Reporter’s Emails and Phone Records... Then lied about it before congress
http://www.gopusa.com/news/2013/05/29/perjury-probe-for-eric-holder/
Posted by: Fred Gregory | 01/29/2014 at 07:33 PM
Fred, Holder is certainly a survivor.
But what Cooper has done in the case of Officer Kerrick is truly detestable. The man has a conflict of interest, and he ought to step down. You don't prosecute people to further your own political ambitions, or to satisfy an ideological itch.
Posted by: Triad Conservative | 01/29/2014 at 08:20 PM