McCRORY APPLAUDED FOR HURTING 170,000

I listened to the State of the State address by Gov. Pat McCrory last night. There should be a caveat to the working class in North Carolina spoken in his kick off remarks he used to launch his new program.  He bragged about signing House Bill 4, which is legislation that benefits not one but hurts 170,000 North Carolinians who receive unemployment insurance. The room erupted with a standing ovation. Ironically, his overriding theme in the speech was that “we” must learn to live within our means—surely, he meant those he just impoverished and not businesses owners.

Every single thing he talked about related to making money. His approach was clearly be the time worn and failed trickle down economics of Ronald Reagan. He talked about building infrastructure under the titles of transportation, water, energy, and communications in “Obamanesque” fashion; he talked like a spend, spend, spend Democrat but forgot about the tax part of the Republican mantra of “Tax and Spend” Democrats. The programs he wants cost great amounts of money but he did not talk about raising taxes only about cutting taxes on businesses to attract more free loading businesses. He did not say it but as part of his plan he would work to cut wages, eliminate pension plans, cut health insurance plans, relax enforcement of OSHA standards, and prevent labor unions. Not one mention of workers benefits in the entire speech; you voted for him knowing he is a Republican, and that is what Republicans do.

We know he is going to spend money like George W. Bush, but where is the money coming from? He would increase efficiency or state and business: cut regulations. If you do not have regulations, you do not have to pay to enforce them. Of course, if you believe we can trust business not to pollute, for example. All of a sudden, they will be willing to cut profits to clean their waste. Just as suddenly and piously, they will stop all stock market manipulations, and book keeping gimmicks to prevent paying taxes, etc.  Among other sources, McCrory is spending money earned from just saying the State will be getting into the energy business—off shore drilling and fracking for natural gas—would pay for some of it. Of course, all that “imaginary” money, if it ever materializes, would be in private hands.

He even said our universities would be part of his economic plans. He would maximize the dollars institutions of higher “learning” would receive to do research but of course, the business that would benefit from the research would be in the hands of those who funded the research—big business. Government funded research would be patentable and not open to the public domain. They would hire researchers and not teachers. In addition, they would increase tuition to help pay for researchers that will benefit businesses; he didn’t say that but that is what has happened in every other state. Of course, the researchers are not teachers so what happens to our children who are in collage to be educated. Take the Caribbean attitude. Don’t worry, be happy; just relax and take it; anyway, working in North Carolina you probably cannot afford to pay the $50,000 a year for six or eight years to send you child to medical school. 

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