newsobserver.com projects - N.C. Department of Agriculture - Comments

Re: No gifts for Ag emps, but what about Paul Terrell?

GiggleBox — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 03:33:59 -0400

No story is complete without the impact on him.

Re: Budget: Natural and Economic Resources

ishley — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 21:57:08 -0400

Six hours from Wrightsville Beach to West Jefferson, MAYBE (if you don't hit rush hour traffic).
Six hours from Manteo to Murphy? NEVER. Try eight. Or try eleven if you start in Ocracoke. Maybe twelve if Dumplin isn't much of a camel.

The state government should have a plane for use by our Governor and other top state officials for (truly) official business; from RDU, what other NC cities (save CLT) can be reached by direct flights? Should the Gov. have to spend all day in the car every time she wants to leave the I-85/40 corridor?

However, I acknowledge that in this exact moment, it is probably better to sell it. Nevertheless, I assert that fire-selling capital assets makes more political sense than economic sense.

Re: Budget: Natural and Economic Resources

uncertain — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 11:59:39 -0400

* Require the Department of Commerce to sell the state's King Air plane and reduce all costs associated with operating it, including a pilot position, to save $148,000 this year and $296,000 next year.

Is this HER plane that she flies all over in or just A plane that she will do away with.

I have no respect for her if she has still kept a plane to use when it takes 6 hours to travel from west to east!

Re: Milk chugged for charity

melted — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 05:59:19 -0400

And us taxpayers paid each legislator $104 in per diem money yesterday to chug milk instead of working on passing a budget. It was taxpayer money wasted because every second the general assembly is in session right now should be spent on passing a budget. They should be working 24 hours a day since they were unwilling to pass a budget by June 30th. Another waste of time and taxpayer money by the general assembly. Keep this event in mind when you go to the polls. Remember us taxpayers are paying the general assembly as a whole $17,600 every day in per diem money. Was it worth that amount of money for the publicity of chugging milk. I don't think so.

Re: The Most Requested Earmarks

jesmyopinion — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 14:29:01 -0400

Every earmark may have its merits - the problem with our federal government is that it is spending ALOT more money than it is taking in - and just like a household, local or state government, or business will fail if it continually spends more than it takes in, our federal government IS GOING TO eventually fail! Our federal government has many plans for spending money on worthwhile programs - it just does not have the money or a plan for paying for them - and one day our federal government will fail and bring this whole country down with it! Thank your federal representatives for this!!!

Re: A brief word on Palin crowd estimates

ccven84 — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 18:13:09 -0500

"Chief of Police for the Department of Agriculture?!" Why the heck is there a "Chief of Police for the Department of Agriculture?!"

Hmmm... Misdemeanorin' moo-cows? Bad-check chickens? Felonius fowl?

No wonder the state is going bankrupt...

Re: A brief word on Palin crowd estimates

gvgsteve — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 13:11:05 -0500

I absolutely agree that the crowd size was under estimated ... hummm.

What was mind boggling was this: my wife and I stood in line for over 2 hours and we never saw a single person get upset or impatient or cut in line. We also did not see security of any kind until the very end. We met and talked with some really nice people in line.

Even when we learned that the arena was full, the response I heard form a couple folks was "It would have been great to get in, but I am really thrilled to see this many people turn out for Gov. Palin".

I've never seen anything like it, and I think it really is a testament to the people that were there.

Re: Rancid posting by mmlem

Bob_Sconce — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 00:36:18 -0500

Yes. At the time, we were supporting Iraq in its war against Iran which, if you recall, a few years earlier had held a bunch of Americans hostage. It was the middle of the cold war and times were different. We also supported Osama Bin Ladin against the Soviet Union. It was the cold war and there were a number of cases of "the enemy of my enemy is my friend." Sure, Hussein was a bad guy, but at least he didn't have hundreds of thermonuclear warheads pointed at the US.

Back then, we didn't have the benefit of 20/20 hindsight that we do today. (If, indeed, it is 20/20. We don't know what would have happened had we done something different. We could be speaking Russian right now.)

Re: Rancid posting by mmlem

bnartist — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 22:15:31 -0500

In 1983 when Donald Rumsfeld met with Saddam Hussein he did not raise the issue of Iraq's use of chemical weapons.

Rumsfeld is one of the people who got us into the mess in Iraq.

Re: Rancid posting by mmlem

tangoz — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 22:01:23 -0500

SeattleSlim

Saddaam Hussein killed millions, some by NERVE GAS. For whatever our reasons good or bad for going into Iraq, a madman and his murberous regime is DEAD. Over 29 million people have the RIGHt to self determination if we do not cut and run.

You sound like Neville Chamberlin at Munich in 38. We cannot show weakness or what Biden says will come true and many Americans will die here in the US. We did not start this war, but by God we will finish it.

Re: Rancid posting by mmlem

SeattleSlim — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 20:43:59 -0500

It's a free country, you shouldn't threaten to fire people just because you backed the wrong guy. And you say you're a republican because you're not on welfare? Most people aren't, even the illegal aliens you show such hatred for.

I am a democrat because I don't believe in giving billions of taxpayer dollars to Halliburton, and I don't believe in going to war and killing people for no reason, even if they happen to be in Iraq.

May God have mercy on your bitter soul!
OBAMA / BIDEN !!!

Re: A brief word on Palin crowd estimates

ryanteaguebeckwith — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 18:35:24 -0500

We're putting something in tomorrow's print edition.

— RTB

Re: A brief word on Palin crowd estimates

kwyjibo99 — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 18:16:11 -0500

I was also at the rally and can attest to the fact that there were thousands who stood in line but did not make it inside the Expo Center. I would estimate far more than 2,000-5,000 outside. How convenient that those who only receive the print edition won't see Mr. Beckwith's explanation or corrected figures on the crowd.

Re: A brief word on Palin crowd estimates

jblaw — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 17:47:26 -0500

You reported in Sunday's "News and Observer", "the Alaskan governor told more than 5,000 wildly cheering supporters in the Expo center at the State Fairgrounds....."

The expo center holds 10,000 people and I was one who did not get inside. I and about 5,000 more stood outside to listen. We were in line by 4:20, and by 6:30 when we finally reached the doors and went through security, we had to stand outside. It was not fair of you not to mention the crowd numbers standing outside to support Palin, but only a low ball guess to the number inside. I would love to get the number of people who went through security...that would be one way to get the truth.

It was such a big news event that 20,000 people came out to see Obama in Raleigh a few days ago. I guess if you covered that... it was really 40,000 to 50,000 people and you just made the same little mistake as you did for Palin's supporters.

I would love to hear from you as to why your number of supporters from Palin was not more accurate...of course you did state more than 5,000, but doesn't more than 15,000 also tell the truth......it's a truth too favorable for Sarah Palin and McCain, right!

My new slogan is... Got a Brain? Vote McCain!

Re: A brief word on Palin crowd estimates

jwc123 — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 16:35:09 -0500

Whether it was 1 or 10,000 it's unbelievable that ANY American with a functioning brain would put a someone as ignorant and divisive as Sarah Palin within a heartbeat of the the Oval Office.!