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 Four Ways to Get Re-elected
by Tom Campbell
May 13, 2010
The short session of the General Assembly has convened in Raleigh and the primary emphasis will be on filling an estimated 800 million dollar shortfall in the state budget that begins July 1. The elephant in both chambers, however, is November’s elections. All 170 seats are up for election and lawmakers know voters don’t like the direction our state is headed, are highly dissatisfied with both political parties and are unhappy with incumbents.
Here’s a suggestion to legislators: Do your job and show voters you are doing the job you were elected to do. Let us offer four areas in which lawmakers could demonstrate true leadership.
Let’s start alphabetically, with the ABC system. The problems with our system of alcohol control include excessive salaries, generous perks to board members, nepotism and overpayments in construction of ABC stores. Local boards want to increase their markup from 39 to 41.5 percent because even with a monopoly, nine of the 167 local boards are losing money and many more are barely breaking even. Bowing to pressure from local ABC boards a legislative committee recently unwisely watered down reforms. This is a time to admit the old system is broken and either undertake dramatic reforms or privatize the sale of alcohol, which would likely generate more tax revenues for the state and local governments.
North Carolina has developed a reputation for corrupt government and the next needed action is to change that impression. Reforms to date don’t go far enough in changing campaign finance or ethics laws. Unfortunately, good officials get painted with the same brush as those who use their positions for personal gain, but that is going to continue until those good officials stop worrying so much about offending members of their “club” and begin taking these reforms seriously.
Fixing mental health is another great opportunity. We’ve known since shortly after the legislature passed reforms in 2001 that these reforms were not working, but there has been little real reform of the reforms. It is unconscionable to learn mental hospital employees have dragged a patient along the floor then put a pillow over his head. We need a zero tolerance policy for abuses, mismanagement and waste. These problems continue because the mentally ill don’t have a strong lobby and have gone on far too long.
Finally, lawmakers need to reform antiquated tax codes. They know it. We know it. For over twenty years there have been study commissions, blue ribbon panels and lengthy debates on the subject. There are solid proposals that could quickly modernize and make our state’s tax policies more equitable if sufficient backbone can be found that will tune out special interests and tune in to the interests of our state.
Bold action on these four reforms would make an immediate impact and, while they might offend some, we believe the majority of voters would see that our representatives are acting rather than ignoring serious issues. Sometimes the way a leader can remain in office is to demonstrate a willingness to sacrifice their position by doing the right thing.
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