Greetings and Salutations;
Protestors In North Carolina State Capitol
It is a busy time here at the end of a long, ugly year. There are too many instances of insanity in the Political World that are motivating me to post a comment. So…This one is about the situation in North Carolina.
For y’all that have not heard…the Republican Governor there has been replaced in the November elections with a Democrat. There are a number of explanations for this, but, I suspect the virulent Anti-LGBTQ legislation passed and signed by the governor earlier this year is a big factor in it. This legislation has already cost the state $Millions as quite a number of large events have canceled their trips to the state and moved their event, and subsequent cash, to another state. Also, the Legislators have taken actions to make it harder for the disadvantaged to vote, all in the hopes that the Republicans can keep and maintain their hold on political power in the state.
Well, as the inauguration of the Democratic Governor nears, the Legislators and Governor are frantically passing new laws that will limit the powers of the incoming Governor. The are trying to do it under the cover of darkness too, as they called a special session of the Legislature, and as the night spread across the state, they started passing these restrictive bills. It was a classic example of smoke and mirrors too! The Legislators announced that they were having a special session to pass disaster relief for victims of floods and fire in the state. Well, they did that…then, they closed the session and immediately called another special session, “without an Agenda”. This was a surprise for everyone except the Republicans who ad set it up. They, by the by, tried to claim that it was a last minute decision. However, already Paperwork has shown up showing that this special session was planned several days in advance.
Some things that they have done already:
Passed a bill that cuts, by almost 2/3, the number of positions in the government appointed by the Governor. The end result is that the political appointees of the Republican Governor will now become permanent employees of the state.
Election reform bills were passed. This will rework the state board of elections and combines it with the state ethics commission. Previously, the state board of elections had a 3-2 majority in favor of the governor’s party, while every county board had a 2-1 advantage for the governor’s party. Under the new rules, the state board will have eight members, four of each party, appointed half by the governor and half by the legislature. County boards will have four members. The chairmanship will rotate, but appears to guarantee that Republicans will lead the board during crucial even-numbered election years for the foreseeable future.
Supreme Court elections, which have been nonpartisan but handed a majority to Democrat-aligned justices this November, will now be partisan.
They confirmed Yolanda Stith, the wife of (ex Governor) McCrory’s chief of staff, to the state industrial commission. (Republicans complained that the protestors were disrupting a triumphal moment for a black woman.)
Needless to say, there have been quite a few protestors at the state Capitol, and a bunch of those folks have been arrested for protesting this raw power grab. It is hard for the legislators to claim that there was not a strong, racial component to these changes, as many of the new laws put into place through this session have attacked the ability to vote of people of color.
It looks to me as this is a palace coup, emboldened by the squeaking through of the donald to take power. This will bite them in the ass at some point in time, I am sure, but, I can only hope that America is still around to see it happen. This is such a bad situation that it has moved far beyond any sane commentary.
God Help Us All
Pleasant Dreams
Bee Man Dave
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