North Carolina – Republicans
Bridge to Nowhere
A TAPster calls attention to a bill before the General Assembly titled “Upgrade Security Services-Government Complex” and observes: “It calls for x-ray machines and metal detectors for state buildings downtown. It calls for EMTs on staff. This is all sounds really good. But it allows up to 1 million dollars to cover the walkway…
Read MoreLast in Education
Republicans have opened the doors of opportunity for Governor Perdue. And missed a golden opportunity for themselves. Perdue can now say – according to State Board of Education Chairman Bill Harrison – that the Republican budget cuts would make North Carolina LAST in the nation in per-pupil education funding. We can’t even say…
Read MoreA Breath of Fresh Air
For the last ten years – girding their loins for this year’s redistricting battle – over in the State Legislature Republicans have been telling anyone who’ll listen that the Democrats should set up an ‘Independent Commission’ to draw new House and Senate districts. What they had in mind was simple: They didn’t want Democrats to…
Read MoreDavy Jones’ Locker
In theory state law says the maximum contribution you or I or anyone else can give a State House or Senate candidate is $4,000 per election – but it turns out legislators left a loophole in the law. Say a group – like the Medical Society – gives Senator Louis Pate $4,000. Then…
Read MorePolice Envy…
Of all things there’s another ‘concealed carry’ bill over at the legislature…this time Speaker Thom Tillis’ Chief of Staff, Charles Thomas, and State Senate Kingpin Tom Apodaca want to allow the Sergeants-at-Arms in the legislature to carry concealed pistols. Supporting the bill, Thomas explained to the Senate Rules Committee that arming the Sergeants-at-Arms will…
Read MorePawns to Queen’s Turf
Look on the House budget proposal as the first move in a political chess match. The strategy: Lay out the most draconian cuts possible, guaranteed to bring to Raleigh every special interest group in the state – a chorus of voices denouncing, declaiming and pleading. Then come up with some magic moves –…
Read MoreGive Me a Ticket on a Fast Train…
The corporate-wing of the State Republican Party, led by Charlotte Senator Bob Rucho, has come out four-square for Governor Perdue taking $545 million from the federal government to build ‘high-speed’ railroad tracks from Raleigh and Charlotte. Governors in several other states turned down the federal money, but Senator Rucho explained that ‘snubbing the federal…
Read MoreOverstaffed?
I received the missive below from a veteran of the Legislative Building. I should note that the author is not a yellow-dog Democrat, but rather someone who is sympathetic to the new Republican majority and its (supposed) agenda. “Long-time legislative observers are scratching their heads trying to remember if they’ve ever seen a staff person…
Read MoreDecisive Action…Washington Style
Nothing’s given and nothing’s certain but it sure looks like the government is not going to close down at midnight – instead, it looks like President Obama and the Democrats have won their fight with John Boehner and company. Congress is staring a $1.5 trillion deficit (and a $3.5 trillion budget) in the eye.…
Read MoreWolves and Sheep
We’re about to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the April morning in 1861 when a hot-head (some would say fool) in Charleston pulled the lanyard on a cannon and started what old southern maiden aunts used to delicately call ‘The Late Unpleasantness.’ A lot’s been said and written about why we ended up fighting…
Read More