Check out this short video shot by James Leger. The first few seconds are just before he took shelter as the tornado approached.  The next part is him emerging from the shelter.

Here's a compilation of videos from local TV coverage in Moore, OK.

About 50 protesters assembled outside the federal building on Patton Ave. today at noon, to demonstrate against the IRS and its targeting of Tea Party and conservative groups.

I had about half an hour today and so I ran down to take some pictures and meet some folks. 

Unfortunately, a lot of my time was spent arguing with a woman named Kathy over the completely irrelevant topic of gay marriage. Despite a year of on-air and Facebook debates about this topic, she refuses to accept that I disagree with her on it.  So, instead of spending my time discussing things we might have in common, she kept trying to make me change my mind. 

Just for future reference, this is not how you win people over to your cause.

Anyway, I apologize for not being able to speak with more people.

As Mick Jagger sang, "I went down to the demonstration, to get my fair share of abuse."

Last week the Asheville Citizen-Times reported the City Schools Superintendent Allen Johnson would be retiring.

Before I get into the public policy and political impacts this story raises, let me first issue a standard disclaimer: I have never met Mr. Johnson.  I congratulate him on his retirement.  I wish him only the best as he embarks upon the next chapter of his life.

However, the decision by the Asheville Board of Education to pay Johnson $175,000 for walking out the door is not only bad policy, its an abuse of the public trust and should outrage folks who want better prioritization in education spending, as well as  those who want more education spending.

From the Citizen-Times report:

City schools will pay $175,000 to buy out Johnson’s remaining contract, which expires June 30, 2016.

Board of Education Chairwoman Jacquelyn Hallum said Johnson’s decision to retire was voluntary and the buyout was “part of the negotiation process.”

Hallum took over as board chairwoman earlier this year, and two new members, Matt Buys and Leah Ferguson, joined the board.

The announcement came during a Thursday morning board meeting.

“It caught us by surprise,” said Charlie Glazener, school system spokesman.

As I outlined Friday on the radio show, this smacks of a force-out. 

First, there was absolutely no obligation for the school district to pay out such a large sum for an employee who was leaving voluntarily.  Second, there should never have been a "negotiation process" when the employee voluntarily announces a retirement.  Finally, the fact that the retirement caught the district spokesman by surprise indicates this was not planned - nor voluntary.

If the Asheville School Board wants to move in a new direction with a new superintendent, that's fine. But let's hear that discussion about what that new direction is, why Johnson is not the man to guide the district there, and how a new schools chief would be better suited for the job.

Otherwise, this is all just a lie.

For the children?

Just a day before this shake-up was reported, a bunch of statist education "activists" came to downtown Asheville to decry the Republican legislature.  Basically, the message was "The GOP is ruining everything and we should spend more money on schools - but only if the government runs them all." 

Within 24 hours, the City School Board approved the $175,000 unneccessary buyout of Supt. Johnson's contract.  This is precisely why people find it hard to believe schools would spend more money wisely, and why limited government proponents believe government-controlled K-12 education needs competition in the marketplace.

The retirement present given to Johnson could've hired a teacher for about 5 years. Instead, taxpayers will be paying him for doing, quite literally, nothing. 

Either the Asheville School Board paid off an employee for absolutely no purpose, or the Board and Johnson are lying about the real reason he's leaving.  Neither option engenders confidence in the school system leadership, nor the Asheville City Council that oversees this operation.