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John Hood writes about school choice and vouchers in today's Carolina Journal.

I could support private school vouchers -- in effect, public grants to defray tuition cost for children to attend private schools -- on three conditions.

1. They are means-tested. In other words, don't subsidize wealthy families who can afford to send their kids to private schools anyway.

2. All participating private schools must accept all applicants, except when no space is available or when the applicant poses a severe discipline problem. It's easy for private schools to appear successful if they can pick and choose their students.

3. And no religious schools can participate. This is my weakest condition because I believe in the benefits of religious education. However, I can imagine the uproar if we end up subsidizing radical Islamic schools or other programs that many taxpayers would find objectionable.

A taxpayer-funded exodus to private schools can harm public schools by clearing out many of their better students. On the other hand, that will relieve crowding and reduce the need to build new public facilities. Besides, No Child Left Behind already has provisions allowing students to transfer from failing public schools to more successful public schools. But what happens when there aren't enough "successful" schools to accommodate the transfers?

What counts most is giving kids a good education. For a $5,000-a-year voucher, some kids might be able to get a better education at a private school -- and the taxpayers might save money at the same time.

Eric Collins did some outstanding reporting in this story about the courtroom conduct of Superior Court Judge L. Todd Burke.

We have editorial comments coming in Tuesday's edition.

Two things bother me about this ...

John Bolton has a recess appointment as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.

He reminds me of the recess bullies I tried to stay away from at George G. White Junior High School in Hillsdale, N.J.

Tip to gangly, bookish diplomats at U.N. Headquarters: Try not to provoke the new bully on the block.

The U.S. House of Representatives record of votes still shows Rep. Charles Taylor, R-N.C., as not voting on CAFTA last week.

Taylor said he did vote -- against CAFTA -- but his vote was somehow not recorded. He promised to correct the error.

We're waiting.

Heads roll in the Rowan County spy scandal.

My column today:

It's easy to use gambling imagery when talking about Las Vegas. So the most important thing to understand right now about the furniture market showdown between Las Vegas and High Point is this ...

The biggest source of air pollution in California's San Joaquin Valley isn't cars or factories, according to a new report.

It's ...

Maybe we can blame global warming on dairy farmers.

Hot off the wire:

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) -- Legislative leaders said Wednesday they don't expect to reach a budget agreement this week, requiring them to again extend a temporary spending measure to keep state government operating.

"It's not going to be done by Friday," said House Speaker Jim Black, D-Mecklenburg.

This is the budget agreement that was supposed to be completed before July 1.

Why do we have to pay every one of 170 legislators another $105 for every day they extend their session?

What we have here is a failure of leadership.

And the legislature is controlled by a single party, the same as the governor's. How bad would it be if there were divided control?

Well, probably not any worse than this.

It came as news to me that the military offers an enlistment option allowing recruits to complete their obligation with service in the Peace Corps.

This happened as a result of legislation tucked into a defense appropriations bill three years ago by Sens. John McCain and Evan Bayh. Not many people knew about it at the time -- not even the Peace Corps.

The Washington Post explains in this story.

I share the concerns expressed by Peace Corps advocates.

Nothing against former military personnel joining the Peace Corps. Many apparently do. There's no reason they shouldn't -- voluntarily.

It's a different story if doing so fulfills an obligation. In that case, they may be motivated more by the need to complete their military commitment than by a desire to contribute to the Peace Corps' mission. And I suppose they also could be considered still under military authority, in that they'd be accountabile to the military if they failed to finish their term in the Peace Corps or did not perform satisfactorily.

The most important thing is that Peace Corps volunteers should not be confused with military personnel. That could increase suspicion of or even hostility to Peace Corps volunteers, who often work on their own in remote locations where they depend on the hospitality of local people.

I have a personal interest in this. My son, Andrew, is entering the Peace Corps next month and will be sent to Tanzania. He'll spend more than two years there as a secondary school math teacher. He's very excited about this opportunity, and I'm happy for him. At the same time, I'll worry about his health and safety. Tanzania is a relatively stable country, although it was the site of one of the U.S. embassy bombings by al-Qaida in 1998. It has a fairly large Muslim population, and I hope no one there would confuse him for a soldier. It seems far-fetched, but misinformation can take hold in some places and lead to misunderstandings.

I respect the courage and dedication of our military personnel. At the same time, I'm glad our country sends a Peace Corps out into the world as well as its "War Corps." The two must remain completely separate of each other -- in perception as well as reality.

The death of 22-year-old Cory McInnis saddens many young adults in High Point but also leaves them with inspiring memories.

The following was written by Rachel Perry, a 2000 High Point Central graduate (UNC '04) who now lives in Atlanta:

A fellow High Point Central graduate said, "Cory was the one kid we had around who made it ok to be different."

Cory McInnis definitely did that. He didn't let those differences stop him from doing anything. Even when he was a freshman in high school, I remember thinking that he had a more active social life than I did as a junior.

Despite the challenges of his wheelchair, Cory did everything the rest of us did, and with a better attitude. He would observe things happening around him and it seemed like he was saving up his witty comments for just the right moment. I remember always being surprised at the quickness of his hilarious sarcasm.

