Fix it
Published May 6, 2016
By Tom Campbell
By Tom Campbell, Executive Producer and Moderator, NC SPIN, May 6, 2016.
The raging debate over House Bill 2 won’t end and has become a political football, only this is a not a game. Regardless of who started the fight or is continuing it, the plain and simple truth is that HB2 is damaging North Carolina.
What kind of state have we become when partisan pandering, incivility and political agendas are more important than the welfare of our state and its people?
There is ample evidence that Mayor Roberts knew in advance the Pandora’s box she was opening with the bathroom provision of Charlotte’s anti-discrimination ordinance. Governor McCrory, political consultants and even other City Council members recognized the potential for fallout and advised against the provision. We’ve said before Charlotte baited the legislature and they took the bait hook, line and sinker, using a sledgehammer in their response. Lawmakers were also warned before they voted.
Regardless of your where you stand on Transgendered people, civil rights or discrimination you cannot deny our state has suffered. On Wednesday the U.S. Justice Department notified the state that at least part of HB2 violates Title IX of the Civil Rights Act regarding discrimination in education. Justice also said it violates Title VII dealing with the rights of state employees.
Regardless, North Carolina has gotten a black eye, not just within the country, but internationally. Special interest groups, many of whom aren’t even located in our state, continue to heap wood on the blazing fire. Elected officials at both state and local levels, people we selected to do all the people’s business, seem more interested in their agendas and those of special interests than in North Carolina’s welfare. It is a needless and unnecessary distraction at a time when we need to be discussing important issues.
It’s time to stop this madness, call a cease-fire and disarm. Someone is going to have to broker a way for everyone to save face through an alternative pathway. Part of the deal must include an agreement from those on all sides to dial back the rhetoric and call off the dogs so some solution can be reached. Our legislature must admit they were wrong and repeal HB2, something that won’t be easy for them to do, and Charlotte needs to be party to any brokered agreement. Finally, the media could help by showing more restraint in their coverage.
It is clear that North Carolina needs some honest dialogue about civil rights and discrimination, but that will never occur until calmer heads can rationally approach the topic with all sides of the issue present at the table.
Too much damage has been done and there are hints that future major sporting events, film productions and big concerts might be cancelled. Economic developers say potential prospects are drying up or putting future expansion plans on hold. Factor in the costs associated with lengthy lawsuits and the potential loss of federal funding and the losses just continue to mount.
At this point it doesn’t matter who started this mess or even who is right or wrong. Now its time for us to see some real leadership and statesmanship before our state incurs further damage. Who will come forward to stop the bleeding and fix this situation?
May 6, 2016 at 9:37 am
Richard L Bunce says:
Charlotte City Council repeals it's ordinance.
The State Legislature amends HB2 in the form of a substitute.
HB2 Amendment
The powers not specifically delegated to the State Chartered Municipal Corporations by the State Legislature are reserved to the State per the State Constitution, or to the people.
May 6, 2016 at 10:35 am
Pat Kelley says:
So very well said, Tom. To your last question, I nominate two moderate former governors, Republican Gov. James Martin and Democratic Gov. James Hunt, both of whom distinguished themselves as true statesmen (and must currently be dismayed at what is happening to the great state they once so ably led). Perhaps these two men could approach the legislators behind closed doors and help "un-Jimmy" the mess our state now finds itself.
May 6, 2016 at 1:42 pm
William A. Franklin says:
Tom Campbell - HOGWASH. Charlotte simply posted something, it took a whole passel of racist, stupid, venal, crass republican legislators in seats bought for them by Art Pope to drive this into an international incident - now you want to call it even steven. What idiocy, even for you. This is a renegade legislature bought and paid for and full of ignorant, willful, vengeful mostly men, all with a a vendetta against something they cannot identify and intent on satisfying the unfortunately large evangelical mob in their lust for theocracy. I usually simply flinch at your ignorance and partisanship, but you have gone the entire route now. This is not a government, it is ESPN, some type of moronic sporting event, and you are playing in it. Now, these craven bastards are trying to blame Charlotte for their own flaming stupidity and partisan crap. Good god man, grow up!
May 6, 2016 at 4:10 pm
Richard L Bunce says:
Here is some reading for you...
"How North Carolina Municipalities Work
North Carolina municipalities - cities, towns and villages - operate under charters granted by the General Assembly and have powers and authorities granted to them by state statutes and the state constitution. In this state, municipalities do not have home rule, which means that the state legislature must grant the powers and authority to municipalities and authorize them to perform certain functions."
https://www.nclm.org/resource-center/Pages/How-Municipalities-Work.aspx
The only way someone gets into the State Legislature is to win an election of the people of their Senate or House district. All else is just an excuse for why everyone else does not agree with you.
May 7, 2016 at 7:57 am
Ricky Evans says:
At some point, Mr. Campbell, someone must take a stand. I am aware that in your world, "go along to get along" is the golden rule. So you are advocating allowance of men in women's restrooms and abdicating our right to run our own state? Turn the right to run our state completely over to outside liberal agenda driven hate groups? This issue is a "raging fire" only in your world, my friend. Okay, so a few "has been" socialist musicians cancelled their concert. Fine. Other corporations have barked a lot, but eventually it will blow over. Some corporations - Target comes to mind, are finding out the hard way that they need us as customers more than we need Target as a supplier. Private sector companies need to stay out of politics and social agendas. Al Sharpton once convinced the company Carbonite, to withdraw advertising from The Rush Limbaugh Show. Carbonite almost went bankrupt from the backlash from customers who were largely conservative businesspeople. Carbonite had to learn the hard way that people don't back up stolen laptops LOL!
May 10, 2016 at 3:27 pm
Al Ward says:
I agree with Tom Campbell. HB-2 should be repealed...maybe a good compromise would be Charlotte repealing their ordinance as well and we stop trying to legislate morality. We all moralize and want others to embrace our ideas, but I think most can see that just ain't going to work well in a diverse society (and it's our diversity that makes us strong).
May 12, 2016 at 10:15 am
Richard L Bunce says:
So the restroom owner can put whatever signs on their restrooms they want? Sounds good to me.
May 17, 2016 at 1:10 pm
PAUL Brumley says:
If you want to find out what is right or wrong with a regulation or law, just ask the people that it affects, like your wife or daughter and your son and find out if they want pedophiles and sex offenders in the bathroom with them. HB2 was an attempt to make a statement of decency for North Carolina but far too many "politically correct" people and morally weak people are in our government today and would allow the insanity to work it's way into our state, corrupting our system and putting our children and wives at risk. If you want to live in such debauchery you should move to a morally corrupt state and pray that your wife and children are not raped and murdered by some pervert that has been given the right to invade their privacy and choose a victim.
Are you people getting in bed with the queers and perverts on this ???
