Category Archives: NC

Obama default in 2008 NC voting machines, Guilford County Obama default again in 2012, Voting machine calibration?, Is there a party default on NC voting machines?

Obama default in 2008 NC voting machines, Guilford County Obama default again in 2012, Voting machine calibration?, Is there a party default on NC voting machines?

“The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command. His heart sank as he thought of the enormous power arrayed against him, the ease with which any Party intellectual would overthrow him in debate, the subtle arguments which he would not be able to understand, much less answer. And yet he was in the right! They were wrong and he was right. The obvious, the silly, and the true had got to be defended. Truisms are true, hold on to that! The solid world exists, its laws do not change. Stones are hard, water is wet, objects unsupported fall towards the earth’s centre. With the feeling that he was speaking to O’Brien, and also that he was setting forth an important axiom, he wrote:

Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four. If that is granted, all else follows.”…George Orwell, “1984”

Reports are already coming in of Romney votes being overridden with Obama votes in Guilford County NC.

https://citizenwells.wordpress.com/2012/10/24/greensboro-guilford-county-votes-default-to-obama-romney-vote-override-voting-machine-calibration-problem-board-of-elections-director-george-gilbert-recurring-problem/

This also happened in 2008.

Is there a party default for voting machines in NC?

From Black Box Voting October October 25, 2008.

“Is there a “party default” on touch screen machines? NC votes flip to Obama”

“GUILFORD COUNTY – “Laurie Edwards of Thomasville heard a strange voting story from her mother this week.

Turns out it’s a fairly widespread problem with touch-screen voting machines.

Edwards said her mother, Liz Odom of Greensboro, had problems getting a voting machine in Jamestown to accept her presidential vote on Friday. She cancelled the vote until the machine accepted it.

“I have had several complaints of this happening, with the machines giving the Democratic vote when the Republican was selected,” Bill Wright, chairman of the Guilford County Republican Party, told elections officials Friday. “These machines should be calibrated every day so this does not happen.”

Election officials agreed to check the iVotronic machines more carefully and urged voters to study the review screens to make sure all their selections are correct before casting the electronic ballot.

“We know not everyone is pushing that review screen button,” Wright said.

West Virginia voters have reported similar problems with touch-screen machines manufactured by Election Systems & Software, which is North Carolina’s only machine vendor. Experts acknowledge that the machines can scramble vote selections if they are uncalibrated, causing a touch in the wrong place and an incorrect vote selection.

“Voters should tell us if they are having any problems,” said Guilford County Elections Director George Gilbert. “If they don’t tell us, then we can’t know. I don’t know how many of these are calibration problems. Some people touch the wrong spot.”

Gilbert said older machines present the most problems. Election workers test voting machines before deploying them to voting sites.

“The new ones do not get out of calibration in two weeks of use,” he said. “We will find the ones that are out of calibration.””

http://blackboxvoting.com/s9/index.php?/archives/323-Is-there-a-party-default-on-touch-screen-machines-NC-votes-flip-to-Obama.html

From Citizen Wells November 2, 2010.

“A Craven County voter says he had a near miss at the polls on Thursday when an electronic voting machine completed his straight-party ticket for the opposite of what he intended.

Sam Laughinghouse of New Bern said he pushed the button to vote Republican in all races, but the voting machine screen displayed a ballot with all Democrats checked. He cleared the screen and tried again with the same result, he said. Then he asked for and received help from election staff.”

https://citizenwells.wordpress.com/2010/11/02/nc-voter-fraud-update-voting-machine-errors-nc-gop-lawsuit-status-voter-registration-issues/

From WITN October 30, 2010.

“Judge Rules On GOP Voting Machine Lawsuit”

“A Federal judge ordered Saturday that the State Board of Elections be required to take steps to ensure voters’ ballots are accurately cast, following a lawsuit filed by the NCGOP after receiving multiple reports of voting inaccuracies in several North Carolina counties.

“We are pleased with today’s outcome,” said NCGOP Chairman Tom Fetzer. “But it is unfortunate that a Federal judge had to intervene. The State Board of Elections should have voluntarily taken these steps to ensure a free and fair election.”

On Saturday evening, after a two-day hearing, a Federal Judge ordered in the NCGOP’s favor, requiring the SBOE to take the following steps on Election Day:

1) Provide written and oral notice to every voter using touch screen machines that problems exist, and to carefully review their ballots before confirming them.

2) Preserve all Personal Electronic programs, ballots, metadata, source codes, and any programs or data that reflects machine calibration.

3) Issue an order that poll workers in all precincts be required to keep a record of all complaints by voters regarding the touch screen voting machines.

The suit was filed against the SBOE by the NCGOP after receiving multiple reports of voting inaccuracies in counties across North Carolina. The complaints followed a similar pattern, in that voters using touch screen voting machines were attempting to cast a straight-ticket Republican vote, while the machine attempted to verify their vote as a straight-ticket Democrat.

Previous Story:

State Board of Elections officials are meeting with GOP officials Saturday in Raleigh to discuss recent problems occurring with electronic voting machines.

Those officials are trying to come up with a resolution after North Carolina’s Republican Party sued the State Board of Elections Friday, alleging that touch-screen machines are thwarting efforts by voters to cast Repubican ballots.

Election officials have said there have only been a few isolated problems with voting machines and that officials were able to quickly fix the problems.

Republican Party officials say they have heard problems in a number of counties. They are demanding that election officials provide notice to all voters about problems, preserve all data and track all complaints.

Two Craven County Election workers were fired after they talked to WITN about these problems.

We will bring you an update on this meeting as soon as it becomes available.”

http://www.witn.com/home/headlines/Meeting_About_Electronic_Voting_Machine_Problems_106378699.html

 

Greensboro Guilford County votes default to Obama, Romney vote override, Voting machine calibration problem?, Board of Elections Director George Gilbert recurring problem

Greensboro Guilford County votes default to Obama, Romney vote override, Voting machine calibration problem?, Board of Elections Director George Gilbert recurring problem

“Isn’t it necessary to eliminate these parties, and isn’t it time to put an end to their useless activity?”…Joseph Goebbels, July 31, 1932 Reichstag elections

“The past is whatever the records and the memories agree upon.
And since the party is in full control of all records, and in
equally full control of the minds of it’s members, it follows
that the past is whatever the party chooses to make it. Six
means eighteen, two plus two equals five, war is peace,
freedom is slavery, ignorance is strength.”…George Orwell, “1984”

From My Fox 8 October 23, 2012.

