What was his MOS?

No journalist has yet to have asked what the MOS (Military Occupational Specialty) of this shooter was. We know he was a converted Muslim, from reports, but what was his job. Was he infantry, artillery, a chaplain. What?

This is why it’s a problem when there are so few people with military experience in the media, the Congress, etc.

Shep Smith is insufferable

The Fort Hood spokesman just told him, officially, that the dead suspected shooter was a convert to Islam and he hasn’t repeated it since. He’s content rather to let it seem that this is a clear case of battle fatigue. He just said the suspected shooter was angry about being deployed to the Middle East, not mentioning the fact that he’s a converted Muslim and that maybe that could have something to do with the man’s motive.

Meanwhile, ABC’s Brian Ross isn’t as prissy about it. Here’s his Twitter feed:

Shooter identified as Maj Malik Hassan, convert to Islam.

Shep is in his Katrina mode today.

House Call attracts thousands

Though I’m sure The Associated Press will call it “dozens,” first reports are showing a huge turnout at the House Call “Kill the Bill” rally in Washington today. The event was prompted by a call from Rep. Michelle Bachmann, R-MN. The crowd includes several busloads of North Carolinians.

Here’s a photo courtesy of Gateway Pundit. He has lots more coverage:

Things the Blue Dogs and other members need to remember: The idea for this rally began last Thursday, a week ago. This many people responding on such short notice, and on a weekday that isn’t followed by a Saturday, is an impressive statement.

Being a bureaucrat means never having to say you’re sorry

Read this horror story involving the N.C. Department of Revenue and a design firm in Greensboro and you’ll come away seething. It began with a notice they received of an audit:

The odyssey that began for Tammy Webster and her husband and partner Jim Webster with that notice would turn their business from one of the fastest growing in the Triad to one on the edge of bankruptcy, put their home at risk of foreclosure and their employees out of work.

And that, Webster says, is after winning her fight.

Lefties never seem to “get” how over-regulation and overzealous regulators can hurt the economy. Read this and learn.

Private Money Bad, Public Money Good

Two days after Mark Kleinschmidt narrowly got past Matt Czajkowski by 244 votes to become the new Chapel Hill mayor comes this story from the Daily Tar Heel, which declares taxpayer funding of campaigns a success. Kleinschmidt took public money and Czajkowski did not.

The candidates finishing atop Tuesday’s Chapel Hill municipal elections are the only two that signed up for the voter-owned election program — an indicator of its success.

Out of 12 candidates, only Penny Rich and Mark Kleinschmidt participated. Rich received top votes for Town Council, and Kleinschmidt was elected mayor.

It was a stark contrast from the last time Rich ran in 2007, when she came in sixth place.

“It’s positive that voters found it appealing that candidates would make a statement about not taking larger contributions,” said Bob Hall, executive director of Democracy North Carolina.

Voter-owned elections is a pilot program enacted by the N.C. General Assembly for the 2009 and 2011 Chapel Hill elections that enables candidates to receive public funds after raising a minimum.

Using this logic, the program’s goal is to get people elected.

Using this logic, a Kleinschmidt loss would have indicated the program’s failure.

Using this logic, Barack Obama’s win indicates that NOT taking public financing leads to a win.

This story makes my hair hurt. It completely misses the point. JLF legal and regulatory policy analyst Daren Bakst lays out the facts behind the town’s misguided program here.

Get Ready to Rumble

The newly elected majority on the Wake County school board has already coalesced into a working block, even though four of the five won’t be sworn in until December 1. The first issue they’ve chosen to address is a high school construction project. The concern is location and cost overruns. From the News & Observer:

Tedesco, Margiotta and new board member ChrisMalone say they’re skeptical of the claims that Wake can’t afford even a brief delay.Tedesco said it would be “arrogant” of the current board to ignore their request considering that more than 20,000 voters backed them in this fall’s election.

Malone said he expects to run into obstacles from current board members and other groups as new board members carry out their campaign pledges.

“I’ve been told to expect resistance from them on whatever we do,” Malone said. “I’ll deal with it.”

A couple years ago, the Durham County school board was the source of regular and vocal controversy. This Wake situation is going to be fascinating to watch.

The Most Memorable Tony Rand Comment Ever

The news that Senate Majority Leader Tony Rand (D-Cumberland) will leave the N.C. Senate to take an appointment to the Post-Release Supervision and Parole Commission brought to my mind the quote for which I will always remember this very, very powerful man.

I can’t find a link to the story, but it was so amazing that I kept a hard copy. It comes from the Fayetteville Observer, December 16, 2008, in a story written by Corey G. Johnson. (emphasis is mine)

Speaking to about 45 people at Fayetteville Technical Community College, Rand predicted that the loss of state revenue will prompt more prudent spending decisions by state leaders.

“We’ve thrown money away in the past,” Rand said. “Now, we’re going to make sure we can justify every penny we spend.“

Sen. Rand’s statement is particularly galling in light of the following facts, as detailed by JLF Fiscal Policy Analyst Joe Coletti when he released his alternative state budget in March. (emphasis is mine)

In the most detailed state budget proposal the John Locke Foundation has unveiled in its history, Coletti recommends a total General Fund appropriation of $18.8 billion for the budget year that starts July 1. It would save $2.2 billion (10 percent) from the continuation budget of $21 billion.

“North Carolina’s budget exploded between the 2004 and 2008 budget years,” Coletti said. “Adjusting for inflation, spending climbed from $2,037 per person to $2,336. That’s growth of 15 percent.” The 2008 budget was $5.8 billion higher than the budget for 2004, Coletti said.

Spending growth continued in the current state budget, even as tax revenues started to slow, Coletti said. “Instead of setting money from the previous year’s surplus into the rainy day reserve fund as required by law, legislators spent it,” he said. “This action continued a long pattern of expanding budgetary commitments in good times and helped set up the fiscal crisis confronting Gov. Perdue and the General Assembly now.”

Of course we know how this spend-and-tax cycle turned out. This summer Gov. Perdue signed into law a slate of new taxes and fees totaling $2.7 billion over the biennium. They will hit virtually every North Carolinian. Remember, it was just a few years ago that the state had a $2 billion surplus.