Gauger on Hartzman.

Thanks to Michele for pointing to the N&R's relief page.

Never thought I'd be glad to see the GPV again.

Comments

[Roch]

You know what comes through most clearly in that piece? Gauger's professional insecurity in his insistence in referring to Taibbi as a "New York blogger."

[Dave Ribar]

If Jeff's goal was to make himself and George look bad...mission accomplished.

Didn't there used to be a concept called editorial discretion?

[Roch]

Dave, you're just a blogger. What do you know?

[Hartzman]

I was surprised, considering the amount of information we covered and the time spent.

Didn't go into the anonymity issue.

Didn't say anything about Robert Steel.

Didn't report I have been teaching financial ethics for 10 years.

[Hartzman]

I also pointed him to Ed's thread on the story, which explained a lot of the detail left out of Taibbi's piece.

"A salesman by nature"

"peddling his story"

"he’s fun to be around, like many people who are good at sales."

We talked about how this "salesman" persona isn't exactly accurate, and then he used it in the piece.

"Hartzman tilts at lots of big ideas, often with more belief than evidence."

I challenge Mr. Gauger or anyone else to cite one example of an accusation without evidence provided.

"Occasionally he’s right. More often, he’s not provably so."

We talked the Guilford County Revaluations and the unanswered questions from Ben Chavis and that the expert I had to go through the numbers was never interviewed by N&R staff.

Talked about the Mecklenburg reval audit and modifiers etc...
.
.
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"Those who do not accept the fundamental principles of state propaganda
are simply excluded from the debate
(or if noticed, dismissed as "emotional," "irresponsible," etc…)"

Noam Chomsky
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.
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I don't understand why Gauger chose to...

[Worst person on the internet]

I don't think Gauger meant any insult. I thought being defined as a blogger was a compliment. For example, I remember Tony Wilkins used to really be somebody, till he quit being a blogger.

[Hartzman]

Talked about how Robbie was having an affair while running for mayor which the N&R didn't report.

Talked about Robbie selling Gunter's Crossing to Chester Brown 3 days after Chester asked for and received tax breaks for the property without disclosing Robbie's direct financial interests.

[Hartzman]

Also talked about sitting down with City of Greensboro staff with Amanda Lehmert a couple of years ago and finding about another $200,000,000 of short term savings the city has on their books, that they don't exactly transparently show on their books in the CAFR.

[Hugh]

George, those last two would require investigative journalism which the N&R isn't capable of doing.

[Hartzman]

Went back and forth with Gauger today a few times,
for what it's worth,
I can feel for the siht rained down on him today.

For all the whatever, I hope he does well in Greensboro.

He's honest.

I think he did what was his best interests,
with my story.

Kieth Brown at triadwatch.blogspot.com, who I worked with on Greensboro and Guilford County Ethics issues has been agitating on what appears to be unnecessary/profitable to newspapers taxpayer subsidies on public notices published by the the N&R among others.

This would not make me much of an advocate of our local paper, especially considering the conflicts I've pointed out about Robin Saul.

Barter for tickets etc...

I doubt I'll get any love from Mr. Hammer as well.

[Hartzman]

Also talked about the AMEX land deal Roy Carroll sold to AMEX before AMEX and Roy's Birch Creek received Water/Sewer outside the city limits with the Water/Sewer Trust Fund money from the City and County.

AMEX had just laid off 1,600 workers in Greensboro. It appears that AMEX didn't ask for incentives, but received millions of taxpayer funded infrastructure outside Greensboro's city limits, and by ordinance, Roy's Birch Creek received the same in the deal.

[Doug Clark]

George: "I challenge Mr. Gauger or anyone else to cite one example of an accusation without evidence provided."

On Jan. 4, George wrote in a comment in response to a Counterpoint about the PAC on the N&R website: "If Matt Brown runs the venue, will Robin Saul, Allen Johnson and Doug Clark continue to receive free season tickets via the advertisement barter agreement?"

George had no evidence to support that statement because it isn't true. I have never received any free tickets for events at the coliseum. I pay for my tickets like anyone else. If that false accusation, which implied some kind of quid pro quo, is indicative of the care with which George levels accusations, then everything he says should be received with caution.

[Roch]

And don't forget his fact-free opinion that I was an extortionist (of course, Mark Binker and Margaret Moffit Banks contributed to that so...)

[Hartzman]

Doug, there is a barter agreement with the N&R and the Coliseum for advertisments in return for tickets.

Who gets the tickets?

I asked who got the tickets at your post.

So who gets the tickets Doug?

TBS, in this case I concur with Doug Clark's assessment. I did not know who got the tickets. I recall John Robinson saying the news side of the N&R did not receive any free tickets. I assumed the editorial side which includes Robin Saul did.

So who get's the tickets?
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"A few days after the article ran, I got a call from an attorney who said she represented Yow and wanted to know if I would sell the domain.

My response was, I'd think about it if they wanted to make an offer -- after all, domain names have value and I am a free market capitalist.

After talking it over with my wisest counsel,
I came to a price in mind, but an offer never came and I never pursued it."

There you have it Roch.

[Roch]

Hey, man, it's your reputation, in case you haven't noticed.

