Now approaching PTIA….

Never mind the Skybus deal, they have a plan this time:

John Weikle, chief executive of Jet America, said the subsidies from some of the cities it will serve in July will help insulate the new carrier from spikes in jet fuel prices. Higher fuel prices have contributed to the failures of at least four major airlines since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Smaller carriers have also been hurt.

Surging fuel prices helped bankrupt ultra-discounter Skybus last year. Weikle founded that Columbus, Ohio-based airline known for its $10 fares. The bankruptcy cost 450 employees their jobs.

A little friendly advice for anyone thinking the unthinkable:

Colorado-based aviation consultant Michael Boyd of the Boyd Group said he thinks JetAmerica’s chances of success are very slim.

“This will be Skybus redux,” Boyd said. “Friends don’t let friends start airlines. That’s true at any time, but particularly now. People aren’t flying in general, and they’re not going to be flying on this airline, either.”

Next legislative watch: Taxpayer-funded city elections

The Senate is scheduled to vote today on a House bill that would allow taxpayer-funded municipal elections. JLF’s Daren Bakst weighs in:

For years, North Carolina has listened to “reformers” who have created excessive campaign finance regulations, restricted free speech through contribution limits, crafted incoherent lobbying laws that discourage political participation, and advanced other policies that blame citizens while protecting the “innocent” politicians. Now they want to force citizens, from the poor to the wealthy, to pay local politicians money for their personal use.

How have their reforms worked for North Carolina? The state government’s corruption is at an all-time high. The state government has become a joke to the rest of the country — even Illinois is laughing. It’s time to ignore these “reformers” who think it’s for the “greater good” when government unethically restricts speech and forces taxpayers to subsidize politicians. A good place to start ignoring them is by shooting down House Bill 120.

As others pointed out, proponents emphasize the fact that the bill would only put in place the option of taxpayer-funded elections. Anybody think the Greensboro City Council couldn’t be talked into this? and with that group in mind, note that Bakst calls taxpayer-funded elections “incumbency-protection” schemes, because when funding is on an equal plane, name recognition gives incumbents an advantage. And yes, there are challengers out there with the means to spend more than the incumbent.

I realize there’s a strong sentiment here in Greensboro that the city is run by developers and the lawyers who funnel money to pro-development council members like Robbie Perkins. But taxpayer-funded elections are not the answer to bringing change to Greensboro’s municipal government. I’ll take my chances with the developers, as it’s just my hunch candidates elected with the help of taxpayers will have no problem with using taxpayer money to enforce their agendas, which I somehow suspect would involve politically correct initiatives such as smart growth and expanded public transportation.

Here’s more from Bradley Smith, chairman of the Center for Competitive Politics:

Harold Martin is no James Renick

The N&R follows up on the selection of Harold Martin as N.C. A&T’s new chancellor.

Now that Martin has been selected, I can’t help but notice the way a couple of A&T alums, including board of trustees member Velma Speight-Buford, throw former Chancellor James Renick under the bus:

“It’s not a secret that I thought Harold should have been chancellor in 1999, when they chose Jim Renick,” said Speight-Buford.

…..“I can tell you there was a lot of talk that we should have gotten him in ’99,” said Stephen Douglas, a 1981 A&T alum. “A lot of the students, the staff, the alumni, we all felt like Winston had been smart enough to get him and they reaped all the rewards.”

While WSSU began thriving, A&T entered a period of lowered academic standards and performance, overenrollment and financial mismanagement. Renick resigned in 2006.

Several months later, state audits led to a criminal investigation into how he managed money at the university.

No charges were ever brought, but many Aggies felt the school’s reputation suffered.

They’re saying it, not me. With all these reservations, I find incredible that Renick would go on to serve six years as A&T’s chancellor, bailing out only when accusations of criminal activity came to light. And of course we know now that Stanley Battle. for reasons still unknown, flamed out big-time, although A&T isn’t so screwed up as to keep him from staying on as a tenured professor with a fat salary.

I realize Martin’s previous experience at A&T makes him very well-qualified for the job. But when A&T states they finally have the man who will right the ship, I can’t help but just a bit skeptical.

Modern tax system = more taxes

Once again, the Winston-Salem Journal says “North Carolina must modernize its tax system to reflect the 21st century economy.”

Once again, that means more taxes.