NC Senate Republicans want to clear several boards

[struggle4progress]

By GARY D. ROBERTSON, Associated Press
Updated 12:09 pm, Tuesday, February 5, 2013

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A state Senate committee Tuesday backed a Republican proposal to fire the members of several key regulatory and policy boards and let GOP Gov. Pat McCrory and the party's legislative leaders pick their replacements ...

Stein asked Rabon whether commission members had done anything wrong to warrant being fired. Rabon said the seven-member Utilities Commission, which regulates telecommunications, electric and natural gas markets, at times has been accused of being "rubber stamps" for some utility companies. The commission decides, for example, whether utilities like Duke Energy can raise their customer rates.

Molly Diggins, state director of the Sierra Club, said the legislation targets environmental commissions in particular. The Environmental Management Commission, Coastal Resources Commission and a coastal advisory council would see their current memberships dismissed and panel numbers reduced. The governor would appoint a smaller percentage of the total members to some of the panels.

The North Carolina Coastal Federation said in a release it was a "radical bill that "completely overturns decades of work by state lawmakers and governors to promote balance and partnerships into how the state manages its environment." ...

http://www.sfgate.com/news/science/article/NC-Senate-Republicans-want-to-clear-several-boards-4252414.php

[NRaleighLiberal]

1. each day brings a new disappointment.

[dballance]

2. What a Blatant Power-Grab, Patronage Thing to Pursue

I wonder what provisions, other than elections, NC's constitution has for replacing these people.

Apparently the Utilities Commission hasn't been "rubber stamping" the utilities in these senators' districts or "rubber stamping" the ones that give these senators the most in campaign contributions.

As for the environmental commissions, that's not a surprise from the legislature that passed a law banning state agencies from reporting about rising sea levels.

[zazen]

3. oh, have we posted about the nipple legislation yet?

Maybe we should set up a "heinous NC GOP legislation" watch & post schedule to share the labor of posting story after story. This is outrage number what-- 8?-- in the past two weeks.

Ok, this is not the Weimar Republic, but it's friggin' frightening to me how fast these evil bastards are moving their regressive, hate-filled agenda to starve the poor, let the sick die already, and open up our environment to utter industrial degradation. I mean, they're moving so fast it's like the progressive left is in shock.

It reminds me of that guy's story about the slow change with the Weimar when they slowly became acclimated to more and more outrageous things. I mean, I NEVER thought they'd try some of the things they're trying, let alone all of them within the first two weeks. What's next? Losing our rights to peacefully assemble? Identity checks at intersections? Illegalizing abortion? Are they going to take over the State Department of Public Instruction?

I can't stand the mainstream Democratic party in this state, but I thought that they were pretty much in cohoots with the mainstream Republican party, and that their neoliberal asses were keeping things in check, barely, but in check. When Hunt and Erskine look like leftists compared to these folks, you know we're in trouble.

[littlemissmartypants]

4. And the fact that

McCrory has interests in all these areas e.g., Duke Energy Smells TO HIGH HEAVEN...

[ProfessionalLeftist]

6. And the twits that voted for this stooge didn't know that? How stupid are they?

Now along with them, we all get royally screwed.

[littlemissmartypants]

5. Pat McCrooked

#!