How did lawmakers do?
Wednesday, September 7th, 2005
By Chris Fitzsimon
The 2005 General Assembly session over. How do you think lawamkers did this year?
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- Open forum - November 3rd, 2005
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September 7th, 2005 at 8:24 am
Oh, the lawmakers did very well, very well indeed! They got to spend quite a few evenings being entertained by lobbyists at much nicer restaurants than they could have eaten at (or afforded) back home; many of them got a free trip to Seattle; none of the per diem checks bounced, and those who stayed home from the Seattle trip didn’t even have to work while they collected the money! In fact, hardly any of them had to work at all, since only a handful (five, six tops) were involved in any substantive way with crafting the budget, or any of that other legislative stuff. Such a time they had! Why, one of them even got married and went on a swell honeymoon!
Honestly, I can’t understand all this carping about our lawmakers! It’s obvious that they did very, very well–for themselves–this session. I only wish I had done so well!
September 8th, 2005 at 2:30 pm
Although I would like to think that all legislators have a fair and equitable chance to voice their opinions about the budget and how our taxpayer dollars are spent, it is clear that this is not the case. Not only do the President Pro Tem of the Senate and the House Speaker hold the purse strings of the state, they have ensured that the GOP has no seat at the negotiating table. Even though Republican candidates for the N.C. House won 51% of the statewide vote to Democrats 47%, as well as 50% to 48% for the N.C. Senate, no Republicans were appointed by the Democrat majority to the conference committee negotiating the budget. Black and Basnight only appointed those who voted in favor of the budget.
It would appear that only half of the state is being allowed to have their voting voices heard. The Democratic “good ole boys” in control of the Senate and House bury the GOP bills in committee, refuse to listen to their ideas and shut them out of all major processes. Is this what the democratic leadership of our state calls a democracy? I don’t call it that. I call it partisanship at its worst. I only hope NC voters will wise up before the next election and reconsider putting these men back into office again.
In March, the N&O reported on the “slush fund” used by top leaders in the General Assembly. Essentially, these lawmakers set aside millions of dollars to dole out as they pleased to organizations and individuals who support them and their campaigns – without gaining the consent of all lawmakers.
Statue 146-16.3 makes clear that this “Reserve Fund” is illegal. This money (as much as $20 million dollars annually for over a decade) has been slipped into the budget with no description of when/where these funds would be allocated. That’s because only Basnight and Black (and Morgan when he was co-Speaker) knew where the funds would ultimately go.
In his “Review of Reserve Funds in the 2004-2005 Revised Certified Budget”, State Auditor Les Merritt writes, “These Reserve Funds raise overlapping political, legal, budgetary and policy issues.” This report was sent to the Attorney General’s Office in June, yet still no action has been taken.
Why is the Attorney General’s Office not pursuing this illegal use of taxpayer dollars? Speculation is that he will run for Governor and fears upsetting the most powerful men in Raleigh, even though they are breaking the law in plain sight. Does the Attorney General really believe voters in NC will support him as a gubernatorial candidate when he refuses to do his job as AG?
September 8th, 2005 at 2:37 pm
llegal Activity by Top Lawmakers Goes Unpunished
Although I would like to think that all legislators have a fair and equitable chance to voice their opinions about the budget and how our taxpayer dollars are spent, it is clear that this is not the case. Not only do the President Pro Tem of the Senate and the House Speaker hold the purse strings of the state, they have ensured that the GOP has no seat at the negotiating table. Even though Republican candidates for the N.C. House won 51% of the statewide vote to Democrats 47%, as well as 50% to 48% for the N.C. Senate, no Republicans were appointed by the Democrat majority to the conference committee negotiating the budget. Black and Basnight only appointed those who voted in favor of the budget.
It would appear that only half of the state is being allowed to have their voting voices heard. The Democratic “good ole boys” in control of the Senate and House bury the GOP bills in committee, refuse to listen to their ideas and shut them out of all major processes. Is this what the democratic leadership of our state calls a democracy? I don’t call it that. I call it partisanship at its worst. I only hope NC voters will wise up before the next election and reconsider putting these men back into office again.
In March, the N&O reported on the “slush fund” used by top leaders in the General Assembly. Essentially, these lawmakers set aside millions of dollars to dole out as they pleased to organizations and individuals who support them and their campaigns – without gaining the consent of all lawmakers.
Statue 146-16.3 makes clear that this “Reserve Fund” is illegal. This money (as much as $20 million dollars annually for over a decade) has been slipped into the budget with no description of when/where these funds would be allocated. That’s because only Basnight and Black (and Morgan when he was co-Speaker) knew where the funds would ultimately go.
In his “Review of Reserve Funds in the 2004-2005 Revised Certified Budget”, State Auditor Les Merritt writes, “These Reserve Funds raise overlapping political, legal, budgetary and policy issues.” This report was sent to the Attorney General’s Office in June, yet still no action has been taken.
Why is the Attorney General’s Office not pursuing this illegal use of taxpayer dollars? Speculation is that he will run for Governor and fears upsetting the most powerful men in Raleigh, even though they are breaking the law in plain sight. Does the Attorney General really believe voters in NC will support him as a gubernatorial candidate when he refuses to do his job as AG?
September 13th, 2005 at 11:24 am
Sorry to change the subject, but in case you all didn’t notice North Carolina officially became as corrupt as Louisiana yesterday when our so-called Attorney General released a report covering up for Black, Basnight, and Morgan’s mis-appropriation of at least $25 million for political payoffs (see the News & Observer today).
Allowing a few power brokers at the top to squirrel away public money so they could hand it out during their re-election campaigns is not what the left had in mind when it chose to champion campaign finance reform. The practice is blatantly unconstitutional, and the attorney general’s cowardice in failing to pursue the crooks proves that he is unfit for his office.