Newsbusted is new for August 31, 2010 please enjoy the embedded video from our friends at Newsbusters CLICKHERE
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Newsbusted is New for August 31, 2010 Please Enjoy THe Embedded Video from Our Friends at Newsbusters
Newsbusted is new for August 31, 2010 please enjoy the embedded video from our friends at Newsbusters CLICKHERE
If Roy Carroll's Centerpoint is relatively empty, how can Downtown Greensboro be 92% full?
"At the August 19 meeting, the board also heard an annual update from Ed Wolverton, the president of [publicly funded] Downtown Greensboro Inc.
He said a thriving downtown is integral to a thriving county economy.
Wolverton told the board that, within a one-mile radius of the intersection of Market Street and Elm Street...roughly 2,100 businesses operate within that zone and added that, despite a troubled economy, the occupancy rate for commercial office space in downtown Greensboro remains relatively high.
"Downtown is 92 percent full," he told the board."
Or warehouse space?
Or retail space?
He said nine new businesses had opened up in the last year, creating about 100 new jobs.
He didn't mention how many downtown businesses had closed or how many jobs had been lost.
Wolverton also said that, going forward, the big problem facing downtown Greensboro is one everyone is aware of: the great need for more parking...
Scott Yost
Rhino Times
He said a thriving downtown is integral to a thriving county economy.
Because it's a lobbyists job to say that?
Wolverton told the board that, within a one-mile radius of the intersection of Market Street and Elm Street...roughly 2,100 businesses operate within that zone and added that, despite a troubled economy, the occupancy rate for commercial office space in downtown Greensboro remains relatively high.
"2,100", of which how many are lawyers
who want to work near a courthouse and a jail?
"Downtown is 92 percent full," he told the board."
But not including condos?
Or warehouse space?
Or retail space?
He said nine new businesses had opened up in the last year, creating about 100 new jobs.
He didn't mention how many downtown businesses had closed or how many jobs had been lost.
Wolverton also said that, going forward, the big problem facing downtown Greensboro is one everyone is aware of: the great need for more parking...
Is Mr. Wolverton using taxpayer dollars
to lobby elected representatives for more debt and taxes for everyone
to pay for some amenities for a select few "stakeholders,"
many of which fund a majority of the political process?
Scott Yost
Rhino Times
Don't steal from my kids.
.
George Hartzman
"Broke City Breaking Employee Contracts"
"The city of Miami is so broke it's forcing employees to take pay cuts, even though they're under contract.
...The city is operating under a state of "fiscal urgency," declared earlier this summer. The budget deficit for next fiscal year is about $110 million.
That fiscal urgency declaration allows city commissioners to impose salary cuts on employees, despite their contracts.
...what really stirs some is that this is happening while the city contributes about $125 million in tourism tax dollars to the construction of the new Marlins baseball stadium.
...operating expenses and tourism tax dollars are different pots of money, but it's the principle and the wisdom of the spending that's being questioned during the city's most difficult financial time ever."
http://www.nbcmiami.com/news/politics/city-to-employees--were-broke-so-were-breaking-your-contracts-101830903.html
...The city is operating under a state of "fiscal urgency," declared earlier this summer. The budget deficit for next fiscal year is about $110 million.
Are Greensboro's press corps allowed to say
what the City of Greensboro and Guilford County's budget deficits are?
.
If not, why, and if so, why haven't the government's deficits been disclosed by the press?
.
The proposed cuts in salary, pension contributions and health insurance costs amounts to about $86 million in savings for the city..
Why would who not want Guilford County residences
to know what the government shortfalls are?
That fiscal urgency declaration allows city commissioners to impose salary cuts on employees, despite their contracts.
...what really stirs some is that this is happening while the city contributes about $125 million in tourism tax dollars to the construction of the new Marlins baseball stadium.
Doesn't that sound like the same kind of money
being spent on a Swimmer Aquarium/Aquatic Center in Greensboro?
...operating expenses and tourism tax dollars are different pots of money, but it's the principle and the wisdom of the spending that's being questioned during the city's most difficult financial time ever."
http://www.nbcmiami.com/news/politics/city-to-employees--were-broke-so-were-breaking-your-contracts-101830903.html
Skip Alston on Taxes and the Greensboro News and Record
"I am not going to be voting for a budget that's going to cut services to the poor or those that can't help themselves. So don't think that for a minute, regardless of what the News & Record wants to try to portray."
"At the same time we are trying to cut where we can cut with fat within county government. I still think there's a lot of things in Guilford County government that can be run a lot more efficient, and we're looking at those things..."
Total Principal and Interest Due 2010/12...................$98,352,299
Total Principal and Interest Due 2010/11....................-$70,850,005
Additional Principal and Interest Outlay.....................= $27,502,294
Minus 2010/11 Fund excess surplus elimination........$36,695,976
Plus additional corrections costs for new jail................$9,000,000
Potential 2011/12 Budget Deficit...................................$73,198,270
.I think the manager's doing an excellent job of identifying cuts in our county government that's not going to hurt this county. Yes, we're going to have to tighten it up a little bit. We're not used to that. We're usually passing the buck to the taxpayer. But times have to change. And that's why we're trying to make sure we do more with less."
..."But if the majority of this board wants to have a 4- or 5-cent tax increase, if you want to give the school board all their money, you don't want to ask any hard and tough questions, you don't want to make the tough decisions, vote for a tax increase."
Greensboro News and Record
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Should the Greensboro News & Record inform the public
as to how much debt Guilford County intends to create in 2010 and 2011
and how much cash the County is spending?
."At the same time we are trying to cut where we can cut with fat within county government. I still think there's a lot of things in Guilford County government that can be run a lot more efficient, and we're looking at those things..."
If Guilford County, North Carolina spent ~$53,161,224
more than received in tax and other revenues in FY 2009/10
and plans to spend $36,695,976 more than expected income in FY 2010/11,
should the county borrow $191,400,000 more in FY 2010/11
and $155,930,000 more in FY 2011/12,
while drawing down $89,857,200 of savings in two years?
Source: Pages 18 and 198, Guilford County adopted FY 2010/11 Budget
.
"Again, the budget that is passed will be passed by us.".
Has the Greensboro News & Record informed the public
of the actual state of the City of Greensboro's or Guilford County's finances?
.
"And if the majority of this board wants to have a tax increase, then you get six votes and you have a tax increase. It's that simple. We don't have to have a no tax increase.".
If Guilford County's revenues are expected to fall about $31 million within 3 years,
should the Greensboro News and Record inform the public?
.
$566,852,416 Actual 08/09 Revenues
$547,402,275 Amended 09/10 Revenues
$535,745,660 Expected 10/11 Revenues
$566,852,416 Actual 08/09 Revenues
-$535,745,660 Expected 10/11 Revenues
= $31,106,756 Expected Annual Revenue Loss from 08/09
.
"I would not be voting for a budget with a tax increase because I don't think it's necessary."$547,402,275 Amended 09/10 Revenues
$535,745,660 Expected 10/11 Revenues
$566,852,416 Actual 08/09 Revenues
-$535,745,660 Expected 10/11 Revenues
= $31,106,756 Expected Annual Revenue Loss from 08/09
.
If Guilford County could face a $73 million budget deficit in 2011/12
why hasn't the Greensboro News and Record reported it?
why hasn't the Greensboro News and Record reported it?
Total Principal and Interest Due 2010/12...................$98,352,299
Total Principal and Interest Due 2010/11....................-$70,850,005
Additional Principal and Interest Outlay.....................= $27,502,294
Minus 2010/11 Fund excess surplus elimination........$36,695,976
Plus additional corrections costs for new jail................$9,000,000
Potential 2011/12 Budget Deficit...................................$73,198,270
.
If a family of 2 parents and 3 kids can’t afford a vacation,
and the parents decide on a family election,
in which the 3 kids vote in favor,
who should accept responsibility
when the parents can't pay the mortgage?
..."But if the majority of this board wants to have a 4- or 5-cent tax increase, if you want to give the school board all their money, you don't want to ask any hard and tough questions, you don't want to make the tough decisions, vote for a tax increase."
Greensboro News and Record
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Class Warfare
"As our economy hurtles towards its meeting with destiny, the political class seeks to assign blame on their enemies for this Greater Depression. The Republicans would like you to believe that Bill Clinton, Robert Rubin, Chris Dodd, and Barney Frank and their Community Reinvest Act caused the collapse of our financial system. Democrats want you to believe that George Bush and his band of unregulated free market capitalists created a financial disaster of epic proportions. The truth is that America has been captured by a financial class that makes no distinction between parties.
