Monday, July 29, 2024

THE CASH STUFF FOR THURSDAY, AUGUST 1st, 2024

 

             State Auditor Jessica Holmes poses with Pres. Joe Biden and Vice Pres. Kamala Harris


STATE AUDITOR HOLMES

DOING THE JOB, AND 

REACHING OUT TO VOTERS

By Cash Michaels

Contributing writer


With the new energy Democrats here in North Carolina are feeling amid the surging presidential candidacy of Vice President Kamala Harris, there’s one Democratic candidate who hopes that energy will come her way.

State Auditor Jessica Holmes is running to keep her office, and thus far, she’s doing all she can to make sure that citizens know who she is, and hoping that voters like the job she’s doing for them.

Today, I have the privilege of serving as your State Auditor,” Holmes says in a statement. “I’m unbossed, unbought and most importantly for this role, I understand the value of a dollar and impact of government services on our everyday lives. We are already seeing tangible results under my leadership.”

The state auditor’s office is responsible for ensuring that North Carolina’s tax dollars are spent honestly and responsibly by all state agencies, county and local governments.

State Auditor Holmes maintains that she leads her office with impartiality,  “integrity, transparency and a focus on accountability.” That means it doesn’t matter which political party is in power, or who is leading a particular agency. If North  Carolina tax dollars are being spent, her job as the state’s fiscal watchdog is to ensure that the letter of the law is being followed, and that citizens can have confidence in the services that are being rendered to them.

Since being appointed by Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper last November, Holmes has led the auditor’s office in uncovering that the communications staff of Fayetteville State University misused university-issued credit cards, racking up nearly $692,000 in questionable charges on personal expenses; that people and pets were permitted to live in the Town Hall of Fremont, as well “…hundreds of thousands of dollars in local funds were misused or misreported,” according to the News and Observer, as well as pay records being falsified; and other pending investigations.

Holmes travels the state, meeting citizens, answering questions, and pledging that her office will help however it can. She told a local gathering last April at the Pasquotank County Courthouse that she wants her office to more than just uncover government fraud and inefficiency, but actually “…focus on people with disabilities and people who are most vulnerable across our state.”

“I have refocused this office to focus on services that impact our most vulnerable communities,” Holmes said. “Whether that’s hurricane dollars, COVID dollars, looking at nursing homes and things that impact children, particularly kids in the foster care system, I’m talking about real, real, real progress that we can keep for the next seven months or we can keep for the next several years.”

State Auditor Jessica Holmes is no political neophyte, and by all accounts, takes public service, especially to those who struggle day-to-day to survive, very seriously.

“I know what it’s like to struggle to make ends meet and to depend on government services for a sound basic education, free lunch programs, healthcare, affordable housing and hurricane disaster relief,” she says. “One of my most vivid memories involves sweeping flood water out of my childhood home and discarding irreplaceable family photos and molded possessions after our home was condemned.”

The Pender County native was born and raised in the rural Eastern North Carolina town of Maple Hill. She cites family, faith and community as the values that have shaped her as a public servant, as well educators in the Pender County Public School System with nurturing her love for working with children.

Holmes is a first generation college student, having graduated from UNC - Chapel Hill with a bachelor’s degree, and the UNC- Chapel Hill School of Law, where she earned a Juris Doctor, becoming an attorney.

She has since been honored as a Distinguished Young Alumni and Outstanding Recent Graduate.

Then in November 2014, Holmes made history becoming the youngest person ever elected as a Wake County commissioner at-large, where she served over one million citizens, making sure that their tax dollars appropriately funded much needed services like public education and public safety.  She served two four year-terms, making history again, being elected by her fellow commissioners as chairman of the Wake Commission Board.

In November 2020, Holmes lost her bid in a close race to become state commissioner of labor, one of a plethora of  Black women that year to lose statewide races.

In August 2021, Holmes was appointed a deputy commissioner on the North Carolina Industrial Commission. 

Holmes also served as a board member and chair of the North Carolina Foundation for Public School Children.

Last November, in the wake of controversy surrounding then State Auditor Beth Woods, forcing her to step down, Gov. Roy Copper tapped Jessica Holmes to fill out the remainder of Woods’ term.

Holmes became the first black woman ever to serve on the NC Council of state. As a trailblazer, she pays tribute to the first African-American to serve as North Carolina State auditor, Ralph Campbell Jr. through the Legacy Circle.

The gravity of being the first Black woman on the North Carolina Council of State, in a state where my ancestors were slaves, is a humbling honor, Holmes says. “I stand on the shoulders of leaders who have come before me such as former State Auditor Ralph Campbell, Jr., who made history in 1992 as the first African American elected to a statewide constitutional office in North Carolina.”

Jessica Holmes has been endorsed by many of the state’s top Democrats like Congresswoman Alma Adams, state Senate Democratic Leader Dan Blue, and of course, Governor Roy Cooper.

Organizations that have endorsed her include Equality North Carolina Action Fund PAC, Pro-Choice North Carolina, the NC State AFL-CIO, Lillian’s List and the NCAE

Her Republican opponent, Dave Boliek, is a member of the UNC Board of Trustees, and voted to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion policies from the UNC System.

State Auditor Holmes says she’s committed to continuing to serve the people of North Carolina, and hopes to gain their support at the polls come November 5th.

“As state auditor, I will ensure that every taxpayer dollar gets to the people and the causes that we all care about,” she says. “My administration will focus on accountability, eliminating wasteful spending and ensuring that all money allocated goes where it’s supposed to go.” 

-30-



                        LT. GOV. MARK ROBINSON AND WIFE, YOLANDA HILL

EDITORS - I'VE HIGHLIGHTED A NEW STATEMENT FROM THE ROBINSON CAMPAIGN ON THIS THAT WAS ISSUED MONDAY AFTER THIS STORY WAS COMPLETED.



CONTROVERSY NOW 

ENVELOPES MARK 

ROBINSON’S WIFE

By Cash Michaels

Contributing writer


First, it was explosive past social media postings about Jews, Muslims, women, Blacks and LGBTQ+ people.

After he was elected, videos of fiery speeches where he was seen and heard saying that “Some folks need killing,” and that he wishes America “…could go back to the days when women couldn’t vote.”

But now Republican gubernatorial nominee and Greensboro native, Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson has more trouble than just outrageous Facebook posts and  damning church videos plaguing his campaign.

Now, a nonprofit owned and operated by his wife, Yolanda Hill, has been ordered to pay back over $132,000 to the NC Dept. of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS), and must do so by the middle of this month, or appeal the decision.

Ms. Hill operated Balanced Nutrition, a government-funded nonprofit that helped child care facilities obtain federal funding for nutrition programs. But NCDHHS alleges that Ms. Hill submitted excess claims for funding, beyond what her group would normally claim to pay salaries and other expenses.

Tax records show Balanced Nutrition paid out over $700,000 in salaries and wages from 2018 to 2022, according to published reports, with salaries ranging from $80,00 to $173,000 a year.

The only employees listed in tax records during those years were Hill, her son, and Cassaundra Spinks — a woman identified as Hill’s mother,” WRAL reported. “Hill appears to have earned the majority of the wages — a combined $319,000 in 2018, 2019 and 2020, which is more than three-quarters of the group’s total salary payout in those years.”

In a recent letter to Ms. Hill, NCDHHS said it "has made multiple attempts to schedule an in-person exit conference, by email, telephone, and written communication, with no response."

Even though Balanced Nutrition is accused of abusing federal funding, NCDHHS, a state agency, is responsible for managing where that funding goes.

A new report alleges “erroneous billing and possible record-keeping, bookkeeping and monitoring violations.” 

Hill reportedly closed her business earlier this year to help her husband’s campaign for governor, and has not responded to numerous recent press inquiries about the NCDHHS allegations. Neither has the office of the lt. governor.

However, last April, she told WRAL that allegations about how she ran her business were actually targeted to hurt her husband’ political career.

“We felt like we were being targeted from the beginning,” Hill said.

          And on Monday, the Robinson campaign addressed the controversy for the first time.“These findings are politically motivated at the core," Robinson campaign spokesman Mike Lonergan said in a statement. "Last year, an independent auditor issued a report on Balanced Nutrition, Inc. (BNI) with no material findings. Yet as soon as Mark Robinson announced his campaign for governor in April 2023, the Democrat-run state agency started moving the goalposts."

Some critics have blasted Robinson for criticizing federal aid to the needy, all the while his wife was running a business which depended on exactly that situation to make money.

“It’s a curious career choice for a man who is a vocal and frequent critic of the social welfare state,” Brant Clifton, a conservative blogger, wrote last March.

An attorney for Ms. Hill, Tyler Brooks, issued a statement earlier this year stating, “Balanced Nutrition has aided community partners in providing hundreds of thousands of nutritious meals to some of North Carolina's most vulnerable populations. Balanced Nutrition is proud of its accomplishments and is actively working to ensure a smooth transition for each of its partner facilities, as it turns the page to a new chapter.”

