The Bad News Report

[rancenc]

8 hours ago, RiverwoodCLT said:

http://www.nba.com/hornets/charlotte-hornets-statement-2017-nba-all-star-game

Looks like Charlotte will get NBA 2019 All Star Game.  This could work better because the North Lynx Blue will be open and we will have more hotel rooms in uptown by 2019.

Wouldn't surprise me a bit that the city officials, BEHIND THE SCENES, asked the NBA to move this year IF Charlotte is guaranteed a host slot in 2019.  This allows the NBA to be perceived in a positive light, the Republican leadership in the state is looked upon as "baboons", no direct hit on Charlotte's reputation, and the city is better prepared with more amenities in 2 years time.

[Dale]

12 hours ago, kermit said:

The NBA's only goal is to maximize profits. Their is zero hypocrisy in their actions from their point of view (and that is the only perspective that matters when discussing the ASG location -- unless you are a socialist)

Yep, even worse than I thought: http://hotair.com/archives/2016/07/22/how-the-nba-decided-to-become-a-pac/

[Dale]

11 hours ago, kermit said:

Peter Theil is the richest moron.

He currently has the Silicon Valley liberal hive-mind in a panty-wad.

12 hours ago, mpretori said:

NC Brexit? 

Now that Brexit has been accomplished, 'Project Fear' is no longer taken. But you've got an uphill battle ahead of you in your scaremongering. In general, HB2 protests are running out of steam ... and business is just great in NC.

[HopHead]

So apparently the ACC is now going to review upcoming events in Charlotte during their fall meetings this year in light of HB2. The ACC football title game of course is here through 2019 (or maybe 2020, can't remember off the top of my head). Also, we are slated to host the ACC basketball tourney in 2019. I suspect they do very little to be honest until after the election cycle, if they do anything at all. Because it's not just Charlotte, it's Greensboro and Raleigh-Durham where they also have events coming up in the next few years too. Also, the PGA who has the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow next August released a statement saying they are against HB2 but will keep the event in Charlotte. This is large part to the fact that Quail Hollow is a private club and sets their own rules so it shouldn't be an issue. IMO, that would have been equally embarrassing to lose this tourney because it's also a week long event that has a lot of International exposure. It is also an event with lots of high dollar sponsors and spenders. 

If there is one positive takeaway about losing ASG and possible getting it in 2019 (pending HB2 changes of course), there will be a lot of completed projects here by that time (BLE, major airport upgrades, several uptown high rises, etc). 

[mad_park]

14 hours ago, kermit said:

Here is a typical example of what the remainder of the nation thinks of Charlotte (the RedEye is a newspaper that is published by Tribune Corp). Since Charlotte gets painted with the same brush as NC, the NBA has no choice but to run away.

 

IMO, Jennifer Roberts hasn't been beating the drum loud enough that this isn't Charlotte's doing.

[deleted]

^^

Honestly, I'd much rather have the 2019 game (aside from all the bad PR).  Uptown will look so much better by then (Stonewall and hopefully First Ward in particular), the Blue Line will be done, more hotels ready, etc.  This has been mentioned previously by others but at the current pace of progress we'll be showcasing a much nicer city by then (assuming we get the game, of course).

[cjd5050]

2 hours ago, mad_park said:

IMO, Jennifer Roberts hasn't been beating the drum loud enough that this isn't Charlotte's doing.

What is your goal with this?  

Is the goal to win the PR game or the goal to actually get the law reversed?  Because if the former that's a bit of a shallow victory.  If the latter, it's going to require a skilled politician and that is not who Jennifer Roberts is.   She has admitted that she did not see the backlash coming and that's either a lie or pretty darn naive.  Anyone who follows politics knows there is a divide in NC and beyond that she was told what was going to happen before she made her move. 

My personal take was Roberts wanted to make a name for herself and was pushed by Chad Griffin at the HRC to push the bathroom ordinance.  Griffin does not care what happens to Charlotte.  His job is to push his agenda and he used Roberts as a pawn.  She was played.  Making things even worse, after he played her and the idiots in Raleigh did what they did...he took a scorched earth approach in trying to get the FAA to block grants to improvements to CLT.  Again, he does not care at all what happens to Charlotte.  

