Voter ID bill could affect hundreds of thousands of N.C. voters

If the NC GOP insist that a new voter ID law require voters to produce a state-issued ID, there will be several hundred thousand North Carolinians who will need to have their picture taken. 

A State Board of Elections comparison of voter rolls and DMV lists indicates that many voters lack a state-issued ID. 
 

That’s the finding of a preliminary comparison conducted by the N.C. State Board of Elections of the state’s 6.3 million registered voters and data bases of people with North Carolina driver licenses or an ID card issued by the state Department of Motor Vehicles. The raw comparison found just over one million registered voters who don’t appear on the DMV lists, but that number is likely to be cut when the comparison is refined to eliminate mismatches caused by maiden names and other factors.

The State Board of Elections found 1,005,585 registered voters whose names or other information did not appear in the DMV data bases. Of those, the breakdown by political party was:

• 508,090 Democrats
• 277,242 Republicans
• 219,315 unaffiliated
• 934 Libertarians

By race, the breakdown was:

• 267,396 blacks
• 665,421 whites
• 8,908 Asian
• 9,767 American Indian or Alaska native
• 6,273 two or more races
• 22,443 other
• 25,373 undesignated

Gary O. Bartlett. Executive Director of the North Carolina State Board of Elections, said the 1,005,585 number could drop substantially with further refinement of the comparison, but it appears that there are at least 700,000 North Carolina voters who lack a DMV-issued photo ID. 

Currently, voters must produce identification when they register to vote and voting fraudulently is already a felony, but there is no identification requirement at the polls. In the 2010 election that gave Republicans control of the General Assembly, the GOP included passage of a voter ID bill as one of its top priorities.

Bob Hall of Democracy North Carolina, a voting rights advocacy group, has reviewed the State Board of Elections findings and said the results confirm concerns that an ID requirement would effect minority and older voters more than others.

“It’s a huge number of people. It is disproportionately African American, disproportionately older,” he said.

Hall said the findings should make Republicans reconsider whether they need a new law to address incidents of fraud that most election officials say are extremely rare.

“It should give them pause to consider what damage they are doing to the rights of people, hundreds of thousands of people,” Hall said.

Source: AmericanIndependent

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The Grim Pattern of Unemployment in NC

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NCGA and Governor have paid scant attention to the plight of the unemployed

Within a week, as the news and analysis of Osama bin Laden's demise fades, the people of North Carolina will focus once again on the issues that matter most to their daily lives. For most North Carolinians, that includes the jobs market and the state of our economy.

But no one is talking about jobs. Except for North Carolina voters, that is. Does anyone in the NCGA care -- or even know, for that matter -- that jobs and the economy are still the most important issues to voters?

The April employment report was released on Friday. There was a jump in the current 8.8 percent unemployment rate to 9 percent and a jump in private sector job growth, offering a harsh contrast of how deep the roots of North Carolina's job problem goes and how great the challenges remain. Keep in mind that our economy needs to add thousands of new jobs every month just to keep pace with new entrants into the job market. While other economic indicators, such as the stock market and GDP growth, are rising, employment is lagging far behind. In fact, job growth after this recession is the weakest on record. Ultimately, job security matters the most to the people of North Carolina.

We are now more than four months into the new congress, and discounting partisan rhetoric, congress, the senate and the governor have paid scant attention to the plight of the unemployed.

Last week, McDonald's announced with much fanfare that, after sifting through more than 1 million applications, it will be hiring 62,000 new workers. As one sly writer noted, a higher percentage of applicants got rejected by McDonald's than by Harvard, though the prestige of flipping Big Macs is not yet on par with a Harvard degree. We will not "win the future" by relying on low-wage service sector jobs to lead employment growth.

Other troubling facts are being overlooked. The outlook for summer jobs for teenagers is the worst on record. The unemployment rate for recent college graduates is 9 percent. Hiring in manufacturing, which has recorded more than 250,000 net new jobs over the past 15 months, has slowed in each of the past two months.

As the NCGA obsesses about spending cuts, the impact of fewer jobs has been swept completely under the rug. The consequences of this has been a political backlash and an economic turn for the worse. North Carolina lawmakers are sacrificing ten of thousands of long term unemployed, for a budget that is consuming all of the political oxygen and time at our state's capital.

Finally, the NC Republicans, led by Senator Phil Berger seems unlikely to initiate a stand alone bill for continuing extended unemployment benefits, which has provided some fuel for our economy at a time when private sector investment has been lagging. Indeed, the NC Senate seems to have chosen to fight job loss at the expense of the jobless. That's precisely the wrong course.

When will someone show enough courage to throw down the gauntlet on jobs in the way that some Republicans have thrown it down on spending cuts? The squeaky wheel gets the grease. A cliché, yes, but also a truth in Raleigh.

There are, however, some smart policy proposals that could be considered. Investing in both infrastructure and R&D come to mind, as does legislation to stop China's currency manipulation (which would do wonders for North Carolina's manufacturing). There is also a consensus that our vocational education system is in need of serious repair, with shop classes disappearing, and shrinking opportunities for the next generation of skilled workers. Last but not least, we need to enforce 'Buy America' laws and other domestic procurement requirements to ensure that tax dollars are directed to America's manufacturers and their workers whenever possible.

