Employment Report - Better But Not Yet Good

Today's employment report showed more new jobs in February than many observers expected. But don't break out the champagne and confetti just yet. There are drags on the economy - continued decline in government employment at all levels, for example. Economic decline in Europe.

A new high in the Dow Jones doesn't put money in the pockets of people who work for a living, no matter what color collar they may wear. The unemployment rate is down to its lowest level in years. But that measure can be really misleading. It doesn't count workers who are too discouraged to seek employment as in the labor force.

And the sequester won't help.

By the way, we don't have a fiscal problem. We have a jobs problem. Put citizens back to work and the deficit mostly (but not entirely) goes away.

I prefer the broader measure of percentage of working-age citizens who are employed. Here is that measure:

Disappointed But Not Discouraged

A little after 10:00 this morning, I received Judge Alford's decision in the case of Cox v. Town of Oriental. Here is what the judge said:

"Defendants' Motions to Dismiss the Action For Declaratory Judgment and their Motion For Judgment On The Pleadings are allowed. I would ask Mr. Wright (counsel for Defendants) to draft the Orders, share them with the plaintiff and email them to me as a Word Document for printing, signing and return.

My best to all.

Benjamin G. Alford
Senior Resident Superior Court Judge
3B Judicial District"

I am now reading the NC Rules of Appellate Procedure. Should I decide to appeal, I have 30 days after the Judge's order is entered to file a Notice of Appeal.

Wealth Distribution In America

A friend recently shared a link to a video exploring how wealth is distributed in America. There are a lot of different ways of presenting the same information or related information. We can look at income inequality. Over time, income inequality becomes wealth inequality.

Just this week, the stock market reached a new high. That has increased the wealth of some Americans at the top of the economic scale. Meanwhile, middle-class income has stagnated for forty years.

Here is a video examining wealth.

I will look for one that reveals income inequality and post the best one I find.

Then there is the issue of economic mobility.

We're number one, right?

As it turns out, countries in Western Europe and Northern Europe have more equal distribution of wealth, greater economic mobility and even higher levels of creation of small business than does the U.S.

Not to mention less expensive health care with better outcomes.

Americans need to get out more. Visit other countries. Keep an open mind. Might learn something.

Pamlico County Superior Court March 4

Just a quick report. Both sides in my complaint against the Town of Oriental presented their arguments. The Town argued for dismissal. I argued against dismissal. The judge remained pretty impassive and promised a decision later this week.

I thought the Town made some valid points, but also made some very specious arguments.

What really counts is what the judge thought.

We'll know later.

Seventy Years Ago: New Guinea And Bismarck Sea

They called it "The Battle Of Bismarck Sea," but it wasn't much of a battle.




Following the loss of Guadalcanal, Japan shifted their focus to New Guinea. The plan was to reinforce their airbases at Salamaua and Lae.

A Japanese convoy of eight destroyers and eight troop transports with an escort of approximately 100 aircraft – assembled and departed from Simpson Harbour in Rabaul 28 February. They planned a route along the north coast, to avoid Allied air cover. Allied air attacks on the convoy at this point would have to fly over New Britain, allowing easy interception from Japanese air bases. But the final leg ran the gauntlet of the Vitiaz Strait.

Allied cryptanalysts decrypted Japanese communications revealing the plan. More than 6,000 Japanese troops were on their way to reinforce Lae. General MacArthur, concerned that the reinforcements would make it impossible for the Allies to advance in New Guinea, ordered General Kenney, Commander of the Fifth Air Force, to attack the convoys.

Beginning March 2, 1943, Allied Air Forces began attacking the Japanese convoy with a mix of light, heavy and medium bombers specially converted and trained to attack shipping, accompanied by 54 fighters.

By end of the day March 4, the Allies had sunk 8 transports and five destroyers, destroyed twenty Japanese aircraft and prevented all but 1200 Japanese soldiers from reaching Lae.

Many of the attacking aircraft flew over the Owen Stanley range from Port Moresby. My father, serving at Port Moresby in the 27th Air Depot group, was subjected to nightly air raids by Japanese aircraft flying from Lae and Salamaua. During the day he put US aircraft back together for new missions.

Going To Court

Last minute preps for tomorrow's hearing at Pamlico Court House. Town has filed three motions to dismiss.

I'm trying to protect the public's interest but the issues seem complicated to them. Why am I doing it? I'm not sure.

Maybe it's like climbing the mountain because it's there.

Right now it feels more like Sisyphus rolling the stone up the hill.

I'll know more tomorrow.

Oriental Land Swap - Or Is It?

Anyone curious about what I have been up to lately can get a good idea by reading today's article in Town Dock. I think it's a fair summary of the whole issue, starting several years ago.

My role in the Town's lawsuit against a local landowner was actually modest. The Town decided in 2002, nearly four years before I moved here, to file the suit. Much of the information in the Town's complaint was researched by Grace Evans, a local citizen and former member of the Town Board and many other boards, who uncovered records in the Town minutes and actually caused those minutes to be preserved.

The case goes before Judge Alford at the Pamlico County courthouse Monday morning, March 4th, to hear motions by the Town to dismiss my complaint and an amendment thereto. The court will open at 10:00 to hear motions.

Congressional District Size

Awhile back, I suggested we could improve the responsiveness of Congress by increasing the size of the House of Representatives to the same ratio of Representatives to population as existed when we arrived at the present size of 435.

There is an unratified amendment, the first of the original twelve submitted in 1789, of which the first ten became the Bill of Rights. The eleventh to be adopted became the 27th Amendment, adopted in 1992. The sole remaining amendment is muddled because of a scrivener's error when the amendment was engrossed. As intended by the Congress, it would require a House of Representatives of 6,000 members today. As printed and sent to the states, it would if adopted have no effect on the size of the House.

This comes to mind in light of Nate Silver's recent post on the Electoral College.

The number of citizens represented by each member of the House was a big issue in 1787.There was a widespread belief that the number represented by each member should be no more than 50,000.

Having large districts with long terms of office was thought to be a way to favor the interests of "property" and "respectable" citizens. A smaller number of citizens per representative with shorter terms was thought to favor the common people.

Here's how James Madison explained it:

Should Experience or public opinion require an equal and universal suffrage for each branch of the Government such as prevails generally in the U.S., (then) a resource favorable to the rights of landed and other property, when its possessors become the Minority, may be found in the enlargement of the Election Districts for one branch of the Legislature and a prolongation of its period of service. Large districts are manifestly favorable to the election of persons of general respectability, and of probable attachment to the rights of property, over competitors depending on the personal solicitations practicable on a contracted theater. And although an ambitious candidate, of personal distinction, might occasionally recommend himself to popular choice by espousing a popular though unjust object, it might rarely happen to many districts at the same time. The tendency of a longer period of service would be, to render the Body more stable in its policy, and more capable of stemming popular currents taking a wrong direction, till reason and justice could regain their ascendancy. Should even such a modification as the last be deemed inadmissible, and universal suffrage and very short periods of elections within contracted spheres be required for each branch of the Government, the security for the holders of property when the minority, can only be derived from the ordinary influence possessed by property, and the superior information incident to its holders; from the popular sense of justice enlarged and by a diffusive education; and from the difficulty of combining and effectuating unjust purposes throughout an extensive country; a difficulty essentially distinguishing the U.S. and even most of the individual States, from the small communities where a mistaken interest or contagious passion, could readily unite a majority of the whole under a factious leader in trampling on the rights of the Minor party.