In a survey printed in The Herald Sun, each member of North Carolina's congressional delegation was asked whether or not they supported George Bush's escalation of the war in Iraq. With the defection of Congressmen Howard Coble and Walter Jones, support even among Republicans is beginning to wane. What was particularly interesting, however, was Sen. Elizabeth Dole's remark which carefully avoided offering strong support for the increased troop commitment.

I am inclined to support the president's overall plan to make economic revitalization and reconstruction in Iraq a higher priority and to increase the U.S. troop presence to help the Iraqi government impose its authority, weaken the militias, and bolster reconstruction. As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee... I want to know more details about the specific missions these men and women will perform, and how this new direction will get the job done, stabilize Iraq, and allow our troops in harm's way to return home.

Does that sound like a ringing endorsement to you?

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In The News & Observer there was a similar poll of how members of congress come down on the issue of federal support for embryonic stem cell research. Note that Rep. Mike McIntyre intends to vote once more against federal funding, but he avoided discussing his personal opinion. Instead the article specifies that...

McIntyre said in an interview last week that Democratic leaders know how important it is for members to be able to vote their constituents' needs. And McIntyre will vote against the measure again, his spokesman said Wednesday.

Looks like the citizens of his district made him do it. Poor man.

There is an important development in the debate on federal support for stem cell research that has a North Carolina connection. Dr. Anthony Atala, head of Wake Forest's regenerative medicine institute, announced a breakthrough that suggests stem cells drawn from the amniotic fluid donated by pregnant women could be a substitute for many of the research purposes previously reserved for embryonic stem cells.

Until now the issue over stem cell research has centered almost exclusively on stem cells extracted from fertilized human eggs harvested from clinics that specialize in in vitro fertilization. The objection to the use of these fertilized eggs by both the religious right and the Catholic Church has been based upon their common belief that life begins at conception.

Remember June Atkinson? She was the Democratic candidate in 2004 for State Superintendent of Public Instruction. You might also remember she won that election, but her opponent, a Republican creature named Bill Fletcher, contested her victory and mounted a long drawn out legal fight.

The election was close, but the decision was clear. Never-the-less, Fletcher refused to give up and the battle through the courts cost both political parties a fortune and prevented June Atkinson from taking office until late in 2005.

You might assume all of that would be frustration enough for someone like Dr. Atkinson who has terrific qualifications and a strong desire to serve. After all, she campaigned all across the state and enjoyed high hopes for her aggressive agenda to improve the schools.

According to The Charlotte Observer, the state's budget forecast has gone from optimistic and rosy to absolutely desperate in the space of eleven days.

First let me give you the good news as we once knew it. That version was reported on December 26th in an article by J. Andrew Curliss entitled "N.C. Tax Income Exceeding Plan, Commitments Loom: Easley purposefully used conservative collection figure"...

Nearing the halfway point of the state's budget year, it appears the government will bring in more money from taxes and fees than it had planned....

Receipts in the state's general fund budget were $130 million to $160 million ahead of the forecast over the first five months of the fiscal year, when about $7.1 billion was due to be collected, according to a legislative research budget report.

Curliss goes on to offer one tiny bit of caution when he reports that Rep. Jim Crawford, one of the legislature's chief budget writers, says that while the news that collections are ahead of pace is promising, there are no signs that the income will cover all of the predicted deficit.