Sunday Musings, June 2024

The North Carolina House and Senate have not reached an agreement on the budget. The House has insisted on spending more than $1 billion dollars, more than the Senate, in addition to the $1 Billion dollars surplus. Originally the House desired to spend the money from the Rainy-Day fund, but that was a non-starter. Mostly this spend is “pork projects” for members. We may go home without a budget. This suits some members, including me, simply fine. This is not how North Carolina became one of the fastest growing and best states, economically, in the country. Taxpayers did not give us a majority to spend their hard-earned money like it is growing on trees. It does not belong to members so they can look good at home. It belongs to the folks who earned it.

Democrat members of the Senate walked out on a vote to clarify the mask language regarding health conditions. It was clear to me from the beginning. It is illegal to wear a mask to hide your identity in the commission of a crime. Some thought it needed to be clearer so that is what the bill does. The bill also contained language to “even the playing field” on some state elections. Democrats were already allowed to receive money from the Democrat Governors Association and Democrat Attorney Generals Association. This was possible due to an opinion from the partisan Board of Elections a few years ago. The bill simply enables the Republican Governors Association and the Republican Attorney Generals Association to be able to contribute in the same manner. I think the Democrats walked out because they had no legitimate argument to oppose this bill. They just did not think folks knew of that partisan advantage on their behalf. In their press conference, Democrats stated, the bill “allows for undue influences of millionaires to give money to candidates without any disclosure under state law.” What hypocrisy! No mention that Democrats were already able to take millionaires money.

Suburban towns and cities around Chicago are pushing back on immigrants bussed into their areas. They are trying to pass ordinances forbidding bus companies from dropping immigrants in their municipalities. Since Governor Abbott started sending these buses to liberal cities, they are getting just a small taste of what border areas have been dealing with for years. Typical of these liberals. “Open the borders and let everybody in, but don’t let them come to my sanctuary city.”

California’s Governor Newsom recently signed into law a mandatory minimum wage of $20 per hour to flip burgers and perform other jobs. This has been a hard hit to the fast-food industry. The California Business and Industrial Alliance says, “10,000 jobs have already been cut across fast food restaurants.” Pizza Hut announced layoffs of 841 employees across the state. Rubio’s Coast Grill announced it would be closing forty-eight of its stores across California. When will liberals learn that minimum wage has always been a temporary wage? These workers are mostly teenagers in their first job. It’s a learning experience for most and the way to build up a successful work ethic. The attitude appears to be that it is preferable to have no job unless you can get $20 per hour.

Governor Ron DeSantis won his battle with the Disney Corporation. You may recall, Disney began the fight when Florida passed what critics called the “Don’t Say Gay Bill.” Disney went on a spree of protests by employees and leadership. DeSantis fought back by eliminating the “special district” that Disney enjoyed that no other company is privileged to. Disney sued the state claiming that it was in retaliation and violated Disney’s free speech rights. A Federal Judge has thrown the case out. Mickey Mouse has crawled back, with his tail between his legs and is now working with DeSantis in creating a new Tourism District to oversee Disney. Not only should you “not mess with Texas”, but Florida should also be added to that statement.