NC Legislative actions drag our state backward

Raleigh Felton
06/17 03:32 PM

Can you please reference what legislation you are talking about that will set our state backwards? Which bills are you talking about from above? I am still reading through the budget so would like to know which bills legislation you are talking about, thanks.

As far as the education cuts:

* Eliminate school custodial positions. Some schools have custodians on staff while others contract with a company for the work.

* Eliminate more Central Service positions — employees who aren’t based at school. But even then, Tata pointed to how a recent outside audit had found Wake’s administrative staffing to be extremely lean.

http://www.newsobserver.com/2011/06/17/1280702/wake-not-expecting-to-lay-off.html#ixzz1PYiEtQB4

I don’t believe that throwing more money at our educational system is going to fix the problem. I believe our overall educational system needs to be overhauled…

Overall, I am more alarmed with running deficits. I believe we need cuts across the board and these educational cuts do not seem all that bad to me?

George
06/17 04:53 PM

Quadruple agreed. Thanks for posting this, Andrew. I have written about some of the specific legislation at dirtygreek.org. Aside from the budget issues, they’re attempting to make voters present a photo ID (clearly an attempt to disenfranchise poor voters) and ban sunday voting (when african american churches typically organize voting drives)

8thgrade
06/18 12:55 PM

Oh No!!!  Not legislation to present a photo ID!!!  You can’t take a crap anymore without showing your ID, but you can vote?  That makes sense.  Get real and start using common sense. 

NR needs to WAKE UP!  These articles are junk.

ct
06/18 02:20 PM

I don’t agree with everything the General Assembly has done, nor do I oppose everything. I certainly don’t believe the sky is falling. Like it or not, the General Assembly is doing the will of the people as expressed in the November 2010 election—those who bothered to vote, anyway. Voters get another opportunity to express themselves in 2012; if the majority doesn’t like what the General Assembly (or the Governor) did, the other Party will be delighted to un-do it. Readers may also want to look at http://tinyurl.com/fhb3d from ,the Arizona Republic (the daily Phoenix newspaper) about how many states are ranked 49th in education spending.

Susan Aramsly
06/18 06:13 PM

One of the major industries in NC is tourism. People come to this state for the clean beaches, clean air (except in the Piedmont and,in particular, Wake County). The legislature is encouraging off-shore drilling and is making environmental regulation more difficult. Both S781 and the budget will prevent regulations from exceeding Federal regulations, which, in many cases, are too weak.

Many jobs and the economy of much of the state, particularly the tourist dependent areas such as the coast and mountains, are threatened.

Susan A.
06/18 06:16 PM

For ct and others who think the General Assembly is doing what the people want, see:
http://www.publicpolicypolling.com/pdf/PPP_Release_NC_0614.pdf

Aaron
06/18 06:46 PM

I hope the lot of you were protesting on May 3rd and with the NAACP as well. Lots of talk but no action.

George
06/18 07:28 PM

See, I disagree that they’re actually representing the will of the people who voted for them. People seem to always think republicans are somehow more moderate than they really are. They always seem surprised and unhappy when republicans end up voting to kill of governmental programs that a lot of them support or use, for instance.  Most of the public, republicans included, poll pretty clearly against cutting medicare, social security, the EPA, etc.  The republicans go out of the
ir way to pretend that’s NOT what they want to do, then they do it anyway.

George
06/18 07:29 PM

“I hope the lot of you were protesting on May 3rd and with the NAACP as well. Lots of talk but no action.”

So… the only way it’s ok to argue against something is if you’ve been to a protest?

ct
06/18 10:42 PM

I didn’t say that the GA is doing what people (in general) want; I say they’re doing what the majority of people who voted in 2010 wanted at that time. Look, I’m a Democrat and I wish 2010 had turned out differently. I’m sorry to say that Republican party leads and activists beat the brains out of their Democrat counterparts in that cycle. Were there voters who falsely believed that they were electing moderate Republicans? Maybe, but look at the 2010 and 2008 results for House District 41 (where I live). 2010: 19K votes for the winning Republican, 17K votes for the Democrat. 2008: 31K votes for the winning Democrat, 27K votes for the Republican. Republican votes down 30% from 2008 to 2010, but Democrat votes down by a whopping 45%. Same thing happened in district after district. Truth is, a very large portion of those 19K Republican voters are getting precisely what they wanted; they’re the Republican base.

