North Carolina – Republicans
Somnambulance
Horrified by the vision of legions of fired Democratic state employees, back when Jim Martin was elected Governor, Democrats changed the law so Martin couldn’t fire much of anyone – then announced (with a show of virtue) they’d gotten nasty old politics out of the state government. But the best laid plans of…
Read MoreThe Origin of Teacher Assistants
Here’s some history on teacher assistants – and a hint about why Senate Republicans want to get rid of them: They’re Jim Hunt’s creation. In his first race for Governor in 1976, Hunt proposed what he called the Primary Reading Program. As Lieutenant Governor and ex-officio member of the State Board of Education, he…
Read MoreHandcuffs, Gears and Ferris Wheels
The sound of handcuffs clicking onto more sit-in protesters echoes the grinding gears of North Carolina’s political machinery. Those shackled, disgruntled citizens apparently feel they have no other way to protest how Republicans are treating the poor, the sick, the disabled, teachers, etc. But one reader of this blog writes: “No group is…
Read MoreTax for Teachers?
As Democrats look to counter Senate Republicans on teacher pay, they should look outside the revenue box. The 11 percent raise/end tenure plan caught the headlines and seemed to catch Democrats (and Governor McCrory) off guard. Democrats responded that the plan would gut education, UNC and Medicaid to fund an election-year pay raise that…
Read MoreTenure Trap
If you did a poll – and Senator Berger surely has – you’d probably get overwhelming support for this proposition: “Should public school teachers get an 11 per cent raise in exchange for giving up tenure?” Therein lies the challenge to Senate Democrats. Berger says: “You say you want higher teacher pay. Here it…
Read MoreNastiness
On Election Day my cousin Winifred who’s pure steel magnolia walked into the voting booth, stared at the names of the three judges running for Supreme Court, remembered the Republican ad saying Judge Robin Hudson was for child molesters, thought, I’ve seen enough of that kind of nastiness, and did something she’d never…
Read MoreTempting Women, Again
To get their votes, the politicians are up to a lot more than just promising women the ‘power’ to fulfill their heart’s desires – listen to the serenade Democrats are singing: If you vote for Kay Hagan, Democrats say, you’ll get more pay and equal pay and health care and birth control and education and,…
Read MoreTempting Women
According to the newspaper one super powerful group is going to pick the winner in the Senate race: Women. Not money. Or virtue. Or sin. But Women. Which, of course, if you’re a woman, may sound like floozy flattery. Or if you’re a woman, and a tad skeptical, you might be wondering,…
Read MoreNew Wrinkle, Old Politics
There are scads of Super PACs running around attacking Thom Tillis or Kay Hagan so one more came as no surprise except when Planned Parenthood said it was going to whack Tillis I thought, Whoever heard of a government-funded group spending $3.3 million on a Super PAC? It didn’t seem quite right. Planned Parenthood spending taxpayers’ money…
Read MoreFrick and frack
Gary is taking a break from blogging. Here’s one from a Tapster. The Senate’s headlong rush this week to jumpstart hydraulic fracturing in North Carolina proves they’ve learned absolutely nothing from the Dan River coal ash spill. Senate Republicans say they want to create jobs and stimulate home-grown energy, and the sooner the better…
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