For years Pulpsters have followed the thinly veiled antics of the News & Observer/Chapel Hill News duo in supporting local Democrats who have created our lcoal economic disaster zone, otherwise known as southern Orange County. Let’s face it, without the government socialist support machine (otherwise known as UNC) southern Orange County would be an economic wasteland.

Where else in this state can you find advocacy journalism that fails to report on the irony of the progressive “local living economy” movement? Orange County is filled with politicians who have spurned the dreaded big box retail stores and talked endlessly about creating a “local living economy”. Those are pretty tall words for a community that extracts and imports over $1,000,000,000 annually from OUTSIDE its borders.

Pulpsters may wonder what residents of the 99 other counties in North Carolina think about being lectured by Orange County progressives on the goal of retreating into an economic shell based predominantly on “local” businesses. Apparently, the meaning of “local” is flexible here in Orange County.

It should come as little surprise that the N&O has timed a hatchet job on unfavored Chapel Hill mayoral candidate Councilor Matt Czajkowski. Clearly, N&O/CHN reporters and editors have favored their candidate, fellow Councilor Mark Kleinschmidt in their selection of campaign stories in the past four months.

The N&O felt that the filing of a civil lawsuit by a shareholder over the timing of some fractional stock sales was sufficient reason to question Mr. Czajkowski’s integrity, despite the lawsuit having been dismissed without a trial.

Pulpsters know that anyone can file any lawsuit on any charge. Filing a lawsuit means NOTHING. Even settling a lawsuit mean little, for often settlements are made to get rid of nuisances. Having a lawsuit dismissed before trial, however, does mean something. It means that the judge found no merit to the lawsuit. That fact should have settled the matter as far as newsworthiness of a five year old event. However, that assumes journalistic ethics are in play.

What the N&O fails to report is, how long did it sit on this “news”. The Pulp learned of this non-story months ago, and didn’t bother to report it. Certainly, the Pulp isn’t shy about keeping you informed about real stories that matter to your well-being.

For a little context, let’s visit with the folks over at Chapel Hill Watch. The CHW reports how the CHN handled an incident involving Winnebago-lifestyle aficionado and former Councilor Bill Strom.

While running for Chapel Hill town council in 2007, the very same CHN reporter (Mr. DeConto) learned that the Orange County Child Support Collection Agency had filed suit against Mr. Strom for nonpayment of child support. Allegedly, Mr. DeConto called Mr. Strom for comment. In response, Mr. Strom “winnebagoed” over to CHN offices and threatened legal action if the story got published. CHN editor Mr. Mark Schultz showed his moxie. He caved. You were kept in the dark.

Contrast this courageous stand for journalism against a recent editorial decision by the same editor. A few weeks ago, Mr. Schultz did publish a story about lack of child support payments involving a local candidate. Why did Mr. Schultz suddenly see journalistic merit to reporting about child support issues? Perhaps it's because Mr. Schultz advocates for the incumbent Carrboro mayor, Mr. Mark Chilton. Ms. Amanda Ashley, the victim of his reporting, is a challenger to Mr. Chilton. Pulpsters are right to wonder, did Mr. Chilton feed Mr. Schultz that story, or does Mr. DeConto spend his days perusing the court docket for child support cases?

The Pulp predicts (always a dangerous move) that come Sunday, two days before the local election and with no time for a response by the public, the Chapel Hill News will feature this hatchet job on its front page.

Pulpsters should respond by asking Mr. Schultz, where’s the real story on why Mr. Strom (and his spouse, a former editor for the Indy party guide) left town so suddenly? Where did they go? Why the haste and secrecy? Why no warning to the public? Most importantly, why did Mr. DeConto sit on an email from Mr. Strom to the mother of his non-supported child discussing about him moving back to New York?

That story is up there somewhere.

Pulpsters are well aware of the self-serving, ineffective Carrboro environmental organization dedicated to preserving their backyards, aka Friends Of Bolin Creek, bka Friends Of My Backyard (FOMBY). In true Orange Progressive fashion, FOMBY has watched as Bolin Creek has been bulldozed up to its stream buffers by residential development approved by the Carrboro town government, all under the rubric of promoting “small town urbanism”.

There's no hypocrisy in praising the heaviest residential density in Carrboro alongside the steepest stream beds of Bolin Creek, at least so long as the bulldozing doesn't occur in their backyards. Fear of a scheduled connector road extending from Seawell School Road to Pathway Drive, aimed precisely at the cul-de-sac belonging to FOMBY president, Mr. Dave Otto has provided FOMBY leasdership with the intestinal fortitude to look beyond true environmentalism and into nobly saving their own backyards.