The time to beat the drum loud was before the city council passed the law that they were told was going get slapped down by Raleigh.  The time to use PR was before HB2 not after.  Roberts could have made this a campaign issue and a national issue, while at the same time, not having PayPal or the NBA All-Star game leave.  If she was a competent politician she could have gotten everything she wanted at little to no risk.  

I hope they find a way to reverse HB2 but one thing I know for sure is Roberts needs to take a back seat if that's going to happen.  She does more harm than good.  

 

 

 

[tozmervo]

Except that drum was being beat for a long time before CLTCC passed it. Roberts and other council members were elected on the promise of that ordinance passing & including transgendered protections. The ordinance failed in 2015 because it didn't include the provisions for transgendered persons (John Autry and Lawanna Mayfield wouldn't support it because it wasn't as inclusive as it should be).

We aren't loosing economic opportunities because of a civil rights ordinance the city passed. We're loosing them because of HB2, plain and simple. I would not and I don't expect my elected officials to bury civil rights advancement because of threats by the NCGOP. 

[deleted]

^^

I actually think both of the prior posts, though marginally contradictory, are predominantly accurate...

33 minutes ago, cjd5050 said:

My personal take was Roberts wanted to make a name for herself and was pushed by Chad Griffin at the HRC to push the bathroom ordinance.  Griffin does not care what happens to Charlotte.  His job is to push his agenda and he used Roberts as a pawn.  She was played.  Making things even worse, after he played her and the idiots in Raleigh did what they did...he took a scorched earth approach in trying to get the FAA to block grants to improvements to CLT.  Again, he does not care at all what happens to Charlotte.

This in particular seems to be right on the mark.

[GeauxCLT]

23 minutes ago, tozmervo said:

I would not and I don't expect my elected officials to bury civil rights advancement because of threats by the NCGOP. 

Agreed. We must also understand both sides threw punches in this whole fiasco and that is what caused the media coverage and the bad publicity. 

 

The protected class exemptions in HB2 are absurd and the city council could have accomplished quite a lot if they had just remained silent on the bathroom issue. 

[cjd5050]

28 minutes ago, tozmervo said:

Except that drum was being beat for a long time before CLTCC passed it. Roberts and other council members were elected on the promise of that ordinance passing & including transgendered protections. The ordinance failed in 2015 because it didn't include the provisions for transgendered persons (John Autry and Lawanna Mayfield wouldn't support it because it wasn't as inclusive as it should be).

We aren't loosing economic opportunities because of a civil rights ordinance the city passed. We're loosing them because of HB2, plain and simple. I would not and I don't expect my elected officials to bury civil rights advancement because of threats by the NCGOP. 

I get this but, as of today, does the ordinance exist?   Roberts may have been elected on the goal but she failed miserably on the execution.  My point is that a skilled politician would have played the hand differently and in turn had a different result.  I am not asking you expect your elected officials to bury anything.  All I am saying is with Roberts people elected an unskilled politician on a platform of ideas.  When people vote they need to vote for both the platform and the skill of the politician to pull it off.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[rancenc]

16 hours ago, RiverwoodCLT said:

 

Just now, rancenc said:

16 hours ago, RiverwoodCLT said:

 

Here is the speech for the founder of PayPal.  Go to around 4:04.....

 

[caterpillar2]

5 hours ago, mad_park said:

IMO, Jennifer Roberts hasn't been beating the drum loud enough that this isn't Charlotte's doing.

IMO Jennifer Roberts and the so called city council caused an unnecessary  problem. This would likely not have been an issue if Roberts was a seasoned,  intelligent mayor, If so, she  would have been able to peacefully discussed the issue with the governor and settled it without orchestrating a combative mood and putting the governor in a spot where he has to stand by his guns or lose face. It is always better to settle amiably and the results are more often agreeable to all parties. By the way, as for the bathrooms for LGBT inclusion, I looked all around Chicago, Minneapolis, and Indianapolis over the past three weeks and so none that had more than one or two commodes.  I believe that Roberts got what she wanted, national attention, unfortunately at the expense of the city.   Thiel seems to be a good guy. I am surprised that he punished our city.

