Inside the Legislature and Across North Carolina

NC Right Stuff | December 14, 2004 | Rep. John Rhodes

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The Rhodes Report Week of Dec 13, 2004

Inside the Legislature and Across North Carolina

Rep. John W. Rhodes - Mecklenburg

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NC House Reaches Party Parity/Parity

Amendment One - Trojan Horse Poised At The Open Gates Ready to Strike.

Governor - Dude, You’re Getting a Dell - Oops, Your Hard Drive Just Crashed

Incentives - The Crack Addiction of N.C. Politics

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NC House Reaches Party Parity/Parity

"We will see if Rep. Kiser will start pushing a Republican agenda or if he will continue to enable the Democrats to increase spending and taxes like he did last session".

N.C. Rep. John Rhodes - Mecklenburg the Charlotte Observer 12/13/04.

The North Carolina House Republican caucus met on Sunday in Greensboro to elect leadership for the upcoming session. Rep. Joe Kiser from Lincoln County, former majority leader and a Morgan loyalist, was elected leader by a narrow margin 27-29. He now leads the minority party in the N.C. House due to Republican losses in last month's elections leaving Republicans with 57 seats where previously they held a 62 seat majority. Republican losses are due to a favorable Democrat redistricting plan supported by for all practical purposes former co-speaker of the House Richard Morgan. David Lewis, the conservative best choice for caucus leader was defeated Sunday.

So how did Rep. Kiser gain enough support to come out on top? "SHOW ME THE MONEY" - Simply put Republican votes in the House Caucus race were bought. Campaign reports show sizeable influxes of campaign cash funneled from former Speaker Rep. Morgan's and former Speaker Harold Brubaker's campaign accounts prior to this year's election to weak Republicans who would shirk duty and principle for a little cold hard cash. (Some savvy politicians took the cash and still didn't back Kiser - it’s likening to taking drug money off the street and out of circulation so that it can't be used to cause harm.)

Going into the new session Rep. Kiser should realize just as the criminals that he helped put behind bars as a former Sheriff of Lincoln County have had the opportunity to rehabilitate and change, so too he has the opportunity to make or break his future leadership role. We will see if Rep. Kiser will start pushing a Republican agenda or if he will continue to enable the Democrats to increase spending and taxes like he did last session. It's clear that after Sunday's vote, Republicans still don't have a voice in the N.C. House.

Amendment One - Trojan Horse Poised At The Open Gates Ready to Strike.

The recent narrow passage of Amendment One or Tax Increment Financing has been offered to local government as a "gift" for prosperity. The constitutional amendment, which takes the public's right to vote on government debt that back private ventures, is actually a trojan horse that has been rolled to the gates of cities and towns across North Carolina. Much like the trojan horse of ancient times was rolled to the gate of a city and presented as a gift, while lurking inside was the enemy ready to strike once the gates of the city were opened allowing the enemy to invade unencumbered by the city's tall gates.

Liken the city's tall gates as protection, much like that of the public's right to vote to protect themselves against future public debt. When the voters of North Carolina were misled, by a multi-million dollar campaign backed by big business seeking the government subsidies, and narrowly passed Amendment One, they in essence, unbarred the gates to their cities and towns.

Now local leaders are cautiously approaching the apparatus towering over them at the city's gates, scratching their heads and saying, "Uh, what is it?", unawares of the impending problems that lie in wait once the trojan horse, or "tax increment financing" is rolled inside the city and unleashed. Once inside, citizens will say, "Oh my, what did we do?" Enter visions of the television credit card commercial depicting marauding Viking-like characters ravaging through the streets, and football stadiums, and probably a basketball arena or two, towards unsuspecting customers do come to mind here though. At the end of the commercial a particularly gruff Hun approaches the camera and asks - "WHAT'S IN YOUR WALLET?!!"

Local leader's response to the initiative is indicative of what a costly "train wreck" for taxpayers this initiative is about to become once implemented. Many backed the initiative and were cheerleaders for tax increment financing without really realizing what it is. Tax increment financing in other areas of the country show little or no improvement in job creation or overall prosperity. They have although put increased demands on roads and education and other basic services without a vehicle to pay for them thus leading to tax increases.

So here's a warning to local leaders to protect their citizenry in regards to the trojan horse that is Tax Increment Financing: NAIL THE HATCH SHUT ON THE HORSE BEFORE THE BAD GUYS POP OUT. In other words don't use Tax Increment Financing - it's a bad deal. Reject the so called "gift". Read More about Tax Increment Financing at www.nctifuse.org

Governor - Dude, You’re Getting a Dell - Oops, Your Hard Drive Just Crashed

Recently the North Carolina Legislature passed, in lock step with the Governor's request, incentives totaling a whooping $242 Million to a single computer manufacturer. "WOW! That guy's effective!"......at spending the taxpayer's money. Legislative leaders were bumping, tripping, and bumbling into each other through the halls of the legislative building to rush his Excellency's request right on through to the rubber stamp. "Yes sir Mr. Governor, yes sir, you need how much, right away sir, done, okay, and a fudgesicle from the legislative dining room, we'll see what we can do but we believe your friend Morgan ate them all", was unofficially quite often heard throughout the halls of the legislative building. The special session called by the Governor was accomplished in breakneck speed to capture a few low end jobs for the state that proponents of the bill believe would have gone to another state. After all, according to an unofficial report from the The Charlotte Observer, Virginia was offering $37 million to North Carolina's $242 million.

The special incentives bill passed with very little resistance, with the "usual suspects (Rep. Rhodes) voting against the grand scheme". While the Governor may be flying high after the recent passage by his yes people down the street in the legislative building, there may be as they say in politics, a SNAFU. A recent lawsuit filed in Ohio against a state incentives package offered to Daimler/Chrysler may put the brakes on state offered incentives due to a 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling striking down use of such tax credits as a violation of the interstate commerce clause. If the ruling stands and sets precedence it would give legislators (Rep. Rhodes) further ammunition to protect taxpayers from further abuse of their tax dollars. In this legislators book that would be a big old hard drive crash for the Governor. Word to elected officials, "Ditch the corporate welfare, it doesn't work". Unfortunately, that's not likely to happen, without judicial intervention, due to the legislature's insatiable addiction to incentives. "Hey, who’s up for a fudge sicle?”, we’ll have to order out".

Incentives - The Crack Addiction of N.C. Politics (coming soon) Just Say "NO"

Rep. Rhodes can be reached in his Cornelius District Office at 704-892-7783 or via e-mail at johnrh@ncleg.net, on the web at www.johnwrhodes.org

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You just have to love the way this guy puts things, even if you don't like what he's saying. I happen to like both.