Capital Politics
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Weiss issued this statement today:
For the past twelve years, it has been a tremendous honor and privilege for me to represent the people of Wake County in the North Carolina House. Over the years, I have knocked on thousands of doors across the Triangle and listened to the views, concerns and suggestions of my constituents. I have worked with my colleagues to improve education and to prepare our workforce for 21st century jobs. I have fought to protect the health and safety of our children, senior citizens in our state and people with mental and physical disabilities. I have been a staunch advocate for public health and I have worked to preserve our air and water quality and to sustain and improve our quality of life.I have decided not to file for re-election in 2012. This has been a difficult decision for me but I feel that it is time for me to take a break from politics, pursue some of my other interests and spend more time with my family and friends. Serving in the NC House has been one of the greatest opportunities in my life. Not only have I had a seat at the table, and a voice and a vote to promote policies that I believe in, I have also met remarkable people who care deeply about helping to move our state forward.
I will always be grateful to the people of the Triangle and across the State of NC who gave me the opportunity to serve in the NC House and provided me with help, advice and support. I feel very fortunate to have served under the leadership of former Speaker Hackney who continues to serve our state with distinction.
I am confident that there will be a strong Democratic candidate running in House District 41 who will launch an effective campaign for the NC House and who will provide the new district with the leadership needed to make NC more competitive in the global economy and to address the critical needs of our state.
I am honored to represent my constituents through the end of this year. No matter what the future holds, I will continue to advocate for policies that move NC in a positive direction.
Thursday, February 2, 2012
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
- NOAA's measuring the shockwaves
I know I'm feeling it. The earth is rumbling, my friend. I can sense the tremors, but it's not an earthquake. No, it's that groundswell of political support that comes with a politician at campaign season ... and the ground is swelling at the same time for so many Democratic candidates for so many offices that the cumulative impact is literally nerve-jangling.
Just today, I learned there's a groundswell of support for Hampton Dellinger to run again for lieutenant governor. The Indy endorsed him in the '08 Lt. Gov. primary; he ran second to current Lt. Gov. Walter Dalton. Dalton is, of course, running for governor, having come through the crack in the earth caused by Bev. Perdue's withdrawal.
You can read about the DraftHampton movement here: DraftHampton.pdf
You'll be forgiven if you've confused it with the groundswell of support for Ken Lewis to run for lieutenant governor.
They're both lawyers from Durham.
Linda Coleman, not a lawyer from Durham, is also generating a groundswell for lieutenant governor, or so I hear. She's a former Wake County Commissioner and a former member of the State House of Representatives.
Speaking of the House, Keith Karlsson felt the groundswell before he announced his candidacy for a House seat from District 49.
That's not to be confused with District 38, where (so far) the earth's been moved for Abeni El-Amin and Lee Sartain. Lindy Brown, for whom a groundswell was also reported, was running in District 38 before either of them. (Corrected as to the district number.)
And the ground is still shaking in House District 11, where Duane Hall's groundswell of support (Chris Corchiani!) caused him to get in the race.
Who am I missing?
Monday, January 30, 2012
Congressman Brad Miller, who stepped aside last week for David Price, is in the thick of the speculation about replacing Bev Perdue on the Democratic ticket.
Today, Miller said he's undecided about running in the primary for governor. But:
“I had not given the first thought to running for governor before Thursday. Shortly after Governor Perdue’s announcement, I began receiving unsolicited encouragement to run.
I have worked on national issues for the last nine years, but I spent eight years in the legislature and I care a lot about state issues.
In addition to the calls and e-mails I’ve received without asking, I’ve made a few calls to people who have supported me in the past. I am encouraged that if I do decide to run, I would begin with a credible base and would be able to put together a campaign quickly.”
Friday, October 28, 2011
[Updatedx3] Capitol cops arrest 8 @OccupyRaleigh when disabled woman remains seated
- photo by Bob Geary
- Margaret Schucker as she was arrested by State Capitol cops; RPD officers stood by (the light blue uniforms) but did not make the arrests
[Update3, Friday, 1:30 p.m. In response to the question I raised in the piece below, i.e., whether the Capitol Police acted at Gov. Perdue's instigation and, if so, why? ...
