A week from today, Ukraine holds a fateful election. The Ukrainians I met two decades ago want only to be a normal European country. They have earned the right to try, by spilling their blood at Maidan Square.
But Democracy and freedom, which is what they want, isn't a one-time affair. Now they must earn the right by elections, by economic development, by moving away from the kind of kleptocracy that has governed them for too long. Only the Ukrainian people can do that.
Voting will take courage. Rebuilding the country will take even more courage.
Vlast' Narodam!
Monday, May 19, 2014
Wednesday, May 14, 2014
Trouble in Turkey
Disaster in a Turkish mine. Accident? Probably no one intentionally caused the explosion.
But in such an instance, there are really no accidents.
Safety is a consequence of planning, regulation, inspections and control. The saying: "Safety is no accident."
There is certainly more to the explosion in Turkey than an accident, and the public is pointing the finger right at Prime Minister Erdogan. Why?
It is more than the fact that more than 300 miners are dead. The opposition parties had united to present a demand that mines be more closely inspected. Two weeks ago the governing party defeated the proposed measure. At the very least, the timing is bad for the governing party. But there's more. The minister of mines had stood at that mine 9 months ago, declaring how safe the mines were compared to other countries (and despite a horrific safety record). Turkish mines had gone through a government-led privatization, which cut costs through low-wage job replacement and in-house equipment production (the failure of which caused the fire).
It will be interesting to see how Erdogan gets out of this one.
The lesson: the magic of the marketplace usually doesn't do much for safety. Without strong regulation and enforcement, people die.
Not only in Turkey.
But in such an instance, there are really no accidents.
Safety is a consequence of planning, regulation, inspections and control. The saying: "Safety is no accident."
There is certainly more to the explosion in Turkey than an accident, and the public is pointing the finger right at Prime Minister Erdogan. Why?
It is more than the fact that more than 300 miners are dead. The opposition parties had united to present a demand that mines be more closely inspected. Two weeks ago the governing party defeated the proposed measure. At the very least, the timing is bad for the governing party. But there's more. The minister of mines had stood at that mine 9 months ago, declaring how safe the mines were compared to other countries (and despite a horrific safety record). Turkish mines had gone through a government-led privatization, which cut costs through low-wage job replacement and in-house equipment production (the failure of which caused the fire).
It will be interesting to see how Erdogan gets out of this one.
The lesson: the magic of the marketplace usually doesn't do much for safety. Without strong regulation and enforcement, people die.
Not only in Turkey.
Monday, May 12, 2014
Keith Crisco: 1943-2015
Keith Crisco, part-time Oriental resident and full-time gentleman, died today at his home in Asheboro.
Keith was dedicated to making North Carolina a better place for all of its citizens. He served as Commerce Secretary in Governor Perdue's administration and put his considerable talents to work to bring business to North Carolina during a severe economic crisis. He worked tirelessly improve our economy.
He worked equally hard to be elected to the US Congress.
We are all saddened by his untimely death.
This is a great loss to North Carolina.
Keith was dedicated to making North Carolina a better place for all of its citizens. He served as Commerce Secretary in Governor Perdue's administration and put his considerable talents to work to bring business to North Carolina during a severe economic crisis. He worked tirelessly improve our economy.
He worked equally hard to be elected to the US Congress.
We are all saddened by his untimely death.
This is a great loss to North Carolina.
Thursday, May 8, 2014
American Fisheries: Good News and Bad News
A recent investigative report shows that many American fisheries are recovering. With a few (but important) exceptions, recent efforts at managing our fisheries have been very effective.
The problem: collecting data on particular wild fish stocks is difficult and expensive. NOAA has to prioritize the effort. As a result, we have some unknown unknowns.
The bad news: fisheries management is less effective in the rest of the world, where over eighty percent of our seafood is caught.
To find out more, read the following VOX article: http://www.vox.com/2014/5/8/5669120/how-the-us-stopped-its-fisheries-from-collapsing
The problem: collecting data on particular wild fish stocks is difficult and expensive. NOAA has to prioritize the effort. As a result, we have some unknown unknowns.
The bad news: fisheries management is less effective in the rest of the world, where over eighty percent of our seafood is caught.
To find out more, read the following VOX article: http://www.vox.com/2014/5/8/5669120/how-the-us-stopped-its-fisheries-from-collapsing
Wednesday, May 7, 2014
A Good Day For Democrats
Yesterday was a good day for Democrats in Pamlico County and pretty much all over the state.
The turnout in Pamlico County was nearly three times that of 2010. GOP efforts to suppress the vote haven't worked well so far.
The GOP effort to eliminate Supreme Court Justice Robin Hudson on the first ballot also didn't work. In Pamlico County, Justice Hudson won every precinct.
We have a good lineup for the November election. Democrats, Keep up the good work!
The turnout in Pamlico County was nearly three times that of 2010. GOP efforts to suppress the vote haven't worked well so far.
The GOP effort to eliminate Supreme Court Justice Robin Hudson on the first ballot also didn't work. In Pamlico County, Justice Hudson won every precinct.
We have a good lineup for the November election. Democrats, Keep up the good work!
Tuesday, May 6, 2014
Reelect Robin Hudson To NC Supreme Court
Billionaires from Kansas and Texas are pouring money into North Carolina elections to defeat Justice Hudson.
What do they want?
What business do they have meddling in our election?
What do they want?
What business do they have meddling in our election?
Get Out And Vote: Your Vote Counts
Don't imagine your vote doesn't matter. NC Republicans and the wealthy people they support and defend have expended a lot of effort to discourage you from voting. The US Supreme Court has unleashed vast amounts of money just so it can counter your vote. Billionaires want to keep you from voting.
Never surrender!
Never surrender!
Monday, May 5, 2014
Pamlico County Early Vote 2014
This morning's News and Observer published statewide early voting turnout for North Carolina. Turnout percentage was higher this year than in the mid-term election four years ago. The news was especially good for Democrats.
Pamlico County's turnout was even better. Here's the comparison:
Party Percentage of One-Stop Votes Cast
Statewide Pamlico County
Democratic 47.8% 54.32%
Republican 33.3% 26.54%
Unaffiliated 18.8% 18.89%
As far as numbers go, in 2010 in this county 297 voters cast early ballots. This year, 810 Pamlico County citizens cast early votes, 2.78 times as many as voted in 2010.
That's a good start. Let's keep up the enthusiasm on election day tomorrow.
Pamlico County's turnout was even better. Here's the comparison:
Party Percentage of One-Stop Votes Cast
Statewide Pamlico County
Democratic 47.8% 54.32%
Republican 33.3% 26.54%
Unaffiliated 18.8% 18.89%
As far as numbers go, in 2010 in this county 297 voters cast early ballots. This year, 810 Pamlico County citizens cast early votes, 2.78 times as many as voted in 2010.
That's a good start. Let's keep up the enthusiasm on election day tomorrow.
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