Carolina Politics Online

ASHEVILLE — Attorney Max Cogburn Jr. was nominated by President Barack Obama for a lifetime appointment as a federal judge.

If confirmed by the Senate as a U.S. District Court judge for the Western District of North Carolina, Cogburn would replace Lacy Thornburg, who retired in August after 14 years on the bench.

U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan, D-N.C., recommended Cogburn, a former magistrate judge and assistant U.S. attorney, to the White House in October.

“I am thrilled that President Obama has nominated Judge Cogburn to serve as District Court judge for the Western District,” Hagan said.

“I recommended Judge Cogburn because of his distinguished record as a jurist and attorney in both the public and private sectors.

“He has the skills and expertise that this important position requires, and I am working with my colleagues to ensure he is quickly confirmed.”

Asheville Citizen-Times

I really haven’t been able to find much out there about Cogburn, just some of his campaign donations.  He has donated several thousand dollars to the North Carolina Democratic Party, Congressman Heath Shuler, Senator Kay Hagan, and John Edwards’ Presidential campaign.

At about 2 p.m., airport police saw McVey get out of a maroon car with Ohio plates and that he had a sidearm, Smith said. Both airport police and the Secret Service questioned him and he was taken into custody. The suspect was nowhere near the president’s plane, which had just departed, and was in a rental car return lot that is open to the public, Smith said.

His car was equipped with clear LED law enforcement-style strobe lights in the front and rear dash, Smith said. The car also had a mounted digital camera in the front window, four large antennas on the trunk lid, and under the steering wheel was a working siren box. Smith said McVey was not in law enforcement.

When McVey got out of the car, he was listening to a handheld scanner and radio that had a remote earpiece, Smith said. Police said he was monitoring local agencies and had formulas for rifle scopes on a note in his cup holder. Police did not immediately elaborate on what the formulas might mean and Smith was not available to comment late Sunday.

McVey gave authorities an Ohio driver’s license, but a computer check failed to show the number was valid, police said. His hometown of Coshocton is about halfway between Pittsburgh and Columbus, Ohio.

When Officer Kaleb Rice asked him what he was doing, McVey told him he heard the president was in town and wanted to see him.

Rice removed the firearm and took McVey into custody. He was being held at the Buncombe County jail on $100,000 bond.

The investigation into what McVey was doing with a gun, with formulas for rifle scopes and why his car was equipped with police gear was continuing, Smith said. The Secret Service had no comment on the arrest, deferring to airport police.

Fox News

Am I the only one who took interest in this guy’s name being McVey?  Yeah, I know, it’s spelled differently, but phonetically it’s the same.  Why is a guy from Ohio driving all the way down to Asheville, North Carolina, where the president is appearing, in a car with police gear, including scanners which evidently did not work well, rifle scope formulas, and a gun all on airport property?  He says to see the president.  Yeah, see him so he can whack him.  What an idiot.  Did this guy really think that at an airport of all places security wasn’t going to be extra stringent and he wouldn’t stand out?

It’s too bad he wasted all that time driving down to Asheville.  That’s quite a long trip and I suspect the trip home will be significantly longer.  Maybe 10 to 20?

At the afternoon rally, Dan Eichenbaum, a Murphy ophthalmologist running for the Republican nomination to face U.S. Rep. Heath Shuler in November’s congressional election, spoke in favor of a simpler tax policy.

Several speakers, including Eichenbaum, who the local tea party has endorsed, said they favor the “fair tax,” which would replace the federal income tax with a consumption tax on goods and services.

Asheville Citizen-Times

The Fair Tax is a legislation that has been around for nearing two decades now that would completely eliminate the Federal Income Tax and replace it with a national consumption tax on new goods and services.  It has its advantages, among them:  no more stressful income tax filing every year, no more intrusive and tyrannical IRS audits on the general public, more disposable income for almost every American, and more financial freedom.

I have stated in the past my skepticism that this will ever see a vote in Congress because the tax code is the primary vehicle for allowing politicians to wield their power in Washington.  Furthermore, while it will incredibly boost this country’s economic viability, no method of taxation will be a path to economic salvation until we get Federal spending under control  However, that said, unless the public supports candidates who support the idea of the Fair Tax then we only ensure my self-fulfilling prophecy, so I generally give two thumbs up to any candidate or representative who will get behind the idea.  Dan Eichenbaum supports the idea so hopefully that will weigh on your decision when you cast your vote in the North Carolina primary election, for which early voting has already begun.

