The State of A State
The Responsibilities of A Democracy
I am a 'native son' of North Carolina. I was born in Durham and for a few years lost years in South Carolina; I have lived most of my live right here in this incredible state, but lately have become disappointed in what has been happening to my North Carolina.
I truly love NC, and for the better part of the past forty years, through political good times and bad; I have witnessed positive changes to what this state has done for education, business, the poor, race relations and the general well being of its citizens, but now I feel like a boxer who is now facing two opponents in the ring having no idea why there are two and not knowing which way to turn first.
Through a vendetta/ sociopolitical agenda, the governor, backed by wealthy political organizations, donors and right wing neo cons, has executed a 360 degree reversal of this state's way of conducting business and interacting with its citizens. A democracy is not a 'business'; a democracy is not a balance sheet; a democracy does not have to show a profit; a democracy cannot balance a budget by casting aside the lives and aspirations of the majority of its participants; a democracy does not fix elections by gerrymandering voting districts to reflect one particular party or ideology and a democracy does not reduce the participation of its citizens by limiting or removing avenues by which its participants can exercise the tenants of that democracy.
Next week, over 80,000 of this state's unemployed, representing billions of dollars in revenue to the state will no longer receive compensation. This state's already stretched to the max its religious and nonprofit organizations who serve the poor and disadvantaged and will be inundated with requests they cannot possibly meet.
North Carolina, a democracy within this greater democratic union will soon cease economic, medical, educational and social support to those citizens who need it most. This does not have to be. Pain and suffering should not be part of the democratic process and a democratic society does not have to 'willingly' inflict hardships upon those who can least afford to defend themselves. Shame on Governor McCrory, shame on the political party and organizations that have engineered the dismantling of a caring and responsive democracy the state of North Carolina used to be. To those who have never given much thought or taken for granted the power of a participatory democracy through the use of the ballot box; get your head out of the sand or some other place and go to work to put this great state back on a path of a participatory Democracy and not one of the wealthy-vs- the rest.