During my junior year of high school, I used to take notes for Cory in his math class and then we'd eat lunch together. I had known Cory as a child, but I hadn't ever really gotten to know him as a teenager. For the first week or so he didn't say too much during class or lunch, but then one day he started injecting comments during my chattering. In two minutes flat I saw how funny he was and how much he picked up on that I hadn't realized before. Cory had an opinion about everything and everyone, just like I did. From then on it was just one diatribe after another, and I loved every minute of it.


I count myself lucky that I had the opportunity to get to know Cory as someone more than the kid in the wheelchair or my friend's cousin. I think everyone was inspired in some fashion by the way he lived his life. He was a fighter to the very end, and did it with a smile.

Cory is one of the people in life who teaches each of those around him something different. It might be a lesson in tolerance, positivity, humor or even faith. The ideas and emotions that he stirred in everyone will forever keep his memory alive in the hearts of his family and friends.

Andrews High School has a poor image, and it's not all undeserved.

But new principal Monique Brooks, with the help of English teacher/former High Point Enterprise reporter Erik Huey, is launching an ambitious effort to improve community and media relations.

PR can't fix problems, of which Andrews has many. But sharing goals and asking for help from businesses, alumni, city leaders and the media can pay dividends.

I applaud Brooks for this new approach. She's coming in like a breath of fresh air. Only two years ago, Andrews had a principal whose answer to trouble was to hide out and suppress communication.

The far better way is to set goals openly, lay out strategies and seek community support.

Please read for yourself today's statement from Andrews:

The International Worker Justice Campaign being pushed by the N.C. Public Service Workers Union is the product of several radical leftist organizations, as this article from Workers World would tell you.

A forum was held in Greensboro yesterday. A report by Jason Hardin appears in our print edition today.

The forum was attended by state Rep. Earl Jones, City Councilwoman Claudette Burroughs-White and former Mayor Carolyn Allen.

The immediate goal in North Carolina is to overturn laws that prohibits public employee unions from collective bargaining and engaging in strikes.

As I've written before, that is not going to happen. North Carolina legislators won't allow schools, police and fire departments and other public institutions to be shut down by militant labor unions.

I wonder what the outcry here would be if President Bush proposed a policy like the one put forth today by British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

My guess: Bush would be accused of destroying what few civil liberties remain in this country, repealing the Bill of Rights, and so on.

But Blair's measure is common sense. If you're not a British subject (and civil liberties belong to citizens), you won't be welcome to stay if you're stirring up hatred and encouraging violence against the population and the government.

Can Britain take such draconian actions and remain a free country?

Yes. And a safer one, too.

Steve Wood, quirky career politician, has filed to run against High Point Mayor Becky Smothers.

This should be fun.

Wood served eight terms in the N.C. House of Representatives, starting back in 1980. He's been knocked out a few times but then somehow manages to bounce back.

A Republican for most of his tenure, he quit the party in 2000 after losing a primary to John Blust. Wearing the Reformed Party label, Wood ran against Blust again in the general election that year and was trounced.

He regained his House seat in 2002 after re-registering as a Republican and beating Chris Whitley, Bob Fowler and Sam Spagnola in a GOP primary. He won without opposition in the general election in a heavily Republican district.

Wood was out again last year, however, after Laura Wiley beat him in another Republican primary.

Throughout his legislative career, Wood has focused on conservative social causes without concerning himself too much about High Point issues. One exception was the FedEx project, which he opposed.

Smothers is a popular, effective mayor who probably will trounce the mercurial Wood. Voters should question whether he's more interested in serving High Point or in landing himself another political perch. His maneuverings -- supporting Democratic legislative leaders in order to have himself elected speaker pro-tem, for example -- usually promote his own interests first. But you never know what might happen.

High Point muncipal races are nonpartisan, but Wood is a Republican (at the moment) and Smothers is a Democrat (albeit one who's strongly pro-business). Wood could receive significant support in Republican north High Point because of his anti-FedEx position and if he runs on an anti-City Hall platform. A lot of people in north High Point are unhappy enough with the city for many reasons (including the schools, which the city can't control) to vote for him. Wood's best shot is to exploit the division between new (north) High Point and old High Point and win some votes in other conservative pockets of the city, maybe by promising to cut taxes. I doubt that will be enough, but it could make for an interesting election.

Of course, Smothers is not politically passive by any means. If Wood attacks her, she'll give as good as she gets. My prediction is that will be good enough.

The NCAA aims to punish colleges and universities that use "hostile or abusive" American Indian nicknames and mascots.

Schools like Florida State (Seminoles), Illinois (Illini) and Utah (Utes) could be barred from post-season tournaments.

Well, what about Notre Dame? Am I the only one offended by its hostile and abusive exploitation of the Irish?

"Fighting Irish" perpetuates a cruel stereotype of drunken brawlers, IRA terrorists and Ulster loyalist thugs.

