The Scoop on Holliday/Bush lunch

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At the Greensboro City Council Briefing session today, Mayor Keith Holliday said that he did not get invited to lunch with the President until 10 am on the morning of the meeting.

He said that he was asked to meet President Bush at the airport at 11:15. When the limo was headed out of the airport, the driver turned around and asked Mayor Holliday. "How do we get to Stamey's?"

That is how our Mayor told the story. Then, Councilman Tom Phillips quipped something about himself being the only Republican on the City Council.

Judicial Candidates October 17

Lunch with the League of Women Voters
Tuesday, October 17, 2006, 12:15 p.m.

Judicial Candidates


Associate Justice of the Supreme Court:
Robin Hudson, Eric Levinson

Court of Appeals: Bob Hunter, Linda Stephens

Superior Court: Stuart Albright, Susan Bray

District Court: Tom Jarrell, Susan O’Hale


Holy Trinity Episcopal Church
607 N. Greene Street, Greensboro

Downtown between Fisher and Battleground
Everyone is Welcome
Program Free, Lunch optional at $8.00

For Reservations Reply to:
LWVPT@earthlink.net


NEXT MONTH
November Date Change
Lunch will be 2nd Tuesday
November 14
Global Warming

For more election information and questions and unedited answers from candidates try League of Women Voters

Friday Night Lights

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I've been waiting for Kyle Chandler to get a new TV series. I was quite disappointed that he got killed off after only 2 episodes of Grey's Anatomy. Probably because he was the sexiest looking guy on the screen. What a smile.
I would even consider watching a program about a high school football team, and I'm not a football fan. I will try again Tuesday night. But Friday Night Lights has got to improve to make me a regular watcher.
Why do some of my favorite actors get knocked off good programs and end up on bad ones. Mark Harmon, another of my favorites, got killed off in West Wing. I don't like his current show.
Oh, well. Life must be good if the only thing I have to complain about is bad television.

Bond Issue Issues

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I am not satisfied by media reported reasons to vote for or against bond issues on the November ballot. Some of these reports resemble news releases for new products on the market or one-sided public relations announcements from corporations or celebrities.

The famous Roman Forum was a public meeting place and marketplace. So, I suppose that a place to sell an idea or a slate of bond issues is a function of a marketplace; therefore, one function of a forum. A marketplace is where people pick and choose what they will buy from among the many offerings.

There are several forums about the eleven proposed bond issues. Are speakers from both sides of the issues being invited to speak? Will different opinions be expressed? Will questions be answered accurately? Will moderators be neutral? I truly hope so.

If there are speakers for the eleven Bond Issues on the ballot in Guilford County in November, should there also be speakers against some of the Bond Issues? Everyone has a vested interest in these outrageous expenses being proposed. Some of them are only necessary because of irresponsible monetary and fiscal policies of government. Some are wants, not really needs of our area. Some can enhance the quality of life here, others will not.
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Whether to authorize or not to authorize Municipal Bond sales (borrowing money to be paid back by tax revenues) should be decided by a well-informed public, based on the good of the community as a whole, as well as personal interest.

If you want to pay more taxes for a project that you think would benefit our community, then do so. If there are others that you feel are essential services that should be provided by government, and you think that there is no good way to fund them under current tax rates, then vote for those bonds.

Some questions to ask before voting:

Is tax money currently being spent wisely?
How will the proposed bond money be spent?
What is the actual texts of the proposed bond issues?
Will the bond issue money be supplemented by general revenues?
Will some of the projects be worked into the general budget, even if not funded by bonds?
What are the restrictions on spending certain bond money?
How long will it take to pay-off the bonds?
Who is providing space for public forums?
Who is speaking at public forums and how are they chosen?

A forum about bond issues should be a place for taxpayers to exchange their views and receive relevant information. A forum should not be a session where citizens are force fed reasons to vote for tax increases by representatives who have vested interests in some of the referendum issues at hand or a coalition of such groups.

I am not encouraging anyone to vote only on pocketbook issues, but a thinking public cannot continue to reward bad spending decisions by increasing the allowance of government. Think about it.

forum
A public place, meeting, or medium where ideas and views on a particular issue can be exchanged.

coalition
An alliance or union, especially a temporary one. A temporary alliance for combined action.

vested interest
A personal stake or involvement in an undertaking or state of affairs, especially one with an expectation of financial gain. A person or group having such a personal stake or involvement.