Burke JUNE 3, 2011
DISTRICT 44
Caldwell JUNE 3, ISSUE #1
Dear Friends, This was a historic week in North Carolina History. For the first time in 140 years, the Senate considered a budget proposal that was drafted by Senate Republicans. In a time of limited resources like we face in North Carolina today, we are forced to make the most of what we have. As you may know, a lot of the budget debate has been centered around public education. Our state has spent enormous resources on education for many years, with little to show in the way of real improvement in teacher salaries, test scores, school discipline, etc. The fact is, we have lost ground in many of these areas. (The same could be said in the area of transportation about our crumbling roads and bridges.) A wise man once said, “If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you always got.” This year we have the opportunity to make meaningful changes in the structure of state government, and the legislature is working hard to pass a bipartisan budget that reforms and streamlines state government.
Western North Carolina School for the Deaf Artwork Displayed in the Legislative Office Building
CONTACT INFORMATION:
More on the Senate Budget
Senator Warren T. Daniel Legislative Office Bldg., Room 411 300 N. Salisbury St. Raleigh, NC 27603-5925 Email: warren.daniel@ncleg.net Phone: 919-715-7823 Fax: 919-754-3265
After weeks of crafting a responsible state spending plan and negotiating with legislative Democrats, the Senate finally reached a bipartisan budget agreement with at least five House Democrats this week. We passed this compromise budget out of the Senate Thursday. It will go to the House for final approval, and we expect it to be on the governor’s desk this weekend. It’s a plan that keeps our promise to cut taxes, reduce government spending, pave the way for thousands of new jobs, and make important reforms to public education. It also was crafted, and passed, in record time, and with more opportunity for debate and public input than ever before. The compromise is a $19.7 billion budget that adds about $240 million more than the original Senate version to public education.
District Office of Sen. Warren Daniel 348 Harper Avenue NW Lenoir, NC 28645 Email: senwarrendaniel@bellsouth.net Phone: 828-754-9335 Fax 828-754-9335 (Please call before faxing)
Governor Beverly Perdue decried our original plan because it scaled back education spending. Now, the difference between our education budget and the governor’s is less than 1 percent – and she’s still blasting it with extreme, apocalyptic horror stories. Hyperbole might energize her political base, but it’s not helping us move the state forward, or spend North Carolinians’ money responsibly. Reasons the governor should approve the budget
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There are countless reasons Perdue should put politics aside and support the bipartisan compromise. Here are 10 of the best:
** http://bit.ly/SenDaniel (For pictures, more news, resources)
1.
It keeps her promise to end a nearly $1 billion sales tax hike. Gov. Perdue vowed two years ago to end the “temporary” tax hike. She claimed she couldn’t even spell the words “tax extension.” Our budget keeps her promise.
WHERE WE RANK (2010) Annual Personal Income Per Capita: $35,167 State & Local Tax Burden As Percent of Income: 9.8% State Debt Per Capita: $2,138 State Residents Per State Employee: 38.0 Unemployment Insurance Shortfall: $2,726,724,377 Exports by State: $24,817 State Support for Higher Education: $4,022,438,686 State & Federal Gasoline Taxes/Fees: $0.51
th
Rank: 37 th Rank: 16 th Rank: 37 nd Rank: 22 nd Rank: 2 Highest th Rank: 13 th Rank: 4 th Rank: 26
National Average: $49, 578 National Average: 9.8% National Average: $3,415 National Average: 70.0
Burke
Caldwell
DISTRICT 44
JUNE 3, 2011
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2.
It closes a $2.5 billion budget shortfall. The balanced budget fulfills our constitutional mandate to balance the state’s checkbook.
3.
It fuels job growth. Ending the sales tax hike and providing a $50,000 tax exemption for businesses will return billions to the pockets of North Carolina citizens and businesses and help the private sector create thousands of new jobs according to economists.
4.
5.
It fully funds classroom teachers and teaching assistants. The governor’s chief objection to original House and Senate budgets was reduced spending for teaching assistants. This budget restores that funding – without raising taxes. It reforms public education. Instead of blindly throwing money at education and accepting graduation rates ranked No. 43 in the nation, our budget makes several improvements to public schools: a. b. c. d.
6.
It adds more than 1,100 additional teachers to grades 1 through 3 to begin reducing class sizes. It implements a performance pay program for teachers and state employees in budget year 2012-13. It ensures students can read at grade level by fourth grade. It adds five days to the school calendar.
The governor’s budget saddles counties with many expenses that ours does not. For example, our budget: a. Funds $56 million in school bus replacement. b. Provides than $50 million additional dollars for school construction. c. Fully funds enrollment growth for K-12 and community colleges for the next two years and for universities in the first year of the biennium. d. Does not make millions of dollars in workers’ compensation and lawsuit costs local responsibilities.