-30-



CASH COMMENTARY FOR JULY 29, 2024

                                                                     CASH MICHAELS


THIS IS GOING TO BE A ROUGH RIDE, FOLKS!

by Cash Michaels


Do you know why Republicans simply can’t help themselves, and keep slurring Vice President Kamala Harris as an “unqualified DEI hire?”

Since I rhetorically opened that door, I could say something really nasty about the MAGA Grand Old Party at this point (and most likely will, to satisfy my gluttony for bashing bad guys, before this commentary is over).

But the fact of the matter is, Republicans and conservatives are doing it because they know they can get away with it…for now. 

Hopefully they’ll pay a price for it in November. But why do they even “go there?”

Because as a nation, we ran away from honestly discussing the tough, painful, but necessary subject of race a long time ago, leaving us ignorant, even at this late day and age, and sounding asinine when many of us demean a fellow citizen because of the color of their skin. Or use the color of their skin, in concert with their politics or culture, to justify trashing their very existence.

Conservatives are good for that low-brow, anti-social crap, and it needs to stop. But alas, we’re in the midst of a highly charged presidential election, and with MAGA folks openly throwing around loaded terms like “Commie-la,” “DEI hire” and “Dumb as a rock,” it will take nothing short of a miracle to pull this spectacle out of the bull’s toilet before it gets worse.

Having said all that, and with at least three weeks to go before the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Kamala Harris seems to be getting her Democratic ducks in a row to formerly win and accept the party’s nomination, and march on to November with all she needs to be victorious.

Now that virtually every important Democrat has endorsed her (especially the Obamas, though it took long enough), Harris can march on with confidence (as of this writing, Sen. Bernie Sanders is dangling his endorsement in front of Kamala’s pretty nose, apparently because he wants his issues adopted. She’ll have to decide whether Bernie is worth it or not, given his significant national campaign voter base).

But make no mistake (and that’s the first thing she needs to be careful of), once Trump & Co. finally figure out how best to claw her down from that lofty perch she’s been on since Pres. Joe Biden announced that he was stepping away from the campaign, and handing her the reins, there’s going to be blood in the water.

The honeymoon will be over, as Trump’s campaign will employ every trick in the book to remind this proud woman of color what her “rightful place” is.

Remember how he paraded some of Bill Clinton’s alleged paramours out in public in 2016 just to embarrass wife Hillary to no end during her presidential campaign? It was shocking and disgusting and…it worked! Hillary got tarred and feathered for Bill’s alleged infidelities, Trump went on to the White House, and almost destroyed our country during the COVID crisis.

I’m not saying Kamala has anything near that dramatic in her background, but who says Convicted Felon Man won’t make something up for an October surprise? Trump is in desperation mode right now, and we all know he does not like to lose.

Trump will especially not like losing, again, to a Black prosecutor. So far, he’s lost to NY Attorney General Letitia James, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, he’s lined up to lose to Fulton County D.A. Fani Willis, and now former California State Attorney General Kamala Harris is ready, willing and able to prosecute his behind at the voting booth.

How could one convicted felon be so lucky?

But hey, Darth Donald has help. Before the Republican-led House left town for the August recess, some clown named Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN) filed articles of impeachment against VP Harris, claiming in a nutshell that she’s screwed up her duties as southern “border czar.”

For the record, VP Harris was NEVER, EVER given that title, nor appointed to serve in that capacity by anyone!

This, from The New Republic:

While it is true that in 2021, the vice president was assigned to lead a limited effort to address the root causes of migration from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras, Harris was NOT by any means in charge of the border.” 

This from the White House:

On February 2, 2021, President Biden signed an Executive Order that called for the development of a Root Causes Strategy.”

“Since March, Vice President Kamala Harris has been leading the Administration’s diplomatic efforts to address the root causes of migration from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras.  She has worked with bilateral, multilateral, and private sector partners, as well as civil society leaders, to help people from the region find hope at home.  This complements work done throughout the U.S. government over the last six months to learn lessons from prior efforts and to consult with a wide range of stakeholders to inform the development of this strategy.”

    Tell me. How long does the brain need to be denied essential oxygen and sufficient nutrition before it degenerates into coming up with crazy GOP sheep dip like Ogles, Trump and the rest of MAGA are perpetrating?

Please, somebody….!

Former White House adviser Susan Rice nailed what’s really going on in this election perfectly.