...Never have so few, done so little, and made so much, while screwing so many.
...The parallels between the period leading up to the Great Depression and our current situation leading to a Greater Depression are revealing. When you examine the facts without looking through the prism of party politics it becomes clear that when the wealth and power of the country are overly concentrated in the clutches of the top 1% wealthiest Americans, financial collapse and depression follow. This concentration of income and wealth did not cause the Stock Market Crash of 1929 or the financial system implosion in 2008, but they were a symptom of a sick system of warped incentives. The top 1% of income earners were raking in 24% of all the income in America in 1928. After World War II until 1980, the top 1% of income earners consistently took home between 9% and 11% of all income in the country. During the 1950′s and 1960′s when average Americans made tremendous strides in their standard of living, the top 1% were earning 10% of all income.
A hard working high school graduate could rise into the middle class, owning a home and a car.
From 1980 onward, the top 1% wealthiest Americans have progressively taken home a greater and greater percentage of all income. ...By 2007, the top 1% again was taking home 24% of the national income, just as they did in 1928. When the wealth of the country is captured by a small group of ruling elite through fraudulent means, collapse and crisis becomes imminent. We have experienced the collapse, while the crisis deepens. Capitalism is supposed to be an economic system in which the means of production and distribution are privately owned and operated for profit; decisions regarding supply, demand, price, distribution, and investments are not made by the government; Profit is distributed to owners who invest in businesses, and wages are paid to workers employed by businesses.
The American economy is in no way a free market capitalistic system. It has become a oligarchic consumer capitalist society that is manipulated, in a deliberate and coordinated way, on a very large scale, through mass-marketing techniques...
...[the] poor have no chance of joining the the rich.
The game is rigged.
...But, hard times have arrived. And they are about to get harder.
The rich have armed guards to keep the poor at bay.
They will need an army of guards before this crisis subsides."
Jim Quinn
The Burning Platform
...Never have so few, done so little, and made so much, while screwing so many.
...The parallels between the period leading up to the Great Depression and our current situation leading to a Greater Depression are revealing. When you examine the facts without looking through the prism of party politics it becomes clear that when the wealth and power of the country are overly concentrated in the clutches of the top 1% wealthiest Americans, financial collapse and depression follow. This concentration of income and wealth did not cause the Stock Market Crash of 1929 or the financial system implosion in 2008, but they were a symptom of a sick system of warped incentives. The top 1% of income earners were raking in 24% of all the income in America in 1928. After World War II until 1980, the top 1% of income earners consistently took home between 9% and 11% of all income in the country. During the 1950′s and 1960′s when average Americans made tremendous strides in their standard of living, the top 1% were earning 10% of all income.
A hard working high school graduate could rise into the middle class, owning a home and a car.
From 1980 onward, the top 1% wealthiest Americans have progressively taken home a greater and greater percentage of all income. ...By 2007, the top 1% again was taking home 24% of the national income, just as they did in 1928. When the wealth of the country is captured by a small group of ruling elite through fraudulent means, collapse and crisis becomes imminent. We have experienced the collapse, while the crisis deepens. Capitalism is supposed to be an economic system in which the means of production and distribution are privately owned and operated for profit; decisions regarding supply, demand, price, distribution, and investments are not made by the government; Profit is distributed to owners who invest in businesses, and wages are paid to workers employed by businesses.
The American economy is in no way a free market capitalistic system. It has become a oligarchic consumer capitalist society that is manipulated, in a deliberate and coordinated way, on a very large scale, through mass-marketing techniques...
...[the] poor have no chance of joining the the rich.
The game is rigged.
...But, hard times have arrived. And they are about to get harder.
The rich have armed guards to keep the poor at bay.
They will need an army of guards before this crisis subsides."
Jim Quinn
The Burning Platform
Monday, August 30, 2010
I, George Hartzman, dare Sue Polinski to schedule a debate at Converge South...
Without deviation from the norm,
progress is not possible.
Frank Zappa
I, George Hartzman, dare Sue Polinski to schedule a debate at Converge South with Sam Spagnola, Ed Cone, Joe Guarino, Roch Smith, Keith Brown, Dave Ribar, David Wharton, George Hartzman, Jeff Martin, and whoever else could be interesting from Greensboro's Blogosphere.
The end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started
and know the place for the first time.
T. S. Eliot
Why Greensboro’s, Guilford County’s and America’s Political System is Broken
In a hierarchy, every employee tends to rise to his level of incompetence.In time, every post tends to be occupied by an employeewho is incompetent to carry out his duties.
Work is accomplished by those employees
who have not yet reached their level of incompetence.Dr Laurence J Peter
Market Failure
…market failure exists to the extent that innovation is blocked by incumbents. If innovators can succeed by out-competing incumbents, then the market is working. If incumbents have a self-reinforcing system that keeps out innovators, then we have market failure.
…Suppose that we have a group that wants enormous political power. The group rewards people who justify its power by calling them "experts." It punishes those who question its power by dismissing them as "hacks." If you want money and status, you want to be labeled as an expert. In order to be labeled as an expert, you produce analysis that justifies concentrated political power for the elite group.
This process is self-reinforcing...only "reliable" people are allowed to be CEO's or policymakers. A requirement for being "reliable" is sharing the views of other "reliable" people as to what constitutes reliability.
It is like the tenure system in academia. Who gets tenure? Above all, it is people who support the existing tenure system.
…Of course, incumbents never want to change the process, but markets can force change.
…There is a market failure in health care. Instead of innovation, what gets rewarded are ideas and policies that entrench the existing system.
…There is a market failure in education. Educational institutions are evaluated not on the basis of rigorous standards but instead on the basis of a system of credentialism that is self-referential. X is acceptable because X has been certified by Y, which is acceptable because it has been certified by Z, and so on. In order to climb the ladder in academia, you have to display allegiance to the credentialist ideology. You have to reinforce the incumbents and help snuff out innovation. Our program is accredited, and yours is not. So there.
…The key is whether a reputation system is reasonably open to innovation, or whether it serves primarily to maintain the status of incumbents.
The reputation system…serves the incumbents, who want to centralize political power. The relationship between politicians and experts is the most serious market failure of all. It is our version of what I have called the Moral Rot Factor.
...I think that there is still a high probability that we are on a path to a system in which a political elite ruthlessly rewards its friends and punishes its enemies, leading to a society with much less innovation and much more corruption. I do not foresee gulags and mass murders, but there is plenty of potential for moral rot in cronyism, and that I do fear lies ahead.
Arnold Kling
Pornography, Porno, Porn, XXX in Greensboro, North Carolina
If pictures of women in tennis attire is pornographic,
should all Greensboro women’s tennis programs be cancelled?
If some believe pictures of women and men in bathing suits is pornographic,
Are members of a church more likely to give campaign contributions
to a "pious" Council Member who attends the same church,
after said church’s preacher gives a sermon on the dangers of pornography?
If all men not wearing shirts in any pictures on the internet is pornographic…?
Should public schools should be segregated by sex?
Should Roman statues be covered?
If a Catholic Priest says it’s OK for him to touch you wherever he wants,
should you believe him?
Should clergy who support political grandstanding
Does the government always act in the majority’s best interests?
Should “abstinence-until-marriage” education
replace explicit sex-education programs,
Should contraceptive measures for raped woman be outlawed?
Should school curriculums teach Creationism,
Should morning prayers be instituted in public schools
and end with “in Jesus’ name we pray”?
Can an atheist be superstitious?
Should no mosque on American soil
be within a mile of an elementary school?
Are all Muslims terrorists?
Can a robot be one of God’s children,
and if so, is it OK to enslave intelligent machines?
Should Biblical dietary and punishment laws be strictly enforced?
Do you get to wear clothes in heaven
but not in hell?
Should special police in charge of monitoring moral behavior
Should elected lawmakers seek to avoid imposing their religious views
upon the communities in which they reside?
What do you believe that you can’t prove?
Are communities who lean towards religion infused government
Why are weak governments and/or fringe political movements
more likely to embrace religion or nationalism
in times of economic and social instability
and/or when distractions appear helpful to bury other more important issues?
Should all sexually active homeless persons within the city limits be removed?
Should all those of a religion other than those sanctioned by government,
wear an insignia stating their religion on their garments at all times in public?
If sentient beings on another planet played chess with Earthlings
would God would be on our side, as long as the player is a white, not gay, Christian American?
Were we all predestined to have free will?
If I knew you were a robot,
should all Greensboro women’s tennis programs be cancelled?
Should all children in public school
be taught that evil is compatible with an omnipotent and benevolent God?
