NC GOP goes after low income folks, again

Requiring community service for those receiving food assistance:

The bill itself requires that those receiving food assistance or other payments perform at least four hours of community service in their first four weeks of receiving the payments.

I guess there's not enough "shame" already associated with needing Food Stamps to feed your family, so let's pile on some more. In addition to the striped jumpsuits with a "U" for unemployed, we now need some that have an "H" for hungry. Just when I think Republicans have bottomed out, they hit a new low.

Careless and reckless: Great analogy for NC GOP behavior

The last time I heard a story like this was in my high school's cafeteria:

...next thing I know we were running 80-90 miles an hour, and I was running along behind Don trying to keep up," Bingham said. "And I thought, well, since he knows where the curves are, surely I can stay on the road. But anyway, there were several places we hit over a hundred miles an hour. God, I was glad to get to his house.”

The analogy part: I wonder how many Republicans in the General Assembly are uncomfortable with the speed and direction of their out-of-control colleagues, but are afraid of what will happen if they try to slow things down?

GOP to micro-manage Budget spending

Trying to take over even more Executive Branch functions:

He (Tillis) said that Republicans in the House and Senate plan to more actively track budget spending than they have in prior years. "Another reason why we’ll do it is to make sure money is not being spent just because it was budgeted but because there was a true purpose, with the object of having even more reversions next year.”

Translated: "Those spending numbers detailed in our Budget mean nothing, because we're going to continue to blindly cut as the next two years proceed."

McCrory lies to fellow Republicans

But that's "status quo" for Myers Park Pat:

" We cannot have the status quo and that's what these people are protesting. They want to keep the status quo, a failure. We want success. We want students who can learn and then learn enough to get a job and be employable," said McCrory.

He also pointed out that there is a 43% graduation rate in the state's high schools.

Wrong. Not only is the average at 74.2%, but none of the demographic categories fall anywhere near that low:

Tillis brags about destroying public education

Playing to a crowd of idiots:

Tillis drew cheers when he said the budget cut one-third of the staff of the state Department of Public Instruction. He noted that the building is called "the Pink Palace," a derisive term Republican Lt Gov. Jim Gardner applied to it in the 1980s.

"To be fair, it's a beautiful building," Tillis said. "It's pink granite. We think condo complexes or something else, if you need office space."

That crack alone is worth a Veto from the Governor, Party of Five or not.

Stam wastes ink on an apology

That mask is useless once your real face is shown:

A Wake County legislator apologized Friday night to the governor for calling her incompetent in comments caught on an open microphone earlier in the day. Stam said he personally apologized to the governor for his comment. "I sent a note to the governor apologizing for my choice of words," he said.

"Sent a note"? Dude, it's 2011, not 1811. You don't have to dispatch a courier if you want to communicate with someone. Unless you're deeply ashamed, that is.

After dark

Bev signs Executive Order reinstating jobless benefits

Leaving the GOP holding 47,000 empty shackles:

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.

Friday fracking video

Jim Neal arrested at the Legislature today?

So says the Twitterverse:

zack_hawkins 3:35pm via HTC Peep RT @ConenMorgan RT @NCCapitol: Same sex marriage protestors entered house floor. 3 arrested, incl 2008 US. Senate hopeful Jim Neal. #ncga

You deserve a medal, my friend, not incarceration. Please stop by and let us know you're okay, after they let you out of the Big House. Or whatever house they use to silence dissenters.

BlueNC

scharrison's blog