Bill James has sown the seeds of his bigotry into our state’s legislative soil, and the unseasonably warm weather has brought forth the fruits of his narrow-minded labor. The current apple of his eye is HB 28, which was filed earlier this month by four Republican representatives and would require that the Department of Health and Human Services in North Carolina, as well as all its divisions, provide personal information to law enforcement of individuals who receive services in order to conduct research and locate fugitives. The bill has passed the first reading and has been referred to the Committee on Judiciary Subcommittee B, where it is currently awaiting review.

Local Spanish-language newspaper Mi Gente noted the similarities between HB 28 and a bill James proposed last year, and was privy to an interesting e-mail from James to the board of commissioners;

En 2010, los comisionados demócratas derogaron una propuesta de James que pretendía que el Departamento de Servicios Sociales (DSS) del Condado de Mecklenburg entregara a Inmigración los datos de los padres “sin papeles” que solicitaban servicios para sus hijos nacidos en este país.

En un reciente correo electrónico enviado por James a sus colegas de la Junta de Comisionados al que tuvo acceso “Mi Gente”, el comisionado afirma que “persuadió a sus copartidarios en la Legislatura para adoptar una ley similar, aún si es prohibida por las regulaciones federales”.

“Estaba en mi lista de sugerencias para ellos”, indicó James en el correo.

No obstante, en comunicación con “Mi Gente” el comisionado no admitió que la propuesta fuera idea suya.

“Una buena idea tiene muchos padres y una mala es una huérfana. Estoy a favor de la HB28 y me di cuenta que fue introducida. Que esté a favor no significa que sea mía”, enfatizó.

“Teniendo en cuenta el dinero que damos a los ‘niños ancla’ en Estados Unidos – identificar a sus padres y dar a la policía sus direcciones, cuentas bancarias y números de teléfonos celulares-, parece una buena idea y una manera de forzar a los ilegales a regresar a casa”, anotó James.

[Translation: In 2010, Democratic commissioners rescinded James’ proposal that the Department of Social Services (DSS) in Mecklenburg County turn in information to Immigration regarding undocumented parents seeking services for their U.S. born children. In a recent e-mail sent by James to the  Board of Commissioners, which Mi Gente had access to,  the commissioner said that he persuaded his fellow partisans in the legislature to adopt a similar law, even if it is prohibited by federal regulations.

"It was on my list of suggestions for them,” said James in the mail.

However, in communication with Mi Gente the commissioner did not admit that the proposal was his idea.

"A good idea has many parents and a bad one is an orphan. I am in favor of HB 28 and I realize that it was introduced. Just because I’m in favor doesn’t mean it’s my idea "he said. "Given the money we give to 'anchor babies’  in the U.S. — identifying their parents and giving the police their addresses, bank accounts and cell phone numbers,  seems like a good idea and a way of forcing illegals to return home," noted James.]

The Hispanic community has been noted to distrust authorities who, under programs such as 287(g) can question their legal status even when they’ve committed no crime — just ask the Florida woman who is facing deportation after helping her sister report domestic violence. If HB 28 passes, it's the “anchor babies” who will bear the brunt.

• Last March, a group of homeschoolers held their civic's lesson at a Charlotte-Mecklenburg Library board meeting.

All right, people. It's time to get real about how we fund and manage a lot of important services in our area, many of which have already endured severe budgetary cuts. But, don't feel helpless. Your input is important.

One place you can start is with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Library's online survey. Library officials say it will only take you five minutes, but I completed it last night and it only took about two. You can spare two minutes to help our policy makers figure out how to allocate money and staff for one of our area's most precious resources, right?

Take the survey here.

While you're at it, check out what the Future of the Library Task Force is up to here.

Rhiannon Fionn-Bowman is an independent journalist who contributes commentary on Creative Loafing's CLog blog four days a week in addition to writing for several other local media organizations. To learn more, click the links or follow Rhi on Twitter.

• Yeah, yeah. It's all about the Benjamins. Thanks to jypsygen for the photo.

What the fuck is wrong with people? An Amish guy is being accused of running a Ponzi scheme? What?! Does greed know no boundaries? (Don't answer that; I don't want to know.)

From The Washington Post:

The personal assets of Monroe L. Beachy, a 77-year-old Amish man, included a horse, buggy and harness. According to the Securities and Exchange Commission, his skills included financial fraud.

