Dark Money

I live in North Carolina, USA. We have undergone a far right-wing take over of state government. While over all this is a Conservative state, all of the larger municipal areas are left leaning. But you would not know that by looking at the actions of our State Legislature, and governor. Some of the legislative wreckage includes: 

• Cutting Federal Unemployment Extensions off via re-writing the state's Unemployment Laws.
• Cutting the weekly unemployment benefit amount.
• Cutting teacher pay, and promoting the further privitazation and comodification of k-12 schools. 
• Needless Voter ID laws. 
• Chronic Chronism - Hiring politically connected people for positions they are not qualified for, AND overpaying them. 
• Repeal of the Racial Justice Act
• Abortion restrictions.
• "Anti-Muslim fear-mongering."
• Denying Medicaid coverage to half a million low-income people.
• Tax cuts for the wealthy.
• Etc Etc...

...And it is another year to the mid-terms. 

I think some of this would even make the old right-wing Senator Jessie Helms blush. This in not following the will of the people of North Carolina. Let's keep in mind we are NOT the customers Governor Pat Mccrory speaks of when referring to North Carolina Citizens, and residents. The real customers are those that bought and paid for this election. Arthur (Art) Pope is a customer. According to this article, one of the biggest. We have been lead astray when the US Supreme Court in Citizens United, made money free speech. We are seeing the result here in North Carolina. Reform = Cut. What kind of business will want to relocate to such a state? A state that refuses to recognize same-sex couples, devalues education, devalues diversity, and refuses to safeguard it's mist vulnerable citizens, AND is anti-science cannot attract the top-tier companies looking for a highly skilled work force.  

I'm not a big fan of the Democratic Party either. I see them as Republican light. How can they be different when they too are also paid by many of the same "Customers?" Both parties support the only party that seems to matter anymore, The Business Party. Our challenge is to get money out of politics in an environment of shrinking individual freedoms and increasing domestic spying.    

Back to the drug war shortly...

North Carolina Governor renews State Unemployment Extension

So the governor restored the state unemployment extension here in North Carolina. Thats nice but does little to solve the much deeper problem of too few jobs for too many people out of work. Anyone on this extension has been on unemployment for well over a year. This can carry some people to the 99 week mark! Then what? To re-qualify for unemployment they have to return to work for at least 6 months and earn $4557 and that's only going to get 13 more weeks. The goal shouldn't be going back on Unemployment rather finding long lasting employment. All the state extension does is postpone the problems one will face with no income. The state (on both federal and state level) have failed to replace all the millions of jobs that have forever gone overseas thanks to so called "free trade". Capitalism has always been an ass-kicker of a system with both good and bad points but we do not really practice it here.

No, what we do is protect "profit". Anytime you hear it's good for business, business friendly or other similar sounding terms, replace these words with Profit! Regulation is not business friendly = Regulation cuts into profit. Why is the stock market doing so well but there is so little job creation? Lower labor costs overseas! Welfare for the most wealthy is almost never discussed. Exxon gets massive tax relief. Staggering bailouts for banks not afraid to fail! 14+ TRILLION. Google it yourself. Did they have to wait weeks for an executive order? No. Did we get any real reform? No, that would be bad for business er hurt profits or something... Will the jobs come back? No, that too is bad for business. Who's to blame?

The poor lazy jobless yahoo who is well into his second year on the dole some may say. With five qualified people out there for every opening who will hire the older worker, the minority or the disabled person? Capitalism is an ass-kicker and cares not for the powerless. So what if we are just another third world country in the next ten years with loads of dirt poor who no longer even know how to grow their own food and a handful living great in gated communities guarded by Blackwater / Xe goons we can all watch on TV? We may want to start listening to a different narrative/ story than the non-since and false dichotomy we're spoon fed on the nightly news by the two political parties. Make no mistake they work only to maintain the status quo and you and I as voters do not count. Hint- Follow the money...