"The following election, with a lopsided Republican majority, the payoff began. They carried out their goals to reduce government to the smallest possible size by cutting services to the poor; repealed environmental and worker safety regulations to help business; reduced unemployment benefits and rewrote the tax system. They repealed the Back to School sales tax holiday for middle and low income families to save on school supplies. They repealed the Earned Income Tax Credit established by President Ronald Reagan as the best way to help the working poor, while also repealing the estate tax that benefitted only a small number of the very wealthy. They raised interest rates to 30% on small loans poor people use to tide them over in a crisis. They raised the sales tax 300% on mobile and manufactured homes — the largest source of housing for low income workers.
"But that was just the beginning. The Republican legislature refused to expand Medicaid, thus depriving 470,000 poor people insurance even though it would cost the state nothing. They reduced unemployment benefits, even to the long-time unemployed, paid for completely by the federal government.
"This Republican legislature attacked education on all levels from pre-kindergarten through our research universities by cutting funding severely. They cut 4000 teacher assistant and 5100 teacher positions. They cut textbook funding. They cut community college funds even though these colleges train working class people for jobs, this during an economic downturn.
"They repealed straight party voting which is heavily used by African-American voters. They shortened by one week early voting that again was heavily used by black voters. This was intentional because they had the statistics showing the impact on African-American voters, and intentional because the voter suppression bill was brought to the vote the same day Supreme Court decision came down that severely pruned the Voting Rights Act giving them free rein to move forward.
"Students will be most impacted by the repeal of the provision that allowed them to register and vote at the same time. No longer will 16 and 17 year olds pre-register, a valuable lesson in civic responsibility. Ballots of voters who accidentally come to the wrong precinct will not be counted. Public financing for judicial races and Council of State races is repealed.
"To assure that thousands of voters will not have their ballots counted, the types of photo identification required is so narrow that it could prevent 160,000 people from voting.
"During debates, we used logic and facts and appealed to the Republicans’ moral compass, all to no avail. Advocates came to the legislature, marched, got arrested, also to no avail.
"Thousands of people have expressed their dismay that this is not the North Carolina they believe in.
"Why did I resign? I was one of only seventeen Democrats in the 50 member Senate. We were irrelevant. After this discouraging and disheartening session, I realized I could contribute more to turning this tide by leaving the Senate and starting a voter ID project to make sure that every voter has the proper ID and correct precinct they vote in. The response has been overwhelming - hundreds have asked how they can help. I believe we can reach every person to make sure they can have their vote counted through churches, organizations, neighborhoods and person to person contact throughout the state. I believe we can turn this around and overcome the obstacles placed in the path of citizens who care about good government for all people."
Ellie Kinnaird
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Editor’s Note: In North Carolina there is now a grass-roots movement called “Moral Mondays.” It brings together people of conscience who feel that, by non-violent means, they must make their despair over the Legislature’s actions heard. Although the NAACP was instrumental in the initial concept, there is no single coalition responsible for the peaceful gatherings that include clergy, educators, members from various churches, and concerned citizens of all races and professions. On Monday, April 29th, the first protests began in Raleigh, and every Monday since, the movement has grown.
In the past weeks, it has moved to other large cities like Charlotte. Many of the demonstrators have been arrested and removed peaceably to jail. Recently, the District Attorney of Wake County (Raleigh’s county), offered those who were arrested a deal. The NAACP does not endorse its terms, but has stated that acceptance of the bargain (which includes a fee that must be paid to the court) must lie within the conscience of the individual. It is likely that if several of those arrested refuse to accept this offer, the Wake County court system will be on heavy overload for a very long time.
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