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Friday, May 10, 2013
News / Opinion Alice in General Assemblyland
Posted By John Grooms on Fri, May 10, 2013 at 9:21 AM
Just as we were almost getting used to the idea that our state government is being run by big corporations, rustics and Baptist preachers, the "less government" folks in the General Assembly decided to really pour it on.
In the past week, the legislature's rightwing assembly line has rolled out a glut of new bills that, if passed, would put North Carolina in serious competition with Mississippi, Florida and South Carolina for the title of "Most Backward State." Here are just some highlights of the week:
* The House Health and Human Services Committee approved a bill that would ban teenagers from seeking substance abuse, mental health, sexually transmitted infection, birth control or pregnancy care without a notarized written consent form signed by a parent or guardian. Without the consent form, care providers could not diagnose, treat or even counsel teens. Doctors voiced strong opposition to the bill, even though conservative backers, such as Rep. Marilyn Avila of Wake County, say that current laws letting teens access care when they need it have been "undermining our families" for years. It never seems to occur to these moral warriors that not all families are warm and wonderful, or that for some teens, the families themselves - including molesters or parents who look the other way when things go wrong - are often part of the problem.
* The House passed, and sent to the Senate, a bill to allow concealed guns in bars, restaurants, greenways, bike trails and sporting events - but not, surprise, surprise, in the state legislature. It's long been a mystery why the current brand of American conservatism wants to take the U.S. back to the days of the Wild West, but the mystery hasn't weakened their enthusiasm for such potentially deadly ideas. The exception they made for the General Assembly led to a great poster from ProgressNorthCarolinaAction:
* Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger rolled out his awaited tax overhaul plan, or rather an outline of a plan. If passed, it would slash taxes on the very wealthy, make serious cuts to essential state services, and raise taxes for the working poor, and a substantial number of middle class families via higher sales taxes on drugs, groceries and a plethora of other currently tax-free services. The surprising, and good, news is that Berger's plan seems to be pretty much dead on arrival. As reported by the News & Observer's Under the Dome column, neither McCrory nor House Speaker Thom Tillis backs Berger's approach. Some political observers say Berger's ideas could not be considered before the current legislative session ends anyway, and suggest that Berger is grandstanding to set himself up for a U.S. Senate run next year.
* The House took up a bill passed by the Senate that would require applicants for Medicaid, food stamps and other benefits listed as "temporary assistance for needy families" to take, and pay for, drug tests. Before passing the bill, the Senate turned down an amendment that would have forced state legislators to take yearly drug tests. The topper for this particular bill is that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit has already declared that Florida's similar law, the one on which N.C.'s proposed law is based, is unconstitutional. And yet, in North Carolina, the whole stupid, needlessly invasive idea keeps staggering along like some kind of unkillable legislative zombie.
Obviously, the miscreants in the General Assembly have been busy trying to remake the state in their image: misogynist, vicious, pro-big-money defenders of fundamentalist Protestant morality. They've moved so quickly, even Tillis is telling them to slow down or risk losing their majority next year. Couldn't happen to a nicer bunch of empty suits.
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