newsobserver.com projects - Johnson & Wales - Comments

Re: GOP candidates praise nonprofits

dahedgehog — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 21:11:11 -0400

Non-profits are great. What isn't great, however, is the way North Carolina goes about deciding which non-profits will receive state funds. There's no standardized set of criteria that non-profits must meet. Nor is there any sort of competitive bid process. Instead, non-profits generally receive funding based on their political ties. Those who play the political game to gain the support of powerful members get funding.

Furthermore, there is little-to-zero follow-up determining how well these non-profits are performing.

Until there is some sort of standardization of the funding process, and a better evaluation piece, the state should stay out of the business of funding random non-profits.

Re: GOP candidates praise nonprofits

RobSchofield — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 15:06:34 -0400

While it was very nice that all of the GOP candidates professed their love for nonprofits, there was a troubling undercurrent to each of their comments -- namely, the insane notion that nonprofits can and ought to somehow take the place of public institutions in the provision of core services. This view was expressed most explicitly by Fred Smith.

While it is an essential component of a healthy society, the nonprofit sector cannot do what the public sector can and should do when it comes to the provision of education, health care, mental health, criminal justice etc... Indeed, unless North Carolina maintains a robust and healthy public sector, the nonprofit sector will find itself constantly overwhelmed as it tries, in vain, to pick up the slack.

Ultimately, what each of the four GOP candidates failed to do was to provide a coherent explanation of how they would assure adequate and sustainable funding for core public services so that the nonprofit sector can be freed to do what it does best: supplement and push the public sector in an innovative way.

Please

Senate — Tue, 15 May 2007 13:00:10 -0400

Everyone should recognize the biases of different organizations. I think both Civitas and BlueNC are pretty clear about their agendas. Everyone should have an eyes open approach to material they produce on account of this.

Now if we could just get Ryan to lay out the biases of this blog's sponsor we would be able to approach the material here with the appropriate scepticism.

Friends

Anglico — Tue, 15 May 2007 08:46:20 -0400

Being a veteran of flame wars from too many unproductive discussions at Ed Cone's blog, I should have known better than to engage. For future reference, this response should suffice.

Cheers!

what a shock...

lefaim — Mon, 14 May 2007 23:42:01 -0400

Lying about people now gets them angry enough to respond. What a shocking development you have stumbled upon.

Re: This is simply ridiculous

HappeningHillsborough — Mon, 14 May 2007 23:17:33 -0400

Judging from the howling I have obviously struck a nerve.

This is laughable. Go back and re-read what I said Lance. Anglico isn't just another rich white man. He is a very rich white man (monied elite of Chapel Hill) who, just like Art Pope, uses his money to influence and manufacture opinions (i.e. "framing") for public consumption. Sorry the truth hurts but I can assure you I am not angry. Nice try at "framing" though.

I wonder. Would you be considered the equivalent of the Stage Manager? The parallels are striking.

You are so full of sugar!

Anglico — Mon, 14 May 2007 22:32:00 -0400

Interesting. I don't recall ever saying that BlueNC was non-partisan. That's just plain silly.

I did say - again and again - that Kirk Ross is a professional journalist who was invited to have front-page privileges at BlueNC. That is a matter of fact. But perhaps you can't tell the difference between a person and a website, which could explain some of the challenges you're having out here on the Tubes. That's okay, though, don't worry. It does take some gettin' used to. :)

By the way, I'm hosting a fundraiser for Larry Kissell at my "lakeside estate" (heh, I love that!) on June 10th. Hope you can come!

James

PS Thanks for all the plugs. As a little ol' start-up website, BlueNC needs all the publicity it can get. And since we don't (1) enjoy tax-exempt status like our friends on the Dark Side, and (2) don't get our "reports" published like clockwork by the News and Observer, we really do need to pinch our pennies and hustle day-in and day-out. So really, thanks, Bubba!

This is simply ridiculous

lancemccord — Mon, 14 May 2007 22:28:02 -0400

James' financial contributions to BlueNC are in the very low three digits, and they roughly equal mine. So if Protzman is BlueNC's Art Pope, who am I? And do you really think there's no practical difference between a few hundred bucks a year and a few hundred thousand a month?