Edited July 22, 2016 by caterpillar2

[vicupstate]

18 minutes ago, caterpillar2 said:

IMO Jennifer Roberts and the so called city council caused an unnecessary  problem. This would likely not have been an issue if Roberts was a seasoned,  intelligent mayor, If so, she  would have been able to peacefully discussed the issue with the governor and settled it without orchestrating a combative mood and putting the governor in a spot where he has to stand by his guns or lose face. It is always better to settle amiably and the results are more often agreeable to all parties. By the way, as for the bathrooms for LGBT inclusion, I looked all around Chicago, Minneapolis, and Indianapolis over the past three weeks and so none that had more than one or two commodes.  I believe that Roberts got what she wanted, national attention, unfortunately at the expense of the city.   Thiel seems to be a good guy. I am surprised that he punished our city.

Roberts has not gotten even a small fraction of the national attention as McCrory has. McCrory is a spineless weasel that does as he is told. The NCGA threw him under the bus as he is just their patsy. The ONLY reason this blew up at all is because the NCGOP feared Trump would ruin this election for them, and they needed an issue to 'gin up' their base.   

[SgtCampsalot]

3 minutes ago, vicupstate said:

The ONLY reason this blew up at all is because the NCGOP feared Trump would ruin this election for them, and they needed an issue to 'gin up' their base.   

THIS THIS THIS

[urbanlover568]

19 hours ago, GeauxCLT said:

Agreed. We must also understand both sides threw punches in this whole fiasco and that is what caused the media coverage and the bad publicity. 

 

The protected class exemptions in HB2 are absurd and the city council could have accomplished quite a lot if they had just remained silent on the bathroom issue. 

Excuse me. Roberts did nothing wrong by granting trans to use the bathroom or shower facility they identify with. It's the GOP who has from the 60's try to deny Gays, Blacks, and Muslims freedom in this country. How dare anybody say it was Roberts who threw a punch, when people know damn well it was the GOP who legislates hate. 

[GeauxCLT]

33 minutes ago, mpretori said:

Excuse me. Roberts did nothing wrong by granting trans to use the bathroom or shower facility they identify with. It's the GOP who has from the 60's try to deny Gays, Blacks, and Muslims freedom in this country. How dare anybody say it was Roberts who threw a punch, when people know damn well it was the GOP who legislates hate. 

I respect your opinion, I really do. I can't fully empathize with the awkwardness of a transgender person being forced to use the restroom of a gender they don't identify with, but when I try, I certainly recognize the problem that is for them. I also have no problem with a transgender person using the bathroom with which they identify. What I take issue with is the inability to enforce bathroom abuse.  There are all kinds of laws that are on the books but aren't enforced until they need to be. If a transgender individual uses the bathroom and the rest of the population doesn't know the difference, who cares. I realize there are jerks out there who may occasionally make a scene and I think that is disgraceful. That said, changing the law eliminates the opportunity to take action against pedofiles,  creepers, and drunks.  That doesn't make any sense. (I recognize the counter argument to the pedofiles and creepers is that it is not a problem now - my concern is that it is illegal now - I worry a change to the law makes it legal and it will become a problem.) I also can't ignore my concerns, as the father to a little girl, to what my daughter might see in the shower facilities at the ymca. Do I expect that to be a rampant problem, no, but it will occur and changing the law eliminates the opportunity to prevent it. There are a lot more 3-18 year old girls in the community than there are transgender individuals. Why has looking out for the majority to appease a small minority all of a sudden become hate?

There is no hate in my opposition to the bathroom elements of this issue. I also realize there were civil rights that were being infringed upon.  That is why I was proud of some of what Roberts and the city council did and consider the bathroom issue "throwing a punch." Especially since the state explicitly told Roberts and the City Council they would not take any action to oppose change in city regulation if the bathroom issue was tabled. 

 

I'm not looking for an Internet fight here. I realize I'm in the minority on this board and I still want to be a part of this community. Please don't escalate my opinion to hate. That it is not. 

[caterpillar2]

18 hours ago, vicupstate said:

Roberts has not gotten even a small fraction of the national attention as McCrory has. McCrory is a spineless weasel that does as he is told. The NCGA threw him under the bus as he is just their patsy. The ONLY reason this blew up at all is because the NCGOP feared Trump would ruin this election for them, and they needed an issue to 'gin up' their base.   

