March 06, 2012 News & Views » News Feature

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The N.C. Governor's Race: Bill Faison Q&A 

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CL: What does it mean to you to be a Democrat in North Carolina, in the 21st century?

Faison: That is a great question and I really appreciate you asking it. It means to me that your first concern is what is in the best interests of the people that you represent. That seems like a simple concept, but let me give you the juxtaposition of it. In this legislative session, if you look at the bills that have been passing they are not based on providing for the best interests of people. It is a radical social agenda of a few Republicans, and it is agenda for big corporate interests.

CL: Who do you personally look up to within the party's history, a storied history of men like Jim Hunt and Sam Ervin?

Faison: Well, you named two of the four. I would look up to Jim Hunt, I would look up to Sam Ervin, and also the work of Luther Hodges as being people within our state who have made huge differences, and kept the interest of people at heart. They were able to move this state forward economically and provide jobs for people. I think of Jim Hunt and the things he did for education in this state as extraordinary.

CL: Why is control of the governor's mansion so critical right now?

Faison: We need leadership at a statewide level if we are going to turn this economy around. Governments can hire people, governments can set policies that promote business, but in the end they do not create wealth. Wealth is created by entrepreneurs and businesses. We need someone in the governor's mansion who understands those concepts, and who is a practical business person who has met a payroll. I also think we need someone in there who understands the legislative process and what the governor has to do to work with the legislature. The Republican's champion has no idea how to do that. With a Republican dominated legislature, if we have them a governor as well, there would be no check or balance on their radical social agenda, or against their efforts to move pass bills that benefit corporate interests at the expense of people.

CL: What is it about North Carolina that we have been hit by this recession about as hard as anyone?

Faison: You are very insightful, and very right. The last time I looked we were among the seven hardest hit states in the country. There are some states that have been hit worse, but there are not many that have been hit worse. I think that's a combination of a couple factors. One is that we haven't grown jobs while we've added over a million people. That would be problematic in any society. The other thing is, in the legislature I've never seen anyone bring in an economist who understands how everything works, and how government and business interacts. That has just not been part of the decision making process at the state legislative level.

CL: On the other hand, what is it that is unique about North Carolina that will help us in our own path to recovery?

Faison: I think the key to it is our educational system. I think it needs to change, but to change to make things better. What we need to do is take advantage of our natural resources, and the best one is our people. We have a great climate on the east coast; we're well positioned for international trade. We need to take advantage of those things and bring our economy back.

CL: What is it about the Republican Party of North Carolina right now, and what they stand for, that you feel they should not be in charge of both the General Assembly, which they are likely to hold on to, and the governor's mansion?

Faison: There is a general understanding that Republicans do not know how to govern, and this crowd is proving that right now. They came in on a moderate theme of approaching and dealing with the economy. They ended up getting lost in the weeds with their radical social agenda and getting taken over by the money that helped put them in office. And that money came from people whose motivation was principally in the area of large corporate interests, not in the area of trying to do the best thing for people. All they are doing is meddling in folk's personal freedoms. They are cutting jobs, taking away opportunity and taking away benefits. They are taking away freedom, and we need to put a stop it.

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