Civitas ReviewThe Blog of the Civitas Institute

Jan

17

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An interesting debate and — one well worth watching — is playing out in Indiana.  Senator  Scott Schneider (R-Indianapolis) introduced a bill (SB 193) to reverse the State Education Board’s decision to use Common Core State Standards and replace them with Indiana education standards.

Yesterday a Senate education committee heard about five hours of testimony  on the bill.  Critics of the standards said they were written with little input from parents and educators. In addition the Obama administration made adoption of common core a requirement for receipt of federal education funding. A vote on the SB 193 is expected  next week.

If approved Indiana would be the first state to adopt common core standards and replace them with other standards.    Forty five states have adopted common core standards. However as parents and educators look more closely at how the standards are being implemented and how they change teaching and learning, opposition is clearly growing.

For additional information on the Indiana story and criticisms over common core standards see here  and here.

2

Jan

16

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October 2001 a baby was born and who would of thought that six weeks later his father, a police officer, was gunned down on a Fayetteville street.

That night, Nov. 29, 2001, was something no one in his family was prepared for. Officer Roy Gene Turner Jr. was a member of the Neighborhood Improvement Team and was patrolling a violent and crime-intensive area when he was shot to death. On October 22, 2002, the killer was sentenced to death for Turner’s murder. On December 13, 2012, the killer’s death sentence was commuted to life in prison when Superior Court Judge Gregory Weeks ruled that racism was a factor in his sentence. The news is portraying that the killer was the victim, but the real victims are Roy Gene Turner Jr. and his family.

After talking to the Turner family, I learned his cousin’s motto:“I choose to remember the good times.” I believe this is one of the best ways to honor him for what he did for his family and his community. Roy Turner Jr. became an officer because of what happened on September 11, 2001. He wanted to make a difference in the world and know that his son would live in a safe place. Everyone that came in contact with him smiled more telling me stories about him and how he made their life great.

To pick just one memory, while at a Janet Jackson concert in Maryland a younger cousin who was in high school challenged him to a foot race — in the parking lot. Because Roy loved his family and the memories he could make with his family, they raced in the busy parking lot in Baltimore.  The two took off in a sprint and nonetheless Roy’s younger cousin beat him fair and square. The rest of the family also chooses to remember the good times with him.  When his family tells the heartwarming stories of him you can hear, see, and feel he touched the lives of everyone he know.

Roy Gene Turner Jr. will never be able to see his son graduate high school, race his son in a parking lot, or be able to continue to make a lasting impression on this world.  I choose to remember the good.

1

Jan

16

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Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger said a lot to hearten conservatives at his press conference today — yet it was also clear that challenges remain.

He said the state budget was in much better shape than two years ago. But he declined to predict a surplus. He said lawmakers were shooting for a budget with a lower bottom line.

Looming over this scenario, however, is Medicaid spending, especially possible increases mandated by the Obamacare health care overhaul. “We are having a great deal of difficulty understanding how, in a program that at its current level ended up with overruns in the hundreds of millions of dollars, we can reasonable afford to expand that program,” he said. At another point, he expressed doubts about whether federal officials are supplying NC with timely and accurate information about the program.

Moreover, he said that neighboring states are unlikely to expand their Medicaid programs, so if NC does, that might draw people here to swell the rolls further.

In short, as the Tar Heel State gets its own finances in order, Uncle Sam threatens to drop more expenses on to the state ledgers — to an amount no one can now assess, but surely will be in the hundreds of millions of dollars.

On tax reform, he said the legislature would pass a package, up to eliminating the income taxes. But he alluded to several proposals being discussed, so only time will tell which will be the front runner, and if it can get legislators to rally behind it.

His remarks also touched on the issue is about fairness: moving from income to consumption taxes is about the fair allocation of the costs of government, especially in regard to basing taxes on the economy of 2013, not 1933. Taxing services, as at least one reform plan would do, is more realistic and fair to the North Carolinians of today.

