I went to the drugstore today. Better living through chemistry, and all.

There, for the second time since I voted, I saw the man who helped me with my touch machine at election time. A big bear of a man, a white senior citizen, oozing friendliness and goodwill.

This time, in the drugstore, I decided to say hello. "Did you work at the polls?" I asked. "Yes," he said, "for early voting." "I thought you looked familiar," I said.

"Did you see me in the newspaper?"
"No, I saw you at the polls."
"You don't read the newspaper?"
"No. My husband does."

NC Republican woman say lay off Sarah Palin. Hilarous!

As teenagers, we deserve to be educated about certain things so that we will be able to make responsible, informed decisions. And...comprehensive sex education does just that!

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For all the talk about energy savings in today's political environment, effective actions are few and far between. So when a simple opportunity to save millions of dollars in energy costs comes along, we should take advantage of it. North Carolina should abandon the outdated and misguided practice of Daylight Savings Time.

Mark Johnson, writing for O-No! yesterday, reported on recommendations from the 21st Century Transportation Committee. One of those recommendations includes a tax on mileage (to be calculated annually with vehicle inspections) to either replace or supplement the gas tax.

Good idea? Bad idea?

I caught up with Wayne Goodwin this week and asked him about his campaign. I was specifically interested in how public financing worked for him. Both he and his opponent participated in public financing, so were on equal footing in that regard. The most obvious result of their participation is that insurance industry money was kept at a minimum in both campaigns reducing the appearance that those who are regulated by the office also hold influence over it.

This year the voters booted the insurance industry and its employees out of this campaign, not that the current or future office holders were or would have been influenced by their contributions in the first place.

The following is a bit of my Q & A with Commissioner-elect Goodwin:

The US Senate today voted by secret ballot to retain Joe Lieberman as chair of one of its most critical committees. Folks at Daily Kos mostly think the guy should have been dumped. Here's the New York Times coverage.

Dan Kane writes a good, clear story today about what's at stake as the NC Supreme Court hears arguments about the role of doctors in killing criminals.

The state's highest court will hear legal arguments today that could break the two-year stalemate on executions in North Carolina -- or extend the de facto moratorium. The N.C. Medical Board has effectively shut down the executions, which are done by lethal injection, by prohibiting doctors from taking part. The board contends such participation violates the profession's mission to preserve life.

The N&O writes something about Sarah, but it's not entirely clear what.

Charlotte Observer readers wonder whether graffiti that says Kill Obama is protected free speech. A few too many think it's just fine.

Gary Pearce weighs in on the wonder of women being women.

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