“Guilford Co. voters say ballot cast for Romney came up Obama on machine”

“GREENSBORO, N.C. –The Presidential election is just around the corner and voting issues have already become a problem in Guilford County.
On Monday, several voters complained that their electronic ballot machine cast the wrong vote. All the complaints were made by people who voted at the Bur-Mil Park polling location.

One of the voters, Sher Coromalis, says she cast her ballot for Governor Mitt Romney, but every time she entered her vote it defaulted to President Obama.
“I was so upset that this could happen,” said Coromalis.

Guilford County Board of Elections Director George Gilbert says the problem arises every election. It can be resolved after the machine is re-calibrated by poll workers.

“It’s not a conspiracy it’s just a machine that needs to be corrected,” Gilbert said.

After the third try, Coromalis says she was able to get her vote counted for Gov. Romney but was still annoyed.
“I should have just mailed it in,” Coromalis said.

Elections officials say the machines have been fixed as of Tuesday, and no problems have been reported since.

Early Voting ends November 3.”

Watch report here.

http://myfox8.com/2012/10/23/guilford-county-voters-say-they-voted-for-the-wrong-candidate/

If this has happened to you or if you have had another problem voting in NC, leave a comment here.

Thanks to commenter Philo-Publius.

NC unemployment rate 9.6 percent, October 19, 2012, 4.5 percent when Bush took office, 4.7 percent when Democrats took both houses in January 2007

NC unemployment rate 9.6 percent, October 19, 2012, 4.5 percent when Bush took office, 4.7 percent when Democrats took both houses in January 2007

“Guilford (Large NC County) appears on it’s way to a third consecutive year with annual jobless rates in double digits. Economists say that likely hasn’t happened since the Great Depression.”…Greensboro News Record December 2, 2011

“The weak job growth recorded during 2011 did little to replace the jobs lost earlier in the business cycle. Since the onset of the “Great Recession,” North Carolina has lost, on net, 295,300 positions, or 7.1 percent of its payroll employment base.”

“Absent significant changes in economic conditions and public policies, weak job growth, high levels of joblessness, and pervasive economic hardships appear to be in store for North Carolina, with 2012 apt to mark the fifth consecutive year of negative or minimal job growth.”…South by North Strategies, LTD February 10, 2012

“People leaving the labor force were a big reason that North Carolina’s unemployment rate dropped to 9.4 percent in April, a month when only 1,400 more people got jobs.”…WRAL May 18, 2012

The NC Department of Commerce announced the unemployment rate for September. 9.6 percent. To put this in perspective it was  4.5 percent when Bush took office in January 2001 and 4.7 percent when the Democrats took control of both houses of congress in January 2007.

In my humble opinion, the report leaves much to be desired and appears to be attempting to put a positive spin on the numbers. Here are a couple of statements that I found interesting.

“Among the major industries in North Carolina, Government had the largest over-the-month increase in employment at 30,600 (4.6%), followed by Education & Health Services (2,700; 0.5%), Professional & Business Services (2,300; 0.4%), Construction (1,700; 1.0%), and Manufacturing (200; <0.1%).”

“The Goods Producing sector decreased by 4,500 (0.7%) jobs over the year. Construction declined by 6,700 (3.7%), followed by Mining & Logging (200; 3.5%), while Manufacturing grew by 2,400 (0.5%).”

http://www.ncesc1.com/pmi/rates/PressReleases/State/NR_Sept_2012_StRate_M1.pdf

From Citizen Wells September 29, 2012.

“Despite the lies from politicians like Barack Obama who blamed George Bush for all of his ills, numbers do not lie.

When George Bush became president in January 2001, the unemployment rate in NC was 4.5 percent.

When the Democrats took control of both houses of congress in January 2007, the unemployment rate in NC was 4.7 percent.

When Obama took control of the White House in January 2009, the unemployment rate in NC was 9.0 percent. In November 2008 it was 7.8 percent.

Before the Republicans took control of the House of Representatives in January 2011, the unemployment rate hit a high of 11.4 percent in NC.

The stated unemployment rate is currently 9.7 percent in NC.

The National Labor Force Participation Rate is 63.5 percent, a record low.

The North Carolina Labor Force Participation Rate is 62.0 percent.

More on the jobs situation in NC from Citizen Wells February 14, 2012.”

https://citizenwells.wordpress.com/2012/09/29/nc-unemployment-rates-under-george-bush-democrat-congress-and-barack-obama-4-5-percent-when-bush-took-office-4-7-percent-when-democrats-took-both-houses/

Obama fact checked in print in NC, October 18, 2012, Rhino Times, John Hammer prints truth about Obama, Economy Obamacare Libya attack debate, Obama lies

Obama fact checked in print in NC, October 18, 2012, Rhino Times, John Hammer prints truth about Obama, Economy Obamacare Libya attack debate, Obama lies

“if they want to build [coal plants], they can, but it will bankrupt them”…Barack Obama

“We tried our plan—and it worked. That’s the difference. That’s the choice in this election. That’s why I’m running for a second term.”…Barack Obama

“The function of the press is very high. It is almost Holy.
It ought to serve as a forum for the people, through which
the people may know freely what is going on. To misstate or
suppress the news is a breach of trust.”
…. Louis D. Brandeis

From John Hammer of the Rhino Times, in Greensboro, NC October 18, 2012.

“Another debate and another pounding of the economic policies of President Barack Hussein Obama by Republican challenger Mitt Romney.

