Madison County GOP

 

TOWN OF MARSHALL EXTORTS CANDIDATES

NO DEPOSIT IN THE FIRST AMENDMENT

 

 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

- April 18, 2012 –

ONE CANDIDATE’S STAND AGAINST SPEECH SUPPRESSION

 

Canton, NC- The Keilman Campaign will protest against the oppressive and illegal sign ordinance of Marshall, North Carolina, by festooning the town in Keilman for State House signs on Saturday, April 21^st.

Martha Ramsey, Zoning Enforcement Officer for the Town of Marshall, sent this remark in an email to the Madison County GOP on Tuesday, April 17^th: “The Town of Marshall’s Unified Development Ordinance contains a provision that requires a deposit to be made before placing political signs within the Town limits.”  This is in direct violation to North Carolina law[1], which requires that political signage be permitted on state-maintained roads.  Many of the primary thoroughfares in Marshall are state-maintained.

In addition to flouting state law, Marshall’s ordinance flagrantly ignores the judgment of the United States Supreme Court.  In order for a sign ordinance to be constitutional, it must pass three tests[2]:

1. The regulations must be justified without reference to the content of the signs subject to the law (i.e., content neutral);
2. The regulations must be narrowly tailored to serve a significant governmental interest; and
3. The regulations must leave open ample alternative channels for communication of the information.

As the ordinance specifically mentioned political signs it fails the first test.  Political speech of this nature is highly protected, and the only restrictions that have been upheld under the second test are requirements for sign removal a specified period after an election.  The Town of Marshall is engaging in acts it knows to be unconstitutional.

As of this writing, the recently modified Unified Development Ordinance of the Town of Marshall had been removed from the website.  It seems highly coincidental that, in an election cycle with a record number of serious Republican challengers to Democratic seats, Democrats from the Marshall town council have decided to enact an ordinance that will sharply restrict the political speech of potential challengers.  Their actions attempt to intimidate the Republican Party.  The Keilman campaign condemns the Development Ordinance as the product of a corrupt, venal and partisan Town Council. We hope that this outrage is reversed as quickly as possible.

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                             – April 4, 2012 -

From the Desk of Candidate Ben Keilman, NC GA 118

POLICY CORRECTIONS

Correction to Statements Made by Candidate Michele Presnell Regarding NC Per-Pupil Education Expenditures, 2011-2012

Canton –In the months leading up to election day, Democrats have been busy honing the talking points they believe will be most effective in swaying voters over to their side. Rep. Rapp has been no different.   Unfortunately, his favorite argument is also the one with the least support –the so-called decline per-pupil education spending. The Republican Party has been working hard to keep the public informed of the untruths behind Rep. Rapp’s claims, and it is important that we continue to do so.

Rapp and other Democrats have repeatedly claimed that North Carolina has fallen to 49^th in per-pupil spending under Republican leadership.  This is false.  According to the National Education Association (NEA), the parent organization of the NCAE, North Carolina is ranked 42^nd in the country, spending $8,414 per K-12 student in the public education system each year.[1][2]

Experienced Republicans will be no stranger to distortions from the Democratic side.  It’s part and parcel of American politics.  Although, on occasion, the mesmeric power of repetition affects a member of our own party, and some correction is necessary.  Mrs. Michele D. Presnell continues to parrot Rep. Rapp’s line of attack at her campaign events across District 118.  She asserts that, from 2008, “It’s not like we dropped all the way down from the top all the way to the bottom, only from 42^nd to 49^th.”[3]

Not only is this statement factually wrong, it betrays a staggering lack of political acumen, a quality that will be crucial in the general election against the five-term liberal incumbent.  We would respectfully suggest that Mrs. Presnell make a full review of the correct statistics, and to cease reinforcing the false Democratic narrative.

State and Federal educational expenditures have exploded over the last four decades, without a concurrent increase in test scores.  It’s time we stopped throwing money at the problem.  Here are some of our suggestions for reform:

• Elect a Republican Governor, to ensure a more efficient and cost-effective Department of Public Instruction.
• Increase in the availability of private and charter schools to allow for diverse and alternative forms of education.
• Increase local control over educational methods and curriculum.
• Institute tort reform to protect teachers from frivolous lawsuits.

