Lincoln Tribune |  |
- Charlotte-Area Mcdonald’s® Encourage Residents To “Give A Hand” To Help Brighten The Lives Of Families In Need
- Redistricting Lawsuits Could Delay Primary in ’12
- Time for Transparency in Lending for Taxpayers
- Veterans Day Parade today at 11 a.m.
- Cruise-In Honors Veterans
| Posted: 11 Nov 2011 04:12 AM PST CHARLOTTE, NC – From now until November 20th, Charlotte residents can show their support for Ronald McDonald House Charities of North Carolina (RMHC of NC). Kicking off with McHappy Day®, customers can purchase a "Give A Hand®" for $1, $3 or $5 increments at participating McDonald's® restaurants, with proceeds going to local Ronald McDonald House Charities® (RMHC®) programs. "This year alone, RMHC of NC has helped hundreds of families in the Charlotte area," said Ann Baum, a Charlotte McDonald's owner/operator. "On behalf of the area McDonald's restaurants, we congratulate RMHC and proudly support its ongoing cause by encouraging our customers to join us for our 'Give A Hand' fundraiser. Thanks to the kind hearts and generosity of our customers and employees, RMHC continues to make a difference for the children who rely on the services provided by RMHC of NC." A Little Help Goes a Long Way McDonald's commitment to helping RMHC programs in Charlotte extends beyond the McHappy Day celebration and the "Give A Hand" fundraiser. As part of its ongoing support of the Charity, the company donates a portion of the proceeds from the sale of each Happy Meal® and Mighty Kids Meal® purchased in participating restaurants every day. This in-restaurant Happy Meal fundraising effort extends online through the sharable "Family Time. Happy Time" campaign, celebrating family togetherness. The campaign encourages families to pledge minutes of "happy time" together via McDonald's Facebook page. For each minute pledged, McDonald's will donate one penny to RMHC with a goal of reaching 1 million minutes and $10,000 to donate toward RMHC programs. McDonald's also supports in-restaurant donation boxes to benefit RMHC. Demonstrating how every penny adds up, last year McDonald's customers raised nearly $20 million nationwide for RMHC through the in-restaurant donation boxes. Charlotte Celebrates a Tradition of Supporting Those in Need Social responsibility has been a fundamental part of McDonald's business for more than 50 years. McDonald's actions are grounded in founder Ray Kroc's legacy of giving back to the local communities McDonald's serves. With a shared history that dates back to McDonald's support in the creation of the first Ronald McDonald House in 1974, McDonald's has supported RMHC and its mission to improve the health and well-being of children around the world. McHappy Day is McDonald's signature event for RMHC, and an important day to call attention to the needs of children around the world. Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC), an independent non-profit 501 (c) (3) corporation, creates, finds and supports programs that directly improve the health and well-being of children. Through its global network of local Chapters in 52 countries and regions, its three core programs, the Ronald McDonald House®, Ronald McDonald Family Room® and Ronald McDonald Care Mobile®, and millions of dollars in grants to support children’s programs worldwide, RMHC provides stability and resources to families so they can get and keep their children healthy and happy. All RMHC-supported programs provide a bridge to quality health care and give children and families the time they need together to heal faster and cope better. For more information, visit www.rmhc.org, follow them on Twitter (@RMHC), or like them on Facebook (Facebook.com/RMHC Global). 
