The Bad News Report

[DMann]

Forget bathrooms already.  Focus on the GA denying one group rights by allowing another group to have their rights.  That is the real issue

[cltcane]

6 hours ago, caterpillar2 said:

I'm making a point, not saying that I will give up concerts, etc. It doesn't make that much difference to me either way. I'm fine with the facilities as they are. And, I still think this thread should be part of Charlotte Coffee House. With this, I withdraw from further comments or opinions. All the best.

 

How many times has caterpillar2 said he is going to stop arguing or commenting on this thread only to come back with an even more absurd and offensive statement clearly designed to provoke other members into saying something he can attack with yet another right wing talking point based, at best, on some distorted view of reality a few hours later?  Do us a favor, caterpillar2, and keep your promise.  Or just meet up with RaleighHeelsfan and whine about how your side has lost the culture war to each other so we don't have to listen to any more of your nonsense here.

Edited April 19, 2016 by cltcane

[Nick2]

21 hours ago, asthasr said:

This is true, but "one of the biggest" is a little meaningless. There is a large drop off after San Francisco/San Jose, Seattle, and New York. Those cities have, probably, 80% of the market between them.

I just looked this up and you're totally right. raleigh doesn't break the top 10 for most lists. I suppose that was a good bit of bias for NC lol.

Every single one of those cities that are listed above raleigh in the tech jobs area except for austin were double the size of raleigh or more. I will note that none of those lists have the RTP listed together, just the raleigh metro area. Another is that Raleigh currently has the second highest number of open jobs in the whole country at around 30k. the top was Austin at 50k open tech jobs. In terms of overall jobs the top 4 were nyc, los angeles, silicon valley, washington dc, and seattle not in order. Some others at the top of overall numbers were boston, houston, dallas, atlanta, and miami. 

But Raleigh also grew at either the top or second highest rate out of the largest metros in the country (second to Austin). Over the last ten years Raleigh had almost an 80% increase in tech jobs and the highest increase in the country for STEM jobs at 39%.

[grodney]

(Moved to Civil Rights thread)

 

Edited April 20, 2016 by grodney

[Silicon Dogwoods]

3 hours ago, DMann said:

Forget bathrooms already.  Focus on the GA denying one group rights by allowing another group to have their rights.  That is the real issue

That's the winning argument.

Most of HB2 is a gross violation of the 14th Amendment.

[urbanlover568]

The Association for Library Service to Children voted to cancel its September meetings in Charlotte

The group says House Bill 2 ‘undermines civil rights and the fundamental principles upon which libraries are founded’

At least 20 other groups have backed out of Charlotte because of concerns over the new LGBT law, Charlotte’s tourism arm says.

Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/business/article72635277.html#storylink=cpy

 

Edited April 19, 2016 by mpretori

[Spartan]

Moderators note:

Y'all. Seriously. It's going to take me an hour to go back and move all of these off topic posts to the coffee house thread. If your post isn't directly related to economic news then don't post here. If it's economic news related to HB2 that's fine, but keep all opinions about it to yourself or in the coffee house thread. 

 

[caterpillar2]

15 hours ago, dcharlotte said:

Yes, the liberals that bullied their way to freedom for the slaves, voting rights for women, equality based on religion and skin color...pesky liberals trying to bully bigots into giving them equality! 

North Carolina isn't getting bullied - the world is voting with their purse and you're just upset the world doesn't share an outdated point of view that actually extends the reach of government to allow more discrimination.

Wrong, slaves were not needed in the north after the start of the industrial revolution when the "liberal" north decided that women and children could do the factory work better than anyone of color. Additionally,  Nobody had  to pay to own white immigrant women and children. It was a simple matter of work 12-14 hours a day or starve or freeze to death. There was no sign of "liberalism" until after that point. As far as your  examples of equality based on skin color, ask the Chinese in Chinatown, San Francisco or elsewhere about their history of freedom. It came many years after the African slaves. Where were the liberals?  How about the Jews that could belong to country clubs or other organization in the 50s and 60s? No liberal around then.

[Spartan]

Wow, @caterpillar2. Just stop. That is too far off-topic for this thread. 

As I said before, this thread needs to get back on topic. We have a thread for all other HB2 discussion in the Coffee House. So, from now on if anyone else posts anything off-topic in this thread related to HB2 then I will temporarily suspend your account. End of discussion. If anyone has an issue with that, then please take it up with me via PM. 

