Carolina Journal Radio No. 913: Voters add three new Republicans to Council of State

From Cherokee to current tack and the largest city to the smallest town and from the statehouse into the schoolhouse Carolina Journal radio your weekly news magazine discussing North Carolina's most public policy events and issues welcome Carolina drill radio I Muskoka during the next hour, Donna Martinez and I will explore some major issues affecting our state legislative watchdog group wants to help clean up North Carolina government's finances, with the help of internal auditors to hear what North Carolina's elected state auditor thinks about that idea a public official who embezzled more than $900,000 from taxpayers fights to keep her taxpayer-funded retirement benefits you hear details of the court case tied to that fight.

You'll also learn about a group working to boost public knowledge about the U.S. Constitution and its important role.

The group is called constituting America and will take a look at how this year's elections will affect next year's operations at the North Carolina Gen. assembly sweetie of the election. Donna Martinez turns to that topic in this week's Carolina Journal headline record voter turnout and a great ground game by Republicans propelled Republicans to victory in multiple statewide races here in North Carolina and one of those victors is historic Rick Henderson is editor-in-chief of Carolina. Journal of course Carolina Journal.com as well as the print edition of the newspaper paying very close attention to what this all means Rick welcome back to the program. Thanks so much. Let's start with the historic race first Lieut. Gov. in North Carolina for the first time is an African-American and he's a Republican. That's right, Mark Robinson defeated Yvonne Lewis, Holly about those three points is as of as of the time that we recorded this and probably as of the time. To be listed as the thing about our problems is that he he he evolves Holly both African-American candidates, so this would be historic regardless, Mark Robinson, someone who's a political newcomer complete outsider who was activist to Greensboro and gun rights activists, and the like, but certainly he's slept people off there for you.

I think on the campaign trail and also the Democrats didn't really take this race very seriously until the very end. Michael Bloomberg poured a whole bunch of money into the race that he might as well lit on fire because Holly was actually running neck and neck with Robinson in the polls and one light pole from the Carolyn partnership for reform of a mosaic of the group that's affiliated with the Sen. Phil Berger and bar and Bob roster is in charge of that actually had Holly ahead if I'm not mistaken, so but is also of relatively low interest rates for voters, but it could be. I think the reason Democrats got a little bit concerned about the race. Was it that you thought that there was possibility would be a 50-50 time. The state Senate of the will to the gun racks would have to hang around and break ties. But that did materialize and Yvonne was Holly walks off and you mentioned the potential 2525 tie in the Senate which did not occur. The Republicans did very well in the general assembly and later on in the program will be talking with Becky Gray a little bit more detail about what happened with the Republican securing again their majorities in the North Carolina Gen. assembly.

Ricky mentioned the issue of money, of money, the bulk of it from Democrats around the country poured into North Carolina to try to turn this state blue and it just didn't materialize. Was it the Republicans ground game what what went on here. I think the ground game had something to be sure.

I think John Locke foundation German John Hood stated very well the call. Laurie said that Democrats did not take the issue of urban unrest, violence and rioting seriously. In fact, they didn't exactly enable your cod liver. They just did not denounce it seriously as Republicans did and I think that made some difference of the margins and it didn't take much at the margins.

If you got basically a 4545 state to begin with, but here it persuaded off a lot of voters in the middle to make a difference in all these races up and down the councils a bell very close. They were all very within the 4545 range.

So that was the that it entered into. It also. I just think that there were the Democrats sort of took for granted the fact that they had a natural advantage because polling which was terribly wrong wildly wrong and lots of ways from groups that you are from all over the map of groups that your mainstream media organizations from advocacy groups left and right. They all got things wrong, what they got largely wrong will know better when we got the results to actually dig into a look at was that Democrats agree to maintain their sort of seven or eight point lead among registered voters and that unaffiliated voters which now comprise about one third of North Carolina were going to break notes 60, 40 or even to the one Democratic and that just didn't happen that the ground game was interesting. Republicans doing very well. They actually went out and knocked on doors and make contacts at with voters, but it also appears that Pres. Trump had coattails and helped a lot of those statewide races really so the Republicans way. Yeah, that was the thing that that I think will be sort of the.

The underreported story that meant that they will made a difference in North Carolina and other states for Pres. Trump was that he the fact that he was going out and doing these round-the-clock rallies in the final week of the election and VP Biden was maintaining basically is no front porch campaign of going around to much smaller events on W PTF program that you are hosting on election night, Jonathan felt Republican consultant said the Democrats really have to be kicking themselves for not bringing the Obama's and a North Carolina campaign because Pres. Obama went to a number of states and had some extremely enthusiastic rallies in the final days and that didn't happen in North Carolina boost basically concentrated O'Connell Harris, the vice presidential nominee who is not a particularly effective proved not to be particularly effective stump speaker and so that again.

It may have made a big difference is that double trouble showing this incredible amount of energy and enthusiasm and and of course your flouting all the laws and rules regarding social distancing and massacring and the like of arousals. Hope this doesn't become a problem down the road.