Susan Aramsly
06/18 11:48 PM

Aaron: “I hope the lot of you were protesting on May 3rd and with the NAACP as well. Lots of talk but no action.”

For many people, going to protests is not an option. I travel for a living and was in a different part of the country. Many other people have limitations that prevent them from attending protests.

And there is the question of whether or not a protest is worth the time. Assume that for many people, attending a protest will take two hours - not just the time at the protest but the time to get ready, to travel to the site, etc. How many phone calls could be made in that time? I have frequently called the offices of elected officials. Typically within 6 minutes or less I can leave a message with a staff member. So in two hours I could make at least 20 calls.

Which is more effective-500 people at a protest or 10,000 calls to offices, with the people calling knowing the bill number and perhaps the section of the bill, and comments to show that the bill has been read and understood.

“Action” should be action to get results, not just to feel good.

JeffS
06/19 02:22 AM

The will of the people eh?

So the majority of North Carolinians wanted to fire 30,000 state employees in the name of job creation? They wanted to help corporations avoid paying taxes? They wanted to increase pollution in the state?

Don’t know what’s being discussed and passed? It’s all right here: http://www.ncga.state.nc.us/legislation/BillReports.html

It takes less time to read the actual bills than it does to read the sporadic blog posts about them. This sessions Republican generated bills can be summed up quite easily.

1) subsidize corporations of all shape and size, but especially large ones
2) eliminate all government agencies they (or their corporate backers) do not agree with
3) impose their morality on the private life of the citizens

Of course there are some outliers, but these three encompass the vast majority.

frank
06/19 03:18 AM

we’re all doomed since they’ve let the retards take control of the short bus.

john b
06/19 10:32 PM

I am very happy to give the Republicans a chance. It HAS been more than a hundred years. AND isn’t NC still near 50th in education? Shouldn’t we go another direction?  Medicaid and employee benefits are probably the budget busters if you want to get down to hard decisions.

Carl
06/19 11:40 PM

”  employee benefits are probably the budget busters “
...
Uh ... maybe YOUR benefits, John.

Giveme abreak
06/20 03:43 PM

“I hope the lot of you were protesting on May 3rd and with the NAACP as well. Lots of talk but no action.”

Typical response.  Go out and protest with Rev BarBQ while the rest of us work to pay your taxes and mortgages…

Stop waiting for the Government to bail you out.  Spend that time you use to complain finding a job or working like the rest of us.

All that “Hope” from ‘08 ain’t working out for you, but let’s trash the new direction in NC that has been under DEM control for how long?

Dr Jones
06/20 04:17 PM

I have never met a Republican that wasn’t an all around terrible person.

George
06/20 04:20 PM

“Go out and protest with Rev BarBQ while the rest of us work to pay your taxes and mortgages”

Wow, that’s some seriously racist shit man.  I hope you don’t talk that way in public and only do so in private, though I wish racists didn’t exist at all. How depressing that you feel it’s necessary to be that way.

“I have never met a Republican that wasn’t an all around terrible person. “

I have some really lovely friends and family who are republicans.  It doesn’t automatically make you a bad person in my eyes, but whoever “Giveme abreak” is, he’s definitely a bad person.

Aaron
06/20 04:22 PM

“Typical response.  Go out and protest with Rev BarBQ while the rest of us work to pay your taxes and mortgages…
Stop waiting for the Government to bail you out.  Spend that time you use to complain finding a job or working like the rest of us.
All that “Hope” from ‘08 ain’t working out for you, but let’s trash the new direction in NC that has been under DEM control for how long?”

Typical retort. God forbid the poor corps. would have to pay pennies more to save public jobs. I don’t get the fiscal conservative/social conservative idea that somehow cutting the public sector and causing job loss is okay in a recession.  We don’t live in a welfare state, my man, we live in a Corporate Welfare State. You got what you wanted out of 2012 I suppose.

john b
06/20 04:23 PM

Dr Jones. I know you are just seeking attention, but that is the 2nd stupidest thing I have ever heard.

Aaron
06/20 04:25 PM

Excuse me, 2010 (mid-term elections) is what I meant.