I don’t like to quote crazies like Glenn Beck, but this is one of those instances in which I want to wrap my head in duct tape so it doesn’t explode.

Yes, we’re talking about the mecca of moonbat asshattery known as Asheville.

As he works to bar city employees from participating in the enforcement of federal immigration law, Asheville City Councilman Cecil Bothwell has repeatedly said the proposal would improve public safety.

“I think the basic thing is if immigrant people trust the local police, they report crimes. It’s building trust,” Bothwell said.

Though that’s really a matter of opinion, a 2009 report issued by The Police Foundation, a national nonprofit, supports Bothwell’s assertion.

Local participation in immigration enforcement “exacerbates fear in communities already distrustful of police,” the report found.

The foundation surveyed 237 law enforcement professionals nationwide. More than 70 percent said immigrants in their communities were less likely to contact law enforcement when they were victims of or witnesses to crime.

Asheville Citizen-Times

And you know what?  I don’t doubt that’s true.  I’m sure it is.  It sounds quite logical, but where is the proof or the numbers to show the trade off of illegal aliens reporting crimes is greater than not deporting them when they are identified and allowing them to stay in the city?  Bothwell doesn’t have a quantitative argument; he has an emotional one and a misguided one at that.  But you see, I do have numbers.

Almost 300 illegal immigrants were arrested throughout North Carolina in 2007 on the charge of DWI and those are the ones who were caught.  The actual number of those indulging themselves in that favorite past time is obviously higher.  Hispanics accounted for 18 percent of DWI arrests even though they only made up 7% of the population.  They were also 2.5 times more likely than whites and three times more likely than blacks to be drunk when in a car accident.

So when Asheville Councilman Cecil Bothwell infers that the people of Asheville would be a safer place if they moved closer to being a sanctuary city, who is he referring to?  Will it be safer for the legal residents or safer for Pedro to careen down I-240 at 100 miles per hour chugging his bottle of Jose Cuervo?

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics In Washington have filed a complaint against several members of Congress who are paying well below market rent for a house they all share on C Street in Washington D.C.  Among the members is our very own Heath Shuler, Democrat representing western North Carolina.

Shuler and the others named in the complaint are receiving a discounted rent from a Christian ministry, The Fellowship, that owns the home.  They each pay $950 a month which includes services from eight house keepers and a “house mother.”  Comparable rents in the area range from $2500 all the way up to $4,000 and that is the crux of the matter.  CREW is claiming that the discounted Shuler and the others are receiving amounts to accepting a Congressional gift which violates ethics rules.

I guess we can add this to the list of unethical behavior racked up by Shuler during his short tenure in Congress so far.

Public Policy Polling did a survey on the Congressional districts of Congressmen Bob Etheridge (D-NC-02) and Heath Shuler (D-NC-11) and have some woeful news for the two gentlemen.  The passage of that bill may indeed end up being their “Waterloo.”

In both Bob Etheridge and Heath Shuler’s districts we asked whether voters would be more or less likely to vote for their representative if they supported the bill, then whether they would be more or less likely to vote for their representative if the bill passed regardless of how their actual representative voted.

In Etheridge’s district 47% of voters said they’d be less likely to vote for him this fall if he supported the bill. And 47% said they’d be less likely to vote for him this fall if the Democrats in Congress passed the bill, regardless of how Etheridge himself voted.

It’s a pretty similar story in Shuler’s district. 51% of voters said they’d be less likely to vote for him this fall if he was a ‘yes’ vote.’ But 46% also said they’d be less likely to vote for Shuler this fall if the bill passed, whether it did so with his support or not.

PPP

Etheridge did vote for the bill; Shuler did not.  According to this survey though, it won’t make much difference for either one of them.  If this is a bellwether, then it appears voters will be holding all Democrats accountable for what their party did Sunday whether they were complicit or not.  If these numbers hold true on November 2nd, Etheridge and Shuler are toast.