Obama has a difficult task running for reelection with the economy in its current shape. Romney is relentless in pointing out that the economy grew slower this year than last year and grew slower last year than the year before, and that 23 million Americans are unemployed. When Romney says the real unemployment rate is 10.7 percent Obama doesn’t argue. When Romney says that Obama has piled up budget deficits of over $1 trillion year after year, Obama doesn’t argue.

Obama does say that his policies are going to work, but it’s hard to sell the idea that policies that haven’t worked for four years are suddenly going to start working in the fifth year or maybe the sixth year or the seventh year.

Romney talks a lot about Obamacare, but Obama doesn’t. He talks about bringing health care to every American, but he doesn’t dwell on Obamacare because polls show that most Americans are against it. It’s his signature piece but he has all but given up selling it to the American people.

When it comes to the contraception aspect of Obamacare, Obama is extremely misleading. Nobody is talking about not providing contraception services. The question is, who pays. According to Obamacare it has to be a free service. Why? Why is that free? Most medical care is not free even if you have insurance. What’s more, Obamacare will force the Catholic Church and other religious organizations to provide abortion services that they believe are morally wrong.

If Obamacare is not changed by the courts or by Congress, it is likely that Catholic hospitals, clinics, social service providers, universities, schools and other outreach programs will close. Perhaps Obama has been listening to his Catholic Vice President Joe Biden and not the Catholic bishops. But he might want to pay attention because if Catholic hospitals close in the major cities, there is going to be a health care disaster, and the Catholic bishops have made it abundantly clear that they are going to have no part in providing abortions.

Biden was entirely wrong in his answer about the situation with Obamacare and the Catholic Church, but then Biden has been told by at least one bishop that he is not a Catholic in good standing and should not participate in the sacraments.

, , ,

There are only two possibilities I can think of when it comes to the response by President Obama to the planned and well-executed terrorist attack on the American compound in Benghazi, Libya.

One is that when an American ambassador was killed in the line of duty for the first time since 1979, during the Carter administration, President Obama decided that in the midst of a presidential election he could not afford to admit that he had refused to give an American ambassador in one of the most dangerous places on earth adequate protection. So he lied to the American people about what happened and hoped that the truth wouldn’t come out until after Nov. 6.

The other is that the Obama administration is so incompetent that it borders on criminal. For two weeks the Obama administration – through its press secretary, Jay Carney, and the US Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice – claimed that the attack was the result of a spontaneous demonstration over a video some nutcase in California made.

But the night of Sept. 11, when the attack was underway, Obama should have immediately known that an American embassy compound where the American ambassador was in residence was under attack by well-organized and well-armed terrorists. We have one of the most sophisticated communications systems in the world. If the president isn’t informed about a terrorist attack on a US embassy compound immediately, then what is the system used for? To make sure Obama doesn’t miss any basketball scores? When high-level State Department officials are being killed that is an emergency.

The State Department knew. The intelligence community knew. Obama made a big deal about watching the attack on Osama bin Laden’s compound in Pakistan live in the White House. It wasn’t exactly true that they were watching it live, but they were watching the video the night that it happened.

The American embassy compound in Benghazi had surveillance cameras. The Rhino Times office also has surveillance cameras. You can watch The Rhino Times surveillance cameras real time from a computer, tablet or smart phone anywhere you can hook up to the internet. I cannot believe that the surveillance cameras at the American compound in Benghazi were not hooked up to some communication device so that they could be watched by people in the State Department and intelligence community.

Even without the surveillance cameras, the US had competent people on the ground who, once they got away from immediate danger, reported to their superiors. In fact, according to the State Department timeline, a call about the attack went out immediately with frequent updates. The State Department knew as soon as the men in the compound knew that they were under attack by an organized force.

Vice President Biden says that he didn’t know, and that is entirely possible. Why would anyone bother to tell the vice president, even if he were a competent, honest, intelligent human being? The vice president isn’t going to be making any decisions. He is completely out of the loop as long as the president is alive. Biden may still believe that the attack was the result of a spontaneous demonstration or he may believe that it took place in the last century where he evidently spends a lot of his time.

But President Obama knew or should have known within minutes exactly what was happening in Benghazi. He should have received the reports from those on the ground and he should have been watching the action on the surveillance cameras. But the reports from those in the compound who escaped only to be attacked at the so-called safe house about a mile away should have been more than enough proof that this was a highly organized, well-planned attack.

So in this next debate Obama needs to explain to the American people what happened. Was there such a tremendous communications breakdown that he didn’t get word from Libya about what happened for two weeks? Did the State Department put the Benghazi terrorist attack report on a sailing ship to send it to the White House? How on earth could a report and surveillance video take two weeks to get to the White House?

Obama needs to explain. If the first day the White House had gotten the story wrong that could be attributed to an honest mistake, but in today’s world to claim that the White House didn’t get information from its embassy for two weeks is simply a lie or evidence of overwhelming incompetence.

, , ,

Liberals love this, and the moderator for the presidential debate, Candy Crawley, is certainly a card-carrying liberal, which is why she re-asked the incredibly stupid question about making AK-47s illegal in the United States. Romney answered the question correctly by saying that fully automatic weapons are already illegal in the US. They have been since 1934. It is possible to get a license to have one, but it is not easy or cheap.

One of the so-called fact checkers said Romney was wrong when he said that fully automatic weapons were illegal. Technically Romney was wrong. Most people would tell you that it is illegal to carry a concealed weapon without the proper permit, but the fact checkers evidently would tell you that is wrong because you can carry a concealed weapon on your own property without a permit. Technically there was no Vietnam War, but that is simply not how we speak. Technically only a couple of hundred people get to vote for president, but candidates and pundits talk about voters in the presidential race all the time. Nobody says “people who vote for electors committed to one candidate,” we call them voters.

However, what the question was about were “assault weapons,” which is a term invented during the Clinton administration. The AK-47 is not an assault weapon; it is an assault rifle because it is fully automatic and for all practical purposes illegal. The assault weapons ban was not about banning a particular kind of rifle but banning rifles because of the way they looked. Rifles that operate identically could be legal or illegal based on how they looked. One that looked like a hunting rifle would be legal and one that looked like an assault rifle would be illegal.

