The Amazing "Western Taxidermy"

Western Taxidermy is world class and it is located in Bertie County! Many people who drive through Colerain never even notice the Rhinoceros "reproduction" above the store on the west side of the street. It is the sign for Western Taxidermy, a business that is famous around the world, and justifiably famous.



Driving Through Colerain A Rhinoceros Says This Place Is Different

Inside this quiet office on this peaceful Colerain, North Carolina street is the business and Trophy Room of an excellent big-game hunter, the owner of Western Taxidermy, Jim Edwards.



Jim Edward's Colerain Trophy Room Is More Spectacular Than Many Museums

Jim Edwards is not just an extremely talented taxidermist and artist; he is also an active and enthusiastic supporter of a growing conservationist and environmentalist movement that changes the dynamics of hunting for endangered and rare species. This new process replaces the classical "mount" of an animal with a "reproduction". The animal is darted by the hunter and then released alive after photos and measurements are taken. Can you tell if this is a real "mount" or "reproduction"?



Is This Elephant Real?

The memory of the hunt is what is most important to hunters, and the "reproduction" of these awesome animals is as good as the "mount" of a trophy animal for that purpose. These mementos can also be amazing memories for many who never went on a hunt but just love the wild.



An Endangered Species Can Still Be A Trophy - A "Reproduction" Instead Of A "Mount"

I still remember the first time I came into contact with a big game hunting memory that is the major drive behind so many hunters. While visiting with the owner of the Tampa Annheuser-Bush distributor in 1972, I walked into a conference room with the owner behind me. It was dark until he turned on a light, and there about 6 inches in front of me was a Grizzly Bear towering above me with his jaws open and claws reaching out. I experience the feeling for just a moment that it had to be real, and my body reacted as if it was. It is this trick of the mind that says; no matter if it is still and we know it is not going to hurt us, these animals are so awesome that we have to react.



You Will Never Forget Meeting A Grizzly

Jim Edwards has had a lifelong passion for hunting and the memory of the hunt. It started in high school when he shot his first deer. His school principal was a taxidermy enthusiast, and he helped Jim to "mount" that deer. It was a hobby for many years until he graduated from NC State in 1971 and he realized that he did not want to leave Bertie County. The lifestyle he wanted to live was here.



Jim Edwards and Family At Their Home In Colerain

In order to stay here, Jim needed a business that allowed him to earn a living. His first choice was his hobby. Jim started Western Taxidermy in his mothers garage in Windsor and quickly established a reputation as one of the best taxidermists in this area. Lenny Perry persuaded Jim to bring his company to Colerain where it has stayed.



Polar Bear - Another Awesome North American Carnivore

However the game Jim wanted to mount was not found in Bertie County, and so Jim became an international taxidermist, specializing in bears, elephants, rhinoceros, big cats, bighorn sheep, and all the other famous and amazing animals that cover the globe.



African Bull Elephant

His primary source of clients after word of mouth is attending the big game conventions such as the Safari Club, where he has gotten notice for his creative use of reproductions. Since reproductions don't have to be animals that are still available today, he has done among other dinosaurs, Raptors and Tyrannosaurus Rex. Now those would have been a couple of animals that would definitely cause your heart to stop. For just a moment the reproduction reminds you of that feeling.



Raptor Tearing Flesh From A Kill

As noted Jim is an avid hunter himself. He has been to Africa 18 times, with significantly more trips into the wilds of North America and other continents. I mentioned it above, but it really needs emphasis, Jim's trophy room (which you can visit in his Colerain offices) is simply an awesome sight.



Jim's Leopards Are Spectacular

One of his most recent mounts is one of North America's most spectacular animals, the Bison. Still in his trophy room for the moment, you need to go soon if you want to see it as it is being shipped shortly to its owner.



Jim Edwards With Record Canadian Bison Bull Mount

Go visit Jim's trophy room in Colerain. You will not be disappointed. If you have questions or would like more information:
Email Jim at - bighorn7@embarqmail.com.
Or call him at (252) 356-2109.
Click here for his website.

Inner Banks Auto News

The brand new Ferrari 458 Italia. Considered by many the most beautiful street Ferrari ever!



The 458 will replace the Ferrari F430, another beauty (shown above).

‘Bite Me, Jew Boy!’

by Matthew Vadum - September 25th, 2009 - BigGovernment.com

Talk about timely, I just could not resist posting this after Bob Steinburg's article about "respect" from yesterday (posted below). This is the response by an NBC staffer to a Press Release from American's for Limited Government - ALG.

Not only did NBC not want to print the release, they found it necessary to respond with an anti-semitic slur. Now that is "respect" as practiced by the left wing of America. Is NBC anti-semitic? Read the article...

Apparently NBC “Dateline” producer Jane Stone or someone else who has access to her Blackberry has a problem with groups that oppose ACORN and with an ethnocultural minority.

When Stone received an email urging Congress to defund ACORN from Alex Rosenwald, director of media outreach for Americans for Limited Government, the following sentence came back to Rosenwald from Stone’s account: “Bite me, Jew Boy!”

The list of updates at the article show the entire exchange between ALG and NBC.

A Conservative Viewpoint - Respect No One Way Street

Article by Bob Steinburg
- Edenton, North Carolina: Cradle of the Colony

In 1967 rhythm and blues singer Aretha Franklin recorded the song “Respect” singing all she wants “is a little R-E-S-P-E-C-T.” Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-CA., may well be singing this tune as she and others on the left continue to chide conservative activists as disrespectful for fervently opposing the Democrats liberal and fiscally reckless agenda. Pelosi even went as far as to refer to the town hall protesters as “un-American.”

Pelosi says she fears the anti-health care rhetoric could lead to violence, citing the wave of bloodshed that hit San Francisco in 1978 following the assassinations of gay rights activist Harvey Milk and Mayor George Moscone.

National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Pete Sessions, R-Texas said, “Speaker Pelosi is right that the American people are upset, but it is her words that continue to fuel voter frustration in America.” Sessions continued, “The Speaker is now likening genuine opposition to assassination. Such insulting rhetoric not only undermines the credibility of her office, but it underscores the desperate attempt by her party to divert attention away from a failing agenda.”

To suggest that all conservative protesters adhere to Miss Manners Rules of Etiquette would be a stretch. Certainly there were a number of signs and banners at recent events that were inappropriate and tasteless. Attendees, while angry, haven’t allowed that anger and frustration to turn violent.

