McCrory says feds should have acted on unemployment

[WorseBeforeBetter]

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Earlier this year, North Carolina changed the duration and generosity of state benefits. That, in turn, triggered federal provisions that ended federally funded long-term unemployment benefits, which up until July 1 provided help for those out of work longer than 26 weeks.

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"The debt we owe the federal government, last I checked, has not been forgiven by the administration in Washington. Nor has the waiver been accepted that we requested many months ago," McCrory said. "The waiver was not accepted by the Obama administration and, had it been, we most likely would be extending unemployment.

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The Debt: The state of North Carolina did not, and does not, owe the debt. That money was borrowed to pay unemployment claims, but it is owed by the state's employers. Businesses pushed state lawmakers to make changes to the unemployment program because they did not like seeing their per-employee costs go up. But many employers paid little or no state unemployment insurance through the 1990s and the 2000s. That left North Carolina with a smaller reserve fund than needed when the recent recession hit. Some lawmakers have discussed issuing bonds to repay the debt, which State Treasurer Janet Cowell has discouraged specifically because North Carolina would be taking over the liability it doesn't currently owe.

Forgiveness: McCrory suggested that the Obama administration could forgive some or all of the debt accumulated to pay reinsurance claims. That prerogative actually rests with Congress, which has the power to appropriate money. McCrory spokeswoman Kim Genardo acknowledged that McCrory misspoke on this point. However, she pointed out that North Carolina's federal delegation had not acted on this matter. Earlier this year, Republican legislative leaders called on U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan, a Democrat, to prevail on her party's leaders in the Senate to grant North Carolina an exemption from the trigger law. But they did not ask her to forgive the debt.

Grandfathering: As noted, House Speaker Thom Tillis and Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger asked Hagan to help ensure North Carolina was "grandfathered" as a state that could change its unemployment program. Again, McCrory suggested that was something that the Obama administration could do. In reality, Congress grandfathered four states, but the Obama administration could not do it on its own.

http://www.wral.com/mccrory-says-feds-should-have-acted-on-unemployment/12638431/

I think my head is going to explode.

[octoberlib]

1. McCrory's response to anything bad that happens

in this state is always "Democrats". He's supposedly writing a rebuttal to the NYT's The Decline of NC piece. I already know what it will say. "Democrats ruined this state ".

[WorseBeforeBetter]

3. I think only the craziest of the crazies will believe it.

You know, the 29% that unfailingly supported W through the lies and destruction. I've been neutral on Christensen, but he nailed it with this piece:

McCrory wanted to rebrand NC; the legislature is doing it for him

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So how does the current legislature’s agenda fit into the state’s image of a modern, moderate state where a smart 21st-century executive would want to invest? Anti-gay laws? Shariah legislation? Guns in bars? Some of the worst-funded public schools and worst-paid teachers in the nation? Shrinking the once proud University of North Carolina’s budget? Harsh anti-abortion legislation? The list goes on.

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The lawmakers claim not to be concerned about the national coverage. I believe them. But they should be. They may not read or watch the national news. But guess who does? The deep pockets who decide where the jobs will go.

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Undoubtedly, someone will say, well what about Texas? That is a very conservative state, yet it attracts lots of corporations. But Texas is America’s Saudi Arabia, and unless North Carolina discovers another Permian Basin, it can not count on following the Texas model.

What kind of brand do you think these out-of-state companies are looking for? Do you think they are looking for strife-filled states with bargain basement taxes whose politics have become political three-ring circuses? Or are they looking for moderate, well-regulated states?

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http://www.newsobserver.com/2013/07/06/3013805/mccrory-wanted-to-rebrand-nc-the.html#storylink=cpy