NCGA

NC Board of Elections needs to help nursing home patients vote

Submitted by scharrison on

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They are not convicted felons, although we appear to be treating them that way:

This year, what stumped Hutchins, despite all his resourcefulness, was how he was going to exercise his basic constitutional right to vote during a pandemic. The Davis Community nursing home in Wilmington, North Carolina, where Hutchins has lived for two years, has barred visitors since March. Margaret, still in the retirement community nearby, can’t help him, nor can their four kids and eight grandchildren.

Neither can the nursing home staff. A 2013 state law prohibits staff at hospitals, clinics, nursing homes and rest homes from helping residents with their ballots.

In truth, I hesitated writing this because I didn't want to add to the ReopenNC nonsense that still persists, even though NC seems to be faring better than other states during this pandemic. But this situation has deep, Constitutional implications, that simply must be addressed, and soon. Before proceeding, I need to bore you with another personal anecdote:

Coal Ash Wednesday: Here we go again

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Duke Energy wants increased rates to pay for coal ash cleanup:

Duke Energy is urging state regulators to approve rate increases at its two North Carolina electric utilities, including money to pay for cleanups of toxic coal ash.

Duke treasurer Karl Newlin told the North Carolina Utilities Commission Monday that if the company isn't allowed to recover coal ash cleanup costs, it could lead to a downgrade in its credit ratings and scare off investors. His testimony came during the first day of a public hearing on the proposed rate increases that are being conducted online.

Not to put too fine a point on it, that "credit ratings" scare tactic is a load of crap. But before I explain why, here's Lynn Good from their 2020 Q2 Earnings call:

Tuesday Twitter roundup

Submitted by scharrison on

Go tell it on the mountain. Trump and his ilk are transparent as hell about their support for the top 10%, but too many that are left behind aren't paying attention.

Dan Forest won't turn over communications with Greg Lindberg

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I'm sure they will "discover" those records on November 4th:

Forest’s latest campaign finance report shows that he has received $6.9 million in donations from individuals and PACs. But the donations from Lindberg mostly went to separate groups. One of them, the Republican Council of State Committee, funded a recent campaign ad featuring Forest and the Republican candidate for lieutenant governor, Mark Robinson.

The News & Observer requested Forest’s schedule and emails during the period of Lindberg’s political donations, under the state public records law, to find out how frequently they communicated. Sixteen months later, the N&O has not received the records.

Bolding mine, because social media has been littered with right-wing whining and angst about Mandy Cohen not turning over reams of pandemic data so those plague rats can misquote it, but we're just now finding out that Dandy has been concealing potential campaign finance shenanigans for 16 months? We're talking millions of dollars he received from a convicted felon, who not only tried to bribe government officials but also likely defrauded insurance customers and fellow investors. And Dan Forest appears to have been involved in the bribery scheme, too:

The Green Wave? Dems rake in the cash in Legislative races

Submitted by scharrison on

Online fundraising is breaking records in 2020:

Officials with the digital fundraising service say that even with less than three months before Election Day, ActBlue contributions to Democratic state legislative candidates have already set a record, totalling more than $76 million.

That’s a greater than 20% increase from the $63 million in ActBlue donations to the party’s state legislative candidates in the entire 2018 election cycle — and more than three times state House and Senate candidates raised during the 2016 election.

My initial take on this was that people are frustrated with quarantine life and are anxious to do something before the election clock runs out. But there's also a lot of economic uncertainty, and people will generally hold onto their money when that happens. So in my mind, that crosses off "pandemic" as a reason, leaving only the fervent desire for political change. And NC needs that badly:

"Greek" virus? NCSU fraternity and sorority houses are infected

Submitted by scharrison on

That lone wolf will soon infect the Pack:

A North Carolina State University spokesman confirmed on Tuesday afternoon that the university has identified a coronavirus cluster and a number of cases within the Greek life community. A cluster is five or more cases in close proximity or location, according to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.

A spokesman said eight members of N.C. State fraternities and sororities have tested positive for coronavirus. Since the cases are in separate fraternities and sororities but not consolidated in one house, the cases are not considered a cluster.

While you might be familiar with "Rushing," wherein new pledges are chosen for each house after their party skills are observed, "Crush" parties might be even more reckless during a pandemic. That's where a single fraternity invites several sororities (or vice-versa) to their house to determine the maximum hook...romantic relationships that can be derived from an alliance. My point is, it doesn't matter if an individual house rates a "cluster" classification, you might as well view them as one big house for health purposes.

Tuesday Twitter roundup

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No matter how miserable our own situations are in this pandemic, we can't forget about these families, who are being punished harshly simply for existing.

Protest held in front of Louis DeJoy's Greensboro mansion

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Enemies of democracy will find no sanctuary:

Protesters gathered for about two hours Sunday along the streets below Louis DeJoy's gated property, which overlooks the Greensboro Country Club golf course. They chanted and held signs that read: “Sabotage of the USPS is un-American” and “Save USPS," among other messages, news outlets said.

DeJoy, a Republican fundraiser and major political donor named to lead the Postal Service in May, has sparked a nationwide outcry over postal delays and cutbacks just as millions of Americans prepare to vote by mail to avoid polling places during the coronavirus pandemic.

Methinks Aldona's next dinner party might be a tad uncomfortable. It's fine to punish the peasantry, but don't bring them into the neighborhood. The same thing happened on a larger scale at his DC residence:

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