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I'll be glad to have a civil conversation with you, when you are ready.
Likewise, I'll be glad to have a conversation with you, when you are ready to do so without clinging to unfounded assumptions after they are proven to be wrong.
The funny thing is, I am not in favor of this proposal to reallocate sales tax revenues. I believe the General Assembly should address the root problem, which is insufficient state revenues resulting from their ill-advised tax cut legislation. You are attempting to frame this reallocation proposal as unfair "socialism", and I have merely pointed out that sales taxes (and other revenues) have always been shared and reallocated generally to the benefit of our state as a whole. The problem here is not socialism--it's failure to properly fund state government.
I do agree that insufficient state revenues and taxation policies (regressive instead of progressive) are part of the problem. I also think another more general problem this proposal highlights is the gap between how much better North Carolina's most urbanized counties (i.e. Mecklenburg, Wake, etc.) and first ring suburban counties (i.e. Cabarrus, Union, etc.) are doing compared to the more rural, poorer counties (including some of those mentioned previously in this thread).
True, that's a problem that affects many states, and it's certainly not a new problem. But the last few decades and policies like NAFTA have been much tougher on those rural areas dependent on a limited number of industries that have had a tough time attracting and retaining quality employers, and citizens (i.e. brain drain). And the counties that have been struggling with high unemployment and income stagnation or decline were also struggling with those problems during the purportedly prosperous early to mid 2000s when counties like Mecklenburg and Wake were really prospering. And the people in those areas are and have been scratching their heads over news that has a Raleigh-centric or Charlotte-centric perspective about how North Carolina has been prospering and growing, and thinking "am I in the same state?" In some ways, its seems the gap has widened between two very different places in the state that face very different problems: how to contain and manage growth versus how to attract and retain jobs... any jobs (even those that would be completely undesirable elsewhere, such as landfills and prisons).
I do agree that insufficient state revenues and taxation policies (regressive instead of progressive) are part of the problem. I also think another more general problem this proposal highlights is the gap between how much better North Carolina's most urbanized counties (i.e. Mecklenburg, Wake, etc.) and first ring suburban counties (i.e. Cabarrus, Union, etc.) are doing compared to the more rural, poorer counties (including some of those mentioned previously in this thread).
True, that's a problem that affects many states, and it's certainly not a new problem. But the last few decades and policies like NAFTA have been much tougher on those rural areas dependent on a limited number of industries that have had a tough time attracting and retaining quality employers, and citizens (i.e. brain drain). And the counties that have been struggling with high unemployment and income stagnation or decline were also struggling with those problems during the purportedly prosperous early to mid 2000s when counties like Mecklenburg and Wake were really prospering. And the people in those areas are and have been scratching their heads over news that has a Raleigh-centric or Charlotte-centric perspective about how North Carolina has been prospering and growing, and thinking "am I in the same state?" In some ways, its seems the gap has widened between two very different places in the state that face very different problems: how to contain and manage growth versus how to attract and retain jobs... any jobs (even those that would be completely undesirable elsewhere, such as landfills and prisons).
This is very true. It seems to me that while Mecklenburg, Wake, etc really started to boom in the 80's, most of the rest of the state began to spiral downward beginning in the 70's with the slow demise of the tobacco and cotton industries. The 80's and 90's saw the end of virtually all of the state's once enormous furniture manufacturing business. The counties that were mostly dependent on these industries have so far been unable to adequately replace them.
I believe the leaders in the state have never truly tried to find replacements for these lost enterprises. I don't know much about how the loss in furniture jobs has been addressed, but I remember all the way back to Jesse Helms and his never-ending politicking to retain tobacco subsidies, long after the writing was on the wall. Instead of seeking welfare for a dead industry, his constituents would have been much better off if he'd finagled similar amounts of money for research into some viable alternative crop and education for the tobacco farmers.
I do agree that insufficient state revenues and taxation policies (regressive instead of progressive) are part of the problem. I also think another more general problem this proposal highlights is the gap between how much better North Carolina's most urbanized counties (i.e. Mecklenburg, Wake, etc.) and first ring suburban counties (i.e. Cabarrus, Union, etc.) are doing compared to the more rural, poorer counties (including some of those mentioned previously in this thread).
True, that's a problem that affects many states, and it's certainly not a new problem. But the last few decades and policies like NAFTA have been much tougher on those rural areas dependent on a limited number of industries that have had a tough time attracting and retaining quality employers, and citizens (i.e. brain drain). And the counties that have been struggling with high unemployment and income stagnation or decline were also struggling with those problems during the purportedly prosperous early to mid 2000s when counties like Mecklenburg and Wake were really prospering. And the people in those areas are and have been scratching their heads over news that has a Raleigh-centric or Charlotte-centric perspective about how North Carolina has been prospering and growing, and thinking "am I in the same state?" In some ways, its seems the gap has widened between two very different places in the state that face very different problems: how to contain and manage growth versus how to attract and retain jobs... any jobs (even those that would be completely undesirable elsewhere, such as landfills and prisons).
Excellent, Excellent post! I couldn't say it better. Just trying to attract any sort of job, for these less fortunate counties is an every day struggle. I don't see anything wrong with using a portion of the money from sales tax to help out those poorest counties. I don't know if some folks on this thread truly grasp the fact that there are several counties with less than 20,000 people . Hyde for example has about 5800 people in it's entire county! Not a specific town, but the whole county. Some golf course communities in Charlotte have 5,000 people living in them. It's difficult for them. There's not much of a chance for those counties to grow without additional help.
So they are talking about taking $18M away from Wake and $35M away from Mecklenburg and giving it to the rural counties. I predict this battle, if it moves forward, will create some strange bedfellows.
So they are talking about taking $18M away from Wake and $35M away from Mecklenburg and giving it to the rural counties. I predict this battle, if it moves forward, will create some strange bedfellows.
I'm very curious what Rucho thinks about this plan.
And especially Pat McCrory. I can't believe he'd support such a measure...
It's not fair at all that I pay higher taxes to support infrastructure for these retail stores to be here and deal with the extra traffic and the podunks next door Watch our football team we pay taxes for, our theme park we pay taxes for, our Arena for concerts we paid taxes for, our sports venues we pay taxes for, our jobs our taxes lure, etc. Just last year Gaston Co. Rejected a proposal that would've created thousands of Jobs and hundreds of new residences because of increased traffic....
How about Cabarrus county and the Concord Mills area? I wonder how this effects them? Again making strange bedfellows if they sided with Meck
I suspect the entire Metrolina area (in NC) would be negatively affected by this.
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