The following two groups aren’t connected in any way, except that I ran across information about them at roughly the same time.

First up, the Northern Guilford County Conservative Republican Club held its first meeting recently. The Northwest Observer carried a brief on the group last week:

“The goal of the PAC is to help get conservative Republicans elected,” says Summerfield resident Don Wendelken, who is vice chairman of the group. Wendelken says he and chairman Marcus Kindley “started in Summerfield to draw people in to help them get active. Our goal is to get them involved as much as possible in the election process and once we establish a good groundswell, if you will, in that area, we plan to try to expand to the northeast part of the county.”

Click here for that story.

Kindley is the former chairman of the Guilford County Republican Party and has twice put himself forward as a candidate to lead the North Carolina GOP. (He apparently still owns the NCGOPCHAIRMAN.COM url.) Most recently he was one of the organizers of a bus trip to Washington, D.C. for the Tea Party protest (Click here.)

Click here for the group’s campaign finance filing, which lists it as the Northern Guilford County Conservative Republican Club. And click here for a news release from Kindley describing their first gathering.

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Next up, the Associated Press takes note of the new Wake Up America group, which is lead in part by state Sen. Andrew Brock. From the story:
 

Leaders of a new conservative-leaning political organization based in North Carolina unveiled a TV commercial Monday it hopes will become the first many designed to influence state and local politics nationwide.

Wake Up America also unveiled a Web site that also airs the ad critical of Democratic-elected leaders for approving a budget this year with higher taxes. It also mentions a series of pleas and convictions for corruption-related crimes by Democrats, including former House Speaker Jim Black to ex-U.S. Rep. Frank Ballance.

Click here for the full story. The group's website is: www.wakeupame­rica.com

The group is a 527, which means it files its disclosures with the IRS. On its organizational form, the purpose of the organization is listed as, “To be a conduit of information and strong body of citizens in the form of a non-partisan conservative movement to counter the unsound policies of Congress government institutions and agencies political parties and industry that are leading to the transformation of America from a free enterprise economy to a government-based economy.” Click here for the IRS's disclosure page.

The story notes that the group is bankrolled by Raleigh businessman Will Head, who put up $30,000 to air the commercials. Head doesn't show up on a quick search of SBOE filings as a donor to North Carolina political candidates.

For those who are curious, Wake Up America put its first ad up on YouTube:

Just as an observation: While it touts itself as a "non-partisan conservative movement," that video and the website certainly seem to target Democrats. Granted the Democrats are the ones in power right now, but asking "Are state Democrats the most politically corrupt in America?" doesn't feel terribly nonpartisan.

Also worth noting: The commercial's tagline says the group is rescuing America "from radical socialism," which is the epithet of choice conservatives have been throwing at pretty much any Obama administration policy with which they take issue.

There’s an interesting story with a North Carolina angle in the Los Angeles Times today about tax credits that states offer film production companies. From the story:

Nearly 95 miles to the west in the state capital of Lansing, lawmakers are wrestling with how to bridge a $2.7-billion budget gap -- and whether a state with the highest unemployment rate in the nation can afford to subsidize the movie business. The budget woes have hit cities across the state and have forced the layoffs of thousands of Michigan police officers and firefighters in recent years.

"We are still not sure what exactly our tax dollars are being spent on with these films," said Republican state Sen. Mark Jansen, who backs a bill that would reduce and cap how much the state could hand out in filmmaker incentives each year. "If we don't know that, how can we justify it?"

The debate in Michigan echoes around the country, from Wisconsin to Iowa to Connecticut. More than 40 states offer tax breaks or rebates for film and television production, a major contributor to the sharp falloff in industry employment in Southern California.

But as those subsidies have become increasingly generous and widespread, several states are having second thoughts. Even as some states, including Louisiana and North Carolina, expand film incentives, others are rethinking their programs in the face of budget crises.

Click here for the whole thing. And click here for a nifty map of the 40 states that offer tax credits and what those credits are. (The link for NC is here.)

As mentioned in that excerpt, North Carolina recently expanded its film credit offering, offering a rebate of up to 25 percent of the qualifying expenses a production company spends here if that spending is higher than $250,000. (News release || AP Story).

This was not a bill signing that Perdue was at all abashed about. She was still stinging from being on her way to announce a new film production in eastern North Carolina when it slipped through the state's hands. From the AP story:

Perdue had started traveling to Wilmington in April to announce the $17 million movie would be filmed in North Carolina when officials in Georgia, which offers a credit of up to 30 percent, stepped in.

"The money and the bottom line are richer for Disney," Perdue said. "This is a business. They go where the money is."

For those of you who went out an enjoyed the weekend, a few tidbits for you:

• Guilford County’s 10-member delegation to the General Assembly looks like they’ll all run for their jobs again. Answers ranged from folks who were already raising money (Reps. Adams and Harrison) to one member (Laura Wiley) who said it’s too early to say but she’s looking at it. That story is here.
   
• Remember that $8,000 tax credit for first time home buyers? It expires later this year and those who want to take advantage need to get hopping. Click here for that story from Richard Barron.
   
• From the lede of a NY Times news service story: “The story of the spectacular rise and fall of John Edwards, with its sordid can’t-look-away dimensions, is moving slowly but deliberately to its conclusion here in North Carolina.” Associates say the former senator and two-timing, er, two-time presidential candidate may own up to being a baby-daddy. That story is here.
   
• Hey, welcome back. You’re fired. The N+O’s Ben Niolet recounts the hairball over a hair braiding bill and the State Board of Cosmetic Art Examiners. Click here for that.
   
• Rep. Ty Harrell is now FORMER Rep. Ty Harrell after resigning Sunday. (More here.) He’s the fifth legislator to resign from the House this year. Two (Dan Blue and Linda Coleman) took other jobs, one (Bonner Stiller) left to spend more time with his family and maybe fishing and Rep. Cary Allred famously had Chelada-related issues.
   
• WUNC’s Laura Leslie rounds up the other weekend fun at this link.

The U.S. House voted this week to deny any federal funding to ACORN, the national community organizing and housing group that has been at the center of much controversy. (Background here and here.)

That 345-75 vote came in the form of an amendment to a student aid bill, which also passed the House.

In North Carolina’s delegation, Reps. David Price and G.K. Butterfield voted against the “motion to recommit with instructions.” All other Republicans in the delegation voted for the measure, as did most of the other Democrats.

Rep. Mel Watt voted “present,” a way to show he was on the job but lend neither support nor opposition to a bill. Usually, it’s interpreted as a sign of displeasure with what’s going on.

“I occasionally do that when somebody brings up something under a bill that’s just totally irrelevant,” Watt said Friday. “There’s no way ACORN was going to get any money under this bill.”

I should note at this point: It’s not completely uncommon for amendments to get strung on to somewhat unrelated pieces of legislation. In fact, if that didn’t happen, the Senate would move a whole lot slower. It’s slightly rarer in the House, but by no means unique.

“It was just totally a political ploy be the Republicans and had nothing to do with this bill,” Watt said.
 

The Community College Board gave its blessing to a policy that would allow, under certain circumstances, illegal immigrants to attend community colleges in North Carolina. (Click here for the AP story.)

Back during the session, lawmakers on either side of the issue filed bills relevant to the policy but neither bit of legislation went anywhere. (Click here and here.)

Despite the lack of action last year, it is very possible that the board’s policy could land back in lawmakers’ lap next year.

That’s because the when the Community College Board adopts a policy like this one, it has to go through the formal rulemaking process. And under that process, if more than 10 people file letters of objections with the Rules Review Commission, the rule in question is appealed back to the General Assembly.

A more complete explanation from a staff attorney at the General Assembly:

The Community College Board is not exempt from the rulemaking requirements of the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) with regard to admission policies. Therefore, any change must be adopted in accordance with the APA using the same process as any other State agency.

My understanding is that the Policy Committee of the State Board has prepared a proposed rule change that will be considered by the State Board today. If the Board approves, they will initiate rulemaking, which means that they will file the proposed Notice of Text with the Office of Administrative Hearings. The Notice will also specify the date and place of a public hearing and the process for submitting comments or objections to the rule, as well as the process for requesting legislative review.

