In the Spotlight
The Obama Administration is alleging that the United States Chamber of Commerce is using foreign money for political ads. The shocking part of the story is the Obama Administration can’t support their claim, yet with reckless disregard for the truth, they are still making it.
According to FactCheck.org:
Democrats, from President Barack Obama on down, are trying to turn an evidence-free allegation into a major campaign theme, claiming that foreign corporations are "stealing our democracy" with secret, illegal contributions funneled through the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. It’s a claim with little basis in fact.
Even liberal outlets such as the New York Times have discounted the claim. This issue came to a head in an interview of White House Senior Advisor David Axelrod by CBS’s Bob Schieffer:
Schieffer: But this part about foreign money, that appears to be peanuts, Mister Axelrod, I mean, do you have any evidence that it’s anything other than peanuts?
Axelrod: Well, do you have any evidence that it’s not, Bob?
Apparently, it’s fine to say whatever you want about an individual or organization without caring about the truth — require the victims of a falsehood prove the truth.
Quick Takes
Court rules schooling not mandatory for suspended students
The state constitution guarantees children an opportunity for basic education. But the Supreme Court said school administrators are not required to accommodate all suspended students. The Supreme Court heard the case after a student was suspended for five months from her Beaufort County high school and was not given the option of attending alternative school or provided resources to study at home.
Eight years of legal arguments ended in a draw last week at the N.C. Supreme Court. That’s too bad, because the issue was one of the most important to come before the court in a long time.
During the state’s 2002 budget crisis, then-Gov. Mike Easley transferred money from the Highway Trust Fund to the General Fund. Former state Sen. Bill Goldston of Eden and former state Transportation Secretary James Harrington sued, claiming the governor exceeded his authority.
What other states have done about constitutional conventions
Fourteen states require mandatory convention referendums in intervals of nine, 10, 16 (Michigan) or 20 years. Voters in Illinois, Connecticut and Hawaii were the last to reject the idea, in 2008. Illinois voted 3 to 1 against the convention. As in Michigan, voters in Iowa, Montana and Maryland will weigh reopening their state’s fundamental laws this November.
