Berger Calls for Special Prosecutor to Investigate Corruption
Attorney General Cooper Mum on Possible Easley Campaign Violations

RALEIGH, N.C. – Senate Republican Leader Phil Berger (R-Rockingham) Thursday called for the appointment of a special prosecutor to investigate issues surrounding former Democratic Gov. Mike Easley and his associates in connection with reports of possible violations of campaign laws and ethics rules.

According to a recent series in the News & Observer, former Gov. Easley took at least 25 flights on private jets with some in apparent violation of state campaign contribution limits.

It appears that many of the individuals who provided the flights were rewarded with plum appointments to powerful state boards.  For example, the News & Observer highlighted Gov. Easley’s close relationship with a N.C. State Trustee (appointed twice by Easley) who provided free flights, supported Mary Easley’s $170,000 job at N.C. State and helped Gov. Easley obtain an extraordinarily good deal on a piece of coastal property.  The newspaper also recently uncovered that members of the Easley family were provided personal use vehicles at no charge by car dealers supportive of the former Governor.

“The silence from North Carolina’s chief law enforcement officer, Attorney General Roy Cooper, regarding these serious allegations is deafening,” said Berger.  “But we should not be surprised since most of those under scrutiny are Democrats and he will not risk offending them while seeking their support for a possible U.S. Senate campaign.  For these reasons, we need an independent special prosecutor, free from political pressures, free from conflicts of interest and free to investigate these improprieties and allegations of corruption wherever they might lead.”

RALEIGH, N.C. –Senate Republican Leader Phil Berger (R-Rockingham) said Thursday the tax and spend policies of state and national Democrats are largely responsible for North Carolina’s ballooning unemployment rate and other economic troubles.

On Wednesday, the North Carolina Employment Security Commission disclosed that the state’s unemployment rate spiked to 11.3 percent in February.  According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the state now has the fourth highest employment rate in the United States and leads the nation in unemployment growth.  When Democrats assumed control of the U.S. Congress in January 2007, North Carolina’s unemployment rate was just 4.5 percent.

According to Berger, Democrats in control of both houses in the North Carolina General Assembly and the Governor’s mansion have adopted state budgets that raised taxes and increased general fund spending by almost 50 percent.  During the same six years, Democrats also approved borrowing that more than doubled the state’s debt.

“The citizens of our state know that North Carolina’s economy is in trouble.  Much of that trouble is a direct result of spending decisions and tax increases by our state’s Democratic leaders,” said Berger.  “Democrats loved to claim credit when our state’s economic picture was bright.  By the same token, they should be held accountable, rather than applauded, when the economy suffers because of their failed policies.”

RALEIGH, N.C. – Leadership of the N.C. House and Senate are relatively unknown to North Carolina voters, according to a new poll released Monday by the Civitas Institute.

The 600 person live-caller poll of voters in North Carolina asked respondents if they had a favorable, unfavorable or no opinion of Marc Basnight, Tony Rand, Phil Berger, Joe Hackney and Paul Stam.

Senate President Pro-Tempore Marc Basnight had the highest name identification of the five tested, with 12 percent of voters having a favorable opinion and seven percent having an unfavorable opinion. Of the voters who responded, 81 percent of them said they either had no opinion of Basnight or were not aware of him. Senate Majority Leader Tony Rand had the second highest name identification with eight percent favorable, five percent unfavorable and 87 percent having no opinion or not aware.

Speaker of the House Joe Hackney was known by 12 percent of voters (nine percent favorable, three percent unfavorable) and 88 percent of voters were either not aware or had no opinion.

“Outside the world of government and inside the Raleigh Beltline, voters of North Carolina know very little about the people who run government,” said Francis De Luca, executive director of the Civitas Institute. “With only half of voters knowing which party is in charge of the General Assembly, it is not surprising that so few actually know the leadership.”

Republican leaders of the N.C. House and Senate faired equally poorly. House Republican leader Paul Stam was known by just nine percent of voters (six percent favorable, three percent unfavorable). While his counterpart in the Senate, Republican leader Phil Berger was known by 11 percent of voters (eight percent favorable, three percent unfavorable).

“The fact that the Republican leadership is similarly unknown shows that very few people are paying attention to government in Raleigh. Whether that is because of lack of interest or lack of coverage by the news media is up for debate,” added De Luca. “At a time when media companies are paring back reporting, these numbers suggest that there actually needs to be more coverage of North Carolina government, not less.”