One way or another, the economy will catch up with our political leaders in North Carolina. The smart ones will remember the lessons of the 2010 campaign. The not-so-smart ones? When they find themselves looking for a job in 2012, they'll wish they'd made a real effort to create them.

Contributing Article: Alternet.org

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The NCGA actions thus far this week have been to:

• Eliminate thousands of teachers 
• Ensure that clean water is not necessary 
• Remove free & low-cost health care through planned parenthood defunding 
• Stop long term unemployment benefit payments 
• De-fund Medicaid (because facts hurt)
• Raise the cost of public justice for all 
• Prohibit rape victims that are seeking abortions
• Endorse that Cinco de Mayo should become a national holiday.

Seriously? What have I missed here? It is like the campaign commercial­s for 2012 are being written by themselves­.

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37,000 are still being held hostage by NC Lawmakers

As of today, 37,000+ North Carolinians who were cut off from their unemployment benefits three weeks ago, because the GOP-led legislature tied extension of their benefits to their disastrous budget, are still being held hostage by Senator Phil Berger and the Republican majority.

The Republican majority agreed to extend jobless benefits ONLY if Gov. Bev Perdue would agree to their budget proposal, which isn’t even finished yet.

Most of the unemployed rely on those benefits to put food on the table. The average payout is $300 per week, and without it, people have nowhere to turn. Few have managed to put away enough savings to see them through until the economy turns around for those who have to work for a living.

There’s no excuse for this behavior.  The budget should be debated on its own, not tied to the economic survival of tens of thousands of families who are victims of the economic ruin Wall Street perpetuated upon the country.

Other states have passed the technical language needed to continue benefits for up to 99 weeks, but not North Carolina. Our legislature takes the cynical approach, hoping people will blame the governor for vetoing the extension to unemployment.

The 37,000+ will remember this come Election Day 2012, and they will blame ALL of the Raleigh lawmakers who held 37,000 people hostage while playing political games with their families.

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NC Politicians need to wake up and help the unemployed!

A story emailed to ncpundit@gmail.com
 
"I do NOT think politicians are doing enough, or anything to help the thousands of people that are unemployed. I have sent out more resume’s than I can count, of course I have a log of it as required by the state of NC. I first wrote the Governor, Beverly Perdue. I was then advised to write the Senator, Phil Berger. I did both, and have emailed Senator Berger many times, with no reply. I have been unemployed since April 09 and have done an extensive job search. The message states the extension was cut due to an increase in jobs. I would LOVE to know where they are. I wish the politicians that have made this ruling would visit Harnett, Moore, Lee, Cumberland and counties I have searched for work in within a 35-40 mile radius. I would extend the search further, but with the price of gas I couldn’t afford to drive any farther than that. I have an Associate Degree in Medical Assisting, and I have targeted every MD office I can find, as well as applied at the hospitals that are close enough for me to drive to. I have now stepped up my search and applied to Walmart, Kmart, McDonald’s and convenience stores. I will take any position I can find if I can and if it’s legal work. With the little amount I was receiving from unemployment benefits, I was not able to save anything, after paying rent, electricity, car insurance. I don’t even have medical coverage and I buy very little food because I can’t afford to. These politicians that can’t, won’t, or for whatever reason aren’t signing a bill to keep the extension going are going to see children in NC counties going hungry, homeless. I just hope those that took away the benefits will at LEAST understand that some of us soon will be living in our car, and maybe they will allow us to park it in their parking lot, where it might be somewhat safer than a street somewhere. To the politicians that took away the benefits, I invite them to visit the counties I named above, and if there are ANY jobs there, please tell me and the thousands of others that are unemployed, because we sure aren’t seeing them. I am not lazy, I am 50 years old and have worked somewhere since I was 15 years old. I am looking extensively for a job, there just aren’t any. The people that are employed sure aren’t leaving, and the ones that are looking are finding no vacancies. Something has to give. I live in NC so I speak for them, because I know the situation here, however, I know it is the same for others in other states. I have never seen our economy in such a condition. You can’t drive very far to work if you could find a job because you couldn’t pay the gas to get there. This situation is TERRIBLE!"

- in North Carolina

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POLL: Are you still able to make ends meet without an extension?

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37,000 NC Unemployed Blame Raleigh Lawmakers

Democrats and Republicans in the N.C. Legislature are blaming each other for the political gamesmanship that has cut off unemployment benefits for 37,000 longterm jobless North Carolinians.

Meanwhile, the unemployed citizens caught in the middle aren’t interested in keeping a tally of political points. They’re wondering how to pay their bills and avoid falling into an even deeper hole if this standoff doesn’t soon end.