[1] http://www.nea.org/assets/docs/HE/NEA_Rankings_and_Estimates010711.pdf

[2] http://www.newsobserver.com/2012/04/02/1975638/fact-check-per-pupil-spending.html

[3] Madison County Lincoln Reagan Day Dinner http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8L4imlSM-wM

 

MEADOWS RELEASES 20/20 PLAN:

HENDERSONVILLE, N.C. – Mark Meadows, candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives (NC-11), released the following plan today, a “20/20 Plan” to grow the economy and to create an estimated 10 million jobs nationwide.

Crystal-clear vision is 20/20 vision. The Meadows economic plan provides a clear picture for job creation and a strong economy – with no government bailouts. The 20/20 economic recovery plan has four components that will revitalize the economy over the next 20 months:

1. Close Corporate Tax Loopholes And Reduce Corporate Taxes To 20 Percent. Currently the United States of America has one of the highest corporate tax rates in the world. It is cheaper for a person to start a business in Ireland than the United States. Why should we find it surprising that business leaders choose to move businesses abroad when there is a financial incentive to do so? By lowering our corporate tax rate, the US will become more competitive globally and industry will not find more favorable conditions to move operations abroad. (Estimated job growth, 1.2 million) [i]

2. For The Next 20 Months, Allow Repatriation Of Earnings. We should allow the 1.25 to 1.5 trillion dollars of corporate earnings which are currently being retained abroad, to be brought back and invested in long term US business ventures, tax-free. The repatriation of earnings currently being held abroad and the economic impact would far exceed the government stimulus plans, which have been implemented to date. These earnings are currently not being taxed by the US and this exemption would not have a negative impact on current budgets. This one act could provide the single greatest stimulus to US corporate job growth that we have witnessed since 2008. (Estimated job growth, 2.9 million) [ii]

3. Unleash Growth Among Small Businesses by Reducing Regulations By 20 Percent Across The Board, In All Government Agencies. Place a moratorium on new regulatory law within each agency until this 20% threshold is met. In 1980, the Federal Registry, which outlines regulations, reached 87,000 pages. Our economic conditions in many ways seemed just as bleak then as they do now. President Reagan reduced the amount of regulations by 1/2, taking the Federal Registry to 47,000 pages. What resulted was an economic boom known as the Great Modernization, lasting some 20 years. Is it any wonder that we once again have economic woes, as the Federal Registry is again above 87,000 pages? In addition to reducing regulation, we should pass legislation that would put a five year sunset provision on any new regulation that has an economic impact of more than $250 million. This sunset provision would require additional justification and approval of Congress for the regulation to remain in place, limiting the unchecked regulatory bloat that we have previously experienced. (Estimated job growth, 4.8 million) [iii]

4. Reduce Our Dependency On Foreign Oil By 20 Percent By The Year 2020. To facilitate this, we would tap our natural gas resources, provide for expanded drilling offshore and in ANWR. We should implement legislation to fast-track environmental/biological permits with automatic approval provisions that go into place if governmental agencies fail to act within the newly established time frames. We are the only nation in the world that places more than 90 percent of its natural resources off-limits, and we are paying for it at the pumps. History shows us that an expanded energy policy will have an immediate impact on the price of fuel, with prices falling from 4.10 a gallon in 2007 to 1.61 a gallon just six months after the drilling announcement. (Estimated job growth, 1.1 million) [iv]

Mark Meadows is a Christian conservative businessman, who has spent his career creating new jobs. He is a fiscal and social conservative who has served on numerous boards and was recently appointed to the State Board for Economic Development in Western North Carolina because of his expertise in business and creating jobs. In recent weeks, Meadows has won straw polls in Buncombe, Caldwell, Transylvania and Swain Counties. He has earned endorsements from 2010 GOP nominee Jeff Miller, the Family Research Council’s Action PAC and Dr. Michael Farris, the founder of the Home School Legal Defense Association.

Find out more about Mark Meadows by visiting http://www.meadowsforcongress.com or follow Mark on http://www.facebook.com/MeadowsforCongress

 

Press Release: NC District 11 Candidate Chris Petrella Says “Get out of UN NOW!”

In an eye opening article in the Associated Press yesterday, a NYPD official said at least 13 individuals since 2005 have been seen taking pictures of NYC landmarks and all have been linked to the Iranian Government.  Chris Petrella says it is time to get out of the UN.  “The reason Iran and the rest of our enemies have access to NYC is because they are here on ‘diplomatic missions’.”  The UN costs us billions of dollars each year in fees and security costs.  Chris proposes we move the UN to Teheran so we can take pictures of their facilities and get it out of the USA.