Update: The House may be voting tomorrow.

Get the lie out first and ignore the truth later.  That is apparently the philosophy that the media and the Democrats are running with today.  You may have heard all the hype this morning about the CBO claiming that the health care bill will cost $940 billion and reduce the deficit by $130 billion over ten years, right?

Not exactly.

Although CBO completed a preliminary review of legislative language prior to its release, the agency has not thoroughly examined the reconciliation proposal to verify its consistency with the previous draft. This estimate is therefore preliminary, pending a review of the language of the reconciliation proposal, as well as further review and refinement of the budgetary projections.

You see, this is a preliminary estimate that does not include all the other changes that are being proposed to reconcile the House and Senate bills, yet the Democrats and their minions in the out of mainstream media are running around quoting this as fact.  It’s just more dishonesty in a long line of lies.

Here is one thing I am fairly certain of, though.  The House does not have the votes to pass this bill as of today.  If they did, they’d have already voted on it.  That doesn’t mean they won’t get them, however, so if you value your freedom and don’t want an unconstitutional government take over of your health care, then get on the phone and tell your Congressman to vote NO on this bill.

The four Democrats in our two states with the biggest potential of voting no on this are Heath Shuler, Mike McIntyre, Bob Etheridge, and John Spratt.  They all represent Republican leaning districts.  Definitely concentrate on them.

Heath Shuler
Phone: (202) 225-6401
Fax: (202) 226-6422

Bob Etheridge
Phone: (202) 225-4531
Fax: (202) 225-5662

Mike McIntyre
Phone: (202) 225-2731
Fax: (202) 225-5773

John Spratt
Phone: 202-225-5501
Fax: 202-225-0464

Dr. Dan Eichenbaum won the straw poll vote at this event and with it comes the endorsement of the Asheville Tea PAC. Eichenbaum is running in the 11th Congressional District to get the Republican nomination and the opportunity to unseat Congressman Heath Shuler (D) in November.

Regarding the video, who ever edited it duplicated the first minute and forty seconds, so you can save yourself some time and just skip right to 1:40 and start listening there.

A judge who ordered Yadkin County commissioners to appear in court Friday to explain why the county hasn’t built a new jail canceled the hearing Tuesday, a day after the commissioners agreed to move forward with plans to build the jail.

The resolution, approved 3-1 on Monday, said the county plans to contract with a Charlotte firm to build the jail “without delay on the board’s part.”

Superior Court Judge John Craig III declined to comment to Carolina Journal. He had told county commissioners in November that he could fine them, remove them from office, or jail them until they agreed “to properly carry out the duties of their office and get the jail project underway without further delay” on a site about four miles from the county courthouse.

The Carolina Journal

What the hell is it with these N.C. judges? Last year, a judge in Wake County ordered a mother to stop home-schooling her children and undergo a psychiatric evaluation because he thought her church was weird.

Now we have a man who thinks his gavel is a crown and his bench is a throne. How else could he threaten the duly-elected legislature of a county with jail time if they don’t so what he says?

But Celtic, you say, that jail neeeeeded to be built. He was only making the commission do what it had to do.

Bullshit. It sounded like that jail needed to be built. But a judge cannot threaten a sitting elected body with deprivement of liberty in order to get his way. What if, instead of  a jail, he decided that taxes needed to be raised and threatened the commission with jail unless they complied? Would that be OK?

Voters elect the county commission to make these decisions- NOT judges. A judge bullying and threatening an elected body to get his way is a threat to freedom and to the republic.

Yadkin County resident Larry Long said he has filed a complaint with the state Judicial Standards Commission about Craig. The commission wouldn’t confirm that a complaint had been filed.

“He does not have this authority the way I look at it,” Long said. “If he has this authority, every county in this state is in trouble. I think he stepped way out of line with what he can do.”

Bob Orr, the executive director of the North Carolina Institute for Constitutional Law, said such actions by a judge usually would be prompted by a lawsuit filed by someone challenging the conditions of a jail.

“It’s pretty unusual where the judge unilaterally starts driving the commission,” said Orr, who is also a former state Supreme Court justice. “[This] may be OK, but I don’t know.”

