User reviews without the fluff

North Carolina residents tired of puffy, pandering reviews can get the real scoop on local restaurants and retail outlets from Bloviation Nation, a new blog edited by Zac Goldstein of Zac Rates the Universe.

Bloviation Nation promises comprehensive user reviews designed to guide fellow culture consumers as they make their decisions about where to eat, shop and play, what to watch and even whom to vote for. Noticeably absent will be the breathless endorsements clogging message boards and marketing blogs – “‘This is AWESOME!!!’ might be a sincere opinion, but it won’t make the cut here,” Goldstein vows in his introduction to the venture.

The site is recruiting reviewers to share their honest opinions on eateries, products and politicians. Unlike Yelp.com and its ilk, reviews will be professionally edited and screened for “astroturfing” – advertising disguised as grassroots goodwill.

A friend of IndieRegister, Goldstein is a veteran journalist and writer who recently completed his master’s degree at UNC-Greensboro. Give Bloviation Nation a look; this armchair critic gives the concept two thumbs up.

—Corey Friedman

Did school board meetings break law?

By Ryan Graczkowski

And now back to our regularly scheduled classroom drama.

The Wake County school board had been accused of improper voting procedures in the decision to undo the diversity policy. According to the suit, the committee’s decision to not move the forums to larger venues to accommodate the crowds was a direct violation of the state’s Open Meetings Law. The objective of the lawsuit was to have two of the votes for community schools to be nullified.

The committee appeared unmoved. Ron Margiotta believed that this suit was to be expected, saying that this was simply an attempt to prevent the board members from fulfilling promises made. He believed that the board’s attempts to accommodate the people were the best possible. Further legal procedures, he said, “take more money from the children of this county. Accept the wishes of the people of this county.”

That, however, is the problem of a slim majority. The system as it is set now seems to be rather unstable so far as representing the people is concerned. The News & Observer, during its coverage of the vote, noted the rancor of the meetings. The noise of the protesters outside, it seems, was difficult to distinguish from the noise inside.

Fed transparency shot down in Senate

By William R. Toler

A bill similar to one proposed by Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) to audit the Federal Reserve was shot down in flames in a Senate vote earlier this week.

According to Campaign For Liberty, Senators voted 62-37 against the Vitter amendment. North Carolina’s senators were split with Sen. Richard Burr supporting the audit and Sen. Kay Hagan nay-saying the bill.

However, the Sanders amendment passed 96-0. Paul was opposed to this amendment writing:

“At the very last minute on the floor of the Senate, supposed compromise language was agreed to and substituted in the Sanders Amendment to the Financial Reform Bill.  This language was acceptable to the administration, committee leadership, and to the Fed.  The trouble is, while it is better than no audit at all, it guts the spirit of a truly meaningful audit of the most crucial transactions of the Fed.”

Paul had gained partisan support in the House of Represenatives for his potential legislation which would have provided for the first audit of the Federal Reserve since its creation in 1913.

A blueprint for better elections

By Richard C. Evey
Libertarian/Patriot

One of those four boxes of freedom.

It is that time of the cycle when a large number of people want to gain power, not really, they want to do good things for you, me and the city, county, state or country. The bovine excrement is getting deeper.

The real truth is that all we are getting is the status quo: more laws, more taxes and more government. The DINOs and RINOs are all looking out for themselves, their party and anyone who can line their pockets. After all, “we have the finest government that money can buy“ and “We the People” suffer, one way or the other.

But to make real change, we must have people who can and will run for any elected office. People who are willing to take on the status quo and be heard by the people. “Maybe I cannot win but I want to give the people another opinion, another choice.”

It will take people who care about the people and are willing to take on the status quo. There are a lot of us out there.

Health provider leaves town in limbo

By Ryan Graczkowski

It seems that Walmart is not the only big business doing bad things in North Carolina.

The town of Louisburg has run into difficulties with one of the state’s largest hospital providers. On Friday, Novant, the provider in question, pulled out of a deal to refurbish the Franklin County Medical Center.

Novant has called the town’s demands ‘intolerable,’ and spokesmen have stated that the company does not consider the initial agreement to be a binding contract.