It was a law that simply made people who want all guns to be illegal happy, but didn’t really do anything. Now many hunters are using what are technically assault weapons for hunting. They are lightweight, accurate and make good hunting rifles. And it is true that they are used to kill people. But knives are also frequently used to kill people and there was no question for the candidates about making knives illegal.

, , ,

President Harry S. Truman, a Democrat who won the respect of both parties and whom history has smiled upon, had a plaque on his desk that read, “The Buck Stops here!”

President Obama, a Democrat who has not won the respect of Republicans and is losing the respect of many Democrats and whose place in history is unknown, has no such plaque, and up until Tuesday night did not follow the philosophy expressed on the plaque.

We know this because Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was sent out to take the fall for Benghazi. The buck stopped with the secretary of state, not the president. You have to wonder what Truman would say about such cowardice by an American president.

Obama takes full credit for the killing of Osama bin Laden although he was over 7,000 miles away. That was Obama who took Bin Laden out, not the Navy Seals who were onsite risking their lives and doing the shooting. But when an American ambassador gets killed in the line of duty for the first time since 1979, it was not Obama’s fault, but the fault of the secretary of state.

During the second presidential debate on Tuesday night, the story changed again. Evidently having Hillary Rodham Clinton take the fall for the terrorist attack in Benghazi was not working with the American people. So during the Tuesday night debate Wendy Crawley threw Obama a softball so he could take full responsibility for the failure.

The attack was on Sept. 11, and on Oct. 16 the president finally takes full responsibility. It does make you wonder how many months it would have taken for Obama to take full responsibility if it wasn’t an election year.

, , ,

The more we learn about Obama the more questions arise. According to his own personal history Barry Obama quit being Barry and became Barack when he was at Occidental College in Los Angeles. By the time he went to Columbia University he was going by Barack exclusively, even to the point, according to his sister, of trying to get his family to call him Barack. But Martha Raddatz reportedly invited Barry Obama to her wedding. So if everyone called him Barack and had no reason to even know that he was called Barry as a kid, why was Barry invited to the wedding.

Or did really close friends at Harvard call him Barry? We’ll never know.

, , ,

They call it the Stupid Party for a reason, and unfortunately the reason hasn’t gone away. Four years ago the moderator of the vice presidential debate, Gwen Ifill, had written a book about Obama. If he were elected her book would make money, if he lost then the book would go in the remainder bin. She had a lot of money riding on the outcome of the debate and the election.

But then the Republicans allow that snafu to be topped. Barry Obama went to Martha Raddatz’s wedding and she was invited to the Obamas’ wedding but didn’t attend. However, her husband (now her ex) did. Do the Republicans vet these people at all? Do they have a list of Obama’s immediate family and if the person is not on that list, not named George Obama for instance, then they are eligible?

Then when you think it can’t get any worse they come up with this woman for the second town hall meeting, Candy Crawley, who gave Obama 9 percent more time than Romney and was much harder on Romney than on Obama. She also selected the questions, which were Obama-friendly, and asked her own follow-up questions, which she was not supposed to do according to the agreement signed by both campaigns.

This just in for the next and final debate, Obama’s campaign Communications Director David Axelrod is unexpectedly unavailable to moderate the debate so the Commission on Presidential Debates has asked Michelle Obama if she will step in. The Commission on Presidential Debates has noted that Mrs. Obama is a Harvard Law graduate like president Obama but did not attend Harvard Law School at the same time as President Obama, so they do not think she will have a conflict of interest based on their law school years.

The Republican Party has reportedly agreed to accept Michelle Obama as a fair and impartial moderator but has insisted that her daughters not be allowed to sit with her while she moderates the debate.

Who are these people on the Commission on Presidential Debates? Do they pick moderators from a list submitted by the Obama campaign? It’s like having the Ram’s Club pick the referees for the Duke-Carolina game. The Republicans have four years to get their act together but they had better get some conservative Republicans appointed to the Commission on Presidential Debates.”

http://greensboro.rhinotimes.com/Articles-Columns-c-2012-10-18-213522.112113-Under-The-Hammer.html

 

Obamacare and Catholic Church, Religious liberty and health care, Dr. Grattan Brown, Natural Law as the Foundation of Religious Liberty, Belmont Abbey College

Obamacare and Catholic Church, Religious liberty and health care, Dr. Grattan Brown, Natural Law as the Foundation of Religious Liberty, Belmont Abbey College

“Führer, my Führer, give me by God. Protect and preserve my life for long. You saved Germany in time of need. I thank you for my daily bread. Be with me for a long time, do not leave me, Führer, my Führer, my faith, my light, Hail to my Führer!”…Recited by Hitler youth

“If you like your health care plan, you can keep your health care plan.”…Barack Obama

“First they came for the Jews and I did not speak out – because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for the communists and I did not speak out – because I was not a communist.

Then they came for the trade unionists and I did not speak out – because I was not a trade unionist.

Then they came for me –
and by then there was no one left to speak out for me.”…Pastor Martin Niemoller

From Saint Pius X Church in NC.
“Saint Pius X to Host Lecture on Religious Liberty & the HHS Mandate

Dr. Grattan Brown, STD, a professor at Belmont Abbey College, will deliver a lecture,

“Natural Law Foundations of Religious Liberty & the HHS Mandate,”

in the church on Saturday, October 6, at 7 p.m. Dr. Brown is a former researcher in religion and public policy at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington, DC and former professor at Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary in Philadelphia.

A reception will precede the event at 6 p.m.

This is an important topic not just to Catholics, but to all Americans who cherish religious liberty. Much is heard about the issue in the news, but Dr. Brown will be able to help us understand the issue from the viewpoint of Catholic tradition and Church teaching.
This event is FREE and OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.”

http://www.stpiusxnc.com/

From Citizen Wells November 18, 2011.
“Belmont Abbey sues feds over birth control rule”
“Belmont Abbey College has filed a broad legal challenge to the part of President Barack Obama’s health care reforms that requires employer insurance plans to cover contraception and other birth control.
The Catholic college in Gaston County says the federal mandate forces religious institutions opposed to birth control to violate their beliefs or face penalties. The rule goes into effect next August.
The school has sued a number of federal agencies. The defendants include Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner.
Keith Maley, an HHS spokesman, said the agency doesn’t comment on pending litigation.
The suit was filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., by the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, a nonprofit, public-interest law firm.”

