Is Scientific Ignorance Catching?

So Congressman Boehner declares the idea that CO2 is a carcinogen is "almost ludicrous."

Almost?

Just who ever said it was a carcinogen?

To even utter such an idea as a straw man requires an inconceivable depth of ignorance.

Soak The Poor - Enrich The Rich

Who benefits - who pays?

North Carolina's Republican legislature thinks the poor aren't poor enough and the rich aren't rich enough.

If you aren't in the top 10%, Republicans don't know anyone like you and certainly don't care about anyone like you. And it isn't just taxes.

But their tax plan is bad enough.

Economist Jared Bernstein spent today in North Carolina trying to talk sense about taxes and expenditures.

Lowering taxes on the rich and raising taxes on the poor - which is what a shift from income taxes to sales taxes will do, is just a very bad idea. As bad an idea as the sequester.

But it helps the rich, to whom Republicans pander.

Here is a graph of the share of income spent on taxes by income group:



Remember the old song about the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer?

Here's Bernstein's summary of the problem. Increasing sales taxes will take a proportionately bigger bite out of the lowest three quintiles than of the top 20%. Decreasing income tax will have almost no benefit for the bottom 20% but the top 1% will rake in the dough.

Speak Softly And Carry A Big Stick

We had a great weekend attending our grandson's graduation from the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan.

Forrest Cox went to Michigan to play Lacrosse as a long-stick defense man. Thus carrying a big stick. Injury interfered. He focused instead on studying public policy at the nation's oldest public policy educational institution, now the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy.

Forrest has an imposing physical presence. He also has a quiet demeanor and remarkable skill at getting people to work together. He does, indeed, speak softly. And persuasively.

The future is in good hands.

Hitting The Road Again, With A Jaunty Step Of Hope

We're about to hit the road again - back home to Oriental.

Graduation ceremonies, in my experience, are seldom inspirational. But here in Ann Arbor, we were inspired.

New thoughts. Eloquent young people. Not committed to their own enrichment, but to making the world a better place.

All is not lost, after all.

More Later.

It's A Busy Day Here In Ann Arbor

Not quiet at all. We've been on the run from morning to night attending various graduation celebrations of our grandson. Turns out, he has accomplished a lot during his four years on campus. Has left his mark.

We're very proud of him.

The stories will come later. Have to get some sleep so we can get up and attend the next event not long after oh dark hundred.

Other States

Lovely drive through Southwest Virginia. Great visit with old friends. Just one thing. I was struck by the signs that say "speed limit enforced by aircraft." I had visions of a World War I SPAD with machine gun on the cowling bringing speeders to justice.

Maybe that isn't what the sign means.

Beautiful drive yesterday through West Virginia and Ohio. Arrived in Michigan around sunset. Our first time in Michigan. Still have five more states to visit to cover all fifty states of the Union.

About To Hit The Road

Tomorrow morning, we are leaving for Ann Arbor, Michigan to attend our youngest grandson's graduation from the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy.

Blog posts may be a bit intermittent.

Public Policy seems to run in our family. We're pretty pleased that the younger generation is carrying on the tradition.

Cox v. Town Of Oriental

Sometime in the next two days, I will file a notice of appeal of the judge's dismissal of my complaint against the Town of Oriental. The complaint concerned Avenue A and the Town's contract to exchange two dedicated and accepted rights of way for a parcel of real estate. In other words, I opposed the Town Board's desire to sell or barter an asset they only hold in trust for the public.

So far the Town says it has spent $30,000 for the motion to dismiss.

What was really at issue? The Town wants to be free to sell or otherwise dispose of the newly-acquired waterfront property whenever they see fit, for whatever reason.

In other words, they want the right to flip the real estate, including any of the Town's rights of way. No irrevocable dedication. "Don't tie our hands."

The Court of Appeals will not uphold the Town's position.

For those who think I am making this up after the fact, I refer to my blog post of last June 14, before the July 3 public hearing. "What Do I Really Think?" the post asked.

I think the Town's position jeopardizes all of our rights of way, especially those leading to the water.

This is not just my fight. It is the fight of everyone who values public access to the water.

The effort to continue the appeal will take more money and effort. If possible, we need to hire an attorney. In the meantime, there are filing deadlines for the appeal process.

I have established a bank account in the name of: ONC Protect Streets. I am accepting donations. Mail contributions to ONC Protect Streets, P.O. Box 236, Oriental, NC 28571. All unused contributions will be returned.

This is about Oriental's future.