Here's the response I received from Mark Johnson, Gov. Perdue's spokesman:
It goes without saying that Gov. Perdue supports citizens' rights to express their First Amendment freedoms. Gov. Perdue also believes that all North Carolinians must have the right to enjoy the historic State Capitol. In order to ensure that all citizens can enjoy the Capitol grounds — including the schoolchildren who visit regularly — the sidewalks in front of the Capitol must remain open. The Department of Administration (DOA) is the agency responsible for maintaining and caring for public property, including the historic State Capitol. The Governor trusts Sec. Carey and his team to handle those responsibilities appropriately.DOA did advise the Governor's office yesterday that it intended to ensure that the state's policy of keeping the sidewalks in front of the State Capitol free and open was carried out. DOA made clear, however, that those citizens gathered on the sidewalk would not be required to leave.
[Update2: 10:45 p.m. A long night. There was no General Assembly. About 30-40 people were at the Capitol, but maybe 50 more went to the Wake jail to show solidarity with the arrested 8. Processing and releasing the 8 took awhile. Four of them, I understand, were charged with simple trespass and released without bail — including Margaret and Kat. Four, apparently the ones who sat in front of them, were charged with resisting arrest as well as trespass, and they were required to post $500 bail, which took awhile to raise. Resisting? I was there. Give that one a #bogus. Anyway, a small group at the Capitol was planning to stay on the sidewalk overnight, despite lack of bedding, chairs, supplies. As I was leaving, someone drove up with doughnuts. Good call.]
Update: 5:15 p.m. I'm back from the Capitol. After the order went out from State Capitol Police Chief Scott Hunter for OccupyRaleigh folks to get their stuff off the sidewalk, most of them did — but Margaret Schucker didn't. By stuff, the police meant all the supplies (food, water, medical) and all the chairs, sleeping bags and blankets the group has assembled (a lot of it donated) over the 12-day period. Also, the signs they'd stuck on the barricades supplied by the Raleigh Police Department.
So here was the problem. Schucker has a very bad back and a disability tag to prove it. She needs her chair. She wasn't blocking the sidewalk, Hunter's stated purpose for having chairs etcetera removed. (And in fact Hunter insisted he didn't want to arrest anybody, and everyone was free to remain on the sidewalk, but for some reason their $10 chairs had to go.)
So Schucker stayed put. The Raleigh police arrived with a trailer and took the barricades away, leaving all the signs in a heap. By then, the Occupy force had swelled to about 60 and they were chanting things like, "This is what democracy looks like, this is what a police state looks like," but as Hunter said, compliance with his order was excellent — except for Schucker.
And then a woman named Katina Gad sat in a chair next to Schucker, and they waited. And the Occupy group gathered around them, and by then about two dozen cops — half Capitol police, half RPD — were on the scene, waiting.
Finally, as Hunter's cops moved in, a half-dozen folks in the the Occupy group sat down in front of Schucker and Gad, and let themselves be arrested. Then Gad was arrested; and Schucker, helped out of her chair by a pair of Capitol police officers, was arrested. The charge was trespass on state property.
Hunter earlier told reporters he was acting on orders from "the property owner," which he identified as the N.C. Department of Administration. A DOA official, Tony Jordan, was on the scene. But Jordan reports to DOA Secretary Moses Carey, and Carey reports to Gov. Bev Perdue. And early on, Perdue made it clear — repeatedly — that she hates surprises and doesn't like to hear afterwards about controversial decisions her administration has made.
Thus, it would seem that Perdue gave the order — or approved it, anyway — for the Capitol police to move on the OccupyRaleigh group. We'll see.
What this means for the OccupyRaleigh effort is uncertain. In truth, the group was having trouble sustaining overnight occupations, though the evening General Assemblies were drawing a steady 40-60 people. Now, without supplies or anything to sleep in, it seems like overnight stays are impossible. But General Assemblies aren't, and per Hunter's statements, nothing stands in the way of folks coming periodically to "occupy," if not the Capitol grounds, at least the sidewalk.
But no people with disabilities?
As I was leaving, Stacie Borrello, one of the original organizers, was arriving with her little boy in her arms. She said there will be a General Assembly in the usual place — on the Morgan Street sidewalk — at 6:30. A contingent, about 25 folks, were there already. Another, about as big, had walked to the Wake County Jail to await the release of Schucker, Gad & the others.
Here's the original blog post from earlier this afternoon:
Just got a call, and a string of tweets: The Occupy Raleigh folks, assembled peaceably on the sidewalk south of the State Capitol for 12 days, were told a half hour ago to get out by the Capitol cops. (Not the Raleigh P.D., that's a different organization.) Tweeters are asking for sympathizers to show up and be counted. I'm headed that way in a few.
Just when we were so pleased about Raleigh not being like Oakland.
By the way, Jeremy Gilchrist of Carrboro and OccupyRaleigh, respectively, has written an anthem for the movement. He's sharing it — you can hear it — here. "There's a Rising on Wall Street." Sounds good. "The right side of love and history."
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
The Republican plan for congressional districts puts Raleigh Democrat Brad Miller in the crosshairs, no doubt about it. As much as the GOP's plan is aimed at replacing other Democrats too (Larry Kissell, Heath Shuler, Mike McIntyre), Miller is their Enemy No. 1. That said, they may have gone too far in trying to eliminate him, meaning Miller just might survive the Republican putsch.
Two points, one on Miller's residence and the second on the likely illegality of the GOP's proposed District 13 (clarifying: the likely illegality of District 1, with direct impacts on District 13) under the Voting Rights Act, Section 5:
1) The Republican plan essentially puts Miller into the same district (District 4) with Congressman David Price, a fellow Democrat. That's not literally the case. The Republican map pulls most of Miller's current District 13 out of Raleigh, but it leaves behind a little bubble around the apartment complex off Wake Forest Road where Miller's been living since his divorce.
(If you haven't seen the GOP map, I've copied it below with a link to a larger pdf from the General Assembly website.)
Leaving the little bubble of Raleigh behind allows the Republicans to say, and causes the media to repeat, that Miller continues to reside in their proposed District 13, even though this new District 13 would not include most of Miller's old state Senate district, nor his old state House district, nor most of the city — Raleigh — that's been his home base for the last three decades.
In fact, Miller's political base — and the house he lived in until his divorce — are in the new District 4, Price's district. So, ironically, is the part of Fayetteville where Miller grew up and where some members of his family, including his mother, still live. (District 4 is quite a mess in its own right.)
Thus, I would say that for all practical purposes the GOPs have thrown Price, a 70-year old congressman first elected to the House in 1986, and Miller, a 58-year old congressman first elected to the House in 2002, into the same congressional district.
The two are close enough friends and political allies that they won't run against each other. So one will have to defer to the other. The assumption is that Miller will defer to Price. But that assumption could be wrong if Price, whose consensus-seeking legislative style is pretty much antique in Washington these days, decides he'd rather spend his next years in some other form of public service. That would open the door for Miller to seek re-election in the district that is his real, if not currently his literal, home.
2) As part of the decimation of Miller's current District 13, the Republicans have extended District 1, Congressman G. K. Butterfield's district, into eastern Wake County and East Raleigh. This move is dubious at best under the Voting Rights Act. For a detailed analysis of why this is the case, I recommend a blog posted to Daily Kos a few days ago by someone calling himself "roguemapper" — a person apparently located in the NC mountains who's promised to testify at the redistricting hearing tomorrow from the Asheville-Buncombe site. (The hearing is an elaborate teleconference.)
Let me see if I can put the latter case in simple terms. Butterfield's district is a majority-minority district. (Butterfield, though very light-skinned, identifies as African-American.) Under the Voting Rights Act, black voters in 40 eastern NC counties are entitled to protection given the racist history of the region. Many of these counties are in District 1.
District 1 needs to add about 97,000 votes to be equal in population to other new districts; i.e., it's grown more slowly than the rest of the state. 97,000 voters could be added easily by extending the district part-way into Durham County. To add 97,000 voters the way the Republicans propose to do it, however — that is, by extending the district into Wake County — five of the eastern NC counties entitled to VRA protection get dropped from District 1.
