Life on the D List

I know...odd title.  You're thinking, "You're not Kathy Griffin!"  No, I'm not...but we've got at least one thing in common.  The D List.  For Kathy, the D list refers to her non-A-list status in Hollywood.  For Elic...it's all about politics, philosophy of life, and how I function in the arena of politics.  And after today, my Democratic-ness is enshrined in cement. 

Earlier today, the NC General Assembly took (what is at least) an unethical step in their efforts to punish my employer, and my longtime professional association, the North Carolina Association of Educators, for having the audacity to have a voice in the inner workings of our State government.  The Republican leadership chose to exact revenge for the Association's efforts to educate our members regarding what Democratic House members were planning to do in regards to voting for or against the State budget last spring.  Well, two of them - Reps. Brisson and Crawford - came back to the trough for some more Republican 'hay' last night.  They horsetrading their votes for some unknown payoff (like chairmanships, etc.) and throwing the members of NCAE that have worked to get them elected under the bus.  The House voted last night to ban any form of payroll deduction for members of NCAE.

Why is this a big deal?  NCAE was singled out.  No other form of payroll deduction - from other professional organizations to the United Way and health benefits - were banned.  The lead sponsor of this bill - a Republican NCAE has worked against because he NEVER supports public education - specifically said that he chose NCAE because he knew he could get it through.

Also, there is a raging amount of misinformation about the Association floating around.  NCAE is a voluntary organization.  It is not mandatory to join, nor is it mandatory to pay dues.  North Carolina is a right-to-work state, which prevents anyone from collective bargaining, which in turn prevents any forceful deduction of dues for anyone.  NCAE does many functions of a traditional educator's union; however, we do not bargain contracts.  We do a good deal of lobbying for our members, specifically with regards to salary and benefits.  Don't get me started on why.  NCAE also actually is a non-profit, non-partisan organization.  We're as hard on Democrats as we are Republicans...and independents.

Which brings us back to the D List.  I've been a Democrat since birth, just about.  I have voted for Republicans before.  In high school, I even cast my 'vote' in the mock-Presidential election of 1992 for Ross Perot, much though I hold the Clintons in such high reverence as political heroes.  But since the moment I could form an opinion, I've been a Democrat. 

I'm a liberal.  I'm not ashamed of it.  I have some rather not-quite-liberal opinions.  For instance, I believe wholeheartedly that if you break in my house, I should have the right to blow your head off and ask questions later.  I believe in the death penalty.  Having had the experience of losing two family members to murder, I have a personal experience which informs my opinion. 

I'm very proud to be a Democrat.  I'm also proud to support Democrats.  This year is going to be a long one.  It's going to be a long, long season of political ads and rhetoric.  As time goes by, I hope we all take the time to discern between the facts and the rhetoric.  While one may not agree with everything the previous General Assembly leadership did, they never took major steps to completely destroy public education.  It's time to put North Carolina back on track.  The vacaton was nice, but it's time to put North Carolinians first again.  Get ready to Rock the Vote in 2012!