Full text of questions:

“I am now going to read you a list of names. After I read each name, please tell me if you have heard of that person, and then if you have, please tell me if you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion of that person.”

Opinion of Marc Basnight:

Very Favorable – 4%

Somewhat Favorable – 8%

Somewhat Unfavorable – 4%

Very Unfavorable – 3%

No Opinion – 18%

Not Aware – 63%

Opinion of Tony Rand:

Very Favorable – 3%

Somewhat Favorable – 5%

Somewhat Unfavorable – 3%

Very Unfavorable – 2%

No Opinion – 23%

Not Aware – 64%

Opinion of Phil Berger:

Very Favorable – 1%

Somewhat Favorable – 6%

Somewhat Unfavorable – 2%

Very Unfavorable – 1%

No Opinion – 22%

Not Aware – 68%

Opinion of Joe Hackney:

Very Favorable – 2%

Somewhat Favorable – 6%

Somewhat Unfavorable – 1%

Very Unfavorable – 2%

No Opinion – 21%

Not Aware – 67%

Opinion of Paul Stam:

Very Favorable – 2%

Somewhat Favorable – 4%

Somewhat Unfavorable – 2%

Very Unfavorable – 1%

No Opinion – 16%

Not Aware – 75%

The Civitas Poll is the only monthly live-caller poll of critical issues and policies facing North Carolina. The study of 600 registered voters was conducted March 16 to 19, 2009. All respondents were part of a fully representative sample of registered voters in North Carolina. For purposes of this study, voters we interviewed had to have voted in either the 2004, 2006 or 2008 general elections or were newly registered voters since 2008.

The confidence interval associated with a sample of this size is such that: 95 percent of the time, results from 600 interviews (registered voters) will be within +-4% of the “True Values.”  True Values refer to the results obtained if it were possible to interview every person in North Carolina who had voted in either the 2004, 2006 or 2008 general elections or were newly registered voters since 2008.

BY Kerry Hall
NBC17

RALEIGH, N.C. — Republican leaders are calling for North Carolina to reign in government spending.

In a press conference Thursday, they said Gov. Beverly Perdue has failed to make necessary and tough choices in her budget proposal.

“I came into session last week expecting to see a budget that called for sacrifice on the part of government,” said Rep. Paul Stam, of Wake County. “Instead what we have in the budget are some phantom cuts.”

Republicans claim that if Perdue had incorporated some of their ideas for savings, proposed tax increases on tobacco and alcohol would be unnecessary.

“A recession is not the time to be raising taxes,” said Sen. Phil Berger, of Rockingham.

“The people of North Carolina are themselves having to deal with the reality of the economic slowdown,” said Berger. “This budget proposal does not deal with the reality in a way that is productive and in a way that’s going to bring North Carolina out of the recession.”

They also fear the Governor’s budget will lead to more job losses, particularly in the Triad area and in the tobacco industry.

In a release from the Republican Caucus Tuesday, leaders explained a proposal that would bridge the gap in private school funding in the years between preschool and college.

The bill is in draft form and not yet ready for introduction.

From their press release:
About 200,000 North Carolinians receive their education at private institutions. In most cases they pay twice – taxes and tuition. North Carolina already has private school choice – at the preschool level and the college level. 

The Smart Start Initiative backs a wide variety of purchases for private services, not just for children of low-income families.  An analysis done by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation1, listed on the Partnership’s website as the chief private donor to Smart Start show that most states use vouchers as part of their standard policy.  This statewide non-profit has received $2,280.2 Billion2 in funding from the taxpayers.

At the college level, the State has provided private education vouchers in the form of Legislative Tuition Grants3 for more than 35 years.  For every North Carolina student who attends an in-state private institution, the taxpayers spend $1,950, compared to spending $12,282 to send that same student to the University of North Carolina. (In addition the state provides financial aid for private colleges to fund scholarships.)

Rep. Paul Stam (R-Wake), along with Reps. Danny McComas (R-New Hanover), Ric Killian (R-Mecklenburg) and Jeff Barnhart (R-Cabarrus) have filed HB 335 – Tax Fairness in Education – to provide a $2,500/year credit for K-12 private education.  This would save the state $13 million to $35 million per year and save local governments $9 million to $25 million per year.

