Hope for the New Year

          Some might remark that we are in quite a mess as we begin a new year.  While our insouciant president vacations in Hawaii, people are dying at the hands of fanatics both on our streets and in many countries beyond our borders.  Yet, there is reason for optimism.  Some of the progress, like the normalization of relations with Cuba, may be delusional.  But one happy development, the drop in oil prices, is having a salutary effect worldwide, not the least of which is on a belligerent Russian, suddenly beset by financial woes that threaten to derail its military ambitions.

          Closer to home we have reason to cheer the progress in our home state of North Carolina.  The Left may not be happy with Republicans having control of both the executive and legislative branches of government.  But this monopoly has had its positive effects.  We now have a right-to-work state that is advancing free-market policies, rushing past weak unions to foster a pro-growth agenda, reforming a bloated government, encouraging private-school vouchers, and advancing pension and tort reforms.    
          It is no accident that North Carolina is one of the fastest-growing states in the country.  It is promoting economic growth with sound tax policies and a business-friendly atmosphere.  Even Perquimans County is now seeing a promise of growth in water-related industries like boat building and repair.  As Baby Boomers age, they will increasingly look to our area and its moderate climate as a prime area for retirement.  Even professional golf is now discovering the attractiveness of the Albemarle Sound area and its friendly people.
          North Carolina and Perquimans County in particular are, as some people have proclaimed, a slice of paradise.  Those of us who have made this our permanent home have many reasons to smile and welcome the New Year.

Random Thoughts

          Some random thoughts on the issues of the day:

          Racism.  It had to happen.  A crazed gunman assassinates two police officers after announcing his intention to kill two policemen for one black man.  Race-Hustler-in-Chief Al Sharpton is scrambling to deny that his inflammatory cries for justice had anything to do with it.  I recall reading that the latest group he incited to protest hit the streets shouting, “What do we want? Dead cops!  When do we want it? Now!”  So much for justice.
          Cuba.  Marco Rubio charged that Obama’s normalizing of relations with Cuba is a betrayal.  He described this president as the worst negotiator ever, giving everything away without getting anything in return.  In his first speech to Cuba’s National Assembly after Obama’s announcement, Raul Castro announced that nothing will change.  I guess that means Cuba will remain a Communist dictatorship, an avowed enemy of the United States, and a denier of basic human rights for Cuba’s people.  Nice bargain.
          North Korea.  The FBI has identified North Korea as the perpetrator of the cyber attack on Sony.  Many have called this a matter of national security, some going as far as to label it as an act of war.  President Obama was quick to play down the belligerent nature of this attack.  Instead, he asked the Chinese to tell the North Koreans to play nice.  Well, the president did say earlier that we would respond at a time and method of our choosing.  Now we know.
          Education.   Jeb Bush has thrown his hat in the presidential ring, but his path to the White House may hit a few bumps.  One of them is his support for Common Core, federal educational standards for the nation’s public schools.  Conservatives like me acknowledge that standards are necessary, but we insist that federal government bureaucrats have no business imposing one-size-fits-all standards on states and local schools.  North Carolina was correct in repealing Common Core and leaving it to the State Board to adopt standards appropriate to North Carolina students.
          Energy.  Russia’s economy has been driven to its knees by the collapse of oil prices, not by ineffective sanctions or unserious threats from the West.  How ironic it is that this was brought on by the boom in oil and natural gas on private lands in the United States, at the very time that the Interior Department, at Obama’s direction, has blocked exploration on public lands, and the EPA has waged war on fossil fuels in favor of wasteful spending on renewable energy projects. 

Hating the Police

          Several years ago I was stopped by a Hertford police officer on Burgess Road where it ends at Holiday Island Road.  It was dark, and because I had not seen headlights coming from either direction (or the police car in the shadows), I turned left without making a full stop.  I was wrong and prepared to be ticketed.  When the officer came to my open window and asked if I knew why he had stopped me, I admitted the violation, but I also asked that he keep his voice down, because my two granddaughters were in the back seat sleeping.  He checked.  I guess the sight of the little girls tugged at his heartstrings: he let me go with a warning.

          I thought of this incident while viewing pictures of rioters and protestors accusing police of racism in Ferguson and New York.  I asked myself if I would have been ticketed for my transgression had I been black.  I suppose I’ll never know.  But what I do know is that in dealing with local police officers on several occasions over the last 12 years, I have always been treated with fairness, courtesy, and efficiency.  I can also say the same for judges, prosecutors, and court personnel, even when decisions didn’t go my way.  Come to think of it, I couldn’t be more pleased with local public servants in other branches of the judicial system and Social Services, as well as with school officials and teachers in Perquimans County.
          This is not to say that there aren’t any problems with police actions elsewhere or that all our local public servants are without blemish.  But before we excuse arsonists and looters as victims of discrimination; before we claim to understand why rioters march under the banner of civil rights; before we vilify law officers as racist oppressors; before we empathize with race hustler and presidential advisor Al Sharpton as he flouts the rule of law and justifies violence in the name of justice; before we find ourselves inclined to do any of that, we should stop and think about how we are blessed to have people who serve us with unswerving dedication and who would unhesitatingly sacrifice their very lives to ensure our safety.    
          We do not live in a police state.  God forbid we should be forced to become one by the haters and the radical extremists among us.