wow what a concept our political leaders actually taken the lead, not that i am hopeful ….

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Doug,

you are talking about dog catcher and water board etc. positions, right?

Those are great first political positions that many use as a spring board into more interesting political positions. But if your party has no BA then it is a spring board to nowhere.

Every state where the Green Party has gain BA has seen an increase in membership and in people interested in running for county commissioner, city council, major etc.; those are positions where real change can be archived and those are not open to Greens in NC.

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Thanks for the info. Now, I’ll admit this next question is a little pointed.

What, exactly, are the ballot access issues preventing self-declared Greens from entering municipal races, the vast majority of which are non-partisan in North Carolina?

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to say you are for expanded ballot access (BA) is a politicians answer because it cost you nothing, it’s like saying you are for clean water. What have you been doing to expand ballot access in NC over the last lets say 4 years? Do you even know the house bills number/title dealing with BA in the NC legislature without first googling it? And shiny unicorns? Really Gordon unicorns? Do they have to be shiny?

And yes part of the discussion is about what a mess the tax system is but if we do not discuss the underling problems and who is to blame for it nothing ever gets changed. But then again for you that is ok because the status quo is working for you I guess.

Doug,

because of the draconian ballot access laws in NC it is almost impossible to run as Green or even independent. In 2008 we run 3 candidates and we are discussing with several people their possible campaigns, however considering the limited resources we have in NC and the fact that the NC Greens are hosting the National Green Party Annual Meeting (ANM) I do not see much happening on that front in 09. Part of the discussion at the ANM will be ballot access and how stronger Green Party chapters (like CA, IL, AZ, TX, NY) can help assist newer parties like the NC Greens.

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Just out of curiosity – really, honest curiosity – how many self-described Greens are planning to run for municipal offices in North Carolina this year?

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The discussion, as I see it, is about how the tax structure is a real mess. For you, I understand, the discussion is always about the “two ruling parties”. Saying that I’m speaking like a real politician is a lousy thing to say. You know me better than that.

If you want a revolution and new parties and shiny unicorns, then make it happen, dude. The rest of us are trying to work with what we’ve got.

I do support expanded ballot access. If a nice libertarian party person or green party person told me that there was an actual plan afoot to make it happen, I’d be excited. Instead I think the plan is to insult the people making use of the viable vehicles.

Good luck with that.

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Gordon, spoken like a real politician. The discussion is about that the two ruling parties got us into this mess and you defend it by “I am for more ballot access”.

It is not about BA, what’s about is the fact that the ruling parties do not represent the people and reform will not change the parties. New parties with new internal rules are needed. Anyone who wants real change needs to turn their backs on the corrupted ruling class parties and support alternatives like the Libertarians and Greens.

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Second, according to the North Carolina Budget and Tax Center,

the FY08-09 budget appropriated $19 less per person than the FY99-00 budget, when adjusted for population and inflation

Which is what I said – that our state government spends about as much per capita as it did eight years ago. In fiscal year 2004-2005 we were spending $250 less per citizen than in 99-00, so it’s no wonder we’ve seen five years of increases, but it doesn’t mean much. It’s about as germane as saying that there’s no global warming because we haven’t yet broken 2005′s record as the hottest year ever.

Third, California did attempt to raise revenues. Some of the ways the state government planned to do this were subject to the proposition process. The propositions failed as much because progressives regarded the revenue sources as unfair as because conservatives opposed all taxes. In fact, polling suggests that the vast majority of Californians opposed a cuts-only budget, which would mean that a minority in the state legislature is thwarting the will of California’s citizens.

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Also, guess what services are being excluded from taxation. Lawyers fees, um, any connection possible to the trial lawyers association??

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Well, we could cut subsidies to businesses that decide to relocate here.

Since you mentioned us Libertarians, I thought I’d pat my own back: As a Libertarian elected to the Lenoir City Council, I was the only elected official to vote against the Google incentives. I have never voted for one of these corporate welfare “economic development incentives” in my almost six years on council.

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You’re absolutely right that the gas tax will hurt contractors – especially those running small businesses that have nothing to do with transportation – but it will also hurt people whose incomes have taken a hit as a result of the downturn, and those who were poor to begin with. These folks, after all, will not be able to deduct what they spend on gas as a business expense.

And the bulk of the money raised will go to spending on highways, much of which will benefit large contractors who work on highway projects. And I guess I’m just wondering, since we’ll raise taxes on ordinary people to fund them, what public good highways provide that is so much greater than the public good provided by teachers and health care workers.

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How is raising the gas tax suggesting that contractors’ jobs are more important. Wouldn’t raisingthe gas tax cost most contractor much more than teachers or health care workers. The logic of this point evades me.

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Services don’t have to be taxed at the same rate as purchases. We can limit the services that are taxed. We can increase the level of income under which people can receive the EITC. And we could add a marginal tax rate or two above the current top rate.

But there are reputable economists who argue that tax increases – provided they’re the right kind – are far better than steep budget cuts during a recession. Because, of course, Education, Mental Health, and Social Services aren’t just vital services – they’re jobs. Slashing the budget to “save jobs” just doesn’t make any sense at all.

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For every dollar you tax on a service, that dollar has to come from somewhere. For every worker that loses their job, the tax burden on those still employed goes up without cuts in government. There is no way our already battered state can sustain billions in tax increases.

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Parties are merely vehicles. NC would be much better off with open ballot access for all political parties.

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