January 2006 – Foundation for NC Future

January 2006 – Foundation for NC Future

If you are in the world of politics for any period of time, you learn to be a little cynical at times when you listen to what is being said - and see that what is actually being done – do not bear any resemblance to each other at all. A recent example of this type of “political doublespeak” is the “committee” put together by Governor Easley, Senate Pro Tem Marc Basnight, and House Speaker Jim Black to report to the citizens of North Carolina as to the efficacy of the recent gas tax increase.

Diane Whitaker, in the Charlotte Observer (January 1, 2006), framed the issue accurately in her article (Diverted road funds, not gas tax real issue) when she said:

“Here’s something drivers really should be annoyed about. Not all of the gas taxes you’re paying go to roads. The state regularly takes millions in gas taxes for the general fund, diverting them from highway needs to help balance the budget. Since 1990, we drivers have lost $ 3.2 billion in gas taxes from this maneuver. That’s enough to build at least TWO outerbelts. This year’s diversion, $ 242.5 million, is roughly what the state spent to widen Interstate 77, I-85, and Independence Boulevard – with $ 50 million left over.”

Wanting to appear sensitive to the public outcry of yet another tax being raised, Governor Easley, Speaker Black, and Senate leader Marc Basnight named 40 members of the House and Senate to a committee to “study” the gas tax issue. Never mind that a majority of the committee had already voted to raise the tax in the last General Assembly session and thus would be an unlikely possibility to deem this tax hike an error. So just in case one of the committee members might summon up the temerity to actually call for a repeal of the tax increase or try to establish an ironclad lock on the Highway Trust Fund to prevent future raids, our fearless leaders decreed that the committee could only “discuss” the issues and not pass anything or take any action that would change either the tax or the annual raids from the fund itself. Folks, this is a great example of the leaders of your state showing you the great political talent of being “sincerely insincere.” “Sincerely insincere?” Yes, the talent of appearing to show concern or deliberation on an issue where there really is no concern or deliberation whatsoever. You may ask yourself, “Do they really think we’re that stupid?” Unfortunately, yes they do. “Why?” you ask. Because they’ve been getting away with it for years thanks to a totally uncritical and asleep-at-the-switch media.

House Speaker Jim Black, in an op-ed piece in the Charlotte Observer (January 1, 2006), said that despite pleas from business leaders and citizens across the state to call the legislature into special session to repeal the gas tax increase, he won’t convene the session because it “could have a lasting negative effect…”. OK, now we know that a special session is appropriate when there is a need to sneak in a state lottery but not appropriate when lowering taxes is possible. The Speaker, whom I have the highest respect for, says that repealing the gas tax hike would slow down road construction by $ 74 million. That might be a valid point if the governor and legislative leaders hadn’t stripped about $ 250 million from the Highway Trust Fund just last summer!

Years ago, under Governor Cameron Morrison, North Carolina was known as the “good roads” state. We currently maintain approximately 78,000 miles of roads – the 2nd largest total in the country, but because of our delayed maintenance and construction schedules we are the “good roads state” no more. The demand for wider, safer, and newer roads is a priority for millions of North Carolinians who don’t realize that the people they elected to be good and fair stewards of our state have systematically stripped billions of dollars over the last 15 years to pay for many unneeded pork-barrel type projects.

In reality, the new gas tax will be readjusted again six months from now and that adjustment can be higher or lower depending on the price of oil at that time. However, if we are to get at the bigger issues of fiscal responsibility and infrastructure improvement we are going have to show the leadership in Raleigh that North Carolina is our state – not theirs; and that the money we pay in taxes that is designated to go into state trust funds is our money - and not theirs, the voters will need to be the ones who demand changes.
After all, unless the citizens of NC demonstrate in future elections that there is no accountability for the annual legislative slight-of-hand, why would anything change? At that point, to paraphrase the cartoon character “Pogo,” “we have seen the enemy …and it is us.” If we continue to elect and reelect leaders who take our money and treat their citizens so cavalierly, then we deserve it.