Category Archives: North Carolina

Charlotte Observer lies to protect Obama, Observer endorsed Jim Pendergraph then rescinded and attacked, Charlotte Observer gives Obama free ride and attacks Pendergraph and Sheriff Joe Arpaio

Charlotte Observer lies to protect Obama, Observer endorsed Jim Pendergraph then rescinded and attacked, Charlotte Observer gives Obama free ride and attacks Pendergraph and Sheriff Joe Arpaio

“Why has Obama, since taking the White House, used Justice Department Attorneys, at taxpayer expense,  to avoid presenting a legitimate birth certificate and college records?”…Citizen Wells

“When you pick up your morning or evening newspaper and think
you are reading the news of the world, what you are reading
is a propaganda which has been selected, revised, and doctored
by some power which has a financial interest in you.”
…. Upton Sinclair
“And if all others accepted the lie which the Party imposed
–if all records told the same tale–then the lie passed into
history and became truth. “Who controls the past,” ran the
Party slogan, “controls the future: who controls the present
controls the past.”…George Orwell, “1984″

The Charlotte Observer, by hiding the truth about Obama and by attacking those courageous Americans attempting to bring the truth about Obama to light, has become an embarassment to the state of NC, the nation and all lovers of constitutional truth.

The Charlotte Observer endorsed Republican congressional candidate Jim Pendergraph and then after Pendergraph questioned the messiah, Obama, they rescinded their endorsement and attacked Pendergraph and Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who is doing his job, unlike the Obama lackeys at the Observer.

Make no mistake about it. The Charlotte Observer has written lies about Jim Pendergraph and Sheriff Joe Arpaio and insulted millions of concerned Americans who still cherish and obey the US Constitution.

April 28, 2012: The Charlotte Observer endorses Jim Pendergraph.

“Pendergraph strongest pick in 9th District

Commissioner, former sheriff is conservative and pragmatic”

“But we give our nod to Mecklenburg County commissioner Jim Pendergraph. We believe he has broad appeal and understands the district’s needs best. He speaks
with a strong conservative voice but seems pragmatic in how he would represent the district – focusing on constituent needs and getting things done.

He did sign a no-tax increases pledge and said he would focus on spending cuts. But he said he would consider taxes if “every other way possible” was tried
and failed to reduce the deficit and get the economy going.

Pendergraph gained national exposure as sheriff for his leadership in the 287(g) program, which allows local officials to enforce federal immigration laws.
He was the first sheriff east of California to use the controversial program. But his views on immigration reform are more nuanced. He favors both
enforcement and reforms that would allow the immigrant workers that the country needs to be able to work here. The issue should be dealt with in a “common-
sense” way, he says.

Pendergraph’s long experience as a public servant, especially his 12 years as Mecklenburg County sheriff, would be an asset. He understands the value of
service to constituents and responding quickly and efficiently to their cares and concerns.

This race has been marred by negative advertising, largely aimed at Pendergraph from GOP challenger Robert Pittenger, a former state lawmaker. Those ads and
the sniping back and forth at debates distracted attention from the candidates’ records and positions. The people in the 9th district deserved better. We
hope the candidates will give them better in the waning days of this primary season. If not, voters should remember that in the voting booth.”

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2012/04/28/3205731/pendergraph-strongest-pick-in.html

April 28, 2012: Sheriff Joe Arpaio campaigns with and endorses Pendergraph.

“With his primary campaign for Congress entering what he called the short road, Republican Jim Pendergraph on Saturday drew support from controversial yet
popular Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio.

Arpaio spoke at a Pendergraph campaign rally that drew 100 people to Lancaster’s BBQ in Huntersville ahead of the May 8 primary.

Arpaio and Pendergraph described each other as friends.

Both men have drawn questions over the years about their views on immigration. As Mecklenburg’s former sheriff, Pendergraph launched the 287(g) program that
identifies illegal immigrants in the jail. He took a federal job to increase state and local coordination of immigration laws.

Arpaio, the sheriff of Maricopa County near Phoenix, is known for a hard-line approach toward immigration. The U.S. Justice Department has accused him of
violating the civil rights of Latinos.

He said when Pendergraph was with the federal government, he praised the operations in Maricopa. Arpaio never forgot his help.

Pendergraph said Arpaio is “trying to protect the citizens of Arizona because the federal government won’t.” He called on the federal government to enforce
the immigration laws.

Arpaio also said he hopes Congress will “finally look at (illegal immigration) and do something about it.”

Arpaio drew questions about his investigation into the authenticity of President Barack Obama’s birth records.

He said his probe shows the documents were forged, and criticized other elected leaders and law enforcement for failing to look into the issue. Obama and
others have long refuted claims the documents are false.”

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2012/04/27/3205885/arizona-sheriff-arpaio-lends-support.html

May 2, 2012: Jim Pendergraph, “I have reason to be suspicious,” 

“Pendergraph ‘suspicious’ of Obama’s birthplace”

“Few people are as publicly identified with the so-called “birther” issue as Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who has his own “posse” on the case.

Last weekend, Arpaio shared his skepticism about President Barack Obama’s birthplace – and his eligibility for the White House – when he was in Charlotte
campaigning for Republican congressional candidate Jim Pendergraph.

So what does Pendergraph, and for that matter other 9th District candidates, think of Obama’s legitimacy?

“I have reason to be suspicious,” he said. “But I don’t know. I haven’t seen the facts. I think there’s a lot of smoke and generally when there’s smoke
there’s got to be fire somewhere.”uth
Obama sought to put questions about his birthplace aside last year when he released a birth certificate from Hawaii. For many people, that settled the issue.

Even Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus last year declared the issue a distraction and said, “the president was born in the United
States.”

But in March, Arpaio’s group declared the birth certificate a forgery.

While Pendergraph said he’s not sure it is, he said, “I’ve been around long enough to know people can forge anything.””

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2012/05/02/3214498/pendergraph-suspicious-of-obamas.htm

May 03, 2012: Charlotte Observer rescinds endorsement of Pendergraph.

“What a run for Republican Jim Pendergraph. After winning the Observer’s endorsement in his bid for Congress, he has done nothing but embarrass us and
himself.

By buddying up to one of America’s more hateful egomaniacs and then joining with fringe “birthers” to question President Obama’s citizenship, Pendergraph has contradicted much of what he told the Observer’s editorial board in his endorsement interview last month. As a result, we have lost faith in him, and urge voters to consider Edwin Peacock or Ric Killian in the 9th Congressional District race.

Not infrequently, the Observer endorses candidates with whom we do not agree on all, or even most, of the issues. That is because we consider the views of
the constituents the candidate seeks to represent. We often endorsed Rep. Sue Myrick using that logic. When choosing among 10 Republicans in the 9th District race, we considered not only the extent to which we agreed with the candidate but the extent to which he represented the views of the conservative 9th District. We seek a candidate with integrity, intellect, common sense and sincerity, and whose views are not so extreme as to not reflect his district.

Pendergraph came off as a decided moderate in our endorsement process, a comportment not entirely inconsistent with his work the past year-plus as a
Mecklenburg County commissioner. He sounded reasonable on immigration, saying that illegal immigrants who are already here should be allowed to stay here. He supported comprehensive immigration reform and allowing current illegal immigrants to pay some penalty and then have a path to citizenship.

He also talked about his disdain for the polarization that plagues Washington today. He said balancing the budget would require something like the Bowles-
Simpson plan, and specifically said taxes may have to rise as part of a comprehensive plan to erase the deficit. “Let’s be honest – it’s not going to be
without pain for all of us,” he said.

How sensible.

Then he rallied in Huntersville with Maricopa County (Ariz.) Sheriff Joe Arpaio, a Melvillian character on a never-ending crusade against Latinos. The only
thing that energizes Arpaio more than stroking his ego is profiling Hispanics. The U.S. Justice Department found Arpaio led “a pervasive culture of
discriminatory bias against Latinos” and one expert in the report said Arpaio led the worst racial profiling in U.S. history.

Pendergraph pandered further this week by saying he has “reason to be suspicious” about whether President Obama was born in the United States. “… Generally when there’s smoke, there’s got to be fire somewhere,” he said, even as he acknowledged “I haven’t seen the facts.”

It all gives one the sense that Pendergraph will say whatever a given audience wants to hear, if it will help him get elected. That makes how he would act in
Congress a mystery.

Peacock, Killian strong

Republican voters have at least two better choices in Tuesday’s primary. Former Charlotte City Council member Edwin Peacock brings a thoughtful, moderate
approach to issues. He seeks to solve problems rather than be paralyzed by partisanship. And state Rep. Ric Killian brings broad experience in public office
and the military. A colonel in the Army Reserve who has spent significant time in Afghanistan, Killian understands security matters. He is earnest and
forthright and would bring a sensible conservatism to Congress.”

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2012/05/03/3217068/2-better-choices-in-9th-congressional.html#storylink=cpy

To the Charlotte Observer.

If you wish to respond, I will publish it.

More importantly, if you wish to compare notes or discuss these issues, I am available.

The Charlotte Observer is awarded 5 Orwells.

Obama lies work on UNC students?, UNC student health care increase, Tuition increase, High unemployment, Obama uses Orwellian language to sway students, Occupy White House?

Obama lies work on UNC students?, UNC student health care increase, Tuition increase, High unemployment, Obama uses Orwellian language to sway students, Occupy White House?

“What do you think a stimulus is? It’s spending – that’s the whole point! Seriously.”…Barack Obama

“…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

“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

God works in mysterious ways.

Obama and the Democrats will have their convention in Charlotte, NC.

Obama spoke recently at UNC, The University of NC, and presented more of his Orwellian lies about education costs and helping students.

Obama and the Democrats have a problem in NC.

UNC system schools recently announced tuition increases.

The unemployment rate in NC is among the highest in the nation. Those about to  graduate face bleak prospects.

And despite Obama’s lies about Obama Care reducing the cost of health care, UNC students just found out that their health care insurance is increasing significantly.

From the Charlotte Observer May 1, 2012.

“UNC system health insurance costs to rise for students

Students in the system’s plan may pay $500 to $700 more”

“The UNC system began requiring students to be covered by health insurance in the fall of 2010. Students must either prove that they have their own insurance or buy a plan offered by the UNC system. Before that, 11 campuses required insurance; rates and coverage varied significantly among the schools.

On top of rising tuition and fees, those UNC system students who buy the university-sponsored health insurance plan will face steep premium increases in the next academic year.

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.

The percentage increases aren’t yet known for all campuses, because some have not chosen the level of coverage they will offer, said Bruce Mallette, UNC vice president for academic and student affairs. The annual student cost will climb 66 percent at N.C. Central University and 60 percent at UNC-Chapel Hill; the cost at N.C. State has not been finalized, Mallette said.

Notification of the rate increases will go out this week, just as students finish exams and leave campus for the summer. The news will sting.

“A lot of students are going to be very surprised by this and at a loss for what to do, especially on such short notice for the next semester,” said Kate Davis Jones, a UNC-CH junior from Raleigh who is still on her parents’ insurance. “I think it’s going to cause a lot of students to be boxed out of their education if they’re not able to afford the mandated health insurance.”

