Hurricane Relief and SB 382

People in western N.C. still need help in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. The leadership of the N.C. General Assembly have shamefully exploited those impacted by SB 382, labeled a “disaster relief package.” In reality, this bill postpones any meaningful funding until the General Assembly acts and fails to prioritize immediate action and full and inclusive recovery for western North Carolinians. A few House Republicans in Raleigh stood up for their mountain constituents and voted against SB 382 because it didn’t provide the immediate, targeted assistance that their residents need to recover. I hope more Republicans in the House will vote to not override Governor Cooper’s veto and put people above politics. I encourage you to contact your N.C. House representatives (Rowan County is currently represented by Harry Warren, Julia Howard and Kevin Crutchfield) and to encourage friends and family affected by Hurricane Helene to contact their state House representatives. A vote is expected next week, so contact them today and ask that they sustain the veto. 

Meanwhile, North Carolinians are showing up at the General Assembly to demonstrate how serious it is that the people come before political gain. The election is over. N.C. is still purple. We, the people, need our legislature to  work together for the people rather than attempting to use disaster relief as a foil for partisan policy.

— Pam Bloom,
Salisbury

Shame to the state General Assembly

Shame, shame to the state General Assembly for their heartless power grab in SB382, under the guise of offering (minimal) disaster assistance to our brothers and sisters suffering in western North Carolina. Instead of joining together in a bipartisan manner to support N.C. citizens impacted by Hurricane Helene, a small number of people secretly developed SB382 without input from either Republicans or Democrats in order to consolidate their own power. Only 12 of the 131 pages of SB382 have anything to do with disaster relief. Kudos to the brave WNC legislators who voted to support their people over their party. As a voter and N.C. citizen, I implore all state legislators to show courage as well and vote no to override Governor Cooper’s veto. North Carolinians are better than this.

— Sheila Womack,
Salisbury

Not what NC needs

This coming week, state lawmakers will vote on Senate Bill 920 which would propose amending our state constitution to cap income tax at 5 percent. This may sound good, but such a tax cap would lock North Carolina into a tax code that would benefit the rich at the expense of funding essential services and unexpected needs.

The current personal income tax rate is 4.5 percent, and is scheduled to fall below 4 percent by 2030. Corporate income tax will be completely eliminated after 2030. This proposed tax cap is designed to benefit the rich at the expense of funding essential services, such as public education, child care centers and services people need. It would tie the hands of future legislatures to respond to national disasters such as the one that ravaged western North Carolina this year, and our coastal areas frequently hit by storms.

Other sources of revenue will have to be found — property and sales taxes will rise, fees such as hunting, fishing and auto licenses will rise. These taxes disproportionately hit lower and middle class North Carolinians. People with lower incomes spend a far greater share of their hard-earned dollars on everyday purchases that are sales taxed. Counties that rely on state revenue for more than one-tenth of their annual budget would be hard hit by limits on state dollars.

Don’t be fooled by SB 920 (“the Tax Cap Amendment”). We don’t need permanent tax breaks for the wealthy. We do need good schools, childcare centers, clean air and water. Tell your State Representatives Harry Warren (Dist. 76), Julia Howard (Dist. 77) and Kevin Crutchfield (Dist. 83), that we don’t need permanent tax breaks for the wealthy, we need investments in the people of this state.

— Eileen Hanson-Kelly,
Salisbury