Debate
from fibte A!
l!
Sanders on the issues.
Brannon said there's been
"runaway inequality" over
the past 25 years, later
adding that he'd redistrib
ute wealth by "taxing the
ever-loving what have
you" out of the top 1 per
cent.
"I think we need a
political revolution regard
less of who we have as
president," said Brannon.
Roberts, 71, an Army
veteran and former pest
control entrepreneur from
Mount Airy, promised to
create jobs, defend Social
Security, prevent medical
errors and stop "corporate
domination" of public poli
cy. He railed against trade
agreements like NAFTA,
which he said cost millions
of jobs, and the current
Trans-Pacific Partnership,
promising to "repeal those
one-way agreements."
"For 40 years, the aver
age American family and
their way of life have been
under assault from corpo
rate interests," said
Roberts. "Financial gain
has replaced patriotism and
love of people."
Wallin, 44, an assistant
food services director at
Appalachian State
University, talked about
the high poverty in the city.
He said average working
people should be lawmak
ers, not "elites" like Foxx.
He said she was out of
touch and mentioned the
multiple homes she owns.
"We have real issues
and problems in this dis
trict that need to be
addressed," said Wallin.
"We need somebody
who's serious and who
wants to take on Virginia
Poxx and wants to send her
packing."
On criminal justice
reform, all three candidates
denounced privately
owned for-profit prisons.
Roberts and Brannon
talked about legalizing
drugs. Brannon also dis
cussed getting rid of mini
mum sentencing and three
strikes laws, which he said
disproportionately affect
minorities. Wallin talked
about increased mental
health and substance abuse
services and helping those
already incarcerated.
Both Brannon and
Roberts had a lot in com
mon with Sanders on the
issues, while Wallin took
more moderate stands. On
minimum wage, both
Brannon and Roberts
wanted to raise it to $15 an
hour ifi a staggered fash
ion, while Wallin proposed
a $10.95 minimum wage
while talking about requir
ing sick and family leave ?
time. On health care, both
Brannon and Roberts sup
port universal health care
while Wallin proposed
working with' the
Affordable Care Act but
making businesses pay that
cut worker hours to avoid
giving them health insur
ance. On college debt, both
Roberts and Brannon pro
posed free college tuition,
while Wallin talked about
restricting interest to 1 or 2
percent on student loans.
All the candidates
acknowledge that it was an
uphill battle to unseat
Foxx. Brannon said he
hoped to counter her supe
rior fundraising by reach
ing voters through social
media and in-person
appearances.
Roberts said that he felt
his business experience
and emphasis on jobs
would give him the edge.
Wallin said his work as
party chair in the 5th
District has taken him all
over the district, letting
him connect with voters
and understand their needs.
Brannon
Roberts
. WalUn
HB2
frontpage Al
President Margaret Spellings said public
colleges must adhere to state law but will
not enforce HB 2.
Much of the federal money at risk goes
to Pell Grants, which Would be felt locally,
according to UNCSA Vice Provost and
Dean of Student Affairs Ward Caldwell.
"Close to 29 percent of our undergrad
uate students relied on Pell Grants this year
as part of their financial aid package," said
Caldwell in a statement. "The loss of fed
eral funding would put higher education
out of reach for many of our students, as it
would for students throughout the UNC
system."
Jaime Hunt, direct of public relations at
Winston-Salem State University, said that
the losis Wpuld be even worse at the histor
ically black university.
"WSSU receives a significant amount
of funding from federal sources," said
Hunt." The most critical impact to the
institution would be if the federal financial
aid our students receive were eliminated.
About 57 percent of our students are eligi
ble for Pell Grants and 90 percent of our
students receive some form of financial
aid."
She added that WSSU receives $10.2
million in federal Title III funding and
about $9.6 million in other federal funding
annually.
The stakes could go wider than that.
