John Hood’s
Daily Journal

2.03.12
Fake But Accurate Job Numbers

Manipulation of federal employment data leads to misstatements about job gains and losses.

CJ Ticker

• JLF founding chairman Art Pope appears 7 p.m. Saturday on WRAL's "On The Record."
• Bob (who are you?) Etheridge running for governor.
• Erskine Bowles will not run for the Democratic nomination for governor.
• House Majority Leader (and former speaker) Joe Hackney will retire at the end the legislative session.
• JLF expert says N.C. students struggle to keep up with peers around the globe.
• No surprise: Rep. Bill Faison, D-Orange, also in governor's race.
• Lt. Gov. Walter Dalton will seek Dem nomination for governor, WRAL reports.
• Perdue makes it official: She's not seeking re-election.

Other Opinions

2.03.12
Electing judges

Scott W. Gaylord says that judicial elections provide a proven way to hold the judiciary accountable for its political decisions without threatening its independence or integrity.

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2.03.12
Stop whining

Scott Mooneyham writes that if you are going to embark on a journey to redo a big chunk of the public policy of a state, you better expect some bile to be thrown your way.

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2.03.12
Abominable snow job

The NAACP filed a lawsuit Thursday in U.S. District Court against a mangled Guilford County redistricting law. The Greensboro News & Record says good for them.

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2.02.12
Caution with incentives

When it comes to recruiting industry, some local governments are giving away tax dollars without any assurances. That must stop says the Winston-Salem Journal.

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2.02.12
Run Erskine

In momentous times, people of great talent step up to serve. The Charlotte Observer hopes that includes Erskine Bowles running for governor.

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1.27.12
Davidson’s Smart Growth Trap
Davidson has gotten wealthier and whiter as it has implemented tighter land-use policies.

Media Mangle

1.16.12
Anatomy of a Newspaper Hit Piece

In a Sunday piece, The Charlotte Observer employs all the steps used by the mainstream media to mislead readers.

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1.03.12
A Pauline Kael Syndrome at The News & Observer?

When it comes to quoting blog sites in The News & Observer, the liberal Huffington Post seems to be a favorite.

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10.19.11
Post Amazed by Obama Teleprompter Ridicule

The Washington Post is at a loss to explain all the jokes about President Obama's reliance on a teleprompter.

Carolina Beat

2.02.12
The Government and Childhood Obesity

Lead Story

Friday Interview: The Obama Administration and Crony Capitalism

February 03, 2012, By CJ Staff

RALEIGH — One of the Democratic Party’s key selling points is that Democrats favor the little guy struggling against Big Business and other powerful forces. But Tim Carney, senior political columnist for the Washington Examiner, has spent much of his career detailing the relationship between Big Business and Big Government, and he’s spent the past three years highlighting that relationship within a Democratic administration in Washington. Carney discussed his work with Mitch Kokai for Carolina Journal Radio.

Headlines

2.03.12 - Former U.S. Rep. Etheridge enters governor’s race

RALEIGH — Former U.S. Rep. Bob Etheridge announced Thursday he’ll enter the Democratic primary race for governor, hours after Erskine Bowles decided against it. Etheridge’s bid further shakes up the party’s gubernatorial future just a week after incumbent Bev Perdue said she wouldn’t seek re-election.

Related NC Politics Articles:

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2.03.12 - Bowles won't run for governor

RALEIGH — Erskine Bowles said Thursday that he would not run for governor, but other Democrats moved to fill the void with former Congressman Bob Etheridge announcing that he would seek his party’s nomination. Bowles, 66, a Charlotte investment banker, was the rarest of political figures: the subject of a legitimate draft by his party, which saw him as the sort of senior statesman who might rescue the Democrats.

Related NC Politics Articles:

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2.03.12 - Shuler won’t run for re-election

ASHEVILLE — Facing an uphill battle in a redrawn district, U.S. Rep. Heath Shuler announced Thursday he will not seek re-election to a fourth term. The Waynesville Democrat said in a statement he came to the decision because he wants to spend more time with family. He made no mention of the redistricting or increased competition. First elected in 2006, Shuler handily won re-election in 2008 and 2010.

Related NC Delegation Articles:

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2.03.12 - Exodus from legislature grows

RALEIGH — State Rep. Joe Hackney, a 32-year veteran lawmaker and former speaker, said Thursday he would not seek another term, becoming the latest in a string of top Democrats to announce retirements in the past week. The Democratic departures are not coordinated. But lawmakers say the moves signal deep frustrations with the new GOP legislative leadership and a desire to avoid bruising re-election battles in unfavorable districts newly drawn by Republicans.

