April 2008 archives

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Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Obama bail out: Wright is put to curb, but what about what he said ...

After weeks of not really defending, but not really condemning his controversial pastor, Barack Obama came out Tuesday, stood in front of a crowd and made the choice to end his association with his longtime minister. The decision came on...

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Future project: Expecting more not less best way to encourage students

It might seem like a lot of work and more headaches for the schools, but the decision to require North Carolina seniors to do significant work before they get their diplomas is nothing short of dead on correct. By demanding...

Saturday, April 26, 2008

Small sacrifice: One Saturday in school frees up day to honor troops

As expected, the discussion of the Memorial Day holiday and whether children should or should not be in school has turned into a little more of an argument. The problem is, the only way to remove the obligation of school...

Friday, April 25, 2008

N.C. ad battle: McCain doesn’t have to like it, but NCGOP has right to say it

It’s a battle no one would have seen coming. The North Carolina Republican Party is refusing to remove an ad off the air that criticizes presidential candidate Barack Obama and his relationship to his controversial pastor the Rev. Jeremiah Wright....

Thursday, April 24, 2008

A difference: Volunteer of the Year and his fellow soldiers changed lives

You have heard the phrase that one person can make a difference in our children’s future, right? Well, meet one man. Capt. Gregory McCray isn’t taking full credit for his award as the Volunteer of the Year in Wayne County...

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Party of two ... Now there is reason to look closely at future of taxes

Uh, oh. Just when you thought it was safe to think about perhaps giving the OK to the county to collect a little bit more money, out comes the news — the city of Goldsboro is considering a tax hike,...

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Fancy footwork: Defense secretary’s comments made even him squirm

Defense Secretary Robert Gates started backtracking almost as soon as the words were out of his mouth about the quality of the contributions the U.S. Air Force has made to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. He did not mean...

Monday, April 21, 2008

Money matters: Is reserve amount something commission should tap?

You know, when you think about it, the Wayne County Republican Party has brought up an interesting point. Why does Wayne County need three times the state requirement for reserves, especially in this time of economic difficulty? And by the...

Saturday, April 19, 2008

It wasn’t magic: Earlier generations knew how to control their spending

In the midst of the talk about credit crunches and a mortgage industry plagued with subprime borrowers, there is some insight into the struggles that American families are facing that seems clear to those who grew up in the Great...

Friday, April 18, 2008

New Pied Piper: Obama’s message resonates with many across country

No matter how you feel about his proposals for the future of your country, you have to give Barack Obama credit for one thing — charisma. In his speech Thursday in Greenville, Obama started the call for change — and...

Thursday, April 17, 2008

Time to refocus: National election might be fun, but it’s time to look elsewhere

Knock, knock. Anyone there? This absolutely has to be best season ever to be a politician running for local office. The rest of the world is so busy watching the Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton soap opera that they really...

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Focus on reality: State of the city, county and schools requires honesty

Politicians love to summarize their accomplishments — and if, in the process, the enumeration means a collection of positives for the future, heck, why not call a big meeting to share the information with the citizens and voters. So it...

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Tax perspective: Today’s the day to think about what government costs you

Today is the day all Americans dread — especially those who do not have a tax refund coming. Tax day is when Americans of all sorts finally realize that it costs money to run the government — and just how...

Monday, April 14, 2008

Clinton no-show: Not much excitement here for former president

There was a time when a visit from former President Bill Clinton would have packed a house, with hundreds waiting outside, just in case a couple of extra seats opened up. Not so this weekend, when the charismatic former commander...

Sunday, April 13, 2008

Brutally early start: Attacks among the very young reveal a deepening horror

Unless you have been under a rock this week, you probably have seen the videotape of the teenagers who decided to attack a classmate when she arrived at one of the girls’ Lakeland, Fla., homes this week. The hoodlums lured...

Friday, April 11, 2008

Military-friendly: Community should preserve its reputation among airmen

You hear it all the time. Those who are coming to Seymour Johnson Air Force Base say it, and those who retire from the service confirm it: This is a good place to come if you are a member of...

Thursday, April 10, 2008

Ask questions? Hillary Clinton wants to know what you are thinking ... tell her

You have seen the commercial. Hillary Clinton, alone on the screen, a look of caring and concern on her face. She tells viewers that she wants to know what they are concerned about and that the election is “not about...

Tuesday, April 8, 2008

Cleanup crew: After more than a year of scandal, its time for honesty

After weeks of wondering and news coverage, at long last yet another member of the North Carolina state government has been sentenced to prison time for unethical behavior. And while former Rep. Thomas Wright is still proclaiming his innocence, there...

Saturday, April 5, 2008

What really works: Education fights poverty more effectively than social programs

There are already a lot of people talking about eradicating poverty in general and what the presidential candidates are going to promise to do about improving the lives of the nation’s lower income residents in specific. Also in the news...

Friday, April 4, 2008

Wise head start: John McCain needs to use time to really listen

It must be pretty sweet to be John McCain these days. While your opponents are beating up on each other, you can travel around the country and speak directly to voters about your plans if you are elected president. You...

Thursday, April 3, 2008

Shocking plot: So violence on TV, in videos doesn’t really matter, huh?

A group of Georgia elementary school students will be facing the consequences for some time after their plot to hurt their teacher was discovered last week. The children, all under the age of 10, had worked out their plan down...

Wednesday, April 2, 2008

Dialogue next: Chamber does need to listen to community’s concerns

Too bad Mount Olive College associate professors Peter Appleton and Paul Cwik were not speaking for the college when they suggested that perhaps the Wayne County Chamber of Commerce’s State of the Community address did not quite start off with...

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

Shine the light: Secrecy of any kind is bad news for taxpayers

You might wonder why anyone really cares if Gov. Mike Easley deleted e-mails. With so many other reasons to be concerned about ethics in North Carolina’s legislature and government, it might seem like a tempest in an already boiling teapot....