Link-of-the-Day – Page 15 – Democracy North Carolina

LOD: President Obama’s Zeros

Soon after donating $100,000 to Obama's 2013 inaugural committee, the Southern Company announced it was “newly optimistic” about prospects for gaining an $8.3 billion loan guarantee from the federal government for building a new nuclear power plant. Is a quid pro quo involved here, asks Public Citizen. Answer: “We need more information to answer that [...]

By Bob Hall| 2017-01-03T12:05:22-05:00 February 27th, 2013|Citizens United Case, Disclosure, FENA, Link-of-the-Day, Money in Politics, Pay to Play, Voter-Owned Elections|0 Comments

LOD: Seeing the Hearing

The hearing has begun at this hour to consider a motion to approve or throw out the challenge to the redistricting plans adopted by the NC General Assembly. You can follow this today on the WRAL-TV web where the video of the hearing is streaming along. The arguments today are between the lawyers for the [...]

By Bob Hall| 2017-01-03T12:05:23-05:00 February 25th, 2013|Link-of-the-Day, Redistricting|0 Comments

LOD: Call in the Uncle

If you think some of the shenanigans by heavyweights like Duke Energy and the NC General Assembly are beyond wacko, you’re not alone. Uncle Sam may have your back. The federal government has a way of slowing down implementation of many unethical practices, which should encourage you to speak up, too. In the case of Duke Energy, the [...]

By Bob Hall| 2017-01-03T12:05:23-05:00 February 22nd, 2013|Environmental Issues, Ethics, Link-of-the-Day|0 Comments

LOD: Duke $$$ to S-10 Sponsors

Greenpeace looked at the campaign money Duke Energy and Progress Energy have donated to the legislative sponsors of the bill to immediately replace all the members of the Utilities Commission and several other regulatory boards with GOP appointee. Seven of the 12 sponsors and co-sponsors received a total of $147,000 from the two utilities in [...]

By Bob Hall| 2017-01-03T12:05:23-05:00 February 19th, 2013|Environmental Issues, Link-of-the-Day, Money in Politics, Pay to Play|0 Comments

LOD: View Lawmaker’s Stocks, Job

WRAL-TV has created a searchable database of the major stockholdings listed by NC legislators and other state officials on their ethics disclosure forms. For example, eight legislators disclosed owning at least $10,000 worth of stock in Duke Energy or Progress Energy – although the amounts may be much higher, and smaller amounts held by others [...]

By Bob Hall| 2017-01-03T12:05:23-05:00 February 18th, 2013|Disclosure, Ethics, Link-of-the-Day, Money in Politics|0 Comments

LOD: Caucus Quid Pro Quo?

After a review of the changing landscape in the NC General Assembly, reporter Jordan Green of YES! Weekly provides an in-depth analysis of the NC Republican House Campaign Committee. According to its plan of organization, it is responsible for “recruiting candidates and raising funds for use in electing Republicans to the North Carolina House.” Donations [...]

By Bob Hall| 2013-02-15T11:58:18-05:00 February 15th, 2013|Disclosure, Ethics, Link-of-the-Day, Lobbying, Money in Politics, Pay to Play|0 Comments

LOD: Supremes & Voting Rights

The US Supreme Court has announced it will hear arguments on February 27 in the case from Calera (Shelby County), Alabama, that challenges the pre-clearance provision (Section 5) of the federal Voting Rights Act. That’s the provision that allows the US Justice Department to step in and block changes in election procedures that will have [...]

By Bob Hall| 2017-01-03T12:05:23-05:00 February 13th, 2013|Civic Engagement, Link-of-the-Day, Redistricting, Voting Rights|0 Comments

LOD: Historic Thousands

Tomorrow morning, thousands of people from around North Carolina will gather in downtown Raleigh and march together to the General Assembly. They'll be carrying messages of peace, hope, equality and justice. It’s the 7th annual Historic Thousands on Jones Street march (HK on J), and Democracy North Carolina will be there. Join us as we [...]

By admin| 2017-01-03T12:05:23-05:00 February 8th, 2013|Link-of-the-Day, Voting Rights|0 Comments

LOD: Stick it to the Unemployed

Here's a very real example of how BIG MONEY twists policy priorities and hurts average North Carolinians. In the 1990s, NC legislators gave businesses huge tax cuts that eliminated the "surplus" in NC's unemployment insurance trust fund. Then, as the Great Recession got worse, NC legislators decided to borrow money from the federal government to [...]

By admin| 2017-01-03T12:05:23-05:00 February 5th, 2013|Link-of-the-Day, Money in Politics, Pay to Play|1 Comment

LOD: Echo from 100 Years Ago

From Robert Reich's blog on Sunday: Exactly a century ago, on February 3, 1913, the 16th Amendment to the Constitution was ratified, authorizing a federal income tax. Congress turned it into a graduated tax, based on “capacity to pay.” . . . The 1880s and 1890s had been the Gilded Age, the time of robber [...]

By Bob Hall| 2017-01-03T12:05:23-05:00 February 4th, 2013|Citizens United Case, Ethics, Link-of-the-Day, Money in Politics, Pay to Play|1 Comment