North Carolina Social Justice Project | NCSJP

Committee Worry

A few weeks ago, a curious thing appeared on the NCGA website: a House Select Committee with the name “Select Committee on the State’s Role in Immigration Policy” appeared. Along with it, a least a dozen other committees, which do not have a sibling in the Senate, also appeared. All of this raises more than ...

One Stupid Idea Deserves Another

In our country, right now, 24 million people can’t find a full-time job, 50 million people in this country who can’t see a doctor when they’re sick, 47 million people need government help feed themselves, and 15 million families who owe more on their mortgage than the value of their home. Clearly, our economy needs ...

Reflexive

If someones punches you in the arm, you yell “Owtch!” You don’t know why you react that way – it’s just your natural, innate reaction to the situation. In fact, it’s your autonomic nervous system implementing what your DNA has programed it to do over thousands and thousands of years. Simply put, it’s your instinct. ...

The Right Guy

You may have noticed that many of the Occupy protestors are wearing Guy Fawkes masks. Why? It’s a curious intersection of pop-culture, sixteenth-century history, and modern politics. Guy Fawkes was an Englishman who conspired to blow-up the British parliament in November of 1605, believing it was his duty to restore the government to Catholic control. ...

It’s Called Public for a Reason

It’s strange what people are paying attention to these days. While most are still breathless with anticipation at the next detail of the Kardashian wedding, schools are failing, roads are crumbling, and people are being needlessly deported. While thousands are occupying cities all of the country calling for economic justice, unemployment continues to soar and ...

Bad ‘Bama

Alabama is squarely in the top five, and I’m not talking BCS rankings. No, as much as I enjoy the Crimson Tide, the State of Alabama is now ground zero for awful conservative legislation. Not only are they surpassing Arizona for extreme anti-immigrant legislation, but they are now attempting to execute their own citizens. If ...

Hanging Chads

Let’s play a game. Pretend you’re a conservative, bigoted, Southern legislator looking to balance the budget on the backs of the poor. Your options are a) institute a new tax, b) cut pork out of the budget, or c) require recipients of TANIF to submit to drug tests, on the assumption you could weed-out thousands ...

Stubborn Facts

As Mark Twain was quoted as saying, “Rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated.” So too have rumor of the death of the Affordable Care Act, or the ACA. For those unaware (and don’t feel bad.. there are lots of people who have no idea) what the ACA is and does, it is the ...

Maths of War

When a President proposes a sweeping, highly progressive new tax plan to a deeply divided conservative Congress smack in the middle of a presidential campaign season, it is pretty clear that he doesn’t actually think he can get it passed. It is a converstaion starter. Or an opening shot for further negotiations. Or, more directly, ...

Seasonal Adjustment

Drama! Intrigue! Politics! No, we’re not talking about the newest blockbuster movie, but rather this week in North Carolina. While we are still a few days away from the official start of Fall, we feel comfortable paraphrasing Shakespeare and saying, “Now is the Autum of our discontent.” And while King Richard was speaking about the ...