As an educator, I saw the status of education in this state under Pardue. When I arrived in Charlotte in 2008, 500 plus teachers were in the process of being laid off. Getting a position in the CMS was almost impossible for a newly certified teachers or those not in the mathematics or sciences field.. McCrory gave teachers their first 'actual' raise in years and brought  student achievement scores up measurably. Teacher pay is no longer at the bottom of the national list.  Unfortunately for McCrory, he inherited the I-77 fiasco from the Pardue administration. McCrory opted not to make changes or cancel the contract as it was in place when he took over  and he was not part of the process.

I believe that McCrory made mistake  giving home builders total control of the designs and  aesthetics  of new houses in new neighborhoods in the state.  This disallowed HOAs to monitor designs and control  the integrity and continuity of new developments.

Finally, I don't believe in discrimination in any way, shape, or form.  I also believe that if there is no problem, there is nothing to fix. There is and has not been a problem with bathroom use for the LGBT community. I have friends and family in that category that will attest to that. North Carolina. is on board with 21 other states with identical laws that aren't having issues either. In my opinion, we certainly don't need more special interest groups that can cry discrimination when they are fired for being poor performers, lacking proper social interaction skills, or other just causes. Everyone should be allowed to take legal action if 'genuinely' discriminated against. In all cases, the most qualified person should hired for specific positions. But, once hired, standards and defined goals must be met.

 Mayor Roberts may have made points with many, but  those of us unfortunate enough to not have a exceptionality for which to cling, we mostly find her as a self serving person with a complex focusing on special interest group populism as her goal and not the general welfare and prosperity of the city.  Perhaps she should contact McCrory for information on being a great mayor and going forward. She has been successful in making the city look to outsiders what it isn't. 

This is my opinion and we all have one. And, I am responding to the HB2 issue which is on topic.  We all should have a right to an opinion without being harassed by those that oppose. You said the Roberts hasn't gotten the national attention that McCrory has received. Firstly, it may surprise you that McCrory isn't getting attention at all from what I have seen traveling around. Secondly, McCrory should get more attention as he is the Governor and Roberts is only a mayor and not a dynamic one. The higher the position, the more attention. 

Edited July 23, 2016 by caterpillar2

[cjd5050]

18 hours ago, vicupstate said:

Roberts has not gotten even a small fraction of the national attention as McCrory has. McCrory is a spineless weasel that does as he is told. The NCGA threw him under the bus as he is just their patsy. The ONLY reason this blew up at all is because the NCGOP feared Trump would ruin this election for them, and they needed an issue to 'gin up' their base.   

That's because Roberts is a small time bad politician.  She gave up the high ground about 10 seconds into the fight.  

Because of the way Roberts went about passing the bathroom ordinance she not only ensured the NGGA would counter with their extreme HB2 but she also gave up any and all leverage to do anything on the issue.   

As for your claim that this ONLY blew up because of Trump...while you may want to think that you're wrong.  What the NCGOB and NCGA did was wrong and way overreaching but it was a counter measure.  They would not have put out HB2 on their own.  

Why people can't find the ability to blame Roberts for throwing a meatball down the middle and the NCGA at the same time is beyond me.

 

 

 

 

[urbanlover568]

17 minutes ago, GeauxCLT said:

I respect your opinion, I really do. I can't fully empathize with the awkwardness of a transgender person being forced to use the restroom of a gender they don't identify with, but when I try, I certainly recognize the problem that is for them. I also have no problem with a transgender person using the bathroom with which they identify. What I take issue with is the inability to enforce bathroom abuse.  There are all kinds of laws that are on the books but aren't enforced until they need to be. If a transgender individual uses the bathroom and the rest of the population doesn't know the difference, who cares. I realize there are jerks out there who may occasionally make a scene and I think that is disgraceful. That said, changing the law eliminates the opportunity to take action against pedofiles,  creepers, and drunks.  That doesn't make any sense. (I recognize the counter argument to the pedofiles and creepers is that it is not a problem now - my concern is that it is illegal now - I worry a change to the law makes it legal and it will become a problem.) I also can't ignore my concerns, as the father to a little girl, to what my daughter might see in the shower facilities at the ymca. Do I expect that to be a rampant problem, no, but it will occur and changing the law eliminates the opportunity to prevent it. There are a lot more 3-18 year old girls in the community than there are transgender individuals. Why has looking out for the majority to appease a small minority all of a sudden become hate?

