We’ve got a jam packed newsletter this week with lots going on!  So much so I’m including a linked index.

Our Monday Meeting
Wednesday Anti-HOT Lane Rally
A call for members to join the national issues committee
A vote on spending CAUTION account dollars
Upcoming Events

Weekly Meeting

At this week’s meeting, we welcome Kurt Naas, the spokesman of WidenI77.org, the group from North Mecklenburg actively fighting the creation of High Occupancy Toll lanes on Interstate 77.

To date, Kurt’s presentations have taken place primarily in Cornelius and Mooresville. We are pleased to have him join us in Charlotte.

If you have not yet seen Kurt’s presentation, it is an eye opening look at a government getting ready to make a costly and damaging decision that will negatively impact not only Mecklenburg, but eventually the rest of the state.

Wednesday Rally

Join us at our Monday meeting to learn the issue, and then join us again on Wednesday, May 22, at the Government Center where the Mecklenburg Union Metropolitan Planning Organization (MUMPO) will hold a meeting to approve an amendment to formally include the I-77 HOT lanes project in the NC DOT 2035 Long Range Transportation Plan and FY 12-18 Transportation Improvement Program Amendments. This will be the last opportunity for our regional politicians to stop or modify this plan.

We will meet at 6pm in the lobby of the main floor and the meeting will begin at 7pm.  Wear red!!

National Issues Committee

We have a member looking to tackle our organization’s look into national issues, but she needs help! Do we have any folks willing to step up and work as a team to bring important national items to our attention? Our national issues committee will be an important part of our team. Please let us know if you are interested.

Vote on Supporting Tea Party Hospitality Suite

I confirmed on Thursday that the Presidential Suite at the Westin Hotel is in my name for the night of June 8…the Saturday of the NCGOP convention. The event will be a Tea Party and Liberty hospitality suite, and also have food available for folks not attending the Karl Rove dinner. The cost will be roughly $2500, and I would like CAUTION to contribute $250 to the cause. The official motion and vote will take place this Monday and I’m making the request here again so no one is blindsided by a monetary action vote.

Upcoming Events

Tuesday, May 21 – Char-Meck Republican Women’s Club
This month we’re meeting on a special day -Tuesday instead of our usual Wednesday – and will be discussing the REAL state of the economy with Danny Fontana. Danny is a thirty-year veteran of the financial services industry, an award winning television and radio host, author,  founder of TCA Financial Group and keynote speaker to numerous
Fortune 500 companies and governmental organizations.
Group meets at Maggiano’s Restaurant at SouthPark Mall from 11:30am to 1:30pm.
https://www.facebook.com/events/605243529488565/

Tuesday, May 21 – Evening Republican Women’s Club
The MERWC will meet at Taco Mac in Piedmont Row (SouthPark) from 6:00 until 8:15.  The speakers for the evening will be Scott Stone, the managing principal of Charlotte-based American Engineering, a regional civil and environmental engineering firm. He is the chairman and founder of the North Carolina Heroes Fund, a non-profit which raises money for military families who are suffering financial hardships.
Also, Corey Thompson (one of the founders of CAUTION) will speak about the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence, which we celebrate today!
https://www.facebook.com/events/103647969842432/

Wednesday, May 22 – Anti-Hot Lane Rally at Government Center
Meet at 6pm, MUMPO meeting begins at 7pm.

Thursday, May 23 – Charlotte Bastiat Society Meeting
Please join us at Dilworth Neighborhood Grille on Thursday, May 23, from 6:30 until 7:30p.m. Our guest speaker will be Bob Hellebush and he will be giving a presentation on the history of Capitalism and sharing his unique way of explaining how the free market works. He has delivered this presentation to other Bastiat Society chapters and we are excited to have him visit Charlotte.  Please direct questions to Eric Rowell atcharlotte@bastiatsociety.com.

Please join CAUTION tonight as we present a townhall style discussion on North Carolina energy policy.

Joining us are Albert Eckel, former Director of Government and Corporate Affairs for Corning, Inc and Algenon Cash, the Chairman of the North Carolina Energy Forum.

The talk will focus on energy security and energy jobs, most specifically, hydraulic fracturing and offshore exploration. They welcome questions and desire an open discussion with our group to gain a better perspective of our thoughts and energy education needs.

To learn more about our speakers, view the full invitation HERE.

CAUTION is excited to once again attract top talent to our weekly meeting.

Please invite your friends, family, and business associates. As always, the event is free and open to the public.

The meeting starts at 6:00 pm, but come early for dinner when our social hour begins at 5:00.

Success!!

We had a victory last week when the Mecklenburg County Commission voted to oppose the changes to concealed carry rules proposed by the Parks and Recreation Department!  Many thanks to GOP Commissioners Ridenhour, Bentley, and James as well as Democrat Commissioners Cotham and Clarke.  You can read the full story HERE, but understand that YOU made a difference by writing and calling your elected officials on this matter!

Upcoming Events

Tuesday, May 14 – North Meck Republican Women
Join the NMRW to learn about the NC Constitution and the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence with speakers City Councilman Warren Cooksey and CAUTION co-founder Corey Thompson.
The event is at the Northstone Club, located at 15801 Northstone Drive in Huntersville.  Registration begins at 6pm with the dinner buffet served at 6:30.  For more info or to RSVP, contact nomeckrw@gmail.com.

Thursday, May 16 – Grover Norquist Tax Reform Event
CAUTION is co-sponsoring this event with the North Mecklenburg Republican Women and Americans for Prosperity.
Please join us at the Northstone Club beginning at 6:00 for light refreshments and 7:00pm for a townhall meeting with Americans for Tax Reform’s President Grover Norquist.
This free event is the kickoff of a massive grassroots movement designed to encourage our state legislators to be bold in reforming NC’s antiquated tax system.
Space is limited, so please RSVP at this LINK.

This week we are joined by Albert Eckel, former Director of Government and Corporate Affairs for Corning, Inc and Algenon Cash, the Chairman of the North Carolina Energy Forum.

The talk will focus on energy security and energy jobs, most specifically, hydraulic fracturing and offshore exploration.  They welcome questions and desire an open discussion with our group to gain a better perspective of our thoughts and energy education needs.

Albert Eckel has more than 18 years’ experience in corporate affairs, political  strategy, and strategic communications working with clients on grassroots and  advocacy services, such as the American Petroleum Institute, Royal Dutch Shell,  the American Chemistry Council, and the North Carolina Dental Society.

Prior to co-founding Eckel & Vaughan, a strategic communications firm based in Raleigh, he served as Director of Government and Corporate Affairs for Corning Incorporated with responsibility for issue management and legislative affairs in 10 states.

Algenon Cash is managing director of Wharton Gladden, a boutique real estate investment-banking firm headquartered in Greensboro.

In 2012, The North Carolina Energy Forum, the state’s leading citizen group for domestic energy education and advocacy, recruited Cash to serve as Chairman and “Ambassador” to the small business community of North Carolina.  Cash travels the state teaching about the importance of pursuing homegrown energy resources in North Carolina, including oil and natural gas.

In 2007, Cash was named one of the Triad Business Journal’s “40 Leaders under Forty” and was one of 15 recipients of the National Developing Leaders Award. Business Leader Media named Cash one of 30 “Triad Movers & Shakers” and one of 24 “Impact Leaders” in the real estate industry in 2008.

CAUTION is excited to once again attract top talent to our weekly meeting.

Please invite your friends, family, and business associates.  As always, the event is free and open to the public.

The meeting starts at 6:00pm, but come early for dinner when our social hour begins at 5:00.

See you soon!

Click below to RSVP in our Facebook event.

https://www.facebook.com/events/123380521193459/

Also, CAUTION member Jess Durrell requested to address our organization with a message regarding the state of our nation and her fears for the future without a shift  in direction.

As a bit of club business, could you forward this email to five of your local friends and ask them to subscribe?  As we look to the future and desire to have an impact on local policy, our ability to reach like minded people will be our most effective tool.  When we have action items, we need more people to take action!

As always, we’ll be at the Dilworth Neighborhood Grille from 6:00-7:30 with a social hour in advance beginning at 5:00.  Join us!

~The CAUTION Leadership Team

Upcoming Events

Tuesday, May 7 – Mecklenburg County Commission

We have another chance to impact the County Commission as they look towards the passage of concealed carry restrictions proposed by the Parks and Recreation Dept.  Both Commissioner’s Ridenhour and Bentley have offered amendments to the proposal and we need to be there to show our support!  More information can be found HERE.  Please share with everyone you know and join us at the Government Center at 6:00 on Tuesday!!

Saturday, May 11 – Union County GOP Men’s Club Skeet and Turkey Shoot

We were asked to share this event with our members by the Union County Republican Men’s Club.  It will be a day of God, Family, and Guns. We will have a bounce house and pony rides for the kids, cotton candy and popcorrn.

For the adults (kids can shoot with a parent) we will have skeet shooting, and a turkey shoot. Live music, and great food. What a great day to celebrate with likeminded folks! Great prizes to be one for the turkey shoot.

Our Keynote Speaker will be Author and War Hero, Ilario Pantano.

Joining as special guests will be Congressman Richard Hudson and Congressman Robert Pittenger.

http://unioncountyred.com/hands-off-my-guns/

This proposal has been deferred twice now, but will be up for discussion again this Tuesday night at the Government Center.

As of the previous meeting on April 2, County staff was asked to create different versions of the proposal based upon County Commissioner Matthew Ridenhour’s proposed amendments to weaken the restrictions.

Commissioners instructed County Attorney Marvin Bethune to write three or four different proposals. They could:

• Approve Ridenhour’s amendment.

• Approve his amendment, but also restrict spectators from carrying concealed weapons at sporting events in county parks, as Dunlap suggested.

• Approve the county staff’s more restrictive proposal.

• Or let the state law govern the issue, with no restrictions on carrying concealed guns in parks. That was suggested by commissioner Karen Bentley, who has a permit to carry a concealed gun.

If you value your right to self-defense, it is imperative that you contact your County Commissioners and also attend the meeting on Tuesday. Preferably, register to speak.

Come out and defend the 2nd Amendment! Share this with friends!

County Commissioner Contact information is found HERE.

Sign up to speak at the meeting by clicking HERE. (agenda number will be available Friday)

Tonight will be a “membership driven roundtable”.  We ask that everyone come prepared with a news article of some sort…political or otherwise.  We’ll give you a couple minutes to summarize any key points and then briefly discuss as a group.  While not everyone in our organization enjoys speaking in front of a group, we think it’s a valuable skill to feel comfortable sharing information with others.  We’re a friendly bunch and look forward to learning what you found interesting this week in the news!

There are two upcoming government meetings we need to be prepared to attend as well.  On May 7, the County Commission will be voting on a plan to possibly restrict concealed carry rights in County Parks.  On May 22, MUMPO will finally be voting on the HOT lane proposals.  We need a strong showing at each of these meetings.  Details will be posted on the website and Facebook pages soon.

As usual, if you have any feedback or recommendations for speakers or group activities, we welcome it!

~The CAUTION Leadership Team

Upcoming Events

Thursday, May 2 – Don Reid’s Breakfast
This long running conservative breakfast meeting with former Charlotte City Councilman Don Reid meets everything Thursday at 7:30 am at the Skyland Restaurant on South Blvd.  US Senate Candidate Greg Brannon will be attending this week’s meeting and invites our members to attend.

Thursday, May 2 – FreedomWorks coalition meeting
FreedomWorks is planning to have a meeting of conservative/libertarian/Tea Party and like-minded groups THIS Thursday, May 2nd at 6:30pm downstairs at The Dilworth Neighborhood Grille.  The purpose of the meeting is to discuss “common ground” issues for groups within the 5 county region.  It is envisioned that there will be future meetings as needs dictate.
There will be no charge for this meeting, but attendees can purchase food/drink from the restaurant menu.  Doors open at 6pm and the meeting starts promptly at 6:30.  The meeting will be over by 7:30.

The official Charlotte Tea Party (CAUTION) position on this falls in line with each and every other attempt by government to provide public funding for private, for profit, business. We stand in opposition.

Join us on Monday night from 5:00pm until 6:30pm for an abbreviated weekly CAUTION meeting at the Dilworth Neighborhood Grille. We will leave early to make it to the Government Center in time to attend the meeting. Please call the Clerks office at 704-336-2248 (or visit the link I will post in the comments of this event) to sign up to speak. We need as many as we can get!

Contrary to the talking points of the other side, spending on sports teams and arenas does not provide a significant economic impact.

According to a study by Sports economist Brad Humphreys, “As sport and stadium related activities increase, other spending declines because people substitute spending on sports for other spending. If the stadium simply displaces dollar-for-dollar spending that would have occurred otherwise, there are no net benefits generated.”

There are dozens of independent studies that confirm these findings.

Please join us, and please share this invite with your friends. It is short notice, but we need a presence as we continue to build our organization into one that will have impact with decision makers.

For the official Event Invitation, click HERE.