Until this year, it is hard to recall any organized conservative protests of significance. Perhaps that’s why the recent wave of demonstrations at tea parties and town hall meetings has caught the left by surprise. They can’t quite figure out how to deal with these folks, other than to level criticism and disparaging comments toward them and their views. All that has managed to do is to ratchet up the anger, disgust and disappointment with Washington.

Conservatives historically prefer to wage dissent through their elected representatives, political action and/or advocacy groups or the media. Until recently, they haven’t had a penchant for taking to the streets.

Perhaps conservatives have learned a thing or two about protests over the years. They surely recognize other groups have used them effectively. The civil-rights protests from 1955-1968 helped blacks to achieve racial equality. The Viet Nam War protests ultimately helped bring that conflict to an end.

But protests aren’t without risks. In 1968 at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, confrontations between anti-war protestors and local police turned violent, generating negative notoriety for then Mayor Richard Daley.

Last year at the Republican National Convention in Minneapolis-St. Paul, 250 protesters railing against President George W. Bush and the war in Iraq were arrested for embarking on a violent rampage that included the smashing of windows, slashing tires, throwing bottles and even attacking Republican delegates attending the convention. It seems reasonable to conclude that none of those arrested were conservatives.

When it comes to comprehending the real meaning of the word respect the left apparently has a short memory. Following the election of Bush in 2000, the left embarked on a non-stop deluge of vitriol against the president that continues to this day. In 2005 Sen. Harry Reid, D-NV., told a group of high school students that Bush was a “loser.” In July of `08, Pelosi referred to him by saying: “Bush is a total failure.” Reid chimed in: “Who would be afraid of him?” Speak of a lack of dignity and respect.

Even Obama, the president who was going to usher in a “new era of responsibility” that would rise above partisan politics can’t stop taking shots at Bush at home and abroad. In a recent press conference he referred to the Bush era 10 times, emphasizing the $1.3 trillion debt he inherited and how it is hurting his efforts to fix the economy.

While Obama’s apology tour to Europe and the Middle East might have made the 20 percent of liberals, many members of the blame America first crowd happy, he at the same time, unwittingly perhaps, sullied the reputation of a nation that has unselfishly shed its blood and treasure for freedom seeking people throughout the world.

I saw a bumper sticker last week that read: Respect is earned not demanded. It seems more and more everyone on the left wants respect but few seem willing to give it unless, of course, you are willing to go along to get along.

The left isn’t beyond eating its own either. Max Moulitsas, founder of the left wing web site Daily Kos called Sen. Max Baucus, D-MT., “the biggest idiot in the entire Senate,” for making huge concessions on the Senate version of the health care bill “to get nothing.”

America is perhaps facing her greatest challenges. Our economy is in the tank, spending is out of control, health care needs reform and we’re engaged in two wars. Add to that the need to keep Iran from developing nuclear weapons they say they will unleash on Israel and we have more than a plate full.

One of my frustrations is when I’m involved in a discussion with someone and the other individual is unwilling to even listen to my point of view. I expect there are others who feel the same on the left and the right. While I know everyone won’t always agree with me, I would like them to at least listen and consider my perspective. One way to do that is to extend the same courtesy to them. Respect of one’s opinion should never be a one way street. Not even in Washington.

As criticism of hypocrisy on the left, demanding respect while never giving it, Bob’s article can seem to be a reasonable position. However this is one where I think Bob has blown it. He seems to be expecting both sides to be more respectful. That is a delusion.

It is the left, using tactics ranging from; the verbal intimidation of ‘political correctness’, riots in the streets, voter corruption as exemplified by ACORN, subversion of our children by teaching socialism-tolerance-diversity, to the corruption of democracy advocated by Obama, the Alinsky disciple... who sees this struggle for political power as war. They pull no punches. It is an all out effort to defeat us.

"In war the end justifies almost any means." - Saul Alinsky

It has taken years, but finally those on the right have accepted this is a war which must be fought with the tactics of our enemies unless we assure our own defeat. Those enemies have declared 'lack of respect' a key component of their efforts. We cannot fail to do the same. Respect is not a one way street, which is why the left cannot be allowed to hold us to a standard that they never practice. Nor should we hold ourselves to that standard. As we have learned, that simply guarantees we lose our freedoms.

I am delighted that many on the right now see this as war and are willing to fight. For a long time I was afraid we didn't have the will any more. Sorry Bob. I have long since abandoned any hope that the left will show respect. Therefore, neither should we.

Congress To Humana, "Shutup - or Else!"

by Ellen Sauerbrey - September 25th, 2009

In an outrageous and un-American attack on dissent aimed at Humana Inc., a major health insurer is being investigated for the crime of communicating its concerns about health care legislation to its enrollees.

Recently, Humana sent a mailing to seniors subscribed to the Medicare Advantage Program warning that "millions of seniors and disabled individuals could lose many ... important benefits and services that make Medicare advantage health plans so valuable." The letter urges enrollees to protest the proposed legislation to their members of Congress.

Insurance experts argue that the proposal to cut "$123 billion in payments to insurance companies that insure about 10 million Medicare recipients will result in cuts in benefits. Most would agree that is a likely outcome.

But now, congressional Democrats have issued their own official response to Humana, Inc. In short: "Shut up - or else!" Unhappy that an insurer disagrees with the impact of their legislative proposal, they have directed the Administration bureaucracy Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to go after Humana and any other insurance company that sends out letters that might alarm the elderly.

CMS has obliged by sending a warning to Humana. "CMS is concerned that, among other things, this information is misleading and confusing to beneficiaries, represents information to beneficiaries as official communications about the Medicare Advantage program, and is potentially contrary to federal regulations and guidance for the MA and Part D programs and other federal law, including HIPAA. As we continue our research into this issue, we are instructing you to end immediately all such mailings to beneficiaries and to remove any related materials directed to Medicare enrollees from your website.... Please be advised that we take this matter very seriously and, based upon the findings of our investigation, will pursue compliance and enforcement actions. "

A similar letter also went to other Medicare Advantage insurers warning them not to follow Humana's lead. There is no doubt that such communication from a federal regulatory agency with power over an industry's destiny would have a very chilling impact on freedom of expression.

The American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) weighed in with its own attack on Humana. "The opponents of reform will stop at nothing to derail the process and protect their own vested interests, even if it means misleading older Americans." This from an organization experiencing membership flight by seniors who no longer feel that AARP represents their best interests.