 

Press Release: Chris Petrella will fight to De-fund the Department of Education

As your Congressman I will fight to de-fund the Education Department which is nothing more than a tool to educate people in a failed system – Socialism. U.S. officials stated Wednesday, what Americans owe on student loans is much higher than earlier estimates. A federal agency created in the wake of the financial crisis, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, stated that outstanding student debt had surpassed $1 trillion late last year. That would be roughly 16% higher than estimated earlier this year by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

In my book “My War for Jobs” I spell out the failures of Education in our current system and spell out specific steps to improve education. The problem is there are no jobs for the many people with an American Studies degree. There are lots of Jobs for people with engineering, carpentry, plumbing and other construction skills but few people are educated in those skills today. Social engineering in education has to stop and teaching people how to make a living needs to start.  As your Congressman I will stop the insanity and repeal the Department of Education.

 

For Immediate Release

STRONG CONSERVATIVE MARK MEADOWS ANNOUNCES RUN FOR US NC DISTRICT 11 CONGRESSIONAL SEAT

 

Meadows: “Western North Carolina Deserves a U.S. Representative

Who Will Defend Our Conservative, North Carolina Values.”

CASHIERS, NC (October 3, 2011) – Jackson County businessman, real estate investor and long time GOP delegate Mark Meadows announced today he is running for the U.S. N.C. District 11 Congressional seat currently held by Democrat Heath Shuler. Meadows, 52, made the announcement during a gathering of Jackson County Republican supporters, business and community leaders, family and friends in Cashiers.

Meadows told the group he got involved in politics as a Republican Party precinct chair in 1988, and has since served as a precinct judge, Macon County Republican Party Chairman and also serves as a member of the Republican Party Executive Committee on both the state and local levels. Meadows has been a delegate to both the N.C. and national Republican conventions.

“If the good people of Western North Carolina give me the opportunity to serve them in the U.S. Congress” said Meadows, “I promise to fight for spending cuts and a Balanced Budget Amendment, I will promote new job creation by voting for lower taxes and free and fair trade market policies, I will work for the repeal of Obamacare, and I will work to improve our education system, for all public, charter and home school students, by returning decision-making and funding to the local level.”

Meadows said he would work in Congress to:

- Reduce government regulations

- Reduce taxes to spur job creation

- Provide for accelerated depreciation write off for all new business investments to spur economic development

Meadows is a fiscal and social conservative who has served on numerous boards and was recently appointed to the State Board for Economic Development in Western North Carolina, because of his expertise in business and creating jobs. He also serves on the board of directors for Gilliam’s Promise, a non-profit group that was founded to provide leadership training and scholarships for students who stay off drugs. Mark’s involvement as the founding member of the Macon County Preservation society, provided efforts where a group of local volunteers worked together with the county to save a historical, one room school house and preserve a vital piece of mountain heritage.

Meadows is a strong supporter of Second Amendment rights and describes himself as a Christian Conservative and a champion of  “Life, Liberty, and Lower Taxes.”

A successful small businessman, Mark Meadows has spent his career creating new jobs and opportunities for economic development in Western North Carolina. Mark and his Wife, Debbie, reside in Jackson County, with their two children, who are both currently in college. The Meadows have been actively involved for 25 years at their church, Community Bible Church, where Mark serves as an elder.

Meadows is supported by numerous County Sheriffs in U.S. N.C District 11 and other elected officials throughout North Carolina. Find out more about Mark Meadows by visiting Mark Meadows for Congress at www.meadowsforcongress.com and follow Mark on Facebook at Mark Meadows for US Congress.

For more information contact:

Deborah Potter, Press Secretary, Mark Meadows for Congress

press@meadowsforcongress.com

828-787-2222

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 3, 2011

Contact: John Snyder, (704) 839-6288

Email: snyder@fsblegal.com

 

DISTRICT ATTORNEY JEFF HUNT ANNOUNCES THIRD QUARTER FUNDRAISING NUMBERS

 

(Brevard, NC) - Today, Republican congressional candidate Jeff Hunt announced that his campaign in North Carolina’s 11^th district has reached a milestone. Since his announcement on July 26, 2011, with no money in the bank, District Attorney Jeff Hunt has raised, and has on hand, over $100,000.00.

