News-Record.com

So Rep. Earl Jones was the "1" in a 116-1 vote in the House today. The bill in question would ban a video slot system that is becoming more prevalent in the state that some folks liken to video poker.

(You can click here to listen to Reps. Melanie Goodwin and Ray Rapp give the rationale for outlawing the machines.)

Jones has cut against the grain at the General Assembly since getting elected up here.

Of banning video poker, he said in 2006:

"Just to ban it straight out when we just passed the lottery is kind of hypocritical."

and

"I don't see any difference between video poker and the lottery," said Rep. Earl Jones , a Greensboro Democrat.

Of payday lending, another industry the state has outlawed, he said in 2005:

State Rep. Earl Jones , D-Guilford, said that payday lending fills a financial services gap not covered by banks.

"If they're shut down, there will be no mechanism that will develop to meet that need," Jones said.

And remember, Jones is the guy who filed the medical marijuana and the stem cell bill, which both provoked some controversy.

So when Jones was on the short end of a 116-1 vote over video slot machines, I can't say I was shocked.

"I think people really just want to be left alone," Jones said. "If a person wants to play cards or play the lottery or participate in this activity...it just seems to be overreaching relative to government telling people what to do."

While he said there's probably no way he'll make up the vote difference Wednesday, Jones objected to third reading so the House has to vote again before sending the bill to the Senate. Jones said he wasn't sure what he would say Wednesday. But, he added this:

"I guarantee you, a year from now, two years from now, I'm going to end up being right,'' Jones said, "and the General Assembly's actions are going to end up being wrong because I think there's a fundamental issue of businesses being treated fairly."

You can click here to listen to part of my conversation with Jones, where we discuss some of those points and argue over a few facts. (More audio from that conversation.)

Of course, I will be taking a gander at Jones' campaign finance report for this quarter when he files it, just to see if anything interesting might be there.

For those following the video slot issue, the House voted 115-2 to ban those sweepstakes-based machines.

One of the two votes against: Greensboro's own Rep. Earl Jones. He even objected to third reading, forcing the House to vote again Wednesday.

Update: Whoever had initially sided with Jones jumped ship. The final vote was 116-1. Jones stood alone.

More on this in the paper tomorrow.

From today's paper:

RALEIGH - The House and Senate gave tentative approval to a $21.3 billion state budget Monday night despite objections that it borrows too much without voter approval and may overestimate how much money the state will take in next year.

Both chambers are due to vote a second and final time today. The bill will then go to Gov. Mike Easley for his review.

If Easley signs the budget into law, North Carolina will spend 3.5 percent more than in the previous year. Opponents, mainly Republicans, say there's increasing evidence that the slowing economy will mean less revenue to spend than budget writers expect.

"What we're doing is setting ourselves up, or rather we're setting up next year's legislature for a serious problem," said Phil Berger, a Rockingham County Republican and the Senate minority leader. He likened the pending budget to one passed in 2000 that plunged the state into deficit just as Easley took office.

"Those memories are still pretty vivid to me," Berger said.

Click here for the whole thing.

Also: Local votes.
Local items.
Other bits.
Earlier.

Update: After the jump, the AP's long list of items in the state budget:

Continue reading "Budget clears first of two votes" »

The $21.3 billion state budget passed both the House and Senate Monday night. They'll both give it a final vote Tuesday before sending it on to the governor.

Local votes in the House include:

For: Democrats Alma Adams, Pricey Harrison, Maggie Jeffus and Earl Jones of Greensboro, Nelson Cole of Rockingham County, Hugh Holliman of Davidson County. Republicans Harold Brubaker and Pat Hurley of Randolph, Laura Wiley of High Point.

Against: Republicans John Blust of Greensboro, Bryan Holloway of Randolph and Stokes.

Total vote: 97-21 with one excused vote (Paul "Skip" Stam of Wake County) and one member not voting (Speaker Joe Hackney).

Local votes in the Senate include:

For: Democrats Katie Dorsett and Kay Hagan of Greensboro, Republican Stan Bingham of Davidson County,

Against: Republicans Jerry Tillman of Randolph and Phil Berger of Rockingham.

Total vote: 34-16.

Cross-posted from Decision 2008.

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Update: From a story in today's paper:

"If I had never done advertising before and all of a sudden came up with television ads, you might have an argument there," Crumley said. "But I'm not doing anything that I didn't do before."

[snip]

"You can't watch that thing without thinking it's an ad for someone running for office," said Bob Phillips, who heads the North Carolina branch of Common Cause, a public-interest advocacy group that has lobbied for more stringent campaign finance rules.

Click here for the whole thing.

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Related to Bob Crumley's image ad, the state Democratic Party has filed a complaint against Crumley. The complaint, filed with the SBOE and signed by the party's executive director, reads in part:

Without disclosure of who is paying for the advertisements and how much is being spent, voters will have no information regarding the sponsorship of this apparent effort to influence the 2008 election.

Clearly, the sponsoring entity is violating the law, and I ask that the Board investigate these advertisements and any other communications for which disclosure is required.

Click here for the full letter.

More in tomorrow's paper.

For those who haven't seen it, here's the ad:

The U.S. Senate race here in North Carolina officially has the third with the addition of Libertarian Chris Cole.

From Gov. Mike Easley's office:

RALEIGH -- Gov. Mike Easley today ordered all North Carolina state flags to be flown at half-staff in honor of former U.S. Sen. Jesse Helms who passed away on July 4. Flags will be flown at half-staff from Monday July 7 until sunset on Tuesday July 8.

In addition, a condolence book will be available for North Carolinians to sign in memory of Helms, who represented North Carolina in the Senate from 1973 to 2003. Citizens can sign the book from Monday morning through the close of business on Tuesday. The condolence book
will be sent to the Jesse Helms Center at Wingate University.

I've asked where the condolence book will be, but don't know the answer yet.

Update: AP says the book will be available in the state Capitol.

From a story in Sunday's paper:

A measure aimed at preventing shootings like the one that claimed more than 30 lives at Virginia Tech in 2007 has sat in a legislative committee but will move forward before the end of the year, its sponsor said.

“If your mental condition has deteriorated to the point where you have to be ordered into treatment, society has a right to protect itself,” said Sen. Tony Rand, a Fayetteville Democrat and majority leader in the Senate.

The bill, which is backed by Attorney General Roy Cooper, has cleared a Judiciary Committee but has sat in Senate Appropriations since June 12.

Rand said that senators have been distracted trying to compile the state’s $21.3 billion budget but that he would work to get it passed before the General Assembly adjourns, likely later this month.

Under the bill, if a court orders someone into mental treatment, that person will be entered into a nationwide database used for criminal records checks. That person would be unable to buy a gun legally in North Carolina.

Click here for the whole story.

The bill, (S2081) is opposed by Grass Roots North Carolina, a gun owner's rights group. My suspicion is you will almost certainly see it move out of the Senate in the next week, but I don't have a good read on what its prospects may be in the House.

Any state budget can be read on a couple of levels. One, of course, involves the statewide spending priorities and policies it sets. Another way, of course, is to see what's in it for your parochial interests.

Because funds were limited this year, the number of "special projects," money for nonprofits and projects local to one community or another, was limited. Still, you don't have to look all that hard to find funding of particular interest to certain communities.

Looking for things of interest to Greensboro and the Triad, here's my running list (after the jump):

Continue reading "N.C. Budget: Greensboro and beyond" »

Cross-posted from Decision 2008.

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I wrote back in February is the about a Bob Crumley commercial that seemed as if it might have some campaign implications.

Crumley is a Republican Greensboro-area lawyer running for Attorney General against Roy Cooper, the Democratic incumbent.

I noticed this weekend that Crumley is running a new ad. The tag line refers people to his law firm's web page. But you tell me: does the ad seem more like a commercial one might use in a campaign?