The urban-rural gap
Published July 29, 2015
Editorial by Greensboro News-Record, July 29, 2015.
Gov. Pat McCrory and some Republican state senators traded disparaging remarks recently, but the issue isn’t only personal.
The governor repeated criticism of a budget provision that shifts sales-tax revenue from urban to rural counties and threatened a veto. “Redistribution and hidden tax increases are liberal tax-and-spend principles of the past that simply don’t work,” he said. “More importantly, this bill will cripple the economic and trade centers of our state that power our economy.”
The plan’s architect, Sen. Harry Brown (R-Onslow), responded: “I can’t figure out if Pat thinks he is the governor of Charlotte or the mayor of North Carolina.”
Similar comments were made after McCrory criticized the legislature for dictating a new governing structure to Greensboro.
Another state senator, Tom Apodaca (R-Henderson), quipped, “The governor doesn’t play much of a role in anything.”
Actually, he should play a large role in addressing the growing divide between North Carolina’s rural and urban areas. While Republicans rule the political landscape unchallenged these days, there are widening fault lines within the GOP. These have to do with economic disparities.
As the former mayor of Charlotte, McCrory clearly represents the urban point of view. This puts him at odds with the rural and suburban Republicans who dominate the Senate and view cities as economic predators and strongholds of Democrats.
The proposal for shifting sales-tax revenue away from cities appeals to those Republicans. “We are reclaiming the dollars we are spending in Charlotte,” Sen. Tommy Tucker (R-Union) said earlier this month.
That kind of talk isn’t likely to win over the governor. Nor is his retort going to make peace.
“Instead of pursuing left-wing ideas that continually fail, it’s time for the General Assembly to get to work on job creation for all North Carolina,” he said.
The discussion comes in the midst of mixed economic reports for the state. While the country gained 233,000 jobs in June and saw the national unemployment rate fall to 5.3 percent, North Carolina’s rate rose to 5.8 percent with 4,000 jobs lost. In poorer counties, economic performance is dismal.
Those areas need help, and one way to provide it is to transfer wealth from stronger cities and counties. That’s not a remedy Republicans normally embrace.
Yet, Tucker has a point. Residents of outlying counties do much of their shopping in cities, paying sales taxes there. Is there a way to see that a fair share returns to help pay for schools and other services those residents deserve?
The governor argues that his proposals for infrastructure projects and greater economic development tools would help rural areas. The legislature should support those ideas and increase funding for public schools and community colleges.
Weakening cities is the wrong remedy. McCrory should not back down from defending them, even if he’s derided as the mayor of North Carolina.
July 29, 2015 at 10:52 am
Richard L Bunce says:
That's it... increase spending for traditional government schools? Fail.
July 29, 2015 at 11:39 am
Richard L Bunce says:
Then there is this... spending not the answer.
http://thelibertarianrepublic.com/study-dc-schools-are-literally-the-worst-in-the-nation/
July 30, 2015 at 10:26 am
bruce stanley says:
Democrats never did squat to help rural NC. Now the GOP tries to do something for rural NC and they get hammered. I think a compromise between the House and the Senate is in order on Sen Brown's bill. Instead of flipping the percentages from locale keeps 80% to locale keeps 20%, go 50/50.