Defense of the Faith: A Forum on “Religious Liberty” (Part 2 of 4 – Dr. Grattan Brown)

“Published on May 28, 2012 by StBenedictPressTAN
Defense of the Faith: A Forum on Religious Liberty (PART 2 OF 4)
Dr. Grattan Brown: “Natural Law as the Foundation of Religious Liberty”
PART 1: Introduction (http://youtu.be/9v3FQYZ_d9g)
PART 3: Mr. Kyle Duncan (http://youtu.be/o-qfS4Q7Z_w)
PART 4: Mrs. Nancy Matthews (http://youtu.be/tl91F_R6l2s)
On March 21, 2010, the United States House of Representatives voted on, and narrowly passed, a new national healthcare reform bill. Two days later, President Barack Obama signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act into federal law. On January 20, 2012, over repeated objections by the United States Catholic Bishops and other religious leaders, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services reaffirmed a rule mandating that virtually all private healthcare plans must cover sterilization, abortifacients and contraception by plan years beginning on or after August 1, 2012.
This action has been called by many religious leaders an egregious violation of the first amendment which states that: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof . . .”
On Saturday, February 11, 2012, over one hundred attendees gathered for a forum on religious liberties hosted on the campus of Belmont Abbey College. The event was moderated by Dr. William Thierfelder, president of Belmont Abbey College. Three nationally-recognized speakers took the podium.
Dr. Grattan Brown, Associate Professor of Theology at Belmont Abbey College, opened the forum with his presentation on Natural Law as the foundation for religious liberty, addressing various contraceptive methods mandated under the new administrative guidelines, and their potential to function as abortifacients in violation of Natural Law.
Mr. Kyle Duncan, Senior Legal Counsel for the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, a public interest law firm located in Washington, DC, spoke on the accelerating legal challenges to religious liberty in the United States.
Mrs. Nancy Matthews, recently retired Chancellor and General Counsel for the Diocese of Bridgeport, CT, closed the forum with a presentation on the goals and objectives of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ ad hoc committee on religious liberty. Mrs. Matthews is currently a consultant to this committee.
It is our hope that this forum will help you to better understand these issues facing the Catholic Church and nearly all employers in America today and encourage you to take action to ensure the continued protection of religious freedom.”

NC unemployment rates under George Bush Democrat Congress and Barack Obama, 4.5 percent when Bush took office, 4.7 percent when Democrats took both houses

NC unemployment rates under George Bush Democrat Congress and Barack Obama, 4.5 percent when Bush took office, 4.7 percent when Democrats took both houses

“Guilford (Large NC County) appears on it’s way to a third consecutive year with annual jobless rates in double digits. Economists say that likely hasn’t happened since the Great Depression.”…Greensboro News Record December 2, 2011

“The weak job growth recorded during 2011 did little to replace the jobs lost earlier in the business cycle. Since the onset of the “Great Recession,” North Carolina has lost, on net, 295,300 positions, or 7.1 percent of its payroll employment base.”

“Absent significant changes in economic conditions and public policies, weak job growth, high levels of joblessness, and pervasive economic hardships appear to be in store for North Carolina, with 2012 apt to mark the fifth consecutive year of negative or minimal job growth.”…South by North Strategies, LTD February 10, 2012

“People leaving the labor force were a big reason that North Carolina’s unemployment rate dropped to 9.4 percent in April, a month when only 1,400 more people got jobs.”…WRAL May 18, 2012

Despite the lies from politicians like Barack Obama who blamed George Bush for all of his ills, numbers do not lie.

When George Bush became president in January 2001, the unemployment rate in NC was 4.5 percent.

When the Democrats took control of both houses of congress in January 2007, the unemployment rate in NC was 4.7 percent.

When Obama took control of the White House in January 2009, the unemployment rate in NC was 9.0 percent. In November 2008 it was 7.8 percent.

Before the Republicans took control of the House of Representatives in January 2011, the unemployment rate hit a high of 11.4 percent in NC.

The stated unemployment rate is currently 9.7 percent in NC.

The National Labor Force Participation Rate is 63.5 percent, a record low.

The North Carolina Labor Force Participation Rate is 62.0 percent.

More on the jobs situation in NC from Citizen Wells February 14, 2012.

https://citizenwells.wordpress.com/2012/02/14/truth-team-real-unemployment-rate-nc-jobs-data-stephanie-cutter-truth-about-employment-in-us-and-north-carolina-obama-lies/

Obama media lies fool followers, Only 15 Percent Of Democrats Believe Economic News Is Bad, Worst economy since Great Depression, Orwellian spin works on liberals

Obama media lies fool followers, Only 15 Percent Of Democrats Believe Economic News Is Bad, Worst economy since Great Depression, Orwellian spin works on liberals

“Guilford (Large NC County) appears on it’s way to a third consecutive year with annual jobless rates in double digits. Economists say that likely hasn’t happened since the Great Depression.”…Greensboro News Record December 2, 2011

“With a 63.7% labor force participation, “conditions in the labor market are considerably worse than indicated” in July’s report”…economist Joshua Shapiro, WSJ August 3, 2012

“the Times of the nineteenth of December had published the official forecasts of the output of various classes of consumption goods in the fourth quarter of 1983, which was also the sixth quarter of the Ninth Three-Year Plan. Today’s issue contained a statement of the actual output, from which it appeared that the forecasts were in every instance grossly wrong. Winston’s job was to rectify the original figures by making them agree with the later ones.”…George Orwell, “1984”

George Orwell warned us in “1984.”

Rush Limbaugh warned us again.

