Showing posts with label North Carolina. Show all posts
Showing posts with label North Carolina. Show all posts

Tuesday, August 18, 2015

THREE STATES SET TO REDRAW HOUSE DISTRICTS

AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster

The House redistricting process, as set by the Constitution, is supposed to happen once every ten years. Ambiguous federal statutes and federal judges armed with Periclean fantasies means a few states are often forced to “redo” their Congressional maps.

Before the 2016 elections, some voters in Florida, Virginia and North Carolina will likely find themselves moved into new Congressional districts.
It should come as no surprise that the lawsuits challenging the maps in the three states were brought by the National Democrat Redistricting Trust. The organization is run by former staff members of the Democrat Congressional Campaign Committee. It is a blatant attempt to litigate what was lost at the ballot box.
In Virginia, a federal judge has ordered the legislature to redraw the 3rd Congressional District, which has been represented by Rep. Bobby Scott since 1993. The district has been a majority-black district since 1991. In the last redistricting, the GOP controlled legislature changed the make-up of the district from 53 percent black to 56 percent black. That small change apparently offended the sensibilities of a Federal judge. The legislature has been ordered to make the district slightly less majority-black.
In Florida, the Democrats claim that “politics” guided the state legislators in drawing the new districts. The plaintiffs, who, again, are national Democrats, point to the use of “mapping principles” to protect DNC Chair 
Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL)
4%
 and increase the number of “safe” Democrat seats. Among the witnesses is the Executive Director of the Florida Democrat Party, who said he tried to influence the political make-up of the districts.


So, the Democrats are using the fact that they themselves tried to politically influence the make-up of the Republican-drawn districts to argue that the districts should be tossed. Unsurprisingly, a Federal judge agreed. At the heart of the issue are four House seats, two held by each party, that must be redrawn.
The state Legislatures in Virginia and Florida are currently in special session to redraw the districts. In North Carolina, the state Supreme Court is preparing to hear arguments in a similar case. It is likely that state will also have to redraw some of its districts.
In Washington, DC, where every political story is viewed through the prism of Capitol Hill politics, some pundits are conjecturing that the remapping process in these states will eliminate three GOP members who are thorns in the side of House GOP leadership.
In Florida, one of the seats that must be redrawn is occupied by 
Rep. Daniel Webster (R-FL)
63%
, a Republican who challenged Boehner in the Speaker’s race. Republican
Rep. David Jolly (R-FL)
45%
, a key Boehner ally, who occupies another seat set to be redrawn has already announced his intention to run for U.S. Senate.

In Virginia, 
Rep. David Brat (R-VA)
100%
t, who unseated Rep. Eric Cantor in a primary last year, occupies the House seat neighboring Rep. Scott’s district. 
Rep. Mark Meadows (R-NC)
96%
, who recently filed a petition to vacate the election of 
Rep. John Boehner (R-OH)
35%
 as Speaker, could potentially have his district redrawn in North Carolina, if the state Supreme Court scraps the existing map.

“These conservative members should definitely assume that they are enemy No. 1 on the list,” Daniel Horowitz, senior editor of the Conservative Review told National Journal. “If you’re going to redraw the maps, who’s going to be your first priority? … If the establishment could kill two birds with one stone—comply with the courts and pick off a conservative—they would absolutely take that opportunity.”
I think Horowitz sees the world too much through DC’s glasses. Having worked on redistricting, decisions have far more to do with state politics, and the ambitions of state legislators, than the drama within the federal House caucus.
The Congressional districts surrounding Rep. Scott’s district in Virginia, for example, are so Republican that tweaks to the lines are very unlikely to jeopardize Rep. Bratt or 
Rep. Randy Forbes (R-VA)
60%
, who also borders Scott’s district. It is hard to envision any changes to the district lines that would make either Bratt or Forbes vulnerable in a primary, never mind a general election.

It is possible that Rep. Webster in Florida and Rep. Meadows in North Carolina face existential changes to their districts. If they do, it is likely to have very little to do with their standing in the U.S. House GOP caucus. Their political futures lay in the hands of legislators in the state capitols, not Washington.
The larger story here isn’t really about the GOP leadership in Washington. It is yet another example of how far Democrats will go to overturn the results of elections. That federal judges are even involved is testament to how freely that party feels it can ignore even plain Constitutional text.

Wednesday, July 29, 2015

N.C. lawmakers join forces to find money for veterans

Charlotte, N.C., members of Congress Alma Adams and Robert Pittenger have teamed up in an effort to help veterans.
The pair plan to introduce legislation Wednesday to get additional federal funding for a Mecklenburg County program that works to help members of the military transition to civilian life.
The county approached the two about expanding the program, based on a model developed by Syracuse University, that currently connects 29 local agencies and non-profit groups in the Charlotte region in a network connecting veterans to the myriad of available social, health and wellness services.
Adams, a Democrat, and Pittenger, a Republican, seek to use existing Veterans Affairs funding for a grant to develop the regional technology network. The bill would direct the Veterans Benefits Administration to use existing money to develop such a grant, though Adams and Pittenger didn’t specify how much money would be needed.
“It’s kind of piecemeal now,” Adams said in an interview. “They go to one place and then to another place. You know how you go to one place and people say ‘let me refer you to another.’”
There are nearly 800,000 veterans in North Carolina, including 37,000 veterans in Adam’s 12th Congressional District and more than 41,000 veterans in Pittenger’s 9th Congressional District.
YOU HAVE VARIOUS PROGRAMS THAT ARE SCATTERED OUT AND THE RIGHT HAND DOESN’T KNOW WHAT LEFT HAND IS DOING. WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE THIS FRONT AND CENTER AND VETERANS KNOW THE ENORMOUS SYSTEMS THAT ARE THERE ON THEIR BEHALF.Rep. Robert Pittenger, R-N.C.
It’s unclear what chances the legislation has of passing. The legislation currently has two additional sponsor, Rep. Grace Meng, D-N.Y., and Rep. John Katko, R-N.Y., who represents the Syracuse area.
The Veterans Benefits Administration has $79 billion in available funds to provide benefit assistance for veterans and their families, said Jamie Bowers, Pittenger’s spokesman. The legislation, he said, would allow communities like Mecklenburg County or Syracuse to apply for a specific grant to help pay for the support system. The grant program would not be an earmark, he said.
The community would determine the amount of its specific request, Bowers said. And it would be up to Veterans Affairs to decide whether to approve the grant and which discretionary funds to use, he said.




Read more here: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/politics-government/congress/article29389699.html#storylink=cpy




Read more here: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/politics-government/congress/article29389699.html#storylink=cpy

House conservative seeks John Boehner's ouster

North Carolina Rep. Mark Meadows had heard from leading conservatives that trying to oust Speaker John Boehner right now was a bad idea.

Reps. Mick Mulvaney (R-S.C.) and Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), fierce and frequent critics of leadership, thought the move was ill-advised. Some of Meadows’ friends didn’t even see it coming. But just before 6 p.m. Tuesday — a day before the House was set to leave town for its five-week summer recess — Meadows offered a motion to vacate the chair, an extraordinarily rare procedural move that represents the most serious expression of opposition to Boehner’s speakership. If the motion were to pass — most Republicans say it will be hard to cobble together the votes — Boehner would be stripped of the speaker’s gavel, potentially plunging the House of Representatives into chaos.

GOP leaders were taken completely by surprise. Meadows, a second-term Republican, hadn’t even asked for a meeting with Boehner or other top Republicans to air his gripes.
Until now, the North Carolina Republican had taken small steps to undermine Boehner — he voted against procedural motions and against Boehner for speaker. Now he’s declared all-out war, and he could quickly find out how many people are willing to back him up.

Meadows, however, didn’t go as far as he could have. A motion to vacate the chair — last attempted roughly a century ago — is typically considered a privileged resolution. In that format, the House would hold a vote within two legislative days. Meadows, however, chose not to offer it in that form, which he said was a sign that he wanted a discussion.

GOP leadership allies said the move suggests Meadows is trying to steal the spotlight as Congress leaves for its break. He denied that but said a vote was unlikely before the August recess.




Sunday, July 5, 2015

Yay Obamacare! Health Insurance Companies Seeking Big Increases, 20 To 40% (Or More) In 2016

But we’ll be saving $2500 on premiums, right?
Screen Shot 2015-07-05 at 5.26.58 PM
Washington- Health insurance companies around the country are seeking rate increases of 20 percent to 40 percent or more, saying their new customers under the Affordable Care Act turned out to be sicker than expected. Federal officials say they are determined to see that the requests are scaled back.
Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans — market leaders in many states — are seeking rate increases that average 23 percent in Illinois, 25 percent in North Carolina, 31 percent in Oklahoma, 36 percent in Tennessee and 54 percent in Minnesota, according to documents posted online by the federal government and state insurance commissioners and interviews with insurance executives.
The Oregon insurance commissioner, Laura N. Cali, has just approved 2016 rate increases for companies that cover more than 220,000 people. Moda Health Plan, which has the largest enrollment in the state, received a 25 percent increase, and the second-largest plan, LifeWise, received a 33 percent increase.Washington- Health insurance companies around the country are seeking rate increases of 20 percent to 40 percent or more, saying their new customers under the Affordable Care Act turned out to be sicker than expected. Federal officials say they are determined to see that the requests are scaled back.

Sunday, June 28, 2015

[VIDEO] North Carolina man surrounds home with Confederate flags

ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. — Neighbors are upset after a Rocky Mount man added more Confederate flags to his yard following the Charleston shooting.
Edward West, who lives in a predominately African-American neighborhood, now has 150 Confederate flags in his yard, according to WITN.
His neighbors told WITN he’s flown a Confederate flag in his yard for several years, but even more flags went up after last week’s killings at a historic black church in Charleston.
West said to him the Confederate flag means, “I got my own property and nobody can tell me what to do with it.”
The flags cover West’s front and backyard, which are surrounded by “no trespassing” signs and barbed wire.
Some neighbors told WITN they don’t mind West flying the flags, but others see them as a sign of hate.
According to city officials, the flags are legal and there are no codes regarding flying them on private property.

Friday, June 5, 2015

The Tax-Cut Payoff in Carolina

Even with lower rates, tax revenues have increased 6% this year, and the state has a $400 million budget surplus.


Four years ago North Carolina’s unemployment rate was above 10% and the state still bore the effects of its battering in the recession. Many rural towns faced jobless rates of more than 20%. But in 2013 a combination of the biggest tax-rate reductions in the state’s history and a gutsy but controversial unemployment-insurance reform supercharged the state’s economy and has even helped finance budget surpluses.
As Wells Fargo’s Economics Group recently put it: “North Carolina’s economy has shifted into high gear. Hiring has picked up across nearly every industry.”
The tax cut slashed the state’s top personal income-tax rate to 5.75%, near the regional average, from 7.75%, which had been the highest in the South. The corporate tax rate was cut to 5% from 6.9%. The estate tax was eliminated.
Next came the novel tough-love unemployment-insurance reforms. The state became the first in the nation to reject “free” federal payments for extended unemployment benefits and reduce the weeks of benefits to 20 from 26. The maximum weekly dollar amount of payments, $535, which had been among the highest in the nation, was trimmed to a maximum of $350 a week. As a result, tens of thousands of Carolinians left the unemployment rolls.
In an interview at the governor’s mansion, Gov. Pat McCrory tells me that when he took office in January 2013 he looked at the data and knew “we couldn’t stay on the course we were on. We had the highest unemployment benefits and yet at the same time businesses were routinely complaining they couldn’t find workers until benefits ran out. We heard a lot of stories of workers waiting until benefits ran out before going back to work.” In sum, the state was paying people not to work.
While these measures were passing the legislature, the state capital boiled over with rancorous political rallies, called Moral Mondays, designed to block the “cruel” GOP agenda. Rev. William Barber II, one of the protest organizers, lambasted Republicans for making the Tar Heel State a “crucible of extremism and injustice.” The national media piled on with claims that the Republican agenda cut taxes for the rich while slashing benefits for the poor.

Wednesday, May 27, 2015

After Secret Service Seized $115,000, North Carolina Man Continues Fight for ‘Justice’

On the morning of Sept. 25, 2014, Tom Bednar was sitting in the bedroom of the Raleigh, N.C., home he shared with his wife, Marla, and two sons when Marla entered the room crying.
She had just looked at the bank account for their three-decade old business, Marla Enterprises, to find it empty. Now, Capital Bank was requesting close to $18,000 to cover the outstanding checks the couple had written.
After transferring money to straighten out their finances with the bank, the Bednars learned just what had happened with the $115,018.01 they had in their bank account: The United States Secret Service seized the money.
“We got no warning,” Tom Bednar said in an interview with The Daily Signal. “Nothing.”
After months of litigation against the United States government, Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen West moved to dismiss the case earlier this month, meaning the Bednars will get their money back.
However, the government refused to cover the Bednar’s $25,000 in legal fees, which the couple is entitled to under the Civil Asset Forfeiture Reform Act. Though the fight to get their $115,000 back is now over, the family is continuing to push to have their expenses covered.