If some believe pictures of women and men in bathing suits is pornographic,
should public swimming pools will be closed?
Are members of a church more likely to give campaign contributions
to a "pious" Council Member who attends the same church,
after said church’s preacher gives a sermon on the dangers of pornography?
If pictures of women and men wearing dancing tights is pornographic,
should all publicly funded dance groups be disbanded?
If all men not wearing shirts in any pictures on the internet is pornographic…?
Should public schools should be segregated by sex?
Should dancing be prohibited?
Should Roman statues be covered?
If a Catholic Priest says it’s OK for him to touch you wherever he wants,
should you believe him?
Should public employees using phones with internet access
be denied access to pornographic web sites?
Should clergy who support political grandstanding
receive privileged access to Greensboro’s political and municipal executives?
Does the government always act in the majority’s best interests?
Should a married pregnant unemployed high school drop out
who knows the child will have AIDS and autism
have to receive permission from her husband to get an abortion
after being raped by her schizophrenic brother-in-law?
Should “abstinence-until-marriage” education
replace explicit sex-education programs,
school-based clinics, and the distribution of contraceptives in schools?
Should contraceptive measures for raped woman be outlawed?
What is the likelihood that the God of rectangle shaped people has four sides?
Should school curriculums teach Creationism,
and have a disclaimer before any evolutionary topics,
like biology, or chemistry, or geology, or platectonics,
or world history, or dinosaurs, or physics?
Should morning prayers be instituted in public schools
and end with “in Jesus’ name we pray”?
Should Jewish children be prohibited from dating Christian children?
Can an atheist be superstitious?
Should no mosque on American soil
be within a mile of an elementary school?
Should religious and/or alternative sexual orientation
be a required disclosure on all public identification?
Are all Muslims terrorists?
Can a robot be one of God’s children,
and if so, is it OK to enslave intelligent machines?
Should all children be taught at the earliest ages
that their parents are obligated to give 10% of their families income
to their religious leaders?
to their religious leaders?
Should Biblical dietary and punishment laws be strictly enforced?
Do you get to wear clothes in heaven
but not in hell?
Are all men who look for porn at the library child molesters?
Should special police in charge of monitoring moral behavior
be given the right to use corporal punishment on anyone under the age of 21?
Should elected lawmakers seek to avoid imposing their religious views
upon the communities in which they reside?
Should the United States of America officially declare war on Islam?
If the government arrests a citizen for pornography,
should the accused be publicly humiliated before trial,
unless they are related to or are good friends with a public official?
What do you believe that you can’t prove?
Are all women who look at porn at the library lesbians?
Are communities who lean towards religion infused government
more or less likely to pass religious based legislation
like alcohol prohibition, dancing, female submission, book burning,
what could be unnecessary pornography restrictions,
public school curriculums, abortion or homosexuality?
Why are weak governments and/or fringe political movements
more likely to embrace religion or nationalism
in times of economic and social instability
and/or when distractions appear helpful to bury other more important issues?
Should any man caught "sexually" looking at women in public libraries be removed?
Should all sexually active homeless persons within the city limits be removed?
Should all those of a religion other than those sanctioned by government,
wear an insignia stating their religion on their garments at all times in public?
Should anyone who disagrees with the will of a majority of a minority,
be prohibited in engaging in public discourse?
If sentient beings on another planet played chess with Earthlings
would God would be on our side, as long as the player is a white, not gay, Christian American?
Are you a robot?
Were we all predestined to have free will?
If I knew you were a robot,
would you want me to tell you?
Bartering with the Greensboro Coliseum Just Got More Interesting.Open Letter To City Attorney Terry Wood
Open letter to the Greensboro City Attorney Terry Wood,
I read a online article in the Greensboro News and Record on August 27, 2010 with a title"technically it's money" CLICKHERE. In the article it states that you the city attorney thinks that the bartering with companies is ok at the Greensboro Coliseum.Triadwatch has a ongoing post on bartering at the Greensboro Coliseum now up to PART #5 CLICKHERE .
But let's look at North Carolina State Law.§ 143‑129 thanks to Vie De Malchance CLICKHERE.
Procedure for letting of public contracts.
(a) Bidding Required. – No construction or repair work requiring the estimated expenditure of public money in an amount equal to or more than five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000) or purchase of apparatus, supplies, materials, or equipment requiring an estimated expenditure of public money in an amount equal to or more than ninety thousand dollars ($90,000) may be performed, nor may any contract be awarded therefor, by any board or governing body of the State, or of any institution of the State government, or of any political subdivision of the State, unless the provisions of this section are complied with; provided that The University of North Carolina and its constituent institutions may award contracts for construction or repair work that requires an estimated expenditure of less than five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000) without complying with the provisions of this section.
For purchases of apparatus, supplies, materials, or equipment, the governing body of any political subdivision of the State may, subject to any restriction as to dollar amount, or other conditions that the governing body elects to impose, delegate to the manager, school superintendent, chief purchasing official, or other employee the authority to award contracts, reject bids, or readvertise to receive bids on behalf of the unit. Any person to whom authority is delegated under this subsection shall comply with the requirements of this Article that would otherwise apply to the governing body.
(b) Advertisement and Letting of Contracts. – Where the contract is to be let by a board or governing body of the State government or of a State institution, proposals shall be invited by advertisement in a newspaper having general circulation in the State of North Carolina. Where the contract is to be let by a political subdivision of the State, proposals shall be invited by advertisement in a newspaper having general circulation in the political subdivision or by electronic means, or both. A decision to advertise solely by electronic means, whether for particular contracts or generally for all contracts that are subject to this Article, shall be approved by the governing board of the political subdivision of the State at a regular meeting of the board.
The advertisements for bidders required by this section shall appear at a time where at least seven full days shall lapse between the date on which the notice appears and the date of the opening of bids. The advertisement shall: (i) state the time and place where plans and specifications of proposed work or a complete description of the apparatus, supplies, materials, or equipment may be had; (ii) state the time and place for opening of the proposals; and (iii) reserve to the board or governing body the right to reject any or all proposals.
DID THIS BARTER AGREEMENT GET ADVERTISED LIKE IT SHOULD HAVE UNDER STATE LAW? PLEASE SHOW ME THE PROPER PROCEDURES THE CITY OF GREENSBORO FOLLOWS IN REGARDS TO BARTER AGREEMENTS WITH COMPANIES FOR SERVICES OR EQUIPMENT?
In the News and Record online article here is what the Greensboro City Attorney had to say :
"Earlier this month City Attorney Terry Wood give the practice a thumbs up on what seems to be a technicality. State law allows cities to barter for things like goods and services.
The law, however, requires that construction projects over a certain amount of money be publicly bid and awarded to the lowest bidder.
By that policy, it would seem as though the Coliseum violated the law by hand-picking companies to give tickets or other goodies in exchange for, as in the case of a to-be-built VIP lounge, construction of a new heating and air conditioning system.
Not so, Wood said. The law discusses an “expenditure of public money” and case law shows that must refer to actual cash.
Although the case law does not specifically talk about trade and barter agreements, Wood feels confident it applies.
“What it says is, if you are going to spend city money, you must bid it,” Wood said. “We aren’t spending city money.”
Also in the article the UNC School of Government talks about how this situation with the $270,000 price tag on a barter agreement with Brady Trane on a state of the art HVAC machine should have been bidded out.
Is there any processes for how to handle barter agreements with the City of Greensboro or did Coliseum Director Matt Brown have the autonomy to do as he pleases in regards to bartering at the coliseum?
It will be interesting to see if any Greensboro City Council member will want to talk about this issue or even bring it up but it looks like to some that Greensboro City Attorney is splitting hairs with state law and there needs to be more about this whole issue brought out on the table or see just how much each local municipality can barter and do we need to look at more procedures on when and how you can barter for services on a local and state level.
Will try to get more answers to these questions in future post along with more barter agreements with other local companies.