The 2012 election is nearing and the combination of Obama’s lies about creating jobs combined with the best efforts of the mainstream media to prop him up are working on Democrats.

From CBS Washington DC September 20, 2012.

“Study: Only 15 Percent Of Democrats Believe Economic News Is Bad”

“With just 47 days before the general election and Mitt Romney attempting to pivot the focus of the election back on the state of the economy, citizens with Democratic leanings are actually doing an about-face on the economy compared to their Republican counterparts, according to a recent study from the Pew Research Center.

New data found that just 15 percent of Democrats believe that recent economic news is mostly poor, a percentage that took a significant drop from the 31 percent of Democrats polled last month who did think that economic news was mostly bad. According to the study, the 15-percent clip is among the lowest percentages during President Barack Obama’s nearly four years in office.

But with those citizens with Republican leanings and no political leanings at all, the outlook remains the same. Sixty percent of Republicans find that most of the economic news is bad. Among independents, the percentage is 36 percent. Both of these data sets remain virtually unchanged from a month ago, according to the study.

The study, released on Sept. 11, could show Obama making gains on the economy, which has been what Romney ultimately has wanted to make the election about to this point, crystallized even further in his acceptance of the nomination at the Republican National Convention. Despite Romney’s efforts to turn the attention back to the economy following the backlash from the “47 percent” video, the data found that some Americans were actually beginning to feel better about the outlook of the economy. The percentage of people who feel that most of what they hear about the economy is bad dropped six percentage points in a month, from 41 percent to 35 percent, according to the study.”

http://washington.cbslocal.com/2012/09/20/study-only-15-percent-of-democrats-believe-economic-news-is-bad/

The Greensboro News and Record has done a pretty good job lately of reporting the news about the local and state job situation. However, on Friday September 21, 2012, they printed an article that caused a double take and review.

The headline in the Business Section reads:

“Greensboro’s job picture brightens”

To the left the headline reads:

“Bank of America planning to cut 16,000 positions”

Below the article reads:

“American Airlines says it plans to lay off up to 72 people at Raleigh-Durham International Airport and more than 1,400 in Florida”

From the Greensboro News and Record September 21, 2012.
“More than 10 percent of people who want jobs in Greensboro still can’t find them.

But Greensboro’s defying the odds in another job statistic: The total number of people working in the city is now higher than it was before the recession began in 2008.

That puts the city in a category of one when compared with other cities in the region, the state and the nation, according to a new report from the Greensboro Partnership, Greensboro’s leading economic development agency.

Growth in total employment suggests that the city will ultimately have more jobs available for all the people looking for work.

Between January, 2008 and July, 2012, Greensboro’s workforce grew by 2.6 percent, meaning that 3,270 more people were working.”

http://www.news-record.com/content/2012/09/20/article/greensboro_workforce_growing

The article begins honestly with:

“More than 10 percent of people who want jobs in Greensboro still can’t find them.”

The article then tries to spin some job growth, which does not keep up with population growth, as good news. That is like falling down a well while grasping a rope and breaking both legs instead of dying.

The print edition contains the following statement:

“The unemployment rate remains high because the population has outgrown the number of available jobs, but as the number of people with jobs rises, that brings hope that unemployment will drop.”

Huh???

Here are the facts from Citizen Wells.

The latest stated unemployment rate in NC: 9.7 %.

The latest stated unemployment rate for Greensboro, High Point: 10.2 %.

The NC Labor Force Participation Rate is 62 % and is lower than the record setting national rate of 63.5.

And once again:

“Guilford (Large NC County) appears on it’s way to a third consecutive year with annual jobless rates in double digits. Economists say that likely hasn’t happened since the Great Depression.”…Greensboro News Record December 2, 2011

Thanks to commenter Philo-Publius.

NC unemployment rate 9.7 percent for August 2012, Increase over July, Biggest increase in government jobs, Labor force participation rate?

NC unemployment rate 9.7 percent for August 2012, Increase over July, Biggest increase in government jobs, Labor force participation rate?

“Guilford (Large NC County) appears on it’s way to a third consecutive year with annual jobless rates in double digits. Economists say that likely hasn’t happened since the Great Depression.”…Greensboro News Record December 2, 2011

“With a 63.7% labor force participation, “conditions in the labor market are considerably worse than indicated” in July’s report”…economist Joshua Shapiro, WSJ August 3, 2012

“We tried our plan—and it worked. That’s the difference. That’s the choice in this election. That’s why I’m running for a second term.”…Barack Obama

From the NC Department of Commerce September 21, 2012.

“North Carolina’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate increased 0.1 of a percentage point in August to 9.7 percent. The national rate declined 0.2 of a percentage point to 8.1 percent. North Carolina’s August 2012 unemployment rate is 1.0 percentage point lower than a year ago.

“Looking at the data long-term, North Carolina has added nearly 98,000 nonfarm jobs since January 2010,” said N.C. Department of Commerce Deputy Secretary Dale Carroll. “Our workforce partners and our employment
service offices across our state are committed to helping employers put citizens back to work in North Carolina.”

Seasonally adjusted Total Nonfarm industry employment, as gathered through the monthly establishment survey, increased by 1,100 to 3,953,400 in August. The major industry with the largest over-the-month increase was Government, which gained 8,400.”

http://www.ncesc1.com/PMI/Rates/PressReleases/State/NR_Aug_2012_StRate_M.pdf

I will report on the Labor Force Participation rate in NC soon.

The unemployment data by county in NC will be released next week.

Alamance County Sheriff USDOJ report September 18, 2012, Pattern or practice of discriminatory policing against Latinos, 2008 report on voter fraud

Alamance County Sheriff USDOJ report September 18, 2012, Pattern or practice of discriminatory policing against Latinos, 2008 report on voter fraud

 
“The New Black Panther case was the simplest and most obvious violation of federal law I saw in my Justice Department career. Because of the corrupt nature of the dismissal, statements falsely characterizing the case and, most of all, indefensible orders for the career attorneys not to comply with lawful subpoenas investigating the dismissal, this month I resigned my position as a Department of Justice (DOJ) attorney.”…J. Christian Adams

“A federal court in Washington, DC, held last week that political appointees appointed by President Obama did interfere with the Department of Justice’s prosecution of the New Black Panther Party.”

