N.C. Senator Ellie Kinnaird's Newsletter

November 6, 2011 Newsletter

Dear Friends,

Ellie Kinnaird

Greetings from the North Carolina Senate,

The redistricting maps that passed the Republican controlled General Assembly draw the new district lines for the North Carolina Legislature and Congress and were approved by the Justice Department. This in spite of the fact that African Americans are packed into a small number of districts which dilutes their voting power in other districts. The Democratic Party and several citizens’ groups as well as individuals have filed suit in state court challenging the maps on several grounds. First is the packing of African Americans, the second is the splitting of counties and precincts and the third is that communities of interest have been divided. To me, another of the grievous problems with these maps is that eleven women are thrown into a district with other incumbents, some even other women. Although some may argue that good people of either gender should be elected to public service, I believe that the different perspective that women bring to the legislature often makes a difference in the issues on which they focus and the way in which the issues are addressed, in particular the budget. This perspective is important and women, who make up the majority of the population and voters, are currently seriously under-represented in the legislature and will be even more so under the maps passed last session.

But last week, it was discovered that the maps and the text describing the precincts’ boundaries didn’t match. There were large areas where no people were assigned, which are dubbed “white spaces.” We go into session next week to pass a new bill to fill these gaps. Apparently, that error was not enough for the Justice Department to take another look at the maps.

Last week I and a room filled to capacity testified against allowing Duke Power an 18.6% rate hike for consumers. Businesses would have been hit with a 14% hike. As every speaker pointed out, we are in a recession when neither individuals nor businesses can afford such a hit.

Each week, I try to visit Occupy Chapel Hill to find out what is going on. Saturday night, I arrived too late to see the General Assembly in action. Although I support the messages, I’m a little uncomfortable with their amorphous nature. Participants clearly feel it is one of the strengths of the movement - consensus is central to what they are doing and it takes time to develop. What they all appear to agree upon so far is that the levers of power have been so captured by the economic elite, the 1%, but for the 99% the greed and corruption is destroying opportunity - the American dream that every person can achieve if they work hard and play by the rules.

What has happened? The rules have changed such that the creation of financial instruments that manufacture nothing, contribute nothing to the community, and only enrich those who are trading and brokering and buying and selling to the detriment of the 99% of the people whose dreams and means to get ahead are ignored. The final insult is that those responsible are rewarded with obscene bonuses and some of these people and companies are not even paying taxes while those who violated the law are not being charged as criminals. There is great frustration that the 99% are powerless to change the rules back to an even playing field.

This quote is from the populist orator Mary Elizabeth Lease over 100 years ago. “Wall Street owns the country…Our laws are the output of a system which clothes rascals in robes and honesty in rags. The [political] parties lie to us and the political speakers mislead us…Money rules.” It seems to be a recurring theme that money co-opts our democracy. Will those in charge listen this time around?

Paid for by Ellie Kinnaird for Senate • Campaign Address: PO Box 668, Carrboro, NC 27510 • 919-918-3432
Legislative Office Address: Room 628 LOB, 300 N. Salisbury St., Raleigh, NC 27603 •