Legislators returning to Raleigh for the short-session got an earful from dozens of constituents angry about the direction the state is headed. Armed with pots and spoons, they hammered out their frustration over cuts to education and health care, the state’s stubbornly high unemployment rate, fracking, and last week’s passage of a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage and civil unions.
“I think it’s a noise born of frustration, because we think this legislature has turned a deaf ear to citizens concerns for far too long,” said MaryBe McMillan, Secretary-Treasurer of the NC State AFL-CIO.
To hear more from Wednesday’s demonstrators, click below:
Frank Burns
May 16, 2012 at 8:50 pm
While I did not support the amendment to the NC constitution, I’m pleased with the direction the state is moving to more fiscal responsibility, and primed for economic growth. Fracking is promising technology that we need to proceed to help our state grow. Sometimes it seems opponents of progress, like those beating the pots and pans want us to stop growing and make everybody dependant on the state. The above naysayers are trying to drag us all down to a 3rd world nation.
There is nothing positive that I can say about Labor Unions. They are a blight to our country and are no longer necessary. They foster inefficiency, sloth and waste.
I remain very optimistic of our future in NC.
John Bonitz
May 16, 2012 at 11:02 pm
The only thing promising about fracking technology is the promise that it will consume massive amounts of fresh water, make it polluted, and likely contaminate our groundwater.
Investing in renewable energy and efficiency instead would keep more of our money here, in-state. We spend about $9 billion per year on fossil energy here in North Carolina, with those dollars leaving our state, never to return. This is bleeding our state economy, weakening us, and preventing real economic development. Every dollar spent on efficiency or renewables helps stanch the bleeding. Every dollar spent on renewable biomass, for example, recirculates here in North Carolina about four or five times, creating real and lasting benefits. For more evidence of the empirical economic benefits of renewables and efficiency, check out this report: http://www.lacapra.com/spotlights_ncepc.php
Frank Burns
May 17, 2012 at 8:44 am
I would like to see renewable energy become cost effective, currently they are not and depend upon large public subsidies and don’t work when there is no sun or wind. Biomass is promising technology if they don’t use food products to compete with food prices. In the meantime we need to proceed with fracking until something better comes along. Technologies need to consider cost to consumers and to the public.
localyokel
May 17, 2012 at 3:47 pm
Yes those pesky Unions with their 40 hr. week and no child labor are just a blight right Frank? As a citizen of this state since birth I just keep reminding people we go can forward or we can let conservatives drag us back to the 19th century.
Frank Burns
May 17, 2012 at 4:33 pm
Localyokel, To the contrary, unions are an anachronism of the 19th century and have no useful purpose anymore. They promote waste, higher costs and fraud with their leadership. At one time they were useful, those times are passed. It’s time to move forward.
Lawmakers return to Raleigh and an unforgettable protest | North Carolina's Union Movement
May 18, 2012 at 4:04 pm
[…] [FAVORITE] ‘Pots & Spoons’ protest loudly greet returning NC lawmakers (video), The Progressive Pulse http://pulse.ncpolicywatch.org/2012/05/16/pots-spoons-protest-loudly-greet-returning-nc-lawmakers-vi… […]