Ohio Congressman John Boehner asked "Would the Administration impose this sort of gag order if seniors were being given information promoting the Obama health care plan?" Great question! An amendment by Arizona Senator Jon Kyl aimed at protecting the First Amendment rights of insurers to criticize health care legislation was defeated on a strict party line vote with all Democrats in opposition.

Regardless of the merits of the Human letter, Senator Pat Roberts of Kansas said it best. "You have a right to be wrong." At least in America, you used to have that right.


Ellen Sauerbrey, former Assistant Secretary of State, is a Liberty Features Syndicated writer.

"Architects of Ruin"

... hints of why Obama disses medical malpractice caps

by Mark Tapscott - September 23rd, 2009 - Wasington Examiner

Hoover Institution research fellow Peter Schweizer has a potential blockbuster of a new book hitting the shelves Oct. 6 entitled "Architects of Ruin: How Big Government liberals wrecked the global economy and how they will do it again if no one stops them." Whew, is that a mouthful of a title or what?

This article points out that Obama got $950,000 for settling a case where the defendent only got $60,000. Obama loves the trial lawyers association and the corrupt court system that paid him so handsomely for so little work. No wonder he protects them. When he retires as President, he still plans to rape America as a trial lawyer.

Inner Banks Book Report

Actually this is about three books. The trilogy known as the Assasin Trilogy by author Robert Ferrigno.

David Forsmark's report about the final book in the trilogy can be found here. He titles the book report "Orwell's Grandchildren". Interesting title. Interesting book report. Just for the record the 3 books in the trilogy are:

Prayers for the Assassin

Sins of the Assassin

Heart of the Assassin

The overview of the trilogy is:

The scenario is set several decades in the future, after deteriorating morality led many to embrace Islam in reaction, and nuclear terrorism blamed on Israel led to a Civil War in the United States. The North, East and West are dominated by The Islamic States of America, while “The Bible Belt” in Texas and the South has stayed independent and free, but poor.

"The world changed, because of the concerted efforts of a jihadist billionaire known as the Old One, who fancies himself the long awaited 12th Imam."

Americans have long had one serious weakness. We don't want to get involved with great movements around the world. We just want to live our lives. That is the most reasonable explanation of why so many Americans just never cared about the communist movement's attempts to destroy us.

However when you are the only truly rich nation, the rest of the world will not leave you alone. This trilogy is trying to suggest that our societal disinterest in the rest of the world will be the source of our national destruction. Communism fell short because it was ultimately not a religion and could not generate enough passion to defeat us. Islam very well could.

Interesting thesis. I pray to God that Ferrigno is wrong.

Inner Banks Philosophy

Quotes by Eric Hoffer, a long shoreman who was self taught and who became known as a brilliant philosopher. These quotes are from his masterpiece, The True Believer.

“The effectiveness of a doctrine [like Marxism] does not come from its meaning, but its certitude.”

“However much the man of words sees himself as the champion of the down trodden and injured, the grievance which animates him is with very few exceptions, private and personal.”

“The fanatic is also mentally cocky, and hence barren of new beginnings. At the root of his cockiness is the conviction that life and the universe must conform to a simple formula – his formula.”

Inner Banks Philosophy

For some people only a picture can explain something clearly. I was among a number of people who chastised George W. Bush for his incomprehensible spending of money as he tried to convert the Republican Party into champion of the big government nanny state. Many people described the problem with, "Bush spent money like a drunken sailor."

And he did.

So lets take a look at the spending of Bush versus the spending of Obama. The following graph shows the comparison. Bush in gray on the left. Obama in red on the right.

In one year Obama will create deficits which are close to the total deficits of Bush over 8 years. So just for fun, if Bush was a drunken sailor, what term could you possibly use to describe the spending by Obama? (By the way, the trillion dollars for health care reform and the two trillion dollars for cap-and-tax ARE NOT YET INCLUDED in the deficits for Obama.)

Please email me your suggestions for the Obama metaphor at deanstephens@asllabs.net

A Conservative Viewpoint - Fall From Grace Not About Racism

Article by Bob Steinburg
- Edenton, North Carolina: Cradle of the Colony

During President Barack Obama’s recent health care address to a joint session of Congress, Rep. Joe Wilson, R-SC., stunned everyone when he yelled out, “You lie!

Wilson came unglued after Obama said that the health plan he was proposing would not cover illegal immigrants. One can nuance whether the congressman was technically correct in his assertion, but his remarks were inappropriate. Wilson personally apologized to the president and Obama graciously accepted. That should have been the end of it. It wasn’t.

House Democrats passed a House resolution citing Wilson for his breach of decorum and for his refusal to formally apologize on the House floor. The vote was largely along party lines with Democrats supporting and Republicans opposed. Wilson felt one apology was enough.

Some on the left concluded Wilson’s remarks were racially motivated. New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd wrote: “…fair or not, what I heard was an unspoken word in the air: “You lie, boy!” Dowd justifies her interpretation by citing Wilson’s former membership in the Sons of Confederate Veterans and his support to keep the Confederate flag flying over the state capital in Columbia. “Wilson clearly did not like being lectured by the brainy black president presiding over the majestic chamber,” Dowd said.
According to Washington Post columnist Eugene Robinson of the Washington Post, “…. Obama’s race leads some of his critics to feel they have the permission to deny him the legitimacy, stature and common courtesy that are any president’s due.”

Last week former President Jimmy Carter added his two cents. Carter said Wilson’s remarks were rooted in fears of a black president. “I think an overwhelming portion of the intensely demonstrated animosity toward Barack Obama is based on the fact the he is a black man,” Carter said. He continued, “…many white people, not just in the south but around the country, feel that African-Americans are not qualified to lead this great country.”

Is Joe Wilson a racist? I don’t know the answer to that any more than if asked if Sen. Robert Byrd, D.-W.Va., a former member of the Ku Klux Klan is a racist. Does racism still exist? Of course it does. Is it the root cause of Obama’s recent slide in the polls? Michael Steele, the black Republican National Committee chairman, someone who should know a thing or two about racism said, “This isn’t about race, it’s about policy.”

A Rasmussen Poll conducted last week asked if racism is a factor in the immense public opposition to Obama’s health care initiative. Only 12 percent of voters nationwide believe race is an issue, while an overwhelming 67 percent say it’s not. Just one week after Obama’s speech, opposition to his health plan has reached a new high of 56 percent; support at 43 percent. This debate clearly has nothing to do with race.

When Obama was elected to the presidency, he received almost 70 million votes. While 96 percent of black voters (12 million) supported Obama, he couldn’t have won without the overwhelming support of white voters. Obama’s non-black votes roughly equaled the total number of votes (60 million) received by Sen. John McCain, R.-Ariz.