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| Redistricting Lawsuits Could Delay Primary in ’12 Posted: 11 Nov 2011 04:09 AM PST  David Bass After DOJ preclears maps, Dems file lawsuitsRALEIGH — If history is any guide, North Carolina is headed for a lawsuit-riddled election cycle next year. One of the consequences could be a delayed primary for state offices, a possibility that could hurt incumbents during an election season that's already projected to be infused with anti-incumbency fervor. The Tar Heel State's primary is scheduled for the first Tuesday after the first Monday in May. But lawsuits over a new redistricting plan could mean that the primary will be put off for months, as occurred during the last redistricting in 2001. The U.S. Justice Department precleared the new maps in early November, determining that the plan didn't run afoul of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, a law meant to protect the interests of minority citizens. The Republican-controlled legislature OK'd the new maps — which reflect population shifts documented in the 2010 Census — earlier this year. Shortly after the Justice Department's decision, Democrats and liberal advocacy groups filed suit against the plan on the basis that it isolates minority voters and doesn't respect county boundaries or communities of interest. "The review by the Department of Justice focused on one narrow aspect of the plan and preclearance was not unexpected," said House Minority Leader Joe Hackney, D-Orange. "We continue to believe this redistricting proposal is divisive, highly partisan, and legally deficient." Republicans lobbed the political ball right back at Democrats. "The Obama Justice Department's stamp of approval on our redistricting plans confirms what we've said all along: these are fair and legal maps that give a strong voice to all voters," said Sen. Bob Rucho, R-Mecklenburg, and Rep. David Lewis, R-Harnett, in a joint statement. Preclearance surprised some political observers, particularly because Democrats control the federal Justice Department, while Republicans command the General Assembly and were responsible for creating the new maps. "This is the first since the Voting Rights Act has taken place with a Democrat in the White House," said Ferrel Guillory, a journalism professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and founder of the Program on Public Life. "All the other times it was either a Nixon administration or a Reagan or a Bush administration." 2002 redux? The last round of redistricting could be a guide for next year. In 2001, the Democratic-run General Assembly passed the first hurdle — gaining Justice Department preclearance for its maps — but failed the second hurdle when a state court struck down the plan. A retooled version of the maps also failed in court, which made room for a district court judge to enforce his own district boundaries for the primary and general election in 2002. Due to the litigation, the May primary was pushed back to September. That gave nominees eight weeks to campaign for the general election. Normally, they would have had over six months. Another mitigating factor in 2002: The General Assembly's "short session," which typically convenes in May and doesn't last beyond late July, didn't adjourn until October — a full month after the primary. Factoring in the delayed primary, the lateness of the short session had political implications for incumbents, many of whom were in Raleigh while their opponents campaigned back in their districts. Democrats maintained control of the Senate, but Republicans won the House by a razor-thin 61-59 majority. (Republican Rep. Michael Decker switched parties, producing an even 60-60 split for the 2003-2004 session.) On the federal level, Republican U.S. Senate candidate Elizabeth Dole benefited from the late primary because Democrats Erskine Bowles (the eventual nominee), Dan Blue, and Elaine Marshall were locked in a hard-fought three-way primary. "If you have contentious primaries, then it's better for the opponent who doesn't have a contested nomination," said Andrew Taylor, a political science professor at N.C. State University. "There is less time to reunify the party, to raise money for the general election." 2012 differences The political climate next year is different in several key ways. For one, 2002 was a midterm election without a presidential or gubernatorial contest, while races for both executive offices will top the ballot in 2012. Another difference: The United States' unemployment rate stood at 6 percent in November 2002. Economists predict the rate will be 7.7 percent when voters go to the polls in November 2012, the highest since the 1976 presidential election. At the federal level, the presidential primary will occur in May regardless of how long the primary for state and congressional offices are delayed. That raises the specter of North Carolina having to schedule two primaries — one in May for the presidential race, and a second for other offices. Adding another layer of complexity, the Democratic National Committee is slated to hold its convention in Charlotte the week of Sept. 3. If the May primary is delayed, the rescheduled date could conflict either with the short session in spring or the convention in late summer. "If you put the primaries later than the Democratic convention, that leaves hardly any time for general election campaigning," Guillory said. He also suggested that Republican leaders could orient the legislative schedule to allow more time for campaigning. "Especially if you're on the Republican side, you might get a permissive schedule to help you out," Taylor said, "and if there are a few Republicans getting a permissive schedule, then everyone gets one, because everybody is campaigning on the same calendar." David N. Bass is an associate editor of Carolina Journal. 