Week in Review: Last Week's Linkfest of Greensboro Bloggers
Spencer Guilty, Tabor Not
Roch 101
The Greensboro News and Record Editorial Board on Guilford County finances
George Hartzman
Triad Watch
RUCO Taskforce Plods Forward
Jordan Green
Linda Shaw Betrays District Three On Taxes
Spag
RUCO
Ed Cone
State of the Community – in Jesus name
Sue Polinsky
Bloggers Having To Pay for a Business License in One CIty , Guess Which One? Laughable
Kieth Brown
Triad Watch
700 Porn Hits Per Day on Greensboro Public Library Computers
Guarino
Guarino's relativism
Applied Rationality
Skip Alston, Guilford County, the Greensboro News & Record, Yes Weekly, the Rhino and other local media outlets
George Hartzman
Triad Watch
Roch 101
The Greensboro News and Record Editorial Board on Guilford County finances
George Hartzman
Triad Watch
RUCO Taskforce Plods Forward
Jordan Green
Linda Shaw Betrays District Three On Taxes
Spag
RUCO
Ed Cone
State of the Community – in Jesus name
Sue Polinsky
Bloggers Having To Pay for a Business License in One CIty , Guess Which One? Laughable
Kieth Brown
Triad Watch
700 Porn Hits Per Day on Greensboro Public Library Computers
Guarino
Guarino's relativism
Applied Rationality
Skip Alston, Guilford County, the Greensboro News & Record, Yes Weekly, the Rhino and other local media outlets
George Hartzman
Triad Watch
Saturday, August 28, 2010
New York Times on Glen Beck
to revive in the nation the spirit of unity and cooperation.
It will preserve and defend those basic principles
on which our nation has been built.
It regards Christianity as the foundation of our national morality,
and the family as the basis of national life.
Adolf Hitler
February 1, 1933
" …a Call for Religious Rebirth“Something that is beyond man is happening,” Mr. Beck said in opening the event as the crowd thronged near the memorial grounds. “America today begins to turn back to God.”
It was part religious revival, part history lecture, as Mr. Beck invoked the founding fathers and the “black-robed regiment” of pastors of the Revolutionary War
…While Tea Party groups have said they want to focus on fiscal conservatism and not risk alienating people by talking about religion or social issues, the rally on Saturday was overtly religious, filled with gospel music and speeches that were more like sermons.
…Many in the crowd said…they had been motivated to come by faith.
Becky Benson, 56, traveled from Orlando, Fla., because, she said, “we believe in Jesus Christ, and he is our savior.” Jesus, she said, would not have agreed with what she called the redistribution of wealth in the form of the economic stimulus package, bank bailouts and welfare.
…He told the crowd that he had begun planning his march on Washington a year ago, thinking “it was supposed to be political.”
“And then I kind of feel like God dropped a giant sandbag on my head,” he said.
“My role, as I see it, is to wake America up to the backsliding of principles and values and most of all of God,” he said. “We are a country of God."
New York Times
My feelings as a Christian points me to my Lord and Savior as a fighter.
...As a Christian I have no duty to allow myself to be cheated
but I have the duty to be a fighter for truth and justice...
For as a Christian I have also a duty to my own people.
Adolf Hitler
April 12, 1922
Newsbusted is New for August 28, 2010 Compliments from Newsbusters
Newsbusted is new for August 28, 2010 please enjoy the embedded video compliments from our friends at Newsbusters CLICKHERE
Friday, August 27, 2010
John Hammer on the White Street Landfill and Ulturnagen: July 30, 2009
looking to relocate to Greensboro,
want to move to a city that openly considers
what could eventually be massive tax increases?
"The stupidity of the special City Council briefing ...cannot be exaggerated.…representatives of Ulturnagen (which according to their own testimony has never done anything like this), with the aid of $500 million from Greensboro, was going to take Greensboro's garbage and turn it into a host of saleable items…if Greensboro were willing to pay for the construction, take all the financial risks, waive all the fees and permits and build high tech asphalt and concrete plants on the site, then [Ulturnagen] would be willing to share a portion of the profits with Greensboro.
...During the period from January, when the council traditionally holds a weekend retreat, to June, when the council passed the budget, the mayor never managed to schedule a council retreat or, for that matter, hold a comprehensive discussion of the budget.
But when a bunch of guys put together a limited liability corporation to turn garbage into cash, then the City Council has to call a special meeting to discuss whether or not to give them $500 million to build a pipe dream out at the White Street landfill.
…Greensboro is struggling to get by on less revenue because of the economic downturn. So the idea that the city could just decide to spend $500 million on a startup company, and technology that is not being used by any other city that the principals of this company could name in the world, is beyond belief.
Also consider the $75 million hotel on Lee Street, where Johnson was so hot to get to Washington to help a woman raise $75 million for a $75 million project that she had to fly up there on a private jet. Did anyone notice that when the free trip to Washington was taken off the table there was no effort to take a commercial flight or even drive?"
No Pots Of Gold In White Street Garbage
John Hammer
Rhinoceros Times, July 30, 2009
The Greensboro News and Record Editorial Board on Guilford County finances
"Not in great condition
Melvin “Skip” Alston declared the state of county government to be “in great condition”and then explained how it’s not.
...additional revenue is needed more urgently now, Alston said, because of $651 million in bond projects approved by voters in 2008.
Paying for them will add $52 million in debt-service costs to next year’s county budget, Alston predicted."
Alston is right that the public has to pay for the projects...it said it wanted."
...It’s hard to disagree with Commissioner Paul Gibson, who said, “The way we’re doing it, it’s like someone’s asleep at the wheel.”
...voters have reason to believe commissioners themselves aren’t much alarmed.
...The recession has cut into tax revenues..."
.
.
"Current conditions are precarious, and leaders have to find real solutions."
The Greensboro News and Record Editorial Board
Melvin “Skip” Alston declared the state of county government to be “in great condition”and then explained how it’s not.
...additional revenue is needed more urgently now, Alston said, because of $651 million in bond projects approved by voters in 2008.
Paying for them will add $52 million in debt-service costs to next year’s county budget, Alston predicted."
.
If Total Principal and Interest Due in 2010/12 is.........$98,352,299,
If Total Principal and Interest Due in 2010/12 is.........$98,352,299,
and Total Principal and Interest Due in 2010/11 is ...-$70,850,005,
and the additional Principal and Interest Outlay is.............$27,502,294,
not counting additional corrections costs of ..................$9,000,000,
where did Mr. Alston come up with $52 million more number?
.Did someone from the Greensboro News & Record
ask what the expected 2011/12 Budget Deficit is?
.
Has the Greensboro News & Record informed the public
Has the Greensboro News & Record informed the public
of the actual state of the City of Greensboro's or Guilford County's finances?
.
.
"The sales-tax hike would cover only about $12 million of that, but even that amount would take pressure off the property tax.
Alston is right that the public has to pay for the projects...it said it wanted."
.
"it said it wanted"
.
Don't they really mean "the projects the N&R promoted and endorsed"?
Don't they really mean "the projects the N&R promoted and endorsed"?
.
Don't they really mean
Don't they really mean
"the projects the Greensboro Partnership and Downtown Greensboro promoted"?
.
Don't they really mean"the projects TREBIC promoted"?
Don't they really mean"the projects TREBIC promoted"?
.
"He demonstrated responsible leadership by urging business executives at Wednesday’s gathering to support the sales-tax increase."
.
.
But not responsible leadership
when Mr. Alston promoted and voted for the debt to be placed on the ballots
with the endorsement of the Greensboro News & Record?
.
.
"Many in the audience, however, might have puzzled over Alston’s claim that the county is in “great condition”...
...It’s hard to disagree with Commissioner Paul Gibson, who said, “The way we’re doing it, it’s like someone’s asleep at the wheel.”
...voters have reason to believe commissioners themselves aren’t much alarmed.
When the chairman opens his remarks by pronouncing that county finances are in “great condition,” voters can be satisfied with that and tune out whatever contrary details follow.
...The recession has cut into tax revenues..."
.
Should the Greensboro News & Record inform the public
as to how much revenues have fallen instead of using generalities?
.
.
"but hasn’t reduced demands for public services or eliminated debt payments."
.
.
Should the Greensboro News & Record inform the public
as to how much debt Guilford County intends to create in 2010 and 2011
and how much cash the County is spending?
.
"Current conditions are precarious, and leaders have to find real solutions."
The Greensboro News and Record Editorial Board
If Guilford County, North Carolina spent ~$53,161,224"
more than received in tax and other revenues in FY 2009/10
and plans to spend $36,695,976 more than expected income in FY 2010/11,
should the county borrow $191,400,000 more in FY 2010/11
and $155,930,000 more in FY 2011/12,
while drawing down $89,857,200 of savings in two years?
.
Source: Pages 18 and 198, Guilford County adopted FY 2010/11 Budget
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Should the Greensboro News & Record report Guilford County's revenue shortfall before a vote on a tax hike?