“In 65 short days the people of the 11^th Congressional District have taken a stand for conservative change and have said no to the liberal agenda of Heath Shuler,” said Hunt. “The people of the 11^th district are tired of hearing Heath Shuler say one thing and watching him do the opposite.”

“As we travel the district I am truly humbled by the outpouring of support and excited by the grassroots enthusiasm for new conservative leadership,” added Hunt.

“My traditional values and dedication to public service strike a chord with many people in the district,” continued Hunt. “As a District Attorney I have developed a reputation for protecting victims of crime and being tough on the people who commit those crimes. I plan to take that no nonsense attitude to Washington and fight for the people of the 11^th District.”

If you have any follow up questions you can contact John Snyder at (704) 839-6288. To learn more about the candidate for source material you can visit our website at www.JeffHuntforCongress.com.

 

 

Wasserman-Schultz and Gantt Mislead Public at Democratic Kick-Off

Host Committee is taking corporate and PAC $ for Convention

For Immediate Release

Contact:  Rob Lockwood: (919) 828-6423

September 6^th 2011

RALEIGH, NC– Former Mayor Harvey Gantt today at the “Democratic Convention Kick-Off” stated that the convention would be fully financed by “you the people” and “not by corporations or PACs.” This is simply not true. The facts were reported in today’s Charlotte Observer, which highlighted that the “Host Committee” is in fact taking corporate money.

DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman-Schultz also made it a point to thank the ‘Host Committee’ for all their efforts to make this ‘the best convention in history.’

NCGOP Chairman Robin Hayes had this to say on the issue, “The Democrats have once again misled the public on how they are going to pay for anything. Taking corporate money is a violation of President Obama’s pledge not to do so, and they should not be allowed to campaign on faulty rhetoric. It begs the question: Does President Obama believe that it is okay for the ‘Host Committee’ to use corporate dollars to help his convention?”“The new restrictions, however, don’t apply to the host committee itself.

$15 million for committee

Duke Energy CEO Jim Rogers, who co-chairs the committee, is quietly raising up to $15 million for the committee, in part from corporate contributions. That’s on top of the $37 million in noncorporate contributions for the convention itself. Among other things, the money will go toward organizing and hosting events for the expected 35,000 visitors.

“We don’t have the same restrictions on the host committee that are on the (convention),” says Murrey.

Wells Fargo, for example, expects to donate an unspecified amount of money to both conventions, says spokeswoman Alexandra Ball. And Belk Stores is giving the Democratic convention $100,000.

“We think it’s a great opportunity for Charlotte,” says Chairman and CEO Tim Belk. “It sort of puts Charlotte on a stage and we’d like to be supportive of it as much as possible.”

Corporations also are permitted to give in-kind contributions, such as telecommunications equipment or vehicles. Republicans say any corporate contributions fly in the face of Democratic promises.

“Barack Obama and the Democratic National Committee like to make big promises, whether it’s swearing off corporate money for their convention or that they would turn our economy around,” says national GOP spokesman Ryan Tronovitch.”

URL:    http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2011/09/06/2582467/a-year-left-to-sell-the-dnc.html#ixzz1XB02mHMG

 

Governor Perdue’s North Carolina Performs Badly in New Competitiveness Study

For Immediate Release                                                                             Contact:  NCGOP Press Office

Thursday, June 23, 2011                                                                                                         (919) 424-5555

RALEIGH – A report released this week by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce shows North Carolina is ranked in the bottom half in many metrics of competitiveness.

“Enterprising States: Recovery and Renewal for the 21^st Century” ranks North Carolina in the bottom 25 in nineteen of the thirty-two metrics of competitiveness including:

-       Long-term Job Growth

-       Short-term Job Growth

-       Per Capita Income Growth

-       Budget Gap

-       State and Local Tax Burden

-       Business Tax Climate

-       Small Business Survival Index

In fact, North Carolina only ranks inside the “top 10” for two of the thirty-two metrics of competitiveness:  Small Business Lending and College Affordability.

 

North Carolina Republican Party Chairman Robin Hayes made the following statement regarding the report:  “It should not be a surprise Governor Perdue’s North Carolina fairs poorly in competitiveness, job growth potential and tax climate.  Governor Perdue’s out-of-control spending habits and her refusal to sign a budget without a $1 billion tax hike on North Carolina’s job creators and small businesses have stagnated private-sector job creation in North Carolina.  The Republican-led General Assembly has started to put our state back on track as it just finished its ‘session for job creation’ to send ‘a strong message’ that ‘North Carolina is open and ready for business.’”