It's bad enough that ugly representations of the Irish character are perpetuated in the use of such language as "don't get your Irish up," "donnybrook," "blarney," "shenanigans" and "Paddy wagon." But we Irish-Americans must also be subjected to the mockery of Notre Dame athletics.

As the grandson of Irish immigrants, I am hurt by this despicable hateful distortion of a kind and gentle people. The Irish should more accurately be depicted as poets, priests and politicians.

Wait, never mind the politicians.

And what about that Notre Dame mascot, the overgrown leprechaun? I have never seen an Irishman who looked like that. It's a ridiculous caricature of a handsome, dignified ethnic group. I mean, must we endure this?

It is blatant bigotry by the NCAA to protect the pride of Native Americans but ignore the sensitivities of Erin's sons and daughters. If Notre Dame will not change its nickname and mascot to something completely lacking in color, interest or historic significance, I hereby call upon everyone of Irish extraction to assemble in South Bend on the date of the first football game and stage the mother of all donnybrooks.

South Bend police, warm up the Paddy wagons.

The Washington Post reports that rich liberals have pledged $80 million for a new political scheme aimed at regaining the upper hand from conservatives.

Their mission: to think up some ideas.

My prediction: They'll end up going way over budget.

Today's story about super speeders is shocking.

Somebody caught going that fast ought to lose his license.

But I saw a judge in Forsyth County let off a man who was charged with going 90 in a 65 zone. The offender's story: He was thinking about buying this car and just wanted to see what it could do.

Well, maybe 90 is no big deal anyway.

Here's one of my favorite speeding stories.

John Hood writes today about a new study linking geographically larger school districts with lower high school graduation rates.

This is a new twist. A lot has been written about problems associated with school districts that are large in terms of enrollment.

Check out some examples:

here

here

and here.

Some of the issues raised there also have driven a movement -- getting nowhere -- in Mecklenburg County to break up North Carolina's largest school system.

The Manhattan Institute study touted by Hood says geographically large systems hinder school choice. If parents want to place their children in a different system, they often have to move a significant distance, which can necessitate changing jobs and leaving relatives. If school systems were smaller, it would be easier for families to move from one to another.

I suppose that makes sense.

The study doesn't address why a smaller system would be better. Instead, it suggests that "residential school choice" simply provides incentives for school systems to improve rather than lose students to nearby systems.

One problem with the idea that better systems draw more students, however, is that this ppopularity drives growth. The better the school, or school system, the bigger it will get. Right? But then, bigger isn't really better, according to critics of large systems.

Perhaps the ideal is to let some parents send their kids to the best schools and then cap enrollment before other parents try to do the same and spoil it all. In other words, let my kid in but not yours.

My heart goes out to Cindy Sheehan, whose son was killed in Iraq.

Her loss has prompted her to protest the war and demand that President Bush answer her question: "What did my son die for?"

She's set up a camp down the road from Bush's Texas ranch and vows to stay there until he meets with her.

While I sympathize, and support her right to protest, I don't think Bush owes her more than what he's already said about the war.

He says U.S. forces must complete the mission in order to validate the sacrifices already made.

She says nothing can justify one more death.

President Bush and Cindy Sheehan are at an impasse.

The horrors of war always afflict some people more severely than others. Mrs. Sheehan has suffered a great deal. Does that fact by itself make her right, that the war is not worth the cost?

If so, mothers of soldiers killed in every American war could have demanded an end to the fighting as soon as their children fell.

No doubt, Abraham Lincoln heard plaintiff appeals from mothers like Cindy Sheehan after the very first battle of the Civil War.

More than two years later, at Gettysburg, he said:

"It is rather for us the living, we here be dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they here gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain ..."

How will history answer Cindy Sheehan's question? I don't know.

I do believe that conceding defeat now, and giving terrorists the victory in Iraq, would be a terrible thing for this country.

I just hope that won't be the result in the long run anyway.

I'll never forget my elementary school principal, Mr. France. He terrified me.

I was sent to his office twice, experiences that cured me of teenage rebelliousness before I turned 10. To this day, you could stop my heart for a second or two by saying, "Mr. France is here to see you, and he looks really steamed."

Even though he must be 85 by now.

Mr. France was a force to be reckoned with, a man of unquestioned authority. After all, he was the principal. And in my estimation at the time, that was a position of power next in line to the president and maybe the governor.

I've known a lot of principals since then, of course, and my perspective has changed. I learned over the years that principals aren't quite the public school potentates I thought, dispensing discipline to sniveling miscreants, feared and respected by all, answering to no one. Instead, they have many masters, they're constantly second-guessed and, sometimes, they're not all that sure of themselves.

Well, they're only human. And I certainly never thought of Mr. France as "only human."

Despite my more realistic view of principals, I still appreciate the job they do. It's one of the toughest I can imagine.

Principals are educators, but that really means it's their responsibility to provide an environment where teachers can teach and children can learn.

So, they have to make sure school is a safe place. It has to be orderly. It has to be clean, inside and out. The buses have to arrive and leave on schedule, with the right children on each one. Food must be prepared and served properly. Paperwork has to be done correctly. Funds must be exactly accounted for and spent effectively.

The principal hires and supervises the teachers, making sure they know their curriculum, follow school policies and get the material and administrative support they need to concentrate on their students.
The principal has to deal with the superintendent, board of education members, parents, volunteers, the media, the school's neighbors and community leaders -- all of whom may bring complaints, ask hard-to-answer questions and make unreasonable demands.

The principal has to know every student by name and as many parents as possible. He or she has to constantly visit classrooms, keep an eye on the hallways, watch the school grounds for suspicious activity, return phone calls promptly and be available when needed in the office. The principal must show up at every after-school event and attend all PTA meetings. And then there are seminars and central-office meetings that can't be missed.

Principals have to push relentlessly for academic improvement while making sure that teachers don't get burned out and children receive a well-rounded education that includes PE, the arts, field trips and cultural activities.

And, just when a principal finally gets everything working just right in a school and feels comfortable with the community, the faculty and the facility, he or she is transferred to another school and has to start all over again.

That person deserves a round of applause. Yet most of us rarely give a hand to the principal at our nearest school because, unless we have kids there, we probably don't know him or her -- not even a name.
Something's different since Mr. France's time. Then, principals were widely recognized and counted among the leading citizens of the city or town. That doesn't seem true today.

One reason is turnover. Principals seem to come and go so fast, either of their own accord or because the superintendent is continually reshuffling his deck of administrators. Once, a principal might spend 20 years at a school, but no more.

Many of them also tend to be young, even in their late 20s or early 30s. Even students might find it hard to muster up a sense of awe for an authority figure who's a decade younger than their parents.

But I think the real problem lies with the community. People without a direct interest in the schools tend to pay less attention to them and to the people who run them. They don't try to learn who the principal is. And that's a failing because the principal is a key figure in the lives of our community's children, and that makes him or her important to all of us.

Which leads me to a terrific event planned in High Point. It's a reception for all the principals of public schools in that city, sponsored by High Point City Council, the Guilford Education Alliance, High Point Chamber of Commerce and a dozen other organizations. It's scheduled for Aug. 22 at the Roy Culler Center, 600 North Hamilton St., 5:30-7:30 p.m.

That's a good first step. The next step should be for civic clubs and churches to invite these principals to speak to their organizations about what's going on in the schools and how volunteer groups can lend their support. Principals need partners.

I plan to attend, and I'm only sorry Mr. France won't be there.

Rep. Robin Hayes explains his vote for CAFTA in a Fayetteville Observer op-ed.

Hayes, a member of the Cannon textile family, drew harsh criticism for his last-minute flip-flop.

But, ultimately, he voted the right way.

Looks like the legislature will finally pass a budget this afternoon.

It barely happened. In fact, the first of two required votes in the House last night was approved 60-59.

Sen. Kay Hagan told me this morning there actually was talk of giving up and enacting another continuing resolution that would fund state government at current levels ... until the General Assembly reconvened next May.

You're pulling me leg, I suggested.

No, she was serious.

Wow. That would have been a gift to editorial writers.

Instead, we'll just have to write about all the pork-barrel spending in the budget (pork barrel being the money that goes to special projects elsewhere in North Carolina, while money coming here is beneficial to the public good).

This really isn't another entry questioning the Truth and Reconciliation process.

But those shootings happened almost 26 years ago.

Can this community get a handle on the shootings that are wounding and killing people almost every day?

Will poor, hectored Commissioners Davis and Gibson never hear the end of this?

Don't despair, Bruce and Paul.

Just as Rick and Ilsa will always have Paris ...

... no one can take away your memories.

You'll always have Hawaii.

It's easy to see why a proposed redistricting plan for two high schools and two middle schools in High Point isn't gathering much support.

Too many kids would be bused from neighborhoods near one school to schools much farther away.

You can find the maps here.

The schools are Southwest middle and high, Welborn Middle and Andrews High. The objective of these redistricting proposals is to create racial balance. The plan wouldn't change total enrollment numbers much.

I don't think it will work to move children from the Whites Mill Road-Oak Hollow Drive area, near the Southwest schools, to Andrews and Welborn, or children from an inner-city area just south of Andrews and Welborn way up north to the Southwest schools.

Redistricting the Penny Road area from the Southwest attendance zones to Welborn and Andrews does make sense and should have been done a long time ago. The distances are comparable.

There's speculation that, if this redistricting proposal is enacted, it could replace the unpopular high school choice plan. I don't think this proposal will be enacted, and it isn't preferable to the choice plan anyway. The main problem with the choice plan is that the academic component at Andrews hasn't worked well enough yet to attract enough students.

The concept of the choice plan is still good. Ideally, the unique academic programs at each of High Point's three high schools would attract students from throughout the city, providing school choice, creating academic opportunities, perhaps producing a better racial and socioeconomic balance of students at each school and uniting the city in support of its three high schools.

The plan encountered strong objections from the beginning. Many people, especially in north High Point, never bought in and in fact tried to kill it. The school board pushed ahead, but the refusal of so many parents in north High Point to consider sending their children to Andrews or Central activated the involuntary aspect of the "choice" plan -- the lottery.