$566,852,416 Actual 08/09 Revenues
$547,402,275 Amended 09/10 Revenues
$535,745,660 Expected 10/11 Revenues
$566,852,416 Actual 08/09 Revenues
-$535,745,660 Expected 10/11 Revenues
= $31,106,756 Expected Annual Revenue Loss from 08/09
http://www.co.guilford.nc.us/11budget/9%20-%20Exp%20Rev%20summ%20pies.pdf
$547,402,275 Amended 09/10 Revenues
$535,745,660 Expected 10/11 Revenues
$566,852,416 Actual 08/09 Revenues
-$535,745,660 Expected 10/11 Revenues
= $31,106,756 Expected Annual Revenue Loss from 08/09
http://www.co.guilford.nc.us/11budget/9%20-%20Exp%20Rev%20summ%20pies.pdf
"Cutbacks force police to curtail calls for some crimes"
"Cutbacks force police to curtail calls for some crimes
Budget cuts are forcing police around the country to stop responding to fraud, burglary and theft calls as officers focus limited resources on violent crime.
Cutbacks in such places as Oakland, Tulsa and Norton, Mass. have forced police to tell residents to file their own reports — online or in writing — for break-ins and other lesser crimes.
"If you come home to find your house burglarized and you call, we're not coming," said Oakland Police spokeswoman Holly Joshi. The city laid off 80 officers from its force of 687 last month and the department can't respond to burglary, vandalism, and identity theft. "It's amazing. It's a big change for us."
...In Tulsa, which lost 110 officers to layoffs and retirements, the 739-officer department isn't sending cops to the scene of larceny, fraud and car theft.
...In the Boston suburb of Norton, police told residents there may be delays or no response at all to some calls, including vandalism. The department posted the new policy on its website."
USA Today
Budget cuts are forcing police around the country to stop responding to fraud, burglary and theft calls as officers focus limited resources on violent crime.
While Greensboro and Guilford County borrow about $300,000,000 this year
to build stuff like a swimming pool?
Cutbacks in such places as Oakland, Tulsa and Norton, Mass. have forced police to tell residents to file their own reports — online or in writing — for break-ins and other lesser crimes.
"If you come home to find your house burglarized and you call, we're not coming," said Oakland Police spokeswoman Holly Joshi. The city laid off 80 officers from its force of 687 last month and the department can't respond to burglary, vandalism, and identity theft. "It's amazing. It's a big change for us."
...In Tulsa, which lost 110 officers to layoffs and retirements, the 739-officer department isn't sending cops to the scene of larceny, fraud and car theft.
If Guilford County, North Carolina is looking at a $73,000,000 Budget Deficit next year,
and the City of Greensboro won't tell anyone about the state of the City's finances,
how long could it be before the police and the fire departments limit services here?
...In the Boston suburb of Norton, police told residents there may be delays or no response at all to some calls, including vandalism. The department posted the new policy on its website."
USA Today
RUCO WTF?
What does the following sentence mean?
"Task force members on the industry side
argued the RUCO Advisory Board had already instructed them
to eliminate proactive inspections;
Newton and McKee-Huger said they could not agree to that."
Donna Newton's compromise?
“I think if I can get back to them
they will seriously consider that on multifamily housing
in the place of sampling on multifamily housing,” [Donna] Newton said.
“My read is that they are not going to willingly give up
RUCO certification of single-family houses that are new on the rental market
and they will still want sampling of single-family housing.”
Who are they?
Does that imply that they are about to give up something else?
What's the something else?
"The RUCO Advisory Board voted earlier this month
to have the task force explore an option drafted by TREBIC President Marlene Sanford
that calls for eliminating “most proactive inspections and the RUCO certificate..."
Is Marlene Sanford a Lobbyist?
"Among those in the audience for the meeting
were Mayor Pro Tem Nancy Vaughan, who made the initial request
for the task force to review options for making the program more efficient,
and Assistant City Manager Andy Scott."
If Marlene Sanford is a Lobbyist,
how do Nancy Vaughan and Andy Scott feel about the RUCO Taskforce
meeting at the headquarters of the Lobbyist who wants to eliminate the program?
Jordan Green
Yes Weekly
Why is Marlene Sanford on the RUCO Taskforce?
.
Why hasn't the Greensboro News & Record Editorial Board chimed in yet?
It's only been a couple of months.
Greensboro News & Record Editorial on the White Street Landfill from June 28, 2009
"Editorial: It's a dirty job, but ...
.
Small wonder the City Council seems more eager these days to discuss a new swim center than an old landfill.
.
Talking trash is neither as much fun nor as easy.
.
Talking trash is neither as much fun nor as easy.
.
…the council chose to avoid the most obvious.
.
…the costs and implications of reopening the White Street Landfill."
.
…the costs and implications of reopening the White Street Landfill."
.
Why would who give whom permission to build and sell new homes near a landfill,
and why did who buy them?
"The landfill opened in 1940.
Further, some of the houses nearest the landfill weren't built until 1990.
If a few purchased relatively inexpensive homes
near a landfill established more than 60 years ago,
why should the many unaffected who may have paid more for their residences
to avoid potential hazards and easements,
be taxed to have trash shipped elsewhere during a recession?
near a landfill established more than 60 years ago,
why should the many unaffected who may have paid more for their residences
to avoid potential hazards and easements,
be taxed to have trash shipped elsewhere during a recession?
"…the question of where garbage goes and for how much is important
and will affect the lifestyles and pocketbooks here for decades to come…
…cost is particularly pertinent given the ongoing economic downturn
and tightening city budgets."
Should you do what you need to whether you like it or not,
sooner than later?
sooner than later?
"…Between July 1, 2008, and May 31 of this year
the city spent $7.67 million using the transfer station…
In terms of pure dollars and cents,
maintaining and expanding the White Street facility remains the least costly option."
Is it hard to get entrenched economic and political leadership to understand,
if relative legitimacy depends on not understanding?
if relative legitimacy depends on not understanding?
"The council knew this all along.
A 2001 consultant's report projected the White Street option as costing between $3.60 and $4.30 per household, versus $9.40 to $13.30 for "out-of-county disposal," and $26 to $31 for burning and recycling,
…which option serves the greater good?
Further, there is ample room to expand in that area, mostly on land where development is sparse.
Expansion would buy time for even longer-term regional and technological solutions.
Put all of the facts on the table and revisit all of the options.
Ask everything that needs asking while there is time, especially the hardest questions."
Greensboro News and Record Editorial Board, June 28, 2010
Should many well run businesses and educated workers
be attracted by what could be a financially sound well managed municipality
with relatively low tax rates,
as what may be the worst recession since the Great Depression
transitions into a new era of economic growth?
Bartering With The Greensboro Coliseum Part #5 Yes Weekly!
Yes Weekly Bartering Agreement With Greensboro Coliseum
The Greensboro Coliseum has barter agreements with some local companies and with the Greensboro City Council meeting on 7-20-2010 they were funding a new facility called the VIP Room. It was pointed out on another post at TRIADWATCH CLICKHERE about questions for Coliseum Director Matt Brown in regards to bartering services and construction jobs at the coliseum . This post and other post in the coming days will show you what we received in a open records request under North Carolina state law inquiry into the barter agreements at the Greensboro Coliseum.
Part #1 Barter Agreement with WFMY News 2 CLICKHERE
Part #2 Barter Agreement with Greensboro News and Record CLICKHERE
Part #3 Barter Agreement with The Rhinoceros Times CLICKHERE
Part #4 Barter Agreement with Our State Magazine CLICKHERE
Part #5 Barter Agreement with Yes Weekly!
This barter agreement between the Greensboro Coliseum and the weekly triad newspaper in Yes Weekly! is for a 2 year agreement which started on August 1, 2009 and runs through July 31, 2011 .
If you would like to see the agreement click on the scribd version above and here is what is in the agreement.
Yes Weekly! gets:
6 VIP Carlyle Club memberships
2 back lit signage panels located in the arena concourse (40" by 60")
4 Broadway Gold Circle season tickets valued at $1,160 and $1,840 worth of various other tickets for events at War Memorial Auditorium(based on venue availability from event contracts)
Greensboro Coliseum gets:
52 full page ads in Yes Weekly! to run as one ad per week for 52 weeks with a total of $56,420 with it being a value based on the 2007 rate card.
We also found out that Yes Weekly! is also in talks with the Greensboro Coliseum on naming rights at the new amphitheatre that is being built along with the new VIP room, CLICKHERE with a editorial title "Nature of the Business". You will also see this in the editorial
" Currently at issue is an ACC VIP lounge, approved by council last week, to be funded by a grant from Ovations as part of a deal for securing concession rights in the arena. Some seem to feel that the money should have been used against the $1.8 million or so subsidy afforded the venue by the city."