Racism is a tool often used by liberals as a weapon to silence the opposition. Anyone who disagrees with them is a target, most recently as it applies to any opposition to Obama. Dissent has suddenly become the lowest form of racism. Just like the boy who once too often cried wolf, folks are beginning to ignore it. Many are sick and tired of the left constantly pulling out the race card. People with legitimate concerns want to be heard, not silenced, ridiculed or mischaracterized. Continuing to level baseless charges of prejudice against any and all opposition to Obama can only further alienate voters.

Since Obama’s election, Democrats continue to hurt any chance of a post-racial America. Perpetrating white guilt upon the masses is the last thing our first black president wants or needs. Obama has said as much. Yet many Democrats continue to inject racism into the debate in spite of the fact it’s often stupid, offensive and without evidence.

Questioning this president or any president is a right. If we disagree we can publicly dissent. Most of those who attended tea parties, were at town hall meetings, or peacefully marched on Washington aren’t extremists or racists. But they are angry. Obama was elected because he sold himself as a centrist. We’ve seen little evidence of that.

Last week a Gallup poll showed Obama’s disapproval at 42 percent, indicating he has fallen further and faster than any president in recent memory. The fall from grace is from an overly ambitious liberal agenda, out of control spending and an often incoherent foreign policy. America has rejected liberalism time and again. Polls are merely reflecting that.

Liberals know Obama’s falling numbers have little to do with race, yet they’re hoping to advance their agenda by once again injecting racism into the debate. That might have worked in the past, but those days may be over. America elected its first black president by 10 million votes last November, which should have removed much of lingering white guilt.

The president understands his declining approval numbers aren’t because of race, but rather his liberal tonic for fixing America. Another Democratic president faced similar opposition to his agenda in the first two years of his administration. His name was Bill Clinton. Following the Republican takeover of Congress in 1994 Clinton effectively moved to the center, breathing new life into his faltering presidency. Will history repeat itself? For many that answer can’t come soon enough.

For many of us, the answer does not matter. Pretending to be governing from the center will not delude many of us or dissuade us from the reality that Barack Obama is a socialist. He is not a socialist because he is black. He is a socialist because he chose to be a socialist. Those who have opposed socialists for a couple of generations still oppose socialists. Bob is absolutely correct that opposition to Obama has nothing to do with his skin color. However I think Bob is delusional if he thinks that he can get Democrats to stop claiming all opposition to their policies is racist. It is their favorite insult and they will not give it up without a fight.

Liar? Thank God For Fox News

by Carl H. Pickell, Jr. - September 17th, 2009 - Daily Advance

Obama lied and that’s a fact, a proven fact. If Congressman Wilson had not called Obama a liar when he did, most Americans would never have known that they were deceived and lied to. Obama knew he was lying but he knew ABC, NBC, and CBS would look the other way.

Thank you Congressman Joe Wilson and Fox News.

This is a well written letter that tells a frightening truth. You can't trust what the MSM prints as news. Like Obama, the press lies.

Inner Banks Philosophy

Quotes from Barack Obama's biography Audacity of Hope.

"We say that we value the legacy we leave the next generation and then saddle that generation with mountains of debt."

"Say one thing during the campaign and do another thing once in office, and you are a typical two-faced politician."

And one final quote of signficance from his other biography, Dreams from My Father.

"I was asked why black people are so angry all of the time. I said it was a matter of remembering – nobody asks why Jews remember the Holocaust... black people have a reason to hate."

Washington D.C. Tea Party Over A Million Strong

By Garry Terry - September 12th, 2009




Today, history was made in our Nations’ Capital. Of course, there are marches here all the time, but today was different. There was a passion in the air. A lot of people do not like the direction that the country is heading. They were here to say NO to socialism, bailouts, government run health care, cap and trade and corrupt politicians that do not listen to their constituents.




At 9:15 this morning, one major news network was saying that we were expecting 35,000 people. However, Capital Police had just said there were 100,000 people already here. And they kept coming.

There was no end in sight. At 10:00 am, the march down Pennsylvania Ave had to start one full hour early – due to the overwhelming size of the crowd... there wasn’t even standing room at Freedom Plaza.

The crowd was so big, the subway system had to stop. There was nowhere to unload the trains. Many buses were turned away. We have heard that large numbers of people could not get into the march area and were turned away.

Those if us that volunteered to work were thanked by numerous people. Total strangers came up to say thank you. The enthusiasm was contagious.

Capital Police estimated to us that there were well over a million people here before the day was out... one suggesting even more. That higher estimate was in fact the estimate that the London Mail originally used as their headline - "Up to two million march to US Capitol" before they got cold feet and dropped it down to one million. I talked with people from as far away as Hawaii, California, and Texas. The speaker at the podium said at the end that it was one of the biggest crowds ever. I guess the final count will be out tomorrow.




FreedomWorks, The 912 Project, Americans for Prosperity and many, many more organizations pulled off a big one today. One of the most popular speakers was Mason Weaver [see video below], who was the keynote speaker at our local Edenton Tea Party back on April 15th.

Last night, Dick Armey, FreedomWorks chairman and Matt Kibbe, president and CEO, hosted a supper meeting on the roof top at FreedomWorks office (a 12 story building) at 601 Pennsylvania Ave, here in DC... when it got dark, the view was beautiful. I am glad I got to attend as we were just a few blocks from the Capital and it is magificent at night.

Garry Terry

***********

There are some great pictures of the event on the Michelle Malkin web site here and here. This is my favorite.





Video of comments from Mason Weaver
- One of the speakers at the
Taxpayers March To Washington.

A Conservative Viewpoint - Obama’s Tale Of Two Speeches

Article by Bob Steinburg
- Edenton, North Carolina: Cradle of the Colony

President Barack Obama delivered two speeches last week that had many in a state of anxiety and anticipation. One was his classroom talk to school children; the other, an address to a joint session of Congress on health care reform.

A president speaking to school children seems benign enough. It’s been done before: once by President Ronald Reagan in 1988 and again in 1991 by President George H. W. Bush. After the Bush speech, then Democratic House Majority Leader Richard Gephardt said, “The Department of Education should not be producing paid political advertising for the president, it should be helping us to produce smarter students.” Former Democratic Rep. William Ford even ordered an investigation as to the speech’s legality.

While no such actions were considered by Congressional Republicans initially concerned with Obama’s classroom address, there was uneasiness with the lesson plans that Secretary of Education Arne Duncan had distributed to classrooms. Here is one example of what the material contained: “What can you as a student do to help the president achieve ‘his’ education agenda?” A more appropriate question might have been: What can you do to help achieve “your” education goals?

Before Obama spoke, the classroom material was scrapped. The president delivered a good speech that could have been given by a conservative president. He stressed personal responsibility saying, “You can’t drop out of school and into a good job,” and, “If you quit on school, you’re quitting on your country.”

So was this dust-up much ado about nothing? I think not. Conservatives were right to oppose the lesson material. In doing so, they undoubtedly helped reshape the focus of Obama’s text away from his agenda, to rather encouraging students how best to achieve their goals. Obama often says, “I get it.” In this case he did.

The same cannot be said about his speech the following night to Congress - an apparent last ditch effort to try and save his flailing health care initiative. In spite of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-NEV., calling the speech a “game changer,” Obama delivered no bombshell to alter the fundamental dynamics of the debate. This too was a good speech, delivered with rhetorical genius and passion but absent of substantive details.

In an ABC interview prior to Obama’s health care address, the president admitted he was caught flat footed in August when opponents of his health care plan aggressively reshaped the debate. He added that the intensity of the public’s opposition at town hall meetings was unexpected.

Obama is trying to frame health care as another “urgent” crisis. We’ve witnessed it before with the passage of the stimulus bill which has done little to improve our “jobless recovery.” The Labor Department predicts unemployment will reach 10 percent by early next year. However, Obama says we can’t wait to fix health care because people are dying. The president spoke of his proposed insurance exchange where people without coverage will be able to buy insurance that will save lives. Few would argue against saving lives. These changes will not take effect for four years, so what’s the dang rush?

Obama’s problems aren’t just with Republicans and Blue Dog Democrats, but with liberals as well. “I must pressure the left as much as pressure the right,” he said. One of the biggest sticklers to bringing both groups together is the government’s proposed public option for insurance. Liberals say they can’t support a bill without it. Blue Dogs and Republicans can’t support a bill that includes it. Liberals had to be disappointed when Obama said he would no longer insist on a public option as part of his reform. While a good first step to breaking the stalemate, there remain other issues.

Obama said, “…..no federal dollars will be used to fund abortions.” The president was less than candid. The House bill under consideration would permit a public option to cover all abortions as well as permit federal subsidies to purchase private insurance that covers abortion. This is a deal breaker with Republicans and conservative Democrats.

Increasing insurance competition across state lines and tort reform are two additional stumbling blocks. Republicans have proposed that health insurance companies be able to sell on a national basis, making insurance costs more competitive. The Democrats say this can’t be done because there are too many obstacles to overcome. This is absolute nonsense! If the president wants choice and competition, he and the Democrats would embrace this reform.

Conservatives also insist on tort reform. Critics argue the savings gained from reducing “jackpot justice” would be minimal. Perhaps, but they’re missing the main point- the cost of physicians practicing defensive medicine.

A Massachusetts Medical Society survey of 900 doctors revealed that 83 percent of them practice defensive medicine for fear of being sued. For these doctors that meant 18-28 percent performed additional tests, procedures, referrals and consultations and had 13 percent more admissions to hospitals. The cost in Massachusetts: $1.4 billion annually; nationally an estimated $200 billion. Reforming health care must include tort reform.

Obama said his health plan, estimated to cost up to $2 trillion, won’t add ten cents to the deficit. If it does he said he won’t sign it. Much of the money to pay for the changes being proposed will come from squeezing savings out of Medicare. With Medicare dangerously close to bankruptcy, it makes little sense to risk weakening one health care plan to create one more inefficient one.

Most Americans want meaningful, fiscally responsible health care reform that will make insurance more affordable and increasingly accessible. Obama understands that. But when it comes to how best to achieve it, he simply doesn’t get it!

Obama keeps insulting his opponents, calling them liars in fancy terms, and also insulting them by saying things that are simply insulting in how stupid we would have to be to believe them. This last above is an example. Obama says that he will not sign health care if it adds “ten cents” to the deficit. In reality he means it. Since he knows that it will add billions, not ten cents, he can sign it and get the huge government bureaucracy he wants and laugh at us for being gullible enough to believe him.

Bob did not comment on the Joe Wilson furor, but I think that it is the most important aspect of the second speech Obama gave. Barack Obama DID LIE. So why is John Boehner so determined to make Joe Wilson apologize for saying that? Why is Boehner not explaining that Democrats cannot have it both ways. If they insist on interrupting the President for standing ovations during his speech, then public denunciation during the speech has to be permitted for opponents. The speech is on national TV. Why should only Democrats get to show their feelings about the speech? Is free speech a one way street that only Democrats get to drive on?

9-11 - Never Forget!

Click on the title above to link to the Inner Banks Eagle. I have posted all my 9-11 stories on that sister blog.

Ed Freeman

Medal of Honor Winner - Ed Freeman





This is a story that everyone should read.

You're a 19-year-old kid. You're critically wounded and dying in the jungle in the Ia Drang Valley, 11-14-1965, LZ X-ray, Vietnam. Your infantry unit is outnumbered 8-1 and the enemy fire is so intense, from 100 or 200 yards away, that your own Infantry Commander has ordered the MediVac helicopters to stop coming in.

You're lying there, listening to the enemy machine guns, and you know you're not getting out. Your family is half way around the world, 12,000 miles away and you'll never see them again. As the world starts to fade in and out, you know this is the day.

Then, over the machine gun noise, you faintly hear that sound of a helicopter and you look up to see an unarmed Huey, but it doesn't seem real because no Medi-Vac markings are on it.

Ed Freeman is coming for you. He's not Medi-Vac, so it's not his job, but he's flying his Huey down into the machine gun fire, after the Medi-Vacs were ordered not to come.

He's coming anyway.

And he drops it in and sits there in the machine gun fire as they load 2 or 3 of you on board.

Then he flies you up and out, through the gunfire to the doctors and nurses.

And he kept coming back, 13 more times, and took about 30 of you and your buddies out, who would never have gotten out.

Medal of Honor Recipient Ed Freeman died on Wednesday, June 25th, 2009, at the age of 80, in Boise, ID. He was a man's man. He was an American.

May God rest his soul.

American Political Philosophy Spectrum

One of the more interesting anomolies in American politics is the bizarre idea that fascism is a right wing philosophy. In actuality this concept was invented by Stalin to avoid blame for his temporary agreement with Hitler. When Hitler invaded Russia, Stalin insisted it was because fascism was a right wing philosophy which he, Stalin, rejected.

