Scholarship

"You can lead a man up to the university, but you can't make him think."

Mr. Dooley (Finley Peter Dunne)

Ron Paul and the Census

A couple of nights ago I saw Congressman Ron Paul of Texas declaim on TV against the current US Census. He claimed that the 2010 census, which arguably asks the fewest questions since the 1790 census, exceeds the requirements of the US Constitution.

Balderdash!

Congressman Paul, who admittedly has some interesting ideas on a number of subjects, is a physician. Apparently he believes, like some other physicians in Congress, that this qualifies him as a Constitutional Scholar, an Economist, a Historian, an expert in International Affairs, nuclear physics and Rocket Science.

As I have pointed out before, the US Census was NEVER just a head count. For one thing, since slaves only counted three fifths of a person for purposes of apportioning seats in the House of Representatives, they had to be counted separately.

It's in the Constitution.

Energy: Key to Survival

There's a helpful opinion piece in today's on-line edition of the New York Times.

Andrew Revkin offers some thoughts on the energy gap and climate crisis. Key thoughts: the world is well on its way to having nine billion inhabitants. Some two billion right now essentially have no access to energy. This will worsen as both China and India move toward an automobile-based transportation system.

Most discouraging is that our own basic research into energy is lagging. Take a look at the colored graph Revkin posts in his article. It makes the point.

A few years ago Public Radio's "All Things Considered" contacted a think tank that thinks about such things "what is the maximum population the world can sustain at a European standard of living?" The answer: we already have three times the population that could be sustained at a european standard of living.

Think about that.

Public Figures and The First Amendment

First Amendment to the US Constitution:

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

Originally this was only a constraint on the Federal Government. In modern times, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that it also applies to the states.

The way this plays out is to pretty much allow the press to say anything they want to about public figures. Libel laws, for example only come into play if an aggrieved public figure can prove "actual malice." Figuring out what phrases like "actual malice" mean is why lawyers earn the big bucks.

Who is a public figure? Pretty much every elected and appointed official falls in that category.

What if the press prints something that isn't true? What if the press or even a private person mischaracterizes something a public figure says? Tough!

There's that pesky first amendment.

South Avenue

I just bicycled past the fence at the end of South Avenue. There had been a sign on the fence announcing the Corps of Engineers project to repair the town breakwater. That project is now completed and the sign is gone.

It's time for the town to clean up the street end and remove or cause to be removed the fence that blocks the end of South Avenue and a portion of the town's right of way on Avenue A.

The case is over. Let's take possession of what is ours.

Voting in North Carolina

Just got back from a very interesting training session for county election officials offered by the State Board of Elections. I'm still digesting the information.

One message came through loud and clear: North Carolina is one of a very small group of states leading the way in modernization and reform of election law and procedures. Other states and the federal government often look to North Carolina for ideas.

An example is the Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment Act of 2009 which amended prior law (Uniformed and Overseas Civilian Absentee Voting Act)concerning overseas voters. Of ten provisions in the law, only one provision will require amendment to North Carolina law.

In fact, the US Department of Justice has asked to use North Carolina as a model for other states and as a pilot for new ideas. That speaks well of the leadership of our State Board of Elections.

Voting: Right, Privilege or Duty?

Readers have probably noticed that I strongly support the right of every citizen to vote.

It's not hard to take this position, since it is the law of the land - both Federal and State law protect this right.

Administering the right isn't necessarily simple in a country whose records are maintained in fifty different states in at least fifty different ways, as well as in thousands of counties and municipalities.

I believe that voting is not just a right - it is a civic duty.

In some European democracies, voting is a legal obligation. Even for deployed military servicemen. Once when I was serving on a NATO staff during an international military exercise, the Italian military withdrew their contingent and flew them home to vote in a national election.

Our history as a republic began with very restricted voting rights. Over the past two centuries, we have made great strides in expanding the electorate. You may find it interesting to review the progress we have made here.

We have an election coming up. In addition to a North Carolina seat in the US Senate and a seat in the US House of Representatives, seats are at stake for County Commissioners, Judges, and the County Board of Education. In fact, the May 4 election, which is a primary election for most seats, is the ONLY election for the Board of Education.

Please vote.

Using Time Well

When I was a young boy, my grandfather took me fishing.

I helped him catch the bait by turning over a big plank on the ground and picking out earthworms and grubs before they buried themselves in the moist earth. Sometimes we went to the creek behind the cow pasture and seined for minnows or crawdads.

Sometimes we fished in the creek, usually with a cane pole and bobber.

Sometimes Grandad took me to the Illinois River or Spavinaw Creek or other streams in northeastern Oklahoma.

The truth is, I had no interest at all in catching fish. I was happy to eat them, but catching them provided no particular thrill.

But I valued the time I spent outdoors with my grandfather. I always learned something from him.

It didn't matter that he had only a third grade education. He was able to show me how to do things no one else would. He taught me how to milk a cow, how to ride a horse, how to drive a tractor. I learned how to curry a calf and bait a hook.

People talk about wasting time.

A few days ago, Trent Hamm, a blogger known as The Simple Dollar, examined the issue of "wasted time" and "wasted money."

It is well to reflect on his thoughts.