Raleigh, N.C. – There is bipartisan support among North Carolina voters for using Golden LEAF’s $600 million in taxpayer funds to balance the state budget, according to a new poll released today by the Civitas Institute.
Fifty-six percent of voters said they would prefer the Legislature use the money to do such things as pay the state portion of the 2011 state employee retirement contribution and balance the budget. Thirty-one percent said they would like legislators to leave the money with the Foundation so the Board of Directors can continue to grant money for economic development to local areas of the state. Four percent said other or none, and 8 percent said they do not know.
“The people of North Carolina elect legislators to spend state money. Golden LEAF members are unelected and unaccountable political appointees,” said Civitas Institute President Francis De Luca. “Voters seem to agree that state dollars are better managed by those elected to handle that responsibility.”
Further examination reveals there is bipartisan support among voters for using the funds to balance the state’s budget. Republicans (62 percent use-26 percent leave), unaffiliated voters (58 percent use-31 percent leave), and Democratic voters (50 percent use-35 percent leave) all prefer the Legislature to use the funds to deal with the state’s budget problem rather than leave the money for continued economic grants.
“Utilizing Golden LEAF funds would help close the budget gap and protect state workers and programs from possibly even larger cuts,” added De Luca.
The Civitas Poll is the only monthly live-caller poll of critical issues facing North Carolina. For more information on Civitas polling see http://www.nccivitas.org/category/poll/.
Full text of question:
“The Golden LEAF Foundation has over $600 million in taxpayer funds in its account. Which of the following actions would you prefer the Legislature take with that money:”
Use that money to do things such as pay the state portion of the state employee retirement contribution for 2011 and balance the state budget – 56%
Leave the money with Golden Leaf so the Foundation’s politically appointed 15 member Board of Directors can continue to grant money for economic development and to local areas of the state – 31%
Other/None – 4%
Don’t Know/Refused – 9%
Click here for full results and crosstabs.
This poll of 600 registered general election voters in North Carolina was conducted February 10, 12-13 by National Research, Inc. of Holmdel, NJ. All respondents were part of a fully representative sample of registered voters in North Carolina. For purposes of this study, voters interviewed had to have voted in two of the past four general elections or were newly registered to vote since 2008.
The confidence interval associated with a sample of this size is such that: 95 percent of the time, results from 600 interviews (registered voters) will be within +-4% of the “True Values.” True Values refer to the results obtained if it were possible to interview every person in North Carolina who had voted in two of the past four general elections or were newly registered to vote since 2008.
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This would be an absolute mistake and a myopic move on the part of the new majority.
The MSA money was meant to revitalize former tobacco dependent areas, not to balance the profligate state budget.