Jones said plenty of her classmates will feel blindsided, months after the UNC board set tuition and fee rates for next year, with average price increases of 8.8 percent for in-state undergraduates across the UNC system. The tuition and fee hikes are 8.5 percent at NCCU, 9.8 percent at NCSU and 9.9 percent at UNC-CH for the coming academic year.

Claims drive up costs

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.”

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2012/05/01/3210536/unc-health-insurance-costs-to.html

Oh, and their beloved Apple Computer Company has just been outed for avoiding paying taxes.

Not a good year for UNC students, NC and the country.

There should be a Occupy White House movement.

NC unemployment initial claims up 1923, Fifth highest in nation, US initial claims 388000, 4 week moving average up 6250, Obama stimulus in action

NC unemployment initial claims up 1923, Fifth highest in nation, US initial claims 388000, 4 week moving average up 6250, Obama stimulus in action

“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

“New, more-accurate estimates show North Carolina’s unemployment rate stayed above 10 percent throughout 2011, falling to 10.2 percent in January in a key election battleground state, the state Commerce Department reported today.”…Greensboro News Record March 14, 2012

“And if all others accepted the lie which the Party imposed
–if all records told the same tale–then the lie passed into
history and became truth. “Who controls the past,” ran the
Party slogan, “controls the future: who controls the present
controls the past.”…George Orwell, “1984″

Unemployment initial claims were up by 1, 923 last week in NC, the fifth highest in the nation. The Obama stimulus plan reminds me of the old adage. Obama’s cronies got the gold ore and we got the shaft.

From the US Labor Department April 26, 2012.

“UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE WEEKLY CLAIMS REPORT
SEASONALLY ADJUSTED DATA

In the week ending April 21, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 388,000, a decrease of 1,000 from the previous week’s revised figure of 389,000. The 4-week moving average was 381,750, an increase of 6,250 from the previous week’s revised average of 375,500.”

“The largest increases in initial claims for the week ending April 14 were in New York (+3,352), California (+3,060), Georgia (+2,179), Florida (+2,048), and North Carolina (+1,923)”

http://www.dol.gov/opa/media/press/eta/ui/current.htm

In the prior article at Citizen Wells it was pointed out that Obama inherited high unemployment not from George Bush, but from a Democrat controlled congress beginning in January of 2007. The same scenario has impacted NC, only more devastatingly.

NC unemployment from Jan. 2007 to Jan. 2012.

More details here.

http://data.bls.gov/timeseries/LASST37000003

April 25, 2012, Edward R Murrow birthday, Unrelenting search for truth, Greensboro NC native, Murrow needed now

April 25, 2012, Edward R Murrow birthday, Unrelenting search for truth, Greensboro NC native, Murrow needed now

“dedicated his life as a newsman and as a public official to the unrelenting search for truth.”…Lyndon B. Johnson

“To be persuasive we must be believable; to be believable we must be credible; credible we must be truthful.” ….Edward R. Murrow

“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

The sad state of journalism, media bias and our entertainment culture highlight the significance of a true journalist, Edward R. Murrow, whose birthday we celebrate today, April 25, 2012.

From Citizen Wells April 25, 2011.

Today is the birthday of Edward R. Murrow, an icon, a beacon, a shining example of what journalism once was, and can be. He was born just outside of Greensboro, NC.

From the NC Historical Marker website:

““O. Henry” is not the only famous North Carolinian born on Polecat Creek in Guilford County. Egbert (he changed it to Edward during college) Roscoe Murrow (April 25, 1908-April 27, 1965) achieved international recognition as a broadcaster for CBS Radio during World War II and set the standard against which television journalists have been judged since.

Murrow’s ancestors were members of the local Society of Friends and staunch Republicans. His father, who took the name Roscoe from New York Senator Roscoe Conkling, moved his young family in 1913 to Blanchard, Washington, where he worked in logging. Egbert enrolled at Washington State College and subsequently went to D.C. as president of the National Student Federation. In 1935 he became “director of talks” for CBS Radio and in 1937 was dispatched to Europe. Hitler’s annexation of Austria in 1938 began Murrow’s rise to fame. His broadcasts during the Battle of Britain, beginning with “This is London,” are legendary.

In 1951 Murrow began the series See It Now, the most noted episode of which on March 9, 1954, included his dissection of Senator Joseph R. McCarthy. His signature on that series was “Good night and good luck.” From 1953 to 1959 he interviewed celebrities and names in the news on Person to Person. In 1961 he left CBS to serve as head of the United States Information Agency in the Kennedy administration. Murrow, rarely photographed without a cigarette, died of lung cancer four years later. His birthplace burned in 1985. Guilford County readily claims Murrow as a native son. A major route in downtown Greensboro is named Murrow Boulevard.”

http://www.ncmarkers.com

From the PBS American Masters TV show, Edward R. Murrow, This Reporter.

““This . . . is London.” With those trademark words, crackling over the airwaves from a city in the midst of blitzkrieg, Edward R. Murrow began a journalistic career that has had no equal. From the opening days of World War II through his death in 1965, Murrow had an unparalleled influence on broadcast journalism. His voice was universally recognized, and a generation of radio and television newsmen emulated his style. Murrow’s pioneering television documentaries have more than once been credited with changing history, and to this day his name is synonymous with courage and perseverance in the search for truth.

