FORUM
A telling defense of a
woefully inadequate
budget
Chris
Fitzsimon
Guest
Columnist
One
of the most telling things
about the woeful budget
agreement crafted in secret
and unveiled last week by
legislative leaders is how
they defend it, spending as
much time boasting about
things they didn't cut as
they do talking about new
investments they made.
The headlines from the
first few days of the budget
coverage made the same
point, emphasizing that the
budget "protects teacher
assistants and driver's ed,"
or "restores education
items and tax credits."
You'd think the state
was still struggling with the
worst of the Great
Recession with state rev
enues plummeting and
lawmakers scrambling to
keep schools open.
The opposite is true, of
course. The recession is
over and state revenues
have rebounded, but the
Republican majority in the
House and Senate has
decided not to reinvest in
education and human serv
ices that were slashed dur
ing the downturn, but
instead to cut taxes again,
giving still more breaks to
millionaires and out-of
state corporations that
received huge windfalls in
the 2013 tax changes.
It is true that the budget
fully funds teacher assis
tants at least year's level,
but thanks to cuts in recent
sessions, there are 7,000
fewer TAs in classrooms
across the state than there
were in 2008. Not cutting
more hardly seems worthy
of a celebration.
Lawmakers boasting
about increasing overall
funding for education
never mention that the vast
majority of the new money
pays for increased enroll
ment at public schools and
universities, keeping the
TAs and funding driver's
ed for one more year.
Those enrollment and
inflationary increases used
to be part of what's called
the base budget. It was
assumed that they would
be funded, but lawmakers
changed the budget process
so they could claim credit
for meeting their basic
funding responsibilities
and keeping state services
at the same level as the
year before.
Even with the "new
funding," there are still
more cuts in education,
another big reduction for
the university system,
another round of cuts for
the Department of Public
Instruction that many rural
school systems rely on for
support.
In spite of all the blus
ter about raising teacher
pay, many veteran teachers
will receive no salary
increase at all, only a one
time $750 bonus, which
comes to about $62 a
month before taxes.
The bonus is less than
half the ongoing $1,800
break millionaires will
receive from the tax
changes, a contrast that
perfectly illustrates the pri
orities of the folks current
ly running things in
Raleigh.
State employees will
receive the same small
bonus. Retired state work
ers will get nothing, no cost
of living increase at all.
Overall the budget
leaves state spending as a
share of the economy down
for the seventh consecutive
year and at a 40-year low.
It's hard to make progress
without supporting the
people and institutions that
make progress possible.
There's plenty of ideol
ogy spread through the
400-plus pages of the
budget document, too:
more funding for the com
pletely unaccountable pri
vate school voucher
scheme while state support
is ended for the Hunt
Institute for Educational
Leadership simply because
of its association with for
mer governor and promi
nent Democrat Jim Hunt.
There's money set
aside to transition the
state's Medicaid program
to a for-profit managed
care system that has failed
in other states but no men
tion of Medicaid expansion
that would provide health
care for coverage for
500,000 low-income adults
with the federal govern
ment picking up most of
the tab.
Legislative leaders
claim the spending plan is
all about economic devel
opment, that more tax cuts
will create more jobs, but
there's little evidence of
that. The budget will
undoubtedly cost the state
jobs, though, with the elim
ination of the highly suc
cessful renewable energy
tax credit and the credit for
research and development.
Lawmakers did renew
the historic preservation
tax credit, though at a
lower level than last year.
There's plenty more, of
course. There's no way to
cover everything in a 400
plus-page budget crafted in
secret that spends $21.74
billion dollars and makes
dozens of significant poli
cy decisions.
News stories can't do
it, either. Legislative lead
ers know that. That's why
they stuff so many impor
tant provisions into the
massive budget document,
many of which have never
been seen by the public or
the media, not to mention
rank and file lawmakers
themselves. ?
This absurdly non
transparent process is part
of this year's budget story.
