For a long time I wondered what governance would be, if Rush
Limbaugh were in charge, and then North Carolina happened. The disaster in
North Carolina is an example of how bad things can get if the rational arm of right wing republicans
took over State Government; that is if right wing logic is applied. Wisconsin
was bad but in the Plantation South, things are worse.
The criminal level redistricting of 2011 in North Carolina is
where it started. This form of political corruption passed the test of the State
Supreme Court and the U.S. Department of Justice. Nevertheless, I would challenge
my reads to do two things, 1). Go to the
internet and look at the maps of the districts in North Carolina and 2). Look
at the results of the popular vote verses the political affiliation of elected representatives.
The legislative districts are so gerrymandered that it would even be impossible
to create a jigsaw puzzle out of the districts—the pieces would be too fragile because
there were so elaborately constructed.
North Carolina was one of five states where Democrats won
the majority but did not get half the seats—that is a red flag. In North Carolina,
the two-party vote was 51% Democratic and 49% Republican. However, nine Republicans and four Democrats represent our state in
Washington D.C. For those who are
curious, that calculates out to be 70%
Republican representation. In contrast, the electorate elected one Democrat
and one Republican in statewide voting for senator that is where districts do
not matter. What should be obvious to
everyone is that the drawing of the legislative districts is not fair. The three-judge
panel in North Carolina did not see it that way. Why? The only thing I can
figure is that racism transcends political party affiliation.
What is even worse for the “man on the street” is the result
of this redistricting on state politics. We have a Republican dictatorship,
which is why I invoked the Rush Limbaugh reference. They are cashing in on their
ill-gotten power—call it mission creep—in many different ways. They have destroyed
the middle class in their first legislative session, which is so bad it has drawn
nationwide attention. In fact, the grubby little GOP political operatives are
so busy taking over state functions such as utility commissions, courts, and
school boards, and election commissions that it is mind numbing. The 100% takeover
of election commissions (there happens to be 100 of them) is the move that
happen to be hitting the national news because it is so undemocratic but that
is only the tip of the iceberg. The combination of gerrymandered districts, the
massive and blatant voter suppression laws, along with the control of the
boards of election almost guarantees a perpetual majority, a downward tailspin.
It is a return to slavery only this time the subservience will be wider spread;
the servant class will include everyone but the Republican elite, which is a
point the “common conservative voter”
doesn’t appreciate. If you are a working person in North Carolina and a Republican
you are not included among your parties elite. You cannot afford to have your
children educated, you can pay high taxes (unless you are a corporate owner),
you cannot have health care protection, you cannot retire because there are no
pension funds, you cannot live if you lose your job because there is no unemployment
insurance, you cannot be represented in government because you have been denied
your vote. There is something you can do and that is work at two jobs at $7.25
and hour with out benefits because there are no 40 hour a week jobs. A company
would have to pay benefits if an employee worked forty-hours; there are 39 hour
a week jobs.
Art Pope, the economic driving force behind much of this, is
no dummy. He owns and operates Dollar Stores. What he is doing is making sure everyone
in North Carolina has to shop at his stores because they cannot afford to go
anywhere else. That is talk radio rationality; that is Rush Limbaugh.
URL: firetreepub.blogspot.com
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