Despite Carrboro open space stream bed regulations that have systematically driven Carrboro's heaviest development onto Bolin Creeek, FOMBY has stood by, not silently, but perversely praising those who have openly heavily developed the Bolin Creek environment.

So what could be more fitting than FOMBY interjecting itself into the upcoming Carrboro municipal election. Yes, FOMBY has decided to bestow a completely surreal environmental award to that supreme Bolin Creek destructionist, Mayor Mark Chilton. A paragon of environmental virtue and patellar virtuosity, Mr. David Otto, has announced that FOMBY shall give Mr. Chilton an environmental award at a very public press conference, by sheer coincidence, just days before the Carrboro municipal election. How clever and so inscrutable.

Political whores or environmental stewards? Pulpsters can reach their own conclusions about FOMBY and its illustrious head giver of awards, Mr. Otto.

One thing you can always count on come municipal election season. The local party guide, the Independent, will fawn over the people least equipped to lead local government.

Pulpsters shouldn’t be surprised to find that, yawn, the Indy has selected the candidates least experienced in providing for themselves, much less providing for taxpayers. It’s almost as if the selection process for an Indy endorsement falls upon the party pothead most likely to worship the porcelain god and most likely to lead an indolent and unproductive life.

Pulpsters can take comfort in the fact that the Indy has reliably dealt from the bottom of the deck. As described in the blistering book on the shameful sacrifice of the Duke lacrosse team on the altar of progressive cannibalism,“It’s Not About The Truth”, (a mantra for progressive causes), the Indy is not really a newspaper, and does not practice journalistic ethics.

Probably the best current example of the Indy principles of endorsement can be found in the Carrboro municipal election. The Indy editors have selected a 35 year old person who lives at home with a parent and has no discernable employment as best qualified to govern Carrboro. Must be the dreadlocks sacrificed just before the electioneering.

Pulpsters need look no further than the stellar endorsement of the Indy for now-shamed Durham district attorney Mike Nifong. Back in 2006, the Indy editors selected the now disbarred and disgraced Mr. Nifong as their choice. The ever insightful Indy editors wrote “The terrible allegations against Duke University's lacrosse team have thrown the district attorney's race into the national spotlight, but when Durham voters go to the polls on May 2 for the Democratic primary, they can vote based on years of local prosecutorial experience, not just the recent handling of one case. Incumbent Mike Nifong faces two challengers: former assistant district attorney Freda Black and defense lawyer Keith A. Bishop. No Republicans filed for the race. Any candidate who takes 40 percent of the vote would become Durham's next district attorney. We endorse Nifong.”

Subsequently, Mr. Nifong has been found guilty of heinous abuses surrounding his conduct as a prosecutor.

No more need be said about the judgment of the Indy endorsers.

Mike Nelson has been the quintessential Orange County politician, long on cumbayah words, short on competence, horrible with municipal finances. In less than a decade he was able to double Carrboro’s taxes WITHOUT noticeably increasing town services.

Mr. Nelson's accomplishments include outrageously overpaying for the future Martin Luther King Park land, claiming credit for saving the Adam’s Tract park, but only after secretly trying to jam a municipal garage facility on the environmentally pristine “crown jewel” of Carrboro parks (“Mike’s Creekside Garage”), and purchasing an asbestos-laden Century Center at a premium price with an expensive environmental clean-up tab paid for by Carrboro taxpayers.

The smart money is reading this abandoning of an election cakewalk as an omen as to how bad next year’s county budget will be. You can’t hide the bad news too long in county budgeting. With Mr. Nelson's penchant for spending, the cornucopia of county government spending will soon provide a progressive tax bill.

Pulpsters, shouldn’t feel too sorry for Mr. Nelson. Read his announcement carefully. He only says that he’s not running for commissioner. He doesn’t say that he won’t seek any OTHER political office.

In Mr. Nelson’s words, “I will not be running for reelection to the Orange County Board of Commissioners. Though the primary is next May, the filing period begins shortly after the first of the year. I’m announcing early to provide sufficient notice to those who have interest in running for the Board.

It takes considerable effort to create a campaign organization, recruit volunteers, raise money and to do all the other things necessary to run a campaign in a county as large and diverse as Orange. I want to make sure interested parties have time to build strong campaigns.

Orange County rich with talent, and I am confident that a number of public service minded candidates will emerge.

I'm grateful that the citizens of Orange County gave me the opporunity to serve. You are passionate, engaged, progressive and dedicated. You insist on quality schools, a clean environment, a social safety net that protects the weakest amongst us, and you believe there is strength in diversity. I have been fortunate to have had the opportunity to serve you.”

