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"Whiners"
September 14, 2013 | by Thomas Mills | NC Politics, Tax reform | 9 Comments
Rob Christensen certainly struck a nerve with Civitas. They’ve written a scathing reply to his article debunking myths about North Carolina. Civitas called his article “half-hearted and poorly researched.” Me thinks thou doest protest too much.
They took on only four of Christensen’s ten points and they were all about spending and taxes–the only thing that matters if you are of the Civitas persuasion. They ignored all of the education criticisms which may well do the greatest long-term damage to the state’s reputation and economy. Regardless, much of their criticism is overstated or subject to opinion.
They berate Christensen’s use of the AAA bond rating to argue that the state is on sound financial footing. Instead, Civitas cites unfunded liabilities, mainly related to pensions and retirements benefits, as evidence that North Carolina was on poor financial ground. They also criticize the unemployment insurance debt. However, most states faced very similar problems caused by the recession but they didn’t choose to solve them on the backs of those most hurt by the economic collapse. The North Carolina legislature did.
Civitas complains that government was on a spending spree. They say spending “more than tripled” from 1979 to 2009. I bet a closer look would show that most of that spending went to public education, which had been underfunded for decades, and the addition of early childhood programs that have proven beneficial to children of underprivileged families.
....
http://www.politicsnc.com/whiners
Rob Christensen certainly struck a nerve with Civitas. They’ve written a scathing reply to his article debunking myths about North Carolina. Civitas called his article “half-hearted and poorly researched.” Me thinks thou doest protest too much.
They took on only four of Christensen’s ten points and they were all about spending and taxes–the only thing that matters if you are of the Civitas persuasion. They ignored all of the education criticisms which may well do the greatest long-term damage to the state’s reputation and economy. Regardless, much of their criticism is overstated or subject to opinion.
They berate Christensen’s use of the AAA bond rating to argue that the state is on sound financial footing. Instead, Civitas cites unfunded liabilities, mainly related to pensions and retirements benefits, as evidence that North Carolina was on poor financial ground. They also criticize the unemployment insurance debt. However, most states faced very similar problems caused by the recession but they didn’t choose to solve them on the backs of those most hurt by the economic collapse. The North Carolina legislature did.
Civitas complains that government was on a spending spree. They say spending “more than tripled” from 1979 to 2009. I bet a closer look would show that most of that spending went to public education, which had been underfunded for decades, and the addition of early childhood programs that have proven beneficial to children of underprivileged families.
....
http://www.politicsnc.com/whiners
Christensen's piece:
Christensen: The truth behind 10 myths about North Carolina
Myth No. 1: North Carolina’s public schools are failing its children.
Not according to international testing. The 2011 Trends in International Mathematic and Science Study tested fourth and eighth graders from 60 countries. North Carolina’s children did better than the U.S. national average. They also scored better than the students in such countries as Australia, Israel, Sweden, Italy and Norway.
Myth No. 2: North Carolina’s state government was in a financial mess until the recent change in party control.
Not according to Wall Street. North Carolina was – and continues to be – one of nine states with AAA bond ratings as awarded by Standard & Poor’s, Moody’s Investors Service and Fitch Ratings. The ratings reflect fiscal strength and prudent management and are analogous to credit ratings of individuals. North Carolina, like most states, did have a large budget shortfall during the deep recession, which it dealt with by budget cuts, salary freezes and other economic measures.
Myth No. 3: Until recently, state government was on a spending spree.
Not according to the conservative-leaning Tax Foundation. Between 2001-2011, North Carolina state government spending per capita grew 18.3 percent, making it the 45th fastest-growing state government in the country, according to the Tax Foundation. (The foundation measured growth in real dollars per capita to eliminate the effects of population growth and inflation.) The highest growth rate in the nation was Louisiana, which grew 63.6 percent, and the lowest growth in government spending was Alaska, which grew at 8.9 percent. North Carolina’s general fund grew in unadjusted dollars from $14.3 billion in 2001-2002 to $19.8 billion in 2011-12.
....
Myth No. 5: North Carolina was a high-tax state before the recent tax cuts.
The state and local tax burden for North Carolina in fiscal year 2010 was 9.9 percent, exactly the national average, according to the Tax Foundation. (State and local taxes have to be counted together because public services, such as schools, are financed by different levels of government in each state.)
....
Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/2013/09/07/3173075/christensen-the-truth-behind-10.html#storylink=cpy
Myth No. 1: North Carolina’s public schools are failing its children.
Not according to international testing. The 2011 Trends in International Mathematic and Science Study tested fourth and eighth graders from 60 countries. North Carolina’s children did better than the U.S. national average. They also scored better than the students in such countries as Australia, Israel, Sweden, Italy and Norway.
Myth No. 2: North Carolina’s state government was in a financial mess until the recent change in party control.
Not according to Wall Street. North Carolina was – and continues to be – one of nine states with AAA bond ratings as awarded by Standard & Poor’s, Moody’s Investors Service and Fitch Ratings. The ratings reflect fiscal strength and prudent management and are analogous to credit ratings of individuals. North Carolina, like most states, did have a large budget shortfall during the deep recession, which it dealt with by budget cuts, salary freezes and other economic measures.
Myth No. 3: Until recently, state government was on a spending spree.
Not according to the conservative-leaning Tax Foundation. Between 2001-2011, North Carolina state government spending per capita grew 18.3 percent, making it the 45th fastest-growing state government in the country, according to the Tax Foundation. (The foundation measured growth in real dollars per capita to eliminate the effects of population growth and inflation.) The highest growth rate in the nation was Louisiana, which grew 63.6 percent, and the lowest growth in government spending was Alaska, which grew at 8.9 percent. North Carolina’s general fund grew in unadjusted dollars from $14.3 billion in 2001-2002 to $19.8 billion in 2011-12.
....
Myth No. 5: North Carolina was a high-tax state before the recent tax cuts.
The state and local tax burden for North Carolina in fiscal year 2010 was 9.9 percent, exactly the national average, according to the Tax Foundation. (State and local taxes have to be counted together because public services, such as schools, are financed by different levels of government in each state.)
....
Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/2013/09/07/3173075/christensen-the-truth-behind-10.html#storylink=cpy
Civitas' response:
Isn’t a “Myth” Supposed to be Untrue?
http://www.nccivitas.org/2013/isnt-myth-supposed-untrue/
http://www.nccivitas.org/2013/isnt-myth-supposed-untrue/
2 replies
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= new reply since forum marked as read