It was nonsense, but like many communist ideas, repeating a lie until it is believed worked for this claim. And for many on the left, this claim still permeates their belief system. In actuality, the National Socialist philosophy of Fascism was almost as far left as Communism.

The real irony is that in recent years the Democrat Party has moved left from Liberal (now calling themselves Progressive) until they actually practice a Fascism not significantly different than Germany and Italy practiced. The excuse liberals use to deny their complicity is the genetics that the Nazis also practiced. However genetics and race hatred has nothing to do with the Fascist economic theories which are decidedly leftist. Equating Fascism with Nazi genetic beliefs is not rational - unless you are a Stalin adherent who defends Stalin's lies to whitewash the left of guilt over the tyranny they practice.

The actual spectrum of philosophies is shown above.

Parents Upset Over 'Leftist Propaganda' Video

by Lisa Schencker - September 2nd, 2009 - The Salt Lake Tribune

"It's very inappropriate to show a radical, leftist propaganda piece that political to children," Ruzicka said. "If parents want their children to learn about those things and do them in the home, wonderful, fine, but it's not the place of the school to show a one-sided propaganda piece to children without parents knowing about it."

With this recent experience of propaganda flowing from the Obama Department of Education cited in this article, the concern over Obama's speech on Tuesday is much more understandable. I just love the American Dept. of Education taking the position children should pledge "not to flush after urinating". Though Obama extremists might think this is somehow good for the earth, it is far from mainstream thinking. This is what we send our tax dollars to Washington to fund?

Or how about the pledge "to sell my obnoxious car and buy a hybrid"? Once again, if CO2 is not a "greenhouse" gas, as many scientists insist, the entire "hybrid" effort is deluded nonsense. This is not yet settled policy. So how does Obama get to promote his political agenda to our children? We have never tolerated Presidents using government funds to politicize issues before. Why does Obama get a pass?

What The Public Thinks Of Public Schools

Editorial - Septeber 8th, 2009 - Wall Street Journal

Yesterday President Barack Obama delivered a pep talk to America's schoolchildren. The president owes a separate speech to America's parents. They deserve some straight talk on the state of our public schools.

According to the just released Education Next poll put out by the Hoover Institution, public assessment of schools has fallen to the lowest level recorded since Americans were first asked to grade schools in 1981.

Anyone who is surprised by this summary of the article has not been paying attention. Our teachers today spend all their time "teaching" attitudes like "tolerance" and "diversity" rather than facts like science and mathematics. It is the reason that our children listen to a demogogue like Barack Obama and are deceived by his lies. Basic reasoning has been replaced by attitude. Our schools are failing our children and everyone knows it.

One of the most telling of the examples cited in the article is the estimation by our citizens at how much is being spent per pupil in our schools. The public estimates an average of $4,000 per child. The actual average is $10,000 per child. Half our school systems spend more. If you think about this the extravagance is beyond belief. If the average class is 25 children at $10,000 per child, that is $250,000 for the class. The two largest elements in a class would have to be the teacher and the classroom. Let us say that the teacher makes $60,000 per year (about the average teacher salary) and the cost for the space is an exorbitant $24,000 a year. That is less than 1/3 of the money. It is not hard to recognize that our education dollars are being wasted on a grand scale.

A Conservative Viewpoint - The ‘Power’ Of The Catholic Church

Article by Bob Steinburg
- Edenton, North Carolina: Cradle of the Colony

From the beginning of time man has had an inherent sense of a higher power. Whether referred to by Christians as Yahweh or by Islam as Allah, God in any culture is perceived as the supernatural creator and overseer of the universe. He is the source of all moral obligation. The Catholic Church is no exception.

In 1957 my godfather lay on his deathbed. He was in his 70s and suffering from heart disease. My family referred to this man simply as “Bob.”

My father, as a young boy, delivered his newspaper and later chauffeured him until Dad entered the Armed Forces in the early 40s. Bob never married. His entire family had predeceased him and our family became his family.

Bob was raised Catholic but as a young man became an Episcopalian. He loved the Anglican tradition with its pomp and pageantry. In spite of strong Catholic roots, he seldom missed an opportunity to criticize his former church.

A local Catholic priest learned that Bob was dying and unexpectedly came to see him. My family never learned what was discussed, but this we know: Bob returned to Catholicism hours before dying. Perhaps he requested the Catholic nurse who tended him to summon a priest. Maybe she did it on her own. She had known he was raised Catholic. In any event, St. Paul’s Catholic Church gave Bob a wonderful sendoff. The folks in town, many of whom were on the receiving end of his anti-Catholic rants, were shocked. So were we.

My wife is Catholic. She was raised in a large Italian family. Church is a major part of every Catholic’s life and her family is no exception. Mass every Sunday, First Communion, confession, and learning the catechism; every Catholic learns to abide by church tenets, or risks falling from favor with it. Although we have attended the Episcopal Church for 37 years, she has recently expressed a desire to one day return to her Catholic roots.

The church has a strong hold over its flock. Many Catholics were educated in parochial schools, further strengthening ties to their faith. I’ve often heard, “Once a Catholic, always a Catholic.”

For 50 years the percentage of Catholics in the U. S. has remained steady at 24 percent. While some fall away for one reason or another, an influx of immigrants has helped keep the percentage steady. Many who leave the church eventually find their way back as they ultimately come to grips with their own mortality.

The late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy was a Catholic. Many have questioned his commitment to his faith because of his pro-choice position on abortion. Kennedy must have questioned it himself when earlier this summer, he penned a letter to Pope Benedict XVI, pleading his case to the Pontiff for his eternal salvation. While Kennedy never mentioned abortion specifically, he did write: “I have always tried to be a faithful Catholic, Your Holiness, and though I have fallen short through human failings, I have never failed to believe and respect the church’s fundamental teachings.”

In the Catholic Church, as in all of Christendom, abortion is wrong. To a Catholic it is especially egregious. Abortion is categorized as the most heinous of sins. It’s murder, not only in the church’s eyes, but also the eyes of many who have chosen abortion.

If the church learns of a member having an abortion they are excommunicated. As a result, many women have kept their abortions secret. The church has learned over the years that those who have had an abortion have often seen their lives spiral downward, accompanied by a feeling of unworthiness for committing the “unforgivable sin.” They’ve found fathers of aborted children experiencing similar trauma in their lives.

