Gun Control

I'm very much in favor of preserving our right guaranteed by the Second Amendment to keep and bear arms. If elected, I will support any and all legislation to expand our right to possess firearms, and will oppose any further attempts to restrict that right. As long as you are not initiating harm against someone, the government should leave you alone. People should not be punished for what they possess; rather, they should be punished (if at all) for their acts.

Bailout voted down?!?

Color me shocked. Now let's see if the opponents voted on free-market, non-government-interference principles, or simply because they weren't able to "get enough." Will Our Learned Leaders manage to create a Frankenstein's monster to get a majority? Call me a cynic, but I'm afraid they just might throw in some new programs or add in pork to swing some "Nay" votes. I hope I'm wrong.

Campaign Signs are in!

Please click the "Volunteer" link at the top of my website if you want to put one in your yard. I'll be glad to get it to you however is convenient, and I'll get you more than one if you want to distribute some to your friends, co-workers, and family. Thanks for your support!

If you're new to the site, please check out the links to the right for my archive and related links. Welcome.

Gubernatorial Debate Wednesday Night

For the first time, the Libertarian candidate for governor, Dr. Mike Munger, will be allowed to appear in a televised debate. It's on UNC-TV Wednesday night. Mayor McCrory has accepted the invitation, but Bev Perdue has apparently declined. She's participated in the other debates that only she and McCrory were allowed in; she isn't afraid of the little ol' Chair of the Duke Political Science Department, is she?

More information here. Please watch. I'm guessing Dr. Munger and I will agree on most issues.

Agricultural Fair

I have a booth at the Caldwell County Agricultural Fair this week. As you go in the Exhibit Hall, head straight ahead. I'm in the center aisle on the left, about a third of the way down. When I have the time (like most of you, I have a job and a family), I'll either be there or at the main gate, greeting folks and handing out cards about the issues I believe are most important to the citizens of Caldwell County and North Carolina.

I hope I see you there!

Illegal Immigration and Community College

This is one of those issues that may not make me particularly popular with some of you, but I've always stuck to my principles and said what I think. I always will.

We should allow illegal immigrants to attend our community colleges, but at the out-of-state rate. This would serve at least two purposes. First, it would make education available to more people. Regardless of whether someone is illegal or not, they should have the opportunity to get an education. Second, if we charge them the out-of-state rate, we, the taxpayers, will not be subsidizing them. They will be paying their own way, as they should.

If, for some reason, the current out-of-state rate isn't high enough to pay for all of a student's costs of attending community college, I would vote to raise the rate. Regardless of whether someone is an illegal immigrant, or from Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, or Virginia, we North Carolina taxpayers shouldn't be subsidizing their education at our taxpayer-funded schools. But that's a separate issue, and shouldn't affect this issue. Illegal immigrants should be able to attend our community colleges.

Broyhill/Furniture Brands

So I guess everyone knows by now. The City of Lenoir and Caldwell County have rolled over and taken Broyhill's hijacking, spending our money to make themselves look good.

If you'll recall, one of the arguments used to justify Google's handouts last year was that the tax rebates were on investment that wouldn't have happened without the incentives; we were giving away money we wouldn't have gotten otherwise. Not even that excuse works here.

Furniture Brands International (Broyhill's owner; let's be honest, it's not really "Broyhill" anymore) is staying in Lenoir and consolidating its operations, including closing several other plants. For this, the City and County have given them massive incentives conditioned on placing limits on job REDUCTION, rather than promoting job creation. If Furniture Brands cuts ONLY 100 jobs, City and County taxpayers will pay them $2 million dollars over the next year or so. This isn't tax rebates. Checks will be written out of the general funds, paid for by you and me, to Furniture Brands, a company headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri.

The John Locke Foundation, in its Agenda 2008 pamphlet, put it better than I can:

[Government] will reward specific companies that it deems worthy. If a company will run its business the way politicians and state economic development planners think it should be run, then the subsidies will flow in its direction.

If it locates in the right place, if it hires the right amount of workers, if it compensates the workers with the correct mix of salary and benefits, and if it is producing the right products or providing the right services, then it will qualify for the privilege of being subsidized by the citizens of North Carolina. This is government central planning, plain and simple.

Of course, the City and County will go through the motions of the public hearings required by law. Lenoir's hearing will be October 21 and Caldwell's hearing will probably be October 20. But the votes have already been unofficially cast. I'll very likely be the only local official who opposes these taxpayer subsidies.

Despite this, I encourage you to turn out for the public hearings and express your opposition. Because I will, and if enough citizens show up to voice their opposition to this corporate welfare, maybe together we can put a stop to it.