Thursday, May 22, 2014

The Sign Is Clear: ‘No Weapons, No Concealed Firearms’ — Why Didn’t These Three Thugs Obey Gun-Free Zone?

WVVD-TVDespite a sign posted outside designating the business a so-called “gun-free zone,” three thugs reportedly assaulted restaurant employees during a robbery attempt in Durham, North Carolina, earlier this week.
At around 9 p.m. on Sunday, three men wearing hoodies and armed with handguns invaded a newly-opened barbecue restaurant in Durham through the back door, according to police. The thugs reportedly forced employees to the ground, assaulting two of them. Thankfully, they were not seriously injured.
Source: NCGunBlog.com
While the robbery occurred in the kitchen, patrons in the restaurant were able to safely escape through the front door.
Restaurant owner Greg Hatem told WTVD-TV that he’s offering $2,000 for the “arrest and conviction of these guys.”
“We want to make sure our guests and our staff are taken care of,” he said.
Pro-gun advocates have criticized the restaurant’s “gun-free zone” policy and argue allowing citizens to protect themselves in the establishment is a much more effective way to ensure their safety. Second Amendment supporters have repeatedly argued that “gun-free zones” only entice criminals because they know they will likely face minimal opposition.
A recent study out of Purdue University found that all but two mass shootings since the 1950s have occurred in locations where victims were restricted from carrying weapons for self-defense

Friday, March 28, 2014

FBI Targets, Raids Democrats Across Country

Democrats in California, New York, and North Carolina were targeted by the FBI on Wednesday. All are targets of unrelated federal investigations.
 
featured-imgDemocratic state Sen. Leland Yee of San Francisco was taken in by federal authorities on public corruption charges after a series of FBI raids Wednesday morning. Also arrested as part of the investigation was “infamous Chinatown gangster Raymond ‘Shrimp Boy’ Chow,” according to the San Jose Mercury News.
Yee was a candidate for California Secretary of State.
New York Assemblyman William Scarborough (D., Queens) had both his Queens and Albany offices raided by FBI agents on Wednesday and was met by agents at his hotel room.
The FBI is investigating per diem payments that reimburse legislators for days spent in the Capitol.
Scarborough told reporters that the FBI raid is the result of a “tabloid hit job.”
Charlotte, N.C., Democratic Mayor Patrick Cannon was arrested on public corruption charges of theft and bribery as a result of a four-year FBI sting operation.
Cannon collected cash bribes and other items of value from undercover FBI agents posing as businessmen who wanted to do business in Charlotte,according to U.S. attorney for the Western District of North Carolina Anne Tompkins.
The month of March has been rife with Democrats on the crime blotter.

Sunday, March 2, 2014

The Hotline's Senate Race Rankings: Republicans in Command

The 2014 Senate landscape continues to look challenging for Democrats. Republicans can take back the chamber after eight years of Democratic control with a net gain of six seats, and the seven seats most likely to flip are held by Democrats in states President Obama lost in 2012.
The most important change since we looked at the Senate map three months ago is the glut of outside spending, particularly against Democratic incumbents in the majority-making seats of North Carolina, Louisiana, and Alaska. The nonprofit, conservative group Americans for Prosperity has dumped tens of millions into those states, beating up incumbents who now have--at best--50/50 chances of retaining their seats.
Republicans are well positioned to win a Senate majority in 2014. A favorable map, combined with a positive national environment driven by disapproval of the health care law, have put Democrats on the defensive.
The rankings are best considered in tiers. The first two seats are very likely to flip, while in seats 3 and 4 Republicans are favored to take over. In seats 5 through 7, Democratic incumbents in red states are deeply vulnerable, and if Republicans win the top four, they need only two of the three seats in this tier to control the Senate.
Seats 8 to 12 are also close to 50/50 races. Colorado debuts in this tier after the top recruit, Rep. Cory Gardner, decided to run. In seats 13 to 15, the Democratic incumbent is likely to retain control of the seat, although the races bear watching--and Republicans don't need seats 13 to 15 to wrestle control of the majority.

