Anglico's pushing the hot buttons.

Have you heard me rant about the lottery before by any chance?

First, I think you're right about the fundamental status of the lottery. It was approved and its repeal is extremely unlikely. One of the reasons I argued hard against the adoption of a lottery in the first place was its inevitable addictive effect as a revenue source. Even as the predicted drawbacks of the lottery are coming to pass, there is little chance that lawmakers will voluntarily give up a perceived-to-be "free" revenue source in this lifetime.

Second. I do support efforts to direct the net revenues from the lottery into a special fund for education, to be used only for educational improvement opportunities that are not normally funded from the state general fund. I am personally most interested in pushing for a stronger state commitment to making up the resource gaps suffered by low-wealth school systems.

Finally. If the lottery itself came back up for a vote, would I support keeping it, or replacing it with other financing for education? I'd replace it. The lottery is our most unreliable and inefficient funding source. If, for example, the lottery manages to pull $1 billion out of (mostly low-income) North Carolinians' pockets, only about $300 million of that ever gets to state programs. The rest goes into advertising, prizes, and the gambling industry's "administration" costs. And, in order to keep the gross revenue receipts from shrinking over time, we would have to increase advertising and prizes. That would further lower the net efficiency of the lottery, while increasing the money drain from our low-income citizens' pockets. The most "educational" thing about the lottery is in remedial math for folks in calculating the low, low chances of ever getting their money back from it. While I do not expect the lottery itself to come back for a vote, I WILL fight hard against loosening restrictions on its advertising. Succeeding in that will help to control the adverse impacts from the lottery.

Summary: In reality, the lottery is likely here to stay. Given that, I strongly support efforts to "lock in" its revenues to new net education funding to the highest degree possible.

Dan Besse
Democrat for Lieutenant Governor
www.danbesse2008.org

NCtoDC,

The lieutenant governor (I'm going to start abbreviating it as lg to save time) has a blend of legislative and executive authority.

First, the lg presides over the State Senate on a daily, working basis while it's in session. This provides the opportunity to affect the flow of debate on the floor. More importantly, it gives the lg the starting point from which to enter into the ongoing negotiations process over budgeting and legislation.

However, the lg is not just another legislator. As a independently elected, statewide official, the lg has the "bully pulpit" potential to a degree above most others. If special interests have an important proposal (such as expansion of children's health care coverage) bottled up in committee; or are pushing a bad proposal (such as ratepayer subsidy for excess power plant construction) through the process too quickly for full consideration; the lg can step outside the quiet negotiations and call in the media. Used judiciously and with skill, this power can shift the course of policy debate.

Second, the lg is a working member of key executive branch policy-making boards: the Board of Education, the Board of Community Colleges, the Health and Wellness Trust Fund Commission, the Economic Development Board, etc.

If you know how to work policy proposals through such boards--and I do, from my 20+ years on policy-making state environmental commissions--this is a major source of real policy-changing potential.

Now with regard to your second question, what does "as far as practicable" mean? It means keeping tuition rates as low as possible, ensuring that grants and loans are availble for students who need them, and providing public service opportunities for as many students as possible as an alternative method of repaying student loans.

Dan Besse
Democrat for Lieutenant Governor
www.danbesse2008.org

Our legislative library is actually really good when compared to many other states. But, expanding what they do would be great.

"Keep the Faith"

The mental health system crisis in our state is straightforward. A well-intended effort of mental health treatment reform was launched a few years back, to move patients out of full institutionalization and into community treatment programs whenever possible. Good in theory.

Then it wasn't funded.

Spending on state mental institutions is down per capita, and state spending on community treatment programs has not gone up to take its place.

For the problem to be fixed, that simply must change. The "not easy" part comes in persuading the General Assembly to dramatically increase state funding for community treatment services. A coalition of important health care groups including the N.C. Psychiatric Association and the Mental Health Assoc. in NC has launched an effort to build support for addressing this crisis. I look forward to working with them to help do so.

Dan Besse
Democrat for Lieutenant Governor
www.danbesse2008.org

Please! Winston-Salem is the FOURTH-largest city. ;-)

Seriously:
The 2008 elections will channel an enormous reservoir of public disquiet over the direction our nation is taking. People want change. They're ready for a message calling for positive change, a government that will attend to their concerns, not the inside-the-beltway lobbies in Washington...or in Raleigh.

At the state level in NC, that's going to translate into a positive response to candidates who have real experience in public service outside the Raleigh beltway. Candidates who have taken their own public positions and worked on community problems as independently elected officials, walking the neighborhoods where they live. In short, candidates who wear work shoes, not wingtips.

How does that translate into practical politics? Here's how:
--I'm the only candidate with hands-on experience in dealing with the challenges of our growing urban areas. That means I understand the issues of urban local governments, from the Triangle through the Triad to Charlotte (not to mention Asheville, Fayetteville, Wilmington) in a way no other does. I will draw on those local government networks. I am active in the N.C. League of Municipalities, where thousands of local officials across the state gather and work. Many know me already.
--I'm the only candidate from the Piedmont Triad running statewide for gov or lg in either party. I have strong connections across the Triad, through work as a leader in the Piedmont Triad Partnership for economic development, and the Piedmont Triad Early Action Compact for clean air, among other places. The Triad hasn't elected a governor or lg in literally over 100 years. It's hungry for representation at the state level. And note, Public Policy Polling has just come out with analysis showing how important this region will be to statewide Dem candidates in 2008. I will strengthen the whole Dem ticket.
--I also have good contacts down East, especially in the mid-coast, where I lived and worked for a decade.
--Finally, I have a network of contacts and supporters statewide through the citizen environmental movement, legal aid agency alumni, Planned Parenthood supporters, the Progressive Democrats of NC, and more. These folks are not always the richest around, but they will provide a rich source of volunteer help, which is just as important.

Dan Besse
Democrat for Lieutenant Governor
www.danbesse2008.org

John, this may be the most critical issue facing our state over the next 20 years.

A predicted effect of global warming for much our state is a drier climate. The current historic drought may well be merely a foretaste of future patterns, not a passing weather blip.

At the same time our demand for water is going up. Our state's population is projected to grow by 50% between 2000 and 2030--in effect placing numbers equivalent to the entire population of SC on top of the folks already here in NC.

We must do two things:
1) Protect the quality of our water supply.
2) Get smarter about how we use it.

Re #1:
Stormwater runoff from development, and sedimentation from the same, are our biggest water quality challenges. Improved engineering controls will help, but we must also work with land use development patterns, encouraging revitalization of our city and town centers and more compact, transit-oriented development instead of endless urban sprawl.

Re #2:
We must become more efficient with our use of water. Development of "gray water" reuse systems will play a part in that. (That will require legislative changes in state statutes, by the way.) We have to refine the rules for interbasin transfer as well, looking down the road at projected demands, not just at a snapshot of the present.

My experience with local government and with state boards like the Environmental Management Commission and the Sedimentation Control Commission will be crucial in helping me play a leadership role in this area.

Dan Besse
Democrat for Lieutenant Governor
www.danbesse2008.org

This is an area in which Lt.Gov. Perdue has demonstrated a strong performance. It's clearly an area of personal concern for her, and she has worked it hard. I would hope to continue that service in this area.

I would expect to work directly with city (and county, too) leaders in Fayetteville, Jacksonville, Goldsboro, Havelock and elsewhere on this issue. They will know it from the inside in as much detail as anyone can. I will ask them for their thoughts, and listen.

There's a dual need here. We have to have state and local government working in cooperation to support our military families (and their bases). We also need to support the efforts of the host communities to build and diversify their economies in addition to the military host function. That will help to cushion everyone in those communities during the times of major troop call-ups, like the present. The host cities will be better able to continue their support of military families when their economies are not wholly dependent on that economic income stream.

Dan Besse
Democrat for Lieutenant Governor
www.danbesse2008.org

Capt, thanks very much for the good word.

Why did I run for this office?

It seems to be the perfect opportunity to take my combination of local and statewide, hands-on policy work experience, and put it to work on the needs I care most about: environmental stewardship, and equal opportunity for all.

With the current generation of statewide elected Democrats either running for governor or holding onto their current posts, the LG office is the premier chance to bring a fresh voice to Raleigh. And, looking at the demographic trends in our statewide electorate, I'm convinced that this is the year when a genuine progressive Democrat, coming out of a citizen-action tradition, can break through the glass ceiling into a statewide post.

None of the Democratic candidates for LG have an existing high statewide name identification, and my home base is the largest of the field. I believe that I also have the strongest combined record of elected and statewide appointed leadership as well.

That calls to mind the advice that I would personally give to good progressive Democrats who are interested in serving in public office. Start in your community. Run for local office. Seek appointive public service roles that will build your experience and get you into substantive public issue service work. Get some experience as the person whose name and judgment are personally on the line.

That builds experience, earns respect, and most importantly serves the public in the process.

Thanks again for your support!

Dan Besse
Democrat for Lieutenant Governor
www.danbesse2008.org

First, thanks very much for your support.

I know that we share a real concern over the proposed OLF, and the poor process used by the Navy in determining its "preferred" site. I was pleased to have the opportunity to personally speak at two of the public hearings the Navy held (the one in Hertford and the one in Charlotte) to express those concerns.

It did seem to take a long time to wake up most of our statewide leaders on the importance of this issue, didn't it? The good news on the OLF now is that it looks like the people were finally heard both in Congress and in Raleigh.

In general, I think the key to successful public participation is to hold the hearings and input opportunities before the final decisions are actually made. It's OK, often even necessary, to have a pretty good draft proposal before you go out to formal hearing. But don't insult people's intelligence. Folks can tell when the official minds have already been made up and the public process is merely window dressing. (The initial OLF hearings were a case in point, I'm afraid.) You have to be open to compromises and alternatives.

I've participated in years of public comment processes, from the Coastal Resources Commission through the Environmental Management Commission to the Winston-Salem City Council. It's important to provide as many options as possible for people to comment and provide their suggestions. I've seen a lot of use of combined in-person, hard-copy written, and on-line input. It works and produces a better product in the final analysis.

Dan Besse
Democrat for Lieutenant Governor
www.danbesse2008.org

I've enjoyed this session. My apologies for running long. I try to take every question with serious respect, and in the process have a tendency to run long in my responses. I hope that didn't discourage anyone from posting.

And if you think of a question later, please send it right along. I look forward to continuing our conversations.

Thank you!

Dan Besse
Democrat for Lieutenant Governor
www.danbesse2008.org