Well, wow. And good for them. Even if the NAACP doesn't go forward with this vote, they're making a statement by even considering it.

The NAACP, meeting for its 101st national convention this week in Kansas City, Mo., will propose a resolution condemning “racism” within the Tea Party movement.

A vote could come as early as Tuesday.

The resolution calls upon “all people of good will to repudiate the racism of the Tea Parties, and to stand in opposition to its drive to push our country back to the pre-civil rights era.”

Tea Party officials have denied allegations of racism.

According to the resolution:

Tea party supporters have engaged in “explicitly racist behavior” and “displayed signs and posters intended to degrade people of color generally and President Barack Obama specifically.”

Read the rest of this Qcitymetro.com article here.

What do you think? Is racism a problem in the Tea Party movement?

Here are a few of the signs from Tea Party rallies that are causing concern, and they're not only filled with racism toward African-Americans. See for yourself:

Here's a special comment from MSNBC's Keith Olbermann:

I'm excited about this news because trains rock. They are a great alternative I choose whenever possible. That was an easier choice when we were in Europe a couple months ago. Those cities are designed with trains and mind, and have been for a century or more. Here, though, we're train averse for some reason. I guess it's because we Americans love our cars.

Hopefully that love affair will finally simmer once Amtrak gets an upgrade.

North Carolina has received $20.3 million in federal funds as a first step in a plan to establish a high-speed rail link between Charlotte and Raleigh.

The N.C. Department of Transportation will use the allocation to refurbish passenger coaches and locomotives. The money from the Federal Railroad Administration represents the first installment on $545 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding granted earlier this year for N.C. passenger-rail system improvements.

Read the rest of this Charlotte Business Journal article, by Chris Baysden, here.

Here's Amtrak's Carolinian, which stops in both Raleigh and Charlotte:

The Wall Street Journal has an online article that's quite timely for Charlotte, since every time it storms parts of the city flood. While I've been harping on this issue for a while, I thought you'd like to read what another writer has to say about the issue. Here's a snippet:

Cities are coming up with new ways to deal with an old problem: storm-water runoff.

In the past, the solution was pretty straightforward. Cities would build and maintain drainage systems that could quickly collect storm water and transport it away from developed areas and into nearby rivers, lakes and streams. But with urban runoff increasingly being blamed for dirtying the nation's waters, the search is on for solutions that involve filtering or soaking up rainwater where it falls.

Thomas Ballestero, a civil-engineering professor at the University of New Hampshire, is the lead scientist at UNH Stormwater Center, which is exploring new methods for dealing with urban runoff. He says many developers and regulators aren't familiar with new technologies aimed at soaking up rainwater.

"People may not be up to speed," Mr. Ballestero says. "There is folklore that [these technologies] are either too expensive or they are impossible challenges."

Among the innovations his group is investigating is permeable pavement, which is made from material that allows water to flow through it and into the ground below.

And, as a refresher ... I know you know this already:

Runoff occurs when land is covered with buildings, streets and parking lots. Rainwater runs off these hard surfaces, picking up chemicals, sediment and other pollutants and sending them into local waterways. The rush of water from drainage pipes can cause erosion, and warmer runoff in the summer can change water temperature, hurting fish, plants and animals.

Read the entire article, by Willa Plank, here.

Some of the solutions are uber easy. I know, my husband and I are investigating solutions for our yard right now because we have a horrible storm water problem in our neighborhood and in our yard. Granted, it's not as bad as in other areas of the city.

Even though I'm on my 'hood's relatively powerless board of directors, I've decided I can't wait for the board's approval to take action when it comes to storm water ... not when the water gets so close to my back door.

I figure you don't want to wait on red tape to clear, either. So here are a few tips to ease the storm water issues in your area. And, by the way, even if your yard or neighborhood isn't flooding, you've got to consider the cumulative effects of everyone's storm water run off hitting the same creeks, streams, lakes and rivers. It's rough on nature's infrastructure, and things are wearing down. Why not give some of these options a try?

Tips to ease storm water run off at your house:

The first thing you should do is pay attention. The next time we have a big storm, take pictures of the water in your yard and where it's coming from. This will you help you decide what kind of effort to make to curb storm water run off on your property.

Is storm water puddling on your roof or around the base of your house? Check your gutters. Make sure they're debris-free. Also make sure you know where the downspouts are and how they're draining. You can buy bags of small gravel at garden centers to pour around the end of the down spout. This will help prevent erosion around the base of your house and will help you direct the flow of water.

• Thanks to Ooooby for the photo!

Speaking of water flow, how about planting a rain garden? Plants are well-known water lovers. The more trees, shrubs and other plants you have on your property, the more likely they'll suck up storm water before it runs into the drain. Bonus: Some plants also suck up pollutants. The first quarter-inch of rainfall is the most polluted, that's usually where you'll find the bulk of the fertilizers, oil and other crud that's on the surface of our world.

