Art Pope

A TED Talk worth your while.

And the takeover couldn't have happened without some Judas Iscariots to betray our freedoms:

Phillips declined to say how much money AFP, which isn’t required to disclose its contributions and spending, spent in the state. “It was significant,” Phillips said. “There will be more old conservative policy changes in North Carolina than in any other state this year,” said Dallas Woodhouse, AFP’s state director. “We have a lot of ground to make up. We have the right mix of state leaders and governor to pass some earth-shattering reform.”

Yeah, that's just what you need when you're trying to struggle your way out of a recession; "Earth-shattering". And just for those Republican lawmakers who happen to be reading this (I know some of them do), I want you to pay special attention to not-the-bus-driver's wording: "We have". That's possessive, meaning Dallas and his paymasters believe you are now a possession. And possessions do as they're told. You don't agree? Prove it.

Anyone keeping an eye on Art Pope's upcoming schedule or the schedule of some of his representatives?

The Koch brothers are holding their upcoming big retreat on April 28 and 29th. Pope, if you'll recall is the second biggest donor to the Koch's Americans for Prosperity. He's showed up at the strategy meeting in previous years.

Mother Jones has a leaked email containing an outline of the topics they'll be looking at.

In our brave new world of Republican extremism in North Carolina, insults to decency come fast and furious. But even still, I couldn't decide whether to laugh or cry when I read this post by Lynn Bonner Under the Dome yesterday.

Americans for Prosperity is preparing a campaign to sell the public on the legislature's plan to change the tax code. AFP representatives and Lt. Gov. Dan Forest will announce the effort at a Tuesday news conference, said AFP state executive director Dallas Woodhouse. The legislature has not presented a detailed plan, though legislators have outlined general principles ... a role for Forest has not been defined, Woodhouse said.

How much do you really know about Art Pope?

Pope has been a fixture in North Carolina conservative politics since the 1970s, pouring millions into political and conservative organizations, campaigns and programs promoting libertarian programs at North Carolina universities. Now, as Governor McCrory's Budget Director, Pope has a direct role in our state government. Many McCrory appointments have direct and indirect connections to Pope or one of his foundations and political action groups.

I'll be putting up a series of blog posts about figures in the McCrory administration and legislature with unanswered questions that liberals and progressives should be asking about our new Republican public officials. Winning elections is more than just getting feet on the ground or participating in a protest - it's also about research, strategy and holding public officials accountable.

Let's start with the one man who has taken this lesson seriously.

James "Art" Pope, North Carolina's newly appointed Budget Director, heads up the Office of State Budget and Management. Governor McCrory calls Pope his "assistant budget director", minimizing Pope's role and declaring that the Governor himself is the "state's budget director".

However, the Office of State Budget and Management is a government agency that does much more than just keep books and pay the state's bills. There's more responsibility to Pope's new job that the simple title of "Budget Director" implies.

And by misappropriate I mean steal, of course:

The centers still would receive $7.2 million annually, while Golden Leaf would receive nothing going forward. Art Pope, the state’s budget director, said Golden Leaf and the two centers have “cash already on hand” to fund their programs and don’t necessarily need at this point an annual replenishing.

It's not "annual replenishing", it's a court-ordered disbursement. The Foundation was created in the first place to make sure those monies were specifically targeted to create/enhance non-tobacco-related commerce, and to keep that money from being utilized for projects that don't create new economic engines. Here's the breakdown of those targeted funds:

I've been away for a month, watching the sad collapse of North Carolina from the other side of the world. Upon my return this morning, I discovered that Gene Nichols has done the hard work of chronicling the ongoing GOP assault with a column in the News and Observer: On being governed by brigands.

I have only one problem with Gene's column: it shows too much restraint. To label Tillis & Co., as "brigands" is too kind by a wide margin. Because what is happening in our state is nothing less than good, old-fashioned gang rape.

1 John 3:17-18

If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.

___________________________________________

So, after the deplorable acts of recklessness of this week, do "our" demonstratively heartless Governor and his rich, freedom-fried buddies in the NC House and Senate claim to be Christian? Can they do something in the interests of the people of North Carolina they are supposedly "serving?" All I've seen them do for their fellow man is to limit and deny care to the sick and the poor.

From an opinion piece published by Asheville Citizen-Times on Sunday:
see more at http://www.citizen-times.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2013301200020

Art Pope is not famous.

He is wealthy, though. And powerful. In fact, he probably has more political influence over your life than anyone else in the state of North Carolina. This includes the governor, the legislators or even the Rev. Billy Graham.

He’s like Billy Graham, though, in that he preaches a gospel. It’s a Horatio Alger story of pulling one’s self up by the bootstraps. That’s peculiar, since he inherited his money from his family, which started the Pope’s five-and-ten cent chain in Fuquay-Varina and later bought up the Roses variety stores. And he’s like the governor in that he successfully steers policy in our state. Patrick McCrory named Pope his chief budget writer on Dec. 20, so there’s no question of Pope’s influence...

Have you heard about those White House petitions, where if you get 25,000 signatures, they have to respond? Well you should sign this one calling on the President to address clean elections and Citizens United in his State of the Union next month. North Carolina knows all to well what effects big money in our politics have especially at the state level. Surely we can put these petitions to better use than other recent noteworthy petitions like seceding from the union or building death stars!