To sign up to be a speaker at this meeting, please visit this website. Both the Clerks phone number and the online signup form are found here. In both cases, mention that you are wanting to speak on agenda item 15 – City/Carolina Panthers Stadium Partnership Agreement.

Christian Hine, the organization’s President, released the following statement:

“The entire HOT lane issue took a number of people by surprise. It is unfortunate that the process is already so far along, but now that citizens are being informed, there is a groundswell of opposition. While most of our members are opposed to HOT lanes, we unanimously reject the actions and policies of elected officials and government employees who have systematically elevated pro-HOT lane advocates above the general public’s ability to present their concerns and recommendations.”

CAUTION meets weekly on Mondays from 6:00 to 7:30pm at the Dilworth Neighborhood Grille in Charlotte.

The text of the sent letters is below.

“Representatives from CAUTION have attended presentations about widening Interstate 77 from Mooresville to Charlotte. These presentations were hosted by the Lake Norman Transportation Commission and the Mecklenburg-Union Metropolitan Planning Organization. Of great concern to our organization is that proponents for high occupancy toll (HOT) lanes were allowed to present slides and confer with consultants during their presentations while people with alternative ideas were limited to brief statements or not allowed to speak at all.

CAUTION understands HOT lanes can bring in much needed capital almost immediately, but we are very concerned about the long term negative consequences of HOT lanes and their high cost to the public.  It is accepted by proponents that HOT lanes will not reduce congestion, which should be the primary goal of any transportation policy. CAUTION fails to understand how HOT lanes could be anything other than a detriment to our economic growth and a disincentive for business investment, especially since commercial vehicles will not be allowed to use HOT lanes. The Mecklenburg GOP shares our concerns and unanimously passed the enclosed resolution during their recent March 23 convention.

We ask for your support in requesting that LMTC, MUMPO and similar government chartered organizations allow fair opportunity for alternative solutions to be presented.  A healthy discussion of ideas is the best way to determine how to minimize congestion on I-77 for the lowest cost to the public.”

###

Please join CAUTION today (Tax Day!) as we welcome Brian Balfour of the Civitas Institute. The discussion will be on the elimination of the state corporate and personal income taxes in favor of a broad based consumption tax. This has been in the news, come learn the facts!

Brian’s work has been published in several newspapers across the state, including the Raleigh News & Observer, the Greensboro News Record, the Fayetteville Observer, and the Charlotte Business Journal. Brian has also been a guest on numerous radio stations across the state, and his work has been featured on the Drudge Report, Fox News and the Rush Limbaugh radio program. Brian earned a Master’s degree in Economics from Wayne State University in Detroit and received a Bachelor’s of Business Administration from the University of Cincinnati.

We meet at the Dilworth Neighborhood Grille every Monday at 6pm. Join us earlier to grab dinner and have some great conversation! Social hour begins at 5pm.

See you soon!

~The CAUTION Leadership Team

Upcoming Events

Tuesday, April 16 – Mecklenburg Evening Republican Womens Club

Join the MERWC at Villa Antonio Restaurant (4707 South Blvd.) at 6pm for a mix and mingle and at 7pm for the meeting.  This month’s guest is “social media genius” and candidate for Charlotte City Council At-Large, Mark Frietch.

$5 cover charge.  Plenty of parking in rear.
For more info contact Geneva Greene 704-975-9497, gpgreene73@gmail.com or Lee Ann Patton 704-576-8053, braveleelee@hotmail.com
or visit the Facebook Event page HERE.

Wednesday, April 17 – Charlotte Bastiat Society

Please join us for our April meeting next Wednesday, April 17, from 6:30 until 7:30p.m. Jeanette Doran, General Counsel w/the N.C. Institute for Constitutional Law, will be our guest speaker. She will be discussing the state budget process and potential tax & regulatory reform issues that may arise during this legislative session. The NCICL has also been instrumental in addressing economic issues statewide such as the excessive regulation of taxicabs in High Point and the monopolistic structuce of the N.C. ABC system (which you can read about here).

This month’s meeting will take place at the Fox & Hound Restaurant – Uptown, located at 330 N. Tryon St., Charlotte, NC 28202.

Saturday, April 20 – Ninth District GOP Convention

The 9th Congressional District GOP Convention will take place beginning at 10am (registration opens at 9am) at the Cornelius Town Hall.  Even if you were not elected as a delegate, you are welcome to attend as a guest.
Delegate registration fee: $15
New officers will be elected at this meeting.