If you had dollar for every time conservative politicians promised to start “running North Carolina like a business” back when they were engineering their rise to power at the start of the decade, you’d have a lot of money — maybe enough to hire back some of the educators they’ve fired since then.
This morning, the business that comes to mind when you think about their performance is Enron: a deceptive and secretive shell game that fell apart when people finally figured out what the heck was going on. As Raleigh’s News & Observer reports:
“Several top Republican lawmakers say they likely won’t reach a budget deal by an Aug. 14 deadline – a delay that will prolong uncertainty for public schools and other agencies that depend on state funding.
Since the last fiscal year ended June 30, the state has been operating under a temporary budget that keeps government running at current spending levels.
But the House and Senate budget writers tasked with negotiating a permanent spending agreement haven’t met yet….”
