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The Bad News Report


tozmervo

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I realize I sound like a cliche urban liberal, but our state is blessed with more than enough land for solar, and marijuana crops, to actually bring money back to the rural areas after the agri-business era put small farmers out of business. So many areas are hurting, it CAN'T be too egregiously long until both get their fair shake in our state economy.

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Recreational marijuana use will be legalized here in the next 5 years IMO.  California is about to open up a lot of eyes to new revenue streams.  And North Carolina, with it's stunted tobacco industry and new-wave, progressive metropolises will follow suit.

What's the saying?? . . . times, they are a-changin . . .  

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Recreational marijuana use will be legalized here in the next 5 years IMO.  California is about to open up a lot of eyes to new revenue streams.  And North Carolina, with it's stunted tobacco industry and new-wave, progressive metropolises will follow suit.

What's the saying?? . . . times, they are a-changin . . .  

I disagree, I don't see our politicians moving from passing HB2 to legalizing recreational marijuana use in a span of 5 years. Maybe 10 or 15, but I don't see 5.

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2 minutes ago, Midwoodian said:

I disagree, I don't see or politicians moving from passing HB2 to legalizing recreational marijuana use in a span of 5 years. Maybe 10 or 15, but I don't see 5.

Could be.  But I think the current administration is losing its footing on this HB2 thing.  It's going down.  Period.  Full stop.  That happens, the people will realize the amount of change they can effect.  (Even if it is up there with Deflategate amongst foolish social issues.)  Couple that with the fact that Charlotte, RDU, Triangle are well-positioned in the market to bring in young professionals and concomitantly younger voters.  Agri-business is hurting and for solar alternatives, power purchase programs are capped, and so you have that side of the aisle looking for dollars, too.  It's all going to come to a head; and I'm betting it will happen sooner rather than later.  

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The problem is the gerrymandering.  Until this is fixed, or when rural voters who vote against their self-interest are being negatively affected by legislation, the GOP will remain in power, pushing more and more social issues that divide. I've lost complete confidence in the voters of NC.  Too many low-information, conservative voters outside of the more educated, metropolitan areas.  The NCDP needs to get off their ass and find more young, progressive candidates to run for state office. But I digress...

3 hours ago, alb1no panther said:

Could be.  But I think the current administration is losing its footing on this HB2 thing.  It's going down.  Period.  Full stop.  That happens, the people will realize the amount of change they can effect.  (Even if it is up there with Deflategate amongst foolish social issues.)  Couple that with the fact that Charlotte, RDU, Triangle are well-positioned in the market to bring in young professionals and concomitantly younger voters.  Agri-business is hurting and for solar alternatives, power purchase programs are capped, and so you have that side of the aisle looking for dollars, too.  It's all going to come to a head; and I'm betting it will happen sooner rather than later.  

 

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34 minutes ago, Brendan said:

The problem is the gerrymandering.  Until this is fixed, or when rural voters who vote against their self-interest are being negatively affected by legislation, the GOP will remain in power, pushing more and more social issues that divide. I've lost complete confidence in the voters of NC.  Too many low-information, conservative voters outside of the more educated, metropolitan areas.  The NCDP needs to get off their ass and find more young, progressive candidates to run for state office. But I digress...

 

Another major issue is actually getting out to the voting booth! This is a very interesting article on the "coveted" Generation Y group.....you can protest and scream all you want on blogs and FB,,,,,,but if you do not convert that action to voting, than the status quo is maintained.

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/02/the-liberal-millennial-revolution/470826/

 

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58 minutes ago, rancenc said:

Another major issue is actually getting out to the voting booth! This is a very interesting article on the "coveted" Generation Y group.....you can protest and scream all you want on blogs and FB,,,,,,but if you do not convert that action to voting, than the status quo is maintained.

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/02/the-liberal-millennial-revolution/470826/

 

Young people are notoriously unreliable voters.

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1 hour ago, rancenc said:

Another major issue is actually getting out to the voting booth! This is a very interesting article on the "coveted" Generation Y group.....you can protest and scream all you want on blogs and FB,,,,,,but if you do not convert that action to voting, than the status quo is maintained.

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/02/the-liberal-millennial-revolution/470826/

 

Words to live by... If you don't vote, you can't complain. Plain and simple. 

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3 minutes ago, HopHead said:

Words to live by... If you don't vote, you can't complain. Plain and simple. 

Actually, I don't vote and I complain plenty.  Or is that not what you meant?

