We’re Not in the Market, Anymore, Toto

WLOS just announced Asheville City Schools is considering increasing the cost of student lunches. Prices would increase ten cents next school year, and an untold amount the following year. WLOS reports parents don’t mind the cost increase, and they hope the money will go toward buying more [chicken nuggets].

There are about 3700 students in the Asheville City School district. According to the Asheville Citizen-Times, almost 48% of the district’s students receive free or reduced lunch rates, and only 35% of those who don’t, buy school lunches.

Drawing Lines around People

Getting back to an old beef of mine, I hate it when people suppose skin pigment and reproductive organs have magical powers of bonding those with similar physiology. Nancy Pelosi and I are white women, so if you’ve met Nancy, you know everything there is to know about me. The same applies to such strange circumstances as the side of a river on which people choose to live. Choosing to live on the west side could make you totally incomprehensible to somebody who bought a house on the other side. It is because farmers have a different since of justice than city dwellers, greedy rich people are out to destroy lazy poor people, and blacks and whites come up with different answers when putting 50-50 in decimal form, that we need district elections.

I get the idea about being able to nab your leader when he’s out mowing the lawn; but that doesn’t make sense in today’s gerrymanders. Redistricting is a tool for grabbing power, but we’re supposed to pretend we’re classist, racist, sexist, and all that to prove our ignorance of our pawn-like role in the political arena.

Cherokee County will hold a referendum in May to determine if the majority of voters would prefer to be represented by five districts, or continue to be represented by three districts and two commissioners elected at-large.

Justice – Sweet!

Maggie Valley has for some time been a great place for motorcycle rallies. However, in what some wannabe economists might view as evidence that the disposable income of bikers runs countercyclical to the economy, rally organizers find themselves competing for market share of a rare commodity – attendees. To help its bottom line, Handlebar Productions turned to government, requesting an ordinance to outlaw any other motorcycle rally from occurring four months before or after its two annual Thunder in the Smokies rallies.

“No dice,” said Maggie’s town board. Unfortunately, rather than owning up to their courageous refusal to play crony capitalist games, the alderpeople tried to save their political face by saying they needed more time to study the matter.

Second Guessing Second Amendment

Award-winning criminologist Gary Kleck will speak against the Second Amendment at the A.K. Hinds University Center Grandroom at Western Carolina University at 6:00 p.m., today. Kleck will advocate “safer, more effective gun control laws.” The event is free and open to the public.