This grant money as the editors at Yes Weekly! state should go back and pay down the $1.8 million subsidy the Greensboro taxpayers pay each year. It would be interesting to see if the Greensboro City Council signed off on this million dollar contract with Ovations or does Matt Brown have complete control over everything and every contract because as we have seen with the Brady Trane barter agreement it might just be illegal to have a barter agreement like that one on a construction job for a state of the art HVAC system which might need to be bidded out and not bartered out.
If you would like to see what the Carlyle Club looks like CLICKHERE , it is now called "The Club" because Carlyle & Co is no longer in existence as a local high end jeweler in the area.
The Club
We invite individuals and corporations to become members of Greensboro's exclusive sports and entertainment club and experience all the Coliseum has to offer from reserved premium Club level seats.
Your membership to The Club includes these exclusive privileges:
• A luxuriously upholstered arena seat in the carpeted prime mid-court or end-court upper level Club sections
• Professional wait staff service at your premium Club seat
• Complimentary tickets* to major Coliseum events
• VIP parking and private Club entrance
• Full access to Club facilities, including bar/lounge/dining area and private restrooms.
• Buffet service for Club Members only
Look for more post in the coming days on other local companies who barter and have advertising agreements with the Greensboro Coliseum.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Dear Guilford County Commissioner Billy Yow,
[Billy] Yow said the $11.6 million
the county estimates the increase will bring in each year
will [NOT] come close to covering the bond debt voters approved
for new schools, parks projects and a new county jail.
Joe Killian
If Total Principal and Interest Due in 2010/12 is.........$98,352,299
and Total Principal and Interest Due in 2010/11 is ...-$70,850,005
the additional Principal and Interest Outlay is.............$27,502,294,
not counting additional corrections costs of ..................$9,000,000,
how can $11.6 million come close to covering the bond debt?
Do both Mr Yow and Parks seem to be shifing blame from the Commissioners
to the voters?
Update: "That’s actually a typo of some sort.
Can’t figure out who’s at fault but Yow said it will NOT come close."
JK
Joe Killian
News & Record
JK
Joe Killian
News & Record
Dear Guilford County Commissioner John Parks,
If a family of 2 parents and 3 kids can’t afford a vacation,
and the parents decide on a family election,
in which the 3 kids vote in favor,
who should accept responsibility
when the parents can't pay the mortgage?
Joe Killian
and the parents decide on a family election,
in which the 3 kids vote in favor,
who should accept responsibility
when the parents can't pay the mortgage?
Commissioner John Parks said the voters approved the bond debt
and it was now the board's job to find a way to pay for it as best they can...
Joe Killian
If the Guilford County Commissioners put the debt on the ballot
for the electorate to vote for, and recieve campaign donations
from those who would benefit from the increased debt,
like members of the publicly financed Greensboro Partnership and Dowtown Greensboro,
of which the leading news outlets are a part of and actively support,
whose fault is it,
those who voted to place the debt on the ballot (parents/commissioners)
and those who promoted it,
or the manipulated children/electorate?
Information Request for the City of Winston Salem, North Carolina
What were City of Winston Salem's FY 2008/9's net revenues
minus appropriated fund balances?
What are City of Winston Salem's expected FY 2009/10's net revenues
minus appropriated fund balances?
What are City of Winston Salem's FY 2010/11's expected net revenues
minus appropriated fund balances?
.
.
What was the dollar amount of the gap
between City of Winston Salem's FY 2008/9 spending
and FY 2009/10’s revenues?
What is the projected dollar amount of the gap
between City of Winston Salem's FY 2009/10 spending
and FY 2010/11’s expected revenues?
What is the expected dollar amount of the gap
between City of Winston Salem's FY 2010/11 spending
and FY 2011/12’s expected revenues?
.
.
What were City of Winston Salem's total fund balances
at the end of FY 2008/9,
and at the end of FY 2009/10,
and what are the anticipated year end total fund balances
for FY 2010/11?
.
.
What are the 8% statutory minimums for City of Winston Salem's total fund balances
for 2010/11?
George Hartzman
Triad Watch
emailed to: citylink@cityofws.org
August 25, 2010
minus appropriated fund balances?
What are City of Winston Salem's expected FY 2009/10's net revenues
minus appropriated fund balances?
What are City of Winston Salem's FY 2010/11's expected net revenues
minus appropriated fund balances?
.
.
What was the dollar amount of the gap
between City of Winston Salem's FY 2008/9 spending
and FY 2009/10’s revenues?
What is the projected dollar amount of the gap
between City of Winston Salem's FY 2009/10 spending
and FY 2010/11’s expected revenues?
What is the expected dollar amount of the gap
between City of Winston Salem's FY 2010/11 spending
and FY 2011/12’s expected revenues?
.
.
What were City of Winston Salem's total fund balances
at the end of FY 2008/9,
and at the end of FY 2009/10,
and what are the anticipated year end total fund balances
for FY 2010/11?
.
.
What are the 8% statutory minimums for City of Winston Salem's total fund balances
for 2010/11?
George Hartzman
Triad Watch
emailed to: citylink@cityofws.org
August 25, 2010
Information Request for the Government of High Point, North Carolina
"Please type your message here."
What were High Point, North Carolina’s FY 2008/9's net revenues
minus appropriated fund balances?
What are High Point, North Carolina’s expected FY 2009/10's net revenues
minus appropriated fund balances?
What are High Point, North Carolina’s FY 2010/11's expected net revenues
minus appropriated fund balances?
.
.
What was the dollar amount of the gap
between High Point, North Carolina’s FY 2008/9 spending
and FY 2009/10’s revenues?
What is the projected dollar amount of the gap
between High Point, North Carolina’s FY 2009/10 spending
and FY 2010/11’s expected revenues?
What is the expected dollar amount of the gap
between High Point, North Carolina’s FY 2010/11 spending
and FY 2011/12’s expected revenues?
.
.
What were High Point, North Carolina’s total fund balances
at the end of FY 2008/9,
and at the end of FY 2009/10,
and what are the anticipated year end total fund balances
for FY 2010/11?
.
.
What are the 8% statutory minimums for High Point, North Carolina’s total fund balances
for 2010/11?
George Hartzman
Triad Watch
emailed to: customerservice@highpointnc.gov
August 25, 2010
Thank you for your email.
We will respond within one business day.
High Point Customer Service
What were High Point, North Carolina’s FY 2008/9's net revenues
minus appropriated fund balances?
What are High Point, North Carolina’s expected FY 2009/10's net revenues
minus appropriated fund balances?
What are High Point, North Carolina’s FY 2010/11's expected net revenues
minus appropriated fund balances?
.
.
What was the dollar amount of the gap
between High Point, North Carolina’s FY 2008/9 spending
and FY 2009/10’s revenues?
What is the projected dollar amount of the gap
between High Point, North Carolina’s FY 2009/10 spending
and FY 2010/11’s expected revenues?
What is the expected dollar amount of the gap
between High Point, North Carolina’s FY 2010/11 spending
and FY 2011/12’s expected revenues?
.
.
What were High Point, North Carolina’s total fund balances
at the end of FY 2008/9,
and at the end of FY 2009/10,
and what are the anticipated year end total fund balances
for FY 2010/11?
.
.
What are the 8% statutory minimums for High Point, North Carolina’s total fund balances
for 2010/11?
George Hartzman
Triad Watch
emailed to: customerservice@highpointnc.gov
August 25, 2010
Thank you for your email.
We will respond within one business day.
High Point Customer Service
If the City of Greensboro’s average employee salary is about $50,000...
If the City of Greensboro’s average employee salary is about $50,000,
and the city could not spend about $10,000,000 per year
by reopening the White Street Landfill and suspending borrowing,
could Greensboro's City Council have to choose
between shipping our trash to Montgomery County
and unsustainable indebtedness for what we don't need,
or about 200 city jobs,
like figher fighters and police,
sooner than later.
Each generation has the right by will of its majority to bind themselves,
Thomas Jefferson
and the city could not spend about $10,000,000 per year
by reopening the White Street Landfill and suspending borrowing,
could Greensboro's City Council have to choose
between shipping our trash to Montgomery County
and unsustainable indebtedness for what we don't need,
or about 200 city jobs,
like figher fighters and police,
sooner than later.
We should consider ourselves unauthorized
to saddle posterity with our debts
and morally bound to pay them ourselves.
Each generation has the right by will of its majority to bind themselves,
but none to bind the succeeding generation.
Thomas Jefferson
On George Hartzman's Simpkins PAC interview and the White Street Landfill with Skip Alston, Earl Jones, Alma Adams, Goldie Wells and Steve Bowden
On September 22, 2009, I attended an interview at 7:15pm with the Simkins PAC.