Beachy spent a quarter-century raising $33 million from more than 2,600 investors, the overwhelming majority of them fellow members of the Amish community, which often shuns modern conveniences such as automobiles.

But Beachy's investment approach allegedly had more in common with the timeless methods of Charles Ponzi and Bernard Madoff than with the sheltered village of Sugarcreek, Ohio, where he lived. When the SEC charged him with fraud on Tuesday, it said he had lost nearly half of his investors' money.

Read the rest of this article, by David S. Hilzenrath, here.

And, then there's the guy in Monroe ...

Federal officials have filed a civil anti-fraud lawsuit against a Monroe-based investment firm for allegedly operating a foreign currency Ponzi scheme that attracted $669,000 from more than 22 individuals since June 2008.

The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission also filed suit against the principals of PMC Strategy LLC: Michael Hudspeth of Statesville and Timothy Bailey of Monroe. The defendants are also accused of allegedly misappropriating $129,000 of customer funds for their personal use.

None of the principals have ever been registered with the CFTC, according to a complaint filed last week in U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina. On the day the complaint was filed, Judge Graham Mullen entered an order freezing the defendants' assets and prohibiting the destruction of books and records.

Read the rest of this Charlotte Observer article, by Rick Rothacker, here.

Rhiannon Fionn-Bowman is an independent journalist who contributes commentary on Creative Loafing's CLog blog four days a week in addition to writing for several other local media organizations. To learn more, click the links or follow Rhi on Twitter.

• These aren't very fashionable, but thanks to Isaac Shepherd for the photo.

Anyone surprised that Congress doesn't have a clue? As Mark Twain once said, "Suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were a member of Congress. But I repeat myself."

Here's more from Grist.com's David Roberts on lack of understanding between Congress and the American population where environmental regulation is concerned:

As everyone knows by now, Republicans have launched a massive, coordinated assault on EPA, attempting to block its greenhouse gas regulations, its air and water regulations, and in some cases its very existence. In the surreal hothouse atmosphere of the Beltway, where anti-government radicals are ascendant and everybody's watching the same three cable news channels, this can seem reasonable -- even inevitable.

But if we can collectively pull our heads out of the Beltway's ass and take in a wider view of the country, it quickly becomes clear that the Republican attack on EPA is radically unpopular with voters across parties and demographics.

The latest evidence comes from a nationwide survey done by the American Lung Association in partnership with polling firm Greenberg Quinlan Rosner. Even for those of us who understand the public's fondness for clean air, the results are striking.

The top line is this: The public overwhelmingly supports EPA in updating Clean Air Act standards and overwhelmingly opposes congressional efforts to block EPA. When it comes to clean air, the public trusts EPA far more than Congress.

Read the rest of this post, and see all the pretty graphs explaining the survey's results, here.

You know, David's right, Congress could avoid situations like this if they'd take their heads out of their asses — and their financial backer's asses — spent time in their districts and actually talked to the people (and not just the people with fat wallets).

Further reading:

• What is coal's true cost? — Grist.org
• Knowing what you spend on energy can cut usage by more than half — Grist.org
• Extreme weather, warming link is strong, studies say — MSNBC.com

Rhiannon Fionn-Bowman is an independent journalist who contributes commentary on Creative Loafing's CLog blog four days a week in addition to writing for several other local media organizations. To learn more, click the links or follow Rhi on Twitter.

In justice-is-slow news ...

Prosecutors may soon bring criminal charges against former presidential candidate John Edwards, who is being investigated about possible misuse of campaign donations to cover up his affair and love child with Rielle Hunter.

Edwards could be indicted by a federal grand jury in days or weeks, NBC News reported today, citing anonymous sources close to the investigation. The Justice Department is still reviewing the case, sources told the network, but could allow prosecutors to bring charges against Edwards. WRAL-TV said prosecutors will say whether they have decided to indict Edwards in late February or early March but did not cite a source. The Justice Department did not immediately return a call for comment today by AOL News.

The case hinges on the testimony of two key witnesses, Rachel "Bunny" Mellon, a donor, and Andrew Young, who served as an aide to Edwards during his 2008 campaign and initially said he fathered Hunter's daughter.

Read the rest of this AOL News post, by Mara Gay, here.