On Monday, October 27 Harry Taylor held a press conference in Thompson Park in Charlotte with Humpy Wheeler, former president of Lowes Motor Speedway.  Humpy Wheeler enthusiastically endorsed Harry Taylor for Congress.

Introducing Humpy Wheeler was race car driver and environmentalist Leilani Münter who also endorsed Harry Taylor.

After announcing his endorsement, Humpy Wheeler requested that Harry Taylor play his banjo for those who attended the press conference. Here is an exerpt from the impromptu concert.

In a publicity stunt, Sue Myrick claims that the answer to high gas prices is to drill off the coast of North Carolina. What Myrick won’t say is that her proposal will not reduce the price of gas one single penny.

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Harry Taylor Wins Primary Election

From the Charlotte Observer: U.S. Rep. Sue Myrick glided to victory Tuesday and in November will likely face a man best known for telling President Bush he ought to be ashamed of himself in a confrontation that drew national media attention. Read the full article.

Charlotte Observer Endorses Harry Taylor For Congress

We recommend Harry Taylor . . . We think Harry Taylor has a better chance of mounting an effective challenge to a Republican incumbent in District 9, which has the most Republicans of any of the state’s 13 congressional districts and has been represented by Republicans since 1963.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/sickaroundtheworld/

Politicians have been talking about solving our health care crisis for decades, yet 47 million Americans are uninsured, tens of millions more are underinsured and 700,000 annually file for bankruptcy because they can’t pay their medical bills. The answers don’t have to be “socialized” medicine as the Republicans cry out each year to block any hope for progress.

To see how five capitalist democracies have guaranteed coverage for all of their citizens, and no one in their country goes bankrupt because of catastrophic medical expenses, view this excellent PBS Frontline documentary. We can fix our health care system…we simply need representatives in Washington who are committed to universal healthcare, and willing to work together to achieve this goal, once and for all!

Democrat Darcy Burner along with other Democratic Congressional Candidates released “A Responsible Plan For Ending The War In Iraq.” It is a plan to end the war in a responsible manner and prevent the kind of mistakes that led us into Iraq from occurring in the future. The candidates worked with experts such as Major General Paul Eaton, Lawrence Korb, Assistant Secretary of Defense in the Reagan administration, and the Iraq Study Group’s findings to create a comprehensive plan for ending the Iraq War.

Read and endorse the plan at ResponsiblePlan, and help us bring this war to an end.

The Washington Post profiled the Plan in this article and on their blog

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Our Votes Will Make the Difference

Last week, Representative Sue Myrick failed to vote for the important energy tax incentives,* preferring to continue giving billions of dollars in tax handouts to oil and gas companies.

Although the House passed the Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation Tax Act by a vote of 236-182 over Myrick’s opposition, President Bush is already threatening to veto it.

With record-breaking profits, polluting oil companies no longer need tax payers to subsidize their businesses at the expense of clean energy alternatives.

We need to end the days of government “by the oil companies, for the oil companies.” Instead we need leaders who will stand up for renewable energy solutions that create new green collar jobs for America while we fight global warming.

* H.R. 5351, the Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation Tax Act of 2008, passed in the House with a vote of 236-182.

May 6, 2008: Harry Taylor wins Democratic Primary.

April 21, 2008: Harry Taylor wins Labor Council Endorsement, State NOW endorsement, and Progressive Democrats of America, a national organization.

Harry Taylor signs: “A Responsible Plan For Ending The War In Iraq.”

April 5, 2008: Harry Taylor wins three new endorsements.

Gaston County company gets $15M from feds, but WCNC finds hundreds still un-hired

The following article by Jeff Sonier appeared on WCNC on Thursday, February 7, 2008

RANLO, N.C. — The military promises the company millions in defense contracts.

The company gets help from a key member of Congress, who receives thousands in campaign donations from company execs.

But now, after five years and $15 million of your tax dollars, what about the company’s promise to hire hundreds of new workers in Gaston County?

That’s the situation the WCNC Investigators found at Defense Technologies Incorporated — a Ranlo defense contractor headed locally by John Torbett, who’s also a Gaston County commissioner.

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Thank you for joining me here. I hope you’ve come because you seek an opportunity to change our country.

In April of 2006, at a town hall meeting in Charlotte, NC, I challenged President Bush to be ashamed of himself for his constant talk about freedom, democracy and public responsibility, when his actions demonstrated that he had no intention of standing up for those ideals.

This was a political awakening for me: I saw the effect that one citizen can have by participating in our democracy.

As well, I saw the effect the citizenry can have by failing to participate: The war in Iraq, the ailing economy, the wiretaps and the torture, the disinterest in climate change . . . are all the fundamental effect of our long absence from the political process.

That’s why I’m running for Congress. To do my part to bring our country closer to its brilliant promise…to truly be a country “of the people, by the people, for the people.”

Join us.