They must be dropped, because otherwise the added population from Wake County would make District 1 too big (too populace).
It should be noted that the Republicans are blaming/crediting Butterfield for the shape of the new district, saying in a statement that he expressed his preference for adding Wake precincts rather than Durham precincts. Butterfield has flatly denied saying any such thing.
Dropping five counties where the minority voters are entitled to protection under the VRA from a majority-minority district created to protect the rights of such voters would seem on its face to be a violation of Section 5, which bars "retrogression" as the result of any redistricting plan.
Under the VRA, local and state jurisdictions ordinarily seek what's called "pre-clearance" for their redistricting plans — prior approval, that is — from the U.S. Department of Justice.
The Republicans, however, plan to take an alternative course, skipping Justice Department review and going straight to the D.C. Circuit of Appeals, an option open to all but which is ordinarily eschewed if you're pretty sure your new plan isn't retrogressive. (If it's a good plan under the VRA, it wins quick pre-clearance from Justice, saving you time and money.)
We know the Republicans are skipping Justice because they said so in that infamous "private" caucus where they accidentally left a broadcast microphone on.
Nonetheless, the test for the D.C. Court, as it would be for the Justice Department, will be whether an alternative map or maps were available to the Republicans that would've added the needed voters (97,000 of them) to District 1 without harming minority voters in the 40 covered counties.
It should be obvious that such maps were available and were not adopted because the Republicans wanted to decimate Miller's district.
Thus, Miller could survive a second way, which is that the courts throw out this proposed District 1/District 13 mishmash, and the Republicans are forced to redraw District 13 in a way that allows Miller to run in it:
a) as his home district;
b) as a district in which a Democrat can be competitive.
As things stand now, District 13 is virtually unwinnable by a Democrat, especially one who lives in Raleigh when so much of the district is out west — way west. Put enough of Raleigh back in it, however, and who knows?
Here's the proposed GOP map — with a larger version available here: Congressredistrictmap1.pdf
For more on why the GOP's District 13 is a lock for a Republican candidate — and why the Republican map would likely result in 10 of the state's 13 congressional districts voting Republican, see this blog post, especially the chart halfway down.
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
If you've seen the ads, it's not Mississippi.
Mississippi will spend more on public schools than we do.
It's not South Carolina. (Really? Not even with Nikki Haley in the Gov's Office?)
Nope.
Together NC coalition leaders just sent a letter of apology to South Carolina for their mockery back when our state was never gonna be like their state.
So our all-but-adopted state budget, when the Senate Republicans are finished overriding Gov. Bev Perdue's veto, will drop us to 49th out of 50 states in taxpayer support for K-12 schools. Which I've read over and over in progressive cyber-circles, and begs the question —
Who's last?
The answer is ...
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Perdue to announce budget decision: Veto coming? (Update: Veto, yes. Perdue statement, plus a new poll.)
- Photo by Travis Fain
- Gov. Perdue adds her BP to the red ink
[Update 4: 6/13: Public Policy Polling finds one-third of voters are undecided, but otherwise, Perdue's veto is the popular choice; even the Republican electorate is puzzling over the GOP position ... while Dems and UNAs — unaffilateds — are with the Gov.]
The rest is from Sunday —
[Update 3: Question about those five Democrats? She's talked to them, had them to the mansion, hopes some — or some Republicans — will now come to her aid. Question about the GOP budget, didn't they meet you halfway? Not true, Perdue says. This budget will cause "generational damage" — to Smart Start and little kids, to universities by losing key faculty. Back to you, GOP.]
[Update 2: I'm not seeing this online, but it is on WRAL TV in a box. Perdue says she "cautioned" legislative leaders about the damage their budget would cause. My budget cut deeply, she says. Theirs cuts more — too much. It's ideologically driven, "rips at the classroom," and sends the wrong message to the public/business about whether North Carolina is a responsible state any more. Budgets reflect our values. I will not put my name on a plan that so blatantly ignores ours. Therefore, I am going to walk to this table and veto this budget bill. Which she does. First budget veto in N.C. history.]
[Update 1: A note on the budget while we wait. The difference between the Governor's budget proposal and the Republican budget produced by the General Assembly is nominally just $230 million or so — $19.9 billion vs. a little less than $19.7 billion. But the actual difference in spending on education, Medicaid and other programs is about $580 million, according to the N.C. Budget & Tax Center. Why is the actual spending difference more than the nominal difference? Two major factors: 1) the Republicans' budget includes $200 million from a highway trust fund that isn't normally included in state budget calculations — and isn't included in the Governor's budget; 2) The Republican budget does better in terms of state pension fund contributions than Perdue's budget — the GOP "spends" about $140 million more in this category, which is good in the sense of long-term fiscal integrity but doesn't help in terms of program funding for 2011-12.]
The Governor's Office just announced at 4 p.m. press conference at the Capitol. Gov. Perdue will announce her decision on the budget. WRAL will cover it live online at wral.com. (I plan to watch it online and, assuming a good feed, will update along.)
Is there any doubt what she'll do? Having cast her differences with the Republicans as a fight for the heart and soul of the state, and releasing a letter from 27 business leaders on Friday saying North Carolina must do better by our educational system than what the Republicans have on the table so far, Perdue really must stamp her veto on the thing even knowing the General Assembly may quickly override it.
Or, not? The Senate's GOP majority is veto-proof (31-19), but the House GOP majority (68-52) isn't. Five House Democrats voted with the Republicans to pass the budget, which gave them one vote to spare toward the magic 72 votes (three-fifths) needed for an override.
Will all five Dems hold firm in the face of a veto? I don't know ... I don't know them, and I'm not close to what's going on right now ... but I can readily imagine two or more of them saying, well, you know, it's one thing to vote for a budget, and it's another to override the Governor — maybe she has a point? maybe we should hear her out? Maybe there's a friend of mine who should be a judge?
You know, just saying.
True, the Republicans are holding the threat of redistricting over these conservative Democrats whose districts, if re-jiggered, would be hard to hold against a Republican election challenge. On the other hand, there are some things in a life that a politician wants more than continuing in a legislative office. Things like — well, you can fill in that blank for yourself.
On Friday, State Democratic Party Chair David Parker — Perdue's guy — issued a statement about the budget. He titled it "Our Moral Obligation," and went on to say that a 3/4th's of 1-cent sales tax is a small price to pay:
Here’s a question for you: which is more valuable to you: educating North Carolina’s children or saving ¾ of one cent on sales tax?That is the essence of the current debate over the Republican Legislature’s budget that they have sent to our Governor, Beverly Perdue.
I don't think there's much mystery what's coming today. Going forward, if the legislature overrides a veto, Perdue enters the upcoming election year — a "year" that's already underway — with a big, very clear issue with which to confront her Republican opponent. If there's no override, and negotiations ensue, it's a clear win for a suddenly stronger governor.
Perdue's office sent her official veto statement. It's copied below.
Friday, June 3, 2011
You go, Gov: Perdue bypasses the GOP, orders that those entitled to jobless benefits receive them (UPDATE: And it gets better ...)
- Indyweek illustration by V.C. Rogers
- Perdue keeps stirring up trouble for the GOP
The Republicans have tried to tie Perdue's hands in the budget fight — the subject of our cover story this week — by linking the jobless benefits bill to their budget bill — Either you agree to our budget, they've told Perdue, or we'll make the jobless suffer.
Today, she told them — again — where to put that stuff.
[UPDATE, 3 P.M.: If you wondered why a handful of House Democrats may abandon Perdue on the budget and side with the Republicans, here's a hint: The Republicans can redistrict them right out of office. As GOP Minority Leader Paul (Skip) Stam was heard to say today by, among others, the Greensboro News & Record.]
[UPDATE, 4:30 P.M.: Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger responds for the GOP: “We have directed our nonpartisan staff to study whether the governor’s act is legal. We hope that, in a desperate effort to claim credit for what’s going to occur because of the bipartisan budget, she is not putting the benefits of tens of thousands of unemployed North Carolinians at risk by using a questionable legal gimmick. If she really thinks this is appropriate, she shamefully did nothing for seven weeks.]
