North Carolina Legislature

I first visited North Carolina in 1955. I was a student at the University of Mississippi. A year earlier, in Greenwood, Mississippi, the town where I started to school in the first grade in 1943, a prominent local citizen started the White Citizen's Council.

North Carolina was a very different place. It stood out as a southern oasis. North Carolina had men and women of vision. A manifestation of that vision was the election of Terry Sanford as governor in 1960.

I was happy to move here after I retired. Decent people. Progressive initiatives like the Research Triangle. Fine institutions of higher education. University of North Carolina. Duke. A fine community College System. Sailors. Good public schools. Efforts to improve the environment. One of the best election systems in the nation. Thoughtful public officials dedicated to making the state an even better place to live.

Earlier this evening, I watched the weekly legislative summary on public television. I had already read some of the bills introduced in the state legislature. What I heard and read brings back recollections of Mississippi in the 1940's and 1950's.

That isn't where North Carolina needs to go.

Courtesy And Respect Are Never Out Of Order

Just observing. Respect should be a two way street. But elected officials especially need to respect the input from citizens. They might learn something.

As for "negativity," when citizens ask elected officials for answers, it seems pretty negative to ignore their queries and refuse to respond in public. It is elected officials who answer to the citizens, not the other way around. Witness last night's Town Board meeting as reported (so far) by Town Dock:

"7:26a The Town Board voted 4-0 last night to give up South Avenue at the harbor in the land swap with Chris Fulcher. It had already given up Avenue A in the swap last summer. More on that coming. (In the meantime, see posting from last night – scroll below)

"Also at the meeting, The Board okayed Town Manager Bob Maxbauer’s request to shift $65,000 from the Town’s General Fund (rainy day fund) to fill a budget gap while the Town waits for Hurricane Irene money to come through.
Commissioner Warren Johnson tried to prevent Maxbauer from hiring a third police officer until at least the new fiscal year in July. That failed on a 3-2 vote in which the Mayor broke a tie. Meanwhile, Maxbauer revealed that the part time cop hired in February may be working more than half of his full-time hours in Public Works where his “skills” are needed. No mention of the total numbers of people working in Public Works, a question that Commissioner Johnson posed at the agenda meeting 5 days earlier. Also, it was revealed that about $9,000 was spent on “tools” in February.
More than a half dozen residents used the Public Comment session at the beginning of the meeting to, among other things: question the land swap; claim Maxbauer was recklessly spending money; and suggest a Q&A session between the public and the Board. A short time later, one of the attorneys working for the Town, Clark Wright, criticized what he said was “negativity” and said that people should instead focus on “positive attributes” and “talk about what they love” about the Town. A fuller report of the meeting is coming…"

What I love about Oriental is that it has citizens who will stand up and speak up. That is our most positive attribute. Down with passivity!

North Carolina Municipal Elections

Although North Carolina Municipal elections are not held until November, candidates seeking to be on the ballot for municipal elections must file in July. Candidates must file no sooner than noon on the first Friday in July (July 5 this year) and no later than noon on July 9.

Seventy Years Ago: Wartime Rationing

I have written before about rationing. It pervaded our lives during World War II and it involved an enormous organization to plan and control the economy to insure a successful war effort. The "magic of the marketplace" wasn't up to the task.

Economist Brad DeLong provides a link to a detailed explanation of how it worked. World War II truly mobilized all of our national assets.

Was this trip necessary? Yes it was.

On a personal note, I was ten years old before I learned to ride a bicycle. They weren't available during the war. When bicycles came back on the market in 1947, my grandfather bought one and drove 125 miles from Tulsa to Oklahoma City to deliver it on my tenth birthday.

No, The Judge's Ruling in Cox v. Town of Oriental Hasn't Been Entered

Those of you who checked today to see what the Town's agenda is for next week may be wondering. Has the Judge in the case of Cox v. Town of Oriental entered his order? Not yet.

After he enters the order, the plaintiff has a window of 30 days to file a notice of appeal. That sets in motion a process that could last 10 months or more.

What about the "exchange" the Town plans?

Who knows? That might cause a second suit.

Seventy Years Ago: Battle Of Komandorski Islands

Did you ever hear about the Battle of Komandorski Islands? In brief, March 26 1943, RADM "Sock" McMorris took his task group out west of the Aleutian Islands to intercept a Japanese force enroute to reinforce the Japanese garrison on the island of Attu. It turned out the Japanese force was about twice as strong as McMorris' force.

The Americans got their noses bloodied, but they held off the Japanese force, who returned home without reinforcing Attu.

Here's a more complete account.

Just imagine fighting a battle that close to the Arctic.

Senate Bill 58 - Boat Registration Fees

A few days ago I posted an item on Senate Bill 58, cosponsored by State Senator Norm Sanderson. The bill will vastly increase boat registration fees in North Carolina.

The bill raises questions about just what is meant by representation in a democracy. In a different context, Senator Sanderson has explained that he "represents all of the people of North Carolina." I think that constitutes a misunderstanding of "representation." It may be true that Sanderson is paid by the people of North Carolina. In that sense, he works for them. But he represents the voters of his senate district, who elected him to this office, whether they voted for him or against him.

Oriental resident Jim Barton has published an eloquent letter to Senator Sanderson raising a number of good questions about Senate Bill 58. Captain Barton, who has also spoken in opposition to ferry tolls for our commuter ferries, is a Republican who voted for Sanderson. But his comment is pointed: "We want a State Senator who, in fact, represents our interests and communicates with his constituency." He urges the Senator to communicate more clearly with his constituents.

What's Happening In The States?

A good article in today's New York Times by columnist Bill Keller examines how it comes about that there is such a wide variation in laws passed recently by state legislatures. Equally puzzling is the national gridlock in the Congress.

Keller describes a number of alternate explanations offered by political scientists. I find one explanation is probably the most accurate: political outcomes are determined by an activist elite of about 15 percent of the populace, combined with a largely indifferent public. Or maybe it isn't that the public is indifferent. Maybe it is that they are confused and ill-informed.

How to address that may be the greatest challenge to democracy in today's world.