In 1937, Edward R. Murrow was sent by CBS to set up a network of correspondents to report on the gathering storm in Europe. He assembled a group of young reporters whose names soon became household words in wartime America, among whom were William Shirer, Charles Collingwood, Bill Shael, and Howard K. Smith. The group, which came to be known collectively as “Murrow’s Boys,” reported the whole of World War II from the front lines with a courage and loyalty inspired by Murrow’s own fearlessness. During the war Murrow flew in more than twenty bombing missions over Berlin, and along with Bill Shadel was the first Allied correspondent to report the horrors from the Nazi death camps.

Returning to America after the war, Murrow was surprised to find that his overseas reports had made him a star at home. With the advent of television, Murrow was approached to host a weekly program. Along with his associate, Fred Friendly, Murrow had been producing a popular radio show, Hear It Now. The television show was to be called See It Now. Joe Wershba, a reporter who worked closely with Murrow, remembers, “Neither of them knew anything about film making or television. All they knew was they wanted to do stories. Important stories.” Television was in its infancy and Murrow and Friendly had to learn the process of filmmaking and the primitive television equipment on the job.

Murrow’s love of common America led him to seek out stories of ordinary people. He presented their stories in such a way that they often became powerful commentaries on political or social issues. See It Now consistently broke new ground in the burgeoning field of television journalism. In 1953, Murrow made the decision to investigate the case of Milo Radulovich. Radulovich had been discharged from the Air Force on the grounds that his mother and sister were communist sympathizers. The program outlined the elements of the case, casting doubt on the Air Force’s decision, and within a short while, Milo Radulovich had been reinstated. This one edition of See It Now marked a change in the face of American journalism and a new age in American politics.”

Read more:

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/episodes/edward-r-murrow/this-reporter/513/

NC unemployment rate 9.7%, Near highest, Washington DC California Nevada worse hmmm, Dare county 19.1%, Obama and Democrats warm reception in NC?

NC unemployment rate 9.7%, Near highest, Washington DC California Nevada worse hmmm, Dare county 19.1%, Obama and Democrats warm reception in NC?

“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

“New, more-accurate estimates show North Carolina’s unemployment rate stayed above 10 percent throughout 2011, falling to 10.2 percent in January in a key election battleground state, the state Commerce Department reported today.”…Greensboro News Record March 14, 2012

“And if all others accepted the lie which the Party imposed
–if all records told the same tale–then the lie passed into
history and became truth. “Who controls the past,” ran the
Party slogan, “controls the future: who controls the present
controls the past.”…George Orwell, “1984″

Pretend you are listening to Sheriff Andy Taylor of the Andy Griffith Show.

You know Barn, I was ponderin sumpin over the weekend. How come it seems like every time I turn around people is hootin and hollerin and carryin on sumpin fierce. Well I just got a hold of the Mayberry Gazette and would you know, them government fellas has come out with a new report and in that new report it mentions the fact that the unemployment rate in NC has plummeted to 9.7%. Land sakes! No wonder them folks has been celebratin. And Barn, wait til Barack Obama and the Democrats come to Charlotte for their convention. Why I bet the folks down there will give them a homecoming they’ll never forget. Accordin to the Gazette, folks around Charlotte should be rejoicin with these unemployment rates:

Mecklenburg 10%
Gaston 11.2%
Cleveland 11.1%
Scotland 17.5%

Why, it’s no small wonder people are grinnin like a possum.

I know we are mighty happy to have a 10.9% unemployment rate here.

And barn, would you look at this. Dare county, 19.1 %. Them folks have gotta be mighty proud (don’t tell nobody I own a ranch there).

End of show….or is it?

From the Jefferson Post April 23, 2012.

“N.C. unemployment improves to 9.7 percent in March”

“Despite Ashe County’s early year jobs slide, the unemployment numbers across the rest of the state improved between February and March according to seasonally adjusted data released by the N.C. Department of Commerce last week.

N.C.’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate fell by .2 percentage points to 9.7 percent from February’s revised rate of 9.9 percent. The number of unemployed also decreased over-the-month, falling by 12,092 to 451,657.

“Since the start of the year, the rate has dropped three consecutive months,” said N.C. Department of Commerce Deputy Secretary Dale Carroll. “Over the year figures continue to show improving numbers with the private sector gaining more than 37,000 jobs. Finding North Carolinians work through our programs and services available at our local offices remains our priority.”

The number of people employed, seasonally adjusted, increased by more than 4,000 to 4,228,180 between February and March, and by 63,805 since March 2011. Year-over-year, the NC unemployment rate fell by .7 percent, from 10.4 percent in March 2011.

Over the month, the number of persons unemployed declined by 12,092, or 2.6 percent. The civilian labor force was relatively unchanged at 4,679,837.

Nationally, March’s unemployment rate decreased by .1 percent from February to 8.2 percent. The number of persons unemployed fell by 133,000, or 1 percent, while the civilian labor force declined by 164,000, or .1 percent.”

http://www.jeffersonpost.com/view/full_story/18325408/article-N-C–unemployment-improves-to-9-7-percent-in-March?instance=popular

NC has one of the worst unemployment rates in the nation. Below are the states with the highest unemployment rates. It is important to note that Illinois, Washington DC, California and Nevada are on the list.

