To big applause, Speaker Thom Tillis told NC Republicans at Saturday’s convention that this week he will push through legislation requiring voters to show a government photo ID each time they vote. The bill has been stalled for months as more evidence piled up about it being a waste of tax money and a partisan [...]
We live in polarized times. Communications between people of different political parties is strained and makes government progress more difficult. So why pass that attitude on to a younger generation? Why take what could have been a lesson in good government and turn it into a petty lesson in how to pull rank . . [...]
Earlier this week, Democracy North Carolina released a report that sharply criticized a proposal jammed inside the state Senate budget to merge and shrink the three agencies that oversee elections, ethics, and lobbying. We’re pleased to report that the proposal, which many others also rebuked, is no longer a part of the Republican budget plan. The Senate [...]
Another report, this one by Citizens for Tax Justice, spotlights mega-corporations that rake in massive profits and pay nothing in federal income taxes – in fact, they get a credit, which means money from you. This is what happens when corporations rig the tax code to their advantage, a product of their investment in bad [...]
Consumers will likely see the cost of small loans go up in North Carolina, thanks to a bill in the NC General Assembly that will hike interest rates and add new fees. According to a detailed report by Democracy North Carolina, the bill is the reward for finance company owners suddenly shifting allegiance and pumping [...]
The Koch brothers, Art Pope’s Locke Foundation, Americans for Prosperity, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Exxon, BP, Massey Coal and many others understand that if people took global warming seriously as a condition that will kill their children, then government regulation (or just regulating CO2 production) would gain new popularity - and the freedom of [...]
U.S. Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-Cherryville) lived up to his reputation as the pit bull for ultra-conservatives during a Congressional hearing yesterday. He went after Elizabeth Warren, acting head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, ending up basically calling her a liar, which set her back in her chair, aghast. McHenry’s animosity to consumer finance protection [...]
Donna Clark gives a first-person account of what it means to be without health insurance in North Carolina. She expresses the hope of millions for a better system - and the outrage of seeing insurance companies overtake and rig the new system against her. She recognizes the unethical behavior of NC legislators colluding with the [...]
The NC Senate is rolling out its version of the 2011-2013 state budget this week – and it cuts many vital programs even more than the House version. Legislative leaders say there’s not enough money, but that’s because they won’t close tax loopholes for wealthy special interests that are protected by big campaign donations and [...]
5/19/2011 - The NC House voted to slice a week off the Early Voting period by a surprisingly close 60 to 58, with six Republicans joining the Democrats’ unanimous opposition to the bill (H-658). Backers of the bill said it would save tax money and not inconvenience voters, but after the vote the State Board of [...]