Did His Blog Make Him Look Fat?

Bryan R. Holloway is a Republican member of the General Assembly from Stokes County. He's been "outed" for a really strange offense against Southern manhood. Evidently, he's an anonymous blogger about men's clothing styles, a sartorial savant.

Apparently, there's something embarrassing about that, made clear by Mr. Holloway's sudden scramble to disappear his blog and his stark unavailability to answer questions.

Strange bunch down there in Raleigh.

Opposing the Republican Tax-Hike Plan

NC GOP Motto: "If You Can't Make Things Worse, Don't Do Anything at All"

Race to the bottom.

That's the Republican formula for the North Carolina public education system. Cripple it. Starve it. Give what money might have improved things to private corporations. Then complain about those over-paid teachers.

Mike Ward was superintendent of public instruction in North Carolina from 1997 to 2004, so he knows something about the history of public education in the state, and he can tell a hawk from a hand-saw.

Ward writes in the News&Observer, identifying three primary public-education-killing initiatives by the Republicans in the General Assembly:

1. Massive cuts to school funding. This means thousands of lost teaching positions. It means crowded classrooms and the loss of teacher assistants in early elementary grades, even though research shows that smaller class sizes help students, especially struggling students. 

2. Vouchers. If you want to know where money to pay for teachers is going, one place to look is at the proposed voucher legislation. Proponents refer to them as “opportunity scholarships.” Vouchers are bad public policy, snatching millions of dollars away from public schools that desperately need them. We support the choice of private education, but taxpayers will foot the bill for some parents to send their children to private schools. Legislators backing these vouchers will tell you that the vouchers are for disadvantaged students, but the bulk of these vouchers will go to middle-income residents – and you’ll get to pay their children’s private school tuition. Vouchers are an expensive, divisive program with virtually no record of improving overall student performance. 

3. Reduced funding for pre-kindergarten. This is a senseless and self-defeating proposal. Investing in pre-K is not just good for kids – it’s good for all of us. Research shows that quality pre-K returns $5-$13 for every dollar spent by reducing costs for remedial education, social services and criminal justice.

Under the rough handling of the Republicans in Raleigh, North Carolina already ranks 48th in per pupil expenditure and 46th in how well teachers are rewarded. The Republican solution to that abysmal set of statistics ... MAKE EVERYTHING WORSE!

The Hit-and-Run Commissioner

Nathan Miller, Chair of the Watauga County Commission, has filed organizational papers to run for District Attorney.

Apparently, he's done what he can to wreck good will, mutuality, cooperation, and civic respect on the County Commission and plans to spread his brand of public service to the prosecution of crime in the 24th Solicitorial District.

Anyone know the lyrics to "I'm Not Your Steppin' Stone"?

'Nuf Said

Lede paragraph in Anna Oakes' story on the Boone housing study:

A draft housing analysis commissioned by the Boone Town Council concludes there is currently a surplus of student housing in Boone and that the oversupply is projected to increase.

Our Jackass Governor Thinks We're All Idiots

Gov. Squishy talked about the massive protests that have been building at the General Assembly building in Raleigh, especially on what's being called "Moral Mondays," where people are voluntarily being arrested to express their civil disobedience to the regime now in power and its attempts to suppress voter rights, end public education, throw out environmental protections, and seize power from the state's municipalities (among other baleful measures).

This is what the Governor said to WSOC-TV:

"They [the protesters] want to keep the status quo. I am not in favor of keeping the status quo. We have got to fix broken operations in the state government, and in order to do that, I am stepping on the toes of the right, the left, the middle."

Let's break that down a little. "They want to keep the status quo" ... well, yes, in a way, if we understand status quo to mean free and easy ballot-access for the poor, people of color, the homeless, college students -- all the voters who've shown little affection for the Republican schemes to drive us all back to 1920.

Status quo ... a vibrant and fully functioning public education system that isn't privatized for the benefit of a few corporations or shit-canned by laying off teacher assistants and by increasing class sizes to cattle-pen status.

Status quo ... protections for the state's air and water and natural resources and not easy whoring after fracked gas and the unleashing of polluters.

Status quo ... local city governments making decisions about growth and development according to their own lights and in accordance with their own voters' wishes, not having their resources seized with no compensation, yes THAT status quo.

The Guv sez, "I am stepping on the toes of the right, the left, the middle." Who exactly is he trying to kid? He's terrified of THE RIGHT, he gives not a rusty fig for the left, and he's strayed so far from the middle that he couldn't find his own ass with both hands and a head start.

Don't know what crack pipe this grinning idiot has been sucking on, but it must be some pretty powerful rock.

Is Nathan Miller's Hatred of Gays Behind His Take-Over of DSS?

It apparently came as quite a shock to County Commission Chair Nathan Miller to learn that there are gay foster parents in Watauga County -- and have been for many years -- and there's some convincing persistence to the explanation that this feeling is behind his seizure of power to take the duties of the board of directors of the Department of Social Services for himself and thus put a stop to a program that actually works.

Evidently, under Mr. Miller's influence we can expect the new director of DSS to be hostile to gay foster parents. We're eagerly awaiting the evidence.

Body Language

At last night's County Commission public hearing on the fate of nonprofits, with Kay Borkowski addressing the board on behalf of the Hospitality House (and giving the commissioners a history lesson in Watauga County government's commitment to the poor, going back to 1886).

Commission Chair Nathan Miller is dead center in white, with Perry Yates to his immediate left and David Blust to his immediate right.

"Hey, Commissioners! Do the Math!" More Testimony From Last Night

I’m Todd Carter, and I am here representing Hospitality House.

You may choose to not fund us again this year, give us the big fat goose egg - $0, for the third year in a row, but you will pay, one way or the other, for the 225 Watauga residents that we served in 2012.

Let me paint you a picture: Hospitality House has to close its doors; men, women and children begin sleeping in your barns and sheds, camping on your property and living in cars on public property. Eventually, you call the law because these families are trespassing - they’re on your land! Kids are taken from their parents and turned over to DSS, parents are put in jail.

Watauga County pays $64 per person, per day, for everyone at the detention center. Do you want to know what the value of Hospitality House is? $32 per person, per day, is what it costs us to provide food, shelter, and services – and we offer a lot more than the jail! We have continuing education classes, resume workshops, community kitchen, mentoring, and more.

Do the math. It’s your choice, but from where I’m standing, it looks to me like you aren’t doing the fiscally responsible thing for this county or for your budget.

Thank you.