Morgan/McCrory: Puppetmasters?????
The hardest thing about being a conservative politically in this community is that some member (s) of the local Ruling Class Elite is always trying to manipulate you for their purposes. Two recent events which occurred at Don Reids’ Thursday Morning Breakfast Meeting prove my point.
First Tim Morgan, one of the RCE’s on the School Board, dropped by to tell us why we should elect him to an at-large seat. Trying to capitalize on his membership in the local GOP, he threw out the usual boilerplate about his heroic efforts to lead the charge to privatize some services currently being managed by the education bureaucracy, and how diligently he had labored to slash overall school spending by $60 MILLION for FY 2012.
He of course neglected to mention the fact that he and his fellow supposedly GOP colleague, Rhonda Lennon, had voted with the rest of the fanatically left-wing board, to ask the Mecklenburg County Board of County Commissioners for an additional $50 MILLION to fund the school system, knowing full well the only way the BOCC could come up with the cash would be to raise property taxes. Morgan also neglected to tell us he and the rest of the board knew darn well the state legislature was going to restore an additional $26 million to CMS for the FY 2012 budget.
Given the fact Chairperson of the BOCC, Jennifer Roberts, was looking for any excuse to separate the taxpayers from their money, Morgan/Lennon and their fellow collectivist pals gave her some much appreciated cover. The result: a 6.3% property tax hike which equates to an additional $50 MILLION in taxes annually – which means that rather than having to cut the FY 2012 budget by $60 MILLION the School Board will actually have an additional $16 MILLION ($50 MILLION + $26 MILLION = $76 Million. $76 MILLION – $60 MILLION = $16 MILLION) to squander on our hopeless public school system in FY 2012 as opposed to FY 2011.
This is particularly devastating given the fact Charlotteans, who comprise 85% of the citizens of Mecklenburg County, were already being fleeced on average $2360 in local taxes and fees. If you’re interested, this is by far the highest tax burden per capita in North Carolina and has been for the last 10 years. Coupled with a 10% plus unemployment rate, you can bet making economic survival even more difficult is not exactly the best way to improve the local job market. Whoopee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Anyway, during Q&A I actually had the temerity to ask Morgan why he had voted to raise our property taxes. In typical local GOP fashion, he dissembled. He said he could not have possibly raised taxes because the School Board does not have taxing authority, and anyway, he had helped cut spending for FY 2012.
This episode points out why the School Board should have taxing authority. Morgan wanted to raise property taxes, aided in the process, got his prize, denied he had anything to do with it, and is not held accountable for his treachery because technically he did not vote to raise property taxes. The BOCC has a 15 month window before the next election, an eternity in politics – which will allow time for the public to forget what they did. Morgan isn’t held accountable, campaigns unmolested, and wins an at-large seat due to the endorsement of The Charlotte Observer: Very tidy – very Charlotte.
If the School Board had taxing authority voters would be more likely to hold individual members accountable. Raising taxes could become a campaign issue which could be wielded effectively by an enterprising conservative. As it is, Morgan and his ilk can play their games and get away with it to the extreme detriment of the taxpayers and children unfortunate enough to be stuck in the CMS cesspool.
A couple of weeks after Morgan’s bravura performance North Carolina State Senator Bob Rucho visited with us. Now unlike our pathetic, local, GOP elected officials, Senator Rucho and the Mecklenburg County state delegation have actually done us some serious good since the 2010 election.
He recounted some of their many accomplishments, which is absolute music to the ears of any North Carolina resident with the most minimal amount of sanity, but when Bob took questions things turned sour in a hurry.
One of the great human beings in this community, Jim Cherry, asked the Senator why the legislature had restored funding for Charlotte’s absurd light rail transit system. Bob said the budget process needed to be completed and that compromise’s had been made. Another great one, Wayne Powers, then asked Senator Rucho to identify the legislator (s) who had forced the deal.
No answer was forthcoming. Powers then pointed out the obvious. The funding had been restored due to the lobbying efforts of Mr. Conservative, that’s right folks, our very own former mayor, Patrick McCrory.
Since Hugh McColl decreed that Anthony Foxx would be mayor of Charlotte back in 2008, which forced McCrory to announce he was giving up the office (He couldn’t risk defeat by Foxx. Pat wants to be Governor), rather than try to get elected again for the 8th time – Pat “retired” to the private sector, where he has reaped a huge reward for his many years of loyal and dedicated service on behalf of our local Ruling Class Elite.
The RCE gave him membership on several corporate boards that pay him six figures annually to rubberstamp whatever the respective management’s want done (Pat sedulously avoids controversy), but his main line of “work” involves being an in-house governmental lobbyist for the gigantic corporate law firm of Moore Van Allen. Their main clients just happen to be Bank of America, Duke Energy, and Wells Fargo.
These same behemoths own vast amounts of property along the proposed light rail system and naturally they want to make very sure the system is built out. Pat interceded with Thom Tillis, Speaker of the House, and Voila!!!!, the money for light rail magically appeared in the budge at the last possible second.
I’m speculating, but I think the conversation went something like this: “Thom, we need to get this rail system built out here in Charlotte. The people who could fund my run for governor want this thing done in the worst way. If you don’t come up with the money they will get mad and they won’t help me. I won’t be able to beat Perdue and the GOP won’t be able to get nearly as much done as you would like. If I’m governor, I will work with you guys. Also, if you help us out, they’ll be money in it for you down the line. You strike me as an ambitious guy and after I leave office in 2020 we’ll help you succeed me.”
Or something like that – it’s very scary pretending to think like Pat. Anyway, Bob knew about all of this and to his credit didn’t refute Wayne. Politics can at times be absolutely nauseating, and this was one of those times.
The thing about the RCE’s is they destroy everything they touch. In this case political expediency has caused a good and decent public servant, Bob Rucho, to get in bed with the people who run this community. They can squeeze anyone they want anytime they want.
Bob has enough respect for the rest of us to know that we are intelligent enough to realize what the RCE’s are doing. I think it’s important the RCE’s learn a little respect, which is the purpose of this post, and indeed this entire website.
When we start dealing with the RCE’s honestly and openly things will change in this community. If we continue to let Pat and his gang play with us, they will play with us. It’s that simple.
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