 

Be sure to read “Session for Job Creation” which highlights the pro-business and pro-job creation legislation put forward by the Republican-led General Assembly this session. http://www.ncgop.org/newsroom/session-job-creation

“Enterprising States: Recovery and Renewal for the 21^st Century” ranked every state on 32 different metrics of competitiveness—from fiscal issues to economic performance to taxes and regulation to infrastructure and more.  For each of these 32 categories, the study compares each state and ranks them in the “top 10,” “next 15,” or in the bottom 25.

 

NCGOP Chairman Hayes Statement on Governor Perdue’s Veto of Voter ID Bill

Governor’s veto another example she is more concerned in boosting her re-election chances

 

 

For Immediate Release                                                                     Contact:  NCGOP Press Office

Thursday, June 23, 2011                                                                                             (919) 424-5555

RALEIGH, NC – Today, North Carolina Republican Party Chairman Robin Hayes released the following statement after Governor Perdue vetoed the common-sense Voter ID bill requiring voters to show a photo ID before they voted.

“When given a chance to boost voter confidence, Governor Perdue again chose to appease her liberal base to boost her floundering re-election campaign while ignoring an overwhelming majority of North Carolinians who supported this common-sense bill.  Governor Perdue’s veto is not surprising and as unemployment in North Carolina remains at 9.7% for the third straight month, it is clear ‘The Jobs Governor’ is only concerned with one job, her own.”

 

Energy dependence: A completely unnecessary national security risk

 

March 27th, 2011
By: Herman Cain

In the early 1970s, America’s dependence on foreign oil was a little over 20 percent. Today, our dependence on foreign oil is over 65 percent. We have become more and more energy dependent because we have never had a serious energy independence strategy, and we still do not have one.

Energy independence is within our grasp because we have plenty of energy natural resources. We have billions of barrels of oil, plenty of natural gas reserves, more coal than any other country in the world, lots of places we could build dams for hydroelectricity and some of the safest nuclear power technology in the world.

Wind and solar energy development is not going to get us to energy independence. Studies such as the Department of Energy’s “Billion Ton Study” have shown that those two sources could at best provide 5 percent of our energy needs combined.

But by maximizing all of our other domestic energy resources, we could become energy-independent. This would not only help to keep down the cost of gasoline and the cost of nearly everything we buy, but it would also be a boost to our economy and create hundreds of thousands of new jobs. But most importantly, energy independence would keep us from being vulnerable to the current instability in the Middle East or the whims of OPEC.

But to become energy-independent, we would have to reject the false premise that America’s high energy consumption is at odds with conservation, or that we will cause irreversible harm to our planet. To say that we will cause irreversible harm to the planet by using our natural resources responsibly is like saying that man never should have discovered fire in the first place.

Natural resources are there for a reason. Use them! That’s why they are natural! The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), oil reserves off our own continental coasts, oil shale areas out west and even nuclear power development can create a path to energy independence.

The area proposed for production in ANWR for example comprises only 0.08 percent of the 19 million acres of the refuge, and it is estimated to contain at least 16 billion barrels of recoverable oil. Allowing drilling there would not be an environmental hazard using today’s technology. And, if any caribou got lost near that less than two-acre carve-out of ANWR I seriously doubt that they would even notice or care.

And yes, accidents do happen in these various sectors of our energy economy. We usually learn from them to help minimize future accidents. That’s common sense. But we do not need to go overboard with excessive regulations after an unfortunate accident to make the approval processes even slower.

Exploration and production of natural gas from shale oil deposits represent another huge, untapped opportunity. The technology to safely extract natural gas from our enormous oil shale reserves has never been better. But here again, the environmentalists always scream that it’s the end of the world, and then some gutless elected officials kowtow to their wishes for more regulations.

So why are we not on a path to energy independence? It’s simply because of too many regulations that slow down the process and discourage businesses to invest. Illogical moratoriums, excessive federal regulations and environmental extremists who influence weak legislators are holding America hostage to foreign oil.

A revitalized and responsibly unleashed energy sector could be a significant economic stimulus to our economy right here at home.

Working families can’t afford to spend more of their discretionary income on gasoline and energy costs, especially in a stalled economy.