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| Time for Transparency in Lending for Taxpayers Posted: 11 Nov 2011 04:05 AM PST  Brian Balfour By Brian Balfour | Civitas Institute Picture this scenario: you are sitting down to sign mortgage documents for a sizeable loan to purchase a home. When you look at the section of the contract detailing the loan amount, however, all it says is "this loan is for $200,000 for the purchase of the home at 123 Main St." That's it. No information about the interest rate, the length of the loan or the amount of interest payments that will be required. Imagine the justifiable outrage from consumer-interest groups and the cries of "predatory lending." The public would demand that mortgage lenders disclose such vital information as the interest rate and payment schedule totals, including principle and interest. So why is there no uproar over such "predatory lending" practices when local governments borrow money in the name of taxpayers without disclosing this information? It's not as though politicians are unaware of the ethical obligation for borrowers to be fully informed about the true nature of the debt they are about to acquire. Indeed, in order to "protect" consumers, the Federal government passed the "Truth in Lending" act in 1968. A significant part of this act involved language requiring lenders to disclose to borrowers a complete payment schedule of the loan – including principle and interest payments. Curiously, however, state and local governments here in North Carolina do not provide such "protections" to taxpayers when offering voters a chance to vote on a bond referendum – a loan that taxpayers will be forced to pay back with interest. (Of course, state and local lawmakers have decided to make it exceedingly rare to even get voter approval before issuing debt, but that is a separate issue.) According to state law, the only information required on the ballot for a local government bond issue is the principle amount and the purpose of the borrowed funds. It is downright shameful that state and local politicians have not acted to correct this clear double-standard. They require private sector lenders to disclose interest rate and payments in a loan contract, but do not require the same level of transparency on government bond referenda. The issue of full transparency on bond referenda is one that is overdue for examination. For several years, a clear pattern has emerged, especially at the local level. Proposed tax increases go down to defeat by wide margins at the ballot box, but in the same localities, bond referenda are approved with similar ease. Such actions reflect a disconnect between voters' clear opposition to higher taxes and their willingness to approve more government debt – likely to lead to higher taxes. Many believe this disconnect derives from a lack of information and understanding by a sizeable share of the voting public. Without making the interest rate and payments transparent on the ballot, many voters don't realize the true debt burden they are approving. Furthermore, many less-informed voters may not realize that approving a bond issue actually increases the debt totals of their local government unit. Some mistakenly believe that bonds are merely an effort to direct already budgeted funds to a specific purpose. Such confusion has contributed to skyrocketing debt levels among local governments in North Carolina. Total debt obligations (principle plus interest) for all local governments in North Carolina now surpass $44 billion for local government units across the state. In light of these mounting debt concerns, it seems only fair that governments should provide the same kind of "consumer protection" to taxpayers as are applied to mortgage applicants. Brian Balfour is a budget and tax policy analyst at the Civitas Institute (nccivitas.org) 
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| Veterans Day Parade today at 11 a.m. Posted: 11 Nov 2011 03:57 AM PST LINCOLNTON – The Lincolnton Veterans Day parade will be held today at 11 a.m. (November 11th). Lineup for the parade will be at Fifth Third bank on East Main Street. A brief ceremony will be held immediately following the parade on the east side of the courthouse. 
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| Posted: 11 Nov 2011 03:54 AM PST  Classics like these were in downtown Lincolnton on Sunday for the Veteran's Appreciation Cruise-In. (Photo by Ron Butler) By Ron Butler | Lincoln Tribune LINCOLNTON – If you were in downtown Lincolnton this past Sunday you could not help but notice all of the classic cars that invaded downtown Lincolnton for the “Veteran’s Appreciation Cruise In”. Whether you happen to be a fan of classic cars – or if you own a classic car – whether it be American muscle, hot-rods, or classic cruisers – downtown Lincolnton was the place to be on Sunday for the semi-annual Downtown Lincolnton Veterans Appreciation Cruise-In. The well attended event was hosted by the Downtown Development Association of Lincolnton and Holy Cross Lutheran Church and included cars and trucks manufactured in or before 1974. 
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