Related NC General Assembly Articles:

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2.03.12 - ACLU warns on prayers at legislature meetings

RALEIGH — Bolstered by a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision not to intervene in a case involving prayer at government meetings, the North Carolina chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union warned the General Assembly Thursday to curtail religion-specific invocations at its sessions.

Related NC General Assembly Articles:

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2.03.12 - NAACP files suit to stop Guilford redistricting plan

GREENSBORO — NAACP officials and two Guilford County voters filed a federal lawsuit Thursday to overturn a new redistricting law that leaves almost 43,000 county residents without representation on the county Board of Commissioners. They want a federal judge to rule the plan “violates the equal protection clauses of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution” and similar provisions of the state Constitution.

Related Elections Articles:

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2.03.12 - Debate rises over future of N.C. public education

RALEIGH — Sate Board of Education Chairman Bill Harrison is asking his members to champion public education in a political environment where lawmakers are increasingly open to alternatives. Harrison told board members Thursday that they should engage in an “aggressive communications effort” that talks about the value of public education and the state’s belief in quality for all children.

Related Education Articles:

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2.03.12 - Parents question use of seclusion rooms

WILMINGTON — When you walk into the room in a corner of a special education class at Anderson Elementary School, the first thing you notice are the blue and gray mats. The walls and floor are covered with them. They’re made up of a padded material, like the kind you’d use to do situps during PE class. The room is small. The room is known as a seclusion room.

Related Education Articles:

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2.03.12 - Judge lifts death penalty for Wayne County murderer

GOLDSBORO — A Goldsboro man on Thursday became the 17th prisoner to avoid the death penalty under a 2001 state law that prohibits the execution of mentally retarded prisoners. Superior Court Judge Arnold Jones vacated the death sentence of Marvin Williams, 50, who was convicted of murdering Theron Price in 1989 during a robbery at the company where both men worked.

Related Prison & Death Penalty Articles:

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2.03.12 - DMV officer sues over tracking device

RALEIGH — A high-ranking law enforcement officer in the state Division of Motor Vehicles says his superiors planted a hidden tracking device in his state-issued car in hopes of finding something to use against him in a long-running personnel dispute. Michael Weaks, a supervisor in the License and Theft Bureau, made the accusation in a lawsuit filed Thursday in Wake County Superior Court.

Related State Government Articles:

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2.03.12 - Industry seeks no rate increase for auto insurance

RALEIGH — Drivers are getting a little good news: Auto insurance rates are not going up this year. This is the second year in a row that the state’s auto insurers have not sought a rate increase. The claims data just didn’t support an increase, said Ray Evans, general manager of the N.C. Rate Bureau, which represents 142 insurance companies that write auto policies in North Carolina.

Related Regulation Articles:

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2.03.12 - Charlotte outlook: Increase in revenue, few budget cuts

CHARLOTTE — The first look at the city of Charlotte’s upcoming budget shows a slight increase in revenue, and city officials don’t anticipate significant budget cuts as the economy appears to “have turned the corner.” The proposed fiscal year 2013 budget, however, doesn’t have money set aside for a pay increase for employees. In addition, the city doesn’t have enough money for a bond referendum in November to pay for roads, affordable housing and neighborhood improvements.

Related Local Government Articles:

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2.03.12 - City of Charlotte may help fund ballpark

CHARLOTTE — The city of Charlotte could help pay for a new Charlotte Knights baseball stadium uptown, according to City Council member James Mitchell, chairman of the city’s economic development committee. Mitchell said talks between the team and the city are preliminary. But Mitchell said his committee could discuss helping the Knights at its Feb. 16 meeting or on March 1.

Related Economic Development Articles:

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2.03.12 - Greensboro remains ‘less than robust’

GREENSBORO — The 2012 State of the City report, released today by The Greensboro Partnership, describes local conditions as “less than robust.” By now, the phrase should have developed a familiar ring. “I have used that nearly every year,” said Keith Debbage, a professor of urban geography at UNCG, who prepared the report.

Related NC Economy Articles:

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2.03.12 - Feral felines spared in Wake; future policy unclear

RALEIGH — Two stray cats scheduled to be euthanized by Wake County won their freedom Thursday after local and national feline advocacy groups took the county to court. But the settlement between Wake Animal Services and the nonprofit group Operation Catnip leaves a bigger issue unresolved - will the county allow animal advocates to trap, neuter and then release cats into the wild?

Related Environment Articles: