Killing the American Dream One Stimulus Check at a Time

Whatever happened to tax credits and tax deductions? How many more payments will people expect in the future before we declare the pandemic over?

The utter reliance and potential household budgeting for future stimulus payments disincentivizes Americans from using their skills and creativity to find a way to meet their obligations. The unintended consequence of stimulus payments may very well be a methodical way of killing the American dream by taking away all incentives of hard work and individualism.

Reece Gardner Hour Interview

Had the honor of being interviewed by the infamous Reece Gardner this week on TMGI - CTV10. We discussed the acquisition of N.C. Political News and how the devastation of Hurricane Matthew led me to launch Magic Mile Media. I also got on a small kick about the politics of COVID-19 and its impact on our business community. Sometimes I question the politics when looking at the same data and science.

Locked In with Algenon Cash

On an episode of Locked In with Algenon Cash, I took a moment to discuss the acquisition of NCPoliticalNews.com as well as the importance of social media for business branding. Algenon was too kind when he called me “the Rupert Murdoch of Digital Media in North Carolina” and while I’m not at that level today, I believe that the actions our team has set in motion will lead to continued momentum and growth.

A Reminder of Why We Back the Blue

Defunding the Police has been one of the most controversial topics of 2020, stemming from the wake of high-profile cases involving concerns of racial profiling or cases of police brutality. While some calls for Defunding the Police mask redistributing money from police budgets to social programs, others are a bit more blatant by defunding police departments altogether.

Fast forward to this past week in La Grange, where 31 policing agencies descended on our area. They came with helicopters, heat-seeking devices, K-9s, SWAT teams, armored vehicles, and more. Tax dollars well spent to protect our community from harm. Imagine living near Kennedy Home or Banks School Road in an era where Defunding the Police wasn’t a phrase but a policy.

America: Where do we go from here?

The nation is probably as divided as it has been since the American Civil War in the 1860s. The supposed blue wave tsunami that was predicted by the media and pundits did not materialize in the numbers that they proclaimed. The White House may be changing parties, but Republicans picked up several House seats and look to maintain a Senate majority come January.

Despite COVID, lockdowns, a battered economy, partisan hoopla, racial issues, social unrest, riots, and a huge backlash against Trump, the nation is still bitterly divided, almost down the middle of its population. The polls were wrong--again, and many are losing faith in journalists, news, media, and the entire political system.

About last month…again

At the October 5th Kinston City Council meeting, the elected members unanimously approved two motions allowing city employees new vacation days for June 19 and Election Day. With roughly less than five minutes of discussion, both motions passed.

The City of Kinston has 378 positions on payroll and have about 350 positions filled at this time. Let’s assume all 350 are eligible to vote. If 70% take the time to vote, that will equate to approximately 245 employees exercising that right. If 61.2% have already cast their ballots in our area, it would mean about 214 employees have already done so.

Based on historical numbers, the cost per vote on Election Day (31) is roughly $1,729, plus time and a half for our police, fire and other essential employees.

blogBJ MurphyNovember 1, 2020bj murphy, mayor, city of kinston, city council, policy, politics, election, 2020 election, neuse news

Publisher or Platform? It’s time to end Big Tech censorship

One of the unique ideals of our country is that we’re able to express views and beliefs without fear of reprisal or censorship. And the internet has brought forth a plethora of opportunities to distribute information through a multitude of platforms and websites. But with the acceptance of differing voices came also the silencing of dissenting opinions by those with a monopoly on power and information...namely Facebook, Google and Twitter. These tech giants have created amazing platforms for people to connect, yet now have the undaunting task of policing those platforms in the scope of free speech without sacrificing what their ad dollars crave - your attention and engagement.

Mutual respect and communication

Councilman Sammy Aiken and I served together for 6 years. We probably disagreed on only about 5% of matters before our board. I'd attest it was largely because we rarely got caught up in national politics on a local level.

Chinese media veterans create News Break mobile app, which is stealing data too

While TikTok has been all over the news after President Trump drew attention to the potential theft of data from Americans and the endangerment of officials, a silent giant has put the hard work and talent of local entrepreneurs and workers on display without permission or a conversation. News Break, created by Chinese media veterans, is a news aggregator application that is robbing small American businesses of their intellectual property, infringing upon copyrighted material, and denying them the potential for revenue.

blogBJ MurphySeptember 25, 2020tiktok, blog, news break, neuse news, chinese, donald trump, president, google, facebook

The Best Ground Game for Campaigns

COVID-19, economic issues, social unrest, wildfires, natural disasters, and explosive “gotcha” books will help shape the political landscape. Technological advances like geo-targeting and social media will provide new means of communicating candidates’ messages in local and national elections. The old cliche that “all politics is local” continues to ring true, but how do local candidates stand out in the noise of presidential election year rhetoric?

blogBJ MurphySeptember 21, 20202020 election, election, campaign, candidate, covid-19, politics

North Carolina - Trump and Cooper’s Races to Lose

While reporters and TV talking heads continue to refer to North Carolina as a swing state, they are largely mistaken. We do not “swing” between Republicans and Democrats for president and governor much to the media’s chagrin. Our selection of US Senators, however, would qualify for that designation. The reality is that NC tends to vote for Republican presidents, Democratic governors, and flip flops on US Senators.

School Board Decision Paves Way for More Diversity

The Covid-19 pandemic has greatly affected everyone in 2020 and will affect us for years to come. I will leave some of the national debate about the economic stress, masks, hydroxychloroquine, or other issues to the pundits. On a local level, the recent potential 18-week decision by the Lenoir County School Board exposed a servant leadership deficit catching parents, teachers and even administrators by surprise.

Midnight Blog: Guess this approaching 40 thing is becoming a reality.

On Friday night I went to bed much earlier than usual. Guess this approaching 40 thing is becoming a reality. 🤣 However, I woke up in the middle of the night with multiple things weighing on my mind. Things like the Lenoir County School Board, my upcoming 40th birthday and the 2020 elections.

So, about last month...

Have you ever had something gnaw at you long enough that you finally had to address it?

Last month the City of Kinston requested that Neuse News run a Public Notice informing the community of the proposed Fiscal Year 2020-2021 budget. Having served for eight years as mayor, I know the budget process and numbers well. Glaring to me was the proposed $26,100 increase in the mayor and council’s salary line item. Surely that was a mistake. Surely in a time like this that would not be on the table.

Church and technology

I am so happy to see many churches using the tools available to them to get their message out this morning. This progression is NECESSARY for the growth of the church and I hope they'll continue to improve.

blogBJ MurphyMarch 15, 2020church, technology, coronavirus, bj murphy, bjmurphy360

Liberals and conservatives are neighbors too

Yes, conservatives can have liberal friends and liberals can have conservative friends.

blogBJ MurphyDecember 22, 2019Neuse Newspolitics, republicans, democrats, tik tok, neuse news, bjmurphy360, bj murphy

Education: Consider what path is best for you

There are 30 million jobs in the U.S. that pay an average of $55,000 per year and don’t require a bachelor’s degree. I’m big on following your passion and going all-in on your strengths. I want to see students spend less time and money trying to be like their parents or their peers.

blogBJ MurphyNovember 25, 2019bj murphy, bjmurphy360, education, college, community college, university, jobs, student, teenagers, gen z

The importance of intent

As I’ve studied social media and the practices of other companies, I continue to find that most small businesses are not taking advantage of this incredible phenomenon called social media.

blogBJ MurphySeptember 24, 2019bj murphy, bjmurphy360, entrepreneur, neuse news, magic mile media, sm3 summit, social media, marketing, small business

Thoughts on democracy, leadership and social media

Kudos to the people of Hong Kong. And, shame on us.

blogBJ MurphyAugust 20, 2019bj murphy, bjmurphy360, america, hong kong, magic mile media, north carolina, 2020 election, neuse news, sm

One Year Later

A year ago, a few friends set out to take something we’ve all been used to – daily news publication – and conform it to what the market is really saying…and do it with zero cost to the consumer. Neuse News Publisher BJ Murphy looks back at milestones in the development of Neuse News, where it is now, and what’s ahead.