I don't vote because the system is rigged both locally and nationally and I'm completely disillusioned by the political process.  I also find that I can't stand any individual who runs for office.  I'd vote if there was a real choice and I voted when I lived in San Diego because of the propositions on the ballot.  In Weddington where I live, I typically have my choice of Republicans...no thanks.  I've been lectured plenty on why this is un-American but since I'm the least patriotic person I know those arguments haven't moved me.

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1 hour ago, JBS said:

Actually, I don't vote and I complain plenty.  Or is that not what you meant?

I don't vote because the system is rigged both locally and nationally and I'm completely disillusioned by the political process.  I also find that I can't stand any individual who runs for office.  I'd vote if there was a real choice and I voted when I lived in San Diego because of the propositions on the ballot.  In Weddington where I live, I typically have my choice of Republicans...no thanks.  I've been lectured plenty on why this is un-American but since I'm the least patriotic person I know those arguments haven't moved me.

So are you going to 'vote' for McCrory by not voting for his opponent?

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19 minutes ago, vicupstate said:

So are you going to 'vote' for McCrory by not voting for his opponent?

Perhaps.  Or maybe I'm going to vote for his opponent by not voting for him.  Either way, if I voted I wouldn't vote for Cooper or McCrory (I'd vote for the Libertarian, most likely, which would again largely be an exercise in futility).

My views on politics don't really belong in this thread though so I'll refrain from further comment....

 

Edited by JBS
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2 hours ago, JBS said:

Actually, I don't vote and I complain plenty.  Or is that not what you meant?

I don't vote because the system is rigged both locally and nationally and I'm completely disillusioned by the political process.  I also find that I can't stand any individual who runs for office.  I'd vote if there was a real choice and I voted when I lived in San Diego because of the propositions on the ballot.  In Weddington where I live, I typically have my choice of Republicans...no thanks.  I've been lectured plenty on why this is un-American but since I'm the least patriotic person I know those arguments haven't moved me.

Those who rig the system are counting on you to not participate.

Makes things easier for them.

Old, white conservative church-goers vote in extremely high proportion to their numbers in the overall population. This is why we have the fiasco in Raleigh that plagues and embarrasses us.

The LGBT community also votes in high proportion to our numbers but it's difficult to make any headway because our overall numbers are relatively small.

You can't possibly change the political system if you abandon it. Abandoning it only makes things worse.

 

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I think Marijuana will be legal in almost every state within the next 10-20 years and at least a majority of them in 5-10. Colorado literally couldn't figure out what to do with all their tax surplus. The thing is, people don't realize how amazing it is for producing paper pulp numerous other matierals. It can be woven into strong fibers or clothing, and potentially even used in plastics. Acre for acre, it can produce more pulp for paper than trees and the life cycle renews every 4-5 years instead of dozens. :offtopic:

NC farmers are essentially only making money from government subsidies. If they didn't get them, the vast majority would be operating at a loss. Only the farms with the most expensive and advanced machinery along with massive amounts of land are able to turn a profit. 

As far as voting goes, the majority of people that I've come across who are close to my age either don't vote because they don't care or they think their vote doesn't make a difference so they don't bother. And as upset as that makes people, the individual's vote really doesn't matter considering the state is often won by many thousands. However, your vote is much more important in NC as compared to others which are more solidly red or blue.

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36 minutes ago, Silicon Dogwoods said:

Those who rig the system are counting on you to not participate.

Makes things easier for them.

Old, white conservative church-goers vote in extremely high proportion to their numbers in the overall population. This is why we have the fiasco in Raleigh that plagues and embarrasses us.

The LGBT community also votes in high proportion to our numbers but it's difficult to make any headway because our overall numbers are relatively small.

You can't possibly change the political system if you abandon it. Abandoning it only makes things worse.

 

Good news for you:  I'm an old (47), white, fairly conservative (though rabidly anti-war), church goer (though I'm admittedly increasingly skeptical).  I'm very much against this ridiculous law but generally it might be good for you that I don't vote...

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1 hour ago, Silicon Dogwoods said:

Old, white conservative church-goers vote in extremely high proportion to their numbers in the overall population. This is why we have the fiasco in Raleigh that plagues and embarrasses us.

This is as prejudice as it gets. 

A few weeks back you said you didn't feel welcome in your own birthplace. I hope you realize this is a large reason why you might not feel welcome. I don't care who you find attractive, which bathroom you use, your age, or what your genetic make-up is. I do care that you pontificate this prejudice garbage on a message board about urban design and development. 

