A bit of fact-checking about Edwards and his programs.

[MonteLukast]

An affair is one thing, but betraying your ideals is quite another. So therefore, at the first hint that JE might have insincere all along about poverty, I set out to check the status of his agenda. For my own sanity and peace of mind.

So far, the results, I must say, have been encouraging.

I called the U of NC law school {Ph#: [phone]} and talked to a "Katie" about the poverty center. She said JE had not been in charge since the end of 2006, but the center itself is still alive and well. There's nothing wrong with starting a non-profit, getting it going, and stepping aside to focus on other things. Nothing wrong aside from the lousy timing (R's contract was also supposed to end in Dec. 2006) ... and for us, the unfortunate implication of "focus on other things".

As far as the scholarship program: the College For Everyone site (www.college4everyone.com) is still up, and the Executive Director, Pamela Hampton-Garland {Ph#: [phone]} says that the program has NOT been yanked and is in fact a big success. She was a great listener, addressing all my worries; and she thanked me for having an open mind.

I'm not sure how many minds I can change with this, but hopefully I can get the word out that JE has NOT been abandoning his ideals. Any suggestions for further fact-checking about whether he still used his campaign money improperly, would be much appreciated. If you just know where to look.

[EFerrari]

1. Isn't John Edwards' relationship with his own ideals his business?

:shrug:

[frazzled]

2. Nice try, but ...

(1) The program in question was the Center for Promise and Opportunity, whose main purpose seemed to have been paying for Edwards's campaign travel, not the UNC Center for Poverty.

(2) Despite the website (which has no information past 2007) and the person you spoke to, the College For Everyone program at Greene High School is done, over, kaput, according to a detailed article in the Raleigh News Observer from this July:


http://www.newsobserver.com/print/thursday/front/story/1160097.html

" recently informed Greene County officials that he would end the pilot program at Greene Central High School. 'We sent a communication out to upcoming seniors and their parents," said Randy Bledsoe, principal of Greene Central High. "Some are saddened that the opportunity is not going to be there for their children. But we’ve had a lot of positive reaction over the years.'"