Fearmongering 101

This could take us back a generation, it could take another generation to come back and I don’t think that what the people of North Carolina want.

Dispelling the fearmongers is a full time job these days (See WRAL article).  Add  House minority leader minority Joe Hackney to the list of those who speak before taking the time to look closely at the budget numbers. 

This budget takes us a generation?  Really?  While no one knows what the final budget numbers,  an average of the adopted House budget and the Senate budget target for public education comes in at $7.17 billion.  That figure is pretty close to the average K-12 budget for years 2007 -2008 ($7.21billion).  I wonder: did you hear any liberals bemoaning the lack of funding back then?  

Yes, cuts have to be made and no one likes it. However the current plight is made worse by false information and by knowing a good part of this hardship is self-inflicted. 

 Over the last two years North Carolina public schools received close to $1.1 billion from the federal government to help pay for services and save jobs.  Of course politicians knew the day would come when the money would run out.  At that time when North Carolina received stimulus funds and edujobs money Joe Hackney was Speaker of the House.  He and his felllow law makers were more than happy to take the federal bailout money and avoid the tough budget choices.  Now the money is goine.  

The big spending, lack of results and  failed leadership help to explain much of the current mess — but also the results of last November’s elections.