There is no hate in my opposition to the bathroom elements of this issue. I also realize there were civil rights that were being infringed upon.  That is why I was proud of some of what Roberts and the city council did and consider the bathroom issue "throwing a punch." Especially since the state explicitly told Roberts and the City Council they would not take any action to oppose change in city regulation if the bathroom issue was tabled. 

 

I'm not looking for an Internet fight here. I realize I'm in the minority on this board and I still want to be a part of this community. Please don't escalate my opinion to hate. That it is not. 

13 states have laws the same as Charlotte's and no statistical increase in crime. Same argument was stated about black's in a white's only bathroom. It's all unjustifiable fear. 

11 minutes ago, caterpillar2 said:

Mayor Roberts may have made points with many, but  those of us unfortunate enough to not have a exceptionality for which to cling, we mostly find her as a self serving person with a complex focusing on special interest group populism as her goal and not the general welfare and prosperity of the city.  Perhaps she should contact McCrory for information on being a great mayor and going forward. She has been successful in making the city look to outsiders what it isn't. 

Please remove your tinfoil hat. 

[caterpillar2]

18 hours ago, vicupstate said:

Roberts has not gotten even a small fraction of the national attention as McCrory has. McCrory is a spineless weasel that does as he is told. The NCGA threw him under the bus as he is just their patsy. The ONLY reason this blew up at all is because the NCGOP feared Trump would ruin this election for them, and they needed an issue to 'gin up' their base.   

And you genuinely believe this? I don't know if I will vote for Cooper or McCrory, but you seem to overrate the impact HB2 has on the general population. Most of the people that I know (mostly from N.C.) are not bothered one way or another. They all say that they don't care who uses the bathroom and never have. To set the record straight, all of the NCGOP supporters I know (90% of my associates) will support Trump regardless of HB2. I do believe that McCrory was probably a better mayor than governor, but he sure is better than Pardue. 

[caterpillar2]

11 minutes ago, mpretori said:

13 states have laws the same as Charlotte's and no statistical increase in crime. Same argument was stated about black's in a white's only bathroom. It's all unjustifiable fear. 

Please remove your tinfoil hat. 

The number is 21. Your analogy makes no sense and shows a desperate attempt to find something even similar even if nonsensical. I don't know what your little comment about a "tinfoil hat" means, but I imagine it makes just as much sense. You need refrain from insulting comments. 

[kermit]

1 hour ago, GeauxCLT said:

I also can't ignore my concerns, as the father to a little girl, to what my daughter might see in the shower facilities at the ymca. Do I expect that to be a rampant problem, no, but it will occur and changing the law eliminates the opportunity to prevent it. There are a lot more 3-18 year old girls in the community than there are transgender individuals. Why has looking out for the majority to appease a small minority all of a sudden become hate?

As the father of a teenage daughter I have a really difficult time understanding this logic. There is absolutely no evidence suggesting that there would be a problem created by the Charlotte ordinance. Yet we live in a country where their is a huge amount of evidence suggesting that our permissive firearms laws cause children to kill and be killed at appalling rates (there were 83 incidents last year of a child killing someone with a firearm and roughly 1,500 children are killed each year by guns in the US (about 4 per day) -- yet we do absolutely nothing to reduce the frequency of this problem.  Why do we think its OK to limit the rights of a small group of people just because of a vague worry about non-existent "pervs and creepers" while 4 kids a day get killed? When I worry about my child's safety (and I do that a lot) I try to focus on the risks that 1) actually exist and 2) are most dangerous. Getting distracted by petty, non-existent, problems only sustains and increases the real (and preventable) risks to my child's health.

Edited July 23, 2016 by kermit

[caterpillar2]

50 minutes ago, mpretori said:

13 states have laws the same as Charlotte's and no statistical increase in crime. Same argument was stated about black's in a white's only bathroom. It's all unjustifiable fear. 

Please remove your tinfoil hat. 

That should be "21" states. They didn't let Jews join country clubs in the early 1960's either. So what, that was 50 years ago. . What do you mean by "remove your tinfoil hat?"  

[urbanlover568]

26 minutes ago, caterpillar2 said:

That should be "21" states. They didn't let Jews join country clubs in the early 1960's either. So what, that was 50 years ago. . What do you mean by "remove your tinfoil hat?"  

THANK YOU! Finally some logic here.