41 ILLINOIS 8.8
42 SOUTH CAROLINA 8.9
43 FLORIDA 9.0
43 GEORGIA 9.0
43 MISSISSIPPI 9.0
43 NEW JERSEY 9.0
47 NORTH CAROLINA 9.7
48 Washington, DC 9.8
49 CALIFORNIA 11.0
50 RHODE ISLAND 11.1
51 NEVADA 12.0

http://www.bls.gov/web/laus/laumstrk.htm

Unemployment rates by NC county subject to revision in a few days.

http://www.wral.com/news/state/page/4879060/

 

Elon poll reveals NC residents blame oil companies, OPEC for gas prices, Obama orwellian lies working?, Obama and Democrats more blame than Republicans

Elon poll reveals NC residents blame oil companies, OPEC for gas prices, Obama orwellian lies working?, Obama and Democrats more blame than Republicans

“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 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. “…George Orwell, “1984″

“And if all others accepted the lie which the Party imposed
–if all records told the same tale–then the lie passed into
history and became truth. “Who controls the past,” ran the
Party slogan, “controls the future: who controls the present
controls the past.”…George Orwell, “1984″

I posted the article yesterday about Obama lying about Oil Company profits and taxes after listening to his unceasing lies and knowing that the mainstream media      feeds them to the public Orwellian style. Right on cue a Elon University poll indicates that the NC public places more blame on the oil companies.

This is a teachable moment. Once again I refer to the concept of 6 degrees of separation. Our sphere of influence is powerful. Inform all of your friends and acquaintances and urge then to do the same. If they have questions I will be glad  to answer them.

From WRAL April 3, 2012.

“Poll: NC residents blame oil companies, OPEC for gas prices”

“Although Republican presidential candidates are blaming President Barack Obama for gas prices hovering around $4 a gallon, a poll released Tuesday shows most North Carolina residents point the finger at oil companies and foreign countries.

The Elon University Poll surveyed 534 residents statewide last week and also found that people were evenly split on a controversial method of natural gas drilling being considered by North Carolina lawmakers. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.24 percentage points.

Nearly three-quarters of those polled blamed oil companies for high gas prices, while foreign countries that produce oil were blamed by 58 percent of respondents.

The poll asked people to rank how much blame to assign to each group on a scale of 1 to 5, and the percentages reflect the number who assigned a 4 or 5 to each.

Obama’s administration was cited by 42 percent, Democrats in Congress by 41 percent and Republicans in Congress by 35 percent. Forty percent said American driving habits were to blame, while 34 percent blamed environmental regulations.

Most respondents said the U.S. needs to rely more on solar and wind power for its energy needs. Eighty-five percent supported more solar power, and 80 percent supported more wind power.

Meanwhile, 72 percent said the country needs to be less reliant on oil, and 63 percent said coal use needs to decline. Respondents were split on nuclear energy, with 42 percent calling for expansion and 50 percent saying less nuclear power should be used.

Seventy percent of those polled said natural gas needs to play a larger role in the nation’s energy mix, but a majority say they don’t know enough about a drilling process known as hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” to determine if it’s good for North Carolina.

Fracking involves drilling horizontally into underground deposits of shale and then pumping a high-pressure mix of water and chemicals into a well to break apart the rock and release natural gas.

Opponents of the process say it would damage water resources and contaminate the environment, while supporters say it would provide an economic boon to central North Carolina.

The state Department of Environment and Natural Resources has said fracking could be done safely in North Carolina if the proper safeguards were put in place first. The agency is expected to deliver its findings to lawmakers next month.

Twenty-two percent of Elon poll respondents say they oppose fracking in North Carolina, while 21 percent say they support it.”

http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/10939859/

From Citizen Wells April 3, 2012.

“And how big are the oil company profits?

Net profit margins:

Oil & Gas Refining & Marketing 3.00 %

Oil & Gas Pipelines 6.00 %

Compare these profit margins to other industries.

http://biz.yahoo.com/p/sum_qpmd.html

What about taxes?

First, the corporate tax rate in the US is near or at the top in the world.

US oil companies pay enormous amounts of taxes. How does this compare to one of Obama’s pay to play buddies GE? Check this out for yourself.

Here is the really important point about raising taxes on oil companies and other companies.

Companies (corporations, LLC’s, partnerships, sole proprietors) do not paytaxes!

Consumers pay for the tax increases.

Taxes are part of the cost of doing business.

A tax increase to a company results in some combination of the following:

Product and service price increases.

Employee and hours cutbacks.

Reduced hiring.

Does any of this sound familiar?

The Obama administration has been responsible for rising gas prices and they are now trying to raise them more.

Of course this has impacted food prices and jobs.

Sound familiar?”

https://citizenwells.wordpress.com/2012/04/03/obama-lies-on-oil-companies-taxes-profits-and-impact-on-consumers-obama-energy-policy-based-on-chicago-pay-to-play-politics-truth-team-notification/

What have been the 2 largest impacts on gasoline prices over the past 3 years?

Obama’s pay to play energy policy (Solyndra, et al) and the devaluation of the the dollar.

The Obama Administration has been directly responsible for the rising gas prices and subsequent crisis economy.

Obama has rewarded his cronies with unchecked corporate schemes and blocked efforts to increase oil production in this country. His record deficit spending has greatly devalued the dollar causing oil to cost more in US dollars.

The following graph, presented at Citizen Wells multiple times, says it all.

NC unemployment worse than reported, Over 10 percent, North carolina fourth highest, Economy worse than first thought, Truth Team notification

NC unemployment worse than reported, Over 10 percent, North carolina fourth highest, Economy worse than first thought, Truth Team notification

“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

“And if all others accepted the lie which the Party imposed–if all records told the same tale–then the lie passed into history and became truth. “Who controls the past,” ran the Party slogan, “controls the future: who controls the present controls the past.”…George Orwell, “1984″

“And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free.”…Jesus, John 8:32

We told you so.

Citizen Wells, Rush Limbaugh and others criticized the stated unemployment rate from the past several months. I knew from my math background and cursory examination of the data that the reported rates were wrong and the economy much worse.

