To the Editor:
The NC General Assembly is on the verge of passing its annual budget. Within it, the Assembly and the Governor are staking out an ideological position against the best interests of a majority of North Carolina citizens.
It is demonstrated by efforts to undermine public education through funding school privatization initiatives, instituting a voucher system and slashing public education funding at all levels; by the phasing out corporate and individual income taxes, to be replaced by a regressive sales tax (wealthy pay less, the middle and lower classes pay more); by the elimination of public financing for judicial elections (thus creating a partisan, political (read, gerrymandered) judicial system); by refusing to expand Medicaid under the federal Affordable Care Act (denies health care to over 500,000 low income adults in NC and costs NC taxpayers over $1 billion over 5 years to pay for uncompensated care); by monetizing the NC transportation system in favor of the wealthy through support of toll roads and non-support of mass transit.
These initiatives, taken together, demonstrate the position of the right wing majority of the Assembly that the answer to our society’s problems is to eliminate the traditional ideal of community, of one people working together toward the common goal of improving the quality of life for all. This tradition is to be replaced by an “every man for himself” ideology; one that says, money is power and can buy you all the education, healthcare, transportation and justice you need, or ever wish to have.
Individuals, by themselves, cannot effectively challenge corporate or government power. Monetization of every aspect of life entrenches corporate capitalism and undermines the standard of living for working class Americans. Every aspect of government controlled by corporate money pushes the individualization of the electorate in order to prevent organized opposition and maintain political power.
Effective opposition comes through an educated, well organized electorate. It begins at home, in the neighborhoods, in churches, in local meetings and town halls.
It is up to us to become informed, tell our neighbors, tell our friends and tell our elected officials what is happening to our state and how it can be different.