 

This one REALLY hits home!!!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Pete Orthmann

828-689-2688

THE MADISON COUNTY DEMOCRATIC PARTY AND EGYPT

What do Madison County and Egypt have in common? Politically, almost everything. The people in Egypt protested that the same government was in control for 30 years, that government jobs went to friends and family of that government, and the people were not permitted to participate in the governing process.

In Madison County, the Democratic Party represents the lifelong residents to the virtual exclusion of any person who has since moved here.

This was demonstrated in no uncertain terms when the Democratic Party selected the replacement for Roger Haynie to the Board of Commissioners. The only two people nominated were Hall Moore and Jackie Lunsford. Both are lifelong residents of the county.

The Party rejected what the citizens were obviously saying during the past election cycle. Voters from both parties made it abundantly clear that they wanted new people as commissioners. They rejected the candidacy of Elsberry Wyatt, Diatt Smathers, and (although by only a few votes) Hall Moore, all who had previously served as commissioner. By contrast, voters elected Roger Haynie, Bill Briggs and Susan Vilcinskas, none of whom had ever served in this capacity before. But the will of the voters was irrelevant to the Democratic Party.

Clearly, it was reasonable that Mr. Moore be chosen for the position in that he had received the fourth most number of votes last November. To add an exclamation point to the preceding comment, Mr. Moore is a native son, a sheriff’s deputy, a former commissioner and had the full support and blessing of the Party, and still failed to win election.

The second person nominated to fill the empty seat was Mr. Jackie Lunsford, who has an interesting way of resolving conflicts. Some years ago he shot (twice) and killed a man. While no charges were filed, Mr. Lunsford seemed an odd person to nominate to help lead the county. It boggles the mind that of all the potential candidates in Madison County the Democratic Party could find only Mr. Lunsford worthy to challenge Mr. Moore. But remember, both Mr. Moore and Lunsford are native sons of Madison County.

Were those the only possible candidates they could identify? Absolutely not. One candidate whose name was submitted by numerous people in e-mails to Chairperson Vickie Sealock was Tim Malone. The name was not even mentioned nor was any other qualified person regardless of education, experience, or desire to serve. The Democratic Party was determined it would maintain its ‘good old boy’ stranglehold on managing the affairs of the county.

While shocking and profoundly disappointing, their action was not unforeseen. The nepotism of the Democratic Party to native residents has held Madison County hostage to poverty for decades. It is blatantly exclusionary. One must wonder when, if ever, the Democratic Party of Madison County will act wisely and consider allowing non native residents to participate

 

This one hits close to home!!

Patronage Alert:  Obama Staffer Given $79,000 Taxpayer-Funded Job

 

For Immediate Release                                                                  Contact:  NCGOP Press Office

Wednesday, March 2, 2011                                                                                      (919) 424-5555

RALEIGH, NC –   Today, North Carolina Republican Party Chairman Robin Hayes issued the following statement regarding the recent appointment of Obama Staffer and Democrat Party operative Drew Reisinger as Buncombe County Register of Deeds:

“The decision by the Buncombe Democratic Party to choose a former Obama campaign staffer and Democrat Party operative with no experience to become the new Buncombe County Register of Deeds makes it abundantly clear that Democrats are more interested in furthering their own political interests than the interests of the people of Buncombe County.  This recent action in Buncombe County only continues the troubling trend by North Carolina Democrats who believe ‘Winning The Future’ means more taxpayer-funded patronage jobs for their political friends.  North Carolina Republicans believe government is too big and we are committed to solving our economic problems by limiting the growth of government and creating private sector jobs for all North Carolinians.”

Read more about the appointment at the Mountain Xpress:  “A Done Deed”

 

 

Paid for by the North Carolina Republican Party
www.NCGOP.org

 

Patronage Alert: “Etheridge defends new job”

 

For Immediate Release                                                                  Contact:  NCGOP Press Office

Wednesday, March 2, 2011                                                                                      (919) 424-5555

RALEIGH, NC –   In case you missed it, WTVD-TV pressed Governor Beverly Perdue and former Congressman Bobby Etheridge why he was given a temporary government-funded job and a near six-figure salary to hand out unused stimulus funds.

