'Twas the week before Christmas

by Chris Fitzsimon, NC Policy Watch and NC SPIN panelist, December 20, 2013.

‘Twas the week before Christmas, in Raleigh and around the bend,

There are many reasons to be glad that 2013 is about to end.

It seems now like forever but it was just a year ago

We wondered which Pat at the mansion would show.

Would it be the mayor of Charlotte with his more moderate tone

Or the radical rightist instead, a Pope Civitas clone?

Now that the year’s finally ending there can be little doubt,

There’s nothing moderate about Pat, his inner tea partier is out.

He promised to be a fixer of where the government ails,

But NC Fast is working slow and NC Tracks went off the rails.

Then there’s Aldona and the scandals that never end:

Big raises for young staffers, shady contacts for old men.

Governor Pat, he says nothing and looks the other way

Or just keeps pointing out her dollar a day.

But when you think of Wos’ year and all the mistakes she’s made,

It might only be a dollar, but she still seems overpaid.

Wos is not the only one that Pat mistakenly hired;

There’s Kieran at Public Safety, after six months he was fired.

But his people weren’t the big problem, Pat’s policies were,

No more help for laid off workers, no health care for the poor.

Medicaid’s broken, he claimed all over town

Even in the face of evidence that it’s sound.

Where there’s a will there’s a way, but Pat wouldn’t even hear it,

It is his ship of state now and far right he will steer it.

Women’s rights were attacked in of all things a motorcycle bill

Pat signed it without blinking, after saying last year “I never will.”

Fewer health care rights for women, that’s the decision of the state,

Governor Pat offered them instead a few cookies on a plate.

For teachers there’s no raise, just more kids to energize,

Not enough books for the students, and even less for supplies.

Career status is gone and there’s less support to do more

And private schools will get our money when kids walk through the door.

Tax reform they all called it, but nobody’s buying that mess,

Most of us will pay more; the super -rich will pay less.

Pat and his pals know their plan’s too far right for the state,

So they made it tougher for us to vote with longer to wait.

We should have seen it all coming and been more ready to cope,

After all, the first thing he did was give the budget job to Pope.

There’s even more to lament about Pat’s first year in Raleigh-town,

There’s fracking and privatizing and guns on the playground.

But it is the season of peace and a time for good cheer,

And there’s reason to think things will be different next year.

Most people aren’t happy with the radical changes made,

They want their state back, not see our progress fade.

They are marching on Mondays from Manteo to Burnsville

Demanding our leaders respond to the people’s will.

It’s the people of the state they work for after all,

Politicians who forget that are destined to fall.

So bye to 2013; here’s to a New Year that’s bright,

Happy Holidays to all and to all a good night.