A Conservative’s Viewpoint Are Things Really As Rosy As We’ve Been Told?

Article by Bob Steinburg - Edenton, North Carolina: Cradle of the Colony

In 1977, my wife and I visited Eastern North Carolina for the first time. We were struck by its beauty and the sincerity of its people. We had just relocated to Richmond, Va., from Upstate New York, where we were born and raised. I was in sales and part of my coverage area included Eastern North Carolina.

The simplicity of the lifestyle was a throwback to another time. The towns reminded us of 1952 when “Ike” occupied the White House. The charm of a bygone-era was irresistible. It beckoned us. We moved to Edenton 28 years later at retirement, fortunate to realize our dream.
Reality was about to set in.

To love Eastern North Carolina, first and foremost, is to love her humble and hard-working people. Eastern North Carolinians represent the essence of America – patriotic and God-fearing, with a love of state, region and community that should be the benchmark for all of America. It’s a way of life worth preserving and protecting – as is its beaches, islands, rivers and waterways that meander through and around our historic southern towns. Eastern North Carolina is the crown jewel of the Tar Heel State; the Albemarle its biggest treasure.

How fortunate I am to be a part of this legacy. How sincerely I hope it will endure. How troubled I am that it will not.

Things have changed in the last 30 years and, unfortunately, not always for the better. With the exception of 1995-99, when the Republicans controlled the state House, Democrats, since 1868 or Reconstruction, have been in charge of state government. North Carolina has had only two Republican governors, elected in 1972 and 1988. The state Senate today is made up of 31 Democrats and 19 Republicans. In the House, there are 66 Democrats and 54 Republicans. Democrats maintain overwhelming majorities in Eastern North Carolina’s 38 counties, with three Republican state senators and 10 Democrats. In the House, there are 23 Democrat lawmakers and eight Republicans.

Democrats have clearly been calling the shots. Have they been successful? Let’s take a look.

• 500,000 illegal immigrants and growing every day. North Carolina has some of the weakest state immigration laws in the country. Georgia has enacted and Virginia is proposing strict illegal immigration laws that will force illegals to flee to avoid detention, incarceration or deportation. North Carolina is their likely destination.

• In excess of 100,000 manufacturing jobs lost since 1990

• 14th highest taxed state in the nation, with the 7th highest gas tax and the 19th highest corporate tax rate

• Drop-out rate for students 32 percent, showing no improvement in more than 20 years

• No legislation to protect property rights.

• Deteriorating roads and highways, despite a $1.2 billion surplus in the general budget. We are told there is no money available for road construction, yet the state will spend in excess of $1 billion for the new Herbert Bonner Bridge connecting Oregon Inlet to Hatteras Island. The American Society of Civil Engineers gives North Carolina a “D” on roads and a “C” on bridges. Poor grades for the “Good Roads State.”

Add to that years of uncontrolled spending, increased taxes, corruption and scandal, and you can see why we should be concerned about North Carolina’s future.

North Carolinians deserve better. Whether Republican or Democrat, leaders need to be committed to our values, fiscally responsible, and ultimately accountable.

Many of our Democratic legislators recently returned from Raleigh, again hailing their successes. They have had an opportunity to shape and mold policy and budget for decades. They have failed.

It is really interesting to see how the press reacts to the actions of socialist regimes like the current Democrat dominated North Carolina government (with both legislature and executive branches controlled by socialists) versus the reaction to the free enterprise oriented government of the Republicans at the federal level until 2006.

The primary theme of articles on the period from 2002 until 2006 was how bad things were economically. Even though it was a period of sustained growth, it was always reported as just about to collapse and everyone who was not prospering was failing to prosper because of the economic policies of the Republicans.

Growth continues (for now), but according to the press and the democrats, it is because of Democrat spending. Look at the articles after last year's elections and amazingly without even taking office the economy recovered immediately (so far as the press was concerned). Now after fiscally irresponsible and wasteful spending by the Democrats (socialists) there are no articles talking about the coming inflation. No articles blame the Democrat spending for the rising interest rates that have devastated the home market. Nothing bad is the fault of the Democrats and everything good is THEIR success!

After 40 years of failure in our education system, it appears a very large part of our population believes these lies.

Bob is right to criticize how easily the press is fooled by Democrat claims on the value of their socialist agenda. On this issue, it appears libertarians and conservatives agree.