nc senate

The House and Senate Education Appropriation Committee distributed a version of the Conference Budget this afternoon. Our public schools received less funding in the Conference Budget than was included for public schools in the House or the Senate passed Budgets. The Conference Budget is $33.9 million less than the Budget passed by the House for public schools. The Conference Budget is $10.2 million less than the Budget passed by the Senate for public schools.

The Progressive Pulse has more.

Children's advocates are hearing that the Senate budget worker bees are looking at cutting crucial programs in order to fund other priorities. The priorities being funded are good things, like raises for teachers, but the programs being cut cannot sustain these reductions and maintain adequate services across the state for children and families.

This is that time in the cycle (short session in a federal election year) when people run bills through the General Assembly for purely political purposes. Case in point: Sen. Robert Pittenger, who is running for Lt. Governor, has introduced the NC Citizen Protection Act. It includes about everything you'd think, most of which have already been ruled unconstitutional. I think a more accurate title might be the Permanent Exploited Underclass Act. It would probably criminalize most churches.
But it's a big bill and in some venue there'll be a discussion and the senator will have his campaign ad that talks about how he's protecting us from the hordes.
Stand by for more heroics.

For part of 2006, all of 2007 and early 2008 my daily blogging life revolved around getting John Edwards elected President. During that time I did what I could to make it happen, not nearly as much as volunteers like NCDem Amy and Tom P. and not a drop in the bucket compared to the paid staff - Tracy Russo, Aaron Myers and the rest of the crew I got to know while volunteering at the office. When Senator Edwards dropped out of the race it felt like a kick in the groin. It was unexpected, it was painful. To me, John Edwards was really going to be the person that changed the system. I believe in him like people believed in JFK and RFK and as I told my wife "you only get one of these races every lifetime" and for me it wasn't or isn't about Obama it was about John Edwards.
But, he's out. So, after fluttering around for awhile I discovered the second-best candidate running in North Carolina, Dan Besse. Then, finally, I started blogging about the Neal/Hagan race. But, the thrill is gone. I'm all burnt out of candidate fights. I'm burnt out on fighting over he said/she said. I'm going back to issue blogging. At least, for now. So, this is it. This is my final blog on candidates.

This from the Obama folks today.

Raleigh, NC – Today 29 members of the North Carolina state legislature endorsed Senator Obama, citing his ability to inspire and bring people together to move our country forward, and put an end to the divisive politics of Washington that have stalled progress on the great challenges facing our nation. The legislators’ endorsements are the latest addition to Obama’s grassroots movement for change, which has come to encompass a broad spectrum of North Carolinians – from the grassroots level to representatives in United States Congress – who will vote for change on May 6.

Here's the list:

According to the Charlotte Observer, state senator David Hoyle is thinking about retiring.

State Sen. David Hoyle, a Gaston County Democrat, had planned to announce this week whether he would run for his ninth two-year term. He said that scheduling conflicts have delayed his decision and he plans to take more time."One day, I say I'll go in for another term. Another day, I'm just tired," he said.

Hoyle, 68, was ranked the third most effective senator in Raleigh in the most recent survey of legislators, lobbyists and capitol journalists. He is co-chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, which oversees tax policy, and is a keystone of the Democrats' pro-business faction.

That would be the same pro-business faction we can thank for cutting taxes on rich North Carolinians while voting to continue a regressive sales tax increase across the board. The same pro-business faction that ignored coastal policy and voted to allow rich homeowners at Figure Eight island to "harden" their beach to protect their multimillion dollar homes. And the same pro-business faction that voted to give $40+ million in taxpayer dollars to two tire companies, one of which wasn't even asking for the handout.

This story slipped by me over the weekend, so special thanks to Chris Fitzsimon for covering things over at NC Policy Watch. For those of you who have been keeping up with the Realtor Ticks and their undue influence on public policy in North Carolina, go ahead and get out your bug spray. They're back.

The Realtors and homebuilders are clearly wealthy special interests that exert significant influence on elections and the state policymaking process. This weekend, the Charlotte Observer reminded us that state coastal management policy is also influenced by wealthy special interests, in this case by the well-heeled residents of Figure Eight Island, an exclusive, private, gated beach community just north of Wrightsville Beach.

Cross-posted at the Brock Log.

I don't know why it's so hard to get both of our illustrious houses in the legislature lined up on the right side of important issues. We had a helluva fight keeping the special interests out of the Senate on the transfer tax, but now it's the House that's out of whack on the landfills issue.

The N&O has a good editorial that covers most of the important points.