Once a large number of children were being sent to schools they didn't choose, the plan began to fail. If it continues, it may have to be modified to ensure that more NHP students get to stay at Southwest, which unfortunately would deny other children the opportunity to choose Southwest. Maybe natural selection will balance out the schools in the future if all three can be made equally desirable. That might be hoping for too much, however, if the desire to attend "neighborhood" schools prevails over any other consideration.

The latest redistricting proposal not only moves some children away from their neighborhood school, it would be seen in NHP as bringing in undesirable children to "their" schools. The longest string of comments I've gotten on this blog was when I suggested the High Point Housing Authority should build its new Clara Cox public housing community in NHP. You'd think I was talking about a nuclear waste dump. "Those kids" belong at Andrews, Welborn, Central, Ferndale, etc., according to some people.

Probably my dad's favorite place -- with the possible exception of the Old Course at St. Andrew's -- was Thompson Lake in southern Maine.

When I was a kid and we lived in New Jersey, we rented a cottage on Thompson Lake for a week, sometimes two, every August.

I found a Web site with some Thompson Lake photos.

My dad worked hard all year. He commuted from the Jersey 'burbs into New York City and did a lot of traveling, selling textiles for Cone Mills, then Cannon. Vacation meant a lot to him, and it was always family time.

His passion for fishing rivaled his love for golf. Maybe he enjoyed fishing more, because he never went to play golf while we were on vacation at the lake.

Thompson was about 10 miles long, narrow and very deep, at least in one end. You could fish for land-locked salmon, bass and, in the weedy shallows, pickerel -- a real fighting fish.

I mostly caught sunnies.

Dad loved to get up before the sun -- and that's real early up north in the summer -- and get out on the lake. The cottage came with a little boat with a 3.5 hp engine. It was enough to putter around.

I wasn't that keen on getting up so early. It was often pretty chilly up there. The cottage had a fireplace, and we often used it at night and in the morning to warm up a bit.

I preferred fishing during the long evenings, but not really because of the fish.

Rather, I was enthralled by the loons. Their calls had a haunting quality that created some magical moments on the darkening lake.

They were also playful. If you approached one in the boat, it would dive below the surface and emerge 50 yards away -- then laugh at you. It was great fun to chase them.

The annual vacation in Maine offered lots to do -- swimming, catching frogs, day trips to the coast. Nothing was better than cruising the lake at twilight with my dad.

Thompson remains one of the favorite places of my memory.

Every once in a while, I agree with actions of the American Civil Liberties Union.

I'm halfway on board in regard to its challenge of subway searches in New York.

I disagree that it's unconstitutional to conduct searches without evidence of wrongdoing. If that notion were upheld in court, security checks at airports, courthouses, even schools, would be disallowed. Anybody could walk in carrying any kind of weapon or explosive without having to worry about being searched -- unless he happened to be acting in an obviously illegal manner.

On the other hand, the ACLU is absolutely correct that New York's policy of conducting random searches is ineffective and ensures that "the only people being searched are innocent users of the subway system."

Where security at subway entrances is present, police typically pick out every fifth person for a search -- even if that person is an elderly woman, or a child, or someone else who clearly is not a terrorist.

Of course, as the ACLU points out, a terrorist with a bomb would simply turn back before being searched (and probably proceed to another subway station where searches weren't being conducted).

The ACLU contends that these random searches could lead to racial-profiling. I don't get that concern. The policy of random searches was implemented precisely to avoid racial-profiling.

I can't say I'm so bothered by profiling when it comes for looking for terrorists, because most of them seem to fit a rather narrow profile. This isn't "racial" profiling, however, because it doesn't fit all members of a particular ethnic group (Middle Easterners). It's young Middle Eastern men.

Of course, most Middle Eastern men are not terrorists. All should not be regarded with suspicion at subway stations, airports or anywhere else -- only those who also fit certain behavior profiles. They might be wearing bulky clothing inappropriate for the weather, or they appear very nervous, or they seem to be mouthing prayers. These are observed characteristics of suicide bombers, and police must be on the lookout for warning signs.

Some terrorists fit other profiles altogether or none at all. Other people who are acting in a suspicious manner also need to be watched. But, until al-Qaida and other major terrorist organizations start recruiting suicide bombers from other population groups, it's smartest for security organizations to act on the basis of what they know from experience.

I hope New York subway police do that, despite their politically correct but ineffective policy of random searches. And I hope the courts reject the ACLU's complaint, because otherwise we will be less able to defend ourselves.

Charlotte's speed cameras have nailed 30,000 drivers in their first year of operation, the Observer reports today (registration required).

I guess motorists weren't following these tips to avoid a ticket.

Here's some better advice: Don't drive so damn fast.

I'd like to see Greensboro and High Point set up speed cameras.

Sure, they've had to pull their red-light cameras because the courts said practically all the money collected has to go to the schools.

Charlotte made a deal to give its school system $11 of every $50 collected from the speeding program. The same arrangement could be made here.

If the schools insist on more, then no cameras and no money.

Let's do it. I've missed the whining from drivers who think it violates their constitutional rights to get a ticket for running red lights. No doubt, the same people are also speeding.

Oh, yeah. Greensboro could put a camera on Bryan Boulevard to make sure no bicycle riders try to use the road when police aren't looking.

Auto industry analysts are keeping a close watch on China.

Sure, cars made in China make the Yugo look good. But that's now. Partnerships with Honda, Volkswagen and maybe even Chrysler could change that and lead to another successful export industry for the Asian giant.

China's industrial output is amazing. It increased by 16 percent last month, and that was a slowdown! Auto production, by the way, was 55 percent higher than a year ago. Only 1 percent of auto output is exported now, but the Chinese economic strategy depends on exports so it's only a matter of time before made-in-China cars are shipped out in high numbers -- even to the U.S.

When will American consumers say no more?

At this point, I have to make a confession. A few months ago, my wife and I bought our first imported car -- a Kia. I feel some guilt about that. But at least South Korea is a democratic ally that I'm pretty sure isn't out to dominate the world economy. Nor is South Korea paying slave wages to factory workers, dumping products on foreign markets or keeping its own markets closed to imports.

I want to go on record now: I'll never buy a car made in China.

Are you with me?

Here's an addendum to today's editorial about judicial salaries.

In addition to talking with former N.C. Supreme Court Chief Justice Henry Frye, I had placed to call to Greensboro's other ex-chief, Jim Exum. He was out of town Friday but called me back today.

He strongly concurs that judges are underpaid in North Carolina. Salaries are way out of line, he said, when a deputy city attorney in Greensboro is paid more than the chief justice of the state's Supreme Court.

The problem is really evident when good, mid-career attorneys, the kind of professionals you want to serve as judges, Exum said, feel they can't afford the financial sacrifice. That's why you see so many young lawyers running for and winning judicial seats, particularly on the District Court bench, he said.

In the context of a $17 billion state budget, improvements really wouldn't cost that much, said Exum: "We could have a first-rate judicial system and the legislature would never miss the money."

Do we have less than a first-rate judicial system now? "Yes, absolutely. And it's not getting better."

Exum quickly added that he's not talking about the quality of personnel as much as about support. The judicial system isn't keeping up with technology, there aren't enough deputy clerks. Superior Court judges ought to have law clerks, he said.

The election system is another hindrance to attracting and keeping judges, said Exum, who has argued for judicial reform for years.

"Judicial reform is not for the faint-hearted or short-winded," he quipped.

As the editorial said, big pay raises for judges are not likely anytime soon. Judges will never make as much as top lawyers in private practice. They have to view the job as public service. But judges do important work that ought to be compensated at something more than mediocre pay for the profession.

If you're still smoking, isn't it time to just give it up?

At the very least, don't do it around me.

And if you smoke in the same house, or car, or anywhere, with someone you love, think about the harm you're doing.

Stop before you kill someone.

My column today:

I don't write this kind of story often enough. It's about politicians who put principle over popularity. ...

We're in a terrible dilemma in Iraq.

More and more Americans say we have to get out now.

But tell me: How can we let these murderers win?

This is something like the biggest day ever in Charlotte.

NASCAR officials have come to be feted by city leaders desperate for the Queen City to be chosen as site of a Hall of Fame.

The Observer's coverage is extensive (registration required).

Check out the Web site for the city's NASCAR bid.

Charlotte would pump a tremendous amount of money into this project. Competitors include Atlanta, Richmond, Daytona Beach and, for some reason, Kansas City.

Go, Charlotte. All this effort has got to pay off.

But, if the governor shows up today, don't let him drive anything.

I was amazed by a quote in today's news story, "Forums seek ways to reduce suspensions."

From the article by Bruce Buchanan:

"David Moore, a school volunteer with the east Greensboro-based Men-TOURS group, said bringing in positive role models and mentors can help, too.

" 'You will be surprised at what kind of difference that can make,' he said. 'Once I connect with that kid in first grade, I've got him for life.' "

That's a powerful testimony.

I believe strongly in mentors, role models and tutors. I'm associated with an organization that provides that kind of help for students.

David Moore and Men-TOURS may have a great record of success.

Nevertheless ...

Can a mentor, even one who devotes hours a week to working with a child, really have that irresistibly strong an influence?

Stronger than family?

Stronger than friends?

Stronger than the streets?

In some cases, the answer probably is yes.

In others, sadly, it may be that, no matter how hard a mentor, teacher, coach, minister, Big Brother/Big Sister or other caring adult tries, something is going to pull that child into trouble and failure.

I've seen it happen. The child lives in an environment that simply overcomes the best efforts of those who want to help.

If there is a way to make an early connection with a child that immunizes him or her for life from negative influences, then it needs to be mass produced and distributed all through the country.

Here it comes: Sen. Patrick Leahy has labeled Supreme Court nominee John Roberts a radical right-wing extremist.

This can only mean one thing: Leahy will try to muster a Democratic filibuster against Roberts, forcing Republicans to gather 60 votes to win confirmation.

Leahy has to sell the moderate Democrats who earlier this year agreed to avoid filibusters except in "extreme" circumstances. The term wasn't defined, but Leahy clearly is trying to apply it here.

I don't think Leahy will succeed because the extremist label won't stick to Roberts, except in the estimation of liberal activists. And they have to distort Roberts' record in order to make their case.

I believe and sincerely hope that reasonable Democrats in the Senate will not support a filibuster. If it happens now, it will happen every time from now on, until sanity returns to the judicial confirmation process.

Patrick Leahy, Ted Kennedy, Charles Schumer and a few others (former senator and future Hillary Clinton running mate John Edwards probably will pitch in from the sidelines) are going to cause a lot of trouble unless sensible Democrats rein them in.

Addendum Thursday morning:

Yesterday, the American Bar Association gave Roberts its highest rating, stating he is well-qualified to serve on the Supreme Court by virtue of his integrity, temperament and professional competence.

Leahy brushed off the ABA's opinion.

Not surprising. Integrity, temperament and professional competence mean nothing to Leahy. This is politics. Roberts holds conservative views -- though hardly "radical" or "extreme" -- therefore, he must be opposed.

What politicians like Leahy don't understand is that judges with integrity, such as Roberts, don't issue rulings according to their personal whims. They interpret the law fairly and impartially.

That doesn't suit some individuals -- and I suspect Leahy is one of them -- who expect judges to substitute personal or political views for the law. That's certainly what Leahy would want from a liberal judge.

In response to my column praising five Democratic state senators holding out against the lottery, I've received a couple of e-mail messages like this one:

I just put your editorial down on the Senators holding firm against the lottery and felt compelled or, better yet, obliged to respond.

How dare you compliment these elected officials on inflicting their personal beliefs upon the rest of us.! Their obligation is to their constituents -- that is who they were elected to represent. To often we forget that very point. Yes, their entitled to their opinion and you even point out that Senator Kinnaird occasionally plays the lottery while in Virginia. The point being missed here and one brought forth in your editorial; the majority of North Carolinians have spoken - they want they lottery. Why are these 5 democratic senators (not to mention the 21+ republicans) invoking their puritanical beliefs upon the rest of us. Their obligation is to properly represent the beliefs of the majority in their applicable districts. Their job is to be an emissary or spokesperson for their constituents, not invoke their personal convictions upon them. The actions of the Senators in your article are not to be applauded but should be rebuffed or scorned. Further, there should be serious consideration of a recall for dereliction of their elected duty.

My response:

You raise an interesting theoretical question: What is the responsibility of elected representatives?

Each legislator votes on hundreds of measures during every session. How do they know what the majority of their constituents would want them to do on each one? Even on the lottery, the people have not "spoken," except through public opinion polls. Do we operate government according to public opinion polls? Besides, I'm not aware that these polls are broken down by legislative district. The majority in one district may have a different opinion than the majority in another district. Do you know what the majority wants in the districts of each senator?

I think the way our government works is that we elect people we think will represent our interests best and trust them to use their own judgment when tough issues come up. If we don't like their decisions, we can try to vote them out at the next election. I wouldn't respect a representative who could be pressured into voting for something he thought was wrong.

As we all know by now, Greensboro has been ranked the 72nd-most liberal city in the country out of 237 with population over 100,000.

For some reason, this seemed to give some satisfaction to the chairman of the Guilford County Republican Party, Marcus Kindley.

He apparently thinks it proves his long-held contention about the leftward leanings of the News & Record.

The N&R may or may not be that liberal in its editorial policies -- if you think it is, I won't argue with you -- but this report doesn't prove that.

It does show that Greensboro votes more Democratic than most U.S. cities.

Does that mean it's really all that liberal?

We questioned that assertion in an editorial published yesterday (not posted).

Greensboro voters might prefer Democrats, but the Democrats they vote for may not be as liberal as the Democrats who win office in New York or San Francisco. Neither is Greensboro's social structure -- including its influential business community -- all that liberal.

This isn't exactly the kind of town that's going to put a moratorium on development, let criminals off with a slap on the wrist or welcome a massive gay pride parade anytime soon. Sure, it's progressive in many ways, but it still clings to traditional values.

In short, it's not quite a liberal paradise.

That said, it is a tough town for Republicans. Marcus, you've got your work cut out for you.

I enjoy high school football -- hey, what else can you do in High Point on Friday night? -- and normally look forward to the season starting.

But isn't tonight's kickoff for many schools a week early? I mean, classes don't start until next Thursday.

Seems like the state legislature overlooked something when it decreed that school can't open before Aug. 25.

I thought prep sports was a school function, but I guess not if the football schedule isn't bound by the legislative order.

The delay in starting school was meant to extend summer vacation, helping the state's beach and mountain resort areas.

A lot of high school athletes -- plus cheerleaders, marching band members and others -- aren't getting the benefit of that.

Oh, yeah. I'm going to a game tonight. But I could have waited another week. Why couldn't the football season?

If anyone deserves the death penalty, it's Dennis Rader, the BTK serial killer.

Instead, he was given 10 life sentences in a Wichita courtroom yesterday.