A proposal will also be introduced by Reps. Paul Stam, Laura Wiley (R-Guilford) and Shirley Randleman (R-Wilkes) to give tax credit to parents of children with special needs.  Fiscal Research projects yearly savings are between $1 million and $6 million for the state and $1 million to $5 million for counties.  The proposal provides that any savings would be returned to the public schools after the first year’s implementation costs of $2-8 million.  For each proposal there is a small first year cost because of the way we calculate ADM funding.

“We are being called to sacrifice.  I can not see why saving money while providing more educational choices for our students is not worth a try,” said Rep. Paul Stam.

RALEIGH, N.C. — North Carolina Senate and House Republicans will host a press conference Tuesday, March 3, 2009, in the legislative press conference room at 9:30 a.m. 

At Tuesday’s press conference, Senate Republican Leader Phil Berger (R-Rockingham) and House Republican Leader Paul Stam (R-Wake) will discuss a bill that would save hundreds of millions of dollars on ineligible Medicaid claims.

North Carolina Senate and House Republicans will host a press conference Tuesday in the legislative press conference room at 9:30 a.m.

At Tuesday’s press conference, Senate Republican Leader Phil Berger (R-Rockingham) and House Republican Leader Paul Stam (R-Wake) will outline legislation and initiatives to help reform the state’s struggling probation system.

GREENSBORO, N.C.  – Senate Minority Leader Phil Berger has been elected by his Republican colleagues to the post for another two years.

The Rockingham County attorney fended off two challengers to keep the job during a Senate caucus meeting Sunday in Greensboro. House Republicans also re-elected Rep. Paul Stam of Wake County to a second term as their leader.

Berger was first elected to the job beginning in late 2004. Sens. Bob Rucho of Mecklenburg County and Pete Brunstetter of Forsyth County also ran for minority leader.

Caucus meetings are private and Berger declined to release any vote totals. Stam was re-elected by acclamation.

The GOP will have 20 of the 50 seats in the Senate when the Legislature reconvenes in January. The House has 52 of the 120 seats.

RALEIGH, N.C. – Senate Republican Leader Phil Berger (R-Rockingham), members of the Republican Senate Caucus, and Republican Senate candidates from across North Carolina Wednesday endorsed a legislative agenda, A New Direction for North Carolina, at a press conference held in front of the State Legislative Building in Raleigh. 

Republicans offered the agenda as the outline of a legislative program a Republican majority in the North Carolina Senate will bring to the floor for up or down votes during the 2009 Legislative Session. 

All 50 seats in the North Carolina Senate are on the ballot in the Nov. 4 General Election.  Although some seats are not contested, there are enough competitive races for the partisan makeup of the 2009-10 Senate to be determined by the election results.   

According to the GOP’s press release:

The Republican Agenda emphasizes a new course and a new direction for state government including addressing North Carolina’s highest in the southeast income tax rates, eliminating budget earmarks, balancing the state budget without tax hikes, and increased transparency in state fiscal matters.  Several items reflect initiatives Republicans have introduced in past legislative sessions that Senate Democrats have refused to bring up for a vote; those include measures to resume enforcement of North Carolina’s death penalty for pre-meditated first degree murder, medical malpractice reform, and protection of private property from condemnation for economic development.  There are also new measures proposed to allow for natural gas and oil exploration on North Carolina’s Outer Continental Shelf, detailed disclosure of all state spending and contracts on the state’s internet website, Senate Rules requiring open committee meetings, and additional internal auditors in state departments to help control state spending.

Senate Republican Leader Phil Berger made the following statement:

“With Election Day less than three weeks away, it is important for the people of North Carolina to know what a Republican majority in the North Carolina Senate will mean to them and to our state.  Every election season should include discussion and debate about public policy, consideration of competing ideas, clear and understandable statements of principles, and outlines of proposed legislation.  This agenda, once implemented, will provide a new direction for North Carolina and a change from current Democrat policies.  The people of North Carolina are frustrated with the scandals and corruption, which have been all too prevalent in North Carolina’s Democrat-dominated state government.  They have tired of Democrats’ oft-repeated election-year promises and assurances that spending more money will cure the serious deficiencies in North Carolina’s K-12 public education system. And they do not understand how a state with a proud history of ‘good roads’ finds itself with both the highest gas tax in the southeast and the worst road congestion in the cities making up its commercial core.  North Carolinians are ready for a change in leadership, they are ready for a slate of legislative candidates eager to address public policy issues with fresh, new ideas, and they are prepared to face the future with confidence that a new direction will return North Carolina to its rightful place of leadership in the southeast and the nation.”