Marky Mark
06/20 07:31 PM

Ummmm….you guys do know that Purdue is probably going to veto a lot of these bills, and the Repubs would need Democratic help to over-ride said veto, right?

Yay for hyperbole and exaggerations! It’s always fun to see the liberals using Fox News type tactics.

Aaron
06/20 07:38 PM

Ummmm….5 Democrats sided with Republicans on the budget to help a veto-override. So the fear is that if those 5 sided with them, what more Democrats are going to come out of the woodwork and side with Republicans on other bills? Where have you been the past week?

George
06/20 08:02 PM

Man, sorry Marky Mark. I missed the meeting where it was determined that you don’t have to worry about legislatures passing laws you disagree with as long as the executive might veto them if a few democrats don’t help the republicans override the veto like they did on the budget. Phew! Now I can go eat my granola and kombucha soup happily.  Will you make sure and notify me when it’s ok to disagree with draconian conservative initiatives again, since you’re the authority and all?

boring me
06/20 08:10 PM

These comments are funny.  Racists… let’s throw that word around, because it is easy to fling when we have no other argument.  This website writes some crap, but the comments are truely hilarious.  Does anyone here actually have a job?  Note, you don’t have to answer that. I will not be back anytime soon.  thanks for the laughs.

mark
06/20 08:26 PM

they always come back

George
06/20 08:37 PM

“Boring me,” you don’t think references to “Rev BBQ” are meant to be racist? How else exactly is one to take that? What exactly can one “argue” against what the person who used that name said?

I am a software developer in Winston-Salem, and I make $60,000 per year. I have a BS in Computer Science from NC State and a MA from UNCG.  I’m not sure what that has to do with my politics; surely you don’t think liberals are all unemployed…

Aaron
06/20 08:42 PM

Throwing around about people not having jobs as a way to rectify a baseless argument. You’re in the same boat as all of us son, arguing politics from the safety of the home.  Oh, and, I work for a non-profit, Mr. Arm Chair Patriot.

George
06/21 12:32 AM

Damn dirty unwashed hippies! That’s all that votes for them demoncrats! Obviously over half of the country (at least) is unemployed and living on the dole!

JeffS
06/21 01:09 AM

It is widely known that conservative beliefs are not fact based. What’s more, confronting them with a fact-based argument only serves to strengthen their beliefs in their existing positions.

In short, there’s really no reasoning with them. The only hope you have is to send them back to school, since there is a proven correlation between education and being a political liberal, trusting scientific research, religion and a host of other items.

Confronted with these facts, the typical conservative would probably tell you that the education system is brainwashing kids - that this is the only way they could possibly reject their own belief system based solely on faith. Faith that what the people around them are telling them is correct.

It couldn’t possibly be that these people have learned to think for themselves, might actually be paying attention to what’s going on; might have actually read a non-fiction book since they graduated from school.

No, it’s much easier to adopt an us vs them mentality. What the average lower middle-class Republican fails to realize is that economically, they have much more in common with the stereotypical poor deadbeats than they do the corporate elite of their own party. Not that understanding this would really change a thing, since their party has become quite adept at manipulating them via social issues, primarily fear. Fear of terrorists, Muslims, blacks, hispanics, Cadillac driving welfare moms, tree-huggers, hippies, or maybe just the Prius driver whom they are certain wants to take away their Expedition.

Yes, I am stereotyping, and yes there are exceptions. Prove me wrong with your ability to intelligently discuss an issue. Show me that you have actually read the legislation you are arguing for, the constitution you claim to support, and the bible from which you draw your morality and maybe then we can have a real conversation. It would be a refreshing change from the name-calling and parroting of party lines so common on the internet these days.

The Pit
06/21 05:28 PM

bbq=size

Susan Aramsly
06/21 05:52 PM

George,
Most of the people must then be “Damn dirty unwashed hippies!” Check out the poll athttp://www.publicpolicypolling.com/pdf/PPP_Release_NC_0614.pdf
If you look at the cross tabs, you will see that even the moderates favor Democrats over Republicans for the legislature.
Susan

George
06/21 05:53 PM

Susan, I hope you were able to tell I was being sarcastic. Scroll up a bit and read my other comments

TellTillis
06/22 07:21 PM

Speaker Tillis gave half his staff fat raises (as high as $30,000) while the legislature was cutting education funding. Go to www.telltillis.com to tell Tillis what you think and sign a petition telling him to give that money back to the taxpayers!