Mr. Long is right. If what this mini-tyrant of a judge did is OK, we are all in trouble.

There was a bit of suspense in Asheville, N.C., Tuesday morning about whether newly-elected city council member Cecil Bothwell should or would be sworn into office. Bothwell, who was elected last month, is an atheist. The North Carolina constitution still bars atheists from holding elected office.

“I’m not saying that Cecil Bothwell is not a good man, but if he’s an atheist, he’s not eligible to serve in public office, according to the state constitution,” said H.K. Edgerton, a former Asheville NAACP president told the Asheville Citizen-Times.

Article 6, section 8 of the North Carolina constitution states: “The following persons shall be disqualified for office: First, any person who shall deny the being of Almighty God.”

The Washington Post

These threats against Bothwell are completely unacceptable.  This is precisely what the Establishment Clause was placed in the Constitution to prevent.  Neither the Federal nor any state government has the legal authority to apply a religious litmus test to any public office holder.  In a free society we do not bully other people based on their religious beliefs or lack thereof.

Article VI Clause 3 of the U.S. Constitution reads: ” The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the Members of the several State Legislatures, and all executive and judicial Officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution; but no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.”

That’s pretty cut and dry and trumps whatever language still survives in the North Carolina State Constitution.  Mr. Edgerton certainly has the right to be upset about Councilman Bothwell’s beliefs, but he does not have the right to have him expelled from office based on those beliefs.  That’s an issue to be settled in the future between Bothwell and God.

Heath Shuler (D-NC-11) may be in serious reelection trouble next year for a couple of reasons.  For one, he’s a Democrat representing a district that voted for both John McCain and George Bush and was held by a Republican representative for 12 years prior to Shuler winning the office.  The country has been slowly moving away from Obama and the Democrats after witnessing their destructive policies and radical actions and Republicans are sure to benefit from that growing disdain.  That will work against him right there, but what might put the final nail in his political coffin could be the land deal and his involvement with the decisions made by the Tennessee Valley Authority.  Basically, Shuler lied.

Shuler’s office points out that he has been cleared of wrongdoing in the case by the House ethics committee, federal authorities and the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) inspector general. But a report released by that inspector general this week indicates he wasn’t truthful about the matter with the local press.

The report from the inspector general states that, contrary to Shuler’s claims, he contacted TVA CEO Tom Kilgore while the land swap was in progress. Shuler has told the local press that there had been no contact between him and the TVA, according to reports.

“Specifically, if all of this was above board, why did TVA and Shuler feel compelled to tell the media that there was no contact between the congressman and TVA in relation to the Maintain and Gain application?” the report said. “There obviously was.”

The Hill

That was a pretty important detail for Shuler to divulge and yet for some reason it “slipped his mind.”  You don’t forget important details like that in an ethics investigation and you don’t lie about it if you truly believe you have done nothing wrong.  I simply cannot come to any other logical conclusion.  The man had guilt on his mind.  What other reason could there possibly be for his actions?

The RNC is going to beat this to death next year.  If you live in the 11th District you are going to see ad after ad after ad about this land deal.  The RNC will most certainly work to find a top tier candidate, but even a mediocre one may be able to take Shuler out next year as there may be people who will vote Republican as a vote against Shuler more than a vote in support of the GOP candidate.  Either way, I don’t think Pete Sessions will particularly mind what their motivation is.  They’ve wanted this seat back since they lost it in aught six. ( I could have typed ‘06, but I have really been looking for a reason all week to use the word aught.)

This is incredible.

To all who would cast U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi as political villain, Heath Shuler had this to say: “She’s the most misunderstood person in Washington.”

Along with questions about health care reform and cap-and-trade legislation, students wanted to know what Pelosi is like as a person.

“She’s very misunderstood,” the congressman said. “She’s a devout Catholic. Don’t get in a Bible discussion with her.”

Asheville-Citizen Times

Wow.  Don’t even start on the whole “devout Catholic” thing.  I am Catholic, while not a practicing one, I was raised in a Catholic home with a Catholic mother and I know that one of the biggest tenets of Catholicism is the respect of life, including that of the unborn.  Abortion is the anathema of the Catholic church and Pelosi is a huge supporter of abortion on demand.  As a Libertarian, I am not completely on board with outlawing abortion even though I consider myself pro-life, but I also would not be described as a devout Catholic.  No devout Catholic politician would protect the right to an abortion.