Mr. Nelson wanted Senator Ellie Kinnaird’s statehouse seat, and got miffed when she announced she would run again.

Ms. Kinnaird has openly declared that she will only step away if another woman runs for her seat. Apparently, Ms. Kinnaird suffers from “gender binary oppression”.

It was only a matter of time. With a local municipal election in southern Orange this November, and at least one mayoral candidate questioning how to pay for the government spending in Chapel Hill and another in Carrboro, it was only a matter of time before the local media (aka “Skews & OpEdServer”) whipped out their trusty labelmakers.

In most of North Carolina, if a political candidate observes that tax spending is rising faster than resident’s income, then it’s considered a worthwhile campaign issue that’s neither “prudent”, nor “liberal”, nor “progressive”, nor “conservative”, nor “reactionary”.

But Orange County isn’t like most of North Carolina. Here, talking about the cost side of money (as opposed to the spending side of money) brings out the political “sign of the cross” to ward off evil. You want to talk about affordability in housing prices, great. You’re “progressive”. You want to talk about affordability in paying the taxes for that affordable house, you’re “conservative”, and worse yet, “pro-business”.

Witness the latest labelmaking in the N&O’s treatment of the Chapel Hill mayoral race – "Chapel Hill Incumbents Face Pro-business Bloc". The bias of the report is easily seen. Mr. Matt Czajkowski is an incumbent councilman running for mayor like Mr. Mark Kleinschmidt. Even though, the story describes Mr. Czajkowski as being part of a “pro-business bloc” he’s an incumbent. So why the lead? How can Mr. Czajkowski face himself? Note how the reporter tells of an epic battle between “good” (liberal majority”) that supports environmental protection and “bad” (“business-oriented number crunchers”). It’s as if someone who lives within their means can’t be for sensible urban development or for environmental protection.

The icing on the fantasy political cake is the story’s description of those “bad people”. According to the report, there’s only “a perceived dearth of parking, security and commercial vibrancy on Franklin Street.” Gee, all the weeping and gnashing of teeth by the “liberal” incumbents for the past four years about not enough parking, panhandling, and a lackluster Franklin Street economy must have been hallucinations.

In the rest of North Carolina, when towns physically grow together, the respective municipal governments look at ways to share municipal services and, perhaps, even to merge. Witness Winston-Salem (formerly the towns of Winston and Salem), Fuquay-Varina (formerly the town of Fuquay and Varina), or Jonesville (formerly the towns of Jonesville and Arlington).

But Orange County isn't like the rest of North Carolina. Here town governance boards decide what they want, and residents must pay for it. No one looks at the effect on the incomes of town residents. If the “pony” wanted by town boards is “good”, then the boards get the pony, regardless of cost, regardless of what's happening to the income of town residents.

It should come as no surprise to Pulpsters that the net effect of duplicating redundant bureaucratic empires for delivering similar services in adjacent areas comes at a price. One of the elements inflating that price is the continuous growth in the number of municipal employees.

In the contest between the towns of Carrboro and Chapel Hill, which have a commmon border of several miles, Carrboro is by far the winner in expanding its municipal employee base. In the past six years Carrboro has increased its number of FTEs (full time employee equivalents) about 15%, from 141 to 162. Meanwhile, Chapel Hill has only been able to increase its base only about 8%, from a little over 459 to a little over 497. Together, these two, intertwined towns (with a population less than 100,000) have about 660 FTEs.

The greatest social engineering tool of our time is the bogeyman of mankind-induced catastrophic climate change. Practically all land use planning in southern Orange County is against the drop of this bogeyman. “If you don’t densify your town, then the bogeyman will come get you!”

Unfortunately, in the midst of a local election year, the bogeyman just got put back into his box with regards to the drought that gripped the Southeast (including southern Orange) from 2005 to 2007. According to a recently published The Journal of Climate article, the drought was caused by population growth. Moreover, the rainfall patterns fell within historical climatic rainfall patterns. “At the root of the water supply problem in the Southeast is a growing population.”

Oops!

Citing metropolitan Atlanta, Georgia growth figures, the authors noted that the population has grown from about 6,480,000 in 1990 to about 9,540,000 in 2007. That’s a growth rate of about 50%.

Compare that growth rate to Orange County. Since 1990, Orange County has grown from about 94,000 to about 125,000 in 2007. That’s a growth rate of about 33%.

As reported in the New York Times, Dr. Richard Seager, a climate expert at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory who led the article study, “Our conclusion was this drought was pretty normal and pretty typical by standards of what has happened in the region over the century.” Furthermore, similar droughts unfolded over the last thousand years. Regardless of climate change similar weather patterns can be expected regularly in the future, with similar results. (See NYT SE Drought Story.)