http://www.wral.com/thursday-wrap-speed-bumps-on-way-out-of-raleigh/13749068/

I read the headline and got excited for a minute - I actually thought there might be a bill to get rid of speed bumps.

I hate those alignment busting pieces of garbage

6/20/2014 11:04:55 AM

Senate is running the state, they can't turn around without bitch slapping McCrory and the Tillis house. There is nothing unusual about the short session running extra long, but both sides seem extra dug in. Worst possible outcome is for everyone to throw their hands in the air and head home.

7/2/2014 6:44:59 AM

http://www.wral.com/senate-walks-out-of-budget-talks-/13797681/

7/9/2014 10:58:45 AM

^children debating children

7/9/2014 12:10:11 PM

The craziest part of this situation is that their respective budgets ARENT EVEN THAT FAR APART!!!!!

Both budgets got slammed for certain elements (rightfully so), just get rid of those elements and compromise in the middle, but no, declaring victory over your opponent is more important. The sad part is that they are all in the same party. Add this to the long list of evidence that Republicans are incapable of governing due to their party first me first dispositions.

7/10/2014 11:41:12 AM

how is anyone ever supposed to expect democrats to compromise with these people if they can't even work things out between themselves

7/10/2014 11:44:05 AM

How is it the only place they have to move money from is either medicaid or teachers' salaries? I know these are big items, but there has to be money elsewhere...

7/10/2014 11:54:55 AM

^those together make up like half (or maybe more than that) of the budget. I think cuts have been made elsewhere, but they just aren't as significant. It hard making up a $200 million shortfall ( or was it more than that, I can't keep it straight)

^^exactly. It's so senseless that it's making me consider if something more personal is going on, like some continuing feud between Berger and his senate pals and Tillis/McCrory/Pope and the
House.

You'd think wrapping up and getting the Hell out of raleigh would be pretty motivating, obviously it's not as motivating as scoring some kind of "total victory."

7/10/2014 12:36:05 PM

Let's see how they try to massage Wikipedia in their own image: https://twitter.com/NCGAedits

7/12/2014 11:38:21 PM

Because people form their opinions of the NCGA based on Wikipedia articles.

7/13/2014 11:47:15 PM

Well this is sure to go over well:

http://www.slate.com/blogs/weigel/2014/07/15/new_gop_idea_that_can_close_the_gender_gap_bring_politics_down_to_a_woman.html

Men do tend to talk about things on a much higher level. Many of my male colleagues, when they go to the House floor, you know, they’ve got some pie chart or graph behind them and they’re talking about trillions of dollars and how, you know, the debt is awful and, you know, we all agree with that ... we need our male colleagues to understand that if you can bring it down to a woman's level and what everything that she is balancing in her life — that’s the way to go. - Renee Ellmers

[Edited on July 15, 2014 at 11:39 AM. Reason : .]

7/15/2014 11:38:50 AM

i literally just watched this on the news. she basically said her quote was taken out of context and how she was pointing out that people come from different backgrounds.

lol ... dumb bitch

7/15/2014 6:16:15 PM

She was the one who used the new york mosque in her commercials.

7/15/2014 7:20:16 PM

in all fairness to Renee Elmers, she does need people to mansplain things to her. I mean, charts? Charts are fancy shit.

7/15/2014 8:03:24 PM

^^

Yes she was the one fear mongering with the NY Mosque, calling it a "victory shrine". Sadly it helped her win the seat since bigotry against all Muslims is widely accepted.

7/16/2014 1:47:39 PM

http://www.salon.com/2014/07/16/arizona_goper_mistakes_ymca_kids_for_undocumented_children/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=socialflow

whoops!

7/17/2014 1:34:44 PM

(^not NC )

http://www.indyweek.com/triangulator/archives/2014/07/17/tillis-defunds-the-democrats

7/18/2014 12:46:07 PM

Seems like the Republicans know how modern day politics work. You stomp the other party mercilessly hoping they don't regain power.

Hopefully the Democrats remember this next time they hold the majority.

7/18/2014 2:19:17 PM

Rev. Barber was on real time with bill maher this week

He did a good job

7/18/2014 10:19:46 PM

I've never really liked barber in the past, but he really did a good job.

7/19/2014 12:48:54 AM

idiots that think like "moron" (aptly named) are the reason national politics are so fucked.

and since no "liberals" pounced on his statement im going to assume you all think that way.

