Max Borders says he feel's Pat McCrory's pain.

As a libertarian blogger and a devoted fan of "The Andy Griffith Show," Borders writes that he feels as torn as the Republican gubernatorial nominee over the actor's "shilling for leftwing candidates."

Borders also writes that Griffith's character would face modern challenges: 

A Sheriff Andy Taylor of today would be a more earnest and solemn man. He would find himself in a N.C. that in which summary executions occur perennially by members of foreign gangs. He would find himself cleaning up the Eve Carsons of the world, on the streets near Griffith's alma mater. He would find himself with very little prison space for Otis, because all manner of thugs and murders have pushed the town drunks into the arms of taxpayer-funded social workers.

Borders also writes that the times have changed since the show aired.

"Nowhere in N.C. is there a place that even vaguely resembles Mayberry (if there ever was)," he writes.

Max Borders says North Carolina cities should charge residents the full cost of water.

In response to a Dome post earlier this morning, the libertarian blogger points out that Seattle and several other Western cities uses full-cost pricing to discourage overconsumption.

Seriously, why is there almost a universal hostility to charging people for what they consume? If you're worried about poor people having water to flush, brush and make Kool-Aid, then charge full cost after X units. But to keep rich people from watering 40 acres and corporations from freeriding off the population, charge people based on scarcity.

Borders says full-cost pricing would turn people into "creative conservationists." 

Max Borders says government has no incentive to be transparent.

In a post on Red Clay Citizen, the libertarian blogger writes that government, unlike the private sector, does not benefit from making life simpler for users.

"Unlike Google—which profits from its usability—the government has only a minimal incentive to comply. If there is no statutory directive to be transparent or user-friendly, then they have even fewer incentives," he writes.

(Dome would argue that government actually has a disincentive, since transparency exposes problems.)

Here are a few of his ideas to promote transparency:

* Start a wiki-based open-source platform for state government.

* Contract with a tech company to unify state government Web sites.

* Form a nonprofit to promote transparency. 

* Use college students as volunteers to collaborate on software.

* Hold a contest for the best ways to make government more open.

* Donate to Civitas' Citizen Legislature project. 

Dome doesn't actually have $2,000 to promote a contest, but we do have some swag. So here's the deal: The best idea for a cheap, easy and effective improvement to a state government Web site gets you a free N&O hat. Post your ideas below. 

Max Borders says Google Ads drive traffic.

In a response to this Dome item, the Red Clay Citizen blogger writes that the Civitas Institute bought ads for certain searches to drive people to its poll results and promote an upcoming event with commentator Juan Williams.

It did not buy ads for Bill Graham, Kay Hagan or Elizabeth Dole, for a simple reason:

They were too expensive! We are a non-profit you know.

Interesting. But why is Graham as expensive as Hagan and Dole? One possibility: A higher click-through rate from people searching for the legendary concert promoter.

Or maybe his campaign is doing really well, Web-wise. 

Bloggers are almost uniformly against a bill to limit municipal Internet services.

A House bill that passed a committee yesterday would put restrictions on local governments that tried to start a broadband Internet utility.

Greensboro blogger Ed Cone writes that he's proud of his hometown for taking a stance against the bill, even if it long ago missed the chance "to distinguish ourselves nationally" with local services.

I'm delighted to see that the City of Greensboro regards public access to the internets as a big deal.

On Yesh.com, Chapel Hill blogger Brian Russell said his first time inside the General Assembly was "an eye opening experience."

I was there to oppose The Local Government Fair Competition Act. Man this bill is anything but fair for local governments and its citizens!

More after the jump.

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Bloggers have typically mixed reactions to the Senate budget.

On Red Clay Citizen, Max Borders gives it "one cheer" and "two jeers":

So the N.C. Senate improves upon the house budget by phasing out the two temporary taxes, but then it wants to saddle our kids and grandkids with more debt.

Over on the Fitzsimon File, Chris Fitzsimon sees a glass half empty:

The Senate budget cuts the taxes and provides less funding for the important programs that the House budget expands, health care for children, school nurses, teaching assistants, and affordable housing.

More after the jump.

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Bloggers have a field day with the House budget's proposal to keep two "temporary taxes" from 2001 on the books for another two years.

On Red Clay Citizen, Max Borders says that lawmakers could pay for spending with existing revenue if they cut pork out of the budget:

It's time we returned the temporary taxes to the citizens of the state while spending revenues more wisely.

On the Fitzsimon File, Chris Fitzsimon argues that Democrats' focus on spending made it easy for "Republicans and anti-government think tanks" to discredit the plan:

The truth is that the Republican leaders and the out-of-touch think tankers are half right. The House budget does have a spending problem. It does not spend enough.

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