But that aside, Pelosi may be a Bible “scholar,” but that doesn’t mean that she isn’t the lying, corrupt, sleazy politician that she is.  The woman is manipulative and conniving and she is an extremist left wing socialist by all comparisons.  She is steering this country into a head on collision with disaster and her actions are going to destroy the lives of millions of Americans if her agenda is not stopped.

It’s rather striking to me that Shuler would take the time to even have this discussion.  I mean, I don’t expect him to trash her or say anything negative, but that also doesn’t mean he should be painting her like she is the sugar plum fairy either.  His words tell me very clearly that in the next Congress he will be prepared to reelect her as Speaker.  We can’t have that.  We cannot have the extremist fringe running this country.

I supported Shuler’s reelection last year, but next year I don’t think I can.  He did well his first term, but since he’s survived his first reelection he’s started to slip.

Queen Pelosi has set a vote for this Saturday, November 7th for the $1.05 trillion tyrannical health care bill they have pieced together in the House. The Democrats hold 258 House seats; 218 aye votes are needed to pass, which means 41 Democrats need to defect from their party in order to stop this, assuming no Republicans vote for it and I don’t think any will. That might sound like a tall order, but it may not be. The Blue Dog Democrats as well as other more moderate Democrats representing Republican districts are considerably nervous after Tuesday night’s election wins for the GOP in Virginia and New Jersey, so there will be considerable resistance to this bill, mainly on the grounds that it is too expensive.

This can be stopped, but the public has to take action. If your Congressman is a member of the Blue Dog coalition absolutely call their offices and tell them to oppose this bill.  In North Carolina we have two Blue Dog Democrats, Congressman Heath Shuler (NC-11) and Congressman Mike McIntyre (NC-07).

If your Congressman isn’t a member of the Blue Dogs, but still represents a moderate or Republican leaning district, like my Congressman, call them too. They are just as vulnerable to an angry public.  I would recommend contacting Congressmen Bob Etheridge (NC-02), Larry Kissell (NC-08),  and John Spratt (SC-05).  And even if you have an out of touch far left kook “representing” you in Congress, it doesn’t hurt to call them either. You might be surprised. And call the Republicans too, just to be sure.

If you don’t want to be thrown in jail for not buying a government approved health care plan, then you had better take some action. If you don’t you only have yourself to blame when intrusive government comes barreling down on you and your family.

It would appear as if Shuler’s land shenanigans have caught the eye of the House Ethics Committee.

Before he was elected to Congress in 2006, Shuler invested in a real estate development called the Cove at Blackberry Ridge near Knoxville. The investment is worth from $5 million to $25 million, according to his financial disclosure reports. In August 2008, the News-Sentinel reported that the TVA gave the Cove waterfront rights to build a boat dock in exchange for other land the real estate venture owned. The swap was made while Shuler sat on a House transportation subcommittee that oversaw the operations of the TVA, an entity chartered by Congress to manage the Tennessee Valley and its resources.

In response to a Freedom of Information Act request, the TVA released redacted pages of a companion inspector general’s report that said the inspector general had determined that the “employee denied knowing Congressman Shuler held an ownership in Blackberry despite evidence [that the employee] was fully aware of his ownership status.”

The TVA declined to identify the employee or provide any more details about the employee’s knowledge of what took place in negotiations over the waterfront parcel, stating that the information was being withheld to “protect personal privacy, witness statements and the deliberative process,” the News-Sentinel reported.

The inspector general’s office forwarded its report to the ethics committee in Washington.

The Washington Post

So the employee who had a hand in negotiating this land swap on behalf of the TVA said he had no idea Shuler had an investment in the property, but then we find out, oops, yes he did.  So was this a special favor to Shuler and if so, what did the employee get out of all of it?  I imagine these are the questions the Ethics Committee will be looking for answers on in coming weeks.

