I hope you have recovered from your annual patriotic duty of purchasing massive amounts of mattresses at low, low Presidents’ Day prices. It always seemed odd that we are treated to a 60% discount on Serta, Sealy or Simmons of our choice on a quasi-holiday that isn’t even important enough to get most of us off from work, but then again, perhaps the real question is why mattress cost so much to being with. But I digress.

I won’t bore you with the long and tired history of Presidents’ Day, but suffice to say its journey from conception to reality was as circuitous and byzantine as any of our national holidays, though it started with the best of intentions: honoring our founding presidents.  Washington and Lincoln, in particular, were the targets of honor, for the significant contributions to the country’s beginning.

With all the whining and complaining we heard from the conservatives in Raleigh this Summer about not having enough money to fully fund the State Board of Elections, I bet you might be surprised to hear that there is more than $4 million sitting in state bank account earmarked for elections-related spending. Sound great, right? But just like everything in Raleigh these days, while it should be good news, it probably isn’t.

Here’s the history. Congress passed Help America Vote Act (HAVA) in 2002 to prevent another Florida Fiasco. The law establishes minimum standards for voter registration and election administration. There are different pots of HAVA money , but the largest (Title II) is for computerized, statewide voter registration/record systems, purchasing and maintaining compliant voting machines, and improving central office and poll-site election administration.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 8, 2012

CONTACT:  Pat McCoy – pat@actionnc.org – 919-883-7120

Banks Still Open to Investigation Under State AG’s Settlement

$26 Billion Deal Limits Legal Immunity for Banks, Strengthen Enforcement, Improve Benefits for Homeowners

Raleigh, NC – Under the terms of a new deal struck by states’ Attorneys General, new investigations by federal and state authorities will be permitted and should help win much larger program to reset mortgages to fair market value and fix the economy, while also providing over $1.5b in direct restitution right now. Action NC, a state partner of The Campaign for a Fair Settlement, a coalition of progressive organizations nationally and in states hard hit by the foreclosure crisis working to hold banks accountable for their role in the foreclosure crisis, applaud this historic effort.

Cross-posted from the Institute for Southern Studies Facing South blog

North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper is fighting Duke Energy's proposed 7.2 percent rate hike, arguing that it unfairly favors Wall Street investors while burdening consumers in a weak economy.

Cooper filed a brief last week with the N.C. Utilities Commission (NCUC) asking it to deny the increase, which is scheduled to take effect next month.

"The commission should come down on the side of consumers when considering a fair rate of return for Duke, especially in this economy," Cooper said.