Or maybe you mean that BlueNC is a front for James' political views in much the same way that Pope's organizations are fronts for Art's? That's very much like saying that the N&O opinion page is a front for the N&O's editors. If there's no pretense, there's no front. Contrast that to Pope's mouthpieces.

And what's with the request for our combined income? Do you mean the income from BlueNC? None of the owners of BlueNC LLC have received any distributions, so that would be, on a personal level, zero. Or are you referring to our non-BlueNC income? If so, why?

HH, you managed to pack a number of really ridiculous statements into just a few sentences. You either (i) have no idea what you're talking about, (ii) have no idea what "modus operandi" means, or (iii) (and I suspect this is the case) know that what you're saying is nonsense and what MO means and you're just out to make a personal attack. James is so up front with his personal beliefs that it strikes me as almost unbelievably lazy or in terribly bad faith to base your attack on falsehood and innuendo. Truly - is there nothing that James has actually said or done that will serve as a basis for your anger?

Re: For the record.

betsybarnet — Mon, 14 May 2007 22:26:56 -0400

Why do our incomes matter? For the record, I'm a stay at home mom and I have yet to draw a paycheck. I write as The Southern Dem on BlueNC and am part of the front page team. How would my lack of income have anything to do with BlueNC's operating budget?

Darn, A, $50/month? I guess that new server isn't free, huh?

Grrr.....

zoobatmania — Mon, 14 May 2007 22:25:01 -0400

dammit, where is my $50,000 a year for writing on BlueNC? Oh, wait. That's right, no one there gets paid to lie, they just write the truth for free. Day, night. Right, wrong.

Re: Shooting fish in a pork barrel

bnartist — Mon, 14 May 2007 22:10:36 -0400

Nobody argued that BlueNC is non-partisan. BlueNC threshes the grains of what passes for truth in the political aisles of Variety Stores to separate the chaff being purveyed as edible fodder.

gregflynn

Thank you SO much!

Anglico — Mon, 14 May 2007 21:51:58 -0400

You don't know how thrilled I am to read your wonderful words.

Truth be told, I spent my formative years, lo these many decades ago, as an idealistic young man working hard, I mean working really, really hard, so that one bright and shining day in the not-too-distant future I could grow up, and maybe, just maybe, with a little bit of luck and some help from Above, I would follow in the glorious footsteps of the Puppetmaster and his Daddy. You've given me hope, for the first time in a long time, that I may soon achieve my childhood dreams. Bless your heart. You are a good soul.

Re: For the record.

HappeningHillsborough — Mon, 14 May 2007 20:34:07 -0400

Anglico, nice try. Now how about providing folks with your annual combined income? Ooops! :-)

BlueNC is a Protzman front like Civitas is a Pope front. The political philosophy may be different, the modus operandi is effectively the same.

Re: Shooting fish in a pork barrel

HappeningHillsborough — Mon, 14 May 2007 20:21:01 -0400

Oh really? Anglico argued that BlueNC was non-partisan when Kirk Ross was denied access to the press box at the NC legislature. Now its proud of its partisan nature? You guys do exactly what you accuse Art Pope of doing.

Wealthy individual. Yes. That would be your dear Anglico. You know, the one who hosts those ritzy fund raisers at his lakeside estate in Chapel Hill for the likes of Mike Easley, John Edwards, etc. Big time politicians and high profile Democrats know who to turn to in Orange County for money. Anglico needs to wake up and smell the humus in his backyard. While his political beliefs are different, he behaves no differently than his arch rival Art Pope. Proof? Go read any one of his numerous ~~potty-mouthed rants~~ posts on BlueNC.com or EdCone.com.

But back to the topic. Faux journalism is exactly what is going on at BlueNC and all of the Pope funded outlets. Pope uses "newspaper articles and actual scientific studies to assert facts, and give their opinions as opinions" also. So what? It is still biased drivel being passed off as "journalism". There is no denying this fact.

Thank goodness for grown-up journalists like those at the News and Observer who strive to provide honest and complete reporting.

Re: Shooting fish in a pork barrel

lefaim — Mon, 14 May 2007 19:05:55 -0400

BlueNC is funded by wealthy individuals? Thats news to me.

The individual writers of BlueNC use newspaper articles and actual scientific studies to assert facts, and give their opinions as opinions. Go forth and back up your assertions please.

edit- I should add that BlueNC is proud of its partisan nature, while Civitas is a supposedly nonpartisan organization.