However, I am confident that the Truth Team is on top of this. As part of my efforts to work with the Truth Team to make certain that the candidates quote the correct numbers, I gave them a heads up several weeks ago.

From Citizen Wells February 16, 2012.

“NC Truth Team, Citizen Wells provides facts for Obama Truth Team and Republicans, North Carolina jobs unemployment hardships, No more lies”

““While the job market showed signs of growth last year, both Guilford and the state ended 2011 with more people unemployed than was the case the previous
December.

In Guilford , nearly 24,500 didn’t have jobs; statewide, the number surpassed 446,000.

And both the county and the state ended the year with jobless rates of 9.9 percent. That’s equal to or higher than the rates a year earlier.”

“At the current rate of growth–adding 8,300 annually–it will take 3.5 years–or until 2016–to regain the positions lost during and after the Great recession.

“Looking ahead, Quinterno said he expects more of the same this year.

“Absent robust job growth, joblessness and associated hardships will remain widespread,” he wrote. “2012 could well be the fifth consecutive year of negative or minimal job growth in North Carolina.””

“The employment picture is much bleaker.”

““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. The maximum job loss recorded during the business cycle occurred in February 2010, when the state had 323,000 fewer jobs (-7.7 percent) than it did 26 months before. Since that time, North Carolina has netted 27,700 positions (+0.7 percent), for an average monthly gain of nearly 1,300 jobs. While the state’s economy added more jobs in 2011 than in 2010 (+19,600 versus +5,400), the growth was too weak to materially alter the employment situation. Even if the annual level of job growth were to triple, it still would take roughly five years to close the current jobs gap, holding all else equal.”

“Estimates of the underemployment rate, a broader measure of labor under-utilization prepared by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, indicate that 17.9 percent of North Carolina’s adjusted labor force was underemployed, on average, in 2011. That measure includes not only individuals who meet the formal definition of unemployment, but also those working part-time despite preferring full-time work and those marginally attached to the workforce. Over the year, the statewide underemployment rate rose by 0.5 percentage points, rising to 17.9 percent from a level of 17.4 percent in 2010.

Regardless of the exact measure used, a sizable amount of labor in North Carolina is currently sitting idle. Nearly 10 of every 100 members of the state’s labor force are unemployed (seasonally adjusted), while almost 18 of every 100 are underemployed. Moreover, the share of adult North Carolinians with a job has fallen sharply since late 2007. In December 2011, only 55.6 percent of working-age North Carolinians (seasonally adjusted) had jobs, a level no different from the one posted one year prior. This rate actually fell to a low of 55.3 percent near the end of 2011.Q3. At no other time since 1976 has the employment-to-population been as low as it has been in recent months (fig. 7). The current ratio also is well below the historical average rate of 63.6 recorded between January 1976 and December 2007.””

https://citizenwells.wordpress.com/2012/02/16/nc-truth-team-citizen-wells-provides-facts-for-obama-truth-team-and-republicans-north-carolina-jobs-unemployment-hardships-no-more-lies/

I would like to thank the Greensboro News Record for reporting this today, March 14, 2012.

“Update: N.C. jobless rate still above 10 percent”

“New, more-accurate estimates show North Carolina’s unemployment rate stayed above 10 percent throughout 2011, falling to 10.2 percent in January in a key election battleground state, the state Commerce Department reported today.

North Carolina’s jobless rate was the fourth-highest in the country in January, trailing California, Rhode Island and Nevada, which leads the nation with a 12.7 percent unemployment rate.

The report also pointed to some bright spots amid signs of slow improvement in the national economy. An additional 14,213 people were drawing paychecks in January. An extra 6,245 entered the workforce as previously discouraged or young workers started looking for jobs.

On the downside, nearly 8,000 more people were on unemployment rolls in January than in the previous month.

“These new data say the economy is improving, but it’s also saying the economy is worse than we first thought,” said James Kleckley, director of the Bureau of Business Research at East Carolina University.

The estimates were revised in an annual re-examination of available data coupled with U.S. Census information of people reporting themselves as working or unemployed.

The result was that earlier estimates of North Carolina’s unemployment rate dropping below 10 percent in December were revised upward. The new estimates are that the state’s unemployment rate was 10.4 percent in November and December before falling to 10.2 percent in January. The national average was 8.3 percent in January.

“What everything’s been saying is that North Carolina has been improving but not by leaps and bounds by any means,” Kleckley said. “This will make me have to rethink some of the other data. I didn’t expect it. I expected the unemployment rate to be a little lower.”

North Carolina lost more than 330,000 jobs by the time the national recession bottomed out in February 2010, state data showed Tuesday. Since then, the state has gained back about 80,000 jobs, or about a quarter of the jobs lost, John Connaughton, an economic forecaster at UNC-Charlotte.

In January, North Carolina employers added 17,000 more payroll jobs than they cut.

“We had a big January jump,” said Connaughton, who predicts the state’s businesses to add about 50,000 jobs this year.

“The issue here is I think the economy has turned a corner. 2012 is going to start to feel like a recovery for most people,” he said. “People are going to say, ‘Yep, things are getting better. I’ve got job opportunities. I’ve got options.’ ”

Tuesday’s report comes during an election year in which the economy and job prospects are expected to be a huge issue. President Barack Obama is targeting North Carolina as key to his re-election prospects. He narrowly won the state in 2008, reversing a generation of voters picking Republican presidential candidates.