7.
It right-sizes state government. The governor says she’s serious about reshaping state government to make it smaller and more efficient. Our budget cuts more than $1 billion from last year’s spending level by consolidating departments and cutting waste and bureaucracy.
8.
It extends unemployment benefits. More than 37,000 North Carolinians will retroactively receive unemployment benefits if our budget becomes law.
9.
It adds millions to reserve accounts. The state’s Rainy Day and Repair and Renovation accounts are funded by millions more than the governor’s plan – clearly displaying the state’s fiscal prudence.
North Carolina Medal of Honor Recipients (through Vietnam) Civil War Joseph Henry Shea
New Bern
Spanish-American War Pomeroy Parker
Gates
Mexican Campaign Edwin Anderson Rufus Johnston Aldolphus Staton
Wilmington Lincolnton Tarboro
World War I Robert Blackwell Samuel Parker
Hurdle Mills Monroe
World War II Ray Eubanks William Halyburton, Jr. Rufus Herring Charles Murray Max Thompson Matt Urban Henry Warner
Snow Hill Canton Roseboro Wilmington Bethel Fayetteville Troy
Korean War Jerry Crump Charles George Bryant Womack
Charlotte Cherokee Mill Spring
Vietnam Robert Patterson Mitchel Stout William Franks Howell Trogden Lorenzo Brown William Jones William McBryar David Barrow Gordon Johnston Charles Ray Jacklyn Lucas Eugene Ashley, Jr. Harold Durham, Jr. Lawrence Joel Franklin Miller
Durham Raleigh Chatham Cedar Falls Davidson County Davidson County Elizabethtown Reelsboro Charlotte Pensacola Plymouth Wilmington Rocky Mount Winston-Salem Elizabeth City
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THE INFANTRYMAN’S CREED I am the Infantry. I am my country's strength in war; Her deterrent in peace. I am the heart of the fight -- wherever, whenever. I carry America's faith and honor against her enemies. Never will I fail my country's trust. Always I fight on -- through the foe to the objective, to triumph over all. If necessary, I fight to my death. By my steadfast courage, I have won two hundred years of freedom. I yield not -- to weakness, to hunger, to cowardice, to fatigue, to superior odds, for I am mentally tough, physically strong, and morally straight. I forsake not -- my country, my mission, my comrades, my sacred duty. I am relentless. I am always there, now and forever. I AM THE INFANTRY! FOLLOW ME!
Burke
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DISTRICT 44
JUNE 3, 2011
10. It’s a compromise. The legislature is meeting the governor more than halfway with a budget that spends 2% less than her proposal. She should compromise. North Carolinians deserve elected officials willing to reach across the aisle to get the job done. This is just a brief overview of a 350 page budget. State government is now being required to run more like a real business. Our budget shows that it’s actually possible to act responsibly and protect essential public services. I trust that the people of North Carolina will agree these changes are long overdue. It is my honor to serve the people of Burke and Caldwell Counties, and I thank you for the privilege of serving you. Sincerely,
Caldwell Page 3
Reflections on Freedom “Freedom is one of the deepest and noblest aspirations of the human spirit.” – Ronald Reagan “The God who gave us life gave us liberty at the same time.” – Thomas Jefferson
“Under the eternal urge of freedom we became an independent nation.” – Calvin Coolidge “God grants liberty only to those who love it, and are always ready to guard and defend it.” – Daniel Webster “The Bible is the cornerstone of liberty.” – Thomas Jefferson “We cannot overestimate the fervent love of liberty, the intelligent courage, and the sum of common sense with which our fathers made the great experiment of selfgovernment.” – James A. Garfield “Freedom and the dignity of the individual have been more available and assured here than in any other place on Earth.” –Ronald Reagan “You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop and look fear in the face…you must do the thing you think you cannot do.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
North Carolina 4-H Timeline (1907-1978) 1907: Cassius R. Hudson begins agricultural demonstration work in North Carolina and James A. Butler becomes first County Agent in NC. 1915: Membership grows to 3,500 for boys clubs and just under 3,000 for girls clubs. 1919: First 4-H camp established in Warren County. 1928-1929: 4-H Achievement Days were organized and publishes newsletter entitled Clover Leaves. 1938: The first state Judging Contest was held at North Carolina State College. 1941-1946: Conducted scrap metal drive as part of the defense effort for World War II and membership reached 100,000. 1952: North Carolina has more 4-H Club members than any other state, 140,000 boys and girls, about 7% of the nation’s total membership. 1960s: 4-H Programs expanded to include urban youth, reflecting declining rural population in the state. 1978: Home economics became a department under the NC Cooperative Extension Service at NC State University