Technically, Kansas is a death-penalty state, but its law is all tangled up in legal challenges, as this news story explains.

That's not why Rader escaped with his life, however. He finished his murder spree in 1991. Kansas didn't re-enact a death penalty until 1994. There was no death penalty in force at the time Rader was committing his heinous atrocities on children and adults.

Kansas has not carried out an execution since 1965.

Maybe it never should. If you can't execute someone like Rader, how can you put anyone else to death?

One more thought: While we decry the cruelty of capital punishment, who will mourn if Rader meets the same fate as Jeffrey Dahmer?

The North Carolina Association of Educators has issued an Action Alert trying to mobilize support for the lottery.

OK, if the teachers' organization thinks promotion of state-sponsored gambling serves a fine purpose and sets a worthy example for children, it's welcome to go for it.

My NCAE member wife doesn't approve, but no one with NCAE asked her.

I really don't like the NCAE running radio ads targeting three state senators who are holding out against the lottery.

Three Republican senators.

I wrote a column Wednesday about the five Democratic senators who refuse to vote for the lottery.

NCAE apparently is going easier on the Democrats than on Republicans Richard Stevens, Harry Brown and John Garwood.

So be it. The NCAE is off target. As one of the Democrats, Ellie Kinnaird -- a strong supporter of public education -- told me, the lottery really won't help schools. If schools get lottery money, they'll be cut other money they would have gotten otherwise.

The ad campaign deserves to fail. Hang tough, anti-lottery senators.

This story from California hasn't been widely reported in the secular press but it could signal the beginning of a trend.

An Orange County Superior Court dismissed a suit against St. James Church in Newport Beach by the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles.

St. James declared itself independent of the Episcopal Church a year ago, protesting the consecration of an openly gay bishop.

It affiliated instead with the Anglican Communion of Uganda.

Yes, Uganda in Africa. The church is very conservative in Africa, and it's growing very fast.

The diocese sued, claiming that under church canon it owned all St. James church property. The court said no.

Presbyterian and Methodist churches have been fighting similar battles.

Most denominations try to enforce the same claim as the Episcopalians, that church property belongs not to the local church but to a larger governing body.

I think this is a good policy, and I'm sorry to see state courts overruling church law. Without this claim, an influx of radicals in a local church could take over and wrest control from the denomination. Denominational stability depends in part on ownership of property.

At the same time, the Episcopal Church in this case, and the Presbyterians and Methodists in others, are venturing onto shaky ground -- not legally necessarily but in terms of their credibility and legitimacy.

The St. James parishioners pointed out correctly that it wasn't they who left the Episcopal Church but the Episcopal Church that began to abandon the faith as guided by traditional biblical beliefs.

Other Protestant denominations are drifting in that direction as well.

If the only way they can maintain the unity of the church is by enforcing their property claims, they're going to end up owning empty buildings.

The Apostle Paul urged Christians to settle their differences between themselves and not to take disputes to the secular courts. That's still good advice.

The Libertarian Party may be wiped out of existence in North Carolina today. State elections officials could decide to decertify the LP for failing to win at least 10 percent of the vote in last year's presidential and gubernatorial elections or gather enough signatures on petitions to retain official recognition.

That's an outrage. North Carolina election laws make it unreasonably difficult for third parties to compete with Democrats and Republicans.

That's because Democrats and Republicans make the rules.

I'm not a Libertarian. In fact, I'm not a Democrat or a Republican, either. I'm one of more than a million North Carolina voters registered as unaffiliated.

If the Libertarian Party loses its ballot status, its registered members will be dumped into the ranks of the unaffiliated.

In partisan races, it's next to impossible for unaffiliated candidates to get on the ballot in North Carolina.

In this state, you can register with any party you like -- as long as it's Democrat or Republican.

Shouldn't we have a little more political freedom than that?

I attended two outstanding events in High Point yesterday evening. ...

How many High Points have you notched?

I'm not referring to the Furniture Capital of the World.

This is about High Pointers, the name for people who aspire to climb or walk to the highest natural elevation in each of the 50 states.

You have to say natural elevation because Florida has buildings that are taller than 345-foot Britton Hill near Lakewood.

And you can't count a peak if you got up under mechanical power.

I've been to the top of New Hampshire's Mount Washington, foremost among the peaks of the Presidential Range, but that was on its famous Cog Railway. I don't get a High Point for that.

For many years -- until earlier today, in fact -- I thought I had achieved the summit of New York State's most towering mountain. Alas, I was mistaken.

As a young camper in the Catskills, I was forced with other whining wimps by brutal counselors to plod up the muddy slopes of aptly named Slide Mountain. I regarded that feat as the ultimate achievement in Empire State mountaineering until learning that 4,180-foot Slide is much the inferior of mighty Mount Marcy, which stands an imposing 5,344 feet.

That leaves me with only one High Point to my credit. But it is indeed the greatest of them all (in the Eastern U.S., that is).

I mean, of course, our very own Mount Mitchell. I hiked up the magnificent 6,684-foot giant many years ago, touching other imposing peaks along the route.

So, my score stands at one down, 49 to go. Anybody around here ahead of me?