North Carolina Now; North Carolina Now Episode from 10/08/1996

It's Tuesday October 8th. Tonight clowning around in North Carolina now. Hello I'm reading this right. Thanks for joining us on this soggy Tuesday evening. Hope you're managing to keep your spirits up through all this gloomy weather we've been having lately. Well if not Bob Garner has something this evening to lighten your mood. He'll introduce us to the clown of the year. Calvin clown that is. But the bulk of tonight's program is devoted to politics. We'll continue our series of congressional interviews with Michael Daisley as our guest a candidate for the ninth congressional district. But we start the program tonight by

looking at a segment of the voting population that could prove to be very powerful in this year's election. With only three days left to register to vote volunteers throughout the state are manning booths and tables urging more North Carolinians to register to vote. And Shannon Vicary reports much of this last minute frenzy is focused on Tar Heel women. According to the latest census data women make up just over half of North Carolina's population. But when it comes to voter turnout some election watchers believe Tarheel women are grossly under-represented. It's you know in that in high thousand sounds and close to the many women that are not getting out to vote. When Raney heads up the North Carolina Division of the Women's Vote Project it's a bipartisan coalition of women's groups throughout the state and nations. The project's mission is to get more women especially in North Carolina to vote according to a study conducted for the Women's Vote Project North Carolina is one of the

10 worst states in the nation in terms of the number of women who vote in presidential elections. The study found that only 57 percent of Tarheel women actually voted in the last three presidential elections. In most states almost 64 percent of the female population vote. If we can get the number of women voting that are not voting presently we could actually have the deciding vote the women's vote project wants to register between five to ten thousand new women voters in North Carolina. Why are you doing this morning if you're ready to vote in the November election. A million Osborne is one of an army of volunteers throughout the state who is helping to register more women. She's given up a month of Saturdays to work this voter registration table at a Raleigh mall. She says the women's vote project makes voter registration more accessible to Tarheel women. We need to have a louis. And this is the only way we can have a voice. Rigid and not only red just come

across town Teresa Scopa is registering to vote for the first time this Raleigh mother says the reason why she's voting this year is that the decision she and other Tarheel women will make on Election Day will impact even the youngest North Carolinians. For years to come I think it's a very good idea to try to get more women there because I think a lot of women are committed so far because they don't know exactly what's going on. They probably don't think the better their ideas would count. Project organizers admit registering more North Carolina women to vote is the easy part getting them to the polls on Election Day is a lot harder. You know we can register 20000 people but if they don't go out on Election Day and vote it makes no difference. So it's a matter of registering the women to vote and saying Now this is very important you you've done the first step the second step to make anything happen you've got to get to the polls on Election Day.

The women's vote study also found that more than 15 percent of the registered women voters in North Carolina have not bothered to vote over the last three presidential elections making North Carolina also one of the 10 worst states in terms of registered women voters who don't vote. They don't have the time. You know many times being responsible for taking care of the household you know you got the children to take care of you got this anything. There's always so many different reasons that you can't get out to vote. And it's just not a priority. I just feel like what is my vote going to do. How is that really going to help the women's vote project hopes to answer that question for all North Carolina women over the next few weeks with public service campaigns and voter education seminars. Their goal is to make every Tarheel woman understand that how you vote isn't as important as just making the effort to vote on Election Day. If you would like more information on the women's vote project you can call 9 1 9 8 2 8 3 2 0 5. And a

reminder the deadline for all North Carolinians to register to vote is this Friday October 11th. Well still ahead on North Carolina now Bob Garner as you've never seen him before. But right now it's time to check in with Michel Louis and from earlier setting manning the news desk. Good evening Mitch. Thanks Maria. Good evening everyone. Topping our news a recent poll of the nation's governors places North Carolina's Jim Hunt among the top 20 for job performance. Respondents to the poll taken by Mason-Dixon political media research give Governor had a total positive rating of 61 percent. That places him 17th overall Governor Hunt is one of only six Democratic governors to make it into the top 20 as a group 40 of 50 governors received positive ratings of excellent or good in this year's survey. Newly released documents show British American Tobacco Company considered acknowledging as far back as 1980 that cigarette smoking can cause cancer and Turnell documents filed in a Minnesota court indicate the 80 backed off the idea fearing acknowledgment

would compromise corporate integrity. And a memo B 80 officials spell out their concerns over credibility continued denial of links between cancer and smoking and susceptibility to future lawsuits. British American Tobacco is parent to Brown and Williamson Tobacco Brown and Williamson operates a number of facilities in North Carolina including the old American Tobacco facility in Reidsville. The University of North Carolina and 33 other universities are combining their input to create a new higher education computer network. The system called Internet two will offer faster and more reliable service than the current Internet Internet 2 will also provide the capability of simultaneous voice video and data transmission. This would facilitate distance learning. Digital libraries and collaborative research online specialist from UN see the universities of California Chicago and Michigan Penn State and Stanford will play leading roles in developing the network. Some federal retirees can now have assistance in getting tax refunds or credits. Those

affected paid individual income tax on their federal retirement benefits from 1985 to 1988 the State Department of Revenue has begun to stream distributing or distributing rather a form d 400 F R which retirees can use to choose a refund or credit and calculate the amount. The department has also set up a toll free number 1 800 3 5 7 0 7 8 1 to respond to requests for the form. And to answer questions about filling it out. State revenue officials point out the actual form is orange and retirees should use the portion marked original for quicker processing and construction of the new Cherokee Casino in the western part of the state is under way again. The parties involved the Eastern Band of the Cherokees and Harrah's have settled their differences. The Cherokee Tribal Council has approved a measure covering legal responsibilities for the 82 million dollar construction loan. It was the issue of loan responsibility and terms of the joint agreement that originally halted the construction. And now for a look at tomorrow's weather expect a rise

in temperatures for Wednesday. Highs in the upper 60s and low to mid 70s a forecast look for improving conditions as things begin to clear up on Wednesday partly cloudy to mostly sunny skies will dominate. And in business news quintiles corporation and Research Triangle Park is buying one of its major competitors quintiles will take over in a VAX limited in a stock package worth more than 800 million dollars. The deal will make quintiles the largest contract research company in the world. The company designs protocol for testing experimental drugs developed by pharmaceutical and biotech companies. Quintiles chairman Dennis Gillings is a former bio statistics professor at USC Chapel Hill and discount retailer Best Products Company Incorporated is scaling back its operations. The company is closing three of its four distribution centers and nearly half of its 169 showrooms stores. Among the closings backslash triangle location on Western Boulevard in Raleigh and now for a look at what happened on Wall Street today.

Tonight is our series of congressional interviews continues you will see TV's political correspondent Robin mini and speaks with Michael Daisley of Charlotte. Mr. Daisley is seeking election to our state's

Ninth Congressional District the seat currently held by Sue Myrick. Here's Robin with Mr. Daisley Mr. days. Thank you for joining us this evening. It's great to be here. Thank you. You are running in a tough race against a popular incumbent Sue Myrick How do you plan on changing people's minds. Well Robert I've got to question your premise that that particular she she's a freshman. Republican has been very loyal to Newt Gingrich has voted with 95 percent of the time. Interestingly when people say that oh gosh he's a popular incumbent. I point out to them that four years ago she ran for United States senator a United States Senate in Slackware cloth and lost her home county of Mecklenburg two years ago when she ran for this seat that she currently holds in the primary. She barely got a third of the vote. Lost her home county in fact placed third in her home county and then got in a runoff with with David bomber who was then the minority leader. And during the four weeks during the roll period he had what some people would refer to

as a scandal involving his resume. And so she sort of backed into that nomination. And so now she finds herself in the U.S. House of Representatives so I question initially whether she is that popular. Nonetheless your question also implies that it's a tough district for a Democrat to win and that is certainly true. But what I remind people is that we've never had an incumbent like Sue Mari and a point that I often make in that regard is that while I have a lot of. Difference is with with Alec McMillan who was the March predecessor or Jim Martin former governor was also in that seat for several years. I've got differences with Frankly I'm a lot closer to their point of view in their political tradition then see Mark is who I think by any standards is very much off to the right hand side of the spectrum. Even I think more extreme than the Newt Gingrich yes he she