Susan
06/22 09:13 PM

George,
I scrolled up and saw your earlier comments and now realize that you were being sarcastic. Unfortunately there are people who really think that way.

Dr Jones
06/23 11:26 AM

conservativism is a mental illness.

Dennie
06/23 04:35 PM

George, I hate to agree with boring me, but I don’t see anything racist about Rev BBQ.  Have you seen the guy?  He is 1 hushpuppy away from a heart attack.  White Black green or yellow, BBQ has nothing to do with race.  Your arguments are weak and make us Dems look bad throwing around Fox News/MSNBC type arguments.  Get your head out of your arse and open your eyes.

George
06/23 04:53 PM

Ha, sorry to hear you feel that way Dennie, and if his comments weren’t racist then I apologize for assuming they were - but surely you can see how a conservative in the south referencing BBQ when talking about the NAACP could be construed as racist.  I’m not sure what other arguments I’ve made that you consider “weak,” but since you didn’t specify any of them or any arguments against them, and since you attempted to make MSNBC and Fox sound like they are equally credible, I’m just going to ignore the rest of your comment anyway.

WILLNCSU
06/24 11:04 AM

Look, I am libertarian so I cant stand when the republicans run on fiscal issues and then start passing ridiculous laws about social issues.  That being said, The budget had to be cut, extensively.  There just isn’t any money.  No matter where the Republicans cut, democrats were going to pretend like the sky was falling.  Democrats would have probably cut the same things anyway.  Also, why would it be ridiculous to require an ID to vote?  You need an ID for everything now anyway.  RevBBQ is not a racist statement.  It is fattist.  People who constantly cry racism are pathetic.

George
06/24 11:10 AM

“Also, why would it be ridiculous to require an ID to vote?”

Read some of the research and articles on the subject.  Not only does it obviously curtail the ability of those with few transportation options and money the ability to vote easily, it costs the state tons of money, because in order for the law to not be considered an unconstitutional poll tax, they have to give free IDs to those who can’t pay for them.  This means more bureaucracy, longer waits at the DMV, etc. 

“The state of Indiana, which this bill is modeled after, experienced a large demand for free ID’s.  From 2007-2010, Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles issued 771,017 free photo ID’s.  The state had to spend over $10 million to provide the IDs, which is significantly more money than the state had budgeted for.”
http://www.commoncause.org/atf/cf/{fb3c17e2-cdd1-4df6-92be-bd4429893665}/VOTER ID COST REVIEW.PDF

People who constantly cry racism are pathetic… but I made one comment calling something racist, and I retracted it when the comment was explained.

And no, the budget doesn’t HAVE to be cut to help out the deficit. Taxes could also be raised on the wealthy. I’m not saying one is better than the other, but to say “the budget had to be cut” and completely ignore that taxes could be raised just shows your hand.

George
06/24 11:12 AM

Also, the voter ID laws are being passed in conjunction with bans on Sunday voting (when black churches traditionally do “souls to the polls” voting drives and shortening of early voting periods.  When you put those together with voter ID laws that will obviously mean the young,the poor, and the less educated will have an extra step they have to deal with before voting, what does that spell?

newwinston.com
06/24 12:08 PM

So George, we should continue to spend on anything/ everything and the rich people will pick up the tab?

George
06/24 12:10 PM

Ah yes, that is exactly what I said, Mr. Strawman.

No, definitely not.  However, to say that we MUST cut government programs at all costs and make poor people pay for that by taking the support they need away from them is equally stupid.  There needs to be a middle of the road solution that involves SOME cuts and SOME tax increases.

WILLNCSU
06/24 01:33 PM

I disagree about tax increases, they should be a last resort during an economic downturn.  Yes, even on the rich who can afford it.  They may not always create jobs when given tax cuts (I agree this is a myth) but they will definitely take them away when taxes go up. 

I agree with you on Sunday voting.  That is ridiculous.  Sunday is the same as every other day and its ridiculous to give it any kind of special legal status. 

