Art Pope: ConnectNC is “fiscally conservative”
Is he speaking in a relative sense? “Fiscally conservative” in comparison to what? The federal government? The act of simply flushing cash down the toilet?
(*How much did he have to drink before granting this interview?*)
This is mind-blowing stuff coming from one of the founding fathers of The North Carolina Libertarian Party and the so-called “George Soros of The Right.”
But HERE is what he told WUNC:
[…] Supporters say money raised through the sale of bonds will pay for long-n
eeded projects the state will benefit from over decades. “It is the fiscally conservative thing to do,” says Art Pope, an influential Republican Raleigh businessman and former state budget director. “You would not spend all your money in one check buying your home. You take out a mortgage.” […]
Um, NOOOOOOOOOOO. The last time I checked, you end up shelling out MORE for a mortgage or a car loan than you do by simply paying upfront. (That interest thing, you know.) If you’ve got the money, you pay up front.
That’s what any sensible person — a fiscal conservative, for instance — would advise. Fiscal conservatism involves wise choices with money. Not spending more than what is reasonable or necessary to get what you want or need.
Fiscal conservatism involves paying-as-you-go. Spending money you actually have, ConnectNC ain’t it.
ConnectNC wants us to take on $2 billion in debt and pay it back, with interest, over 20 years. We’ve got a roughly $400 billion surplus in the budget right now. If we’re careful about our state spending, we can manage that surplus to pay off the $2 billion price-tag over FIVE YEARS.
We’ve also got a billion-dollar “rainy-day” fund sitting in the budget. If these ConnectNC projects are really all that necessary, it sounds like a perfect time to tap into that cash.
ConnectNC is a scam. The marketing campaign has been filled with lies, subterfuge, and skullduggery at every turn. it’s a payoff to politically-connected insiders. 
WITH OUR MONEY.
ConnectNC is playing us for fools. It’s against everything conservatism has ever stood for. It’s against what The Tea Party has fought for. It’s contradictory to the reasons we turned state government over to the GOP in 2010 and 2012.
Kill this thing at the polls. Just say NO.
Here’s some great information on the ConnectNC bond issue to educate you before you go to the polls.
Shooting this thing down sends a message to the governing class in Raleigh that (1) WE are still in charge, and (2) THEY can go down in flames too on future ballots (if they are not careful).
The Governor and this General Assembly should be proud of themselves supporting a bond referendum for North Carolina that will largely be supported by all Democrats and a small percentage of Republicans.
There is a secret in Raleigh everyone should know :
Democrats like to spend money and Republicans like to spend money too, they just feel a little guilty about it .
Establishment Republicans like to spend money – ones like Mitch McConnell, Richard Burr, Thom Thillis, Tim Moore, Nelson Dollar, Jason Saine, David Lewis, et al.
The answer is to get more conservatives and less Big Government oriented establishment Republicans in office.
Are you kidding me? Art Pope has been fighting for conservative causes for his whole adult life.
That’s funny! If you listen to the audio he really does sound like he’s had a few…
I thought it was Dallas Woodhouse who did interviews while drunk:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StFwqGXQvEM
It is surprising that Art Pope would do so, too.
The GOP legislators in Raleigh have done a lot of good things since they’ve been in control up there the past few years, but it’s really amazing how fast they can get drunk on the Koolaid! This Pork Bond issue is all the proof we should need to vote out every incumbent up there.
The Affiliated Political Committees nonsense was the last straw for me, and this really seals the deal!
I keep wondering, when did our GOP legislature turn into donkeys?
Sad to see folks on OUR side start twisting the meaning of words like the Progs. What’s next, Art, re-writing History to suit Common Core?
I will be shocked if this bond fails based on the deluge of ads and endorsements covering the state from commericals on NC Spin to NCSU alum magazines to radio interviews with the likes of Art Pope to almost every newspaper editorial board statewide. As Dr. Cordato pointed out in his newsletter on this issue, it ain’t about what the people will see get built if this bond passes, it’s about the unseen, the things that could have been built or jobs that could have been created but for this money being spent.
But hey, at least our taxes aren’t going to be raised to pay for it, right?