N.C. House Republicans Cash-In on Selling Out North Carolina
Protestors picket posh fundraiser in Raleigh
About 50 advocates for democracy, workers’ and civil rights, public education, and the environment turned out for an hour and a half in the late afternoon heat and raised a right-good ruckus - one that got under the thin skin of folks inside, according to one reporter's coverage - at a GOP fundraiser this week.
Click here to see pictures from our protest.
The North Carolina Republican Party exploited a loophole in state law and raise money from political action committees during the legislative recess at a major fundraiser on Wednesday, June 29. Meanwhile, most North Carolinians – who could not afford to pay for the same access to their elected State Representatives as the corporate executives who attended – are still coming to terms with all the damage the new legislative majority has wrought so far this session.
"This fundraiser is being held while we still have legislation pending. So folks can come out here, pay money, and in a special session they could say, 'You know, we have this bill we want you to pass'," said NC State AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer MaryBe McMillan speaking to ABC 11 News.
While Speaker Thom Tillis and House Majority Leader Paul Stam celebrated at a $5,000 per plate dinner with CEOs and right-wing ideologues what to them is a “new day for North Carolina”, those of us who oppose their efforts to legalize corporate tax evasion, curb voters’ and workers’ rights, and adopt a state budget which will undo decades of progress in public education and environmental protection and result in thousands of job losses will continue to protest this new nightmare.
Democracy NC organizer Adam Sotak told WRAL Channel 5's Laura Leslie that despite promising to do things differently, this is politics as usual for the new Republican legislative majority:
"They came into this session talking about it being a new day -- you know, we’re gonna try to do something about this so-called corruption, this pay-to-play. We’re not seeing anything different. If they came here to just uphold the status quo and do business as usual, they’re doing a great job."
Check out the media coverage of this event:
http://www.wral.com/news/state/nccapitol/blogpost/9801446/
http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/story?section=news/local&id=8222697&rss=rss-wtvd-article-8222697