Kevin Nesbitt: State of regression

Regarding the April 1 news article “Once-troubled Rural Center tightens belt to refocus”: Jason Gray, senior fellow at the N.C. Rural Economic Development Center only told half of the story when he stated, “this is a state that is not advancing together.” True, but we are in fact a state that is “regressing together,” so we have that going for us.

Ironically, the majority of rural counties have voted Republican, ensuring they will be able to consolidate power in Raleigh and can do ever less for all North Carolinians.

The punitive and discriminatory Defense of Marriage Act, the Voter ID Law, and now HB2 legislation, all consist of time-consuming and potentially legally expensive distractions. This while ignoring the critically important fundamental issues of education, health care, mental health, infrastructure and economic development in North Carolina.

The national business community’s reaction to the recent HB2 bill cannot be more clear – it wants no part of North Carolina, costing all of us millions of dollars in vital investment income, tax revenue and tourism profits.

This obviously hurts all of us – rural, suburban and urban alike. And like a bad cut, it will take a long time to heal and may even leave a scar.

This story was originally published April 6, 2016 at 9:54 AM with the headline "Kevin Nesbitt: State of regression."