A Big Red Flag

John Hood, an old friend, was straightforward in his column NCInnovation Is a Bridge Too Far.

The State Senate wants to hand $1.4 Billion in taxpayers money to NCInnovation – which in turn will pass out subsidies to corporations. John called that deal ‘decidedly anti-conservative’ and ‘a big red flag.’ He hit the nail on the head.

The VP of Research at the Locke Foundation added, “NCInnovation is just another example of a government program using taxpayer dollars to tip the scales in favor of select corporations.”

As a businessman, I’ll add a thought of my own. Every day family businesses are watching the world change. Banks have failed. We see bankruptcies. If you’re a businessman in a tottering economy it makes sense to pay down debt. You won’t survive if you have too much debt.

State government has a similar problem: The state Pension Fund and state Healthcare Fund, combined, have piled up $50 billion in debt.

But politicians don’t follow the same rules as businessmen.

Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson, the highest-ranking Republican state official, is President of the North Carolina Senate. When the Senate’s in session he presides. And it’s Robinson’s Senate that wants to hand $1.4 Billion to NCInnovation – so it can hand out subsidies to corporations.

But that’s not the song Robinson sings to conservatives when he makes speeches at rallies. Doing one thing in backrooms in the legislature, while saying another at rallies to get cheers, that’s how politicians operate.