Recent Comments
Re: “Why you should care about the Food Safety Modernization Act”
The lesson seems all too simple... Governments do not keep food safe, the few folks in the supply chain do. Their lives and livelihood depends on it. Perhaps if we end the subsidies provided to large corporate farms it might limit corporate influence over government policy. They should not be able to buy off the referee in the course of the game. Decentralize the political power and it will be more expensive to game the system and buy the referee. End price supports and direct subsidies, making gubmint money a smaller part of the pie than consumer money.
Re: “Closing of Dorothea Dix Hospital marks failure of state reforms”
Please forget about converting Dix entirely to a park. Pullen Park adjoins part of the Dix property along Western Boulevard and could be connected to aid with parking and expansion if more parkland is desired.
Dix has excellent development prospects with existing access to water, sewer, a high voltage power line, an interstate entrance at Lake Wheeler Road and access to the rest of the city via Western Boulevard, Centennial Parkway, and the greenway system for pedestrian and bicycle traffic. There is a conspicuous absence of the "smart-growth" fanatics in the discussions about the Dix property, but perhaps that is just as well.
In an area where land sells for around $1 million an acre, Raleigh's finest have made the magnanimous offer of less than 4 cents on the dollar to acquire the land from the state. A great price, if you can get it. But then, for a few pennies less, why not just steal it outright? If you are going to be a thief, at least be an honest thief.
Dorothea's gift to the mentally ill has been wasted, but the remainder of the property deserves better than to be discarded for a song Let's not make the same mistake twice. I can't wait the decades it took to correct Fayetteville Street Mall.
Fully developed, this area could be an anchor to the end of Glewood South, providing jobs, entertainment, food, restaurants, services, private schools, housing for thousands with an ultimate property value close to a trillion dollars, and taxes to the city of millions of dollars per year.
Or it can be a park. Anyone have a $100 bill? I'll give you fifty cents for it. And so might Raleigh, if the legislature lets them. Sell at a fair price. Money doesn't grow on trees, even in a central park.
Re: “Gone missing: The country's conscience, brain and heart”
Poor Hal, rage has left him almost incoherent. He just does not understand the concept of a voter that is independent of the R/D overseers. Overseers that have gamed our political system to their advantage. I voted for fiscal constraint and got war. I voted against the war and got more war, plus a grotesque extension of the socialist comedy that is american health care. So I vote against that. I'll probably get more war. sigh.
In garbled prose, you said it. Americans believe in the free market. We have not seen one in decades, but it is still out there somewhere. Beyond the gubmint monopolies in education, health care, transportation, mortgage subsidy, agriculture subsidy, currency monopoly, (and every other policy that failed the USSR) there is still remnants of personal freedom. And Hal does not understand.
The national midterms were largely irrelevant, yet another pompous arrogant president getting a much deserved comedown. The only real news is Alabama and NC state legislatures finally getting reprieves from over a century of monopoly rule.
Ignorance is not bliss. Rage might draw attention, but it doesn't make intelligent reading. Your pen is sharper than your wits.
Re: “Let's go shopping with Art Pope”
I love the smell of personal attacks in the morning. It smells like... victory.
Re: “How the Democrats lost their way”
Free trade is the fairest fair trade. We already have effectively universal single payer monopoly pricing in health care, called Medicare/caid and it is the problem, just like Fannie and Freddie caused the housing market to boom/bust. Yes, bush started the wars, but obama expanded them. Britain just cut their war spending and I hope we do the same, but don't hold your breath for a peace agenda from either party. We already have progressive taxation, the bottom 40% pay nothing in $, just in freedom and opportunity. At about $20k per kid, per year, just how much more government education do we need? End government education entirely, free ed. is worth exactly what you pay.
Re: “Burning trees stretches the meaning of "renewable"”
Yet another reason to keep government regulation out of the environment, an endless litany of unintended consequences.
Re: “How many ways has K&L Gates touched you today?”
So we were dumb enough to give government the power of zoning, concentrating political and economic power in a select few. And now we are shocked to discover that the very concentration of power and money created by zoning and government control has created an even bigger problem. Like shit draws flies, concentrated political power and government monopoly lures elites to game the system and skim the profits. Shame on us.
Eliminate zoning and political control over property rights. This reduces the size of the money pot. The scavengers will move to some other less enlightened locale where the pickings are better.
If you leave money lying around in piles, you can't be surprised when someone shows up and takes it.