I don’t care about Indiana, I still think its ridiculous that ANYONE does not have identification today.  Apparently you can still do absentee ballots so money and transportation ability are a non issue.  Look, if I have to show ID to buy beer or cold medicine, its not asking much for people to show ID to vote. 

By the young, the poor and LESS EDUCATED, you mean democrats right?  (you set that one right up, I had no choice)

Richard Slater
06/24 01:46 PM

Great article. I agree with all of your comments except for the id for voting. I moved here from Ireland and became a citizen here in 1995. I thought it very strange that I could walk into a polling booth and not have to produce any id. It makes no sense to me whatsoever. I realize that this goes against the “party line”, but there it is…

George
06/24 02:01 PM

There is essentially no evidence that people go in and vote as someone else.  It’s a made-up issue, and forcing people to have ID only makes it harder for people to vote while providing no real security, since the problem itself just doesn’t really happen.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/12/washington/12fraud.html

Oh, and in many of these new laws, democrats tried to get student ID to be allowed as valid ID, and republicans voted against that. Why do you think that is?

“By the young, the poor and LESS EDUCATED, you mean democrats right? “
In most cases, the young and poor are democrats, yes, but the less educated are usually republicans. I would like to preserve the rights of all citizens to vote as easily as possible, regardless of party affiliation. I’m actually not a democrat, believe it or not, but an independent.  I often vote democrat but have also voted green, libertarian, and republican. Unfortunately though, in the last few years, republicans have gone completely insane and have become totally unelectable in my mind.

educated voter
06/24 05:59 PM

moron

George
06/24 06:04 PM

Hooray for ad hominem!

JeffS
06/24 06:12 PM

Richard, I’m not so sure that most democrats are necessarily against voter ID, they’re just against the reasons why Republicans are pushing for it.

In this age, it’s clear that no one steals elections this way. So what problem are we trying to solve? And why are we spending legislature time trying to solve it?

This goes along with the reduced voting hours that have been pushed through. The simple fact that Republicans are pushing legislation for the express purpose of swaying results is reason enough to oppose it.

BTW, an “educated” voter would have more than a one-word retort. How sad it is that I automatically know the party affiliation of someone who has resorted to name-calling on a blog comment.

john b
06/27 08:43 PM

Why would someone try to live without a proper ID?  You can’t buy beer, see an R movie, buy cigarettes, fly in a plane, get something notarized, or DRIVE!!
George cited an article to prove voter fraud is not a problem…here is an excerpt   -Mistakes and lapses in enforcing voting and registration rules routinely occur in elections, allowing thousands of ineligible voters to go to the polls.—                        weren’t 90,000 soldiers ballots not counted in the 2008 election?

George
06/27 08:56 PM

“Mistakes and lapses in enforcing voting and registration rules routinely occur in elections, allowing thousands of ineligible voters to go to the polls.”

That says ineligible voters went to the polls, not that people went and pretended to be someone else. That’s saying people who weren’t supposed to be on the voter roles were on it for some reason.  Whether they would have had to show an ID or not is irrelevant.

“weren’t 90,000 soldiers ballots not counted in the 2008 election? “

I never heard about that, but that also doesn’t have to do with IDs.

“Why would someone try to live without a proper ID?”

I don’t think you have a grasp for how hard life is when you are destitute and hungry. We are talking about the poor here for the most part - Notarized? I’ve only had to get about 1 thing notarized in my life, and I’m 30.  The poor don’t go to movies or fly on planes. They scrape and try to feed themselves and their families.

JeffS
06/27 09:19 PM

“Why would someone try to live without a proper ID?  You can’t buy beer, see an R movie, buy cigarettes, fly in a plane, get something notarized, or DRIVE!! “

As if any of those were necessary for a fulfilling life. That you don’t realize how many people in this country don’t drive says something about your understanding of the situation.

George
06/27 09:22 PM

Jeff - exactly. Thank you. This is unfortunately “one of those things” that seem one way when you just glance at them but take on a whole new level when you actually look into them.

Unfortunately for those in these situations (but fortunately for us), most have never had a problem putting food on the table.  That it’s so difficult to understand is a testament to our modern world. However, many do still go hungry, and sometimes so do their children.