The little state I live in, North Carolina, has a Republican governor to go along with its gerrymandered Republican legislature.  (Asheville lost its blue-dog Democrat congressman to the magic of redistricting.)  So a flurry of laws that were once or sure to be vetoed by our former Democratic governor have now been signed into law by Republican Pat McCrory.  As reported in the Asheville Citizen-Times, here are bills he recently signed:

“One new law blocks the state from expanding Medicaid to cover more lower-income people and from operating an online health care marketplace.  The federal government will run the exchange instead.  Another law ensures group homes and Alzheimer’s care units can access state funds to deal with Medicaid coverage changes.  [Comment: There must be more to this than that — as worded, it sounds too good to be true.]  There’s also legislation that will allow a live possum drop to continue on New Year’s Eve in Brasstown.  Another increases penalties for protests at funerals.”

The Republican insiders who run the little state I live in decided to make their state-ment: it is now open season on progressive policies.  They are determined to keep North Carolina from going red to purple to blue, although economics and demographics tilt against them.  Custer’s last stand, if you will.