In the Asheville City Council race this coming Tuesday, several candidates are competing, but only three can be elected to the At-Large seats.  I have gone over the platforms and statements of each candidate and have narrowed down the three that I would vote for if I live in Asheville.  You can call these endorsements if you like; I prefer to call them my recommendations.  Endorsements come from important people and institutions and I am but a humble blog administrator.  In no particular order, my choices are as follows:

Ryan Croft

Mr. Croft is big on the budget and while it may not be the most sexy issue out there, it should be one of the top discussions in everyone’s mind.  We are a country drowning in debt.  Our Federal government has accumulated a national debt of over $11 trillion with an almost $2 trillion budget deficit for just this fiscal year.  Our Congressional leaders are driving us into bankruptcy.  The Asheville City Council may not have any influence over the carelessness of the Federal government, but they can keep their own fiscal house in order.  Croft is committed to fighting for a balanced budget and rooting out waste and unnecessary government spending to get there, not raising taxes.  Croft seems to understand that in tough economic times, tough decisions must be made and he doesn’t appear frightened to make those calls.

J. Neal Jackson

Mr. Jackson is the owner of Eagle Supermarket in downtown Asheville.  Who better to know what a growing business needs than someone who possesses the experience of owning and operating his very own business in the city?  Additionally, Jackson has a strong educational background with a Bachelors Degree in Psychology and a Masters Degree in Entrepreneurship.  You can’t ask for better credentials in a city leader.  Jackson shares Croft’s fiscal sanity and is committed to pushing the city towards employing local companies for city infrastructure needs.  That’s just good sense.  The local government should use its local businesses and give back to the people of the community.

Esther Manheimer

I choose Ms Manheimer because she has a strong focus on improving the overall quality of life in Asheville.  It takes more than lower taxes to build a strong community, but a combination of affordability, efficient services, and environmental aesthetics.  Manheimer is a backer of reducing pollution and expanding public greenways and transportation.  All of these factors are important features that enhance the quality of life for all residents in a city and serve as incentives to attract more people to the community.  She also is an advocate of a strong business climate and supporting new and existing entrepreneurs in the city.  I think she has the right balance with the issues.

I think these three candidates would bring a nice equilibrium to the council.  We have a bit of the right, a little on the left, and some consensuses right in the middle that everyone can agree on.  I feel it’s important that all views get represented on the issues in order to generate the brightest ideas and solutions possible for the city.

ASHEVILLE — From budgets to bike lanes to combating drug dealing, priorities listed by City Council candidates covered a wide range as their campaigns hit the final stretch.

Though candidates listed few common top priorities, both Smith and Manheimer mentioned transportation, with Smith talking about affordable housing, but also the need for “a multi-modal transportation system.”

Manheimer said it was “incumbent upon the council” to carry out master plans, one of which was for greenways. Bellamy also pointed to master plans for downtown, transit and the water system.

“The one thing I would say is, ‘finish,” the mayor said.

Croft said the major need was infrastructure, saying he didn’t like “the way we manage our maintenance, upgrading and building projects.”

One candidate, Jackson, pointed to declining revenues and increasing costs, saying the priority was “getting this budget back under control.”

Mumpower stuck by a regular theme of his, saying hard drug dealing in the city “remains under the radar” and he would continue to fight it.

Bothwell said he would try to get publicly financed elections to fight the influence of “big money in Asheville city races.

Smith said he wanted to encourage housing built for people making 30-140 percent of median income.

Cape said downtown development should be encouraged on Coxe Avenue, where a lower elevation could better accommodate taller buildings.

Asheville Citizen Times

So here they are.  Six hopefuls ready to forge their legacy upon the City of Asheville.  Let’s pick them apart.

Esther Manheimer – On her candidate Web site she states the following:

This diverse group illustrates Esther’s broad backing and highlights her ability to work with all of our citizens to move our community forward on important issues such as economic and community development; multi-model transportation; sustainable, affordable tax rates; repairing critical public infrastructure; and fostering a business climate that grows quality jobs.

That’s a good agenda.  I like that agenda, which is why I am somewhat baffled she would choose to focus on greenways as a priority.  With a down economy vivacious vegetarian and grassy knolls are going to be the furthest things from peoples’ minds as they walk into the voting booth.  A growing business climate and affordable tax rates would have been a much more obvious choice here, but then again, I wasn’t at the forum and can only rely on the reporting.  Perhaps all is not as it seems.