It began last month after the U.S. Labor Department notified state officials that the extended benefits program had to stop paying out after April 16 because the state’s recent three-month average unemployment rate had improved from 2010 and 2009. N.C. is among three dozen states that have participated in the federally funded program which allows those who’ve been laid off to collect unemployment benefits for an extra 20 weeks. Given how slowly hiring has expanded during the recovery, many laid-off workers are having a hard time finding new jobs. A few extra weeks of benefits can be a godsend for those staring at a stack of bills and depleted savings.

Fortunately, the problem has a fix. All that’s required is for state lawmakers to adjust the formula for calculating unemployment benefits so that it once again satisfies the federal criteria. It’s an easy fix, and many other states have already done this.

Unfortunately, the benefits problem revealed itself in the heat of a highly partisan legislative session, where the parties have circled their wagons and are battling over practically every issue, from the budget to redistricting to voter ID requirements. Republicans contend that state officials, in league with Democratic leaders, sprang the benefits cutoff on them without sufficient warning. They then linked the benefits extension to spending cuts that Gov. Beverly Perdue vetoed, calling it “extortion.”

There’s plenty of blame to go around here. The machinations over this issue serve as a reminder that lawmakers in Raleigh can be just as dysfunctional and self-serving as those in Washington.

Legislative leaders have said they expect to reach a compromise on the benefits extension ... eventually, and the extended benefits apparently would be restored retroactive to the date they expired. But they’re obviously in no hurry to provide this relief. For now, the checks aren’t in the mail, and several thousand jobless North Carolinians have reason to feel they’re simply pawns in a political power struggle.

Source: SalisburyPost

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NC State Budget Goes to the Senate After Long Debate

After two long days of debate, the North Carolina House passed House Bill 200 (a.k.a. State Budget Act) in a vote of 72 to 47. It now goes to the Senate where it is expected to pass with some modifications, therefore requiring a conference committee to reconcile the differences before going to the Governor. The vote was along strict party lines except for five Democrats who sided with the 67 Republicans voting for the budget.

The 72 affirmative votes are significant beyond the fact that they constitute a majority. They also constitute a 3/5 majority which would be required to override a gubernatorial veto if those votes hold through the conference reconciliation process. There are enough Republicans in the Senate to override a Perdue veto.

Click here to download a copy of H200 to review the specific provisions of the House's budget proposal.

The vote came after the budget was published last week, and two days of debate with over 45 amendments, something that is unusual from the way the budget has been handled in the past. In prior years, under Democrat control, the budget was typically presented and voted on immediately with little or no debate allowed. During the debate yesterday and today, even many of the Democrats commended the Republican leadership on the process used.

The debate was strictly along party lines. Republicans extolled the plan because it cut spending and not only avoided a tax increase but actually reduced taxes, notably the "temporary" one-cent sales tax that was added in 2009. Republicans pointed out that the plan does not call for any teaching positions being eliminated although it would eliminate some non-classroom positions and teacher assistant position in grade 2 and 3 but retain those in K—1. Overall the budget calls for an approximately 8.8% reduction in K-12 spending, about 11% in the community colleges budgets and a 15% reduction in the University budget. Those number are subject to change after a more thorough study of the final bill.

Democrats dominated the final debate, with most speaking in favor of more spending even if it requires more taxes.

Source: BeaufortObserver

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Women: "You're not up to making life altering decisions"

The "Woman's Right to Know Act". What a load of nonsense. Why not call this bill, "Women: you're not up to making life altering decisions"? And as per usual, it's accompanied by the habitual dishonesty of the anti- abortionists. Oh yeah, they want 'time to reflect', that's all, nothing else. Why? Your considered "reflection time" is that it's, in all circumstances, absolutely the wrong thing to do. Admit it. Yet another feeble, disingenuous effort.

I hate seeing abortion become the political football it has become in the legislature, but this seems a genuine attempt by the Republicans to portray themselves as being even MORE extremist with the voters. This will be waived like a big red flag in the next election.

I've always considered myself 'choice tolerant' rather than 'pro-choice', because I am personally opposed to abortion, but it isn't me who has to carry this baby, care for this baby, hold together a possibly violent relationship with this baby's father.

A "Woman's Right to Know Act" shouldn't matter (though it does).

With this bill, I don't think the Republicans are being cynical, as they are being strongly pro-life, which is part and parcel of being a (normal) Republican. So there.

And in any case the electorate is trending pro-life.

I find the whole debate strange as nobody wants carte blanche to abort 6 month old babies, and nobody other than extremists are proposing to force births of children from rape, from incest, or where the mother might die.

It's amazing the rhetorical hoops Republicans are willing to put themselves through just to avoid admitting that they jumped to their conclusions that PP is an abortion mill without knowing the full spectrum of health services PP provides.

It's OK. You can admit you didn't know all the facts.  We won't think less of you.

The most important part of planned parenthood is family planning and preventing unwanted pregnancies ahead of time before abortion even becomes an issue.  One would think at least that part of their operation would please Republicans, who are always looking for ways to shrink the welfare rolls.

But what do the Republicans do after they get in?  Why, ignore jobs and overstep their mandate by attacking abortion rights and Planned Parenthood.

If it weren't so pathetically sad, it would split the sides with laughter.

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