With rising stock markets, increased manufacturing and other indicators pointing to a slowly improving U.S. economy, North Carolina residents have reported increasing optimism. An Elon University poll released last week found about two-thirds of state residents think the economy either will stay the same or get better in the months ahead. More than half of the poll’s respondents said the economy was the most important issue facing the state.

Small-business owners across the country reported increasing optimism for the sixth straight month in February, the National Federation of Independent Business said Tuesday. The hopeful forecast is spreading among North Carolina’s main-street business community, but it’s far too early to celebrate, NFIB state director Gregg Thompson said.

“It looks like things are finally turning around, but unless the pace of recovery picks up, it’ll be years before we’re back where we started,” he said.”

http://www.news-record.com/content/2012/03/13/article/nc_jobless_rate_still_above_10_percent

 

Obama Rezko Daniel Frawley $ 400000 reported in NC by John Hammer, Rhino Times, FDIC lawsuit against Mutual Bank ties Obama to Rezko Chicago corruption

Obama Rezko Daniel Frawley $ 400000 reported in NC by John Hammer, Rhino Times, FDIC lawsuit against Mutual Bank ties Obama to Rezko Chicago corruption

“Why did the Illinois Senate Health & Human Services Committee, with Obama as chairman, create and push Bill 1332, “Illinois Health Facilities Planning Act,” early in 2003, which reduced the number of members on the Board from 15 to 9, just prior to rigging by Tony Rezko and Rod Blagojevich?”…Citizen Wells

“Why did Patrick Fitzgerald and the US Justice Department wait until December 2008 to arrest Rod Blagojevich?”…Citizen Wells

“Why did Daniel Frawley provide $ 400,000 for Tony Rezko to give to Obama?”…Citizen Wells

“I believe I’m more pristine on Rezko than him.”…Rod Blagojevich

John Hammer, Editor and Publisher of the Rhino (Rhinoceros) Times, is a good man. He is also a rare commodity these days. He has consistently put into print in NC articles that are critical of Barack Obama. I met with John last year and I was just thinking I should meet with him again about the possibility of a larger, real news organization. I finally got around to reading his latest opinions in “Under the Hammer.” I was pleased as usual but even more so because he quoted Illinois Pay to Play, a site that Citizen Wells has quoted and been quoted at. John Hammer, in print in North Carolina, the state that is hosting the Democrat Convention, has covered the Daniel Frawley $400,000 for Rezko to give to Obama.

From the Rhino Times March 08, 2012.

“Isn’t it funny what the mainstream media decides is news? According to the website Illinoispaytoplay.com, Obama has been implicated in the investigation of Obama’s good friend Tony Rezko, who has been convicted and sentenced to 10-and-a-half years for corruption involving, among others, Obama’s good friend former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who was sentenced to 14 years in prison for corruption.

Before Blagojevich was caught trying to sell Obama’s Senate seat, Obama bragged about running Blagojevich’s campaign and getting him elected.

Rezko, or to be more precise Rezko’s wife, bought the lot next door to Obama’s house in Chicago on the same day that Obama bought the house. And while Obama paid less than the asking price for the house, the Rezkos paid the full asking price for the lot. Later the Rezkos sold part of the lot to the Obamas for less than they had paid for it.

But according to Illinoispaytoplay.com, a witness being deposed as part of the investigation said that he gave Rezko $400,000 to give to Obama. Since Obama happens to be the most powerful man in the world, it seems like people who were known to deal with corrupt politicians claiming to have given money to Rezko for Obama would be news, but for some reason the mainstream media have decided that it is not.”

“It has become accepted by everyone except diehard supporters of other candidates that Romney is going to win the nomination. Romney doesn’t have anywhere near the votes he needs to win at the convention, but he has more than twice as many as Santorum, who is the only candidate who is even close. While Gingrich shot himself in the foot, and it felt so good that he shot himself in the other foot.

No one seems to be able to withstand the withering attack ads that Romney focuses on the front-runner. That is actually a good sign because Romney is not going to beat Obama unless he is willing to go on the attack. Romney is going to have to attack early and often. Romney will be called a racist, not just by Obama but by the liberal media, and they won’t relent. But he isn’t going to get that vote anyway.

It will be interesting to see what Obama does long term if Romney runs a real campaign against him. The closest Obama has come to a real campaign was his race against Hillary Clinton, and by the time Hillary Clinton knew what hit her she had lost and attacking Obama would have only made her look bad.

One thing Romney should do is release every single bit of information that exists about himself and his family. If he has his first grade report card he should put it out there for everyone to examine. The public knows very little about Obama. He is president of the United States. I’d like to read his senior thesis or something that indicates his thought process as a young man. I’d be interested to know how he got to Columbia University, and the answer to the overriding question of did he play freshman basketball at Occidental College. (If he did not, why did a respectable newspaper like the Los Angeles Times report that he did?)

According to Wikipedia, Obama’s parents didn’t live together even before his father was accepted at Harvard and moved east. The story is always told of his father getting accepted to Harvard and leaving his wife (who was still a teenager) and child. But according to Wikipedia his mother attended the University of Washington in Seattle after Barack Jr. was born until Barack Obama Sr. left for Harvard. She then transferred back to the University of Hawaii. If that is true it certainly puts Barack Obama Sr. in a different light.

It is the kind of fact that the American people ordinarily know about their presidents.”

Read more:

http://greensboro.rhinotimes.com/Articles-Columns-c-2012-03-07-211274.112113-Under-the-Hammer.html

It is past time for another meeting with John Hammer to discuss the possibility of a real news organization and to bring him up to speed on the rest of the Obama Rezko corruption. For example the FDIC lawsuit against Mutual Bank, which is currently underway. The bank that loaned money to Rita Rezko for the lot the Obama’s bought. The same bank that fired whistleblower Kenneth J. Connor . Connor stated that the appraisal for the lot was to high.