According to the draft rule found on the Community College website, the proposed effective date is April 1, 2010. If the rule is ultimately adopted by the State Board and approved by the Rules Review Commission, and if 10 letters requesting legislative review are not filed with the RRC, then the rule can become effective April 1, 2010. However, if 10 letters are filed with the RRC, the rule cannot become effective until at least the 31st legislative day of the 2010 Session of the General Assembly.

My boss asked me (posts here and here) to look into what exactly ACORN has been up to in North Carolina. The group, for those not up to speed, has gotten in trouble elsewhere over video tapes that show ACORN employees dispensing dubious-to-illegal advice (New York Times). Congress has also acted (Boston Globe) by withdrawing funding.

(Side note: Rep. Mel Watt, a Charlotte Democrat who represents parts of Guilford County, voted “present” on the measure to withhold funding for ACORN. We have a call in to ask why.)

In North Carolina, the group seems to have kept its nose clean for the most part. Some voter registration forms it turned in during the 2008 campaign from Durham turned out to be questionable and the case is in the hands of law enforcement and Durham County District Attorney’s office. Other than that, most of what I found is typical of the group, including bringing community organizing to bear of people they identify as slum lords.

Click here for my story from today’s paper.

One additional note: ACORN says it still maintains a Greensboro office that it opened in May. I’ve heard from two different not-for-attribution sources that office at The Hive (click here) is closed. I’ll try to sort out this discrepancy, although the bottom line on its work in Greensboro seemed to be that ACORN didn’t have that large of a footprint.
 

Today's paper: "Students who cannot prove they’re legal citizens would be able to take courses at community colleges under a policy the State Board of Community Colleges is poised to adopt later this week." Click here for the full story.

From the Associated Press report this afternoon: RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina's community colleges would return to enrolling illegal immigrants next spring under a proposal expected to come before State Board of Community Colleges on Friday. The change won unanimous approval Thursday in the board's policy committee. Click here for the full story.

The full board is scheduled to vote Friday and send the policy in to the formal rulemaking process.

The Senate Finance Committee rolled out its long-awaited health care bill today. Once it is vetted by the full committee, it will be mashed together with the bill from the Senate’s Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, where North Carolina Senators Kay Hagan and Richard Burr sit.

According to a Washington Post story (click here), Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus is doing so without support from any Senate Republicans, who had been trying to bring on board. From the story:

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus unveiled a much-anticipated health-care reform plan Wednesday that would require nearly all Americans to carry health insurance while barring insurance companies from discriminating against people based on their health status or denying coverage because of preexisting conditions.
The plan does not call for a government-run insurance option, as advocated by President Obama and most Democrats, but would set up a system of nonprofit consumer-owned cooperatives to compete with private insurers -- a provision intended to appeal to Republicans who have railed against the "public option" in recent weeks.

The Congressional Budget Office issued a "preliminary analysis" saying that the plan would cost a total of $774 billion over 10 years and would "result in a net reduction in federal budget deficits of $49 billion" from 2010 to 2019. Baucus had estimated the cost of the plan at $856 billion. There was no immediate explanation for the differing estimates.

So what do North Carolina’s Senators think?

Sen. Kay Hagan, a Greensboro Democrat, doesn't exactly endorse the measure but she seems to be willing with some of the ideas in it. She offered this written statement:

“Last week, I joined a group of other moderate Democrats who discussed with the President the importance of ensuring the health care reform package is fiscally responsible. I am pleased the Finance Committee produced a bill that does not increase our deficit. The Congressional Budget Office estimates the bill will reduce our federal deficit by $49 billion over the next ten years. I also commend Chairman Max Baucus for working hard with our colleagues across the aisle to include Republican input in the bill.

“I am very supportive of the insurance market reforms in the Finance bill, which are similar to those that we passed in the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. It prevents insurance companies from turning you away due to a preexisting condition, removes annual and lifetime caps on coverage, and removes co-pays for preventative services.

“The Finance Committee bill also includes a CO-OP model, one backstop option for providing insurance to those without employer-sponsored care. I would like to see a backstop option included in the final bill.