...and since you fancy yourselves more numerous thats a-ok.

fucking fanatics.

7/19/2014 7:20:29 PM

Ha that was meant to be facetious.

It's not in the progressive ethos to behave that way which is why conservatives always get the best of the democrats.

7/19/2014 9:44:32 PM

horeseshit. that's how all politics work. quit acting like progressive shit doesn't stink

7/20/2014 3:35:53 PM

They aren't equal and opposite, that's a myth pushed by the right.

Progressives actually believe in the power of the people as formed by the constitution into our government. Republicans hate government and thus the people it represents, and work from within to discredit and destroy it, and this shows in their actions.

7/21/2014 12:59:14 AM

Can we talk about this budget?


I mentioned that it seemed as though something personal might be going on between McCrory/Tillis/The House and Berger/Senate, it was really the only way to explain the ham-fisted infighting we were seeing. Still no great evidence, but Gary Pearce gives a small insight:

Quote :

"Oddly, there wasn’t the usual simultaneous adjournment, with members from both houses sharing smiles and handshakes at the end. The Senate passed its budget and left town. The House was left to clean up. (And the state was left with no plan to clean up coal ash.) The once-united troika of Governor, House and Senate fell apart this year. One Republican even said the Senate pushed for the so-called 7 percent pay raise just to put up a number that McCrory had said he would veto, challenging him to put up or back down. Then there was the Governor comparing Berger to Marc Basnight, Tony Rand and even Harry Reid. Plus the obvious glee that McCrory and Tillis allies took in the defeat of Berger Jr.’s congressional race – and their possible involvement in that defeat. In return, there was the Senate’s very public and pointed killing of the puppy-mill bill that was a pet project (so to speak) of the Governor and First Lady."

http://www.talkingaboutpolitics.com/Home/tabid/36/ctl/ArticleView/mid/364/articleId/4102/Sine-Doh.aspx

SMH



But ignoring those shenanigans and just taking the budget for what it is, well, I'm still SMH. No where does it even come close to addressing the $700 million dollar shortfall that this budget sets us up for. Both Republican House Finance Committee chairs voted against the budget for god sakes:

Quote :

"Rep. Julia Howard, R-Davie, the chairwoman of the House Finance Committee, voted against the budget, saying she feared revenue wouldn't keep pace with growing demands in the coming years, putting the state budget on precarious footing. "It's a great budget, but I have grave concerns we can't sustain it," Howard said. Read more at http://www.wral.com/state-budget-nears-passage/13859707/#P6x83UzTRtVfWgXK.99"

This is NC GOP fiscal responsibility. Following Kansas down the "tax-cut tooth fairy" death spiral and it will not end well.

My best guess is that, since cuts to K-12 education haven't gone over too well, Medicaid and the UNC system are going to get an absolute hatchet job sometime in early 2015.

8/2/2014 2:14:53 PM

http://www.indyweek.com/indyweek/regulatory-reform-bill-is-a-goodie-bag-for-polluters-and-coastal-developers/Content

Quote :

"Last week state Republicans passed an eleventh-hour regulatory reform bill removing environmental protections from isolated wetlands that are under one acre in size. That equates to 94 percent of them in the eastern part of the state. This is significant, given the larger environmental context. More than half of North Carolina's wetlands have already been destroyed, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, placing it on the list of the top six states where these crucial habitats have been systematically bulldozed, developed and paved over in the past 40 years."

[Edited on August 28, 2014 at 10:49 AM. Reason : ]

8/28/2014 10:49:43 AM

Bye bye mountain bogs. Poor salamanders

I don't like this one bit.

8/28/2014 11:25:59 AM

Because who needs healthy ecosystems?

8/28/2014 9:42:47 PM

http://www.wral.com/gop-featured-mccollum-in-a-2010-attack-ad/13950897/

9/5/2014 11:00:21 AM

^wow

9/5/2014 3:36:01 PM

^^^^^BUT JERBS!

9/5/2014 3:53:40 PM

lots of thom tillis ads in the top right

9/7/2014 4:08:13 PM

Ads in my chatterbox?