The intent of this thread is to discuss negative economic developments, and while HB2 has proven to be a contributing factor we have to draw the line somewhere in terms of the structure of the discussion on this site. Please use the NC Civil Rights thread in the Charlotte Coffee House to discuss HB2 unless there is a direct economic impact. Some examples include: PayPal, Red Ventures, groups cancelling conferences, even concert cancellations. 

[videtur quam contuor]

THANK YOU.

[Bikeguy]

It looks as if Bonnie Raitt has pulled Charlotte out of her Fall tour.  We were originally scheduled somewhere between Memphis & St. Augustine FL. 

http://www.bonnieraitt.com/tour

[Third Strike]

Kmart in Pineville and Gastonia are closing down this Summer. I guess it's only a matter of time before Sears as a whole is gone.

Kmarts in Gastonia, Pineville on closure list

[Spartan]

On 4/20/2016 at 3:03 PM, Bikeguy said:

It looks as if Bonnie Raitt has pulled Charlotte out of her Fall tour.  We were originally scheduled somewhere between Memphis & St. Augustine FL. 

http://www.bonnieraitt.com/tour

The list of entertainment acts skipping NC is getting pretty large, though its interesting that the heyday of most of these acts was in the 80s/90s timeframe (obviously Ringo was much earlier).

• Boston
• Bonnie Rait
• Bruce Springsteen
• Blue Man Group
• Jimmy Buffett - will play currently scheduled shows, but will not plan future events (he tours every year)
• Laura Jane Grace
• Pearl Jam
• Ringo Starr

I know there are other smaller acts and I probably missed a few...

I generally prefer Mumford & Sons's approach of donating the profits of their show to a local LGBT charity. Punishing North Carolina residents (many, if not most, of whom do not support the bill) just doesn't seem right to me. I read that Cyndi Lauper and Brandi Carlisle are planning to do the same thing. Its a classier move, IMO.

Regardless of their motives, this really hurts local businesses. VBGB and the other NCMF venues are probably feeling it the most.

[asthasr]

More HB2 cancellations:

• Nick Jonas and Demi Lovato (Charlotte and Raleigh)
• Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation Summit (Asheville)

Edited April 26, 2016 by asthasr

[Silicon Dogwoods]

On 4/23/2016 at 6:11 AM, Spartan said:

The list of entertainment acts skipping NC is getting pretty large, though its interesting that the heyday of most of these acts was in the 80s/90s timeframe (obviously Ringo was much earlier).

• Boston
• Bonnie Rait
• Bruce Springsteen
• Blue Man Group
• Jimmy Buffett - will play currently scheduled shows, but will not plan future events (he tours every year)
• Laura Jane Grace
• Pearl Jam
• Ringo Starr

I know there are other smaller acts and I probably missed a few...

I generally prefer Mumford & Sons's approach of donating the profits of their show to a local LGBT charity. Punishing North Carolina residents (many, if not most, of whom do not support the bill) just doesn't seem right to me. I read that Cyndi Lauper and Brandi Carlisle are planning to do the same thing. Its a classier move, IMO.

Regardless of their motives, this really hurts local businesses. VBGB and the other NCMF venues are probably feeling it the most.

Where they're not feeling it is downeast and in Rockingham County.

Can't account for Dan Bishop.

 

[kermit]

This is an interesting twist. It appears San Francisco will create a ban on the city doing business with NC based firms. The one firm that is impacted certainly has some political pull:

"Charlotte-based Bank of America has an $8 million contract with San Francisco to provide depository and payroll services. That contract expires Aug. 31, 2018, SFGate reported."

While its not a huge amount of money, its now fair to say that every BoA shareholder has taken a hit from HB2.

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/business/article74247252.html

annnd the NCAA has pulled the plug on any future tourniment games: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/article74351352.html

College basketball and BoA shareholders. If we can get the Chinese owners of Smithfield to stop buying NC hogs (or providing shoulders in NC) then HB2 is repealed tomorrow.

Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/business/article74247252.html#storylink=cpy

Edited April 28, 2016 by kermit

[kermit]

The NCGA's latest shenanigans focus on ending solar and wind energy development in NC. If it passes this will be a significant blow to the Charlotte energy cluster:

http://www.newsobserver.com/news/business/article78468957.html

Just when I think we can't move backwards any faster....

[HopHead]

9 hours ago, kermit said:

The NCGA's latest shenanigans focus on ending solar and wind energy development in NC. If it passes this will be a significant blow to the Charlotte energy cluster:

http://www.newsobserver.com/news/business/article78468957.html

Just when I think we can't move backwards any faster....

(slams head on desk) .... Can we just deport these idiots to an island somewhere?

[cltbwimob]

Isn't there some way the US government can disband a state legislature?  If so can we start a petition to the White House and to Congress to abolish the NCGA and start over?

[rancenc]

9 hours ago, kermit said:

The NCGA's latest shenanigans focus on ending solar and wind energy development in NC. If it passes this will be a significant blow to the Charlotte energy cluster:

http://www.newsobserver.com/news/business/article78468957.html

Just when I think we can't move backwards any faster....

I would not be to concerned of this even getting out of committee much less to the full floor.....this bill was sponsored by ONE representative from the coastal area of NC.  See the excerpt from the article below.  I read this in the Charlotte Observer this morning as well.  Another NON-NATIVE Tar Heel in our legislature (retired energy executive from DC) representing a constituency that is primarily retirees or second home owners from outside of the state!

Cook’s bill has been assigned to the Senate Rules and Operations Committee, generally regarded as a holding pen for bills that lack widespread support.

Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/news/business/article78468957.html#storylink=cpy

[alb1no panther]

Y'all . . . take a deep breath.  Everything will pass.  The bill will be overturned for being unconstitutionally over broad, and all these companies and entertainment acts that are taking a "stand" will tear down their paper fences.  Development happens over years and years.  Charlotte will be alright in the longterm, and, hell, will probably have a #AlwaysWelcomeCharlotte mini music festival to celebrate once repealed, making up a bit of revenue. 

Not to mention, we're hosting the freaking Special Olympics U.S. qualifying rounds.  These firms look so damn foolish IMO.  On the heels of the CIAA [historically black college conference] and in the face of the city's hosting of paralyzed athletes, they scream from the rooftop that we're all a bunch of racists and objectifiers and need to be boycotted.  Now you tell me if HB2 can withstand that kind of lunacy.  There's an obvious friction between our values, the State's reactionary "solution," and the PR campaign by firm's "against" us--and that friction will bring change.

I understand it stirs emotion, but . . . deep breaths.  

Edited May 19, 2016 by alb1no panther

[Deleted.]

This wasn't about HB2 for once. It was about one representative of NCGA trying to completely obliterate the environment. 

[rancenc]

28 minutes ago, alb1no panther said:

Y'all . . . take a deep breath.  Everything will pass.  The bill will be overturned for being unconstitutionally over broad, and all these companies and entertainment acts that are taking a "stand" will tear down their paper fences.  Development happens over years and years.  Charlotte will be alright in the longterm, and, hell, will probably have a #AlwaysWelcomeCharlotte mini music festival to celebrate once repealed, making up a bit of revenue. 

Not to mention, we're hosting the freaking Special Olympics U.S. qualifying rounds.  These firms look so damn foolish IMO.  On the heels of the CIAA [historically black college conference] and in the face of the city's hosting of paralyzed athletes, they scream from the rooftop that we're all a bunch of racists and objectifiers and need to be boycotted.  Now you tell me if HB2 can withstand that kind of lunacy.  There's an obvious friction between our values, the State's reactionary "solution," and the PR campaign by firm's "against" us--and that friction will bring change.

I understand it stirs emotion, but . . . deep breaths.  

I agree...here is an interesting article from the Triangle Business Journal from earlier this week.  This company was one of the 3 (Paypal included) that announced a halt in expansion/job creation in the wake of the HB2 debacle.  http://www.bizjournals.com/triangle/news/2016/05/17/braeburn-to-move-ahead-with-20m-durham-expansion.html

[Nick2]

Montgomery county (super rural in central NC. just on the other side of Stanley county) has enough brand new solar panels to provide electricity to well over half it's population now by megawatt hours. NC is now the THIRD largest solar energy producing state and was increased by more than double in 2015. I was super proud of this when I found out. Why does the NCGA insist on taking away every single aspect of North Carolina that made people call it the "new south" for the last two decades? 

[Silicon Dogwoods]

6 hours ago, Nick2 said:

Montgomery county (super rural in central NC. just on the other side of Stanley county) has enough brand new solar panels to provide electricity to well over half it's population now by megawatt hours. NC is now the THIRD largest solar energy producing state and was increased by more than double in 2015. I was super proud of this when I found out. Why does the NCGA insist on taking away every single aspect of North Carolina that made people call it the "new south" for the last two decades? 

Because they don't want North Carolina to be the 'new' south.

They want North Carolina to be the old south.

They're simpletons.