[UPDATE, 5:15 P.M.: The N&O writeup about the GOP's screwup with their microphone — and Perdue's response to it — is a must-read.]
I have no idea if the governor has the actual legal authority to do what she did. But until a court tells her she doesn't, the jobless benefits will go out — as they should. Or wait, will the Republicans really go to court to argue that people entitled to unemployment benefits shouldn't get them until the budget fight is settled?
Is Perdue's action legal? Who knows.
Is it the right thing? Yes.
Here's Perdue's statement (a copy of the executive order follows below):
“For weeks, I have been trying to work with the Republican legislative leaders to get them to do the right thing: send me a clean bill to extend the unemployment benefits for 47,000 North Carolinians who have lost their jobs. But instead of acting responsibly on this matter, the Republican legislature has repeatedly refused to send me such a bill. Instead, they have persistently attempted to use our unemployed workers as hostages by tying the extension of their benefits to my acceptance of budget bills that would inflict severe and unnecessary cuts to our schools and other essential programs.Meanwhile, thousands of North Carolina families are running out of money and options. I hear from them all over the state. They visit my website and Facebook page to beg for help.
One woman called my office recently. She has a background in accounting and has been looking for work for months. Because she lost her benefits she and her daughter can no longer stay in their apartment. They have nowhere to put their belongings so they will also lose everything that they can’t carry to the homeless shelter.
Sadly, this story is not unique. The people I hear from say they can’t keep the lights on. Banks are ready to foreclose.
And yet, the Republicans in the legislature stubbornly cling to their political games. Just yesterday, they voted down a measure to separate this issue from their budget. Enough is enough. They continue to use desperate people as leverage to extort my support for an ideologically-driven budget that needlessly cuts millions from our public schools and inflicts millions of dollars more in damage to our universities, pre-school programs, community colleges, job creation efforts and vital health care services. I will not stand for it and I will not sit by idly as the legislature continues to play these games and deny the jobless the unemployment benefits they need.
Let me remind you that the extension of unemployment benefits for the unemployed costs the state of North Carolina nothing; the benefits are paid for entirely with federal funds.
Every week we deny these benefits is another week that we keep $11 million of federal funds from flowing into our economy. This money would pay for things like groceries, rent and clothing and help small businesses who sell these items or collect that rent.
North Carolina cannot wait any longer for the legislature to do what they should have done more than a month ago. Today, I am issuing an executive order extending federal unemployment benefits to these 47,000 North Carolinians. Republican leaders in the General Assembly have been unwilling to take the necessary steps to extend these benefits, and no doubt they will attempt to interfere with this action. But I, for one, believe these people are entitled to and need these federal funds, and the Republican-controlled legislature needs to stop using the unemployed as pawns.”
Here's the executive order:
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Jim Neal, 2 others arrested in pro-gay rights action at General Assembly
- photo by Bob Geary
- Adam Attarian of Raleigh says "come on"
WRAL is reporting
that Jim Neal, a candidate for U.S. Senate in the 2008 Democratic primary, was one of three pro-gay rights demonstrators arrested today at the General Assembly. They went on the House floor while the chamber was in session and called for "liberty and justice for all" — whereupon they were removed.Neal was among the speakers at a rally earlier outside the legislative building. The rally was sponsored by a California-based group called Get Equal with a new N.C. state chapter. (The rally started late and I needed to leave, so I didn't hear Neal speak. About 200 people attended.)
[Update, 7:20 p.m.: Get Equal NC just issued a press release. I've copied it below.]
Equality NC members were also on hand distributing literature in opposition to the proposed DOMA constitutional amendment — Senate Bill 106/House Bill 777. The amendment wouldn't change existing N.C. law, but it would write prejudice into the state constitution — if the voters approve it. But first, three-fifths of the members of both houses of the General Assembly must vote for it. (Gov. Bev Perdue cannot veto a proposed constitutional amendment.)
I see on ENC's website that its executive director, Ian Palmquist, tweeted something about today's action:
"While we share the protesters' passion for equal rights, we cannot condone today's disruption of the House session."
