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Frackuccino
If they won’t tell us what’s in fracking fluid, and it becomes a crime in NC to reveal fracking chemicals, would it be a crime to keep guessing random substances until you hit one? “Raspberry jam? No. Frappuccino? No. Ethylene glycol? I’m not at liberty to say, but you’re under arrest. Oh, and Starbucks just […]
John Skvarla’s Happy Teeth
DENR Secretary John Skvarla grimaced his way through a February 19th press briefing on the Dan River coal ash spill. Only as he walked smartly away from a clamoring press corps, which was chagrined at the briefing’s premature cessation, did he crack a smile, followed by a smirking Tom Reeder, his Water Quality Man Friday. […]
LaRoque’s voter suppression Hail Mary
Former state representative Stephen LaRoque appeared in federal court in Raleigh last week to face charges of theft and money laundering. Pending trial in Greenville at a later date LaRoque was released on an unsecured bond and restricted to travel within the 44 counties of the Eastern District of North Carolina. That has not stopped […]
Is NCFIRE Undocumented?
Attend any legislative meeting at the NC General Assembly related to immigration or documentation of identity and you’ll likely find James Johnson in the front row, shoulder to shoulder with Ron Woodard of NC LISTEN and/or William Gheen of ALIPAC. Johnson, an advocate of Arizona style immigration controls, is President/Founder of North Carolinians For Immigration […]
Stam, Folwell anti-gay offensive begins
Full video of the “pro-discrimination” press conference yesterday. As Rob Schofield said in an earlier post: Disclaimer: Policy Watch is not responsible for any damage you may inflict upon your computer screen or any fragile items nearby as you watch/listen to this drivel.
Education Abolition
Another entry in the category of “You can’t make this stuff up”. Wake School Board member John Tedesco thinks that abolition of the US Department of Education “would be great”. That’s what he said on Facebook Friday in response to a proposal to “shut down & eliminate the Fed Dept of Educ”. The absurdity of […]
Eshelman Rings in New 527: Real Jobs NC
PPD executive Fred Eshelman rings the NASDAQ bell Thursday morning, a carefully orchestrated media event to mark the PPD’s 25th anniversary (optional confetti $500, balloon drop $4,000). If the name Eshelman rings a bell it’s because he’s the force and the finance behind RightChange.com a conservative political committee active in the 2008 races run with […]
The Long Road to Brown, the Long Road Beyond
The Long Road to Brown, the Long Road Beyond is a 2008 documentary by the Southern Oral History Program at the University of North Carolina. The film uses oral histories and other sources to trace the long history of segregation in America’s public schools and, North Carolina Schools in particular, from 1865 through 2008. The […]
Plenty for Blue Cross, None for Me
We need health care reform with a public health insurance option now. Someone needs to cover people who are denied coverage and claims.
NC Growers, Men of Mystery
The Truth Squad appeared on the political radar in 2008. The Truth Squad is a 527 Political Committee set up by C. Stan Eury, head of the NC Growers Association which is the nation’s largest employer of legal migrant workers and the largest agricultural employer in NC. The 527’s activity was initially limited to attacking […]
State Funded Org Joins Pharma on Public Option
It was no suprise to see a full page advertisement in the News&Observer this morning advocating Big Pharma’s position on Health Care Reform. It was suprising to see state-funded North Carolina Biotechnology Center as one of the sponsors along with GlaxoSmithKline, Bayer HealthCare, Wyeth, Merck, NC Bio, the NC Chamber and PhRMA, (the Pharmaceutical Research […]
Builders Make Great Case For Transfer Tax
It is generally accepted that the housing bubble precipitated the current recession. Easy access to money and low interest rates fueled housing inflation that made housing speculation profitable without growth in the underlying economy. In 2007 the Chief Executive of the National Association of Homebuilders acknowledged that overbuilding during the boom years was a factor […]