Can lawmakers, governor find common ground?
Published January 20, 2017
By Becki Gray
By Becki Gray, John Locke Foundation and NC SPIN panelist, January 20, 2017.
Opening day of the 2017-18 General Assembly was filled with warm greetings, friendly exchanges, and promises of compromise. After a short break, lawmakers have returned to get down to the real work of the session.
It’s time to govern. But can lawmakers find common ground?
Some areas of common interest may be found in education funding. Both the General Assembly and Gov. Roy Cooper have cited a desire to increase teacher pay. Cooper wants to raise it to the national average, and a merit pay system has been discussed. Cooper has said he’ll fight school choice, but legislative leaders will fight back to keep it.
We all agree economic growth brings jobs, yet economic growth happens when property rights are secure. North Carolina could employ a constitutional amendment to protect property owners from governments using eminent domain. Though introduced every session since the U.S. Supreme Court’s Kelo decision, a bill has not yet passed. Will this be the year we finally secure eminent domain protections in the state Constitution?
Saving for the future is fiscally responsible, no matter your political party, right? The General Assembly in December voted unanimously to use money from the “rainy day” fund for victims of Hurricane Matthew and the western wildfires. Thank goodness money was set aside, which surely everyone agrees is a good idea.
Chief Justice Mark Martin and folks from the left and the right, after several studies, agree lawmakers should raise the age juveniles convicted of nonviolent crimes are considered adults by the criminal justice system. When juveniles are housed with adults, they are more likely to be victims of sexual and physical violence and have less access to education. Most states keep 16- and 17-year-olds in separate facilities through the juvenile justice system. Recidivism rates are lower, and cost savings are significant.
The General Assembly created a Strategic Investment Plan for transportation funding that takes out politics, basing decisions on data. This enabled lawmakers to think strategically and long-term about infrastructure planning and funding, and Cooper has talked about a transportation bond. With $160 billion in projected needs over the next 30 years, lawmakers widely agree funding for transportation and infrastructure must be addressed in a comprehensive, long-term plan. Let’s make one now.
Can we expect everyone to reasonably work through issues, look for common ground, focus on solving problems? Govern without politics?
The power struggle between the executive and legislative branches began before Cooper was sworn in. During several contentious special sessions in December, the General Assembly stripped power from the governor, required Senate approval for his cabinet appointments, and changed the makeup of the State Board of Elections. Cooper struck back with lawsuits.
Legislative leaders believed they were double-crossed over House Bill 2 repeal. Cooper accused lawmakers of changing the deal, and any trust that existed between Cooper and the General Assembly was gone.
Cooper used his first public speech after his swearing in to propose Medicaid expansion, which legislative leaders adamantly oppose. Cooper proceeded in spite of a state law saying only the General Assembly could expand Medicaid and a Constitution that says a governor must uphold state laws. Cooper claimed he was just going after federal money, but the General Assembly reminded him expansion would cost state taxpayers upward of $600 million, and only legislators were authorized to appropriate state funds under the state Constitution. Cooper asked the Obama administration for a waiver, and the General Assembly asked the courts to stop him.
Cooper has overstepped his authority and unnecessarily caused more animosity, hard feelings and mistrust. The power struggle isn’t over. Cooper has the veto, but Republicans in the General Assembly have supermajorities.
Most of us are looking for good ideas, reasonable debate, and sensible solutions to challenges facing our state, but so far we’ve seen brawls, backbiting and stalemates.
But it’s early, right?
https://www.carolinajournal.com/opinion-article/can-lawmakers-governor-find-common-ground/
January 20, 2017 at 8:38 am
Norm Kelly says:
'Most of us are looking for good ideas, reasonable debate'. True. But, looking for good ideas with a demoncrat in the Governors office? Not likely. Roy has already proven he is a died-in-the-wool lefty, hell-bent on implementing the arch left-wing zealot schemes, even if he has to go to courts to force the agenda upon us. Roy has already proven, did so before being sworn-in, that he has no intention of trying to get along, compromise. The idea of 'reasonable debate' has been thrown out completely, and Roy is to blame. Of course, demons and media allies will blame Republicans in the Legislature, because it's what they always do. But citizens now have the ability to get the truth from other sources, where truth and the whole story can be found, so we don't have to suck down the media bias/spin.
Which demoncrat anywhere in the nation has come up with a 'good idea' recently? And when you are trying to think of one, consider that 'recently' can be as long as 40 years, if it makes your job easier. Roy wants to raise teacher pay to the national average. Based on what? And when we raise teacher pay that much, won't it skew the average higher, and we'll be below that point immediately. And why should teachers in low cost-of-living areas be paid on scale with teachers in extremely high cost areas such as Mass or Cali? Rural NC areas are really as costly as Los Angeles or Boston? To whom, with thinking ability, does this make sense? No one, but if you are a demoncrat with no new ideas, no useful ideas, no willingness to try ANYTHING new or different, you don't have much else to run on.
'Cooper has overstepped his authority and unnecessarily caused more animosity' But, just like when Charlotte did it, media allies will find a way to spin this in favor of demon pols. At some point, if it hasn't already happened, media outlets such as N&D and WRAL, will spin this as Roy doing the right thing, and those 'for the rich' waskly Republicans are destroying freedom, our state, the economy, or somehow racist or anti-LGBTQERWDP. When the coal ash ponds were known to have been leaking for decades, media allies didn't make note of which party controlled the state and did nothing about it. It was only when a major leak happened, media allies and demons across the nation came out of the woodwork to blame Republicans and specifically Pat. Didn't matter that new regulation changes hadn't had a chance to be implemented when the disaster happened, all demons/libs/media allies chose to blame the disaster on those changes.
So, what's changed? Nothing. Except now we have a governor with no new ideas, and no respect for the law. And a proven willingness to use the demon scheme of using the courts to force their ideology and schemes upon us. Cuz we're just too ignorant, selfish, racist, hateful, or some other oft-used demon phrase, to know what's good for us.
If our state truly wanted socialist, anti-law, schemes thrust upon us, why is it that Republicans were left in charge of our legislature? And aren't there MORE Republicans now than before the election?