In response, the North Carolina Republican Party released the following statement:

“North Carolina Democrats have had hundreds of years to perfect their practice of patronage at the expense of North Carolina taxpayers and this is another example.  Rather than working to reduce the size and scope of government, Governor Perdue is defending her decision of appointing her political ally Bobby Etheridge to a government-funded job that hands out more government-funded jobs.    Last November, the people of North Carolina spoke and Etheridge’s failure to get reelected was a direct result of him championing this wasteful government spending. Governor Perdue trusting Etheridge with taxpayer money is the ultimate act of arrogance.” – Mark Braden, North Carolina Republican Party Spokesman

Etheridge defends new job

WTVD-TV

March 1, 2011

“When Governor Beverly Perdue named former congressman Bob Etheridge to head the Office of Economic Recovery and Investment – the office in charge of doling out federal recovery money – some wondered why the recently defeated lawmaker was given a temporary job and a nearly six-figure salary.

After all, most of the federal money has already been spent.

But Etheridge says there’s still plenty to do.

“When I came here, about 79 percent of the funds had been moved. Now it’s up to 82. I think that number will keep growing,” he said.

That’s 82 percent of the more than $10 billion awarded to North Carolina spent and the remaining 18 percent still there for the taking.

But critics say something doesn’t add up.

“It makes it easier to sell to the public that you need this job if you say that, well, 20 percent of it needs to be done,” offered Mitch Kokai with the John Locke Foundation.

Kokai points out that when Etheridge’s predecessor Dempsy Benton left the job, he was reported to have said 95 percent of the work was done – not 80 percent, as Etheridge claims.

“The implication was we really don’t need anyone in this position anymore,” said Kokai.

Etheridge couldn’t explain the discrepancy when he spoke with ABC11 but was quick to show us a breakdown. He had figures showing just over $10.5 billion awarded to the state and just over $8.5 billion dispersed. And he says he also has the job of making sure the money that’s already been dispersed is spent properly.

“If you don’t spend it wisely, the state has to pay it back. That’s why it’s so important,” he explained.

But is Etheridge – who’s spent the last 14 years in Washington – the best man for this job? We asked Governor Perdue about it right after she named him to the position.

“Bob Etheridge has assured me and the team in the office that he has the skill set to get this done,” she said.

Etheridge told us his qualifications are extensive.

“I’ve been an administrator, superintendent of schools for 8 years. I ran a small business and that’s what this is all about,” he said.

But critics say Etheridge’s appointment smacks of political patronage.

“It’s hard to believe that you would need to get someone who’s just left Congress and come back to North Carolina and say, ‘You know, we really need your expertise to oversee this stimulus money, even though you haven’t been in state government for 14 years,’” said Kokai.

We asked Etheridge if he thought he’d been done a favor.

“No. It was a job that needed to be done. Somebody had to do it. I could have been doing a lot of different things, but the governor asked me to do it and I’m glad to fill in for a few months because that’s what it’s going to take,” he said.

Etheridge wasn’t Perdue’s first choice, though she defends her decision.

“I know I personally offered the job to one person. My team may have done another person. But the person I asked initially didn’t want the job because it was short term,” said Perdue.

Spent or not, in September, most federal stimulus money will stop flowing into the state. When it does dry up, Etheridge’s job will go away. That’s comforting to critics, but only to a point.

“If it is only a 12 month position and it goes away in 12 months, then at least the damage will be minimal. You always have to watch out, though, for government creep,” offered Kokai.

Etheridge says he doesn’t expect to be the one doing it, but he says, likely, the work won’t end when the money’s all gone.

“At that point, there’s monitoring, accountability, transparency, [that's] still gonna have to be done. The question is going to be how does it get done?” he offered.

When it comes to federal money, stimulus dollars are among the easiest to track.”

Source:  ABC11.com “Etheridge defends new job.”  03/01/2011.

 

 

Governor Perdue and Friends Are Eating Well at North Carolina Taxpayers’ Expense

 

For Immediate Release                                                                      Contact:  NCGOP Press Office

Monday, February 28, 2011                                                                             (919) 424-5555

RALEIGH, NC – Over the weekend, the News and Observer once again detailed the benefits of being politically connected to Governor Bev Perdue.

