The little state I live in, North Carolina, has a Republican governor to go along with its gerrymandered Republican legislature.\u00a0 (Asheville lost its blue-dog Democrat congressman to the magic of redistricting.)\u00a0 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.\u00a0 As reported in the Asheville Citizen-Times, here are bills he recently signed:<\/p>\n
“One new law blocks the state from expanding Medicaid to cover more lower-income people and from operating an online health care marketplace.\u00a0 The federal government will run the exchange instead.\u00a0 Another law ensures group homes and Alzheimer\u2019s care units can access state funds to deal with Medicaid coverage changes.\u00a0 [Comment: There must be more to this than that — as worded, it sounds too good to be true.]\u00a0 There\u2019s also legislation that will allow a live possum drop to continue on New Year\u2019s Eve in Brasstown.\u00a0 Another increases penalties for protests at funerals.”<\/p>\n
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.\u00a0 They are determined to keep North Carolina from going red to purple to blue, although economics and demographics tilt against them.\u00a0 Custer’s last stand, if you will.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The little state I live in, North Carolina, has a Republican governor to go along with its gerrymandered Republican legislature.\u00a0 (Asheville lost its blue-dog Democrat congressman to the magic of redistricting.)\u00a0 So a flurry of laws that were once or … Continue reading