#ncga: The BIGGER bonds, bloated budget blues
“I am willing to sit here until December.” — Rep. Nelson Dollar (8/5/15)
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House leaders and Gov. Pat are trying to push through a bond issue AND a packed budget. Frustration is starting to build within the House GOP cau
cus:
“The governor was told ‘no’ with his first bond issue proposal, and now he and leadership are coming back with something that spends even more and saddles the public with even more debt. The Senate is not going to approve any of it. But House members are being told they need to help give the governor a win.
If this passes, tax reform is dead in the water. If this passes, they’re putting us, in the House, on record in favor of a tax increase.
The governor’s numbers are in the toilet. A lot of us are not willing to cut our own throats just to give Pat McCrory a win.”
My understanding is that the internal debate among Republicans got so intense and heated they had to retreat into caucus so as to not air dirty laundry so publicly. 
The bond issue got preliminary approval in the House late today, by the way. (It appears House leadership is hell-bent on making the folks in Charlotte pay tolls. The speaker and his team shot down three attempts by legislators trying to move the controversial I-77 expansion from a public-private toll arrangement to part of the proposed bond package.)
I am also told that are roughly one-third to one-half of House Republicans who have serious problems with the proposed House budget.
Reportedly, a powwow involving senators Berger and Apodaca, and reps. Lewis and Moore, went down some time during the past few days. The quartet came to a realization that some movement needs to take place SOON on the budget. A Jones Street source explained:
“People can’t understand it when Republicans own Raleigh and can’t get their act together. The big dogs understand that there needs to be some movement here. If they have to run over Nelson Dollar and his obstinance over Medicaid, so be it. ”
Sources tell me the Senate leadership has agreed to break up their budget proposal and take out all of the policy provisions — making House members vote on each policy item one-by-one.
I publicly voiced my opposition to my house member. I hope that other readers do the same. Malone said he would consider one but not that high.
The recorded vote on the legislative website shows he didn’t tell you the truth.
Malone “AYE”
http://www.ncleg.net/gascripts/voteHistory/RollCallVoteTranscript.pl?sSession=2015&sChamber=H&RCS=925
From a friend, lots of truth and worth sharing.
If the police raided the House and charged us all with being Republicans, would there be any evidence?
Hey man. I gotta idea man. Why don’t they charge like extra on a gallon of gas, and put that money in a savings account, and use that money just for roads and bridges. Maybe they could stop paving side roads that are in good shape. Maybe they could stop using 12 guys, in 11 trucks, to plant 1 bush. Maybe they could stop spending my hard earned money like it’s free, or extra, money. It ain’t. What group’s in charge up there? Can’t hardly tell the difference .
Uh….they already do that. It is called the gas tax and the general assembly steals about $250-300 MILLION every year to pad the general fund and pay for things other than roads. A $1 BILLION transportation bond would not be needed if they stopped stealing.
You don’t say. Well I’ll be.
I thought the dream by having a Republican Gov a Republican House a Republican Senate is they would stop making Democrat corrupt budgets but NO this did not happen
Welcome to Corporate NC where the Lobbist rule. Funny thing, they have a law about pay to play an no one never seems to break that law. Really what a joke. My friend told me a long time ago “It’s cheaper to buy a politican than be one.” Lots of truth there just look today in Raleigh. We have to elect TRUE conservatives that have principles! (Right Wing Individuals) If you don’t believe it just look at what you got now. Sold to the highest Bidder.
Maybe they could call it, The Highway Slush, I mean Trust Fund.
BTW~ I don’t spend money on line. Who do I make the check out to, and where do I send it, to support the DH. I would consider it money well spent. Keep tellin the truth.
The imperial NCGA is out of control..because they CAN BE out of control. North Carolina badly needs, like 36 other states, full constitutional home-rule (C-HR) powers imposed on these clowns. It’s their (expensive, oblique, bureaucratic) micromanagement of 100 counties, 550+ incorporated municipalities, and 10 million people that’s run amok. That’s a fact, Jack.
Conservatives need to own this idea, inasmuch it’s what technology itself is telling us about the role of state governance. Speed, transparency, rapid accountability—for the NCGA? that’s a joke, but it’s what the world of tomorrow will reward, not its opposite, now entrenched in NC state government.
Changing our Party’s nominee selection system from a Primary to a Caucus at all levels could make a difference. Then the candidates would be directly accountable to the Party rank-and-file.
What concerns me is that we have too many Republican legislators, especially in leadership, and especially in the House who remind me too much of the way Basnight and Black operated. Republicans should be better than that. We also have some really solid people in the legislature. I hope through the primary process we can improve the quality of our legislators.
The GOP waited all those years to take over.
Then they come to find out that the government cannot run without money. The Dems are now saying, “I told you so.”
The GOP wave may recede before independent redistricting washes them away.
As a retiree all I can say is my extra $10,000 a year I earn on the side is heavily taxed by Raleigh.