According to the General Assembly's website and ENC, Senate Bill 106 has 23 sponsors, all Republicans. In the Senate, 30 our of the total 50 votes would be needed for approval. House Bill 777, which is nearly identical, has 66 sponsors, 60 Republicans and six Democrats. In the House, 72 votes out of the total 120 would be needed for approval.
From Get Equal NC:
Local North Carolina LGBT Activists Arrested at State Capitol2008 U.S Senate Candidate Jim Neal, Angel Chandler, and Mary Counce and Disrupt Legislative Session in Protest of Anti-Gay Bill
RALEIGH, NC - Following GetEQUAL NC’s — a direct action lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender civil rights organization; "Rally in Raleigh" today — an event to protest the anti-gay Senate Bill 106 — local gay activists were arrested for disrupting the legislative session in progress when they demanded full legal recognition for LGBT North Carolinians. Activists included Angel Chandler of GetEQUAL NC, the North Carolina chapter of the national organization GetEQUAL, Chandler's partner, Mary Counce; and 2008 U.S. Senate candidate James Neal. Shortly after entering the chamber, the activists began chanting "Liberty and Justice for All in North Carolina." The activists were immediately taken into custody by police and are currently being booked and charged with “disorderly conduct and trespassing”.
Earlier in the afternoon, hundreds of North Carolinians attended the "Rally in Raleigh" organized by GetEQUAL NC and local activist Jonathan Green. The rally focused on SB106, the discriminatory bill that would put an amendment on the 2012 ballot that would prevent private businesses and municipalities in NC from offering domestic partnership insurance benefits, and invalidate Domestic Partnership Registries in the three cities in NC that offer them (Chapel Hill, Asheville and Carrboro). The authors of the bill included North Carolina State Senators James Forrester, Jerry W. Tillman, and Dan Soucek.
"Rally in Raleigh" Speakers included:
• Cecil Bothwell, Asheville City Councilman, author, & US Congressional Candidate for NC 11th District 2012
• Janet Owen, Co-Chair Interfaith Voice of Winston-Salem
• Chelsea Sayre, GetEQUAL NC
• James Neal, Businessman and openly gay 2008 Democratic primary candidate for U.S. Senate
• Pam Spaulding, Pam’s House Blend
• Jonathan Green, Sexuality And Gender Alliance
• Angel Chandler, GetEQUAL NCGetEQUAL's Executive Director, Robin McGehee, responded to the arrests, "GetEQUAL issued a call to the President today to stand up for full LGBT equality, and we're proud to support LGBT North Carolinians in issuing the same call to their state elected officials. As North Carolina gears up to host the Democratic National Convention next year, we hope that the state will be moving toward fully recognizing the dignity and equality of LGBT North Carolinians, rather than trying to further enshrine discrimination in the state constitution. North Carolina residents deserve better than the legalized discrimination that this bill promises."
Updates on the condition, charges, and penalties assessed to the three activists will be available via GetEQUAL's social networks (see below) and via GetEQUAL NC's website, www.getequalnc.org.
GetEQUAL is a national, direct action lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender civil rights organization. Emphasizing direct action and people power, the mission of GetEQUAL is to empower the LGBT community and its allies to take action to demand full legal and social equality, and to hold accountable those who stand in the way. For more information on GetEQUAL, please visit: http://www.getequal.org. You can follow GetEQUAL on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/getequal, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/GetEQUAL, or on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/getequal.
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(Update) The Republicans' budget vs. Perdue's: The gap is way bigger than it appears— Why are 5 House Dems with the GOP?
[Update II, 6/2, 9:30 a.m.: Progressive groups are incensed that five conservative House Democrats may upset Perdue's applecart. The five apparently will vote for the GOP budget when it comes back from the Senate. Whether they'll vote to override a Perdue veto is uncertain; it's possible that after a veto, they'll go to work on a real compromise.]
[Update I, 4 p.m.: The "bipartisan" budget passed the Senate 31-18 ... with 31 Republican votes and zero (0) Democrats. Minority Leader Martin Nesbitt's critique is added below.)