““The Court’s decision is another piece of evidence showing the Obama Justice Department is run by individuals who have a problem telling the truth,” Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton said. “The decision shows that we can’t trust the Obama Justice Department to fairly administer our nation’s voting and election laws.””…Washington Examiner July 30, 2012

From the US Justice Department September 18, 2012.

“Department of Justice
Office of Public Affairs
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Justice Department Releases Investigative Findings on the Alamance County, N.C., Sheriff’s Office
Findings Show Pattern or Practice of Discriminatory Policing Against Latinos

Following a comprehensive investigation, the Justice Department announced today its findings that the Alamance County Sheriff’s Office (ACSO) in North Carolina, under the leadership of Sheriff Terry S. Johnson, engages in a pattern or practice of misconduct that violates the Constitution and federal law.   The department conducted its investigation, which it opened on June 2, 2010, pursuant to the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VI).

The Justice Department finds reasonable cause to believe that ACSO engages in a pattern or practice of discriminatory policing against Latinos in violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, the Fourth Amendment, the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act and Title VI.   ACSO’s discriminatory policing activities include:

  • ACSO deputies target Latino drivers for traffic stops;
  • A study of ACSO’s traffic stops on three major county roadways found that deputies were between four and 10 times more likely to stop Latino drivers than non-Latino drivers;
  • ACSO deputies routinely locate checkpoints just outside Latino neighborhoods, forcing residents to endure police checks when entering or leaving their communities;
  • ACSO practices at vehicle checkpoints often vary based on a driver’s ethnicity.   Deputies insist on examining identification of Latino drivers, while allowing drivers of other ethnicities to pass through without showing identification;
  • ACSO deputies arrest Latinos for minor traffic violations while issuing citations or warnings to non-Latinos for the same violations;
  • ACSO uses jail booking and detention practices, including practices related to immigration status checks, that discriminate against Latinos;
  • The sheriff and ACSO’s leadership explicitly instruct deputies to target Latinos with discriminatory traffic stops and other enforcement activities;
  • The sheriff and ACSO leadership foster a culture of bias by using anti-Latino epithets; and
  • ACSO engages in substandard reporting and monitoring practices that mask its discriminatory conduct.

Taken together, these practices undermine ACSO’s ability to serve and protect Alamance County’s Latino residents and the community at large.

“The Alamance County Sheriff’s Office’s egregious pattern of racial profiling violates the Constitution and federal laws, creates distrust between the police and the community and inhibits the reporting of crime and cooperation in criminal investigations,” said Thomas E. Perez, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division.   “Constitutional policing and effective law enforcement go hand-in-hand. We hope to resolve the concerns outlined in our findings by working collaboratively with ACSO, but we will not hesitate to take appropriate legal action if ACSO chooses a different course.”

The Justice Department’s thorough and independent investigation included an in-depth review of ACSO policies, procedures, training materials, and data on traffic stops, arrests, citations, vehicle checkpoints and other documentary evidence.   Department personnel also conducted interviews with more than 125 individuals, including Alamance County residents and current and former ACSO employees.

Addressing these findings and creating sustainable reforms will require ACSO to commit to long term structural, cultural and institutional change.   In particular, ACSO must develop and implement new policies, procedures and training in effective and constitutional policing.   Any reform efforts must also include systems of accountability to ensure that ACSO has eliminated unlawful bias from its decision making at all levels.

The department will seek to obtain a court enforceable, comprehensive, written agreement remedying the violations and incorporating these reforms by attempting to work with ACSO officials.

The Special Litigation Section of the Civil Rights Division conducted this investigation with the assistance of consultants in law enforcement and statistical analysis.   Members of the Alamance County community who wish to provide information to the department may call 1-877-871-9726 or email alamance.info@usdoj.gov .   For more information on the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, please visit www.justice.gov/crt .”

http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2012/September/12-crt-1125.html

Voter fraud controversy in Alamance County in 2008.

From Citizen Wells November 2, 2010.

The following controversy in NC received brief national attention in 2008.

From the Alamance County Sheriff’s Ofice, Alamance County Health Department Investigation, 2008.
(Alamance County is just east of Greensboro)

“On Monday June 23rd, 2008 the SBI initiated an
investigation into allegations that employees of the
Alamance County Health Department specifically Dr.
Kathleen Shapley-Quinn and Nurse Karen Saxer were
knowingly and willingly falsifying patient medical
records.”
“At the request of some patients, Alamance
County Health Department provided work
notes and prescriptions in alias names.

 Providing these services would assist illegal
aliens with maintaining assumed or stolen
identities, which may be a violation of state, or
federal law. (Identity Theft, Fraud, etc.)”
“The staff was divided with some believing the practice of writing
work notes (utilizing aliases) to suspected illegal aliens was wrong
and therefore they refused to do so. Subsequently they reported
feeling pressured or feared repercussions.

 Others, particularly Shapely-Quinn and Saxer believed the
guidance they had sought and received was vague at best, but
believed their actions did not violate the law and they were
providing care for their patients. Furthermore, according to
them, an illegal alien can not be refused medical care.”
“On more than one occasion Nurse Karen Saxer at the
direction of Dr. Shapley-Quinn prepared or made
health related employer work notes for patients under
alias names, knowing that the names on the documents
were in fact not the birth name or legal name of the
patient.”
“Veronica Arias, of Texas, reported on May 2nd, 2008 to
the ACSO that someone in Swepsonville, NC had
stolen her identity and was using same to be employed.

 Maria Sanchez was arrested on May 6, 2008 by
investigators of the Alamance County Sheriff’s Office
for stealing and using the identity of Veronica Arias.