Federal funding for all levels of education
in the state, which is about $4.7 billion,
could be at risk. Winston-Salem/Forsyth
County Schools received about $49 mil
lion in federal funds for the 2014-2015
school year.
Additionally, more than $5 million in
federal grants from the Violence Against
Women Act could also be lost, along with
up to $108 million dollars in funding for
NC Works, which connects jobseekers
with employment. State and local govern
ments could also lose $35-$65 million in
federal contracts for violating a 2014 exec
utive order prohibiting federal contractors
from discriminating based on sexual orien
tation and gender identity.
Court tie means no
retention elections for
justices, for now
BY MARTHA WAGGONER
ASSOCIATED PRESS
RALEIGH - North
Carolina won't use a new
method of voting on state
Supreme Court justices, for
now, after justices split on
the constitutionality of the
option called retention
elections.
In an opinion issued
Friday, May 6, justices tied
3-3 over a challenge to a
law that allowed retention
elections.
That 2015 law lets an
incumbent, elected justice
seeiTre?election to another
eight-year term without a
challenger. A statewide up
or-down vote called a
"retention election" would
determine whether the jus
tice remains on the bench.
About 20 states use such
elections for appellate
court seats.
The tie vote jneaas -
retention elections won't be
used in a state Supreme
Court election this year,
and the June 7 primary for
a seat on the court will be
held as planned. But it cre
ates no precedent, meaning
the issue could arise again.
The decision "is impor
tant for judicial independ
ence," attorney Michael
? Crowell, who represented
the plaintiffs, said Friday in
an email. "You cannot have
the legislature deciding, as
it did in 2015, which judges
should have opposition and
which not. I hope this deci
sion leads us back to a seri
i
4
ous discussion of reform
ing judicial selection in a
way that complies with the
constitution and that does
not have partisan over
tones."
Only Justice Bob
Edmunds faces re-election
to the court in 2016. He
didn't participate in the
decision or listen to argu
ments the court heard in
April.
A lower court ruled in
February that retention
elections don't meet the
state Constitution's defini
tion of an election.
The three trial judges
who heard the case also
said retention elections
impose a new qualification
upon lawyers to run for the
state's highest court - that
they must be the incum
bent.
The arguments the
court heard last month cen
tered on whether a reten
tion election meets the con
stitutional mandate that
justices "shall be elected"
even though only one can
didate can run. Legislative
sponsors of the law had
said there was no need to
amend the Constitution to
offer the option.
John Maddrey, North
Carolina's solicitor general,
argued the retention option
is an election, pointing out
many matters are submitted
to voters that don't involve
a contest between candi
dates.
During the arguments,
Crowell said one of the
plaintiffs, Wake County
lawyer Sabra Faires, was
barred from running for
Edmunds' seat because
Edmunds chose the reten
tion option. "If she cannot
run, one of two things has
to be true: Either it's not an
election, or it's an election
and she's been disqualified
for some reason other than
what's in the Constitution,"
he said.
Edmunds, Faires and
Wake County Superior
Court Judge Michael.
Morgan will now face off
in a June 7 primary, with
the top two-vote getters
advancing to the general
election in November.
Before 2015, legislators
had debated judicial reten
tion elections for more than
40 years as part of a "broad
er judicial selection process
that usually included a con
stitutional referendum.
Martha Waggoner can
be reached at http://twit
ter.com/mjwaggOnernc.
Her work can be found at
http://bigstoryap.org/con
tent/martha- waggoner.
. .? .
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NORTHWEST (HUD DEVELOPMENT CENTERS
NOW ENROLLING!
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336.721.1215
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Sr. Paul United Methodist Church
A\
ir ~
1871-2016
Traise Gob for a Church (hat 0
Does Transform Lives
Sunday, May 22,'2016
11:00 a.m.
Celebrating 145 years with
Worship, Dance and Song
Sermon by Pastor Donald Jenkins
2400 Dellabrook Road
www.stpaulUmcws.org
(336)725-4531
1 . 1