Howard Coble Faces Lots of Opposition in the Primary — Why?

So far, I count three opponents Howard Coble will be going up against in the primary this May: Cathy Brewer Hinson (who appears not to even live in the district — is she still eligible?), Dr. James (Jim) Taylor and now I see Billy Yow is also throwing his hat into the ring.

But WHY?  It seems to me that if people are really concerned about causing meaningful change in Washington, then they need to support candidates who are going to help effect some real change.   Now, Howard Coble has to fend off three candidates (at least) in the primary and everyone has to spend valuable resources on what would be a safe Republican seat.  Coble’s voting record seems pretty conservative to me — what beef to these folks have with him?  I wonder if some of these candidates just think the time is right for a newcomer and they are going to jump in and attempt to unseat Coble because the mood is right.   But it seems like a serious waste of resources to me.

If Conservatives want to effect real change, then they need to fight hard to get the seats that are not currently head by conservatives — Mel Watt and Brad Miller spring to mind here as being obvious places to start.

MSNBC Reporter Says He’d Vote 10 Times in Massachusetts & Cheat to Win

Here’s the link from the Washington Times.  And here’s the quote if you don’t feel like linking away:

I tell you what, if I lived in Massachusetts I’d try to vote 10 times. I don’t know if they’d let me or not, but I’d try to. Yeah, that’s right. I’d cheat to keep these bastards out. I would. ‘Cause that’s exactly what they are.

How is this acceptable?  It’s not even funny to joke about voter fraud since it seems to have been occurring with increasing frequency in the most recent elections.

Voting is a far more serious matter than many people seem to realize.  Our most basic freedoms depend on fair and free elections.  If people cannot depend on the results of elections, then it is highly likely that violence will ensue.  Is that what this idiot wants?  Does he really think it is OK to cheat in an election for the “right side”?  Does the end justify the means?

We have a lot of serious issues to deal with right now in this country.  Hopefully our representatives can start taking their jobs and our future seriously and stop treating politics like some kind of parlor game.

NC Republicans Considering Closing Primaries

According to the N&R.  Supposedly, “open primaries have diluted the Republican brand”.  Right.  If they go ahead with this, it will just show how out of touch the Republicans really have gotten.  It is too bad it is so damn difficult to get on the ballot as a third party or independent candidate in NC.

Voter Turnout Pathetic, As Usual

Why do people even bother registering to vote if they aren’t going to show up and do it?  Greensboro saw a dismal 18.05% turnout in yesterday’s election.  What’s really pathetic is that is up from the anticipated 12% or so, which is typical in an “off year” election.

Some New Info on the Upcoming Elections Page

Finally I’ve had a few minutes to find some more candidate information & update the upcoming elections page!  (I know, I know, I’m very slow but in-person voting isn’t until Tuesday.)  Please check it out if you are looking for some more information before you cast your ballot.  I’ve also added a couple of items to the events page as well.  And remember, you can always send us event suggestions by posting a comment at the bottom.

Natural Science Center Bond Numbers Don’t Add Up

The NSC is a great place to visit and seems to be very well managed, but the numbers they are touting to push passage of the $20 million dollar bond just don’t add up.

1) In his letter this week to the Rhino Times (print edition only it appears), Gary Brown, Chairman of the NSC Board of Trustees, writes “This facility will provide a truly affordable and family-oriented science education and tourism destination”.  In his economic impact study, presumably at the direction of the NSC, Dr. Brod assumes no “price changes“.  This is completely unrealistic.

Get Off the Couch & Vote!

Ok, that’s a little harsh, but with turnout expected to be about 15%, something needs to wake people up!

We have had some trying times in Greensboro.  It is important that we elect some people to come in and help clean house & return Greensboro to greatness.  Generally, I would not consider making endorsements, but the stakes are pretty high this year so here are a couple of suggestions, but PLEASE do your research and EXERCISE YOUR OWN JUDGMENT.

That said, here’s the list of our endorsements, which we are making because we feel these candidates have the capability and vision to make our government responsible to the citizens:  Bill Knight for Mayor, Danny Thompson, Mary Rakestraw, Trudy Wade, Nancy Vaughn and Gary Nixon (who has no website of which we are aware, so the link is to a Yes! Weekly candidate profile of him).

Only 6% of voters turned out for the primary election. Voter turnout may only hit 10% for the general election.  Your vote counts much more when turnout is so low! Early voting ends Saturday.  Go to the Guilford County Board of Elections website for the list of early voting sites if you are interested: http://www.co.guilford.nc.us/elections_cms/.

Natural Science Center $20 Million Bond Economic Impact Study

All this talk about the economic impact of the $20 million that the NSC is asking for got me really curious about the economic impact study itself.*  I went to the NSC website and started looking around.  On their bond page, I found something described as the Economic Impact Analysis.  I was really excited, because I thought this would help answer all the questions I had about where the NSC was coming up with the $20 million annual impact figure.

I Love the Science Center, but I HATE Bonds

I’m getting to be a little appalled by the aggressive campaign the Natural Science Center is waging in an attempt to get people to come out and vote for the $20 million NSC bond issue.  I guess they think this is likely to be a low turnout year and are hoping to drive people to the polls where, once they see that warm, fuzzy NSC bond on the issue will vote “yes”.  Just like with school and park bonds.

Before you push that blinking button though, remember this, BOND = TAX.

District 1 Voters Overwhelmingly Pick Bellamy-Small

She picked up almost 44% of the votes in the primary!  I suppose that is only 597 people.*   Here are the details.  In any event, from what I’ve read about her over the past couple of years living in Greensboro, she is not a very good representative for those in her district because she just doesn’t play nice enough with the other commissioners to have a real say in any decisions that are made.  WHY do people keep voting for her?