Well done, Governor. Well done.
Tag: north carolina
Lowering this 20 cents a gallon to be closer with South Carolina’s number would mean more money in people’s pockets and be an instant boost to our economy. Sadly, I have not heard of that being on the General Assembly’s radar.
Speaking of new restaurants in Brier Creek, it looks like [Firewurst](http://firewurst.com) is also going to open up a location there. Again, I saw the signage when I was driving through yesterday, but I cannot find anything online about when they are going to be open.
Just saw it as I was driving buy last night. I cannot find anything online about when they think they’re going to open.
> “It is CONFIDENTIAL to Blueprint, so please be careful – share with your boards and appropriate staff but not the whole world.”
Oops. It is no real surprise that liberal groups would have such a plan(*Come on, you think something like Obama’s “War on Women” thing just comes up spontanesouly?*), but it is a little surprising that it is a 501(c)(3) that is the one doing it. This might be the first time I have ever wanted the IRS to get involved with anything.
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‘Death tax’ could die in N.C.
> a move that would cost $52 million in revenue
I would just hate to see the state “lose” $52 million in revenue as a result of parents being able to actually pass on their life’s savings to their children.
I completely agree with the restaurant group. The state subsidizing the Panther’s stadium is a ridiculous idea.
> To start with, the reason Gov. Pat McCrory and North Carolina lawmakers were faced with two difficult decisions about Obamacare is that it was a poorly conceived, sloppily written piece of legislation. Cobbled together from ill-fitting pieces in an attempt to please both the Center and Left of the Democratic Party, and to bribe certain members of Congress to vote for a measure their constituents did not favor, the bill contains contradictions, ambiguities, legal problems, and a huge transfer of policymaking authority from elected representatives (be they in Congress or state legislatures) to federal regulators.
Well said, Mr. Hood. Well said[^fn1].
[^fn1]: This paragraph does not cover the detail he goes into regarding why rejecting Obamacare is right for North Carolina. I encourage you to read the whole thing.
Dan Way, writing at the *Carolina Journal*:
> Buoyed by Gov. Pat McCrory’s announcement that he does not support expanding Medicaid rolls or creating a state-run health insurance exchange, a state House committee voted Tuesday over Democrats’ objections in favor of Senate Bill 4, legislation that rejects those same provisions of Obamacare.
> …
> In his statement today, McCrory said an administrative review on the Medicaid issues that included discussions with the White House, other governors, health care providers, and legislative leaders concluded it is “abundantly clear that North Carolina is not ready to expand the Medicaid system, and that we should utilize a federal exchange.”
> Recent Medicaid audits show North Carolina Medicaid “is broken and not ready to expand without great risk to the taxpayers and to the delivery of existing services to those in need,” McCrory said.
It looks like this process is in the home stretch. Now it is time to see if they can cross the finish line.
> Liberal groups say it will increase taxes on the middle class.
Is Obamacare the only thing that Liberals *did not* say would increase taxes on the middle class?[^fn1]
[^fn1]: Which is nice, since it actually did.
Again, this proposal eliminates the current income tax structure. I do not like the provision that requires opening a special “Unlimited Savings Allowance” account, however. Regardless, it should be an interesting to see how radically North Carolina’s tax system will be altered.
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Art Laffer’s Tax Plan for North Carolina
Interesting idea. I like the idea of eliminating the state income tax, but am worried about how taxing services (especially things like medical co-pays) will end up impacting people.
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North Carolina’s Year for Reform
Becki Gray writing for the *Carolina Journal*:
> The theme for the 2013-14 session likely will be “Economic Recovery and Job Creation.” The leadership’s priority list includes reforming an antiquated tax system, expanding school choice, rolling back government regulations, repealing renewable portfolio standards that drive up the cost of energy, protecting North Carolina’s right-to-work status, enacting regulations to produce natural gas with hydraulic fracturing, and rebuild and protect the state’s infrastructure. Everything else should be considered a distraction.
I am interested to see how many of these items actually get addressed.
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It is Triangle Restaurant Week
Take advantage of $30 a person dinners at some of the best restaurants throughout the Triangle(*Seriously, when else can two people go to Ruth’s Chris and come out with a bill under $75?*).
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North Carolina Tax Reform Plan Outlined
No more state income tax, but a slight increase in the sales tax. Also, the sales tax would apply to various services (such as hiring an attorney.)
> They’re betting that the city, busy cutting budgets and scanning want ads, wants to loosen its tie and smile at a pretty girl.
I have a feeling Mr. Seward enjoyed photographing for this article.
Now you pay your registration and taxes at the same time. I prefer the old system, especially because it did not require $10.36 million dollars worth of upgrades to do it.
Hopefully this will clear the path for North Carolina to become friendly to small businesses.
John Hood writing for *Carolina Journal*:
> As I had previously predicted, the state’s Republican Party has just delivered its best performance in modern history. For the first time since 1988, voters have elected a Republican governor (Pat McCrory) and lieutenant governor (Dan Forrest). McCrory’s share of the vote fell only slightly below the record for a GOP gubernatorial candidate, Jim Martin’s 55.1 percent reelection victory in 1988.
> …
> In the Tar Heel State, the sentiment is rather different. Although disappointed with the national results, Republicans delivered North Carolina to Romney. They are poised to implement conservative reforms on taxes, education, and other issues. It’s too early to know how the results in all of the local races around the state, but it is at least conceivable that the GOP may break the current 50-50 tie in control of county commissions, opening up additional opportunities for conservatives to shape public policy on issues such as taxes and transportation.
The only silver lining about last night I can find. I just wish it was not at such a local level.
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The Obama Spin Machine
I cannot imagine Obama wins North Carolina, [John Hood thinks](http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/331948/presidents-prospects-north-carolina-john-hood) it might be closer than the experts think.