NC GOP

So much for the "anti-corruption" GOP leadership:

Per the request of N.C. House Speaker Thom Tillis, R-Mecklenburg, the assembly’s bipartisan Legislative Ethics Committee is deciding whether to follow the USDA and launch a review of their own.

"Deciding"? The red flags have been waving on this issue for months now, and it's looking like LaRoque's shenanigans may have tainted other Legislators:

Because we refuse to make the needed changes to our mental health system:

A study released Wednesday by Disability Rights North Carolina says the state is failing children with a "dual diagnosis," such as having both autism and bipolar disorder. The report shows the state quadrupled the number of children housed in facilities outside North Carolina between 2005 and 2010, from 117 to 494.

To call this a "failure" is a gross understatement. It's somewhere between an abrogation of responsibility and criminal negligence. And yes, this might sound petty and self-centered, but it's also downright embarassing. South Carolina and Tennessee can provide better care? Really?

Drawing race-oriented boundaries:

The Republicans "systematically moved (street) blocks in or out of their precincts on the basis of their race. No other explanation is possible given the statistical data," Arrington wrote in an affidavit filed in Wake County Superior Court last week.

What was all that crap we were hearing a few years ago about the importance of "neighborhood" schools? When your neighbor votes somewhere else, and is represented by some other elected official, I think it's safe to say your "neighborhood" has been torn apart.

Trying to edge Vernon Robinson out of the picture:

"I was unaware that this was a multi-candidate primary and I have made it a practice not to endorse in those situations," Michael Reagan wrote in a Dec. 28 email to N.C. Republican Party Chairman Robin Hayes.

Translated: "I was unaware Robin Hayes was grooming a white, DC-savvy, predictable, prone-to-manipulation, business-as-usual candidate for this race, so my choice of the crazy black guy was a little premature."

Here is a summary of what happened last night, originally posted at Progress NC. It is intended for people unfamiliar with legislative goings-on. Please make sure people not paying attention to politics read it so they understand what is going on in Raleigh using taxpayer dollars:

What happened in Raleigh last night proves that the leadership of the NC House is unworthy of serving the people of North Carolina.

January 5, 2012 will go down as a sad day for North Carolina -- it will be remembered as the day that leaders of our state government met in the dark of the night to elude public scrutiny and then shut down debate by their opposition in an attempt to ram their extremist agenda through our state house with as few people participating or watching as possible.

This is not democracy and it is not conduct becoming of our leaders. This is proof that they are unworthy to serve the people of North Carolina.

It looks like enough Dems (or their families) are in the hospital to warrant pulling those Vetoes out of the garage for a spin:

CraigJ_NandO 11:26pm via TweetDeck House will take up other veto overrides after midnight tonight. Hackney says he was lied to about it. #ncga #ncpol

Bloomberg connects the dots on ALEC-inspired state legislation:

Ellington’s bill started life as a set of bullet points that at least two telecommunications companies recommended to a state legislator in Utah in 2001. On the fourth attempt, it passed in North Carolina this year. Incumbent telcos have shown a pattern of promoting these bills and rewarding the state legislators who sponsor them. The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), is the hub from which these bills emerge.

It's an extensive article, but well worth the read. It's also a great platform to discuss some points from a little side project I've been working on for a friend.