Neal Jackson wants to focus on the budget and that is again a wise and responsible goal.  We don’t want our cities to end up with like the Feds now, do we.

Ryan Croft – Focus on the infrastructure.  I am always amazed that cities haven’t learned from the business world when it comes to maintaining infrastructure.  In corporate America we use something called the Systems Development Life Cycle, a method of maintaining and upgrading infrastructure, primarily technology, to keep it up to ever improving business standards.  You allocate money yearly for this purpose.  You’d think cities around America would do the same for their sewer systems, buildings, etc.  Ever been to Detroit?  If you are ever unfortunate enough to drop in someday, take a walk downtown and look at all the old buildings with the cracks going up the side and bathrooms that haven’t been remodeled since 1955.  It’s a real treat.

Carl Mumpower – You’ll remember Mr. Mumpower from his unsuccessful bid to unseat Heath Shuler last year.  Personally, I think Mumpower is a bit off his rocker, but he has been arguably the most responsible councilman with the peoples’ tax dollars, so I give him a thumbs up for that.

Cecil Bothwell – Ah yes, publicly financed elections, or better yet known as the incumbent protection campaign.  Oh please, forcibly extract my wealth from me through the bondage of taxation and hand it out to all of the political whores who want to exploit public service for their own personal gain.  Don’t allow me to make the choice of who to give my money to.  Not to mention, that with every candidate getting equal financing, challengers to incumbents end up with a grave disadvantage.  Incumbents already have name recognition which is usually to their favor unless they’re a complete douche bag.  In most cases the only way a challenger can compete with that is to raise enough money to buy the media necessary to get their own name out there.  By denying that ability, you are only securing another term for the power entrenched incumbent.  Mr. Bothwell, you get a thumbs down.  And piss off.

Gordon Smith – Gordon administrates the Web site Scrutiny Hooligans.  I am not crazy about what is otherwise known as affordable housing, but Smith is smart enough to focus on an issue that will likely resonate with folks during bad economic times.

Robin Cape – Lower elevation to build taller buildings.  That’s the best she could come up with?  No wonder she couldn’t make it on the ballot.

So there you go.  If you live in Asheville here are your choices.  Vote wisely, although I’m not holding my breath.

Hendersonville mayor Greg Newman (R) has said that he will run for congress against Rep. Heath Shuler (D) in N.C.’s western-most house seat. Newman was elected mayor in 2005, and before that he was a local lawyer and prosecutor.

“What I think I’m going to have to do to be successful is make myself available in the district and get outside Hendersonville and Henderson County, and really connect with people with both parties,” said Newman, 47.
“I’m just going to have to go out and do what I’ve done as a lawyer for 20 years — get out there and make my case,” Newman said.

The Ashville Citizen-Times

Anyone challenging Shuler has a tough road ahead of them. But if Shuler is going to lose, this is probably the year. Shuler has done a very good job of appearing to be a moderate voice, but 2010 will be the most opportune time to tie him to Queen Nancy and her happy band of goofballs up in D.C.

Attorney Ed Krause has also entered the race as a Republican, but with considerably less fanfare than Newman. Other candidates being mentioned are Western Carolina University Professor Daniel Ostergaard, former state Rep. Charles Thomas, and 2008 candidate Carl Mumpower.  Dr. Dan Eichenbuam of the Ron Paul-ite wing of the party might jump in too.

State Alcohol Law Enforcement agents seized 929 gallons of moonshine Wednesday and arrested a Wilkesboro man, authorities said Friday.

“This is one of the biggest seizures of white liquor I’ve seen come out of the mountains in my career,” ALE Director John Ledford said in statement.

WRAL

Damn, so much for that trip to Wilkesboro I was planning next weekend.

Tamera Frank, a Yancey County social worker has announced her intentions to run against State Senator Joe Sam Queen (D-Waynesville).  Yancey is running on a platform of limited government, free speech, and gun rights.  She has stated that her time serving on the Yancey County Department of Social Services Board of Directors has given her the opportunity to openly fight corruption.  I believe the 47th District is one of the ones in which the Republicans have a special interest in their quest of trying to take over the State Senate next year.