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Better without Sheriff Hege

The people of Davidson County should have been rid of Gerald Hege for good in 2004 when he pleaded guilty to felony attempted obstruction of justice and resigned as sheriff.

Unfortunately, some apparently want him to run again now that his right to vote (and to hold elective office) has been restored. He says he will next year.

If he beats incumbent David Grice in a Republican primary and goes on to win the general election, Davidson County again will have a sheriff who drums up publicity with outrageous antics -- and sometimes dangerous stunts like racing his "Spider Car" at reckless speeds over county roads.

But we don't think most residents of Davidson County favor a return to those days. It's been much more peaceful without Gerald Hege.

Crazy like a Foxx

North Carolina Congresswoman Virginia Foxx probably isn't as nutty as she sometimes sounds.

Which is to say describing the Democrats' health care reform ideas as a bigger threat than terrorism the other day may have been by design.

While her statement ranked right up there with equating the president with Hitler during health care town hall meetings, Foxx, a former community college president, simply is not that dim.

It has become fashionable for less-famous members of Congress to say outrageous things that grab national headlines and get them recognized, from Comedy Central to C-Span.

Couple this with Foxx's comments that the killing of Matthew Shepard because he was gay was a hoax (she later apologized for her choice of words) and you have to wonder if it's all calculated.

Foxx wasn't backtracking on the terrorist comments. In a news release Friday she continued to assault the Democrats' health reform proposals, but this time, without invoking the T-word.

Sad to say, such flaming rhetoric is red meat to too many people and probably won't hurt her at the polls.

The stimulus junket

North Carolina is using some of its federal stimulus money to boost the state's economy.

The state of California.

It's spending $140,000 to send 16 employees of the Division of Child Development to workshops in San Diego.

Meanwhile, critics point out, the waiting list for subsidized child care in North Carolina has grown to 41,000 children.

The division's director, Deborah J. Cassidy, answers that stimulus funds can't be used to increase child-care subsidies.

That's odd, because apparently they can be used for just about anything else.

The primary goal was supposed to be job creation. So maybe the $140,000 ought to be used to hire four or five child-care workers, instead of sending people who already have jobs on a trip to California -- where, no doubt, that state's hospitality industry will be grateful.

Outbid for school buses

For as far back as anyone cares to remember, High Point's Thomas Built Buses has been manufacturing school buses for North Carolina public schools.

But this time around, it lost a bid for as many as 900 new buses to competitor White's International Trucks, which will build them in Tulsa, Okla.

Whether losing the contract could mean layoffs locally remains unclear. Nationwide, some school districts already have cut back on vehicle replacements -- not a good omen.

Although landing the deal would have been a welcome economic boost for the Triad, the competitive bidding process ensures that taxpayers get the most for their tax dollars. In tough times, that's even more important.

And, as Phillies fans said after the World Series, there's always next year.