“While there are many details that still need to be worked out, we ultimately need health insurance reform that ensures people who like their insurance and doctors keep them, expands access to health insurance for those without it, and slows down the skyrocketing cost of health care. I am committed to working with my Senate colleagues to ensure these critical components are included in the final bill.”

Sen. Richard Burr, a Winston-Salem Republican, is against it. He offered this written statement:

“The need for health care reform is clear, but it is even more important that we get this right so that our children and grandchildren do not have to spend a lifetime correcting our mistakes.

“I appreciate the Finance Committee chairman’s commitment to working across the aisle on this important issue. Unfortunately, the proposal put forth today fails several crucial tests. In addition to increasing spending and raising taxes, it also cuts Medicare by nearly half a trillion dollars. It makes no sense to jeopardize health coverage for seniors to pay for health care reform. Further, this plan is not financially sustainable over the long-term. It is imperative that Congress listen to the concerns of their constituents and get it right, rather than focus on arbitrary timelines and rushed solutions.”

You can offer your own written statement at the comment link below.
 

Rep. Alma Adams will be honored by African American Caucus, an auxiliary group of the Democratic Party of North Carolina, during their first "Black and White Ball" this October.

Sponsorships for the event start at $1,000, according to this flier that was circulated to reporters along with notice of the event.

The particulars:

What: The African American Caucus of Wake County is honoring Rep. Alma Adams for her many years of community service to our wonderful state of North Carolina during our 1st Annual Black & White Ball.
When:  Saturday, October 10, 2009
Time: Registration at 6:30, Dinner and Program from 7p-9p, 9p - 11 Dance VIP Sponsors Reception: 11P-Midnight in the Governors Suite
Where:  Radisson, RTP, NC
Price: Members $50 individual $75 couples Non-members $75 indivicual $125 couples
Sponsorships: Platinum $4000, Gold $3000, Silver $2000, Bronze $1000 For more information pls email: RSVP2009BALL@YAHOO.COM

Gov. Bev Perdue spoke to reporters before cutting the ribbon at UNC’s new cancer hospital today. We managed to hit three topics in a few minutes.

• The Court of Appeals issued a ruling today (click here for background) that would limit North Carolina governors’ ability to raid various trust funds in order to balance the state budget.
  
  “Clearly, I was taken aback when I saw the ruling,” Perdue said. Although the ruling applied to an Easley administration case, it would apply pretty directly to ways in which Perdue kept the lights on this spring.
  
  “With the budget crisis we had, obviously, I took every pot of money I could take to pay the bills and balance the budget … I can’t speak to what the retroactiveness of the ruling would be, but I just simply say the constitution requires the governor to balance the budget and I believe the people of North Carolina want the bills paid,” she said.
  
  Perdue says the state will appeal the ruling and that she'd do the same thing again if needed to balance the books.
   
• The North Carolina Board of Community Colleges is due to meet this Thursday and Friday to start rulemaking on the issue of admitting undocumented immigrants into the community college system. Even though the proposed policy would require that they pay out of state tuition and impose other restrictions, the policy is drawing fire from groups that advocate for more restrictions on those here illegally.
  
  Perdue also opposes the move.
  
  “It’s hard for me to understand how the state of North Carolina can educate people when they can’t work legally in the state after they’re educated,” Perdue said.
   
• Perdue was also asked about a recent report from the Civitas institute (click here) that that suggests accepting stimulus funds could cost the state 67,000 jobs rather than spark a recovery as intended. The report is particularly critical of the extension of unemployment benefits.
  
  “If you were sitting around a kitchen table and couldn’t pay your light bill or give your kid a decent dinner because you have no money to pay the bills because you’re unemployed, you’d take whatever you could get and be grateful,” Perdue said. “I’m grateful for those jobs and will deal with the hereafter hereafter.
  
  My own reading of that report is that it may be mixing up correlation and causality. That is, the stimulus funds came at the time unemployment was rising, but that seems to me like saying the Coast Guard cutter coming to pluck you out of the water caused your boat to sink. But I'm not an economist and don't play one on TV.
  
  The study was written by a consulting firm run by Authur Laffer, author of the Laffer Curve, which provides one of the cornerstones of supply-side economics.

Click below to hear the raw feed of Perdue talking about all this.