Hats off to John.

NC A&T University debuts new website, 400k grant, 10 percent tuition hike, More spending like drunken sailors in UNC university system

NC A&T University debuts new website, 400k grant, 10 percent tuition hike, More spending like drunken sailors in UNC university system

“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

“…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

Recently I wrote about UNCG, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and other UNC state supported schools spending like drunken sailors and raising tuition. Here is another example. NC A&T is a UNC school also located in Greensboro, NC. Here is another example of questionable spending in the worst economy here since the Great Depression.
From the Greensboro News & Record print edition February 27, 2012.

“A&T debuts new website”

“A $ 400,000 grant funds redesign for vibrant, informative recruiting tool.”

” The new site (www.ncat.edu) launches today, and Martin said it clearly tells the Aggie story and will help the community to better connect and engage with the university.”

“The website was redesigned using $ 400,000 in grant money that helped pay for consultants that assisted university staff on the project.”

From the Greensboro News & Record 19, 2011.

“A&T trustees approve tuition hike”
“N.C. A&T students will see their tuition bills rise over the next five years under a plan the university’s board of trustees approved Friday afternoon.

A UNCG tuition and fee committee this week also recommended increases on that campus.

The tuition increases at A&T represent a 10 percent hike for undergraduates and 12 percent for graduate students.”

“Next year won’t be the last time A&T students feel the pain of a higher tuition bill. Under a plan to phase in increases, undergraduates will pay an additional $200 a year for another four years. Graduate students will pay an extra $300 a year during the same time period.

The UNC system has a 6.5 percent cap in place on tuition increases, but system leaders are allowing campuses this year to propose increases above that cap to help make up for money lost through budget cuts.”

““Literally, schools are in a position where we’ve got to figure out something else to do,” Akua Matherson, A&T’s assistant vice chancellor for budget and planning, told the trustees’ business affairs committee Friday morning in explaining the temporary lift on the tuition cap.

Matherson said the increases will help A&T maintain the level of funding needed to compete with its peer institutions.

The tuition money will generate nearly $5 million for the university. It will be invested in need-based financial aid, academic and student support, institutional support such as safety initiatives, and graduate assistantships.

Trustees unanimously approved the increases, but not without concern.

Once the increases kick in, trustee Pamela McCorkle Buncum said she would like to hear how they are affecting students.

She said she wants administrators to compile information such as how many are having to drop out to work and earn money for tuition.”

http://www.news-record.com/content/2011/11/18/article/at_trustees_approve_tuition_hike

 

Obama son of Islam, No evidence Obama Christian, Franklin Graham speaks out, Franklin states Islam got free pass under Obama, Obama narcissist

Obama son of Islam, No evidence Obama Christian, Franklin Graham speaks out, Franklin states Islam got free pass under Obama, Obama narcissist

“Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.”…Proverbs 16:18


“22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”…Galatians 5:22-23

The Reverend Franklin Graham and I have at least 3 things in common. We are native North Carolinians, we have Grahams in our ancestry and we both believe in the message of Jesus.

My position on Obama’s religious beliefs is simple.

First there is absolutely no evidence, fruit that Obama is a Christian.

Secondly, Obama’s strongest influences have been Muslims and radicals.

And most conclusively, Obama is a narcissist. He has no need to worship anything else but himself.

From US News February 21, 2012.

“Rev. Graham: Obama seen as ‘son of Islam'”

“Rev. Franklin Graham, the son of evangelist Billy Graham and a prominent evangelical leader in his own right, waded into contentious waters Tuesday when asked for his views on the religious beliefs of President Obama and the GOP hopefuls.

Graham, the CEO and president of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, told a Morning Joe panel he couldn’t say for certain that Obama is a Christian.
“You have to ask him. I cannot answer that question for anybody. All I know is I’m a sinner, and that God has forgiven me of my sins,” Graham said. “You have to ask every person. He has said he’s a Christian, so I just have to assume that he is.”

But Graham also said he couldn’t “categorically” say Obama wasn’t a Muslim, in part, because Islam has gotten a “free pass” under Obama. Graham also said the Muslim world sees Obama as a “son of Islam,” because the president’s father and grandfather were Muslim.
According to Edina Lekovic, director of policy at the Muslim Public Affairs Council, being born in a Muslim family doesn’t make one a Muslim. A person has to make an active choice to become a Muslim, Lekovic said.

Obama has said again and again that he is a Christian, both as a presidential candidate and as president.

“I’m a Christian by choice,” Obama told a group of New Mexico voters last September, answering a question from a member of the audience. He said he has embraced his faith even though growing up, “my family didn’t, frankly. They weren’t folks who went to church every week.”
In Chicago, Obama was a member of Trinity United Church of Christ for years, but he quit in May 2008 after videos of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright’s racially-divisive sermons surfaced on the Web.

“Our relations with Trinity have been strained by the divisive statements of Reverend Wright, which sharply conflict with our own views,” Obama and his wife Michelle wrote at the time.

The debate over the president’s faith was brought up again on the campaign trail this Saturday, when Rick Santorum told a Tea Party crowd in Columbus, Ohio, that Obama’s agenda is “not about you. It’s not about you. It’s not about your quality of life. It’s not about your job. It’s about some phony ideal, some phony theology. Oh, not a theology based on the Bible, a different theology, but no less a theology.””

http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/02/21/10466877-rev-graham-obama-seen-as-son-of-islam

Thanks to commenter Observer