That "bipartisan budget deal" unveiled yesterday by the General Assembly's Republican leadership is anything but — at least if "bipartisan" implies that it has the support of the state's top Democrat, Gov. Bev Perdue. It doesn't, nor does it have a whole lot of support from Democratic legislators. But then again, for the Republicans to push it past the finish line, they don't need many Democrats. Just four (of the 52) House Democrats will do, and then the GOP budget becomes veto-proof, Perdue or not.
Perdue was steaming on a telephone conference call with reporters late yesterday afternoon. The Republicans portrayed their budget as a compromise, and to be fair, it does move some in the direction of Perdue's budget plan. However, the REAL difference between the two — between the $19.9 billion Perdue budget and the nearly $19.7 billion Republican budget — is actually far greater than a simple comparison of the top-line numbers would suggest.
That was the point Perdue was trying to get across, but it was late in the day, the conferencing connection was lousy, and the numbers were flying a little fast for folks like me who sort of know the budget but frankly, don't know it well enough.
A day later, and with more information coming in, it's clear that the difference between the two budgets isn't really $200 million. When all of the GOP's robbing of Peter to pay Paul is accounted for, as well as their dipping into retirement and reserve accounts, the difference is at least $600 million — or more.
[Update III, 6/2, 2;45 p.m.: Cut some, add some, shuffle the budget lines around ... The Budget & Tax Center's Ed McLanaghan's crunched the numbers some more, and he calculates that Perdue's budget invests $580 million more than the Republicans' budget does.]
This is what Perdue was talking about when she called the Republican budget "a charade of sorts" ... a "papering over" to hide the real difference between her budget and theirs. The "papering over" is so blatant, she added, that the state's AAA credit rating may be jeopardized. (North Carolina is one of eight states with a AAA rating, she said.)
In broad strokes, the Republican budget is less than Perdue's by at least* the sum of:
1) The $230 million nominal difference, plus —
2) Another $200 million that the Republicans take from Rainy Day funds ($96 million), contributions to employee retirement accounts ($52 million), and by cutting other reserve funds to the bone ($58 miillion).
3) Another $200 million in sleight-of-hand accounting (Highway Fund money counted as part of the General Fund budget).
For that third item, h/t to one of my ultra-conservative buds (I'd call his name, but maybe he'd rather I not), who sent me John Hood's daily dispatch from the Art Pope Empire. (Hood is president of the John Locke Foundation).
For the second item, and for a good summary of what the Republicans did yesterday, h/t to the N.C. Budget & Tax Center's Ed McLenaghan and his post on the Progressive Pulse.
If you think of it like a family budget, the Republicans' income is at least $630 million less than Perdue's, but they propose to spend just $230 million less. How? By raiding the family savings. Simple as that.
Perdue wants some or all of a 1-cent temporary sales tax extended for one more year — the 1-cent tax would boost revenues by some $1.1 billion. Her budget contained a 3/4-cent tax extension.
* And then there's the question of whether the Republicans are deliberately underestimating what Medicaid will cost in 2011-12 — Perdue thinks they are — which would add to the red ink.
Perdue's office, meanwhile, pushed out a press release emphasizing that, while the nominal difference in education funding between the Governor's budget and the Republican's budget is about $300 million, in fact the REAL difference is a lot more — according to Perdue, it's a $561 million education spending gap.
The reason the real gap is bigger is because, while the GOP budget "gives" about $11 billion to education (versus the Governor's budget, which "gives" $11.3 billion), it doesn't actually allow the schools to spend all the money they're given. The required give-backs make the education gap bigger.
Moreover, as Chris Fitzsimon says in post on N.C. Policy Watch:" ... here’s a reality check on the substance and the politics. The new Senate budget does reinstate funding for teacher assistants but it pays for part of it by forcing local schools to find $120 million more in “discretionary” cuts, some of which may result in the layoffs of some of the teacher assistants or teachers the Republicans claim to be saving."
The N.C. Association of Educators — the teachers association — denounced the Republican budget as a shell game that will drop North Carolina from 47th to 49th on the list of state aid to schools per student (K-12). State spending now is $8,300 per student, the NCAE said. Under the Republican budget, it would sink to $7,800 per student.
The Perdue, NCAE statements and Nesbitt statements are below.
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