Today, NCGOP Chairman Robin Hayes released the following statement regarding the Governor’s reluctance to cut spending, especially her own:  “Despite an almost $3 billion budget gap, Governor Perdue refuses to make the difficult decisions necessary to get North Carolina back on the right track.  While North Carolinians are struggling to put food on their own kitchen tables, Governor Perdue has decided to give her executive chef a raise.  The Governor claims she is willing to cut spending but her actions prove to the contrary, especially if those spending cuts affect her chef, clients of her son’s firm, her own staff and others politically connected to the Governor. It is unfortunate that Governor Perdue has again put her own self-interest above the interests of the people of North Carolina.”

In an effort to make it easier on the Governor to reduce spending in the Governor’s Mansion, the NCGOP has enlisted help from users on both the NCGOP’s Facebook (www.facebook.com/NCGOP) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/NCGOP) pages.  Through these social networks, the NCGOP asked the people of North Carolina to send in suggestions of their favorite local restaurants for the Governor so she might be able to get rid of her executive chef and help the local economy at the same time.

Paid for by the North Carolina Republican Party
www.NCGOP.org

 

Shuler Sides with Pelosi AGAIN!!

CONTACT:  David Sawyer, 11th Congressional District Republican Chairman (828) 488-2842

JANUARY 19, 2011

7:30 PM EST

IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Congressman Shuler Votes today with Nancy Pelosi and the Washington Liberals to Defend Obamacare with his Blue Dog Flea Flicker

Heath Shuler’s fake play (aka the Blue Dog Flea Flicker) by voting against Obamacare and challenging Nancy Pelosi for Minority Leader does not fool the people of Western North Carolina

Today Congressman Heath Shuler stood with Nancy Pelosi and the Washington liberals by voting against the repeal of Obamacare.  Congressman Shuler’s vote was also in opposition to that of fellow North Carolina Democrat Mike McIntyre of Lumberton who voted for repeal.  According to Politico, Shuler says he voted to oppose the repeal of Obamacare because of some of the “very good things in this bill that have already become law . . . It’s not just wrong but immoral to take those things away.”    According to the latest Gallup and ABC News/Washington Post opinion polls, the clear majorities of the American people oppose Obamacare and support repeal.  Surveys by the Civitas Institute indicate the opposition to Obamacare is even greater in North Carolina.

What is immoral is for Congressman Shuler to be untruthful to the people of Western North Carolina.  Last fall in his million dollar plus ad campaign, Congressman Shuler said that “I am not Nancy Pelosi” and that he was standing up to Washington.  Last March days before the health care vote, according to the Hendersonville Times News, Congressman Shuler’s office said he was “undecided” on how he would vote.  After the vote, according to the Times News, Congressman Shuler said he was never undecided.  According to a press release from his office, Shuler says he voted against the bill because of the over $500 billion in cuts to Medicare, massive new taxes, governmental overreach, and failure to adopt creative solutions such as the Asheville project.  But apparently Congressman Shuler wasn’t opposed to Obamacare, he just wanted to deceive us in believing he was opposed to Obamacare in the months before the November 2010 election.

All of the reasons Shuler cited in his press release for voting against Obamacare are still in the bill.  But now he is voting to endorse cutting over $500 billion from Medicare, massive new taxes, and according to many nonpartisan observers adding hundreds of billions to our national debt.  The Charlotte Observer reports today that Larry Sabato, political scientist at the University of Virginia, is “surprised” that North Carolina Democrat Congressmen “Kissell and Shuler weren’t being as consistent with their votes.”

This double talk follows his widely reported challenge to Nancy Pelosi as leader of the Congressional Democrats.  According to the December 29, 2010 Smoky Mountain News, Western Carolina University political science professor Chris Cooper stated that Shuler’s “ploy to feign a run for minority leader achieved its goal – to raise his national profile.  He could never win and he knew that.  Nonetheless, his move was brilliant political theatre . . .”  It has been widely reported that Shuler never campaigned for the position and he only garnered eleven votes (including his own vote) in the Congressional vote for Speaker.  After twice voting for Nancy Pelosi for Speaker of the House, now faking his own run, and opposing repeal of Obamacare, it should be clear to all that Heath Shuler does not stand for the “mountain values” of the people in Western North Carolina.

We are not fooled by Congressman Shuler’s fake plays.  According to the Ninth Commandment, what is immoral is dishonesty.  We respectfully request that Heath Shuler end the double talk and false statements.  Today by voting against the repeal of  Obamacare, Shuler is standing with President Obama and Nancy Pelosi.  We ask that he put the people in Western North Carolina first for a change and stand up for us instead of the liberals in Washington.