from NC Policy Watch

According to my colleague Adam Linker, at this afternoon’s public hearing with DHHS Secretary Aldona Wos on Governor McCrory’s plan to privatize the NC Medicaid program, there was more disinformation given out by McCrory’s appointees. McCrory’s Medicaid Director Carol Steckel said that the biggest myth about McCrory’s Medicaid plan is that they want private managed care. She denied strongly that they want to privatize NC’s award-winning physician-run nonprofit Medicaid managed care system.

This is simply incorrect. Here’s the presentation from Governor Pat McCrory introducing the Medicaid privatization plan. It states its goal of privatization very clearly on page six when it discusses the entities to which NC Medicaid contract will be awarded...

#ncga Senate GOP just used parliamentary dodge to avoid recorded vote on allowing taxpayers to vote on debt for terminal groins. #ncpol

— WRAL Gov't Coverage(@NCCapitol) May 15, 2013

Aside from the proven damage that terminal groins can cause to areas that wouldn't have a vote under this measure, the structures themselves can be incredibly expensive to both construct and maintain. Once again, Republicans are taking steps that will drive a wedge between communities. And that may be why they decided to repeat the avoid-the-vote stunt they pulled a few weeks ago:

Thanks to the Independent Weekly, the media silence has broken and the deluge of criticism begins. After scanning reader comments online, it's a good thing I don't worry a lot about what people think of me.

The best thing about Protzman is that he isn't a politician, and he has a near-compulsion to say what he thinks in the most direct, if sometimes profane, way. Protzman was one of the first people in North Carolina to accuse Republican moneybags Art Pope of, well, read it for yourself: "Art Pope is contaminating North Carolina politics with the sleaze and corruption of corporate money, just as is the national Republican Party."

"But, he is a smart lawyer," is what typically followed a description of the decades of mysoginist bills and amendments offered up by Rep. Paul "Skip" Stam (R-Wake). I leave it to you, dear reader.

I have listened to Rep. Stam argue and debate for 20 years. In the minority or in the majority, his style is consistent. With false assumptions, pseudo science, an air of erudition and endless repetition, Rep. Stam intimidates, bullies and tries the patience of even his own mates.

When ideology trumps real science, replicable research and all reason, I am not persuaded. When charlatans testify as experts using anecdotes - which is not the plural of data - I worry. Of course, the lack of critical thinking utilized by the voters will not improve if the GOP keeps cutting public education budgets and the Governor questions the value of higher education. But, I digress.

Contrary to the body of work that Rep. Stam has to his credit:

Originally posted at YDNC.org. Dr. Matthew Pepper is the President of the Durham County Young Democrats.

The relationship between a primary care physician and a patient is special. As a pediatrician, I experience the joy of watching newborns grow into rambunctious toddlers, inquisitive children, headstrong teenagers, and then eventually mature into healthy adults. Through my years of taking care of families, I learn intimate details of their physical and emotional lives. It is my duty to use this information to keep my patients healthy and guide them through all the pitfalls of life. Unfortunately, North Carolina General Assembly House Bill 693 could form an unnecessary and potentially dangerous roadblock for physicians trying to care for their patients.

Wake County Superior Court has issued a temporary restraining order, blocking the implementation of House Bill 488. The bill became law yesterday, without the Governor's signature.

Seeing all the protests in Raleigh has got me thinking about creative ways to engage in activism. In particular I'm wondering how do we break out of the Triangle and spread this message around the state? And how do we come up with other ways to engage in civil disobedience so that those who have been arrested once at the General Assembly can stay engaged?

Only impaired leaders would prefer impaired waters:

Senate currently debating rolling back Jordan Lake clean up rules #ncga

— SierraClubNC (@SierraClubNC) May 14, 2013

As I've mentioned before (ad nauseum), this is NOT a state issue, it's a Federal one. We have a certain degree of flexibility in the construction of rules (such as Jordan Lake's), but we do not have the authority to not implement such rules. Here's a little more for the skeptics:

Many of us have been moved to tears and anger after watching interviews with those who participated in the Moral Monday demonstration yesterday. Their inspiring actions are beginning to create a powerful shift in the political conversation here in North Carolina, and maybe even around the world.

As we move forward to press the case for freedom and fairness, let's keep focused on the root cause of the problems we're facing. Our Republican-controlled legislature is not a legitimate government. Their supermajority power came through rigged elections in every House and Senate district across the state. They barely won the popular vote, but still ended up with nearly three quarters of the seats in the legislature.

Our Republican-controlled legislature is not a legitimate government. We have no obligation to obey or respect the laws they pass or the actions they take. On the contrary, we have a moral responsibility to resist them at every turn.