Attendance included Skip Alston, Earl Jones, Alma Adams, Goldie Wells, Steve Bowden and Diane Munden.
When contacted by Diane Munden for the interview, I immediately disclosed I was not seeking endorsements nor taking donations from PACs, Lobbyists or Special Interest Groups, which I have written and spoken of often. Diane said they wanted to do the interview anyway, so I agreed.
It was an amazing experience.
I didn't know how many people would be in the room beforehand, and I had no idea that I was going to be meeting those attending. After introductions, I was asked why I decided to run, which was initially over fiscal budgetary problems Greensboro faces going forward.
This immediately led to an extensive discussion of whether or not to reopen the White Street Landfill, about which we vehemently disagreed. I said we may be faced with a choice of temporarily reopening the landfill or having to cut hundreds of city jobs if revenues continue to decline. A repeated response involved asking if I would like to have the landfill in my neighborhood. I responded that many if not most of those living near the landfill moved there after it opened in 1940, and that I probably would not have bought my home if I was aware of a nearby existing landfill. I also tried to make the point that if we are faced with a budgetary choice, and we decide to keep the landfill closed, the lost jobs would most likely be city services helping members of the community not unlike the socioeconomic situations of those living around the landfill.
There was some discussion amongst the interviewers of which ethnicities have always ended up with the short end of the stick when times get tough, and to a point I agreed, but I said I felt the issue of the landfill isn’t one of race, but of a fiscal and budgetary choice we may very well have to face in the near future, in which there will be only the best of unfortunate choices involved. At one point, I asked what they thought was a way to fix the budget pressures I saw coming relative to White Street, but the question was lost in the conversation.
I remember talking about how the state confiscated $8 million from Greensboro’s beer and wine tax to balance the state budget, and the raids on rainy day funds plus the stimulus money the state used this year which will not be there next year, and that more state level budget cuts will be forthcoming before the end of the fiscal year while the impact of the cuts just passed have yet to be fully felt by the state's economy.
I was then informed that time had run out, and the interview ended cordially.
All in all, I will remember my interview with the Simkin’s PAC as one of the highlights of my time in Greensboro politics.
George Hartzman
August 24, 2009 Post: If Greensboro borrows $7,420,000, plus interest, for White Street Landfill closure costs, and gasoline prices double as tax revenues fall, could City Council inadvertently sacrifice hundreds of municipal jobs by voting for what could be a politically unethical “Two Thirds Bond”?
August 3, 2009 Post: If the City of Greensboro’s average employee salary is about $50,000, and the city could not spend about $10,000,000 per year by reopening the White Street Landfill, I believe the Council may have to choose between shipping our trash to Montgomery County, or about 200 city jobs, sooner than later.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Follow Jordan Green's Twitter Feed on the White Street Landfill Meeting
https://twitter.com/jordangreenyes
"Kee indicates he's interested in 3 specific proposers: Cico, Ulturnage and Waste Connections. Knight says he would like to hear from them."
"Big number: Consultant estimates that reopening the White Street Landfill could save city $100 million over next 25 years."
"Kee indicates he's interested in 3 specific proposers: Cico, Ulturnage and Waste Connections. Knight says he would like to hear from them."
"Big number: Consultant estimates that reopening the White Street Landfill could save city $100 million over next 25 years."
White Street Landfill from 9/26/09: Does anyone knows any specifics about the White Street Landfill relative to the excerpts from the following..
"What should be done with trash?
…A majority of the City Council asked the city staff Tuesday to create a general request for proposals [RFP] on what should be done with Greensboro’s solid waste.
...The decision was prompted by a group led by businessman [and former city councilmember] Robert Mays, who came to the council last week to discuss reopening the White Street Landfill.
Mays wanted the city to start this kind of investigative process so that he could have a confidential conversation with council members about his plans."
Amanda Lehmert
Greensboro News and Record, September 23, 2009
"Trash Talk Consumes City Council Briefing
Bob Mays, a former city councilmember…who has been doing business in Greensboro for over 30 years…asked the council at the Sept. 15 meeting to issue an RFP so they could talk to the council about their plans for the entire White Street area without having to worry about their proprietary information being used by a competitor. Mays said that the RFP process would give them the protection they needed to carry the conversation forward.
…By a show of hands the council eventually voted 6 to 1 to move ahead with the RFP process on using White Street Landfill for something.
Paul Crissman, the Solid Waste Division section chief of the North Carolina DENR in Raleigh…[said] exploring alternative technologies is fine, but right now none of them work on municipal solid waste because the waste stream, which is a fancy word for household garbage, is so diverse…He talked about various "Willy Wonka" type machines that had been purchased by landfill operations, and all had failed.
He told the council that there was no silver bullet and handed out a sheet that showed how quickly landfill space used by North Carolina cities was filling up…Crissman talked about different operations he had seen and how long they lasted – most under a year. He talked about why incineration is difficult and it is the same problem – the strange, often bizarre, mix of stuff that people cram in their garbage cans or dump at the landfill.
He said that incineration can work, but it is more expensive than landfilling garbage, and he noted that Charlotte had closed and dismantled its incinerator but that Wilmington's was still in operation.
Crissman was interrupted by a long discussion by councilmembers about whether or not to issue an RFP, how long the White Street Landfill could remain open if it did go back into operation, and a host of other topics. The answer to the length of time is 5 to 7 years, if nothing changes.
...But the city can apply for permit modifications, which can be approved in a couple of months and could extend the life of the current cell while a new cell is permitted. Estimates are that it would take 50 to 75 years to use the White Street Landfill site to its full potential."
John Hammer
Rhinoceros Times, September 24, 2009
"During speakers from the floor at the Greensboro City Council meeting on Tuesday night, Sept. 15, in the council chambers, the council heard a proposal for an economic development plan that centered around reopening White Street Landfill for municipal solid waste.
What made this proposal stand out were the supporters. One was Paul Gilmer from the Kings Forest neighborhood, within sight of the landfill.
…The push behind this proposal is coming from former Greensboro City Councilmember Bob Mays, who is the project manager of Cico LLC, which has been set up for this project.
Mays said that in the first year of Cico's operation of the White Street Landfill, the city would save $16 million and would save at least $5 million a year every year after that.
Currently the city is paying about $24 a ton to Republic for dumping our garbage at the Uwharrie landfill, and it costs an average of about $12 a ton to transport it down there, plus the cost of operating the transfer station.
…During the summer Mayor Yvonne Johnson scheduled a special briefing for the council to hear about using a plasma torch to transform garbage into saleable items such as precious metals, energy and jet fuel. This proposal was also given by a company organized for the White Street Landfill project. The estimated cost to the taxpayers to set up the plasma torch operation was $500 million.
Mays and Gilmer didn't ask for money, but they also didn't want to reveal their plan.
Councilmember Mike Barber, who was not at the meeting, has said that closing the White Street Landfill was the worst economic decision the City Council has ever made.
…the City Council decided not to put Cico on the next briefing agenda but on the agenda for the October briefing. The council discussed holding a special briefing to hear from Mays and Gilmer but it didn't appear the votes were there. However, this council cancels briefings and reschedules special ones at the drop of a hat, so that can't be ruled out."
John Hammer
Rhino Times, September 17, 2009
…A majority of the City Council asked the city staff Tuesday to create a general request for proposals [RFP] on what should be done with Greensboro’s solid waste.
...The decision was prompted by a group led by businessman [and former city councilmember] Robert Mays, who came to the council last week to discuss reopening the White Street Landfill.
Mays wanted the city to start this kind of investigative process so that he could have a confidential conversation with council members about his plans."
Amanda Lehmert
Greensboro News and Record, September 23, 2009
"Trash Talk Consumes City Council Briefing
Bob Mays, a former city councilmember…who has been doing business in Greensboro for over 30 years…asked the council at the Sept. 15 meeting to issue an RFP so they could talk to the council about their plans for the entire White Street area without having to worry about their proprietary information being used by a competitor. Mays said that the RFP process would give them the protection they needed to carry the conversation forward.
…By a show of hands the council eventually voted 6 to 1 to move ahead with the RFP process on using White Street Landfill for something.
Paul Crissman, the Solid Waste Division section chief of the North Carolina DENR in Raleigh…[said] exploring alternative technologies is fine, but right now none of them work on municipal solid waste because the waste stream, which is a fancy word for household garbage, is so diverse…He talked about various "Willy Wonka" type machines that had been purchased by landfill operations, and all had failed.
