Odds and Ends

-Avery County is just about the reddest county in North Carolina. Maybe Yadkin County is redder. Either way, last night it became the unlikely first place to pass the transfer tax. It sounds like one thing they did right was specify clearly that all the money generated would be spent on the schools. I'll be interested to hear how else they were able to succesfully counteract the growth lobby when no had been able to before.

-Americans care about how the economy is going to be fixed to make their personal lives better. They don't care about a few of Barack Obama's appointees having to drop out. This is about as 'inside the beltway' as an issue gets. I guess if it gives the pundits something to talk about that's fine but I don't think very many people outside the bubble are getting too worked up about this. There are other things to worry about.

-Unless something happens to persuade me otherwise before Friday our New Hampshire poll this weekend is going to be Paul Hodes and Carol Shea-Porter against John Sununu and Charlie Bass. Four possible match ups is usually as many as we like to put on a single poll, lest respondents get bored and hang up.

-Two years ago I went to College Park to see UNC and Maryland play women's basketball so I got put on their ticket department's e-mail list. This morning I got an e-mail from Gary Williams informing me single game tickets were available for the rest of the season, including UNC. I snapped a pair up. You know it's a tough year for the Terps when the Carolina fans on their e-mail list can just buy tickets like that.