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Ongoing NC GOP debacle thread

http://charlotte.cbslocal.com/2013/09/20/nc-families-go-hungry-as-food-assistance-delayed/

"Earlier this year, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services launched NC FAST, a $300 million computer system that was supposed to streamline the process of applying and renewing government assistance. The name is an acronym for North Carolina Families Accessing Services through Technology.

Food bank volunteers quip that the new system should instead be called “NC FASTing.”

Under federal rules, food stamp applications are supposed to be processed within 30 days. In Wake County, the state’s largest, social services officials said the average wait for benefits is now 90 days.

...


The state bought its new case management software from an Irish company now owned by IBM and then hired technology contractor Accenture to modify the system. NCFAST is now being expanded to process applications for not only food stamps, but Medicaid, welfare and aid for people with disabilities living in adult care homes.

The stakes are high. The state faces a federal deadline of Oct. 1 to have the NC FAST system implemented to determine eligibility for Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act.

Despite the widespread problems processing food stamp applications, state officials are charging ahead with plans to rely on NC FAST to begin handling all state Medicaid applications at the start of October. The state is offering additional training for staff at county agencies and is hiring more than 160 temporary employees to try to work through the backlog in processing applications."
 
KickballDeac said:
Not necessarily NC GOP but wanted to drop this here. Does BKF know any of these guys?

Randolph County board bans 'Invisible Man' from school libraries

“Invisible Man” by Ralph Ellison is banned from the shelves of Randolph County Schools libraries.By a 5-2 margin, the Randolph County Board of Education voted Monday night, at its regular meeting held at Eastern Randolph High School, to remove all copies of the book from school libraries.

The action stems from a Randleman High School parent’s complaint about the book. Committees at both the school and district levels recommended it not be removed.

...


There was little discussion after the board was presented with the Central Services Committee recommendation concerning the parent’s complaint about the book. All board members had been supplied with copies of the book last month to read.

McDonald asked if everyone had read the book, stating, “It was a hard read.”

Mason said, “I didn’t find any literary value.” He also objected to the language in the book. “I’m for not allowing it to be available.”


The board action was prompted by a complaint about the book from Kimiyutta Parson, mother of an RHS 11th-grader. She submitted a request for reconsideration of instructional media form, which detailed, in a 12-page supplemental document, her reasons for the book’s removal.

She stated, in part, “The narrator writes in the first person, emphasizing his individual experiences and his feelings about the events portrayed in his life. This novel is not so innocent; instead, this book is filthier, too much for teenagers. You must respect all religions and point of views when it comes to the parents and what they feel is age appropriate for their young children to read, without their knowledge. This book is freely in your library for them to read.”
Click to expand...

http://www.wwaytv3.com/2013/09/25/nc-school-system-lifts-ban-invisible-man

"ASHEBORO, N.C. (AP) - The Randolph County Board of Education has rescinded its ban on Ralph Ellison's "Invisible Man," returning it to local high school libraries.

The Courier-Tribune of Asheboro reports (http://bit.ly/18qbLUY) the board voted 6-1 Wednesday to reverse the ban it issued 10 days ago. The board voted 5-2 on Sept. 16 to pull the book from the library shelves.

The initial decision came in reaction to a complaint from the mother of a Randleman High School student who said the book was "too much for teenagers." The mother specifically objected to the book's language and sexual content.

"Invisible Man" is a first-person narrative by a black man who considers himself socially invisible. It was originally published in 1952."
 
NC Department of Environment sends back federal grant money for studying water quality.

News: http://www.wral.com/denr-turns-down-grant-to-help-with-water-monitoring-in-fracking-areas/12917090/

Opinion: http://www.newsobserver.com/2013/09/25/3227592/in-giving-back-epa-grants-denr.html

Hey, if we don't study the water before the polluters pollute it, we won't know whether they polluted it, and so therefore there were really no polluters at all.

remaincalm-01.jpg
 
Deacon923 said:
NC Department of Environment sends back federal grant money for studying water quality.

News: http://www.wral.com/denr-turns-down-grant-to-help-with-water-monitoring-in-fracking-areas/12917090/

Opinion: http://www.newsobserver.com/2013/09/25/3227592/in-giving-back-epa-grants-denr.html

Hey, if we don't study the water before the polluters pollute it, we won't know whether they polluted it, and so therefore there were really no polluters at all.

remaincalm-01.jpg
Click to expand...

Any chance this wasn't lobbied by the Natural Gas industry?
 
They don't even prioritize water over big business.
 
Yay monopolies.

Only Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina will offer insurance plans available statewide on the exchange. The only other company selling coverage on North Carolina's exchange is Coventry Health Care of the Carolinas. It plans to offer plans on the exchange in 39 counties, including rural ones and those that include Raleigh, Charlotte, Greensboro, Asheville and Fayetteville. Aetna acquired Coventry in May.
 
"Individuals making less than about $46,000 a year and families of four earning less than $94,000 a year would qualify for subsidies. Anyone making below the poverty line of $11,490 for an individual and $23,550 for a family of four won't be eligible for subsidies through the online marketplace. They are among 500,000 people who were supposed to be covered by an expanded Medicaid program, which North Carolina lawmakers rejected."

Slow clap. Well done McCrooked.



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it really takes a lot of....inner strength to continue to read this stuff. one of the reasons i really eschew contemporary politics is because it's fucking depressing.
 
Was the Medicaid expansion that NC turned down going to expand the number of eligible people, the number of covered services, the reimbursement amount of the already covered services, or some combination of the three?
 
I saw in my local paper today that the new elections law will cost my small, rural county around $170,000.
 
WFFaithful said:
Duke Energy rate increase:

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2013/09/25/4341767/ag-cooper-to-appeal-duke-rate.html#.UkTfpzasiSo
Click to expand...

monopolies are bad.

I'm not sure how they calculate that 10.2%. 10.2% does seem pretty high for a state-regulated monopoly. The fact that you are insulated from competition by the state should mean that you have to accept profit margins that are in line with other low-risk investments. Right now, I'm getting about a 3% return on my "safe" investments (or less). It's not an apples to apples comparison and I'm no expert on utilities law, just kind of my knee jerk internal analysis.
 
bmoneydeac said:
Was the Medicaid expansion that NC turned down going to expand the number of eligible people, the number of covered services, the reimbursement amount of the already covered services, or some combination of the three?
Click to expand...

mainly I believe it would expand number of eligible people by raising income thresholds.
 
In the interest of keeping this thread "fair and balanced" :) - I thought this letter to the editor was pretty good today.

Chuck Winfree
I read with interest former Secretary of Cultural Resources Linda Carlisle’s complaint (letter, Aug. 24) about the governor’s selecting “two young men” to high-level positions in his administration. I hesitate to dwell on her unique position to comment on ethical matters in light of her raising $500,000 for Mike Easley, our only felonious governor.
She is no doubt concerned about these young men’s salary in light their limited governmental experience. I assume that because her salary under the Perdue administration was $117,000, she is concerned that $85,000 is too little to pay a political hack. Or perhaps she thinks such salaries should only be awarded to big contributors like her.

Regarding her experience before her appointment to high office, she is to be commended for her ability to raise tremendous sums for Easley, Beverly Perdue and the Democratic Party. Did that make her more qualified than the career employees within the Department of Cultural Resources to serve as secretary?
I agree that we should not use the ethical standards of the Easley and Perdue campaigns and administrations to judge the current administration. However, we should allow Gov. McCrory, like previous governors, leeway to appoint those in whom he has confidence, understanding that he is responsible for the results.
Chuck Winfree
Greensboro
 
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