Category: Opinion

May is Military Appreciation Month and serves as an important reminder of all those who have sacrificed for our country.  In honor of this month, I encourage you to make an extra effort to thank our nation’s soldiers for their courageous service.   On Wednesday, I had the opportunity to meet with the Blue Star Families, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting military families as they tackle the unique challenges they  must face when their loved ones are fighting overseas …

Happy Mother’s Day to you and yours! Yesterday, the President released a presidential proclamation to celebrate the special role mothers play as cornerstones of our families and our communities, and on Thursday, First Lady, Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden hosted a Mother’s Day Tea for military families in the East Room of the White House and we hosted a Twitter Chat with the leadership of MomsRising.org, Mocha Moms, and Mamiverse – who were joined by their children and parents. Additionally, please …

Gov. Perdue released her proposed budget today.  While I do not agree with every item in her plan, the governor and do I agree on her priorities for our state: education, jobs, economic development and appreciation for our military. Her budget would increase education spending in North Carolina by $785 million instead of continuing to shortchange our children as the legislative majority did this year. As I prepare for the legislative session that begins Wednesday, I want to share some …

From:  Action for Children North Carolina Governor Perdue’s 2012-13 budget proposal, released this morning, makes the children of North Carolina a clear priority. Particularly in education and early education, the budget restores some of the cuts made last year, by proposing a three-fourths of a cent sales tax increase, a temporary measure that was eliminated by the General Assembly in 2011. K-12 Education In K-12 education, the Governor’s budget proposes an eight percent ($562 million) increase over the 2012-13 budget …

Friends, I’m writing to let you know that I introduced my 2012-13 budget proposal today. The budget is focused on “Investing in Our Future,” and I highlighted three areas: (1) investing in education; (2) investing in jobs; and (3) standing up for those who serve our nation. You can watch a video I recorded about my proposal and find more details about it at www.InvestingInOurFuture.nc.gov or view it below: I hope you will call your legislator, remind your family, and …

It has been said that people don’t know what is good for them.  It can certainly be said that people don’t always do what is in their best interest. Jobs, Jobs, Jobs, The drum beat of this election is the economy stupid. Jobs. We need to put people to work. So the Republican Legislature in N.C. cuts educational budget and puts teachers and aids out of work.  That did not seem to make any sense. The hall-cent sales tax would …

Board of Equalization and Review When the Tax Manager rejects a property owner’s request for a reduction (or increase) in the property tax valuation the property owner can appeal to the Board of Equalization for a final opinion.  Four property owners (three private & one corporation) were scheduled to present their arguments for a change in the value of their property for tax purposes.  One naturally assumes the property owner will either represent themselves or hire a representative to argue …

In addition to traveling the district and visiting with constituents and businesses one-on-one this week, I held the first meeting of my Transportation Advisory Council.  The meeting, which was held in Lee County, was well attended and a variety of issues relating to transportation were discussed. Online this week, the House GOP New Media Challenge continued and my office is still in the running.  The competition has moved to the Facebook round and the challenge is to add as many …

Even the Roman Catholic Church has come around to apologize to Galileo. Some of the old wars between science and religious dogma have been settled and peace treaties have been signed.  There may be some people who still believe in the flat earth, but we do not teach that in school.  There are still a lot of old home remedies that are used, but most people still go to the medical community for treatment. The two approaches to live: science …

If it looks like a rose, and smells like a rose, then you can assume it is a rose. This logic does not play out in the election for NC House of Representatives in the new District 32.  The campaign signs look like our elected Jim Crawford’s signs with the same font and colors that he has used for years and years even since before, if I am not mistaken, he ran for Lieutenant Governor. The name on the ballot …

Connect with Me on Facebook Today!  My Facebook page is a great place for you to get information and updates about what is happening in Washington and in the Second District.  It is also a place where you can share your concerns and engage with others. If you are not already following me on Facebook, please follow this link, then click the “Like” button on my page today! If you are already following me, please forward this email to your …

Annual Medicare and Social Security Trustee’s Report On Monday, the trustees who oversee Social Security and Medicare released their annual reports on the current state of the programs.  This year’s reports brought more bad news and underscored the dire need to reform these programs.  The reports make it clear that the insolvency of these programs is imminent if we don’t act soon.   According to the trustees, the Social Security trust fund can only maintain current benefits for another 20 …

In this newsletter you will find information about my work in Congress this week including video from the hearing I chaired in the Small Business Subcommittee on Healthcare and Technology, awards I received from the International Food Distributors Association and the Healthcare Leadership Council,  and news items regarding last week’s Small Business Tax Cut. Thank you for all the support I have gotten this week in the Twitter round of the House GOP New Media Challenge.  This round ends today …

The General Assembly held two short sessions earlier this week where very little business was conducted. Many of my colleagues in the House attended the Monday session to protect against any attempts at a surprise vote, and there were none. In the Senate, however, Republican legislators used the special session to introduce another bill to attack teachers. The bill would require all teachers, regardless of their experience, to sign yearly contracts. At the end of the year, the teachers could …

We have been told long enough that if you say the same thing over and over, pretty soon people will believe it.  So I guess that means that you have to object to those messages ever time in order to try to prevent those words from becoming the perceived reality. Like there is a constant drum beat that President Obama is not a citizen of the United States. The “Birthers” keep trying to deny his birth in Hawaii.  Their advantage …

Recognitions and Presentations After completing their preliminary activities the Council meeting started with introduction of the Leadership Vance Class of 2012.  The members of the class stood and introduced themselves.  The Council followed the pattern set by the school board and mimicked by the county commissioners.  No quid pro quo introduction of themselves just a polite nice to have you here tonight, next item on the agenda.  Mr. Mike Ciriello’s assistant presented a high level summary of the COG’s or …

The issue foremost on Americans’ minds this week was taxes.  Each year, tax day serves as a harsh reminder of our broken tax code and the punitive nature of our tax system. In fact, a Government Accountability Office (GAO) study recently found that Americans spend $107 billion a year just to make sure they are in compliance with the tax code and IRS rules.  The process of filling out tax returns is simply too complicated and acts as a tax …

This week in Congress our focus continued to be on JOBS.  In this newsletter you will find information about the Small Business Tax Cut Act we passed this week.  You will also find an excerpt from my op-ed on the economic impact of golf in North Carolina and H.R. 2718 – The Disaster Tax Act of 2011. I continue to monitor the status of the proposed I-95 toll which would be a job killer for businesses up and down the …

On Easter Sunday in the New York Times the columnist Ross Douthat had a column entitled “Divided by God.”  He suggest that in the 1960’s there was a religious core center that acted as one of the bonds that held society together. We were all primarily mainline Protestants and Roman Catholics.  Now the country as a whole is much more religiously fluid, with more church-switching, more start-up sects, more do-it-yourself forms of faith.  We are more and more a nation that is …