Pat McCrory

Nate Silver of FiveThirtyEight is out with new figures on how conservative the nation's 30 Republican governors are. They reveal something staggering--Pat McCrory is the ninth most conservative governor in the nation. In fact, he's to the right of the likes of Sam Brownback, Rick Perry, Bobby Jindal, Jan Brewer, Rick Scott and Nikki Haley. When you're to the right of that crew, that takes a lot of effort.

The state Democratic Party immediately pounced on this with a release declaring that McCrory's self-designation as an "Eisenhower Republican" is an elaborate sham. As the release points out, McCrory has signed into law measures that gut unemployment insurance and let the earned income tax credit expire.

From our Young Democrats of North Carolina Facebook Page:

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:

http://plaintalkpolitics.com/2013/03/economic-development-incentives-political-and-leadership-debacle/

It must be difficult to find so many people unsuited for their new jobs:

Randy H. Dishong was hired Monday as chief enforcer of the state’s car inspection and registration laws. The next day, he had to take care of an inspection and registration problem with his own car. DOT and DMV officials did not respond to requests for comment about Dishong’s fitness to oversee state enforcement of car registration laws. Beaty said the agency would not provide details about his car, including how long ago the registration had expired.

Again, vetting. I'm sure many Republicans will look at this and say, "No big deal." And in doing so, they will fail to grasp the larger point: how can you expect performance and efficiencies from an administration that keeps making such poor selections for leadership posts?

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.

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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.

And deals a blow to the state's economy in the process:

At present, about 81,000 people are receiving those benefits, which bring about $100 million into the state's economy every month. Despite that impact, House and Senate leaders say they won't delay the overhaul. McCrory said he won't delay it, either. "I refuse to let us continue to live off of a credit card. We're going to pay off the credit card. We're going to change the rules and policies," he said.

You mean, you refuse to let families of the unemployed live off a credit card. And when those home foreclosure notices start rolling in, where will McCrory and other Republican leaders be? Probably at some fundraising function in a McMansion or four-star restaurant, talking about how people "need to live within their means." They couldn't be more removed from reality if they tried.

Rather than getting rid of the patronage system and the good ole boy network like he promised during his campaign, NC's new Governor Pat McCrory has elevated pay-to-play politics to a whole new level. See the details at www.paytoplaypat.com

That's why a number of progressive and good government groups are pushing back by staging a rally outside one of the political fundraising events McCrory has lent his name to. Join us on Saturday, January 12 from 6 PM to 7 PM at 500 South Salisbury Street, outside an inaugural ball sponsored by the political group, the Foundation for North Carolina (F-NC). We want to send a message to the media and to the public: not everyone in North Carolina believes in pay-to-play politics! How bad is it? F-NC is currently selling memberships for $50,00 and $25,000 -- with members getting to meet with McCrory behind closed doors to discuss policy as just one membership benefit. More details, including resources you can share to help publicize the event, after the jump.

Those who read BlueNC are already aware of goings-on during the first few days of the McCrory administration. For those who may have missed it, let's take a look at some recent talking points surrounding the Foundation for North Carolina, "a nonprofit group that didn't exist until two weeks after this year's election.":

I suppose if you're willing to wait 45 million years...