News-Record.com

I think Skip and Davis need to give their raises away. Put them towards the museum, or paying their own taxes.
Don't turn this into a democrat vs. republican thing, Allen. Cuz that's not really what it is.
What it REALLY is, is people playing race cards, extorting taxpayer money, not paying their own taxes and throwing stones at an honorable man named Crayton. That's what it really is.

Bad try! Sorry your corrupt democrats make all democrats look bad. So with normal liberal thinking blame someone else.

Come again, Doug? Not sure I follow your line of thinking.

Bush League post, PERIOD!!

Of the 6 people who voted to give themselves the raise, how many received the endorsement of the N&R when they were either up for election or re-election?

By my count, one of them was endorsed by the News & Record, Democrat Kirk Perkins. We endorsed Republicans Trudy Wade and Roger Cotten over Democrat Paul Gibson for the at-large seats. Carolyn Coleman, Bruce Davis and Skip Alston faced no opposition. Kay Cashion was appointed.
Having said that, even if we'd endorsed them all, that hardly places them above criticism.
As for the Republicans, if they oppose the raises, they shouldn't take them. Democrats who privately feel likewise ought to display some guts and join them.
This is not about parties. It's about right and wrong.

Allen,

I appreciate the response you just delivered.

People perceive what they want to perceive. We all are guilty of that in some shape and form.

And as you point out, endorsing individuals does not mean that you forfeit your right to criticize them later if they fail to live up to your standards.

Sometimes it must be taken into account that we have to choose among the lesser of all available evils.

And of course, just about all candidates paint themselves at least somewhat rosier than they actually are.

It will, as you point out, be telling to find out if the commissioners as a whole reverse themselves or if individuals representing either party choose to take a noble stand and refuse to accept their raises.

Time will tell all.

Sincerely,

Hardy

Allen,

If the Republicans didn't take the raises, how would the N&R cover it. Would it be on the front page?

I can imagine that they would be accused of grandstanding immediately.

But I agree that it would be a good start in atoning to voters for their actions.

Allen,

OFF SUBJECT:

On my blog, I posted about and linked to Ciara Lilly's column, "An encounter with racism at Southwest," which appears on the News & Record's editorial pages today.

As I mention in that post, I had previously linked to her column, but I'm not sure if I did so prominently enough for anyone to notice.

The issues and experiences addressed in Ciara's column seem important enough for discussion among bloggers, either on your blog or on the "Chalkboard" (or both).

I plan to make another post soon with some of my own opinions and observations related to what Ciara writes.

Sincerely,

Hardy

Hardy, you're right about her column needing online coverage.

Allen, can we get permission to host the article on our blogs for discussion that should and will ensue?

I read the article on racism at Southwest in the previous post, and I ask- is perception reality?

Isn’t it just quite possible that Ciara Lilly’s experience had nothing to do with racism? Suppose the reaction to her first day was the normal reaction of a class to a new student, regardless of race. The teacher’s alleged cold reaction seemed to be quickly tempered the next day when she called on Ms. Lilly to tell a little about herself. This doesn’t sound like indifference to me. Maybe the other kids shaking their heads was a reaction to the stupidity of the boys disrupting the class. Suppose the groans when she mentioned that she had gone to Andrews were a normal reaction from the student body to the mention of a cross-town rival (I know that when I went to Andrews in the 80’s, we had a similar reaction to people who went to Central or Ragsdale). Maybe the white girl’s disappointed looks were meant to convey to Ms. Lilly an apology for the stupid behavior of a few boys in disrupting class. How is disrupting class racist? Did she see any of the “encouragement” between the white people that she missed from Andrews? If not, doesn’t that discount the racist theory because they don’t “encourage” each other either? How much encouragement was she expecting on her first day?

I attended Andrews in the 1980’s. My best friend was black. We took AP courses together, and we all got along. Andrews was a lot more “white” then than it is now. Maybe if the N&R and other venues would stop building up racism, peoples perceptions of things would be different. If you build it, they will come. It seems to me that what Ms. Lilly experienced was not racism, but a normal reaction to a new student in a classroom with a few cutups. That happens regardless of race. Maybe she has been taught to see racism everywhere. We will never make progress as long as that happens.

Samuel,

There is certainly the possibility that you could be correct, in some or all of your points.

But there is at least the equal possibility that Ciara could be correct.

And the greater likelihood is that neither of you is completely "correct" on every point you each make.

The truth, whatever it might be and whichever way it might be, would not surprise me either way.

As you mention, perception is a mighty powerful beast, and it affects whites at least in equal doses as it does African-Americans (and others).

I am willing to accept the possibility of some of your scenarios, and I plan to make a more detailed post related to your points, as well as others I've been pondering.

But just as I would be foolish to dismiss your point of view on this matter without any consideration of its potential merits, you would be equally foolish to dismiss Ciara's point of view in the same sweeping fashion.

Sincerely,

Hardy

I've heard elected officials say that they voted one way or the other, not because they believed it was the right way to vote, but because they knew the issue would pass (or fail) and they were just making a "statement."

Mr. Johnson,
The truth answered your question. I have seen this before, the bad guys get the press to make the people that vote against something look bad.
In short you are siding with the bad guys, you as a taxpayer should be bashing them.I think I can prove my point, take Basnight and Black, most papers in NC did not even carry the story about them and OUR TAX DOLLARS, it would have been front page news if a republican had done this. My guess you will hear no more about this the good boy network is alive and well in NC.By the way I am a democrat, I have the crazy notion that tax money is for schools, police, and fire dept, and things that serve the public. Not for PORK to make ***HOLES rich.OF course if these folks had turn the raise down, your story like Truth said , look at them grandstand.Give a good story about our beloved Black & Basnight.

Doug:
The News & Record did carry coverage of the Basnight-Black shenanigans and we editorialized against them.
We also assailed the Democrats mercilessly for the commissioners' raise (see my column this week).
But that does not excuse the Republicans for accepting money that contend they don't deserve.
Winstead and Wade didn't accept the raises.