The New World of Blogging

This marks my very first attempt at blogging and for someone of my generation it reflects a grudging acknowledgment of the new world of internet communications. While the technology of how this all works is beyond my grasp, somewhat akin to the magical world of Harry Potter, it is exciting to think that I can communicate with the world about ideas, proposals and simply random musings without a multi million dollar campaign budget. Now that supposes that someone is actually reading this - hello are you out there? - and that I hope will be a reflection of my willingness to try and write about substantive matters pertaining to our state and the many challenges we face in the coming years.

To begin with this blog will not be set up for comments to be posted. That's a reflection of the need to monitor the comments which imposes a certain time requirement on an already stretched thin campaign staff. What we do encourage are emails to our blog@orr2008.com address with your thoughts, suggestions (constructive I hope) and observations. I want this campaign for Governor - and this blogging component of it - to be a positive experience for all concerned. I'm not interested in trying to stir up controversy simply for the sake of controversy and I will hopefully write...I mean blog...in such a way as to be respectful of different views and positions. After the Don Imus controversy Gwyn Ifill - did I spell that correctly? - talked in an interview on NBC about "the politics of meanness." I'm not into that and I intend and hope for the kind of constructive debate about issues that the public deserves...and my mother would have expected.

The next posting will discuss the recent BusinessWeek article on the Google incentives deal in North Carolina...and believe me, I've got strong opinions on that one.