supports Newt again 95 percent of the time. But the 5 percent of the time that she doesn't it tends to be because she thinks that Newt is being too moderate which will tell you something. What would be on your agenda then if you are elected to Congress. Well the daisy campaign has been running on a theme of three things that we like to talk about it's children chances and choices and let me just touch on those three real briefly. Children is first. I'm a new father I've got a wonderful 18 month old adopted son at home and he is just terrific. And it does change our perspective. We've got I think a crisis facing our children in this country and how we respond to that crisis will say a lot about as a society we've got for instance 10 million uninsured children in this in this nation. And one of the things that I'm talking about is providing for them the same type of access to health

care that we provide our elderly. Another thing I talk about is the fact that more children in this country die each week from gunfire than were killed in the Oklahoma City bombing. And yet in the face of that my opponent votes to rescind the assault weapons ban. I find that reprehensible. Interestingly she also had received close to $10000 from the NRA prior to that vote. And my question to her which remains unanswered is whether her vote at all was affected by that. When I talk about chances that's the second. SEE talk about children chances and choices they're referring to Robin economic opportunities the sort of things that we need to do and I think the federal government does have a role to play in providing economic opportunities as we as a society move from a manufacturing economy into an information economy. Well what sort of things. Well

first of all to bring the minimum wage up from its 40 year low. Fortunately that has passed and that's been done. But with no help from my opponent who voted against it twice. Other things that I think we need to do is to expand. Job training a really consolidate the numerous programs around 74 programs into one that's more of a voucher program that people who are moving in transition can use that money which will act as a tax credit in the ways that they see that. So there are other things that we can do pension protection. We've already done the health care committee Kassebaum bill which is passed. So all of those things are a myriad of things that I think the federal government has a role to play in providing people with chances. The third see is choices. I start with the contrasts that I have with my opponent in that even though as an adopted father I have very strong feelings on the issue of abortion. I am pro-choice. I think

it is not something that the government should be involved in. In contrast my opponent wants to have a constitutional ban outlawing abortions. And I just think that's I think that is wrong and I think that if you're going to do that it's a fair question to ask what kind of governmental resources would she like devoted to telling women. Or again arresting women or arresting their doctors. How many drug enforcement agents to propose that we put in the airport not sniffing out cocaine or marijuana but trying to keep out French abortion pills. I don't want the government involved in that and I don't make any pretense about that. So that's that's an issue. Also one of the choices there's things like environmental choices that again a very stark contrast between American myself I am proud to say that I'm one of 131 representatives

of the candidates around the country that have been endorsed by the Sierra Club the Sierra Club does not give their endorsement lightly and I get only one hundred thirty one nation one I'm one of them. In contrast America has a zero voting record on the environment according to the League of Conservation Voters although she's improved this year by by coming up to a whopping 8 percent. So she's gone from zero to eight percent. I get I think those are wrong choices to make for the environment so long answer to a short question but the campaign is about a lot of things and we've been trying to talk about that unfortunately. She has chosen to hide frankly and she refuses to discuss the issues with me in just a few days to appear with me in any form. And I think that's a disservice to the voters. Let me ask you quickly rarely have about a minute left but you have laid out a very ambitious program. How do you pay for it. Well. What you do I mean I'm very much I'm I'm glad you asked that question because it allows me to talk real quickly about balancing the budget. The point that I make it's

not whether we balance the budget I could show you my Concord Coalition guard I've been a member for a long time it's not whether we do it it's how we do it and I like to talk about three hard truths of balancing the budget. I think any economist would agree with you and any expert will agree with you on. Number one is that half the budget goes to entitlements. Number two is that three out of four of those entitlement dollars are spent regardless of need. Need is not a criteria so you could be Steve Forbes. And as long as you otherwise qualify your tax dollars and my tax dollars in the viewers tax dollars go to paying the full benefit. The third hard truth is that the fastest growing part of the entitlement budgets is medical spending. So what does that tell you. What it tells you we've got to have entitlement reform. We've got to move toward a needs based system as the Concord Coalition has espoused. And we've got to have continued health care reform. We do those three things and we will balance the budget and pay for the things that I talked about earlier. Mr Daisley thank you very much for joining us thank you very much.

