Dillon vs. Homerule

Whatever your feelings may be on confederate monuments, this man's statement bears reading.

Rep. George Cleveland, a Jacksonville Republican, said the state should have the final say. “Municipalities and cities are subdivisions of the state, and the state can play with their property if they feel like it,” he said.

NC Business Really Likes Sustainable Energy

Another NC business weighs in, warning NCGA not to make changes in sustainable energy standards.

SAS Institute Inc. has become the latest high-profile company to weigh in on the ongoing debate in the General Assembly over whether to change the state’s renewable energy policies.
In a letter sent to all state lawmakers Wednesday, the Cary-based business analytics software company warned lawmakers that changing the state’s Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard could hurt the development of clean energy in North Carolina.

“Technology companies value North Carolina’s existing energy policies, which enable us to operate and grow our businesses in a sustainable manner,” the company says.

http://www.bizjournals.com/triangle/news/2015/07/16/sas-nc-renewable-energy-portfolio-standard-reps....

Another Step Towards School Privatization

Thanks to Lindsay Wagner at NC Policy Watch, I can call your attention to this news in education. Rep. Rob Bryan (R-Mecklenburg) has gutted SB 95 and replaced it with language that will take low performing NC elementary schools, put them into a special Achievement School District (ASD) and turn them over to for-profit charter management companies. The plan is to start with the 5 lowest performing elementary schools, but if this is enacted, I fully expect to see it regularly expanded until all of North Carolina’s traditional public schools have been privatized.

2 NC cities see drop in income

The people of Rocky Mount and New Bern made the list of 10 Cities Where Income Is Shrinking the Fastest.

Representative Government

It strikes me that those who loudly complain that government should not be picking winners and losers, are actually involved in the conduct they revile.

In allowing film industry incentives to expire, leadership at NCGA is choosing to let a North Carolina industry die. That's approximately 4,000 jobs.

Business likes solar

It's not just wind energy getting a boost in North Carolina.

The leadership at NCGA may not care for sustainable energy, but business really likes solar power. Solar power saves money and that has a direct impact on the bottom line. Target Stores like solar so much they are planning to add solar to their stores' rooftops.

Triangle Business Journal is reporting:

Target Corp. plans to have rooftop solar projects on as many as 30 stores in North Carolina by the end of the year, according to information from the company and filings with N.C. regulators.

Trudymander: verb.

I found a new political term on twitter tonight.

Trudymander

Trudymandering is what happens to the North Carolina town of Greensboro when un-named and unspecified 'people' ask Sen Trudy Wade to gerrymander the town to ensure the election of Republicans.

SCOTUS-Another Big Decision!

This is a really big deal. SCOTUS rules in favor of the people of Arizona vs. their own state government.

In response to complaints that the state legislature was engaging in partisan gerrymandering of congressional districts, Arizona voters approved an independent commission to draw district lines in a 2000 ballot initiative. The commission has two Republicans and two Democrats, who legislative leaders choose from a list composed by the state's Commission on Appellate Court Appointments, in addition to a chairman who may not be a member of either party.

Saving rural NC as simple as one, two, three

Great article in this week's Indy by Jeffery Billman, called What's Driving the NC Senate's Animus Towards the State's Metros? BIllman explores possible reasons our state Senate Republicans dislikes our state's cities. I don't know about you, but I have never heard an urban politician campaign on hurting our urban environments, but to hear what is happening in NCGA, one would think there was a cabal of cities out to destroy the countryside. However, the greatest harm to our rural brethren has come from the Senate Republicans themselves. (I've put a link at the bottom of this piece. Read his article for more.)

The Power of Symbols

Symbols evoke emotions. They have a power to evoke images and send messages to our subconscious. They tell us what is important. Think of the crucifix, the Star of David, the swastika. Or the confederate flag. When presented with a symbol often enough, the repetition can influence our actions. Presented repeatedly to a group it becomes part of the collective unconscious, influencing a whole society.

BlueNC

Vicki Boyer's blog