theCLog

Growing up as the child of a Jewish father and an African-American mother, Max Siegle has lived in two worlds all his life. In the recently published anthology Family Affair: What It Means to be African-American Today,

Siegel, currently the highest-ranking African-American NASCAR executive, writes about his life and how his early sense of self shaped him into the man he is today. Sharing his story in the anthology, he said, is another dimension of what he does personally.

“I constantly do a lot of introspection of where I am in my life. It’s a great time for the book because of everything that’s going on in the world, it kind of evaluates where African-Americans are as a people,” said Siegle. “What I’ve found is that if you focus on the things you have in common with people, you’ll find that we have more in common than what we have different.”

In his essay, “Calm within the Storm,” Siegel writes about how is father moved him and his sister from place to place after telling them that their mother died. When he was 11, he learned the truth — that his father had lied about his mother’s death and was dying himself of lymphoma.

As the illness turned his father into a shell of himself, Siegel writes that his father told him he had to become a man sooner, rather than later. “I was fortunate enough that despite my dysfunctional household, my parents instilled a lot of self-confidence. I never really had any self-esteem issues,” he said.

The dysfunction that he says surrounded him as he grew up, prepared him for life. Siegle — president of global operations at Dale Earnhardt Inc. — never expected to work in NASCAR, a business that employs only a few African-Americans, he writes in his essay.

“I have approached life pretty open-minded, but I’m also very realistic and very deliberate. I didn’t come [into NASCAR] thinking that I would be treated a certain way,” he said about his success in the sport. Siegel said he was aware of the stereotypes typically thrown around about NASCAR, but he approached his job with an open mind.

And in his essay, he says this about what his job has taught him: “Living in Charlotte, N.C. has been an ideal situation for my family, and I can honestly say that this position has forced me to use every skill I have ever developed — marketing, business, law and leadership. It’s a win-win situation. Having confidence in my abilities is the primary reason why I am where I am today.”

According to Siegel, NASCAR itself is committed to diversity and including women and people of color in the sport. And he said the he can see his impact on the sport because he knows that people are watching what he’s doing.

“You’re under such a microscope, but it’s great to see the impact that you have, touching one life or two lives and an organization.”

Family Affair editor, Gil L. Robertson IV, writes in the preface of the book: “If America is ever to engage in a real conversation about race, all of its citizens must be mentally and spiritually prepared to take part.”

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A pregnant 15-year-old is dead after she was shot at her school bus stop this morning, WBTV3 reports.

At this time police have no suspects, but it seems obvious that someone from the domestic violence unit should be talking to the child’s father.

While police have not labeled this shooting as domestic violence related, studies show the leading cause of death for expectant and new mothers is murder.

According to The Washington Post, more than 1,300 pregnant women and new mothers have been slain since 1990. And a Maryland study published in 2001 in the Journal of the American Medical Association says a pregnant woman “is more likely to be a victim of homicide than to die of any other cause.”

If you have any information on the shooting, please  call Homicide detectives at 704-432-TIPS or Crime Stoppers, 704-334-1600.

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Transportation in Charlotte is a regular source of confusion for Queen City residents. Will light rail be expanded into more neighborhoods — and what about street cars?

Creative Loafing spoke to Republican candidates, Martin Davis and John Lassiter, who are facing off in the primary election tomorrow to find out what each man would do about transportation in the city and how he would change the current system if elected mayor.

Creative Loafing: What’s the future of Charlotte’s light rail system?

Martin Davis: If Foxx [or] Lassiter get elected, the system will be built out. CATS claims it will cost $2.1 billion. Based on local, national, and worldwide transit history the actual cost would prove to be in excess of $5 billion. When the referendum to repeal the half-cent sales tax for transit was being considered by the community, Foxx/Lassiter promised revenue from the half-cent sales tax for transit would be sufficient to fund the construction of the entire system. The South Boulevard line, originally sold to the citizenry at a price tag of $226 million, ended up costing approximately $520 million. Revenue from the tax has cratered, down 27 percent in FY2008-FY2009, and is projected by the city to fall another 17.4 percent in FY2010 to $63 million. Since many of Foxx/Lassiter’s financial backers own land along the proposed transit lines, the system will be completed, with a mama-jama sales tax increase of at least another half-cent. They will also try to do tax increment financing to complete this lunacy. If I am elected, I will do everything in my power to end this nonsense. If Council passes any rail transit scheme of any sort I will automatically veto it.