The interview with Representative Sue Myrick who currently represents the Ninth Congressional District will air on October 14. He lived when the circus comes to town clowns not only entertain us but they also help to divert our attention while equipment and props are moved around. But while these performers operate in front of large audiences there are also many other clowns who perform in more intimate settings at trade shows restaurants even parties. This more personal clowning is quite different. Now it only in terms of the skills required but also in motivation.

Bob Garner takes a look at one such clown from North Carolina who is making quite a name for himself. It isn't just any local clown tie and balloon animals at a rally RV show. That's Gary's where I'm known as Calvin clown and he's the International Clown of the year for 1996 as made by the clowns of America organization wherein is a computer consultant for IBM in Raleigh and his wife and Nicky or two two is also a clown. Together they run a clown supplies business on the side out of their home. So Aaron tells us there are three types of clowns one for the white face who at the top of the clown hierarchy is usually the most dignified. That wasn't much fun for his wear and so he chose the August model white around the eyes and the mouth or muzzle. Well goose is in the middle he causes all the stuff one gets all the delegates. The third type which is where and has also tried is the tramp or Hobel clown. One of the many faces of the wear and chief role model.

I like to pattern myself after Red Skelton. Well he was always my hero. In fact he was probably the influence of why I got into clowning as well and was nominated as clown of the year by his peers based in large part on community service like visiting the sick and terminally ill. But as much as he now like serving others his early motivation was different. His job at IBM which was then full time was causing a lot of stress and I needed something to take that stress away. In this did it. And so I really would be lying if I said I was doing it for him but he also was there for me. Sometimes it isn't far from hilarity to agony is where it has added a tear to his makeup since his young son died in 1989. It is the happiest clown. Yeah we have moments of sadness. You got to go on with the show. We've all done that or we just had it here and I think we strive to make these stepfather died

on Wednesdays because they do a show on. And he was very sad and we had to do a show on something for the sad and the happy times were and has helped build the clown community and probably that was practically nonexistent before he moved here from Florida several years ago. He's trained clowns through community colleges. And his camp clown. Two one week sessions in the summer aimed at kids. Here's the essential oils are all covered beginning with makeup and once you have that done then you can fill in your nose and your cheeks and underneath your eye where in teaches the physical art of cloning. Showing these young students the finer points of properly spitting water. Ah that's it. We got here we are. But it isn't enough just to learn to do a stream. Sometimes a cloud is required was really there's just no into the things a clown can do with water right.

Ever wondered what it is that makes a pie in the face work. Wells weren teaches that the gallant success depends on the recipient's reaction to the whole thing. I'm ok with my time. All these young faces serve as a reminder does wear in the climbing changes as he grows older. I will sell you now as you get older. Nature plays a dirty trick on you especially for clowns that have way but this make up one. Nature gives you a whole bunch of wrinkles. As hard as they get this paint the into the wrinkles and make it stay there and make this pencil go over those wrinkles without popping despite Rico's the makeup is

finally concluded. But only after is wear and gets himself into full costume. I know this is a personal thing you know. Sometimes there's apprehension from the younger members of his audience but mostly there are smiles all around. And it's the smiles that get in his words veins like an elixir constantly prompting him to try to recruit just one more clown. It's a definite improvement. But be warned once you start this thing there's no wind to it and you're never satisfied when you make Dennis Rodman eat your heart out. Yeah yeah yeah yeah. I like is there in says that one day soon he hopes to be able to completely retire from his IBM consulting job and live in an RV as he and Nikki travel the country as full time

clowns. Well that wraps up tonight's edition of North Carolina now thanks for being a part of it. On tomorrow night's program Congressman Walter Jones will be our guest. Also tomorrow Bob Garner looks at how Senator Jesse Helms is mounting his senatorial campaign while largely ignoring the media. And we'll share with you a story of survival. It's about a church group in Lumberton that is managing to stay affective in the days of funding cuts. Have a great evening everyone. We'll see you tomorrow. Good night.