9/7/2014 9:13:16 PM

This Is What's the Matter With Kansas
Sam Brownback tried to create a conservative utopia. He created a conservative hell instead.

http://www.newrepublic.com/article/119574/sam-brownbacks-conservative-utopia-kansas-has-become-hell

10/1/2014 1:39:45 PM

http://www.wral.com/tillis-says-white-house-breach-a-failure-of-obama-administration/14033966/

10/1/2014 2:18:57 PM

he also said ISIS is Kay Hagan's fault

10/1/2014 2:22:50 PM

kay hagan has wanted to kill the shit out of them for awhile

10/1/2014 4:00:42 PM

Even a Civitas poll shows some trouble for the NC GOP:
http://www.nccivitas.org/2014/flash-poll-snapshot-presnell-vs-hicks/

10/4/2014 11:47:02 AM

They're taking a beating over this teacher pay thing.

10/6/2014 4:01:46 AM

as they should be. its crazy. i know plenty of teachers that struggle. i know of a math teacher here in wake county that says she too doesnt have enough text books and they have to make copies and make kids share.

then you go over to a forum like pack pride and read what the majority of the far right thinks and it makes me smack my head to death. its like they think teachers already make too much money. and getting rid of teachers assistants that make minimum wage hurts more than it helps balance the budget.

10/6/2014 1:49:40 PM

Quote :

"Candidate Biography (submitted by candidate) As a longterm college student, over a decade, it was my objective to learn to make anything. Starting in machine shop at WTCC (89'), it progressed to Tool & Die making, which progressed to Mechanical, Manufacturing and Industrial engineering. Transferring an AAS in Automation Robotics to ECU, I continued through subjects like advanced university level physics, said to be the hardest prerequisite class in the UNC system. A primary focus to making things work is comprehending how they fail or won't work. Attending was about learning, not a piece of paper, though having a BS (02') is some validation. Candidate Statement July 28th, 1945, a B-25 Mitchell struck the Empire State Building, putting a 18 x 20 foot hole in the granite facade. Wing span of a B-25 is 67 feet, so the airframe fell toward the street unassisted. Many publications draw focus on the engines, like PBS History Detectives, to prevent the public from realizing such hollow aluminum projectiles can not penetrate skyscrapers. Even going so far as to generate video animation to imply full penetration occurred, a total fraud paid for by public funds. Granite, like all masonry, has negligible tensile strength, so punching a hole in the side is no surprise. What is surprising, is the national news media's ability to brainwash the general public into believing commercial airliners penetrated the structural steel exterior box columns of the WTC towers. This is a physical impossibility, as Aluminum in free space can not penetrate a larger piece of rigid structural steel at subsonic speed (STP@SL). Our national new media is, by far, generated north of the Mason Dixon line, and these carpetbagger's are perpetrating a HOAX on the public. Article I Section 14 of the NC constitution is to protect us from such propaganda, yet our representatives neglect enforcement."

State House District 033

Perry Whitlock

http://c3.thevoterguide.org/v/nccve14/index.do?i=3

10/7/2014 10:18:10 PM

You know, I'm a white male business owner, born and raised in NC, in the Methodist tradition no less. I should be the poster child for voting republican.

Not happening any time soon.

I've voted all over the political map over the years, (generally about a 50/50 split between the parties) but there's no way in hell I'm voting for any republican, for any office, period, until they actively get rid of the wackaloons and religious nutballs running the party these days in a big way. These guys are fucking nuts.

I know you were worried about my voting habits

10/8/2014 8:33:00 AM

The legislature is going to hire outside council to fight gay marriage, that's a goddamn waste of taxpayer money

10/8/2014 8:54:13 AM

Hey man, they're "fiscal conservatives" first. Remember that.

10/8/2014 8:58:12 AM

is there any chance of the democrats taking back the NC legislature this election year?

10/8/2014 10:21:00 AM

Potentially, with all of the education-hate out there.

10/8/2014 11:54:58 AM

Quote :

"The legislature is going to hire outside council to fight gay marriage, that's a goddamn waste of taxpayer money"

source?

10/8/2014 12:37:00 PM

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2014/10/07/5226804/new-court-motion-could-speed-up.html#.VDVplPldXsU
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2014/10/07/5226135/gay-rights-advocates-push-for.html#.VDVpjPldXsU

10/8/2014 12:44:10 PM

http://www.wral.com/nc-legislative-leaders-to-sue-to-block-same-sex-marriages/14060557/

10/9/2014 1:48:39 PM

I don't know if they will have enough to take it back but when the NC GOP failed miserably in a Civitas poll I would say that is an ominous sign for them.

10/15/2014 11:01:25 AM