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Monday, October 05, 2009
Access to Public Information
We chuckled last week when we came on the story of a local blogger in Portsmouth, Oh., getting cussed out royally by the city's mayor for requesting access to public documents. The mayor wrote an e-mail to the blogger:
Apparently, it felt good to get that off his chest, though the mayor also coughed up the requested documents.
The recent local case of stone-walling public access to governmental documents, as recounted in Deborah Greene's letter to the editor in Friday's Watauga Democrat (scroll down to "Open records should not be expensive") is not as colorful in its language but is in some ways more egregious than the Portsmouth case.
It's one thing if a rattled superintendent of schools came up with those road blocks on the fly. It would be far more troubling if he did so on the advice of School Board counsel.
If there is anything else that I can do for you, which is required by law, don't hesitate to call my office. If it isn't required by law then don't bother asking, because I think that you're a worthless piece of s**t and I wouldn't p**s on you if you were on fire (my opinion). You're a poor, lonely, jealous, old man with aspirations of being a writer. You write your lies and uneducated opinions on people and issues from behind the safety of your slobber stained keyboard with the hope that somebody will read them that doesn't know you and believe that you're more than the pitiful, broke-down, lizard-looking thing that you are, in my opinion. Get a life old man. On second thought, don't bother..............
Apparently, it felt good to get that off his chest, though the mayor also coughed up the requested documents.
The recent local case of stone-walling public access to governmental documents, as recounted in Deborah Greene's letter to the editor in Friday's Watauga Democrat (scroll down to "Open records should not be expensive") is not as colorful in its language but is in some ways more egregious than the Portsmouth case.
It's one thing if a rattled superintendent of schools came up with those road blocks on the fly. It would be far more troubling if he did so on the advice of School Board counsel.
Labels: government secrecy, Watauga County schools
Friday, February 20, 2009
Local Schools to Benefit from the Obama Stimulus
North Carolina schools stand to get some $2 billion from President Obama's stimulus plan, the N&O is reporting. Most of the money would go to teacher salaries and keeping positions funded against projected layoffs. The rest would go to zero-interest loans for school renovations. It's unclear from this report whether any of the construction money could be allotted for new school construction. College students of modest means will also benefit, with increases to Pell grants and work-study programs.
Our own county commissioners have certainly listed the new high school and other infrastructure needs as candidates for some of that money. The news yesterday of a coming budget shortfall in Watauga makes the Obama stimulus all the more important.
If and when that money flows, Congresswoman Virginia Foxx can gnash her teeth, since she fought it every step of the way and has not ceased to bitch and moan.
Our own county commissioners have certainly listed the new high school and other infrastructure needs as candidates for some of that money. The news yesterday of a coming budget shortfall in Watauga makes the Obama stimulus all the more important.
If and when that money flows, Congresswoman Virginia Foxx can gnash her teeth, since she fought it every step of the way and has not ceased to bitch and moan.
Labels: Virginia Foxx, Watauga County Commission, Watauga County schools