 Sanchez used the name, SSN, DOB, of Veronica Arias
who is a living resident of Texas.”

https://citizenwells.wordpress.com/2010/11/02/nc-voter-fraud-update-voting-machine-errors-nc-gop-lawsuit-status-voter-registration-issues/

Michelle Obama Durham Greenville NC speeches September 19, 2012, GottaVote.com organizing, UNC colleges income redistribution changes, Barack and Michelle Obama show me the student loans

Michelle Obama Durham Greenville NC speeches September 19, 2012, GottaVote.com organizing, UNC colleges income redistribution changes, Barack and Michelle Obama show me the student loans

“Barack and Michelle Obama, show me the student loans.”…Citizen Wells

“Our student health insurance policy premium has been substantially increased due to changes required by federal regulations issued on March 16, 2012 under the Affordable Care Act.”…Guilford College student

“…and Socialist governments traditionally do make a financial mess. They [socialists] always run out of other people’s money. It’s quite a characteristic of them.”…Margaret Thatcher

Michelle Obama, who is married to the king of spending other people’s money, Barack Obama, will be community organizing at 2 NC colleges on Wednesday, September 19, 2012. She will promote voter registration through GottaVote.com at North Carolina Central University in Durham, NC and at East Carolina University in Greenville.

From My Fox 8, September 17, 2012.

“First Lady Michelle Obama plans to visit North Carolina on Wednesday for campaign events in Greenville and Durham.
WTVD reported she will speak at North Carolina Central University in the McLendon-McDougald Gymnasium at 1:40 p.m.

WTVD reports the event is free and open to the campus community. Tickets, which are required due to limited space, will be available to the public on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Tickets will be distributed to those with NCCU student IDs on Monday and Tuesday at 9 a.m. at the Alfonso Elder Student Union Building on the university’s campus.

The First Lady’s speech will reportedly focus on encouraging people to help organize their communities between now and November and promoting voter registration through GottaVote.com.

The First Lady will then speak at East Carolina University in Greenville in an event that is free and open to the public. Tickets are required.”

http://myfox8.com/2012/09/17/michelle-obama-to-speak-at-two-nc-cities-wednesday/

Michelle Obama spoke at UNCG on August 1, 2012.

“Because of this reform, our children can stay on our insurance until they’re 26 years old. (Applause.) So they don’t have to lose their health care when they graduate and they’re out there looking for a job, trying to build their lives.”

“This election, it’s a choice about whether our kids can attend college without a mountain of debt. Now, believe it or not, back when Barack and I were first starting out, and we were building our lives together, and we were so in love — (laughter) — we still are — (laughter and applause) — but our combined student loan bill each month was actually higher than our mortgage. Now, I know there are people out there who can relate to that. So, believe me, when it comes to student debt, Barack and I, we’ve been there. And that is why Barack doubled funding for Pell Grants and fought so hard to stop student loan interest rates from increasing. (Applause.) Because he knows how important it is for all of our young people to get the education they need for the jobs they deserve. “

“From Citizen Wells February 12, 2012.

“Amid chants of protest from about 100 students, the UNC Board of Governors this morning approved President Tom Ross’ proposal for tuition and
fee hikes over the next two years.

Ross’ plan would raise tuition by an average of 8.8 percent across the system and keeps increases below 10 percent on every campus.”

“Today’s vote caps months of intense debate over tuition, which the system has used in recent years to help make up for legislative cuts to its budget. The
hikes have forced more students to take on extra jobs to pay for school, or drop out altogether.”

“The state mandates that at least 25 percent of the money from the tuition dollars go toward financial aid for needy students. Some board members recently have spoken out about that requirement, saying it essentially calls for students, who themselves may be struggling, to subsidize the education of other students.””

“I have met and talked with many college students. Recently a UNCG student, who is struggling to support his family and attend school, confided in me that the recent tuition and health care increases (mandatory health care insurance almost doubled) could force him to leave school.”

“The cost of health insurance will climb from a range of $61 to $77 monthly to a range of $118 to $133 monthly, according to a memo sent from UNC President Tom Ross to the UNC Board of Governors. On an annual basis, most students will pay about $500 to $700 more in 2012-13, depending on the campus.”

“Mallette said the insurance increases are due to the health care usage of UNC system students during the past couple of years, plus federal regulations on preventive care and pharmacy services issued in March. The process is complicated, he said, by the new provisions of the Affordable Care Act.”

https://citizenwells.wordpress.com/2012/08/02/michelle-obama-uncg-speech-august-1-2012-obama-lies-job-lies-tax-lies-college-tuition-lies-health-care-lies-student-loans-and-records-hidden/

Barack and Michelle Obama, show me the student loans.

Now for some good news to counteract the spending of other people’s money position of Barack and Michelle Obama.

UNC Chapel Hill currently takes 38 % of tuition and gives it to “needy students.”

From The Daily Tarheel September 17, 2012.

“The UNC-system Board of Governors gave final approval to a new policy today that grants each university the flexibility to determine how much tuition revenue is allocated to need-based financial aid.

Schools were previously required to devote at least 25 percent of new tuition revenues to need-based financial aid.

But some board members raised concerns that schools were essentially subsidizing low-income students with middle-class families’ money and without their knowledge, prompting system President Thomas Ross to propose a 25 percent cap at last month’s meeting.

The board’s new policy includes neither a minimum nor a cap on the percentage of tuition revenue reserved for financial aid, and it also requires administrators to include the percentage in students’ tuition bills. Board member Louis Bissette explained the move as a compromise between the varying interests of state residents in an interview Thursday.

“We had a lot of comments from across the state — some people saying, ‘This is great that you use 25 percent,’” he said. “We had some people — single parents, parents who are struggling to pay tuition for their child — and they were saying, ‘You know, I’m struggling to make this payment, and you are taking 25 percent of it to give to someone else.’

“I think the board felt that because each campus has a different socioeconomic makeup of its student body, it would be best left to each campus to make that decision.””

http://www.dailytarheel.com/article/2012/09/unc-system-board-of-governors-approves-new-financial-aid-policy

A professor friend of mine asked me this morning what percentage of tuition I would allocate to needy students.

My answer: Zero.

I would lower the tuition for everyone.

Everyone should work to pay their tuition.