Since Roe vs. Wade became law in 1973, the U. S. Center for Disease Control reports 50 million fetuses aborted. To put that figure in perspective, Canada’s population is 34 million. While abortions have decreased in the past 20 years, the procedure has wreaked untold damage to millions of women and their families who continue to live with guilt.

In 1994 the Catholic Church began a ministry to help those who’ve experienced abortion find peace in their lives. It’s known as Rachel’s Vineyards. The mission is to assist those who continue to grieve the loss of their aborted children. This ministry continues to provide an effective healing process for those who are often traumatized by the guilt they suffer, some who have reached the age of 70 or 80

Prior to Roe vs. Wade, Kennedy was no pro-choice activist. Public statements he made early in his senatorial career indicate as much. In fact, in 1975 he even opposed federal funding for abortions for those on Medicaid. Kennedy had his eyes on a bid for the White House in 1980. After four years of Jimmy Carter’s disastrous presidency, Kennedy knew he’d need pro-choice votes if he was to have any chance at securing his party’s nomination. It was during this period that Kennedy chose politics over faith, becoming an outspoken proponent of abortion rights for women.

Did Kennedy have any remorse over that decision and did he ask for God’s forgiveness on his death bed? Although we’ll never know for certain, I suspect he might have. Catholics are taught to seek repentance for all their sins so that they may die in a state of grace. In the final analysis I can’t imagine Kennedy hedging his bet. Once a Catholic, always a Catholic.

This is a very interesting article. I have long failed to understand the ability of Catholics to reconcile their acceptance of tyrannical government with the concept of free will. Otherwise how could they be Democrats and liberals? God granted us free will. God never intended that government enforce “goodness” by the use of the force which is at the root of all government actions. When the police enforce the power of the state to prohibit murder, it is an appropriate use of force to stop a clear evil. When the police use the power of the state to take your money and give it to others for food and clothing and shelter, how could anyone make sure that is just? Yet the nanny state of the Democrat Party does that. And Catholics accept that as just.

When the nanny state of the Democrat Party demands that the activist judiciary enforce a right to abortion that they could never have gotten passed by a popularly elected legislature, how do they justify that? Catholics do though. Bob calls it the power of the Catholic Church... which permits entering heaven no matter what sins you have committed if you repent. Is that how Catholics can support government tyranny? They just confess to a Catholic priest and all is forgiven?

I find the entire process by which Catholics justify their actions to be beyond my comprehension.

The NEA's Partisan Work For Obama

Editorial - September 6th, 2009 - Wasington Times

When the Obama administration launched its United We Serve volunteerism program earlier this summer, it was all about building playgrounds, caring for wounded veterans and reading to homeless children. Weeks later, the Obama White House, the National Endowment for the Arts and United We Serve have revealed the actual agenda -- backing the administration's political priorities with coordinated propaganda, perhaps boosted by millions in stimulus cash.

This story is at the root of much of the concern about Obama's planned "talk with students" scheduled for later today. The Obama administration, using radical extremists like Yosi Sergant, director of communications for the NEA, is working with government agencies in ways that are totally corrupt to politicize our government. These radical left wing groups, a group in which I include the NEA, are being permitted to spend government money in ways that are clearly against the Constitution. The American taxpayer is being required to fund actions that are inconsistent with half the population. If you just looked at taxpayers, the actions are in opposition to the vast majority of taxpayers.

Yet Obama and his minions see nothing wrong with it. They also see nothing wrong with lying about what they are doing. The term liar is considered unacceptable in political discourse. Yet when someone denies taking an action that they clearly took, what else can it be called? Yosi Seargeant lied. Pure and simple. And the Obama White House is lying when they deny they are politicizing his speech to children.

Obama Will Urge Kids To Go To Private School

by Scott Ott - September 4th, 2009 - Washington Examiner

"Do you think you're going to get into Harvard University with your one-size-fits-all public school diploma?" the president will reportedly say. "Come on! Don't make me laugh. You'll be lucky to survive through graduation. Seriously, you gotta get out of this mediocrity machine. Go ahead! Get up right now. Run for the door. What are you waiting for?"

ROTFL

Oil

This is an email that has been circulating the Internet from someone named "Mitch". last name unknown. I have not found any of it to be either untrue, or an exaggeration. Posted here to start a dialog.

From Mitch:

About 6 months ago I was watching a news program on oil and one of the Forbes brothers was the guest. This is out of context, but this is the actual question as asked. The host said to Forbes, "I am going to ask you a direct question and I would like a direct answer, how much oil does the U.S. have in the ground." Forbes did not miss a beat, he said, "more than all the Middle East put together." Please read below to understand why he said it.

**********************************************

The U. S. Geological Service issued a report in April ('08) that only scientists and oil men knew was coming, but man was it big. It was a revised report (hadn't been updated since '95) on how much oil was in this area of the western 2/3 of North Dakota ; western South Dakota ; and extreme eastern Montana .... check THIS out:

The Bakken is the largest domestic oil discovery since Alaska 's Prudhoe Bay , and has the potential to eliminate all American dependence on foreign oil. The Energy Information Administration (EIA) estimates it at 503 billion barrels. Even if just 10% of the oil is recoverable... at $107 a barrel, we're looking at a resource base worth more than $5.3 trillion.

'When I first briefed legislators on this, you could practically see their jaws hit the floor. They had no idea..' says Terry Johnson, the Montana Legislature's financial analyst.

'This sizable find is now the highest-producing onshore oil field found in the past 56 years' reports, The Pittsburgh Post Gazette. It's a formation known as the Williston Basin , but is more commonly referred to as the 'Bakken.' And it stretches from Northern Montana, through North Dakota and into Canada . For years, U. S. oil exploration has been considered a dead end. Even the 'Big Oil' companies gave up searching for major oil wells decades ago. However, a recent technological breakthrough has opened up the Bakken's massive reserves.... and we now have access of up to 500 billion barrels. And because this is light, sweet oil, those billions of barrels will cost Americans just $16 PER BARREL!

That's enough crude to fully fuel the American economy for 2041 years straight.
And if THAT didn't throw you on the floor, then this next one should - because it's from TWO YEARS AGO!

U. S. Oil Discovery- Largest Reserve in the World!
Stansberry Report Online - 4/20/2006

Hidden 1,000 feet beneath the surface of the Rocky Mountains lies the largest untapped oil reserve in the world. It is more than 2 TRILLION barrels. On August 8, 2005 President Bush mandated its extraction. In three and a half years of high oil prices none has been extracted. With this mother load of oil why are we still fighting over off-shore drilling?

