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WISDOM

If you support our national security issues, you may love and appreciate the United States of America, our Constitution with its’ freedoms, and our American flag.

If you support and practice our fiscal issues, you may value worldly possessions.

If you support and value our social issues, you may love Judeo-Christian values.

If you support and practice all these values, that is all good; an insignia of “Wisdom” . - Oscar Y. Harward

Friday, October 17, 2014

In debate, Kay Hagan says Thom Tillis cut education by $500 million


Sen. Kay Hagan’s continuous LIES on PUBLIC EDUCATION
 

Another Sen. Kay Hagan and her Democrat Party’s ‘weekly and continuous ‘LIE’ of the 2014 US Senate campaign; any Kay Hagan ‘lie’ as in many of her erroneous efforts to win her re-election.
 

“They charge that Speaker Tillis cut $500 million in education. In the year before Speaker Tillis led the House, the budget for K-12 education was $7.3 billion.  This year the budget is $8.1 billion. Fifth graders can figure that this is an increase of $800 million.  But Democrats say it is a $500 million “cut”. The Washington Post awarded this lie “two Pinocchios”.” - Rep. Paul Stam, Apex, NC
 

Oscar Y. Harward


Hagan
Says Thom Tillis "has cut $500 million from public education."
Kay Hagan on Tuesday, October 7th, 2014 in a debate
 
 
 
In debate, Kay Hagan says Thom Tillis cut education by $500 million
 
http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2014/oct/07/kay-hagan/debate-kay-hagan-says-thom-tillis-cut-education-50/ 
 
 
North Carolina Sen. Kay Hagan debated her Republican challenger, Thom Tillis, on Oct. 7, 2014.
Education spending was a point of contention in the North Carolina Senate debate on October 7, when Sen. Kay Hagan repeated a popular Democratic talking point that Thom Tillis and state House Republicans are responsible for cuts to school funding.

Sen. Hagan said Tillis "has cut $500 million from public education and, you know what that means folks? That means fewer teachers in the classroom. That means larger classroom sizes and that means outdated textbooks if there’s any textbooks at all."

Back in June we checked the same claim from a television ad sponsored by Women Vote, an arm of EMILY's List, a political action committee that supports Democratic women who are in favor of abortion rights.

Where did the cuts come from?

When we looked at North Carolina's education budget year to year, it has increased every year since Tillis became speaker in 2011. According to a document prepared by the General Assembly, the state education budget was $10.8 billion in the 2010-11 fiscal year and $11.5 billion for 2014-15. (These numbers are adjusted for inflation and include both K-12 and higher education spending.)

Additionally, state expenditure per pupil for K-12 has increased since 2011 -- from $5,156 in 2011 to $5,395 in 2013.

Education spending in North Carolina comes from a combination of federal, state and local dollars. State funding accounts for more than 62 percent of expenditures.

So did Sen. Hagan and Women Vote pull that $500 million cut out of thin air? No, but it's complicated.

Each year, the North Carolina Office of State Budget and Management creates a continuation budget, which is a tool that outlines how much should be spent to maintain the current service level, without cutting or adding services. The projection might be larger or smaller than previous years because it takes into account factors such as inflation, population growth and operating new facilities.

 Lawmakers are not obliged to match the continuation budget.

For the 2013-15 budget, the state budget office proposed a continuation budget of about $23.6 billion for those two years to maintain the status quo across K-12 and higher education. The budget that state lawmakers passed came up to about $23.1 billion. In total, lawmakers allocated $481 million less than the the continuation budget suggested. (EMILY's List pointed us to this when we asked about the ad back in June.)

That shortfall ended up dividing the political parties in North Carolina: Last year, Tillis took to the floor to push lawmakers to pass the budget, while Democrats bashed the bill primarily because they believed the education allocations weren't adequate. The bill passed 65-53 in the House and 32-17 in the Senate, with no Democratic votes in favor.

It’s important to note that the Legislature’s choosing to fund at levels lower than the continuation budget is not a literal budget cut. In raw dollars, the state is spending more money than in previous years.

However, Tillis’ critics say it has the same effect as a cut.

"If you’re not doing what it takes to maintain the status quo, it’s a cut," said Hagan spokeswoman Sadie Weiner.

Some other critics of Tillis’ education record have noted that state funding for K-12 education in North Carolina is about $500 million less than pre-recession levels. In the 2013-14 school year, public school spending was about $7.9 billion. In 2008-2009, it was $8.4, when adjusted for inflation.
The budget affecting the 2014-15 school year eliminated 5,200 teachers, 3,800 teacher assistants and about $115 million for textbooks and instructional supplies, among other services, Philip Price, CFO for the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, told us in June. It also increases student-teacher ratios.