Most members of the
Senate first saw the mas
sive budget bill online at
just before midnight
Monday - if they were still
awake - and were forced to
vote on it just after 2
Tuesday afternoon.
There's no way that
most senators knew what
they were considering.
Claims by Senate President
Pro Tern Phil Berger that
the provisions had been
around for months were
proven false Tuesday
morning when the News &
Observer reported that the
budget includes a never
before seen provision that
cripples plans for a light
rail line between Durham
and Chapel Hill.
Legislative leaders
don't like mass transit but
would rather not make their
case in public, in a demo
cratic process where every
one can hear the debate and
their constituents can have
a say. The lawmakers will
decide transportation poli
cy in secret and use a budg
et provision to implement
it.
That's why they would
rather not give people time
to read the budget. Who
knows how many more big
policy decisions have been
made in the backrooms and
slipped into the spending
plan?
The process is broken
and the budget is inade
quate, despite the blizzard
of talking points and press
releases defending it.
Not making more dras
tic cuts doesn't mean mak
ing the overdue invest
ments the state needs. Not
doing worse is not doing
better and not moving
backwards as fast is not
moving forward.
Giving more tax cuts to
the folks at the top while
claiming credit for not
slashing state services and
hurting the folks at the bot
tom more is a sad summary
of the long overdue budget.
But that's exactly what
this year's budget does, no
matter how hard legislative
leaders try to convince us
otherwise.
Chris Fitzsimon,
founder and executive
director of N.C. Policy
Watch, writes the daily
Fitzsimon File, delivers a
radio commentary broad
cast on WRAL-FM and
hosts "News and Views," a
weekly radio news maga
zine that airs on multiple
stations across North
Carolina. Contact him at
chris @ ncpolicywatch .com.
URL to article:
http://www. ncpolicy
watch .com/20151091161a
telling-defense-of-a-woe
fully-inadequate-budgeti
Illustration by Ron Rogers for the Chronicle
"Giving more tax cuts to the folks at
the top while claiming credit for not
slashing state services and hurting the
folks at the bottom more is a sad
summary of the long overdue budget."
-Chris Fitzsimon
After 41 years, The Chronicle is still much needed
Lenwood
G.Davis
Guest
Columnist
In a previous issue of
The Winston-Salem
Chronicle, Ernest H. Pitt,
publisher and founder,
wrote in an editorial: "We
remain committed after 41
years."
In the editorial, he gave
the history of the origins
and transformation of The
Chronicle. He pointed out
the mission of the newspa
per. The newspaper has the
same mission as the first
African-American owned
newspaper, The Freedom's
Journal, founded in 1827,
in New York by John
Russwurm and Samuel
Cornish.
In their first issue, they
stated the mission: "We
wish to plead our cause.
Too long have others spo
ken for us. Too long has
the public been deceived
by misrepresentations, in
things which concern us
dearly ..." They affirmed
the rights and responsibili
ty for African-Americans
to speak for themselves.
The Chfonicle also
expanded on the mission of
The Freedom's Journal. Its
mission is "dedicated to
serving the residents of
Winston-Salem and
Forsyth County by giving
voice to the voiceless,
speaking truth to power,
standing for integrity and
encouraging open commu
nication and lively debate
throughout the communi
ty."
Today some people
argue that The Chronicle
and other African
American newspapers are
obsolete and are no longer
"Today some peo
ple argue that The
Chronicle and other
African-American
newspapers are
obsolete and are no
longer needed."
- Dr. Lenwood G. Davis
needed. Some people
believe that the mainstream
dailies cover major events
in the African-American
community. Needless to
say, the mainstream dailies
omit so much of what is
relevant to the African
American community.
The Chronicle and
other African-American
newspapers are still needed
because they disseminate
information in the African
American community that
is often overlooked by the
white press. Many times
the white newspapers do
not report on the achieve
ments and accomplish
ments of African
Americans.
Conversely, if The
Chronicle and other
African-American newspa
pers did not report the sto
ries, they would not be
known. The Chronicle,
like other African
American newspapers,
have held faithfully to the
mission of the first African
American newspaper.