John Lassiter: Charlotte has a 25-year transportation plan that includes roads, expansion of our bus system and five mass transit corridors that have several options for both design and financing. The current Blue Line along South Boulevard is up and running and by all measures a success in both ridership and economic development along the corridor, over $2 billion in private development to date. The Northeast line from downtown to UNC Charlotte has been approved by the FTA and is in design. Both projects have a local funding source approved by the voters, a 1/2 cent sales tax. A commuter line north to Davidson along I-77 and a streetcar line from Beatties Ford Road to Eastland Mall are in policy discussion, but no funding source has been identified for construction, nor have we determined the best methods to improve travel along Independence Boulevard or from downtown to the airport. In all cases, the ultimate form of transit will require a partnership between Charlotte, the State of North Carolina and the Federal Transportation Administration.

What are the major issues with providing citywide public transit that people are willing to use?

Davis: Charlotte should only provide transportation to citizens who have none of their own.

Lassiter: Our expanded bus service has seen ridership increase more than 50 percent, especially as gas prices remain high and the cost to park a car escalates. Our Blue Line remains full during peak times and has become a mainstay for folks attending concerts, ballgames and entertainment venues. But light rail is considerably more expensive to both build and operate than buses. Our challenges will be state and federal funding in a down economy, lack of development opportunities along the corridors due to limited credit and the need to balance road construction and improvements with mass transit options.

How will future transit projects be funded?

Davis: Foxx/Lassiter will seek huge increases in our already ruinous 8.25 percent sales tax ([Which is] equal to NYC’s — Hooray!!! We’re finally world class!!!!). Of course, they aren’t about to mention this little item during election season — might cost votes you see. Another omission is the fact they would have to deal with our $12 billion road-building backlog caused by their obsession with transit the last 10 years. So we will have to have at least an additional half-cent dedicated to roads (we’re at 9.25 percent now), double the car registration tax from $30 to $60 annually, make 485, 85, 77 toll roads, and tax Charlotte drivers annually based on number of miles driven. Ain’t transit wonderful!!!!!

Lassiter: As noted above, the Northeast line to UNC Charlotte will be paid locally 1/4 through the voter-approved sales tax, 1/2 by the federal government and the balance by the state. We may find some smaller grants that could stimulate project financing but the estimated price tags of the lines: $250M for the North commuter line, $450M for the streetcar will require considerable state and federal funding to be matched by a local source that has not been identified.

Will current plans in place continue for transit development in the future? Why or why not?

Davis: If Foxx/Lassiter are elected they will do their dead-level best to build out the system for reasons previously stated. They will raise taxes as high as humanly possible, but due to national and state economic policy, our weakened local economy will not come close to funding the entire system. If I’m elected, I will try to persuade Council to abandon rail transit and build roads, funded by the sale of city assets. I know the socialists who read <I>CL<P> will hate this, but at some point the adults just have to take charge.

Lassiter: In order for Charlotte’s economy to prosper and create jobs, we will need to address all our transportation needs: roads, transit and expanded bus service. With air quality issues affecting our ability to build enough roads to accommodate the growth, we must continue to develop and expand our transit options and develop projects for housing, retail and office that reduce our dependency on the automobile and keep Charlotte a desirable place for people to start their career, raise a family and grow a business.

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Never thought it could happen, but there is a bigger ass in South Carolina than Mark Sanford.

His name is Congressman Joe Wilson. You know, the idiot who called President Barack Obama a liar during his speech last night. Here’s my question: Where was this truth fighter under eight years of former president George W. Bush?

Let’s start with the war in Iraq. If a president ever deserved to be called a liar, it was then. Yet, Wilson was silent — along with the Democrats.

Weapons of Mass Destruction were the cornerstone for invading Iraq in 2003, but there were none. Did Wilson call Bush a liar?

Now Wilson is doing the “contrite” thing after making an ass of himself and disrespecting the President of The United States.

“This evening I let my emotions get the best of me,” he said in a statement. “While I disagree with the president’s statement, my comments were inappropriate and regrettable. I extend sincere apologies to the president for this lack of civility.”

He then tried to call Obama to apologize personally, but ended up talking with White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel instead, Wilson’s office said.

Biden said today that he hadn’t spoken with Obama, but, “knowing the president, I’m sure he accepted the apology.”

Here’s another issue I have with the Democrats: Why are they taking this disrespect as if it is OK? Someone from the other side of the aisle should call Wilson out. Not in the media, not during a presidential address, but on the floor. Someone in the Donkey party needs to grow a pair and tell those Elephants that enough is enough. If you guys want to be dirty and disrespectful to the Commander in Chief, then expect the same treatment.

But Will Moredock from the Charleston City Paper says it best (and what I’m sure many people are going to deny):

What we saw last night was racism, pure and simple. Republicans did not treat Bill Clinton with such disrespect even when they impeached him.

It’s time to draw the line on this behavior and one way to do it is to call for Wilson’s censure by his House colleagues. Go to http://salsa.wiredforchange.com/o/5649/t/4997/content.jsp?content_KEY=2825&tag=pof_e1 and say it’s time to censure Joe.

I concur.

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President Barack Obama received a standing ovation from students at Wakefield High School in Arlington, Va. as he took the stage to deliver a speech to tell kids that they have to take responsibility for their education. Some people in North Carolina didn’t let their children to hear the speech, thinking that the president was going to deliver some political message. He didn’t.

Obama told the story of his mother teaching him American lessons at 4:30 a.m., a common tale now. Obama transitioned into telling kids what is expected of them this school year — nothing political, just talking about responsibility. It’s hard to see why this speech has caused such a ruckus.

Obama said unless kids take responsibility to listen and go to school, America can have the best schools, but it won’t matter. Kids, he said, have to attend school and find out what their potential is.

“No matter what you want to do with your life, you will need a good education to do it,” Obama said. “You can not drop out of school and drop into a good job.”

Obama’s speech should come from parents, especially the part when he tells children that they have no excuse to have a bad attitude at school. As I listen to this speech, I’m trying to figure out why some parents got up in arms. Is it because they’ve fallen down on their jobs and haven’t taught their kids the importance of school?

I watched Obama’s speech with a Charlotte parent on the phone.

“How dare someone tell the President of The United States that he can’t say something to the children of the United States about education? The best person that the United States has to offer can’t say something about education? What kind of sense does that make?” The parent, who asked not to be named, said.

Obama’s theme was when you give up on yourself, you give up on America. What’s so political about that? The speech was less than 20 minutes and there was nothing political or controversial in what he said. No ad libs and nothing about the toxic climate surrounding the nation’s health care debate. Maybe some parents need to go back to school.

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The Associated Press is reporting that S.C. governor Mark Sanford will be taking calls from the public today at 5 p.m. on a Columbia radio station.

WVOC 560 AM is called the voice of Columbia, but I wonder how will these calls be screened. (803-978-9862 if you want to try and talk to the gov.)

Will the people of South Carolina tell Sanford what they really think of him? That he needs to step down, that he’s the biggest embarrassment to South Carolina in a really, really long time?

How can Sanford keep his job when he was the first one to call for former President Bill Clinton to step down after his affair? Will the interviewer ask questions like that or is this going to be a soft ball interview that gives Sanford a chance to try and snow the people of South Carolina again?

I will be listening online to figure out how I can do something very bad and keep my life intact.

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Say what you want to say about South Carolina’s poor choice of governor, but come tomorrow, it’s going to be a lot cheaper to go shop at Wal-Mart in Fort Mill or Rock Hill than any of the 500 locations in Mecklenburg County or anywhere else in North Carolina.

Thanks to Gov. Bev Perdue, our poor choice of a governor, and the General Assembly, there is a new sales tax going into effect Sept. 1.

According to the Charlotte Observer, this is supposed to be a temporary fix for the state’s poor economy.

The tax hike, passed by the N.C. legislature this summer, is expected to raise $803.5 million.

It is supposed to expire in 2011. However, a 2001 sales tax increase characterized as “temporary” is still in effect.