This is not welcome here. 

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20 minutes ago, GeauxCLT said:

This is as prejudice as it gets. 

A few weeks back you said you didn't feel welcome in your own birthplace. I hope you realize this is a large reason why you might not feel welcome. I don't care who you find attractive, which bathroom you use, your age, or what your genetic make-up is. I do care that you pontificate this prejudice garbage on a message board about urban design and development. 

This is not welcome here. 

And when it comes to a lot of social issues, black, church going voters surprisingly are not very supportive for causes that are favorable to the LGBT community.  Black voters were very instrumental in the incorporation of the marriage amendment (that lasted very briefly) into the NC Constitution earlier this decade.  Also, I have actually heard from older black people, that "homosexuality is a issue in the white community", which I find quite ironic since a lot of gay/lesbian folks I l know personally are African-American.

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1 hour ago, GeauxCLT said:

This is as prejudice as it gets. 

A few weeks back you said you didn't feel welcome in your own birthplace. I hope you realize this is a large reason why you might not feel welcome. I don't care who you find attractive, which bathroom you use, your age, or what your genetic make-up is. I do care that you pontificate this prejudice garbage on a message board about urban design and development. 

This is not welcome here. 

This forum isn't moderated very well.  Off-topic discussion and personal attacks have become rampant.  It's becoming unreadable.

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I'm just telling you what any political scientist would tell you.  Old, white conservative church-goers vote overwhelmingly for Republicans not just in North Carolina but in all 50 states. It isn't 'prejudice garbage'; rather, it's just basic fact upon which many political campaigns are based.

My characterization of our current government in Raleigh as a fiasco is shared by many. I'm guessing you like and approve of our current government in Raleigh. I don't. It's inarguably true that more than any other demographic group in North Carolina, old white conservative churchgoers are the primary reason people like Berger and Moore and Brown and Hager are running the General Assembly.

Development is a political issue. An assertion that it is apolitical is totally erroneous and completely untrue. 

Your insinuation that I feel unwelcome because I am a native contrarian is in fact the real prejudice. As a native southerner, I can spot our reluctance to discuss or acknowledge things that make us uncomfortable a mile away. A friend of mine calls this the seersucker closet.  We all know what's going on but nice people don't talk about these things, of course.

In other words, because I don't agree and line up with traditional southern and conservative religious views on an array of social and political issues-because I refuse to cower ashamedly in the seersucker closet- there is no place for me here and I should leave.

Congratulations! Your wish will be granted in just a few weeks. 

You may have the last word.

 

Edited by Silicon Dogwoods
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All I can say is at least we don't have any Charlotte development related bad news to discuss right now. But still, can everyone just please stop posting here about anything not directly related to jobs/projects in Charlotte especially since it's turned into bickering?

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One thing I noticed driving and walking around uptown today especially on North Tryon is the amount of homeless lounging around. I noticed 3 guys just sitting and drinking on the steps on 525 North Tryon office tower. No wonder this tower has a good chunk of space and lease rates lower than south Tryon towers. This is really going to hold back North Tryon development in my opinion. Charlotte has a lot of resources for homeless but many reject them and this loitering is causing North Tryon corridor to be held back I remember when North Tryon was the hot spot and south Tryon had more vacancies. However south Tryon never had this problem. Maybe some of the new residents of the Skyhouses will change this and the new Levine apartment complex along 10th St at the light rail.   Plus driving around Charlotte in various sectors of the city there are alot of people soliciting donations at stoplights. This needs to stop citywide and the police need to crack down though I know their resources are strained. 

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I've often wondered if Charlotte is unusual for having most homeless centers and resources heavily concentrated in one area, which makes it really stand out should you pass through there. Addressing homelessness and the resulting issues needs to be a top priority in any city IMO, but I do tend to look at our own situation in a softer light after I come back from visiting almost any other city our size or larger, where it seems much more severe and more pronounced across a wider area (DC, Denver, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Austin, etc...)

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I understand that any amount of homeless people will make some people feel uncomfortable and/or unsafe, but to be honest the homeless population here is a small fraction when compared to peer cities as nonillogical said. I've lived in Atlanta, Miami, and Orlando and the problems there are leaps and bounds worse than here. Granted Miami and Atlanta have metros twice the size but I would guess their respective homeless numbers are probably five or six times larger at least.

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