He was questioned about some details, and when asked for the rationale behind them, he replied simply that the rationale was: “No tax on income.”

Backers of this plan should be wary of being lured into the weeds of this debate. That’s what it’s really about: “No tax on income.” That should be conservatives’ mantra in the months ahead:  “no tax on income.”

As he mentioned at one time, there’s an adage that politics is the art of the possible. It is entirely possible the General Assembly will take major steps to improve the state’s economy. Doing so will require the strength to persevere and get things done.

Jan

16

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Just five days ago, I wrote about LA Governor Bobby Jindal publicly discussing his desire to eliminate his state’s income tax. Now we hear news about another Governor calling for the same thing:

(Reuters) – Nebraska Governor Dave Heineman on Tuesday became the second Republican governor in the last week to propose ending his state’s income tax, saying he wants to make Nebraska more competitive with its neighbors by eliminating the tax on both individuals and corporations.

Gov. Heineman has been discussing this plan with business owners, including farmers and ranchers, and indicates many are open to the idea. The feedback Heineman describes is quite interesting.

“You may be surprised, but many are willing to have that discussion,” Heineman  said. “They want simplicity and fairness. They want a modern tax code that  rewards productivity, profits and job creation rather than having their lawyers  and accountants spending time mining the tax code for exemptions.”

Not to be outdone, Kansas governor Sam Brownback, who approved significant income tax reductions last year, affirmed his desire to ultimately eliminate his state’s income tax.

The Kansas City Star says “Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback swung for the fences Tuesday night, calling for even deeper income tax cuts while holding onto a penny sales tax that was intended to bridge the state through the recession.

“The Republican chief executive told lawmakers he wants to slash income taxes for the state’s lowest wage earners by more than a third while keeping the current state sales tax rate at the current level of 6.3 cents on the dollar.

Eventually, Brownback wants to phase out the income tax, as Texas has done.

“‘Look out Texas,’ he said in his annual State of the State address to the Legislature, ‘here comes Kansas.’”

Will North Carolina join the growing list of state’s willing to take the lead on pro-growth tax reform? If you hope so, you sign a petition at http://noincometaxnc.org/

1

Jan

16

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NC Senate president pro tempore Phil Berger laid out an agenda for the upcoming session at a press conference this morning.

My take: NC residents can expect to see some form of tax reform and a voter photo ID law this year, and that the Obamacare exchange will be run by the feds.

It sounded as if Medicaid will be if anything a bigger problem in the year, and years ahead.

As always, as has been said, it’s hard to make predictions, especially about the future. And the devil is in the details.

On tax reform, Berger said a tax reform package will pass this General Assembly this year. He noted that  “every member of my caucus supports tax reform.”

But how much of a cut in income taxes? Berger said, “we are going to shoot for the lowest possible … and that would be zero.” The details are still being discussed, however.

As for the Obamacare exchanges, he said that at practical level there wasn’t much difference between three models: the federal-run, the state-run, and a hybrid state-federal operation. “Whatever model you choose … they will be operated and the rules promulgated at the federal level.”

Berger added that at this time he didn’t see support in the General Assembly for the state or hybrid exchanges.

A voter ID would have to have a photo and meet constitutional requirements, Berger said, and he said he thought the GA could accomplish that.  An observation: On this matter he seemed very matter of fact, which to my mind is a stronger prediction than other politicians’ feverish rhetoric on whatever issue.

He too pointed out how not having an ID would be a major problem for anyone. By the end of March this year all federal benefits will be distributed electronically. That means you must have a bank account or the equivalent — and you are required to have a photo ID to open an account.

In other words, as we have been saying, anyone who truly cares about the ill or destitute will make every effort to ensure they have photo IDs, just to get in the social safety net, with voting as a bonus.

On the budget, “We’re in much better shape than we were two years ago,” he said, while making it plain that Medicaid remains a huge problem.

Those are some of the bigger topics; I hope to update later today.