[Doug Clark]

George, I'm not playing your game of inquisition. You made a false accusation that impugned my integrity, and this is your response? Pretty shabby.

[Ed Cone]

Hartzman yesterday: "I challenge Mr. Gauger or anyone else to cite one example of an accusation without evidence provided."

I read that and wondered what definition of "evidence" George was using.

Hartzman today: "I assumed..."

Now we know.

[David Hoggard]

I would cite other wild-ass accusations of his, some involving me, but everyone except the accuser already recognizes them as wild-ass accusations... So what would be the point?

Doug... The way he operates, your outrage is proof that you are hiding something. And you are wise to avoid interaction with the Hartzman tar baby.

[Hartzman]

Occam's Razor.

N&R has barter agreement that includes free tickets.

News side denies.

That left Robin Saul, Allen Johnson and Doug.

So who gets the tickets?

We have been asking for 3 years.

So if Matt Brown runs GPAC, who at the N&R benefits after the N&R championed the cause for so long without disclosing the conflict?

Doug works for the N&R.

The N&R gets free tickets from Matt Brown.

Matt Brown works for taxpayers.

Therefore taxpayers give free tickets to the N&R which Doug works for.

Therefore Doug's company gets free tickets from taxpayers.

[Ed Cone]

Hartzman said he always has evidence. Now he says he uses logical deduction.

He said, "Doug Clark continue(s) to receive free season tickets..."

Now he says, "Doug's company gets free tickets."

"Doug" and "Doug's company" are not the same thing.

I'm rooting for you, George, but you don't always make it easy.

[Hartzman]

"you don't always make it easy"

Agreed.

[Peggy Hickle]

Wait -- what? Receiving free tickets from the Coliseum is an indicator of -- seriously -- what?

If the N&R has been a sponsor of an event at the Coliseum, then of course they've received tickets -- just like any other sponsor would.

If there's something inherently nefarious in the gift of tickets, then you had better suss out what I've been up to, George, because I have received free tickets from the Coliseum on more than one occasion.

[Andrew Brod]

Peggy, if you think coming clean about that ticket graft will persuade Hartzman that you're not part of the conspiracy, then you've got another thing coming.

[Mick]

S.O.P.

[Peggy Hickle]

Ah, Andrew, I'm hoping to discover HOW I'm part of the conspiracy. I think it will give new direction to my life. Embracing the dark side and all that. People spend years trying to figure out who they are in the world. I've decided to just let George tell me.

[Andrew Brod]

Wait, I want to play this game too. I can name that conflict of interest in three steps! Ready, go.

1. Taxpayers support the Coliseum.
2. The Coliseum gives free tickets to the N&R.
3. I subscribe to the N&R's e-Edition.

Therefore, taxpayers are subsidizing my subscription.

Ding ding ding! What do I win? Moral condemnation from George Hartzman!

[Peggy Hickle]

Ooooo, that's good Andrew. The plot thickens. I always figured you were screwing the taxpayers over somehow.

It's going to be a lot trickier than that to figure out how I'm in collusion, though. George is the man for that. I BELIEVE!!

[Hartzman]

The conflict involves the N&R cheering for the GPAC, while on the back end getting freebees from taxpayers via those who run the Coliseum, who intends to run the GPAC.

It's a conflict we have been talking about for years, which no one at the N&R seems to be able to account for.

Bartering With The Greensboro Coliseum Part #2 Greensboro News and Record

http://triadwatch.blogspot.com/2010/08/bartering-with-greensboro-coliseum-part_11.html

[Roch]

Do you see, George, what you engender when you fart around with loose allegations? There's a grain of truth to your concerns, but they are met with ridicule for the boy who cried wolf.

[Dave Ribar]

A sad reminder that unfounded conspiracies can have consequences.

[Peggy Hickle]

Well -- I know I'd be holding out my favors for a heck of a lot more than free tickets, and my guess is, given that the N&R could easily be a very high-priced call girl in this metaphor, that they would, too. If they were into that and all. I mean, I guess they could give the tickets to advertising clients as bait, but I'm thinkin' those folks could get their own free tickets from the Coliseum.

Just doesn't seem to add up to a big enough payout for them to whore themselves out for to me. And maybe, just maybe, the N&R simply thinks -- like many others -- that the GPAC is a good idea.

[Hartzman]

I am trying my best.

It's been a pretty emotional couple of months.

[Roch]

We are talking about things prior.

[David Hoggard]

"....maybe, just maybe, the N&R simply thinks -- like many others -- that the GPAC is a good idea."

THAT is applying Occam's Razor correctly.

[Hartzman]

Today from 1:40pm to 2:40pm,
I will be telling a story about what happened
to what looks to be some who lost as well as gained
at Christ Untited Methodist Church at 410 N. Holden Rd.
for Greensboro's Shepherd Center's Adventures in Learning.

I have been teaching at Shepherd for about 6 years,
and many of those who will be in attendance today
have been to my classes over the years.

You are welcome to attend.

[Hartzman]

I have posted the Rolling Stone articles
at hartzman.blogspot.com with links to relevant info
for anyone to reference.

The first three posts cover most of what happened.

The third is on Envision,
which has not yet been reported on.

Some of those who I did plans for to get a "retention bonus"
appear to be on the class roster.