Government for the benefit of the GOP

Editorial by Wilmington Star-News, December 16, 2016.

In the preamble of North Carolina’s Constitution, the authors listed the two reasons for its existence -- “the more certain security (of the blessings of God Almighty) and for the better government of this State.”

The General Assembly crafted by that Constitution is busy making a mockery of “better government” as it is gathered in a surprise special session with one goal -- to benefit the Republican Party.

With Democratic Governor-elect Roy Cooper set to take office, the Republicans in the House and Senate apparently were not satisfied with their veto-proof majorities. After governing under one set of laws for the past four years, the Honorables must suddenly have seen the light, and were compelled to make major changes to how the state is governed -- with no public comment or time for thoughtful debate, of course.

We might surmise that certain legislators -- on their way to Raleigh to do the noble business of helping hurricane and wildfire victims -- were struck like Paul on the road to Damascus. They were suddenly converted to the idea that the person Tar Heel voters chose to lead the state could not be trusted.

Those laws governing key parts of the state -- schools, courts, election boards, to name a few -- worked just fine under Gov. McCrory, didn’t they? If they were in such need of reform, wouldn’t they have come up in one of the regular sessions prescribed by the Constitution? Remember the Constitution? Remember the mandate for “better government?” Is it really “better government” to meet out of the blue for a couple of days and overhaul the role of the governor, courts and other vital state positions? Or is it just a way to shore up power?

This travesty that is going on in Raleigh is nothing more than governance to benefit the GOP -- the same party that turned our elections into a mess, keeps getting the state hauled into court, and gave us an infamous piece of unneeded, unenforceable legislation that doesn’t even have a penalty. In fact, the only penalties from HB2 have been lost jobs and lost dollars.

What the Republicans are doing in Raleigh may very well be legal. But it’s not right, and it’s not good for North Carolina. The Honorables also have the power to plow away Kill Devil Hills and scrap the Battleship North Carolina. It doesn’t mean they should.

We implore our Republican legislators -- Sens. Bill Rabon and Michael Lee and Reps. Ted Davis, Frank Iler, Holly Grange and Chris Millis -- to stand up and do the right thing. We ask them: Are these changes and their poor timing in the best interest of your constituents? Is this really “better government”?

Please, do what is best for the Great State of North Carolina, not what is best for the Republican Party.

In this case, the two definitely are not synonymous.

http://www.starnewsonline.com/opinion/20161215/editorial-dec-16-government-for-benefit-of-gop