Stop Municipal Aggression!!!

Abraham Lincoln said it, in his "Lyceum" address, in 1838:

At what point shall we expect the approach of danger? By what means shall we fortify against it? — Shall we expect some transatlantic military giant, to step the Ocean, and crush us at a blow? Never! — All the armies of Europe, Asia and Africa combined, with all the treasure of the earth (our own excepted) in their military chest; with a Buonaparte for a commander, could not by force, take a drink from the Ohio, or make a track on the Blue Ridge, in a trial of a thousand years.

At what point then is the approach of danger to be expected? I answer, if it ever reach us, it must spring up amongst us. It cannot come from abroad. If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen, we must live through all time, or die by suicide.

Our suicide seems to be coming at the hands of out of control city governments.

In the latest installment of "Dialing for (Your) Dollars!", the city of Carrboro "needs" more taxes, do they? Remarkable. A total lack of accountability, and a total lack of understanding that annexation is simply theft, except the thief is government and they happen to have better weapons.

Including lawyers.

An excerpt:

Carrboro's newest residents want out
'De-annexation' bill submitted

Meiling Arounnarath, Staff Writer
CARRBORO - A neighborhood still angry at being annexed last year has found a new ally.

State Rep. Bill Faison has submitted a bill to "de-annex" The Highlands subdivision after 70 percent of its 90 households signed a petition asking to be removed from Carrboro's town limits.

In 2005, the Carrboro Board of Aldermen voted 5-2 to annex six northeastern neighborhoods -- The Highlands, Camden, Highlands North, Highland Meadows, Fox Meadow and Meadow Run -- and some outlying parcels on the west side of Rogers Road.

The annexation took effect Jan. 31, 2006. With it came town taxes paid to Carrboro, along with police and fire protection and garbage collection.

Many of the annexed areas' approximately 850 people revolted. They accused the aldermen of timing the annexation so they couldn't vote in the 2005 election, and of annexing them just for their tax money.

Alderman Dan Coleman responded to Faison's bill Tuesday on local blog OrangePolitics.org. Faison filed the bill last week, but the aldermen found out Tuesday when Town Attorney Mike Brough told them about it.

In an interview, Coleman said Faison could have contacted the town's New Horizons Task Force, which was meant to be a bridge between the aldermen and the annexed residents.

"Or certainly he would've contacted Mayor [Mark] Chilton or possibly the town manager to let them know -- to run this idea by them and have a conversation," Coleman said.

David Lawrence, a professor specializing in local government in UNC-Chapel Hill's School of Government, said legislators usually submit de-annexation bills when the local governing board and the affected residents both agree on it.

And, he said, it's usually one or two properties requesting de-annexation, not an entire neighborhood.

"As a practical matter, unless all of the people who represent Orange County in the General Assembly agree on a bill like that, it's not very likely to pass," Lawrence said. "If Sen. [Ellie] Kinnaird is to oppose it, then it's very unlikely to pass, and if the [House] Speaker's against it, that doesn't help it either."

Both Kinnaird and House Speaker Joe Hackney represent Carrboro.

No, they don't! They don't represent the people of Carrboro.

They "represent" the interests of a rapacious and willful state apparatus of repression, theft, and social domination. What good is freedom of speech, when all you can do is talk to other prisoners? North Carolina is in many ways a model state government, at least compared to some other state governments. But our laws on municipal aggression leave EVERYTHING to be desired. Such as accountability to citizen desires, basic due process rights, and rule of law.

Leave us the hell alone, you darned municipal gangsters!

If I EVER have to go to a meeting with something called "The New Horizons Task Force," I might...Well, I probably just wouldn't go. I don't know that my attitude would be constructive or helpful in such a setting.

Kudos to Rep. Faison, whatever else he has done lately. At least he is taking a principled stand here. Thanks!

(nod to Donna Martinez, here)