North Carolina's elected officials have been imprisoned for corruption; criminal investigations of politicians are continuing; state government is rife with scandals; the state budget is expected to have an historic $3 billion shortfall next year; and the state still suffers record unemployment.
Now is the time for a robust, open, public policy debate on how to reform and improve state government. Instead, N&O editorial page editor Steve Ford, in his Sept. 5 column "Money and rhetoric from the right," complained bitterly and maligned businessmen, such as myself, for supporting nonpartisan independent public policy organizations such as the Civitas Institute and the John Locke Foundation, and citizen groups such as Americans for Prosperity. One of the nicer things Ford said about AFP's over 50,000 volunteer activists in North Carolina was that they were a "rough crowd," that attempts to stoke fear and loathing.
In contrast, The N&O gives laudatory coverage to the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation, which acknowledges that its vision includes support for progressive policy and social change. And the Reynolds Foundation spends millions of dollars more for liberal and progressive programs and organizations than the Pope Foundation gives in support of conservative and free-market groups. Apparently, Ford just resents it when money is used to give a voice for conservative policies.
I was also attacked because I made donations to the Republican Party, and my company donated to Real Jobs NC, even though all such donations were legal and fully disclosed. However, every year the Democratic Party raises more money than Republicans, not only from unions and trial lawyers but also from big business. Democratic Gov. Beverly Perdue hosted an April event that raised over a million dollars for the Democratic Governors Association from the big banks, regulated utilities and special interests. Ford also did not mention the recent history of campaign contributions by Democrats that were illegal.
Ford even took a cheap shot at me, suggesting I do not want decent public schools, despite my long record as a legislator in support of public school reforms that were enacted with a bipartisan vote.
The N&O's news department has done an excellent job of reporting on the failed policies and outright criminal corruption in a state government controlled by the Democratic Party. It has published excellent series on the failure of the SBI crime lab, the state's unsafe criminal probation system and the state's negligent public hospitals, all run by Democratic administrations.
The public is still waiting to hear if former Democratic Gov. Mike Easley will be criminally charged for corruption. And scandals continue for Perdue, ranging from statewide misconduct in the Highway Patrol to fines for her campaign's election law violations.
To put it simply, the Democratic Party has failed to provide North Carolina with honest and good government. No wonder Steve Ford prefers to attack conservative activists and donors who would expose the Democratic Party's record of failed policies and corruption, rather than debate the record.
Art Pope
Raleigh
The length limit on letters was waived to permit a fuller response.