They reported this stunning news: We have more oil inside our borders, than all the other proven reserves on earth. Here are the official estimates:

- 8-times as much oil as Saudi Arabia
- 18-times as much oil as Iraq
- 21-times as much oil as Kuwait
- 22-times as much oil as Iran
- 500-times as much oil as Yemen
- and it's all right here in the Western United States ..

HOW can this BE? HOW can we NOT BE extracting this? Because the environmentalists have blocked all efforts to help America become independent of foreign oil! Again, we are letting a small group of people dictate our lives and our economy.....WHY?

James Bartis, lead researcher with the study says we've got more oil in this very compact area than the entire Middle East -more than 2 TRILLION barrels untapped. That's more than all the proven oil reserves of crude oil in the world today, reports The Denver Post.

Don't think 'OPEC' will drop its price - even with this find? Think again! It's all about the competitive marketplace, - it has to. Think OPEC just might be funding the environmentalists?

Got your attention? Got your ire up yet? Hope so!

Inner Banks Philosophy

Ever wonder why gun control fanatics hate our founding fathers with such a vengeance? Here are two quotes that sum it up pretty well from two intellectual giants who on other issues were often on opposites sides.

"Those who hammer their guns into plows will plow for those who do not." ~Thomas Jefferson

"Those who trade liberty for security have neither." ~John Adams

There is a modern day quote that supports these two men's ideas pretty well also.

"What part of 'shall not be infringed' do you NOT understand?" ~Anonymous

After you lose the right to bear arms you will shortly lose the rest of our bill of rights.

Perrytown Fire Dept Dedicates New Fire Station

Ever since the original ground breaking ceremony back on November 13, 2008 (which was covered here) there has been steady progress on the new fire station for the Perrytown Volunteer Fire Department. We had the Grand Opening a couple weeks back. (Some fantastic pictures of the new facility can be seen in that article here)

The men and women who volunteer are truly the heart and soul of America, and this group are the very best of America's volunteers. This evening they put on an incredible dinner to thank all the people who worked to make this happen. Typical of the professionalism they bring to everything they do...


The food was delicious and very well displayed.

These volunteers are the same people who put on the really awesome annual Perrytown VFD Herring Fry. (Check out the last one here )




The USDA Rural Development guaranteed a low interest loan of $138,000 as well as a grant of $113,600 to make this great new building become a reality. Pictures from the Grand Opening of the new building can be seen on the link provided in the first paragraph above but this is my favorite below.




While waiting for the dinner to start, we got pictures of some of the dignataries who showed up.

County Commissioners - Charles Smith, Chairman Norman Cherry, with Fire Chief Bud Lee, Wallace Perry, Vice Chariman L.C. Hoggard and Rick Harrell


State elected officials - Senator Ed Jones, Representative Annie Mobley with Fire Chief Bud Lee


Fire Chief Bud Lee opened the program. Some of the people who contributed to making this fire station happen spoke a few words.


Pastor David Baker, Chaplain for the Fire Department, gave the invocation.


Doug Causey from U.S. Dept of Agriculture - Rural Development talked about some of the early actions that lead to his department sponsoring its grant, key to funding the new fire station.


Teresa Jenkins from Southern Bank arranged the needed loan when no one else seemed willing to help.


Local Commissioner Wallace Perry


Senator Richard Burr's representative - Betty Jo Shepheard


Senator Ed Jones


Representative Annie Mobely


Kenny Davidson on behalf of the Perrytown Fire Department gives special recognition to Fire Chief Bud Lee


The last official act of the dedication ceremony was to present the check and cut the ribbon. Dignataries involved are (from left below) Senator Ed Jones, Representative Annie Mobley, Susan Christenson, Fire Chief Bud Lee, Kenny Davidson, Doug Causey, Betty Jo Shepheard on behalf of Senator Richard Burr, Jimmy Pierce and Hunter Brown.






Fire Chief Bud Lee also asked that Teresa Jenkins from Southern Bank and Trust (shown above in the middle of the picture in white sweater and black slacks) be recognized for caring enough about our community to loan us the money. Thank you Teresa for all your hard work.

Letter To The Speaker

Ms. Pelosi,

Your characterization of a dissenter on the health care issue as "Astroturf" is insultingly smug and condescending.

I am apparently, in your book, a Homo astroturfus var. femalia.

I am not a crowd follower, a "plant", or a group member and I deeply resent your assertions to the contrary. I am me : American Citizen ! Hear me out .. that is what you are paid to do ...certainly not to insult and demean us.

If you have any fine tuning in your perception of the voters, it should tell you that many of us have simply reached the "tipping point" where we can no longer abide this rush-rush-rush, spend-spend-spend, cram-it -down -their-throats , don't-read- the- bill operation in Washington.

When the people are threatened by their government ( as in the "report fishy information campaign") and when the government is no longer working for the people back home , no wonder it brings frustration, anger, impatience and resentment to a head.

We are effectively broke in America. Stop spending . It is that simple. Ditch Cap and Trade for now. Work to get Medicare and Medicaid on sound fiscal footing and THEN try to better the overall health plans and options for people. Say no to stimulus # 2 . We could not even afford #1 !

And it is too late, but Cash for clunkers should never have gotten $2 billion more. What a pathetic program that :

a) tried to shore up "government motors " sales to make the decision to buy them out look smart.

b) assured lots of work for the Unions to make more cars ...ahhh , let me see....whose voter base do the unions fall under? Could be a case of long distance quid-pro-quo???

c) was a bald faced transfer of wealth . Take my $4,500 dollars of tax money and toss it to a guy who can now "upgrade" on my dime, while I, responsible citizen driving a fairly efficient car, can not get the $4,500.

d) destroy useful assets . Killing the cars ... strangling the motors and crushing the bodies. Apparently you do not live in the real world where folks go to junk yards in quest of a fender...or a starter ... or a radiator ... that is called recycling, my dear lady ! Not all of us are so affluent that we can pay a shop $500 for every little repair and , so, we have to do this stuff ourselves with used parts. Might I tell you that this is killing the small business man who runs a used car lot. He has very few cars at the auctions to offer for sale and few buyers, because you took my $4,500 and gave it to somebody else who is a buying new vehicle.

If this insanity of rush, spend, cram, push, and abuse continues, I assure you that I will work tirelessly for the defeat of any candidate who supported these measures.

Respectfully,

Mary G. Broyles
Hertford, NC