NCGA

But those things probably aren't their goal, anyway:

Sen. Bob Rucho, a Republican leading the tax overhaul efforts, said revamping the system is necessary because household consumption has changed, eroding the base of the state’s tax system. Rucho said he favors taxing all services on the list. “It should be a balanced approach because there is more and more of a shift toward the service industry in North Carolina … and it’s just a matter of fairness that everybody should be treated the same,” he said.

Taxing services instead of income is about as far away from "fair" as you can get. Not only does it shift the burden down to those who can afford it the least, it puts downward pressure on small businesses, who employ about 3/4 of the work force. And (if that's not enough) it will create a budget deficit the likes we haven't seen for decades:

I was going to say something about a stopped clock, but that would be ungracious:

I understand cities, towns and counties are the creation of the General Assembly. Under the state constitution, municipalities can’t wipe their noses without legislative permission. Still, the degree of local meddling that’s emerging is beginning to resemble political score-settling, not prudent governmental self-restraint the GOP says its supports.

It's about time somebody from the right stepped up to point out this contradiction between (claimed) ideology and actions. But of course, Little Ricky just can't seem to take a stand on something without taking some pot-shots at progressives:

In honor of Sunshine Week:

gwfrink3 11:40am via Web Violating open meetings law? RT @SarahOvaska @NCPolicyWatch reporter @LindsayWagnerNC kicked out of meeting of #NCGA members & schl supers

The only reason they would do that is because whatever they're planning to talk about is going to be couched in misleading terms which could be easily unraveled to expose their true intent. Not good.

Tea Party Tedesco seems to have an inside track:

Today's message, obtained by WRAL, hints at tense discussion among board members over legislative proposals to give the county ownership of schools and redraw school board districts, two powers that currently rest with school boards in North Carolina. "What the General Assembly giveth, they can clearly take," Tedesco warns the board.

Apparently this is not just a Wake County issue. Not sure what this all means, but I do know one thing: as a voter, I use vastly different criteria when selecting a county commissioner candidate vs a school board candidate. They're not interchangeable, and neither are their (current) powers and responsibilities. I can't say I'm speaking for all voters, but I'd say "most" is a safe bet. Republicans might think this is clever, but it could bite them in the ass. Hard.

Draconian measures for imaginary threats:

"We call this restoring confidence in government," Tillis said. "There are a lot of people who are just concerned with the potential risk of fraud." He added a voter ID law "would make nearly three-quarters of the population more comfortable and more confident when they go to the polls."

I dispute those numbers but, even if they are true, where do you think that public perception came from? Several years of propaganda-laced electioneering by fear-mongering Republicans, who don't have the capacity to fix real problems so they
manufacture strawmen to bring down. And like most propagandists of totalitarian regimes, Tillis tries to convince those he's hurting that he's actually helping them:

Letter to the Editor, Raleigh News and Observer
March 16. 2013

While I acknowledge that HB319 is an unusual piece of legislation and not a good precedent in some ways, I support the Dix Lease bills and the sponsors who introduced them. Theirs is a far more fair and balanced approach to dealing with the Dix Campus than that of the Democrats in the legislature and on the Council of State in recent years.The elected members of the Council of State rushed to approve the lease and ignored anyone who gave any argument against the proposal that came from the Raleigh group, the so-called "Dix Visionaries."

But some connections are hard to cut:

“I wouldn’t know him if I saw him,” said McCrory, a Republican. “I think we got it (the checks) through the mail.” Four lobbyists at Moore & Van Allen, including a former spokesman for McCrory’s 2012 gubernatorial campaign, filed paperwork with the state Thursday severing ties with IIT.

You don't need to hire a private investigator to detect that connection. The spokesman for McCrory was also the spokesman for Chase Burns. Not only does that make McCrory's "plausible deniability" much less plausible, it also narrows the field on who asked for this money back in November:

And the forehead smacks continue:

NCCapitol 4:52pm via Web
Former Rep. Dale Folwell, R-Forsyth, to lead Employment Security under Sec. Sharon Decker. #ncga #ncpol

This is beginning to look like a sitcom or a really irritating reality show. You hate children? How about a job running a day-care center! Can't swim? Lifeguard! Allergic to peanuts? A taste-tester at a nut-cluster factory! (Yes, there is such a place, I saw it on PBS the other day). You are ideologically opposed to laid-off workers receiving unemployment benefits? You can run the Employment Security Commission!

The arrogance of power:

The Senate voted 33-16 Tuesday to take Charlotte Douglas International Airport from the city, which has governed it successfully for 78 years, and give it to a new independent authority. Unless House Speaker Thom Tillis of Mecklenburg County slows things down, Charlotte taxpayers will soon lose jurisdiction over a jewel responsible for an estimated $10 billion a year in economic activity.

So much for being against big-government thuggery. A move of this magnitude, that will affect bond-holders and taxpayers in great numbers, should (at least) be dealt with via referendum. That way, all the pro-con reasons would be brought to the fore, and not hidden behind smug opacity: