Anyone reading Under the Dome the past week will likely have seen that there has been a series of posts with the various funding bills that candidates for higher office have signed onto in the State House and Senate.
One candidate's requests have sparked a sad attack by the GOP.
Walter Dalton has his name on bills totaling $277 million this year. Far above the 1.9 million that resigned Senator (and his opponent) Pittenger requested. Because of that, Linda Daves said the following:
"There could not be a clearer contrast between two candidates on the issue of fiscal responsibility than what we have in this year's race for Lieutenant Governor," she said. "While Walter Dalton has been one of the top appropriators as part of the entrenched Democrat power in Raleigh, Robert Pittenger has consistently been an advocate for smaller, smarter, more efficient government."
She said Dalton has a "typical tax and spend mentality," while Pittenger "consistently opposed the excess, pork, and waste" of the legislature.
Jerry Meek responded by defending Dalton:
He said that Republican chairwoman Linda Daves and Republican lieutenant governor nominee Robert Pittenger "haven't met a good idea that they were not against."
"I think we expect our leaders to show leadership and not just oppose things without actually looking at them," he said. "These are all strong programs that are going to help North Carolina, and I think Senator Dalton is on the right track by promoting them."
So, just what are these vile, nasty programs that are being attacked? (From Dome)
$135 million for grants for local water and sewer projects,
$20 million for the N.C. Rural Economic Development Center,
$16 million for stem cell research,
$14 million for the Cleveland Correctional Center,
$10 million to provide services for the developmentally disabled,
$5.8 million to help provide high-speed Internet access,
$3 million for biotechnology training,
$2.5 million for construction at historically black colleges
$2 million for small business entrepeneurship initiatives.
Local Infrastructure, better education, more jobs, higher quality of life. Oh what horrible spending bills these are!
What are the programs that Dalton is a cosponsor of?
$44.7 million for Smart Start early childhood intiatives,
$9.5 million for 4-H camps,
$3 million for home foreclosure prevention,
$3 million for loans for biotechnology start-ups,
$1.6 million for a dropout prevention program in Durham and Vance counties,
$1.4 million for water resource management
$1.25 million for biotechnology education.
Now Linda Daves has attacked Dalton for Pork spending, but if you look of the 277 million, only 14 million would directly benifit Dalton's district, while many would benefit his along with every other rural district in the state. And there is of course no gurantee that bill will get passed or folded into the budget.
The question now is, if Education, Jobs and Biofuels are irresponsible, just what would Linda Daves and Robert Pittenger like our state to look like?
Comments
Welcome to the GE folks
Remember the good old days when the Lt Gov debate was about who had been pro-choice longest and who had the best approach to education? Now the debate is pro-education vs anti-education.
I hope anti-education goes down in flames.
"Keep the Faith"
"Keep the Faith"
Front paged
A lot of us were campaigning against Walter Dalton in the primary. When you look at what he's fighting for in the NC Senate, you can see that he is a lot more in tune with the issues that most of us fight for and believe in than his opponent, Robert Pittenger.
In my opinion, we should see throw enthusiastic support behind Dalton, and throw it there now. He's a good man, a strong Democrat, and will be a strong Lt. Gov.
Be the change you wish to see in the world. --Gandhi
Pointing at Naked Emperors
I'm there.
n/t
Government is the source of everything
Yes, because without the government there would be no biofuel.
Cabarruscheapseats.com: Reasoned Discussion of Cabarrus County, NC News & Politics
Im not saying that
What I am saying is that Dalton is attempting to spend state money responsibly, by putting resources into places that will make our state better.
Republicans say they want to run government like a business, except they really dont. In the real world, when businesses make investments its considered essential. In Republican land when governments make investments its considered wasteful spending. Because apparently kids are NOT the future or something like that.
Personally, I think this state could benefit from more jobs and a better educated workforce. Apparently you and Linda Daves disagree.
"Keep the Faith"
"Keep the Faith"
It's amazing what you can read from one sentence
I never said that and I don't.
You know, you've got a point. I don't think a Republican would ever say that we would need more spending on rural schools. I mean look at the Leandro case. No Republican would ever have written an opinion like that. It's a good thing that Justice Bob Orr was on the bench then.
Wait a minute...
There are things the government should be funding. At State and Local levels, education should be a priority. However, throwing more money at something where there's plenty of private money and a large market inducement (biofuels) takes money AWAY from government priorities like public safety, infrastructure, education, etc.
Cabarruscheapseats.com: Reasoned Discussion of Cabarrus County, NC News & Politics
Fine IF
Thats fine. If you want to argue that we should be spending money on public safety, infrastructure and education instead of biofuels that is fine. But Linda Daves attacked every penny that Dalton wants the state to spend, and held up Pittenger as a paragon of virtue.
So while you MIGHT think that spending money on those things is good, its obvious Linda Daves doesnt, and its obvious (from his voting record in the past) that Pittenger is against education funding.
"Keep the Faith"
"Keep the Faith"
It was amazing what one can read in a McCain E-Mail?
Title of a E-Mail sent by a McCain Supporter
" I'm scare! Pass this on to Justin"
In response to your political email to me, if someone (for example a proposed executioner) put a loaded pistol to my head and cocked the trigger and said, "You pick your choice(s) for president, right now, or I will pull the trigger." I probably would respond in this order.
First, as an active Conservative Republican for over 44-years, my first choice is Congressman Ron Paul. And the proposed executioner said, "No. Choose another."
I would probably say my second choice is former Congressman Bob Barr of the Libertarian Party. And the executioner said, "No. Choose another."
I would probably say my 3rd choice then is Senator Barack Obama. And if the executioner said "No. Choose another."
I would say my 4th choice is Hillary Clinton. And the proposed executioner said to me, "No, damn-it. I've given you four chances. You must choose John bomb, bomb McCain or I will pull the trigger."
I would probably say, "Pull the damn trigger..."
ok, first, nobody likes
irresponsible spending of public money. We agree on that. Heaven knows I'd love to send an LSFM (Lean Sigma for Management) Black Belt team into the NCDOT.
second, nobody here lumps Justice Bob Orr in with the NCGOP. He is an intelligent, thoughtful man who cares more about fair, just application of the law than he does about toeing the NCGOP party line ... which is why he isn't lumped in with the NCGOP, even by the NCGOP.
third, I'm not sure you're right about the biofuels part. Here's why ...
There may be plenty of private money and market inducement in biofuels, but I don't think that is a good reason to keep public money out of biofuels research. There is also plenty of private money and market inducement in pharmaceuticals, but we invest VERY heavily -- as a state and as a country -- in basic medical and biological research. We do that for many reasons ... because the basic research is way more expensive that even the pharm industry could handle, because it is time consuming and labor intensive work, because it is hit-and-miss, and because the entire process of doing all that research is incredibly beneficial to the public in a multitude of other ways -- outside of identifying new compounds or therapies.
Maybe we should have a look at the kind of biofuels research we're going to invest in and why the state has an interest in jump starting that industry HERE, in NC, before we declare it unworthy of funds because some specific businesses and a few people in business suits and chauffeured limousines are willing to invest a little of their money in it, too.
"It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit." - Harry Truman
"They took all the trees and put them in a tree museum Then they charged the people a dollar 'n a half just to see 'em. Don't it always seem to go that you don't know what you've got till it's gone? They paved paradise and put up a parking lot."
Actually, I do lump him in with them
I do lump Bob Orr in with the rest of the NCGOP. True, he might be a little more digestable than the majority of the NCGOP but he is still a Republican and that tells me he still backs the Republican Party.
"jump in where you can and hang on"
Briscoe Darling to Sheriff Andy
I stand corrected.
My apologies. I should have written, "... not everybody here..." or just simply "... I don't...."
I just get so weary of the hard party lines being toed, I'm near giddy when I see a Repub going off-message. It just doesn't happen often enough. And I've seen how holding on to those party lines in local small town semi-gov't dealings can be asinine and totally counter-productive sometimes. The way the GOP has become so cliquish and creepy in the last decades about staying on message, I have to admire a man who at least sometimes chooses to do what's right -- in spite of his party affiliation. So, I don't lump Orr in with the NCGOP.
"It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit." - Harry Truman
"They took all the trees and put them in a tree museum Then they charged the people a dollar 'n a half just to see 'em. Don't it always seem to go that you don't know what you've got till it's gone? They paved paradise and put up a parking lot."
He is still a republican
but he appears to be all the things Leslie mentioned above, which makes me curious as to how he remains in the same party as Linda Daves and her hench-creatures. They are as different as night and day.
Be the change you wish to see in the world. --Gandhi
Pointing at Naked Emperors
Judged by the people you hang around with
I had a short conversation with Marc F. at the ninth district convention that opened my eyes on this very subject. I told Marc that there was only one Republican I was planning on voting for this fall, Steve Troxler for Ag. Com. Steve is a former Soil and Water Conservation Supervisor (position I hold in Meck) and had been a good cheerleader for our state association.
Marc pointed out to me that you have to look beyond the person and look at the party and the positions that party promotes. While Steve may be good for Soil and Water, the Republican Party has been very bad for the environment and that is what really matters.
While Bob Orr may hold some good positions, the Republican Party is not good on 99% of the issues that I think are important. Bob Orr may be a great guy, I have never met him that I know of but as long as he remains a registered Republican, I won't give him a pass.
"jump in where you can and hang on"
Briscoe Darling to Sheriff Andy
My sentiments exactly
I like Orr. He's smart ... but not smart enough not to be a Republican.
I trust Orr
I trust Orr. Or rather, I trust him to disagree with me on just about everything ideologically. But I also trust that he wants what is best for North Carolina, even if he is dead wrong on how to get there.
"Keep the Faith"
"Keep the Faith"
People that disagree with you are automatically stupid?
And I thought that we Republicans were supposed to be the ones who pompously shelve people in stereotypes.
I guess I should start home-schooling my kids, trade-in my Volvo, and blow some stuff up for the fun of it in order to make your tiny, little world make sense.
Cabarruscheapseats.com: Reasoned Discussion of Cabarrus County, NC News & Politics
Not automatically
n/t
Biofuels are a fine investment...
...as long as someone's making some money off of them. Which means that they'll be people investing in it when it makes sense.
The point isn't that this or that is a good or bad investment. It's that we don't effectively execute the basic functions of government in this state: public safety, infrastructure, and education.
It's a matter of priorities.
You'll notice - in my original comment - that I only wrote one sentence. I didn't parse out Dalton's spending - nor did I do the same for Pittenger. State budgets are zero-sum games: a dollar spent on "biofuel support" is a dollar that we're not spending on school construction, DAs salaries, or fixing our bridges that are falling apart.
Until the government starts doing ITS own job - it should leave the "investing" to the people who know what they're doing.
Cabarruscheapseats.com: Reasoned Discussion of Cabarrus County, NC News & Politics
Blue South
is a rock star!