Rain gardens are simply areas where you install plants that really love water. You want it to be a little lower than the rest of your property, since water and gravity are such good buds. You can direct rainwater from your downspouts, and even the overflow from your rain barrels, into the gardens. They'll love you for it.

Speaking of rain barrels, get one. The county sells them here. I've also seen them at other stores, in different sizes and prices. They are not cheap, but they are effective and, especially if you've got plants to water, they can save you money over time. While a 96-gallon barrel sounds big, one rain storm can fill it. On the bright side, that's 96 gallons that didn't rush into the river.

Remember: one inch of rain on one square foot of roof area produces 0.52 gallons of water. Multiply that number by the size of your roof to help you determine what size of a rain barrel to purchase, and how many you should purchase. (If you figure out you need more than one, don't feel like you have to buy them all at once. One will make a difference.)

If you're feeling ambitious, and we are, look into cisterns. I've heard tale of folks repurposing old appliances, like washing machines, into cisterns. Essentially, you bury them in your yard, direct the rain water into them, install a pump and ... magic... you have rain water you can later use to water the plants in your yard. It can be difficult to determine what size cistern your yard needs, but plan big to be on the safe side.

Any of these suggestions will help you be part of the storm water solution — and boy does Charlotte need one. The real bonus, though, is that if the area dips into a drought again your yard won't notice since you'll be watering every thing in it from the rain you collected. Bravo!

Here's more about harvesting rain for your garden:

All kinds of people don't pay their taxes.

This year, Bob Hupman has plenty of company.

The former Mebane town councilman owes the state of North Carolina $2.2 million in unpaid taxes. He tops a list of tax delinquents who owe the state $841 million - a 67 percent jump from a year ago.

The delinquencies exceed the $800 million shortfall N.C. lawmakers faced in passing the state's new $18.9 billion budget last month.

"I didn't realize it was that high," says Rep. Paul Luebke, a Durham Democrat who chairs the House Finance Committee. "It's definitely money that we could use."

Read the rest of this Charlotte Observer article, by Jim Morrill, here.

When people — especially en masse — don't pay their taxes, we all suffer.

What do our taxes pay for? Glad you asked, because I suspect most people don't really know.

Unfortunately, I can't answer that question for you. There's a whole lot of noise about the long, long, long list of taxes we have to pay, but figuring out how your tax dollar breaks down for different services (like education) or accommodations (like roads) or pay checks (like for our leaders) is difficult to figure out.

This is a big fail for local, state and federal governments. If they want more buy in, they should do a better job explaining why we need to pay our taxes.

Now, we all know taxes are necessary if you want infrastructure and a healthy, educated population. And, the people on the North Carolina Department of Revenue's 45- page delinquency"most wanted" list know our state is suffering financially as well as anyone else, especially the politicians on the list.

I am in no way excusing their behavior. At the same time, I think our government needs to do a better job explaining why taxes are a necessary part of American citizenship.

Even Disney used to try to explain ...

The Charlotte Business Journal reports that Charlotte's leaders immediately mobilized after receiving word that the Democratic National Convention might build their 2012 stage in the Queen City:

Less than 24 hours after Charlotte became one of four finalists to host the 2012 Democratic National Convention, a group of political, business and civic leaders gathered in Mayor Anthony Foxx’s office at the Government Center.

The hourlong meeting started the next phase of the recruiting battle, with organizers pondering everything from meeting schedules and subcommittees to rallying the community and making sure venues such as the uptown arena and convention center exceed expectations. Site-selection experts from the Democratic National Committee are expected to make at least one visit in the coming weeks and, beyond that, the jockeying for supremacy with national party leaders is sure to be intense.

Already local organizers have had to secure commitments for nearly half the city’s hotel rooms — a guarantee of 15,000 rooms per night in and around the convention dates in September 2012 — to land a spot in the final four. Party insiders say one to two cities will likely be eliminated later this summer, setting the stage for a head-to-head battle that will run through the end of 2010.

Read the rest of this article, by Erik Spanberg, here.

Let's look at what the DNC meant for Denver in 2008 ... Overall, it sounds like a fun time. Bring it on DNC. We can handle the chaos and the publicity with characteristic Southern grace. We promise to learn from the mistakes of our predecessors, order our police officers new riot gear and spiff up the place real pretty like. In exchange, we'll gladly take your money — we could use it.

A spotlight was cast on the city, and goofy introductory videos were produced:

Large crowds, and their wallets, came to stay a while:

Rage Against the Machine came to visit, too:

So did Veterans Against the War:

Journalists were arrested:

Protesters were harassed by the police: