Is it true? The ONLY state to cut off unemployment???

Interesting read about NC being the ONLY state to cut off unemployment benefits. And it seems that it is not too late to provide these benefits and it will not cost the state anything... Read more...

Is there still time to reverse the UI cliff? Yes, there is. « The Progressive Pulse

Moron Monday shows radical Left just doesn’t get it : NC SPIN Balanced Debate for the Old North State

Sen. Thom Goolsby
The Real Moron

This guy is the "Moron", to use his his own words.

How can a person that claims to represent NC citizens pull off calling NC people "morons"? He claims Reverend Barker is a fake and insults pretty much all of the folks that attended legislature Monday protests. He also referred to the attendees as "mostly white, angry, aged former hippies" and insults them all while lumping them all into the class of "Radical Left".

Seems more like Thom Goolsby along with his friends the Three Amigos (Tillis, Berger and Stam) are the real Morons in NC. All aggressively push agendas to ignore the lower income state citizens and those that need help to live and get health care. The real GOP Morons have taken radical steps to take away health care, unemployment assistance, equality, marriage rights, public school funding, reduce voting rights, slant voters to the GOP side and even reduce educational capacity in the state.

Its not the Democrats bankrupting the state. It is the current crop of GOP elected folks that have taken over the legislature and are using that to trash the state and continue to make NC rank among the poorest places to live and work. With the GOP agenda the average and lower income citizens will pay more taxes, lose ground and find it even harder to find work in the state for as long as this distortion of state government continues.

His radical views are pretty well covered in this article published by NC Spin.

Read more... Moron Monday shows radical Left just doesn’t get it : NC SPIN Balanced Debate for the Old North State

NCDOT Removes EV Charging Stations From Rest Stops | WUNC

NC fails to support public interest in rechargeable cars and stops effort to use renewable energy on NC roads.

Poor planning and lack of foresight causes NC DOT and lawmakers to fail in an effort to support use of rechargeable cars on NC highways. According to DOT spokeswoman Julia Casadonte "the stations were meant to be a temporary pilot project" and that the department removed the charging stations to resolve a conflict in laws. Rather than solve a problem of how to accommodate payment for recharging, the DOT removed the stations because a poorly planned directive required the DOT to find a way to charge drivers for using the stations. This conflicted with a Federal law saying charges may be only made for vending machine services along highways. 

The charging stations were in fact being used by the public. Over 14 months 146 vehicles were recharged at a total cost of $44.00 for the energy consumed. Since the state did not find a way to allow customers to pay for the service they decided to just "pull the plug" and remove the chargers. 

Read the article... NCDOT Removes EV Charging Stations From Rest Stops | WUNC

Enough is enough | Vote them all out

Its time to get the NC Republicans that do not support the needs of NC citizens out of office. Vote them out at the next opportunity and vote in representatives that do care about citizens.

Taking away unemployment benefits from those out of work is just not right. Withholding health care and benefits from those that do not have the means to buy it is just not right. Reducing the quality of education and reducing funding for teachers and schools is just not right.

In fact, lets all start moving to get them out of those cushy jobs now. There is absolutely no need to have GOP Rep's in the legislature moving the state backward in time and crushing those that do not meet their standards and views for being state residents.

Read more... Enough is enough | NC Policy Watch

Health care for kids, grandparents on Medicaid is not a “runaway entitlement” or “parasitic disease”

The current crop of Legislators is especially hard on those in the low income segment of our state - children, seniors, and the disabled with no other health care. Too bad Phil Berger and his comrades in arms waging war on the poor aren't required to survive at the same level of income and give up their cushy Legislature benefits. They are so out of touch with the real world and so filled with hatred they can't do anything for those with real needs. Read more... Health care for kids, grandparents on Medicaid is not a “runaway entitlement” or “parasitic disease” « The Progressive Pulse

More loss of rights for NC citizens - Senate committee limits local control, regulations on outdoor smoking « The Progressive Pulse

Senator Buck Newton, the sponsor of Senate Bill 703, told members of the Agriculture/Environment/Natural Resources committee that it was ‘ridiculous’ that adult smokers could not enjoy tobacco on a windy beach, a city sidewalk, or while sitting on the back of their pick-up truck on a community college campus. 

Senator Buck Newton seems to have tobacco in his pocket. It is clear Senator Newton has not sat on a beach in the path of smoke from an inconsiderate smoker puffing on the beach. Or tried to walk in public places with smokers lining the path and blowing smoke in the fresh air other people are trying to breathe. 

Time to vote him out. 

Read more... Senate committee limits local control, regulations on outdoor smoking (video) « The Progressive Pulse

More bureaucratic micromanagement at DHHS - Signature Gate!

This is truly bizarre! It would appear that the newly appointed head of NC's DHHS does not live in the real world, much less on the same planet as everyone else in the state. Anyone that would issue a directive with such specific details about how to "sign" employee email messages has no business being in the job, and certainly not being an employee/appointee of the state.

According to this, Secretary Aldona Wos has no clue how to be a leader or manager and is clearly not fit to be a part of the Governor's administration. This is truly embarrassing to the entire state and makes the whole administration look like idiots. Read the whole report --- More bureaucratic micromanagement at DHHS « The Progressive Pulse:

Stam introduces bill to take tax money away from public schools and benefit his friends wanting to avoid one of the lowest rated school systems in the country

Paul Stam strikes again by introducing a bill that would continue the streak of taking tax dollars (on top of rights) away from the majority of state citizens and would hand the funds off to benefit wealthy prejudiced  friends and connections. He wants to pass legislation that would take some ninety million dollars over two years from everyone's tax money and hand it to wealthy folks that want to send their children to private schools to avoid the public school system.

It's interesting he's the BFF of Apex Mayor Keith Weatherly, the owners of the Thales Academy in Apex and no doubt with others wanting to build private schools. And now he wants to take advantage of folks by taking taxpayer's dollars to give to friends to send their kids to private schools at the expense of public schools.

Stam says his plan should be known as the "Opportunity Scholarship program" and not a voucher program. He thinks this will fool folks into thinking it is good for them and not oppose it. Everyone else says it is simply a voucher scheme and will drain vital funds away from public schools already being underfunded by Stam and his legislative buddies.

If you look back as recently as the Governor Mike Easley era, North Carolina has been consistently ranked low on the education ladder, low in teacher pay and behind most other states and is not producing future employees and leaders other states are producing. North Carolina is ranked way down toward the bottom of the list on funding for schools and teachers and is introducing the voucher program as yet another way to drain off more education funds to promote private purposes most families are excluded from.

Read the entire article - http://www.wral.com/bill-would-provide-state-money-for-private-school-tuition/12342960/

Cut Your Electric Bill: Repeal the Mandate! : NC SPIN Balanced Debate for the Old North State

Yes, Becki, your perception of removing this requirement "might" help reduce consumer costs for energy. On the other hand, it is more likely that it will not reduce consumer costs as you suggest.

Strongly encouraging energy companies to incorporate new technologies into energy production will help to reduce costs over time. The cost of using new technology will in fact decrease as it becomes more widespread. This is historically true with all technology as new ideas emerge in our economy.

 We cannot remain locked into producing energy solely based on fossil fuels and continuing to increase pollution and contributing to the "greenhouse effect" and jeopardizing our future. It is clear to everyone (except maybe you) that negative effects from methods of energy production companies and other industries continue to increase pollution in our world and continuing to increase environmental pollution is in fact causing devastating increases in weather extremes, tornadoes, storms, drouts and situations that are ravaging our country and the world.

Continue pushing to eliminate needed regulations if that is your goal, but the declining quality of the world around you and us will continue to get worse. Perhaps when your area is wiped out or severely devastated or your family members suffer these consequences, then you might begin to realize the regulations are in fact good for our state and the economy.

Read more about yet another GOP effort to force their views on the state - Cut Your Electric Bill: Repeal the Mandate! : NC SPIN Balanced Debate for the Old North State