Our local political leaders and businesses hide corruption and other crimes.
Greensboro's system of corruption depends on impunity. Impunity means that the rich and powerful, like Roy Carroll, Marty Kotis, Mike Barber and Mayor Vaughan escape from punishment even when their malfeasance is in full view.
The rich and powerful get away with their heists in broad daylight. When someone like me calls out the corruption, the News and Record and Roy's Rhino Times double down with their mockery over such a foolish “dreamer.” The News and Record recently ignored the corruption of Marty Kotis buying City of Greensboro property for pennies on the dollar in exchange for political contributions to most of City Council, and now he wants some of Guilford County's property which I showed him for an aquaponics start up. People like Brian Clarey at Triad City Beat thinks it's all OK because everybody does it.
Our major non-profits, the ones that should know better, are often gross enablers of impunity and are in on the fleecing of local taxpayers. Yes that's you Jim Melvin of the Bryan Foundation. Yes that's you Mike Barber of First Tee of the Triad. Now Nancy Vaughan is in on the non profit game while acting as Mayor of Greensboro fighting HB2 while taking money from Roy Carroll who's Rhino Times is defending McCrory and Phil Berger.
The recourse to cheating within our local governments seems to be deeply ingrained, part of the corporate culture, and enabled by the prevailing impunity. Impunity is not an accidental or incidental defect of our community. It is a system foisted on us by our rich and powerful, and it continues to work its magic. It has enabled North Carolina's Republican legislators to destroy our state's economy and get re-elected in gerrymandered districts, just like the Democrats like Don Vaughan did before Berger and friends took over.
The Vaughans long ago perfected the art of impunity, becoming rich and powerful by blurring the lines between their campaign fund-raising, public policies in office, and give aways to their financial backers.
Tonight is the big DGI give away to Zack Matheny from City Council. Zack cheated on the proposal. That's OK with Council, as Matheny is one of the main lobbyists for Council's biggest donors already mentioned. Public corruption in broad daylight will be on display this evening for those tuning in. Zack Matheny was one of Greensboro's crookedest council members, and now his former colleagues are going to continue to pay him off and keep him in place for Marty, Roy and Melvin.
Impunity rules our town with the help of the News and Record, the Triad Business Journal and the Rhino Times because they don't do shit about it, just like the fine folks up the ladder at the national level.
