Berger: Dems need to investigate Easleys

It is irrelevant that Mary Easley is "worth way more than her salary" of $170,000. It is irrelevant that the Easleys may have give so much for North Carolina, if that is what they have been truly doing.

It is highly relevant that Mary Easley has taken the innocence from all the Easley supporters and now is known to have obtained her job through back room machinations traced in part by the e-mails now posted here at this site. Even a Congressional Medal of Honor winner can commit crimes that must be prosecuted, much less an indignant former First Lady with a fixed smile on her face, or if not her, the ones who traded in power swaps by getting the benefit of her job for her husband's "favors" to them, all done without competition with the more qualified potential hires.

Pay to play is present everywhere in politics and should be prosecuted everytime it is uncovered.

The Hickory Hound Blog

One thing you can say for ACORN - They sure do deliver the Nuts.

How does a thread about corruption turn to the sick and the elderly? Where is the money going to come from to take care of the indigent if we don't get our economy back on track in this state?

We need a better educated workforce and we need jobs. The corrupt, inefficient, and ineffective government that we have seen for years, in this state, has led to the current predicament we find ourselves in. If we don't start addressing the issues involving our government and its $3 billion deficit, then our state will never recover and the working class will become more indigent and the indigent will be in far worse shape than anything you could ever imagine.

I have a question. Did the Easleys purchase the house in Raleigh? Are they renting? If purchased, did they get a good deal?

First of all, he's not that idiot; he's done no such thing.

Second, cutting Medicaid doesn't hurt sick elderly people. MEDICARE is what those over 65 get. Medicaid is what low-income people get. Get your basic facts correct.

Isn't Berger the idiot who is cutting the medicaid funds by 60% for the frail sick elderly in our state to receive a meal and help at home ,and keep them out of expensive nursing homes?I just looked it up-its him-these kind of idiots we can do without.
One reason among many that shows republicans are not ready to lead.Even with massive corruption among the dems the republicans record is just sickening.VOTE AGAINST BERGER AND SEND HIM BACK TO WHEREVER HE CAME FROM

Of course. Republicans will solve everything. Trade one set of politicians out for another. It's funny all I ever hear from NC Republicans is that our State government is corrupt and that Democrats are the good 'ole boy party. I never hear any solutions offered other than elect Republicans because we won't get tainted by power. Maybe if there was ever any ideas or solutions offered other than put us in power maybe voters would. And please drop the cronyism charge. In NC 25% of voters are African-American, and 18% of voters are the age of 18-29. African-Americans voted over 90% for Dems and the youth voted 74% for Dems. 64% of white voters in NC of both sexes vote GOP. So you're arguing that 35-6% of white voters control the state? 55% of white male voters age 18-29 voted Democrat in NC hardly the good ole boys. Maybe your party should drop the extremism, come up with ideas that aren't laughable and make inroads among minorities and the youth because if 55% of white male voters in 2008 are voting Dem that are 18-29 odds are they're still going to be voting Dem in the years to come. The only age group the GOP won was people over 40 and white. Sounds like ya'll are the good 'ole boy party and the Dem is the coalition party of ideas.

This is what happens when you have one party control of a state for well over 100 years. Since reconstruction there have only been 2 republican governors. The rest of have been democrats. Even if it was reversed and the republicans had been in control for over 100 years, they would also be corrupt. That is why we need to clean house, elect a republican legislature next year and a republican governor the next election cycle.

The Hickory Hound Blog

You are witnessing before your eyes why higher education has become so ridiculously expensive in this state. If you want to see College education become affordable again, then eliminate student loans.

We have kids that are basically taking out "educational mortgages" to buy an education that there is no job for when they graduate. All in the name of lining the pockets of Bureaucrats and Faculty who refuse to accept any forms of accountability. And the system is littered with Political Cronyism and Patronage.

Something is rotten in Mayberry, Andy!!!

cleve, you forgot the hundreds of thousands she spent in Europe. Taxpayer's money sir or mam.

There is a reason why she and her husband are under a federal grand jury investigation.

The rats from sinking ships take flight. Soon hopefully, there will be rats on trial in the US District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina. And maybe Jim Black will have some company. This is and has been a pay to play state for a long time and hopefully that will come to a halt and honest government will be the norm.

Clevenative!! For shame! You must have consummed two pitchers of coolaid! I doubt very seriously the GA dems have the political will to investigate this, but I could be wrong. So far, at least on the surface, Governor P has pushed the right buttons....but then I could be wrong about that that too. Howver, I know I'm right when I say "for the good of the University System, Bowles should resign."

What really needs to be investigated is the teaching loads of faculty at UNC Chapel Hill and NCSU. At these two schools, the average teaching load is less than one course per semester per faculty. At all other state-supported instituions, the average teaching load is three-four courses per semester. Elitist faculty are "released" from teaching duties to conduct research. However, only a meager few of these elitists bring in enough outside money to pay for this "release time". Less than one in five NCSU or UNCCH faculty members actually pay their way through overhead funds generated from research contracts. Also, the way the institutions utilize this largesse borders on the edge of criminal activity. The public does not understand this "financial system", which is basically corrupt to the core. Thus, where did the money to pay Mary Easley's salary actually come from? Whatever the actual source, it was diverted by Oblinger and Nielson from a worthy cause to a most unworthy one. For this, they deserve to lose their inflated jobs--both financially and academic value inflation.

you are kidding right!!!

Or are you mike or mary's mom

She was an asset to the university, worth way more then her salary. It is a shame that this has been turned into a bitter partisan issue. There is nothing to investigate, just a guy wanting to help get his wife a job. And if you have any problems with his 100 or so trips by air down to Southport how about looking into the flights taken by "You Betcha" Palin.

The Easleys have given much more than they have taken.