Government school

I read this on the Neal Boorz web site. The reason for the stupidity contained therein is self explanatory.

There is a history teacher in a government school in Nevada who is risking his job by teaching his classes about the American Revolution. Yup. You heard me right. It's happening in Carson City, Nevada, and in schools across the country. Joe Enge teaches 11th graders history in the Carson City government schools. His custom is to begin with the birth of our Nation and to finish with Watergate. Now the people who run his school want his course syllabus to change. He has now been instructed to begin his history lessons with post-Civil War reconstruction. He is not to teach anything about Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, Bunker Hill, the Declaration of Independence, George Washington, Dolly Madison, Paul Revere, The Revolutionary War or the debate leading up to the ratification of our Constitution. The school principal excuses this absurd requirement by saying that other schools are doing the same thing. Well, he's right. According the the Fox News Channel report I saw last night, many schools around the country have dropped any requirement for American history completely! Others, like the school in Carson City, are just focusing on our 20th Century history, completely ignoring what came before.

Could there be an ulterior motive here? The post-Civil War history of this country is a history of growing federal government, the weakening of state governments, increased personal dependence on government, the end of the rule of law brought about by the emphasis on majority rule, and the deification of politicians. Perhaps there is a reason government schools don't want to emphasize the self-reliance and love of freedom that dominated American culture before the Civil War. No sense upsetting the government-owned apple cart, right?

Always remember the central lesson your children will be taught at all state educational institutions. Government is good. Government is great. All rise up in praise of government.

A few days of old acquaintance be no forgot

I have been out of town for two days and it has been great to meet and hear from old friends. I got to spend a few hours with someone who was not really a friend before, but after he got "born again", he was able to converse and relate to me much better. We have since developed a bit of a relationship over time and have been able to have some good conversation. I got to get together with him on my trip to Charlotte Tuesday night. It was good to see my brother and spend time talking.

On the way home, I got a phone call from another old acquaintance. A man whom I met through a mutual friend (at the time) called me "out of the blue" last night. I have always liked this guy and we started a friendship but it got cut short when I had a falling out with our mutual friend. That falling out was a good thing, in retrospect, and I am thankful for that. That was about four years ago. I am thankful to have heard from this man and perhaps can renew a relationship.

I have been pretty busy

The thing that has occupied most of my time since the election has been my new web site. I have been adding to it, getting more content, redesigning, learning a new html editor, and spending most nights right here in front of the computer tinkering with the details. Check it out. Also look for my ad in "The Selma News" starting this coming Thursday.

I read this quote today from Teddy Roosevelt

"... if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the man's becoming in very fact an American and nothing but an American ... There can be no divided allegiances here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn't an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag,... we have room for but one language here, and that is the English language ... and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people."

Teddy Roosevelt -- 1907

I know that I haven't written here since Thursday

I have been fairly busy with several things the past week. I am "on vacation" from work, although I was on call over the weekend.

On Saturday, I went to the state convention for The Constitution Party of North Carolina. I do believe that I am going to step up to the plate and get more involved. The party is in need of a party chairman, maybe even a regional director. The one thing that I will say about the men I met at this meeting is that they don't "play games" like others I have run across. They are a small group, but have their heads clear politically. I hate politics within the party. At least there seemed to be no guile amongst the men at this meeting.

The other thing I like about the party is that it is comprised of men and women of principle. I am very tired of the existing "two party system". Even if The Constitution Party is small, I am still determined to have principle over the compromise and sleaze I have seen in the other mainstream parties. I will work towards getting the party known in this area.

The ballot access laws in North Carolina are harder than anywhere in America. This is another hinderance to the election process here for The Constitution Party. Speaking of which, I will copy and paste a letter I sent to members of the NC Senate. I already got a reply from one senator's office acknowledging the communication. I will also write letters to the editor of some newspapers urging that others do the same.

---------------

I am writing to request that as a Senate Judiciary 1 Committee member,
that you act to have NC House Bill 88 (Electoral Fairness Act) be sent
back to the Senate for a vote, and push for its passage. Though the
whole requirement of signatures to gain ballot access is unconstitutional
and biased against independent parties, this bill moves towards
rectifying the issue.

Obtaining an inordinate number of signatures of support merely to be
offered a choice on a ballot is unethical. Remember that in 1850, the
Republican Party was a small, unknown political third party on the
American political landscape. Had they the same measure of difficulty as
independent political parties with ballot access, would Abraham Lincoln
ever have been elected?

As an American, I feel that it is important that all views and
political parties be represented on our state's ballot, not just the dominant
main stream parties. With the passage of this bill, we can move closer
to the original intent of our founding fathers regarding elections.
They had stated many times that the downfall of this country would be the
establishment of a two party system.

I look forward to your positive response in seeing this action taken,
and your continued support by voting yes on NC House Bill 88.

Thank you.

The new site is finally ready for public consumption

I finally got the new web site to the point where I am comfortable at least letting people look at it. www.i9570.com now has a home page, links page, media page, message board, guest book, and chat room.

Glad I am not the only one who thought this

During the election season, I talked to the mayor, the town manager, and the fire chief about the fire department. One thing that came out of these conversations was the fact that the fire deparment still acts as its own, independent corporation even though it is now a town department. There seems to be no real financial accounting or reporting, so I have been told. The scary thing is that I was told that is no big deal and not a battle worthy of fighting. That is just plain absurd and irresponsible. If the fire department is receiving tax money or any sort of money from the town (regardless of whether it is from utility sales or taxation) for its funding, then every citizen should be able to look at a report and see where the money is being spent, an account of budgets, and feel confident that the town is spending their money wisely. If we have no such reporting, then this should be required IMMEDIATELY. That was my stance then, it is my stance now.

Here is part of "The Selma News" story.

Audit finds ‘weaknesses’ in town’s accounting
By Kelly Lake, News Editor 17.NOV.05

Town’s fire department still being operated as though it were a separate department, says auditor

The town of Selma’s 2004 annual audit, received by Town Council Tuesday night, pointed out numerous “material weaknesses” that the auditor said the town should be aware of..


Although the auditor pronounced the town’s finances “clean,” which means that the town is in sound financial shape, he did point out areas where attention is needed.

One of those areas involves how the town handles the fire department. The auditor reported that even though the town formally made the fire department a town department in 2004, it is still operating the fire department as though it were a separate entity.

“As of June 30, 2005 it was determined that all transactions related to the fire operations had been recorded as though this remained a separate entity,” said the audit. “Transfers were made to the fire department and recorded as town expenditures, for contracted service reimbursements to firefighters. These funds, along with other revenues, were deposited in one of several separate bank accounts maintained by the fire department over which town finance staff had no control or knowledge thereof.”

I am glad that I am not the only one to see such hypocrisy

Check out this article on the hypocrisy of public approval of civil disobedience...or not. I mean no disrespect to the memory of Rosa Parks. She did what was correct in her refusing to "go to the back of the bus" in her day. There were other questionable values in her life, however. In the meantime, a man stood for righteousness in the public spotlight and got skewered. This is a thought provoking article for people of faith. I have done teaching on civil disobedience and the scriptures in the past. This is the sort of thing that should give Christians pause. If you are a liberal Christian, you are going to get annoyed with this article. If you value your skin color and racial accomplishments above your faith, then this article will cheese you off. If, however, you allow your faith and the values you claim to shape your opinion, then you will appreciate this article.

Wenzeled!

If you have literally hours to spend reading the internet and want some belly laughs, check out this site: wenzeled.com. You should be able to link to an internet message board for people who are really into 4X4 off road activity. One young punk sold some gears for a truck to another list member. He started some junk about the price after having received payment, sent him used parts instead of new, lied about it all, and suffered the consequences. Don't check out the message board if you are adverse to foul language, since you will find that there. If you can get past that, enjoy how the internet community struck back at a thief and a liar.

Stuff I have said for years about Islam

Five questions non-Muslims would like answered
By Dennis Prager
www.dennisprager.com.

November 13, 2005

THE RIOTING IN France by primarily Muslim youths and the hotel bombings in Jordan are the latest events to prompt sincere questions that law-abiding Muslims need to answer for Islam's sake, as well as for the sake of worried non-Muslims.

Here are five of them:

(1) Why are you so quiet?

Since the first Israelis were targeted for death by Muslim terrorists blowing themselves up in the name of your religion and Palestinian nationalism, I have been praying to see Muslim demonstrations against these atrocities. Last week's protests in Jordan against the bombings, while welcome, were a rarity. What I have seen more often is mainstream Muslim spokesmen implicitly defending this terror on the grounds that Israel occupies Palestinian lands. We see torture and murder in the name of Allah, but we see no anti-torture and anti-murder demonstrations in the name of Allah.

There are a billion Muslims in the world. How is it possible that essentially none have demonstrated against evils perpetrated by Muslims in the name of Islam? This is true even of the millions of Muslims living in free Western societies. What are non-Muslims of goodwill supposed to conclude? When the Israeli government did not stop a Lebanese massacre of Palestinians in the Sabra and Chatilla refugee camps in Lebanon in 1982, great crowds of Israeli Jews gathered to protest their country's moral failing. Why has there been no comparable public demonstration by Palestinians or other Muslims to morally condemn Palestinian or other Muslim-committed terror?

(2) Why are none of the Palestinian terrorists Christian?

If Israeli occupation is the reason for Muslim terror in Israel, why do no Christian Palestinians engage in terror? They are just as nationalistic and just as occupied as Muslim Palestinians.

(3) Why is only one of the 47 Muslim-majority countries a free country?

According to Freedom House, a Washington-based group that promotes democracy, of the world's 47 Muslim countries, only Mali is free. Sixty percent are not free, and 38% are partly free. Muslim-majority states account for a majority of the world's "not free" states. And of the 10 "worst of the worst," seven are Islamic states. Why is this?

(4) Why are so many atrocities committed and threatened by Muslims in the name of Islam?

Young girls in Indonesia were recently beheaded by Muslim murderers. Last year, Muslims — in the name of Islam — murdered hundreds of schoolchildren in Russia. While reciting Muslim prayers, Islamic terrorists take foreigners working to make Iraq free and slaughter them. Muslim daughters are murdered by their own families in the thousands in "honor killings." And the Muslim government in Iran has publicly called for the extermination of Israel.

(5) Why do countries governed by religious Muslims persecute other religions?

No church or synagogue is allowed in Saudi Arabia. The Taliban destroyed some of the greatest sculptures of the ancient world because they were Buddhist. Sudan's Islamic regime has murdered great numbers of Christians.

Instead of confronting these problems, too many of you deny them. Muslims call my radio show to tell me that even speaking of Muslim or Islamic terrorists is wrong. After all, they argue, Timothy McVeigh is never labeled a "Christian terrorist." As if McVeigh committed his terror as a churchgoing Christian and in the name of Christ, and as if there were Christian-based terror groups around the world.

As a member of the media for nearly 25 years, I have a long record of reaching out to Muslims. Muslim leaders have invited me to speak at major mosques. In addition, I have studied Arabic and Islam, have visited most Arab and many other Muslim countries and conducted interfaith dialogues with Muslims in the United Arab Emirates as well as in the U.S. Politically, I have supported creation of a Palestinian state and supported (mistakenly, I now believe) the Oslo accords.

Hundreds of millions of non-Muslims want honest answers to these questions, even if the only answer you offer is, "Yes, we have real problems in Islam." Such an acknowledgment is infinitely better — for you and for the world — than dismissing us as anti-Muslim.

We await your response.

The Herald's post election coverage

Yesterday, I read "The Smithfield Herald's" coverage of the election. It is funny how paragraphs of conversation shows up as a ", word,". I was asked my opinions on the outcome of the election. I talked about how the two incumbents have been here all their lives, know a lot of people in town, have NAACP support, had more monetary support, and name recognition. I did comment on how I knew that since I was fairly new to town by comparison and that I didn't have the same name recognition that they did, I would need to work harder. I didn't have the cash flow to pay for the name recognition, and that I didn't have the money to do some of the things I was hoping to do. I also talked a bit about the nonpartisan ballot and how I was listed last on the ballot. All of these things individually contributed to the loss, as well as the amount of time I was able to invest. However, even if all of these things went my way, I am not sure that it would have changed the outcome.

I was talking with Tom Bell, owner of "Life and Times Cafe" and newly elected Dist. 4 councilman in Smithfield. We ate at his restaurant, as we do from time to time. He shared some of his experiences running for office in years past and the news reporting in the papers. He, too, was a bit frustrated in times past with the misquotes or errors.

I am not saying that I was misquoted in this case, but rather barely quoted at all. To give a list of things with no context as to why they were on a list certainly made the conversation seem insignificant and different than was actually had. And then to top things off, the "controversial quote" was the one printed. I said that Selma voters are "going to get exactly what they deserve" with this election's outcome. Also I mentioned that they re-elected two liberal Democrats that helped put this town into the current spending pinch. There was one more controversial quote, but that one didn't make it into the paper. I had cited "the redneck factor" in some of the voting. If you have ever lived elsewhere in the country, then perhaps you know exactly what I meant by that.

Why do people fall for things like this? Check out their web site.

Some time ago, I wrote to a man who runs christianexodus.org. Their master plan in that organization is to move a bunch of Christians there, take over the state, and secede from the union (a second for SC). Then, take over other states one by one. About a month ago, I emailed the director with a few simple comments:

I was surfing through the CE site and your blog. We are very much on the same page politically and in our views on our government. We do differ on the premise behind the existence of CE, however. There are other groups doing the same thing in New Hampshire but for Libertarian causes. Zion, Illinois was founded for much the same ideal. My big question is simply, "Why not allow your light to shine where you are and be the salt of the earth there, rather than moving the salt to South Carolina?" The concept of secession will never work. We are promised that things will get worse, not better in the scriptures. Instead of gathering the saints together in one place for habitation and control, I would think that a concentrated effort in shining the light of the Spirit and converting those around you (wherever you may be) would be more the aim of the Gospel...It seems counter to the idea of "go into all the world". When the early Church stayed in Jerusalem rather than going, as was ordered, the received a good dose of persecution to make them go.

---------------------------------

Almost a month later (this morning), I got this reply:

Dear Troy,
I appreciate your honest inquiry, but I think your premise is flawed. Going to South Carolina IS going into the "world." SC is part of the world, is it not? Furthermore, your premise assumes that God does not call anyone to go to South Carolina. You assume that since you're called to your current location, others must also be called to their current locations. Your vantage point can be argued to be clearly in opposition to the Great Commission by promoting "staying put" rather than "going into the world." I believe your position is not in opposition to the Great Commission, nor is mine. Your commission might be to serve where you're currently located. The commission of others might be to move to serve somewhere else. It is arrogant to determine what another believer's commission should be. Is Peter faulted because he didn't do as many church plants or travel as much as Paul? Is Paul faulted because he didn't stay put and be "salt and light" in Ephesus or Corinth or Rome?

Lastly, ask yourself the question: have American Christians been salt and light in America? I say no. I think they've lost their saltiness, and Scripture reminds us that tasteless salt cannot become salty again. Our strategy at Christian Exodus will enable a portion of America to be salt and light for the world. And from this Christian base of operations, evangelists can be trained, financed and launched. Of course, you're free to disagree with me. :-)

I don't have time for lengthy discourse, but I do try to respond to honest inquirers like yourself at least one.

OK, I gotta run.

God bless you,
Cory

--
Cory R. Burnell, MBA
President
ChristianExodus.org
Phn: 877-727-3578
Fax: 815-572-8086

---------------------------------

My reply was the following:

Thank you for your email, Cory. I did not expect a reply, so it was nice of you to do so. I, too, do not plan on a lengthy discourse. I did, however, find a few things amusing about your reply. You made a big assumption that I actually made assumptions. I got a chuckle out of that. Next, you also assumed that I am even remotely attempting to determine what another believer's commission should be. The next chuckle was at you calling yourself and your associates saltless then proceed to tell me how CE is going to be salt and light. Are you excluding yourself from the statement "have American Christians been salt and light in America?" Personally, I have known many who have epitomized that very thing. I know many who have not exemplified that.

As to Peter's vs. Paul's ministry, do not mistake the work of an apostle and that commission for the work or relocation to South Carolina for something that sounds like a good idea. To many, moving to Waco, Texas seemed like a good idea, too. Paul went to a region, evangelized, converted the heathen, and started the new believers on their paths of following Christ. He didn't go to Corinth, invite all of the church at Jerusalem or other areas to come to settle with him, try to take over the province, and maybe secede.

Yes, SC is part of the world. No, my premise in no way assumes that God doesn't call anyone to SC (why he would is beyond my comprehension, being from NC. SC one of the states that NC can make fun of. Just a little humor. ;^)

I do wish you success in the spread of the gospel in SC.

Troy

It is pretty, but it is useless

Since the inception of the color coded homeland security advisory system, I have thought it to be useless. First, the colors and ratings mean nothing to the average individual. Also, why advertise to potential terrorists that we are or are not on a "heightened alert" status? It is not like the ozone level reports during the summer on your favorite weather forecast.

Being prepared is a good thing and is the responsibility of every citizen. The nation of Israel takes this seriously, since they deal with terrorism more than any other country. There is some good information on the Homeland Security web sites.

http://www.ready.gov
http://www.dhs.gov

Rick Stewart's comments on the election

Rick Stewart, editor of "The Selma News" made a keen observation about the election. I said the same thing on Tuesday. I am going to quote part of his commentary from the web site, which I assume will also be in today's paper. To see the full commentary, just click on the post title, which will be a link to the web page. Rick, I am trying to send as much traffic to your web site as I can, now that "The Selma News" has a web site up and running.

------------------

I congratulate Selma's mayor-elect Charles Hester today. In addition, congratulations to incumbents Jackie Lacy and Debbie Johnson, both of whom retained their seats on Selma Town Council.

All worked hard to earn their seats.

In every race, there has to be someone who does not win. In this case it was incumbent Mayor Harry Blackley. I'd also like to congratulation Harry on his efforts as well as those of Council challengers Troy LaPlante and Tommy Holmes.

It takes guts to put your name on the ballot. And, it hurts when you don't win. I've covered elections for more than 30 years--I know.

While it does hurt, there is no shame in losing. Harry, Troy and Tommy showed courage to campaign and run on issues they felt important. My hat is off to them for having the courage to run.

Voters did send a mixed message. Charles said Tuesday night that he went door-to-door over the past few weeks in Selma. He said voters told him repeatedly they wanted a change in Selma. They told him they wanted new leadership.

While voters made a change at the top, they retained the two incumbent Council members.

------------------

Yup..."we want change, but are not willing to change to get it," said the majority of the voters.

I am leaving the Republican Party and the aftermath

For years, I have considered leaving the Republican Party. The things that I have seen on a national, state, and local level just frost me. I am going to change my party affiliation ASAP (as soon as I can make it to the courthouse to do so). I tried to give them one more chance, but can't take it any more. Here is a transcript of recent emails.

First email from me to a Johnston County GOP official:

My wife and I will both be changing our party affiliation immediately. We will no longer be registered Republicans, therefore I wish to cease my monthly contribution that is being charged to my Visa card effective immediately. Please ensure that whomever needs to know this information within the Johnston County GOP is aware of this.

After long consideration, a while trying to work with the local GOP, seeing its flaws, and becoming more than frustrated with what I have seen, we will be joining a third party. In the words of Ronald Reagan, "I have not left the [Democratic] Party, the [Democratic] Party has left me." Just insert GOP, instead.

I would rather spend the $12 a month on taking my bride to the movies or something.

-------------------

After I received a glib response containing several assumptions, I sent the following:

If that is all that you can get out of my email, then you have really missed my reasons. You really have no idea why someone would be disappointed in the GOP in this county? You assume it is because I lost an election? Dude, if that is what you see or got out of my email, please stop, think, and look at the organization of which you are a part. That is mighty puny and myopic thinking.

The Johnston County GOP is the most leaderless and aimless organization I have been around in years. I have heard stories of similar frustrations from others who have been a part of the party in the past. I saw many of the same problems years ago that I see today. I had hoped that they would have changed.

I have been thinking about changing parties for years. I only held on to the Republican Party since they were the only game in town, as far as I was concerned. I decided to give it one more attempt at developing relationships and getting involved before I even decided to run for office. It has nothing to do with losing the election. It has everything to do with how I saw things being run at the leadership level and the total apathy towards anyone but a clique of people. It has to do with the pathetic attempt at forming a men's group and leaving it to flounder. It has to do with the total lack of support when I did ask for information. It has to do with the total lack of communication or caring that I had heard about years ago and still see today. It also has to do with the shame I feel when looking at the state of the party as a whole on the state, local, and national level. I am absolutely disgusted at the wimpy mass of spineless corruption and compromise that I see at all levels.

For the record, since you brought it up (not me), NO the YR did zippo to help at RR Days. Nor with anything else. You are correct in that the county has typically done little work in municipal elections. For that matter, at the county level. I know men who have run for office at the county level here and gotten absolutely no support from the leadership. I was warned about this lack of desire to see that Republicans actually get elected. I was the ONLY Republican running for office in Selma. I guess that second largest town in the county doesn't matter to the party.

When we have a candidate running for ANY office, I don't care if it is "dog catcher", then our leadership should be on it like flies on manure. [I edited out this sentence just to be more polite, but it sure would have tied the previous sentence to the next. I am really trying to watch myself on what I write here, since it would not have been pleasant.] It is no wonder why I have heard dissent from other party members recently.

Look at the Democrat's web site in this county. Then look at our own. Just those two glances speak volumes as to the degree of care we have in our own camp. If you saw the Dem's booth at RR Days and what they were doing, you would see just a sliver of my frustration with this party. Why would I want to support that? Or be a part of that any more? I figured I would give the Republicans one last shot at winning my loyalty.

Since I would rather be stabbed to death with a plastic fork than become a Democrat, it looks like The Constitution Party is the only organization that stands as I do. I have been contemplating joining them for many years. But, I held on to the GOP with a fading hope and wanted to "give it the old college try". I have already been contacted by two leaders in that party with open arms. I have met several of the party's national figures. Even though they may be a small third party, I would rather be a part of a nothing third party and be able to vote any way I choose when in the voting booth than be ashamed of the group to which I belong.

Troy

-------------------

I have gotten no reply to this as yet. I did, however, see a cc sent to me regarding my monthly contribution:

Please find the attached request from Troy LaPlante to resign from the GOP and stop his monthly donation. I do not know the reason for this change of heart. Please fulfill his request immediately, make no further charges, and destroy any card information you have.

-------------------

I wasn't going to let that "change of heart" comment go unanswered and allow for room in interpretation or give way to gossip. That is one reason why I am posting all of this here, so there is no question as to where I stand or what I said. Here is my additional commentary:

For the record, since [name withheld] expressed it, I have not had a change of heart. I have had the same heart about this for years. We have been talking about whether to stay with the GOP or move on to another party for years now. I gave it one last try to work within the GOP, but just can't freakin' take it any more. [name withheld], since it was just brought up, I will copy and paste what I just sent to [name withheld]. I want there to be no questions or inaccurate rumors/gossip floating about. And NO, it has nothing to do with having just lost the election in Selma. Win or lose, my wife and I had already planned to change our party affiliation after the election was over. We decided to wait until all was done for the sake of consistency. I was even promoting our county GOP on my web site (now removed) since that is where my membership and loyalty still was. However, with my frustrations with my recent involvement with the local GOP, and the state of affairs with the state and national GOP, we have decided that there is no place for us in the Republican Party. This is a decision that has been literally years in the making.

-------------------

I have been thinking about something else that was said in one of the emails from this local GOP officer. Keep in mind that I did not say anything in my email about a lack of GOP help in my email asking to stop charging my Visa card. All I said was that we are leaving the Republican Party, please stop charging my card. He made some assumptions in his reply to me. This morning, I decided to address the one issue that bothered me in another email:

>>>Sorry you feel this way. I thought some folks (primarily YRs sponsored by the county) had tried to help you at Mules Days and RR Days.<<<

[name withheld], also for the record, I offered to help the YR and the party and donate/share my space at RR Days with them. It was never a matter of if they would help me, it was that I had offered to help them get out the GOP message, register voters, whatever. No overture was ever made to help me. It was my idea and offer to try to help the party. There was no plan nor interest in ever having the YR come to RR Days, yet it turned out to be the biggest RR Days ever. It took me two different attempts at contacting YR leadership in the party, since the first offer was never responded to. The second call I made was eventually returned saying that they declined the opportunity. Wow, that is party cohesion at its finest. I certainly had no desire to do anything at Mule Days for a municipal election, since that was in Benson and I am in Selma.

If you want more areas for improvement, I can supply them.

Troy

-------------------

OK, now all is in the open except for the glib email that I got from the GOP officer. I can post it all here, but I wanted to spare him and you. Now that it is all in the open and all that was said on my part in the open, I don't want any rumors or gossip from any Republican. It is now public record and your questions should be answered.

Be careful what you wish for, you are going to get it

OK, Selma...you asked for it. You are going to get it. Most people in Selma are unaware that the mayor is not a decision maker in Selma as much as the town council members are. The mayor can not make motions, second motions, but can vote. That means that he can not bring his own agenda to the table without a motion from one of the council members. He is not an administrator, since we have a town manager and town clerk. If you really think that Charles Hester is going to get his agenda of lowering utility bills, health care for all citizens, and total beautification through, you are mistaken. If he does get some of his agenda through, it will be at your expense as a tax payer. If you are a renter, your utility costs and rent will reflect it all eventually.

Here is some info in the paper and on web sites about the election results.

Selma Elects New Mayor - Selma Mayor Harry Blackley was upset by challenger Charles Hester, who won a court appeal to have his name placed on the ballot. Hester received 62 percent of the vote total to Blackley's 38 percent. Both incumbent Selma town council members, Debbie Edwards Johnson and Jackie Lacy, won. Lacy carried 38 percent of the vote total, Johnson 37 percent. Tommy Holmes and Troy Laplante finished a distant third and fourth with 13 and 12 percent of the vote total respectively.

WRAL's web site They spelled my name incorrectly.

"The Selma News" article My name is spelled wrong in this article, too.

"The Smithfield Herald" article Look for a complete article in Friday's paper. They spelled my name correctly.

"The Kenly News". The numbers change somewhat depending upon what source you read. Again, my name is spelled incorrectly. Since it is the same company as "The Selma News", no surprise.

The N&O chart of results. My name was spelled incorrectly here, too.

Over 677 voters turned out for this municipal election. The N&O shows 677 total votes for mayor, so I know it is more than that since I know some people did NOT vote for mayor but only for town council.

Final vote count

I just saw the final vote count.

Mayor:
Hester 422 62%
Blackley 255 37%

Council:
Lacy 439 38%
Johnson 424 37%
Holmes 147 12%
Me 134 11%

In looking at the stats from the east and west sides of Selma, I can see the following things. I did much better in the west side than I did in the east as a percentage of the vote. That tells me that some people paid attention to the fact that I was from the west side. The final tally also tells me that I was only 1% behind a man who has been here in Selma all his life. I have only been here three years.

Debbie Johnson and Jackie Lacy had a lot of core support, name recognition, and are incumbents. They have been here all their lives. Jackie won a huge support base in the Black vote. I still pulled down 134 votes. Sure, that is less than a third of their vote totals. I had no campaign workers except my wife. I did not have yard signs all over town. I had less time to campaign than I wished I had. I still came in a close fourth to third place and took some conservative votes. Imagine what could have been if I was here longer, knew more people, had more resources, and had name presence all over town. Even better, if we actually elected people by district, as we should be doing.

If you want more of the same out of your town council, congratulations. You got if for at least two more years, Selma. You just elected two liberal Democrats for town council and a Democrat for mayor. If you did not vote in this election, don't complain about the results of what you get from your town government. For the 134 of you who did vote for me, I thank you with a deep sense of gratitude. For those who didn't, if you only knew what you are NOT going to get as a town council member, you would have voted differently. But hey, that's politics.

There is one story I found amazing today. My wife and I put out flyers the past two Sundays. One woman confronted my wife who was at the west side polling place. She railed on my wife telling her that if she was going to vote for me before, she certainly would not do so now. The reason? She found a flyer on her automobile in a church parking lot. Oh, the horror!! Wake the children, call the neighbors!! An election flyer on an automobile on the sacred acre of the church parking lot! She was nasty, judgemental, and rude to my wife, from all accounts.

You know what folks? I have been active in the church for fifteen years since becoming a born again Christian. I have seen many false holiness, false humility, and self righteous people in churches. This just adds one more to the list. Just because our "church gatherings" are not necessarily on Sunday and apparently we should be meeting in a building on a Sunday rather than BEING the church all week long, we are somehow anathema. There is no pleasing bitter people like this. I won't even try. I just wish that she had said these things to me, to my face rather than berating my wife.

I got a call from "The Smithfield Herald" reporter Jordan Cooke this evening asking for my feedback and thoughts on the election. I told him much of what I have written here. I am newer to the area, I didn't have the budget, name recognition, incumbancy, and know as many people as the others did. I didn't have the campaign time I wanted to devote. No excuses, just fact. There is also the "redneck factor", as I call it. I can't help the fact that my parents raised me in the northeast. I moved to the South by choice. I ended up in Selma by choice. I am choosing to serve my community. This is my home. However, there are some that will never vote for me simply because I am from "up north" originally. I was born further south than most people who live here. I have lived in North Carolina almost half of my life. Oh, well, can't please everybody. Also, the election is non-partisan, you pick two candidates, and I am listed last of the four on the ballot. I have seen this affect races before, and this is no different. No excuses, just fact. There should be a few interesting quotes in "The Herald" on Thursday.

I learned some things about the local political process and climate. I learned some about campaigning. I also learned a lot about people. I have not decided two years inadvance as to whether I will run for office again. I have been asked three times already. The next municipal election is a full two years away.

Coming soon to this area

I have been working on a new venture that is starting to come together. I have bought the web site name www.i9570.com. The site is not up and running yet. I just have a free web page holding its place until the rest of the site is developed. Here is my latest creation about it.

It is almost poll time

It is almost 9PM on Monday night. It is hard to believe that the election is tomorrow. I have tried to get as much exposure as I could fit in. I bought radio and newsprint ads, put out about 2500 flyers, business cards, put signs in my yard and on my truck, put out a few unique banner road signs, been working on this web site, and been wearing specially made t-shirts. Hopefully, the word has gotten out. I will be at one of the polling places all day tomorrow. My wife will be at the other. We are still finalizing our plans, having never done this before at two different locations. We kept a few flyers and signs for people to see before going in to vote. I hope to see you Tuesday. Thank all of you for the support that you have given me so far and the kind words you have expressed about my writings on this site.

This is why I called the Board of Elections and did not want to do something stupid with WMPM

The last thing I need in a political race is for something to happen to discredit me as a candidate. Just an appearance of impropriety is enough to tarnish a person, even if it is not true. This is why I contacted the Johnston County Board of Elections before even considering participating in the WMPM ad sales rate cover up. I wrote about this earlier in this blog. I wanted to avoid any accusations of doing anything illegal. It can bite you if you don't. Allegations of illegal activity have come to the public attention in another race. Ironically enough, the following story is from the WMPM web site.

Postcard Alleging Misconduct By Elected Officials Muddies Tuesday's Race - Voters will head to the polls on Tuesday to decide a number of contested races. In one local town, handwritten postcards to voters alleging criminal activity, infidelity and misconduct have made the race very ugly. In the town of Coats, Commissioner B.W. Holland has filed a complaint with the Board of Elections over the postcards. There are seven candidates, including two incumbents, seeking three at-large seats on the Coats Town Board. Two are running for the vacant mayors seat. Some residents believe the postcards were written to discredit certain candidates, while others believe they will have no bearing on the outcome of the elections. The NC Board of Elections is investigating the illegal mailings.

I feel compelled to write more

I was out late putting out campaign flyers last night and then working on some web design until the wee hours of the morning. I am supposed to be on vacation but have already had four phone calls from work asking me questions. I already answered some of those questions via email, but some people don't check email prior to opening up their mouths and bothering the man on vacation. I am dedicated, I guess, so I answer questions and take phone calls anyway. Funny how that works. Oh, well. Now to the subject that is burning inside of me.

I feel compelled to write about what I see written in the N&O voters guide. I just wrote about how I am the only Republican running for office, and there are some things I do want to comment on. I have REALLY tried to be good about these things, but I have things that just burn within. That is why I am running for office.

Here are some issues that we will be facing in the near future before the Selma Town Council. Because these are issues that are favored by some of the candidates, they are relevant to this election. I am only going to mention the things that I see publicly written in the "News and Observer" and leave thoughts on other subjects out. Here we go.

Harry Blackley

POLITICAL HERO: John F. Kennedy

My comment: OK, I can understand that. JFK was for tax cuts, a tighter government, and had the guts to stand against impinging Communism. I contrast that to his brother Edward...(shudder). JFK was where the Republican Party is now that they have moved to the left over the years.

What are the most pressing issues facing Selma?
Blackley: Ensuring the safety of Selma citizens. Bringing good paying jobs to Selma. Keeping power, water and sewer capacity ahead of the town’s needs. And bringing more single-family homes to town.

My comment: I am in full agreement with Mr. Blackley.

How should Selma continue to develop economically?

Blackley: We just brought Sysco to Selma with about 450 jobs at an average of $45,000 a year plus benefits. And we just got ThyssenKrupp Precision Forge to expand. We’ll continue to recruit industry and business; make sure our water, sewer and power capacity are beyond our needs; and work with developers to bring more single-family homes.

My comments: I don't think that all 450 jobs for Sysco will be filled by either present of future Selma residents. I have no problem with recruiting future industry and business. I do have a problem with it if we are going to throw a lot of tax payer funded incentives. I agree with keeping the water, sewer, and power capacity ahead of development. I also agree that we should make it easier for development of single family homes...not rental units, but home ownership is the key there.

Charles Hester

TOP PRIORITY IF ELECTED: “Reduce spending, eliminate waste, form historic districts, beautify town, health care for all citizens.”

My comments: The issues listed here are in direct conflict. We can not reduce spending but spend taxpayer money to fund private "beautification" of the town. Yes, we can do our part with the town property, sidewalks, and streets. I can see that and can agree with that. However, I do NOT SUPPORT WHATSOEVER spending tax money so that private developers and businesses can beautify, renovate, or improve their properties. Next is the "health care for all citizens". Just HOW do you intend to do so? How can we reduce spending and then provide health care for all citizens? Why is it my responsibility to provide health care for those who have failed to do so themselves? Why should the town spend money on health care for anyone other than those in its employ as a necessary benefit? Doing so would only encourage freeloaders to move to Selma at public expense. Considering that renters outnumber property owners in this town, it is unethical to place such a disproportionate burden on tax payers in this town.

How should Selma continue to develop economically?

Hester: The town needs to maintain a no-growth posture for at least a year and let our spending “catch up” with our income. Then, the town can look to bringing more housing (affordable) and other small industries. We need to concentrate on taking care of what we have.

My comments: If by "no growth" you mean town budget and spending growth, I can understand that. However, we do need to spend money in areas of necessity such as infrastructure repair and replacement. That is indeed what was said in "concentrate on taking care of what we have". I have no issue with holding the line on spending and town expenditure growth for a year. Limiting growth in the private sector is another issue entirely and it is not clear in the publication as the the intention.

What are the most pressing issues facing Selma?

Hester: Reduce spending, and therefore reduce the amount of utility charges to our citizens.

My comments: Reducing spending in the overall town budget will not necessarily reduce utility bills. We purchase electricity at a $x and retail it at $y. If the electrical, water, and sewer revenues are not used to re-invest into our infrastructure, we are not handling those funds wisely. If the town budget is supplied with money in large part from the proceeds of the utility sales to citizens, then yes, perhaps cutting spending will reduce the utility costs. We do have a high utility cost to consumers in this town, in my opinion. If we can indeed reduce the utility charges, I am all for it.

Debbie Johnson

AGE: Not given.

My comment: Why not? It is a fair question to ask of someone running for office.

Other comments: It is hard to tell with Debbie just where she stands on issues. She is fairly vague other than to say that we need to keep doing what we are doing to encourage businesses to come to Selma. Other than that, I don't see any real commitments on issues.

Tommy Holmes

My comments: Tommy seems to be a single issue candidate. Keeping tax and utility bills low is his answer to every question or issue. Fundamentally, I am in agreement with this. There are other issues that the town and council members face, however.

Jackie Lacy

POLITICAL HERO: Bill Clinton
FAVORITE MOVIE: “The Passion of the Christ”

My comments: This raises "red flags" to me anytime anyone claims a great love of spirituality and supports Bill Clinton. Clinton was a shame to this nation. His politics and behavior were antithetical to Christendom. Don't get me wrong. I have many issues with the Republican Party, as well. However, I do take issue with any claim that Bill Clinton is any real sort of "hero" except to the reprobate. I enjoyed Mel Gibson's "The Passion" and own my own copy. I paid to see it in the theater twice. It is overall a great movie. When I see Bill Clinton, I see no resemblance to Christ. When I see Christ, however, I do see Bill Clinton. Jesus became sin for us, and died for Bill Clinton, too.

What are the most pressing issues facing Selma?

Lacy: Economic development and availability of low-rent housing for low-income families. Recreational facilities for youth and seniors. Collaboration between the town and the Hispanic population.

My comments: The concepts of economic development and low rent housing are opposed to one another. We already have too high of a percentage (majority) of the citizens of Selma who are renters. We need to rather encourage home ownership. Recreation facilities are fine and I support their existence. However, they do not keep the electricity running, the water and sewers flowing, streets repaired, fires extinguished, or criminals in jail. Collaboration with the Hispanic population? Here is my proposal for starters. If you do not have legitimate documentation that you are here in this country legally, you do not get to have city services such as water, sewer, trash pick up, and electricity. PERIOD.

Those are the major things that I have seen, believe in, and support. I am not trying to be just critical, but these things burn within me. These issues show the difference between the candidates, offer choice, and let you know where I stand. If this appeals to you, then vote for me tomorrow on election day.

The N&O voter's guide

The N&O finally published their voter's guide. It is available online, as well.

For mayor

For town council

Of course, there is the obligatory error/misquote. The reporterette that called me didn't get everything accurate in what I said, specifically regarding the library/parks and recreation proposed expansion and the electrical system upgrade, but the general sentiment is there. Of course, only a small fraction of what was said actually made it into the publication. Thoughts such as maintaining our existing infrastructure never really made it into the guide. Oh, well.

NOTE that I am the ONLY Republican running for elected office in the Town of Selma. There is only one more conservative running for office in Tommy Holmes. I am most disappointed, however, in the total lack of support from the county GOP. I am just as disappointed in the same from the NRA. I have been "going it alone".

It is this sort of government mentality that will kill this nation

Check out this article. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in California is at it again. When some parents were not all that pleased with some sex education courses and materials that were being used in their own government schools, they filed suit and lost. The 9th Circuit wrote that "there is no fundamental right of parents to be the exclusive provider of information regarding sexual matters to their children.... Parents have no due process or privacy right to override the determinations of public schools as to the information to which their children will be exposed while enrolled as students."

Parents have no fundamental right be the exclusive providers of information regarding sexual matters to their children? Then they are no longer parents and have become merely surrogate breeders for the state to be the parent. Parents have no due process or privacy right to override the determinations of public schools? What happened to the concept of a government "of the people, by the people, and for the people"?

This mentality must not become prevalent in any level of government. Fortunately, it is less so at the town level than at the state or federal level. In Selma, we don't have the governance over the local schools as I wish we did. I believe that such matters of determination are best handled at the local level rather than a county or state. Either way, YOU, as a voter, must help safeguard against this mentality when electing school board officials, men who appoint the judiciary, and yes, even your town council and mayor.

Another lost day and some hope

I may have been on vacation for the last week plus, but I was working today. I had intended for today to be a day to get out and meet people, pass out flyers, and let people get to know about me. Unfortunately, I was "on call" for work and ended up working a 14.5 hour day. From the time I woke up until late tonight, I have been working to troubleshoot problems on the job.

It seems that if anything could go wrong in this campaign season, it has. I have put up with problems with advertising, flyer copying, data gathering, lack of help from the local GOP, lack of desire to help from the NRA, funding shortages when needed for campaign supplies when it would be beneficial and then an abundance when it was too late to purchase those things, friends/family sick and in the hospital, others in need, one complaining business owner who just lost thousands of dollars in business from me and others, sign printing problems, audio blogging unavailability when I wanted to do so, weeks of very long work hours, a lack of vehicles for use as family is borrowing them, and the list goes on. I know that this sounds like a lot, and perhaps borderline complaining. Nah, just stream of consciousness and venting a bit. I am a little frustrated, but I am hoping that I have gotten enough exposure with enough potential voters to have made a difference.

None the less, I will continue to do what I can between now and election day. I will be out tomorrow and tomorrow night. Hopefully, Monday will be clear, as well. Tuesday, I plan on being at one polling place and my wife at the other. From all reports, it looks like it will be a light voting turn out. There are about 2400 registered voters in Selma. That is only about 36% of the population in this town. Of that 2400, it is expected that only about 10% may turn out to vote. That means that only a few hundred votes could decide the election. Hopefully, the poll results on this web site will be at least partly accurate and I will be chosen by those few hundred people. If you will be one of those few hundred people, then I thank you in advance.

Here is a trick I have learned about nonpartisan voting when there are multiple candidates for multiple positions. If you wish to help make sure that I am elected, then I have this tip. You are allowed to vote for two candidates for town council. Vote for ONLY me and no second choice. That will be the equivalent of giving me two votes while only casting one. It means that another candidate will not be getting a vote to count against me. It is working the system within its design.

I have gotten a lot of positive feedback from the public and from people who have been reading my web site. Thanks to each of you for your kind words, expressions of concerns about our town, suggestions, and most importantly, for your vote. I look forward to serving you. You all have an open door to contact me via email, telephone, or in person.

I originally posted this at the end of August

I know that there are some questions about me and my positions. I have answered a few general questions for you to get to know me better. I welcome your questions, as well. Since this information was originally posted two months ago, I figured that it may be hard to find in the archives. So, I am reposting it here for any of those who have not read it thus far. You can click on any of the monthly archive entries on the right side of the page to see previous writings.

Q: Why are you running for office in the first place?
A: I can answer that in two words: PUBLIC SERVICE. I have a long history of public service. I have not been doing a lot of public service over the past few years and have wanted to get back into that mode for a while. I have seen candidates run unopposed for a while in various elections and that bothers me. It especially bothers me if a liberal runs unopposed. The last election cycle, I even went to the county courthouse on the last day for filing and was ready to file for office on the county level if any Democrat was running unopposed for any office for which I was qualified to run. Fortunately, a conservative Republican was the only person who filed to run in that election, so I let him have it all to himself.

Q: Then why Selma? Why town council?
A: Because I live here. I moved to Selma because I wanted to live here. When we were looking to purchase a house, we had only a few areas in which I wanted to look. We found a decent deal on a house we wanted near downtown (oops, excuse me…Uptown) Selma. My wife and I liked the quaint, small town feel we could still have in Selma. We also liked the access to highways, shopping, and the growth we found in Johnston County.

Since this is where I chose to live, I believe in serving and blooming where I am planted. I have had the strong burden to get involved in my community in some fashion. I knew the elections were upcoming, so I decided that was a good way to serve my community.

Q: Describe your political views.
A: That is easy to know but maybe a bit harder to express. I am a registered Republican, but only because there is really no other choice or political party that I can call "home". I have a problem with much of the Republican Party as a whole, but there is no other party that is on the ballot that I can come close to identifying with. If they become more well known and popular, I might join the Constitution Party. I don't see that happening anytime soon, however.

I am very conservative in my political views. I believe that there are essential services that government is supposed to provide, for which we pay taxes. I believe that the government that governs least governs best. At the same time, I do believe in smaller level governments being proactive in promoting and protecting their towns and cities.

I guess that I can put it this way. If you like Jesse Helms, you will love me politically. I may not agree with every social viewpoint he held, but I do believe in his conservative message. His reputation for having spine enough to say the word "NO" regardless of the populist opposition, I find honorable.

Q: Where are you from?
A: I spent the first two decades of my life in New Hampshire. While there, I was active in the local fire department, went to school, and worked my way through college at a radio station. Much of my family is still there. After graduating college, I relocated to Raleigh to take a position at NC State University in my field of study. While living in Raleigh for nine years or so, I found a beautiful wife, was active in ministry outreach, worked to found several Christian fellowship groups, and worked to pay the bills. Eventually, I relocated to Smithfield where I closer to where I worked here in Johnston County. I lived there for about five years until my wife and I could afford to purchase a house in our chosen hometown of Selma. We moved to Selma about three years ago.


Q: What do you see as the greatest challenge for the Town of Selma?
A: Maintaining fiscal accountability and responsibility while experiencing growth. I have addressed this a bit in my blog in the past, but it is well worth repeating. There are issues that I see that are worth re-evaluating. One big one that jumped out at me as I read it was the growth plan for our parks and recreation facilities. Selma only has about 6,000 population. We may well experience growth in the future. However, I do not believe that building seven mini parks and three dog parks in our little town makes good economic sense. It seems wasteful to me. I do not want our town to be turned into another Cary, North Carolina.

If we want to maintain our slogan of "A Charming Place to Be", then we must continue in the things that make us charming. We need to make effective use of our resources while still making our town charming. There are some areas in which we do well. There are other areas in which we could stand some improvement. I do not know ALL of those areas, but I will be diligent to work for improvement where it is necessary.

Something I support

Municipalities borrowing money from other governmental agencies

From "The Smithfield Herald"

Clayton secures $1.8 million loan

Clayton -- N.C. Gov. Mike Easley on Wednesday announced that the state would loan the Town of Clayton $1.8 million for a sewage project.

On Thursday, Town Manager Steve Biggs said Clayton would use the loan to build a system to pump treated wastewater to Pine Hollow Golf Club on East Garner Road.

The golf course will get water for irrigation, and Clayton will end up pumping less wastewater into the Neuse River, Biggs said.

"It will reduce the amount of nitrogen discharged into the river," the town manager said. "That is beneficial to the environment."

Easley likewise called the loan a benefit for Clayton and the environment. "This type of investment is key to the area's success in pursuing economic development opportunities and for improving the environmental performance of its facilities," the governor said.

The County of Johnston has a similar system that can divert wastewater to farms, nurseries and golf courses instead of the Neuse River.

----------------------

The reason I wanted to quote the story is that I have an issue with towns borrowing money from another government agency, regardless of the level of government. Governments sometimes have to borrow funds to accomplish projects for the public good. OK, no problem. However, borrowing from the federal or state government seems to be irresponsible to the tax payers, in my opinion. Yes, the town may get a lower interest rate. However, the tax payer has to fund the lending government in order to be able to lend the cash AND pay the town's debt. Basically, we are taking it on the chin on both ends, and that is just not wise tax money management. To tax me twice to pay one debt is just plain wrong. It should bother you as the tax payer to be paying twice for the same debt. Private lending institutions are in the business of lending money. Governments should not be.

I was quoted in "The Smithfield Herald" as stating this very position a while ago. I still stand by this position.

Check out The Selma News article and web site

"The Selma News" has gotten their web site up and running. Thanks, Rick Stewart. Click on the link in the title of this post to see the last article about the election to be published in the paper before Tuesday's election. Then, go surf "The Selma News" web site. I will probably be sending regular web traffic to their web site.

More musings

Until this week's Selma News, I was the only candidate for town council with an ad in the paper. Today, Jackie Lacy's quarter page ad showed up along with Debbie Johnson's ad with red outline and print. My third ad was in the paper, as well. Charles Hester's ad was a full page color ad taking up the back cover this time. I know how much Jackie paid for her ad, since I was quoted that rate when I was looking at placing ad space. I have no idea what prime placement of a full page color ad would run. The things you can do when you have the money.

Speaking of the mayoral candidates, here are the results so far of the mayoral race poll on "The Selma News" web site. Here are the poll results according to my web site.

Thoughts on the upcoming election

One thing about the local election is that candidates are generally accessible. I sure try to be. The flip side is that most candidates also work for a living and have lives to lead. That is certainly the case with me. Even though I have taken vacation time all this week, I have been tied up with so many small details, I have had little time to campaign as planned. It is simply a part of life. Then again, many things have not gone as planned for me this campaign season. The election is just five days away and I am spending yet another day away from the "campaign trail". I just got another five hundred flyers printed up and I am hoping to be able to get some of them out. I certainly have not had the opportunity to knock on doors as I had previously planned.

Ah, I am back. I know that you didn't know I had to go answer my cell phone, but a good friend of mine called. Her husband is a buddy of mine. He is going in for surgery today at the V.A. hospital in Durham. I am going to the hospital to see him in a few hours. I know it is campaign season, but a dear friend is in a time of need, so I am going to be with him for a bit today. Friends are the family that you choose. I know that it sounds cliche, but it is the truth. This couple is family to me, so I am going to be with family today. It may take some away from my campaign time, but family is worth it to me. Win or lose the election, these people will still be in my life.

Anyway, back to the topic at hand and the train of though that I had started to derail. I plan on being at one of the two polling places on Tuesday. My wife will be at the other. We may alternate our locations, but I don't know at present. If you have not had the chance to meet me at Railroad Days, throughout the course of your travels, read enough about me in the local newspapers, read enough on this web site, etc. to get to know me sufficiently to vote for me, then I encourage you to call me, email me, visit me, have me visit you, whatever. My cell phone number is 919-623-7649. I usually have it with me everywhere I go (except in the hospital today, where it is not allowed). My email link is at the right of this page. You are welcome to ask me questions and just plain get to know me better.

Thank you for your vote. My recommendation on voting this year? There are two men and two women running for town council. The men are both proven conservatives that have stated officially that holding the line on town spending and keeping taxes low are priorities. I am not real sure where one woman stands on many of the issues, and another believes that our crime issues will be solved by building more parks. I see more parks as giving more places for crime to take place, since that is where much of our drug dealing is happening. I would rather take the criminals off the street and give them orange uniforms to wear and a room mate named Bubba. I believe that it is time for men like Tommy Holmes and myself to take the lead along side Gary Jackson and Jeff Weaver in our town council.

I will say no to profligate spending and non essentials that would take priority over essential services. I will say yes to maintaining our infrastructure. That means that we need to keep the electricity, water, and sewer flowing. Fires need to be put out, and criminals need to be put in jail. Essential services come first, including maintaining and improving these things. We have sewer mains made out of terra cotta (the stuff clay pots are made of) that are decrepit and are a century old. We have fire hydrants that are insufficient and need replacement. We have new wells that we need to tie into our existing water supply.

Selma done a good job of planning in some areas. I was glad to hear how we are handling some areas of financial planning and wish to continue that smart planning. I have talked with our fire and police department leaders, our water department, and town manager about their priorities. I take this job seriously, and I hope that you will give me the opportunity to do so.

Forced annexation a concern in other town elections

The N&O article I just linked you to deals with how Carrboro is having a major issue with forced annexation in their town that will be a factor in their election on Tuesday. Since only those inside the town limits here will be voting, it doesn't really matter too much of my stance on the issue to voters. However, my stance will be known to all, anyway.

I have a problem with forced annexation simply so that a town can start taxing newly inducted residents. It is one thing is those property owners live in an area served by public utilities owned by that town and are or will be immediately receiving town services. Rarely has that been the case, however. I have read articles about how some properties have been surrounded by the incorporated limits of a town and yet not annexed. They receive all city services, yet are not officially part of the municipality. That is a prime instance of where annexation is entirely appropriate.

Outlying areas are differernt. Many people enjoy subdivision life outside of corporate limits for the lower taxes, location, and proximity to a town for convenience. To start taxing people just because a town can is entirely inappropriate and unethical. I will fight such things on Selma's Town Council.

Voluntary annexation is an entirely different situation. Sysco is a great example. They wanted city services such as water, sewer, and electrical. Thus, the property was voluntarily annexed into the town.

I actually got an invoice for more money from WMPM after I paid in full, up front

In an effort to further perpetuate the cover-up for WMPM's mistake on the rate charged for political advertising, I got a bill today from them. It is not legal to bill for political advertising, to my knowledge. All ads are supposed to be paid in advance, as I did. I just paid at the rate they quoted me and they agreed to. Now, in order to show in their records that I was to pay a higher rate just as other political candidates, they have billed me for the remainder. That is just not ethical nor is it legal, in all probablility.

The scan of the invoice will be too big to put on the blog and keep the proper aspect of the web page. However, I did upload the file to my file server. Click on the title of this post to see the invoice in question.

Gang activity

Selma has a similar problem that the news story below describes. The Latino gang SUR 13 is active in Selma, as well. Perhaps SUR 13 needs to meet HK 9 or S&W 45.

Gang Graffiti Found At Smithfield Business - Smithfield Police have confirmed graffiti found spray painted outside Lowes Home Improvements on US301 North is that of a Hispanic gang. The symbol SUR 13, representing the Surenos gang, was found on a cargo trailer in the parking lot on Tuesday. Police Captain Joey Cuddington said there are active gangs in the area and this was probably a gang member marking their territory. Damage to the trailer spray painted with the graffiti was estimated at $2,800.

WRAL's list of candidates

WRAL has put a list of candidates on their web page. Of course, there is no information provided except a list of candidates for each election. They also spelled my name wrong. The P in LaPlante is supposed to be capitalized. I figure that it will probably be misspelled on the ballot, as well. Hey, as long as people vote for me, I don't care how they spell my name. I might not like it being spelled H - I - T - L - E - R, or something like that, but as long as I am the one that would take the oath of office following the election...whatever.

VOTE FOR TROY!

The latest musings

Hopefully, you have heard my ads on the radio on WMPM. I caught two of them yesterday afternoon. The only other political ad I heard the entire afternoon was from Tom Bell, running for town council in Smithfield.

We are about out of election flyers. Time to have more printed tonight. We have handed out about two thousand flyers so far. One ream of paper yields a thousand flyers. We are about to print our third ream.

I spend between and hour and ninety minutes talking with Joe Price, the head of the Selma Water Department and Fire Chief. We had a nice talk. I got to know more about where he is coming from with the fire department operations, his needs from the town on as far as water and sewer, as well as the fire side of things. We discussed personnel needs, equipment needs and plans, and infrastructure planning/replacement needs.

Hopefully, we can maintain a good working relationship after the election. That is my hope for all departments, really.