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

[VIDEO] Dem Senator Has Worst Press Conference Ever?


I have no idea how Democratic Sen. Kay Hagan's news conference could've been worse except had she lit a baby bunny on fire while stomping on the American flag.

The junior Senator from North Carolina filed for re-election yesterday in Wake County. The media was all there, as her campaign obviusly alerted them to the event. This is pretty standard. It makes for good video to have the pol surrounded by friends, family, and supporters as they sign the paperwork and everyone cheers.
But it seemed to escape Hagan and her camp that after she signs the papers she'd need to actually talk to the media.

About her record.
And that's where the wheels fell off this thing.

... Hagan ... refused on Monday to answer questions about what she knew about the laws limits.
Like President Barack Obama, Hagan said the Affordable Care Act would allow North Carolinians to keep their existing insurance plans if they liked them. The pledge proved false – and earned Obama PolitiFact’s Lie of the Year honors.

But the details about what Hagan knew about the law’s limits and when she learned it remains unclear. Asked about it again Monday at a press conference in Raleigh, after she made her re-election bid official at the State Board of Elections, Hagan avoided the question.

Pressed on the question two more times as reporters followed her outside to the parking lot, Hagan did not answer. She offered this explanation without further details: “it wasn’t clear that insurance companies were selling substandard policies.”

Saturday, February 22, 2014

Barber Calls President’s Obamacare Enrollment Claims ‘Spin at Best’

The Washington Free Beacon‘s Ellison Barber called President Obama’s recent Obamacare enrollment claims “spin at best” Friday during her appearance on The Real Story.
Obama told Democratic governors Thursday night that nearly 4 million have enrolled so far on the exchanges and close to 7 million Americans have access to health care for the first time due to Medicaid expansion.
“He said almost 4 million people have enrolled so far,” Barber said. “That number is 3.3 million, so I would say that’s kind of rounding up on the high end. I think it has to be 3.5 before you can round up to the next number. The enrollment number is closer to 3 million. That’s kind of the first problem. The other issue is going to be the number he gave for how many people have been able to get health insurance because of the Medicaid expansion. That’s 7 million. That I would say that’s spin at best and probably a little bit inaccurate.”
Barber also spoke about Sen. Joe Manchin’s (D., W.V.) alleged statement about wanting to repeal Obamacare. Manchin has since backtracked from those comments, saying he wants to get the law fixed, but Barber said remarks like those could be trouble for vulnerable Senate Democrats seeking re-election where Obamacare is unpopular.
“He’s not up for election right now, but since he is one of those red-state more conservative-leaning Democrats, what he says would impact the races that are going in other states like Kay Hagan (in North Carolina), Senator (Mary) Landrieu (in Louisiana),” Barber said. “It would put them in a tough position to come out and say something. I think it probably still will because he’s already said these, so I think he’s trying to backtrack now because he realizes, or someone said, you’re putting these guys in a tough position. Let’s not say that right now.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACCAjVE0vyMhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACCAjVE0vyM

Wednesday, November 27, 2013

HAGAN PLEADS THE FIFTH ON OBAMACARE

Last week more of Kay Hagan’s Democratic colleagues revealed that they knew full well that some Americans would lose health care plans that they liked, yet repeatedly made dishonest promises otherwise.
Kay Hagan, however, has repeatedly refused to acknowledge the truth that millions of Americans are losing health insurance that they like as they are forced into the ObamaCare exchanges. This is - and always has been - an intended consequence of the Affordable Care Act.
ABC11′s Jon Camp reports: “Sen Kay Hagan defends ‘Obamacare’ but won’t say when she learned not everyone would be able to keep their insurance, as promised.”
Click here to watch the full segment.
Kay Hagan’s own spokesperson all but admitted that the Senator knew that Americans would lose their health insurance, despite repeatedly promising otherwise. Three years ago, Hagan joined her Senate Democratic colleagues in unanimously supporting the very ObamaCare rule that’s responsible for the health insurance cancellations that have caused so much consternation over the last month. Even though 473,000 North Carolinians face the possibility of losing their health insurance, Kay Hagan refuses to accept responsibility for her deciding vote in favor of ObamaCare.
Either Hagan was knowingly dishonest about people keeping their care yet repeatedly promised otherwise; or, Hagan is so incompetent that she didn’t comprehend the legislation that she championed.

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