The budget added a small number of new programs, but the vast majority of state education spending growth over the years comes down to rising healthcare and retirement costs.

"That doesn’t help the students," Price said. "It doesn’t mean you get more teachers. It doesn’t change what is available to that classroom."

Reductions in federal and local education spending -- as well as funding shifts due to rising charter school popularity -- could also be a major reason why schools feel as if their funds have shrunk, despite a steadily increasing state budget, said Terry Stoops, director of research and education policy at the John Locke Foundation, a North Carolina think tank that promotes limited government. He added that between 2010 and 2013, federal funding to North Carolina schools dropped by $337.6 million.

But when the federal government stopped giving North Carolina schools stimulus funding, the state did not pick up the slack, Price said.

The state's shrinking spending on classroom services is part of a trend that has been going on since the recession -- back to when Democrats controlled the General Assembly -- and can't be solely blamed on one speaker of the house, he added.

Our ruling

Sen. Hagan’s statement attacking Tillis said he "has cut $500 million from public education."

Literally, the statement is wrong. As North Carolina's Speaker of the House, Tillis helped pass a budget in 2013 that increased actual spending on education in comparison to previous years.

But the budget spent almost $500 million less than what was requested to maintain the status quo, accounting for inflation and increased costs of various services. Additionally, the actual budget increase had a lot to do with rising costs of employee benefits, and not a lot to do with money that ends up in the classroom.

We rate this claim Half True.

Monday, October 13, 2014

NC Judicial Elections may save our freedoms and values


October 13, 2014

 

By Oscar Y. Harward
 
 

ONE-STOP, EARLY VOTING BEGINS OCTOBER 23 IN NORTH CAROLINA.  

 

The November 4, 2014 North Carolina GENERAL ELECTION offers multiple ‘STATEWIDE’ candidates for 4 seats on the SUPREME COURT and 4 seats on the COURT OF APPEALS. 

 

This presentation is to assist in making well-informed decisions in the Judicial Elections with many, otherwise, unknown candidates, their supporters, their histories with political appointments, their values, etc.  Like all aspirants for (re)election, Judicial candidates also apply their own political findings.

 

After some concerted research on the list of ALL candidates, PLEASE evaluate and consider these studied recommendations.

 

These proposed choices enrich your choices in VOTING FOR EXCEPTIONAL Conservative men and women who are FULLY QUALIIED to serve in our STATEWIDE NC Courts.  I PROPOSE!  YOU DECIDE!

 

NC SUPREME COURT CHIEF JUSTICE (PARKER) (PARKER SEAT) - Mark Martin

 

NC SUPREME COURT ASSOCIATE JUSTICE (MARTIN) (MARTIN SEAT) - Bob Hunter

 

NC SUPREME COURT ASSOCIATE JUSTICE (HUDSON) (HUDSON SEAT) - Eric Levinson

 

NC SUPREME COURT ASSOCIATE JUSTICE (BEASLEY) (BEASLEY SEAT) - Mike Robinson

 

NC COURT OF APPEALS JUDGE (MARTIN) (MARTIN SEAT) – 19 candidates are seeking this office for 1 seat.  May I propose you to  VOTE FOR either 1 of these 2 candidates: Tricia Shields OR Hunter Murphy

 

NC COURT OF APPEALS JUDGE (HUNTER) (HUNTER SEAT) - Lucy Inman

 

NC COURT OF APPEALS JUDGE (STROUD) (STROUD SEAT) - Donna Stroud

 

NC COURT OF APPEALS JUDGE (DAVIS) (DAVIS SEAT) - Paul Holcombe

 

Thank you!

 

Tuesday, October 7, 2014

For the 2014 North Carolina’s US Senate Elections, Thom Tillis wins BIGTIME on October 7, 2014



 

This evening, October 7, 2014 Democrat Party nominee, Senator Kay Hagan had a North Carolina statewide TV debate with NC Speaker of the House and Republican Party nominee, Thom Tillis.  The debate was moderated by ABC’s George Stephanopoulos.

 

On this evening, Republican Party nominee Thom Tillis politically ATE HAGAN ALIVE; a night she will sadly remember.  All of Tillis’s remarks were to the point and very definitive.  Kay Hagan tried to doubt the TV viewers off by saying Tillis was not answering the questions, when in fact, it was the opposite.

 

ON this evening, Thom Tillis had a GREAT evening while Kay Hagan had a VERY BAD evening.