It’s a race about whether we are going to move into the future as a democracy, where every American has the opportunity to vote to have their voice heard, to have a chance to make themselves a success or whether we’re going backward to Donald Trump and JD Vance and their Project 2025 vision of America,” she said, adding that what Trump and  Vance want is an America where white Christian men are the only ones who matter.

Indeed, at least one black Florida lawmaker says calling VP Harris a “DEI hire” is a sneaky GOP substitute for demeaning her to the lowest level.

"She’s vice president of the United States. She was a senator representing one of the largest states in the entire country. And so these are just racist dog whistles whenever you hear DEI, I want you to think about the ‘N word, and we need to think about racial slurs. That‘s what they actually mean," Rep. Maxwell Frost told CNN recently.

"This is a right-wing campaign that’s going to be racist [and] misogynist against the vice president. But we‘re going to stand on the issues and what really matters is the fact that she is qualified.”

What has VP Harris accomplished during the three-and-a-half years she’s spent at Pres. Joe Biden’s side learning the ropes of leadership?

Glad you asked.

According to a “quick look” by USA Today last week, and we shared some of this first one with you earlier,  “In response to immigration concerns, Harris’ call to action was the public-private partnership Central America Forward (CAF). The idea behind CAF is to support the creation of local jobs and other measures in order to slow the flow of mass migration.”

“CAF has generated more than $5.2 billion since its launch in 2021, and its partners include more than 50 companies and organizations that have committed to supporting economic growth in the Central America region.”

I swear, I knew nothing about those important details, probably like most Americans.

In 2021, VP Harris “…pushed for Congress to pass the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, which would’ve extended the protections of the 1965 Voting Rights Act and required federal approval for some local election law changes.”

Senate Republicans, however, filibustered the bill, preventing passage. Gee, MAGA votes against voting rights. Who would have imagined?!!!

Last March, VP Harris made history becoming the first president or vice president ever to visit a Planned Parenthood clinic to promote the “Fight for Reproductive Freedoms.” 

Boy did Trump and his clown car step in it when he messed with a woman’s right to choose!

In September 2023, VP Harris was assigned to oversee the first ever White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention to reduce gun violence nationally.

Hey, if Harris choses Sen. Mark Kelly, the husband of 2011 gun shooting victim Rep. Gabby Giffords, as her VP, he could rightfully oversee that office.

After Kelly helps her win the election, of course. 

USA Today reported some other notable achievements by VP Harris, but you get the picture. Contrary to what Trump and the his dumb bunny MAGA Nation have alleged, this sharp, ambitious and visionary woman has not been sitting on her hands since she’s served a heartbeat away from the presidency. 

This is going to be a rough ride, folks. Trump is going to call Harris all sorts of derogatory names pertaining to her gender and color, and VP Harris is going to repeatedly remind us that the convicted felon is a racist convicted felon, rapist and fraudster.

This is what the next 90-plus days offer us.

Dictator Don is now running around reportedly telling “christians” that “In four years, you don't have to vote again, we'll have it fixed so good you're not going to have to vote."

Anyone dumb enough not to understand that he’s promising the end of our democracy, raise your hand.

Lord help us!

-30-

 

Monday, July 22, 2024

CASH COMMENTARY FOR MONDAY, JULY 22ND, 2024


                                                                    CASH MICHAELS


NOW WE’VE GOT A CONTEST (I HOPE) !!!

            by Cash Michaels

Boy, did you miss a good one! One of my best, in fact.

I had this week’s commentary, about me changing my mind, and urging Pres. Joe Biden to change his, all written, finished and polished by Sunday morning.

But just before 2 p.m. Sunday afternoon, my youngest daughter, who is attending the University of Oxford in England for the summer, but had just flown back there from spending the weekend in Brussels, texted my wife and I  to say that “…Biden has announced that he is dropping out of the election,” further adding that he did so  (on social media) “…ten minutes ago.”

I have Alexa in the bedroom, where I was dutifully napping, so, concerned that I was missing special coverage, I immediately commanded, “ALEXA, CBS NEWS!”

And my girl, anchor Norah O’Donnell, was just getting on the air with the historic news!

My kid scooped Norah O’Donnell and CBS, from overseas, with the biggest story of the year thus far! Talk about a proud poppa!

But that meant my incisive, hard-hitting commentary urging President Joe to step down for the good of the nation, and pass the baton to VP Kamala Harris, had to go the way of the dodo bird.