He told the council that there was no silver bullet and handed out a sheet that showed how quickly landfill space used by North Carolina cities was filling up…Crissman talked about different operations he had seen and how long they lasted – most under a year. He talked about why incineration is difficult and it is the same problem – the strange, often bizarre, mix of stuff that people cram in their garbage cans or dump at the landfill.
He said that incineration can work, but it is more expensive than landfilling garbage, and he noted that Charlotte had closed and dismantled its incinerator but that Wilmington's was still in operation.
Crissman was interrupted by a long discussion by councilmembers about whether or not to issue an RFP, how long the White Street Landfill could remain open if it did go back into operation, and a host of other topics. The answer to the length of time is 5 to 7 years, if nothing changes.
...But the city can apply for permit modifications, which can be approved in a couple of months and could extend the life of the current cell while a new cell is permitted. Estimates are that it would take 50 to 75 years to use the White Street Landfill site to its full potential."
John Hammer
Rhinoceros Times, September 24, 2009
"During speakers from the floor at the Greensboro City Council meeting on Tuesday night, Sept. 15, in the council chambers, the council heard a proposal for an economic development plan that centered around reopening White Street Landfill for municipal solid waste.
What made this proposal stand out were the supporters. One was Paul Gilmer from the Kings Forest neighborhood, within sight of the landfill.
…The push behind this proposal is coming from former Greensboro City Councilmember Bob Mays, who is the project manager of Cico LLC, which has been set up for this project.
Mays said that in the first year of Cico's operation of the White Street Landfill, the city would save $16 million and would save at least $5 million a year every year after that.
Currently the city is paying about $24 a ton to Republic for dumping our garbage at the Uwharrie landfill, and it costs an average of about $12 a ton to transport it down there, plus the cost of operating the transfer station.
…During the summer Mayor Yvonne Johnson scheduled a special briefing for the council to hear about using a plasma torch to transform garbage into saleable items such as precious metals, energy and jet fuel. This proposal was also given by a company organized for the White Street Landfill project. The estimated cost to the taxpayers to set up the plasma torch operation was $500 million.
Mays and Gilmer didn't ask for money, but they also didn't want to reveal their plan.
Councilmember Mike Barber, who was not at the meeting, has said that closing the White Street Landfill was the worst economic decision the City Council has ever made.
…the City Council decided not to put Cico on the next briefing agenda but on the agenda for the October briefing. The council discussed holding a special briefing to hear from Mays and Gilmer but it didn't appear the votes were there. However, this council cancels briefings and reschedules special ones at the drop of a hat, so that can't be ruled out."
John Hammer
Rhino Times, September 17, 2009
Newsbusted is New for August 24, 2010 Please Enjoy The Embedded Video Compliments of Newsbusters
Newsbusted is new for August 24, 2010 please enjoy the embedded video compliments from our friends at Newsbusters CLICKHERE
ABC Board and unreported City Council Ticket Scandal Revisit: Regulator on the pay to play take, gets job with those regulated?
An investigation has found that a former Bureau of Land Management official in New Mexico who oversaw one of the largest onshore mineral production areas in the U.S. took gifts from an oil company and misused travel funds.
Details of the Interior Department probe were released Monday in documents obtained by an environmental group through a records request.
The investigation says former Farmington BLM district manager Steve Henke (heen-KEY') took gifts from Williams Exploration and Production – golf tickets, lodging and meals – and solicited donations for his son's youth baseball teams.
Henke retired in May to become head of the New Mexico Oil and Gas Association. He says no regulatory favors were exchanged with the industry.
Huffington Post
Details of the Interior Department probe were released Monday in documents obtained by an environmental group through a records request.
The investigation says former Farmington BLM district manager Steve Henke (heen-KEY') took gifts from Williams Exploration and Production – golf tickets, lodging and meals – and solicited donations for his son's youth baseball teams.
Henke retired in May to become head of the New Mexico Oil and Gas Association. He says no regulatory favors were exchanged with the industry.
Huffington Post
Skip Alston, Guilford County, the Greensboro News & Record, Yes Weekly, the Rhino and other local media outlets
Is the Greensboro News & Record’s Editorial Board
suggesting that Mr. Alston has effectively handled Guilford County finances
by publishing the following quote without comment?
Skip Alston
Greensboro News and Record Editorial Page, Saturday, August 21, 2010
If Guilford County, North Carolina spent ~$53,161,224
more than received in tax and other revenues in FY 2009/10,
and plans to spend $36,695,976 more than expected income in FY 2010/11,
does the Greensboro News & Record’s Editorial Board believe the county
should borrow $191,400,000 more in FY 2010/11
and $155,930,000 more in FY 2011/12,
while drawing down $89,857,200 of savings in two years?
Source: Pages 18 and 198, Guilford County adopted FY 2010/11 Budget
Could Guilford County face a $73 million budget deficit in 2011/12?
Total Principal and Interest Due 2010/12...................$98,352,299
Total Principal and Interest Due 2010/11....................-$70,850,005
Additional Principal and Interest Outlay.....................= $27,502,294
Minus 2010/11 Fund excess surplus elimination........$36,695,976
Plus additional corrections costs for new jail................$9,000,000
Potential 2011/12 Budget Deficit...................................$73,198,270
doesn’t report on the specifics of Guilford County finances,
how are readers able to conclude what to think of Mr. Alston’s comment?
suggesting that Mr. Alston has effectively handled Guilford County finances
by publishing the following quote without comment?
“I think the citizens saw that over the last two years
we’ve been very effective in dealing with their tax money.
Skip Alston
Chairman of the Guilford County Commissioners,
which might ask county residents to vote on a quarter-cent sales tax hike in November”
Greensboro News and Record Editorial Page, Saturday, August 21, 2010
If Guilford County, North Carolina spent ~$53,161,224
more than received in tax and other revenues in FY 2009/10,
and plans to spend $36,695,976 more than expected income in FY 2010/11,
does the Greensboro News & Record’s Editorial Board believe the county
should borrow $191,400,000 more in FY 2010/11
and $155,930,000 more in FY 2011/12,
while drawing down $89,857,200 of savings in two years?
Source: Pages 18 and 198, Guilford County adopted FY 2010/11 Budget
If the Greensboro News & Record’s Editorial Board disseminated Skip Alston’s words,
are they is suggesting Mr. Alston has not effectively managed the County’s finances,
and if so, should they say so?
Could Guilford County face a $73 million budget deficit in 2011/12?
Total Principal and Interest Due 2010/12...................$98,352,299
Total Principal and Interest Due 2010/11....................-$70,850,005
Additional Principal and Interest Outlay.....................= $27,502,294
Minus 2010/11 Fund excess surplus elimination........$36,695,976
Plus additional corrections costs for new jail................$9,000,000
Potential 2011/12 Budget Deficit...................................$73,198,270
Has the Greensboro News & Record, Yes Weekly, the Rhino and other local media outlets reported on what may be Guilford County’s 2011/12 Budget Deficit?
If the Greensboro News & Record Editorial Board and others etc...doesn’t report on the specifics of Guilford County finances,
how are readers able to conclude what to think of Mr. Alston’s comment?
Monday, August 23, 2010
Has the Greensboro News & Record, Yes Weekly, the Rhino or any other news source reported on Guilford County’s 2010/11 Budget Deficit numbers?
Budget Deficit
The amount by which a government, company, or individual's spending
exceeds its income over a particular period of time.
Also called deficit or deficit spending.
Opposite of budget surplus.
Investorwords.com
Please see my responses below in blue..."
Michael Halford email to George Hartzman
What was the dollar amount of the gap
between Guilford County’s FY 2008/9 spending
and FY 2009/10’s revenues?
$548,894,797 – $547,402,275 = $1,492,522
What is the projected dollar amount of the gap
between Guilford County’s FY 2009/10 spending
and FY 2010/11’s expected revenues?
$596,945,277 - $535,745,660 = $61,199,617
.
Maybe that's why Fox refused to offer a number to the question
"what is the deficit" as opposed to "here are the proposed cuts"
George Hartzman, May 9, 2010
.
If the county spends down to thier reserve limit this year,
where are they going to get the $27,502,224
for increased principle and interests payments in 2011/12?
http://www.co.guilford.nc.us/11budgetpro/30%20-%20Debt.pdf
3rd Page, and the chart on the 5th shows debt payments going over the county guidlines
.
So if the county goes down to the reserve minimums this coming year,
will they have to cut the $34 million of no more reserves to raid
and then another $27 million from the budget for debt
on top of $4 [now 9] million more for 80 new detention officers in 2011/12?
George Hartzman, April 25, 2010
.
The City of Greensboro has yet to release comparable numbers
after repeated information requests.
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