Progressive Voices Archive

Transportation was once an engine of progress and an inspiration for the future. Railroads opened the West and automobiles gave mobility to a footloose generation after the Second World War. Nowadays, getting around has become a source of problems more than solutions.

A year ago, a new advocacy group for North Carolinians with disabilities was launched. Over the past 12 months, the staff of the new organization – Disability Rights North Carolina (DRNC) – has learned a lot. Not only did we learn mundane things like how to use the new database and fill out timesheets, we had to develop and then learn critical policies and protocols related to working with clients. In short, we had to become experts in the complexities of the systems designed to serve North Carolinians with disabilities.

When you walk into your favorite restaurant or fast food joint, the sanitation grade rating isn’t the only thing you should be paying attention to. An ‘A’ means that the counters are clean, the freezer is kept at an acceptable temperature, and that generally, rats aren’t lingering about. But it doesn’t say much about the sanitation ratings of another key ingredient in a kitchen—the people.

One penny. Of every new non-defense dollar spent by the federal government over the last five years, only one cent has gone to children’s programs. One cent to cover improvements in child welfare, health, education and training, housing, family income supports, nutrition and child safety. That one penny should make us think hard about our priorities and help us voice expectations for our next President.

Congress is embroiled in a debate over Medicare while older adults get ready to reach deeper and deeper into their pockets to pay for their health coverage. Medicare beneficiaries are willing to pay their fair share. They expect their premiums to go up, but they should not have to shoulder an extra hike that results from a flawed payment system for doctors.

There has been a great deal of conjecture and discussion in the press and at the state Legislative Building about a bond proposal for road construction being put to voters this November.

Governor Easley’s recommended state budget for the upcoming fiscal year is balanced — meaning that ongoing spending is paid for with ongoing revenues. That was no small task given the limited availability of “recurring” dollars and for it he deserves praise.

Recently, Governor Easley released his recommended budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1st. He has played his cards and his hand will be difficult to match – he wants the budget to balance, a large pay increase for teachers and, not surprisingly, more funding for his signature initiatives such as “Learn and Earn” and “More at Four.”

The first thing any personal finance expert will tell you is that before you make any decisions on how you budget your money, you first figure out how much you are spending and where it is going. Although many of us don’t heed that advice for our own purposes, we might expect the people minding our government budgets to have a good handle on that information.

Two new statewide polls show a virtual tie in the race for U.S. Senate between incumbent Senator Elizabeth Dole and Democratic challenger Kay Hagan, a state senator from Greensboro. This is obviously sparking some worry over at the Dole campaign, where Dole’s name recognition and millions in donations have perhaps made her a little overconfident about victory.

Those pesky researchers at business-friendly Ernst & Young and the Council on State Taxation have done it again. They simply refuse to develop a methodology for ranking state business tax burdens in such a way that North Carolina’s ranking will come out where the anti-tax zealots like to claim that they are.

It’s not like the North Carolina TASER Safety Project is asking for much - just a few common sense regulations put in place in every county or municipality that arms law enforcement officers with TASERs. The Project makes suggestions such as adopting policies restricting tasing obviously pregnant women, children, and people with disabilities in a report released recently.

Earlier this month presidential hopefuls John McCain and Hillary Clinton, along with gubernatorial candidate Bill Graham endorsed a temporary gas tax holiday to last through the summer vacation season. These proposals should come as no surprise given the squeeze that rising gas prices is putting on middle class families.

Primary season is upon us and voters across North Carolina are faced with many candidate choices on the national, state, and local levels. In 24 counties, including Orange, Edgecombe and Cumberland, voters will also be deciding whether or not to approve a new revenue source to help fund local services and infrastructure. This choice was made possible by the state legislature’s decision to give counties the authority to raise new revenue through either an additional .4 percent land transfer tax or .25 cent sales tax, 33 counties have taken the issue to their ballots. To date, only six counties have been successful- all approving the additional sales tax.

Recently, the North Carolina Supreme Court declined to hear a case that challenged the constitutionality of the state tax incentives and subsidies provided to Dell Computers, Inc. in 2004. The plaintiffs in the case claimed that the package of goodies given to Dell when it decided to locate an assembly plant in Winston-Salem did not serve a legitimate “public purpose.”