Monday, January 31, 2005
State revenues: Most popular proposals for increases are wrong
Once again, the North Carolina General Assembly convenes amidst predictions of a great “shortfall” in state money. And, once again, there is talk of raising taxes — or at least continuing some taxes that were supposed to be temporary. There...Published: Jan 31, 2005 11:21 AM Full Editorial
Saturday, January 29, 2005
Rules for living — Partaking of the fruit
Here are some guidelines for those who seek happiness for themselves and for their neighbors. Love others. That doesn’t mean you have to like everyone you meet. Some people are crude, shiftless or mean — just not very appealing. But...Published: Jan 29, 2005 10:37 PM Full Editorial
Friday, January 28, 2005
Trends: Good ideas tend to be taken too far
When a good policy gets fashionable, someone will always take it to ridiculous extremes. For instance: People ought not to express racial prejudices, and nowadays doing so isn’t popular. But some people would go too far and prohibit certain language...Published: Jan 28, 2005 11:37 AM Full Editorial
Thursday, January 27, 2005
Justice: Do we really need a new dimension?
Chief Justice I. Beverly Lake Jr. wants the General Assembly to create a commission that would develop a new level of appeal for some people convicted of major crimes. The proposal comes as the result of some people having served...Published: Jan 27, 2005 10:49 AM Full Editorial
Wednesday, January 26, 2005
Sudan: The killing goes on ...
If the government of Sudan could be trusted, we could be assured of an end to a lot of slaughter, slavery, rape and plunder. Sudanese officials, urged on by Secretary of State Colin Powell, signed an agreement this month to...Published: Jan 26, 2005 10:50 AM Full Editorial
Tuesday, January 25, 2005
School scores: Let our guide be Esse Quam Videri
North Carolinians have taken understandable pride in the fact that their state has been recognized for its leadership in testing to assure that children perform acceptably in reading and math skills. At last report, 70 percent of our youngsters met...Published: Jan 25, 2005 11:11 AM Full Editorial
Monday, January 24, 2005
Tax values: Sometimes cutting rates can be costly to citizens
State law requires that property be revalued for tax purposes every eight years. Some counties have more frequent revaluations, as they are allowed to do under the state law. Recently, commissioners in one eastern county voted to have property revalued...Published: Jan 24, 2005 11:19 AM Full Editorial
Saturday, January 22, 2005
Ms. Rice: Cool in the hot seat
Condoleezza Rice’s testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee left the impression that American foreign policy will be in good hands while she is secretary of state. Ms. Rice, responding under considerable pressure to senators who were not always at...Published: Jan 22, 2005 11:08 PM Full Editorial
Friday, January 21, 2005
Magistrates: Hiring and firing process is awkward and inefficient
A part of the mess in the Wayne County magistrates’ office can be blamed on the convoluted system by which magistrates are hired and supervised. Of course, any system could be made to work smoothly if that were the goal...Published: Jan 21, 2005 9:39 AM Full Editorial
Thursday, January 20, 2005
Undeterred: Navy is pushing ahead on practice landing field
Arrogance. That seems to be the best word to describe the attitude and conduct of the U.S. Navy in its obsessive pursuit of locating an outlying landing field in Washington and Beaufort counties. It has ignored objections of property owners,...Published: Jan 20, 2005 8:36 AM Full Editorial
Wednesday, January 19, 2005
Success! United Way director puts the credit where it’s due
Steve Parr was touched. He is the United Way director in Wayne County, and the astounding results of the 2004 campaign had been announced. Parr is a rather humble fellow, and a couple of nights after the announcement he was...Published: Jan 19, 2005 9:25 AM Full Editorial
Tuesday, January 18, 2005
Thieves foiled: Teen who kept his pants on ended up with some consolation
Okay, it’s true: What Deshawn Hull did was a little crazy. Deshawn is 17 and lives in Charlotte. On a recent morning, as he walked to the school bus stop, two jokers in a white Ford Focus came along and...Published: Jan 18, 2005 10:25 AM Full Editorial
Monday, January 17, 2005
Broad view: Needs of all should trump the needs of a district
Republican Congressman Jerry Lewis recently circulated a flier around the Capitol that showed Uncle Sam blown up to obesity. Under the drawing was a caption that said: “Uncle Sam needs a diet.” He does, and Lewis is in the very...Published: Jan 17, 2005 12:09 PM Full Editorial
Saturday, January 15, 2005
An anti-abortion Hoosier seeks the chairmanship
The Democratic Party’s position on abortion alienates it from many Americans with whom it otherwise might have much in common. Among them are Roman Catholics, including Hispanics, many religious blacks and evangelical Christians. These groups, particularly the latter, might well...Published: Jan 15, 2005 10:52 PM Full Editorial
Friday, January 14, 2005
Dan Rather: He dodged another bullet — almost
Dan Rather claims to have been “shot at (and missed)” in the process of reporting the news on several continents. He dodged another bullet in the findings of an “independent investigative panel” looking into the “60 Minutes” fiasco concerning President...Published: Jan 14, 2005 11:16 AM Full Editorial
Thursday, January 13, 2005
Too sensitive? Man files lawsuit seeking to ban inauguration prayer
If you keep a prayer list, add Dr. Michael Newdow’s name to it. If ever a man needed divine guidance, it is he. Newdow, an atheist from Sacramento, Calif., is determined to wipe religion out of every facet of government....Published: Jan 13, 2005 10:42 AM Full Editorial
Wednesday, January 12, 2005
Too bad (hee hee): Traffic-light camera program in jeopardy
There has always been a problem with the way those traffic-light cameras worked. Now there are two problems. They work like this: A camera is aimed at an intersection that is governed by a traffic light. It is positioned so...Published: Jan 12, 2005 11:43 AM Full Editorial
Tuesday, January 11, 2005
Bribery: Democrats’ accusations hit the nail on the head
Democrats have accused Republican commentator Armstrong Williams of bribery for taking money from the U.S. Department of Education. They are right on target. It is not surprising that there are bureaucrats in government who would be willing to pay someone...Published: Jan 11, 2005 10:57 AM Full Editorial
Monday, January 10, 2005
Sen. Burr: Nothing sinister about his backers
Sen. Richard Burr has been subjected to criticism and suspicion for having received more in political action committee contributions than any other candidate for the U.S. Senate this past year. Individuals and editorialists keep pointing out Burr was the darling...Published: Jan 10, 2005 12:02 PM Full Editorial
Saturday, January 8, 2005
Dubious Data: Voter-IQ story is winner. (Or would that be loser?)
The Chicago Tribune uses consultants each year to compile a list of winners of its Dubious Data Awards — the biggest goofs in the reporting of stories that don’t really exist. These are the kind of stories that usually are...Published: Jan 8, 2005 11:44 PM Full Editorial
Friday, January 7, 2005
Gonzales: New approach for new era
Alberto R. Gonzales is undergoing scrutiny by the Senate to determine his suitability for confirmation as U.S. attorney general. Some retired generals and admirals have questioned his credentials, pointing to what they regard as his lack of respect for international...Published: Jan 7, 2005 11:28 AM Full Editorial
Thursday, January 6, 2005
Humbug: Judge gives magistrates a rude Christmas present
Superior Court Judge Jerry Braswell has explained why he notified Wayne County Magistrates Remona McIver and Sandra Castle on Christmas Eve that they were losing their jobs. The terms of all magistrates were to expire on Dec. 31. Braswell said...Published: Jan 6, 2005 8:46 AM Full Editorial
Wednesday, January 5, 2005
Aid to Asia: A hard question about ‘government’ giving
Now that the U.S. government has raised its pledge to $350 million for the tsunami victims in southern Asia, let’s go ahead and face the hard question: Should the government give anything at all? The question is a hard one...Published: Jan 5, 2005 9:17 AM Full Editorial
Tuesday, January 4, 2005
Revote: Holding a new election will be an expensive error
In a situation in which there was no good choice, the state Board of Elections has made the worst one possible. It has ordered a new statewide election for commissioner of agriculture. Thus, it threw out more than 3.3 million...Published: Jan 4, 2005 12:07 PM Full Editorial
Monday, January 3, 2005
Wrong reward: Pollution-for-sale policy unacceptable
State Attorney General Roy Cooper and Senate President Pro Tem Marc Basnight are concerned over a plan to allow the town of Butner to increase by 2 million gallons a day the release of effluent from its sewage treatment plant...Published: Jan 3, 2005 11:43 AM Full Editorial
Saturday, January 1, 2005
Thoughts on a ticking clock
Photographer Dennis Hill offers an interesting thought in the Argus Eye column today, as he often does. If you haven’t done so already, look at his photograph at the top of the page opposite this one. Hill’s clock, poetry in...Published: Jan 1, 2005 10:37 PM Full Editorial