However, looking back over it, I did have some good stuff in there I could salvage, like, “I admire Joe’s moxie, and wanted to actually see him stick his old Irish foot up the crooked rear-end of his felonious Republican rival come election time in November. But now I’ve changed my mind.

That was feisty! I like feisty! 

I went on later in the piece to say, “..this isn’t about whether Joe still has it, or even a little bit of it, left, anymore.”

This is about “all hands on deck,” and winning in November no matter what. Because with the extraordinary threat to democracy Donald Trump and the MAGA Nation pose to freedom, justice and equality if he is reelected, the Democratic Party, the ONLY defense we have against that happening, can’t afford to further set itself on fire right now!

Nancy (Pelosi) said it best at the Democratic Unity dinner here last Saturday night,”Elections are about what you’re going to do next!

I was gettin’ on a roll now, y’all!

We need unity like mother’s milk, and if we can’t have it going into the Democratic National Convention come August, we damn sure better be buckled tight to it when we come out of it for November.”

Was feelin’ my oats, I tell ya!

This is not just about the presidency, but about congressional seats, senatorial seats, state legislative seats, and all of the important down-ballot offices to be decided the right way if Democrats come out to vote in solid numbers.”

Plus we have a crazy governor’s race here in North Carolina that we MUST put our foot down on. We do that, and everything else falls into place.”

But Democrats MUST show up and vote!”

Ahhh yeah, it was flowin’ like music now!

Remember last week’s Republican National Convention? Say what you want about it, but the one thing they successfully did was come out of it ready to takeover the world, not just Washington, D.C.. Using the failed assassination attempt on their feckless leader as jet fuel, those MAGA folks are now MAGA-motivated to do whatever it takes to win in November.”

“And they sincerely believe that God  (their God, not mine) saved the life of MAGA leader in a “miracle” because he’s “supposed” to return to the throne.”

“When you are facing deranged people like this, you have to have your (begins with “s”, and ends with “it”) meticulously together.

        By the way, I'll remind you that spirit, skylit, skagit, sawpit, and swimsuit all qualify, so kindly get your mind out of the gutter!

I’m leaving out the parts here where I tell Joe he has to step down for the good of the nation, and the party, and reminded him of why he chose Kamala Harris in the first place.

Joe Biden took a talented, strong, and visionary U.S senator and former attorney general from the state of California under his wing, and made her his vice presidential wing-woman for the past three-and-a-half-years. And Kamala Harris has been a good one.”

Then I went Star Wars on ya!

“Think Obi Wan Kenobi and Luke Skywalker (at first I chose Yoda and Luke, but I didn’t want to be accused of comparing Joe Biden to an old, ugly muppet). All Joe has to do is tell his VP, “Use the Fooorce, Kamala! Use the Fooorce!”

“Hell, she’ll do that, and more, to defeat Darth Donald.”

“Darth Donald”…I like that!

“Homegirl has worked hard for Joe and the nation. She has met all of the important foreign leaders. She knows all of the important policy objectives, and she knows how to work her former colleagues in Congress to get them passed.”

“Above all, VP Harris is incredibly tough and smart, yet, has a charm and smile that endears her to everyone (except Republicans, who prefer MAGA snakes,“Babydog” and Hulk Hogan as their forever soulmates).”

And then I had a message for the Democratic Party.

And Democratic Party, grow a pair, for once! Stop playing guessing games, and nominate Kamala Harris as the next president of the United States. Pick whomever you want to be her VP (hey, I have no problem with Gov. Roy Cooper from right here in North Cacalacky. He’s a good man). But let’s make it happen, and make August the month we get our act together.”

And now for the big finish!

“Let’s put this fire out NOW, Democrats, because when Trump and the MAGA-nation bring it, we may never get another fair chance like this to do it again!!! LORD help us!!!”

And I ended it there.

Well now, we’ve got a contest, folks, and it’s all because Pres. Joe Biden made yet another tremendous sacrifice for his country and party. I will always love him for it. That’s leadership, and he didn’t need me to tell him so.

And Kamala sista-girl, assuming that your fellow Democrats don’t screw this up come convention time, I predict that your battle against convicted Felon Man will be one for the history books. All decent people are pulling for you now!

All decent people should!

Even a certain young Yale University senior studying over at the University of Oxford in England for the summer who was too young to vote for Barack Obama when he ran for president in 2008.

But my daughter is the perfect age now to vote for YOU.

Do me a favor, Kamala, and fight like hell to win this, please? It would mean so much to my Baby Girl, and other Baby Girls, who look just like you!

-30-