The African-American
community also has an
obligation to The Chronicle
and other African
American newspapers, to
support them by purchas
ing their newspapers as
well as supporting busi
nesses that advertise in
them. The African
American community must
also hold The Chronicle
and their African
American newspapers to
the same high professional
standards of journalism and
reporting that they hold to
other newspapers.
Black lives matter.
White lives matter. All
lives matter. The Chronicle
matters and is needed.
Dr. Lenwood G. Davis,
a professor emeritus of his
tory at Winston-Salem
State University, is the
author of 30 books that can
be found in 50 states and
over 50 foreign countries.
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[ 1 HE CHRONICLE
Vohmw41,Namlm-M WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. THURSDAY, June 11, 201S
VOTER ID LAW
The NC Stmt* Board of Elections public comments hearing drew im a large crowd of interested port** prepared to sprat on behalf of tk? 201J Voter Information
Verification Act (SJi. 2013-391) on Tmatday, Jane 9, at the Fortyth County Government Center in Downtown Winston Salem. The Voter Information Verification
Act (SJ~ 2013-391), pasted in 2013 by the NC General Assembly, requires photo identification for in-perton voting starting in 2016.
ID law hearing draws large crown
State elections board gets
jarful from public
Y TOM PfTTMAN
?. cltiwi of Fonyth Comity pA
ird at the muhipurpow room of the Fonyth County
Jovemment Center on ChMnut Street lo voice their opin
?a? about the new N.C. voter ID taw
OnAuf. 12,20t3.Gov P* McCiwy tigned ? taw that
requires citizens of North Carolina to have valid photo
idMtfficafoa in order to vole. This law will take effect or
Jan. 1.2016. during (he year of the presidential election.
The room was filled w?h people college students,
middle-aged and Motor citizens that were present to lis
ten or speak.
Public Information Officer John Lawson. Jennifer
Kaulkner and Greg Michaiek. who are with Voter
Outreach, were sealed in front of die crowd, taking notes
and listening
"Three pages of citizens signed up to have the if iwo
mtnutr time slot to speak Those who signed up either had
a speech written or were verbally expressing their opin
too* and concerns
The biggest issue mentioned multiple rimes were col
lege IDs would no longer he valid in the new year
-A lot of college students don't have die money to pur
clune an ID." said Isaiah Fletcher, chairman o( the Forsytl
County Young Democrats "It makes no mix why I can"
use a state-funded ID fiotn a public univentty "
Fletcher is also a student at the I'mvefsity of Nort
Carolina at Greensboro who strongly expressed how ma
students are in debt and can't afford to get a photo II
when they have easy access to use their college IDs thai'
already a part of their funding to an accredited college ?
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NATIONAL BLACK THEATER FESTIVAL
'That's a long walk'
At final WSTA meeting, new has routes displease many
?V moo LUCK
The final comment
meeting on the new pro
pel WinMon-Salein
Transit Authority bu?
moles held at the Clark
Campbell Transportation
Center ?n filled with pa*
arngers asking about which
of the new route* wig lerve
Some didn't care for
"That * a long walk,"
Mid one woman who will
have to walk further to get
to ?* ckwra ptopoeedh*
"This process i* far
from over," he said. while
assuring attendee* that they
will have ample notice
when the finalised route*
go into effect
It waa the last out of 21
comment meeting* held by
WSTA Hie new proposed
route* were created using
passenger survey*, passen
ger counter data and look
ing at which destination*
generate the most paaaen
gers The new routes would
under
Ihe cur
rent
~We know that prop*
convinced no matter wha
we do in the end." he mm
"There we people who wil
be happy and there are pen
Rwbo wont he happy
not going to be a pea
feet ay Mean that tervwe
everyone became we'r
Untiled to our ennen
reaoaroat. the number o
hours or miles that w
operate now ~
Carolyn Wright wa
among the attendee* Th
N? year old has no car o
driver t license and ha
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