Drawing a Line in the Sand

It's now been over a week since I last posted a blog entry so I'm making an effort to at least get something up for those of you out there actually reading this. The issue of the week has to be the special legislative session scheduled for tomorrow to consider the Governor's veto of the $40 million subsidy for Goodyear. Now my position on "incentives" in general is obvious but the Goodyear legislation goes beyond anything ever done in NC. It is sufficiently bad that even Governor Easley, champion of the big corporate give aways, couldn't tolerate it.

But in what is an inexplicable state of mind in the General Assembly, the prevailing wisdom is that the veto will be overturned. And what's worse, apparently a number of GOP legislators are willing to go along. What in the world is going on? We have a multi million dollar corporate subsidy for the protection of union jobs and to subsidize an international multi billion dollar corporation, and Republicans are going to go along? Is it the "get along, go along" philosophy or simply a lack of understanding about what's really at issue here?

Monday will reflect a drawing of a line in the sand for the GOP in the General Assembly on the issue of incentives. The members will either stand with small businesses and taxpayers across the state or with the large corporations playing our state leaders for suckers. It will be an interesting day.