Basically, Mecklenburg County is now overtaxed. And with all of the job loss in this area, people running out of unemployment benefits, this is something we can’t afford.

The drinkers and smokers are going to pay too. But guess who drinks and smokes more than anyone else — poor, stressed out people who are worried about their money. Lawmakers seem to forget that you can’t collect sales tax if people aren’t buying things and that’s what we should start doing around the state, stop buying things  — especially here in the great state of Mecklenburg.

It would be different if the state gave Charlotte its due. But drive down (or up) any road the state is supposed to upkeep and your car tires will tell you that the state is holding out on us. So this “temporary” sales tax is supposed to do what? Break those of us who are already broke?

Maybe it’s time skip the N.C. sales tax racket and head to South Carolina to buy groceries, clothes and other items that are just too much here and see how well this increased sales tax works for the state then.

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“Famous,” Websters defines this word as:

1 a : widely known b : honored for achievement
2 : excellent, first-rate <famous weather for a walk>

“Infamous,” Websters defines this word as:

1 : having a reputation of the worst kind : notoriously evil <an infamous traitor>
2 : causing or bringing infamy : disgraceful <an infamous crime>
3 : convicted of an offense bringing infamy

Which word would you use to describe Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech?

On the Noon news on Channel 9, Natalie Pasquarella said with a smile on her face that today was the 46th anniversary of King’s “infamous” speech.

WTF? Infamous [see the above definition] isn’t a word that should be used to describe King’s speech.

Of course, you really can’t put all the blame on the air-headed anchorwoman because she didn’t write the script. But it seems as if she should’ve had sense enough to know that King’s speech is famous not infamous.

Infamous:

Bull Connor.

Jesse Helms.

Strom Thurmond.

George Wallace.

Someone at Channel 9 needs a thesaurus and a few more brain cells.

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If you don’t think you’re going to have time to place your vote in the upcoming primary, you’re in luck. Early voting opened today in Charlotte.

If you didn’t get registered to vote by August 21 and you had plans to vote in the September 15 primary, then you have to vote early, according to the Mecklenburg County Board of Elections web site.  If you need to update or register, you can do that by voting early.

Unlike the 2008 Presidential election, voting sites aren’t all over the city. One Stop Early Voting is at the Hal Marshall Annex, located at 618 North College St. on the first floor.

In the primary, there are three Republican candidates vying for the office of mayor, John Lassiter, Martin Davis and Jack Stratton III.

Democrat Anthony Foxx doesn’t face an opponent in the primary. East Charlotte (District 5) city council representative Nancy Carter faces Darrell Bonapart in the primary.

In District One, Patsy Kinsey faces Owen Sutkowski in the primary.

District Two (battle of the nicknames) James (Smuggie) Mitchell faces Aaron (Fatso) Sanders.

Charlotte will elect a new mayor this year, as current Mayor Pat McCrory has decided not to seek another term.

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You know the old saying, the only thing sure in life is death and taxes?

Well, in South Carolina it seems the people want to bury their heads in the sand about death. Their heads are buried so damned deep that a man was kicked out of a flea market for selling hand made caskets. Caskets that are thousands of dollars cheaper than the ones funeral homes sell.

According to The Charlotte Observer, Merritt Eggleston was asked to leave Trader Marc’s, a new flea market in Fort Mill.

When the market’s owner, J.R. Pettus, noticed Eggleston was selling caskets, he pulled the plug on the booth.

“We studied a lot of flea markets before we opened this one and we didn’t see anyone selling caskets at any other flea market,” Pettus said.

Eggleston, who builds caskets in the back yard of his Rock Hill home, said he was approached by several interested people while manning his booth at the flea market.

Sure the market owners gave Eggleston his money back — actually twice what he paid for the booth rent. But the reason the owners offered for booting his was just plain stupid.

Shoppers at the market had complained, Pettus said, adding that the sight of caskets forces onlookers to think about death.

“It is a difficult subject,” he said. “We’re all going to die. We just don’t want to be promoting it at the market.”

We’re all going to die and if people who shop at this flea market can’t handle that fact, then they should lock themselves in the house, turn off all the lights and crawl into a ball.  Stop living so that you don’t have to worry about dying.

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