Nonetheless, he drove enthusiastic crowds. I was there. I kind of treated us like all this is like a Grateful Dead Tory had the same people were falling around everywhere but it turns out that probably wasn't the case, or if it was the case.

The people who went to these rallies.

They went back to their homes and neighborhoods in their churches and they talk it up in the and they really got folks out the polls and that showed up on election day were Republicans. Generally speaking, got about 300,000 more votes than Democrats. They got about maybe 70% of those election day which was enough to carry Republicans across the line minicase and one of the Republican winners who bet and offended from the ground game and a likely from the Trump rallies is Catherine Truitt and Lucy North Carolina's next superintendent of public instruction that's that's a huge win for people who are in favor of education reform in North Carolina and breaking the monopoly of public schools that she's a big supporter of charter school. She's actually the outgoing Chancellor Western Governors University North Carolina huge proponent of charter schools.

She backs a public school choice or opportunity scholarships. She someone who's going to be probably at odds with the North Carolina Association of educators and the similar union backed groups that are heavily Democratic is going to be tenure. I think she is she someone who also has has a very very strong personality and will be forced to be reckoned with in a way that I think Mark Johnson or predecessor will not be in so that's gonna be fun to watch. Interesting. I Catherine Truitt is someone who seems to be able to get along with with everybody regardless of their political affiliation, but she will be at odds with the eyes with the returning governor Roy Cooper, the Democrat who got a second term in terms of opportunity scholarships. He does not want to continue that program for low income kids in North Carolina. Catherine Truitt does that'll be interesting. Yes, it will be the also interesting because to see what happens with the with the courts, which is another topic but nonetheless she's going to be back by the Gen. assembly which does favor opportunity scholarships and so be interesting to see if this for the universal Democratic operant opportunity scholarship opposition start to road a little bit because some African-American Democrats are showing as a way to move.

This is really a good deal for kit for kids one more race sat Commissioner of labor Republican takes in that seat. Josh Dobson wins over Jessica Holmes, former state legislator Josh Dobson is going to be somebody who will be standing in the way of attempts to road North Carolina's right to work laws and so that's again going to be. I think a big win for both employers and employees in the state Rick Henderson as editor-in-chief of Carolina Journal. Be sure to check in to Carolina journal.com also check into the print edition of Carolina Journal, which will be making its way to your mailbox soon for all of the perspective on what happened in election 2020 here in North Carolina. Thanks very much think you say with as much North Carolina journal radio to come in just a moment tired of fake names tired of reporters with political axes to grind. What you need to be reading Carolina Journal honest, uncompromising, old-school journalism, you expect and you need even better, the monthly Carolina Journal is free to subscribers sign up@carolinajournal.com you'll receive Carolina Journal newspaper in your mailbox each month.

Investigations into government spending revelations about boondoggles who the powerful leaders are and what they're doing in your name and with your money. We shine a light on it all with the stories and angles. Other outlets barely cover but there's a bonus print newspapers published monthly by our daily news site gives you the latest news each and every day lot on to Carolina. Journal.com once, twice, even three times a day won't be disappointed. It's fresh news if you'd like a heads up on the daily news sign up for daily email do that Carolina Journal.com Carolina Journal, rigorous, unrelenting, old-school journalism, we hold government accountable for you. Welcome back to Carolina journal radio why Michiko got a watchdog group within the North Carolina Gen. assembly once to help clean up government finances by giving new oversight authority to a group of internal government auditors.

That group called the Council of internal auditing doesn't want the new role one person who thinks the Council should step up its work state auditor Beth would I respectfully disagree with the stance that the Council has taken. We talk about what's in the long but many times we go back and we did the state auditor's office under Les Mary did an audit report on internal auditing functions and state North Carolina state government, universities, community colleges, and it was practically nothing being done internal audit divisions if done well across all state agencies will catch many, many things before I get there and you can wait for me in my limited staff to go around and do audit by audit by audit and tell you the phenomenal things that we have found DOT salary adjustment find and how that was handled inappropriately.

The virtual public schools on the courses that we have a lot that don't meet standards.

DOT's cash spending plan.

Again, these take months to get them done and done well and their irrefutable but it takes months and I have about 18 member 16 members that can actually do these audits. All are. You can take the 187 internal auditors. We have across this state that are costing the citizens. $18 million and we can have them in their performing the same kind of work that my auditors are doing and we will get to the inefficiencies and the wasteful spending much faster. Some critics say there's no need to step up the work of internal auditors, the heads of government departments just need to practice better leadership auditor Beth would respond an agency head has many things that they are responsible for and they don't know what they don't. And we have internal audit counsel has been publishing this report annually since I've been on the Council.

We have said in the 2019 that DOT put out 389 audit reports when I actually went back and looked at myself at DOT reports. Very few of them. If any meet the standards. The law says that these internal audits should be conducted in accordance with internal audit standards and of the 389. I would bet you my next year salary because a look at many of them, none of them meet the standards.

Yet we sent the Council has sent a report to the general assembly saying that DOT did 389 reports. Many reports about 31% of all the resources that ought to internal auditors are doing around the state are spent on consultative engagements that is allowed on the end internal auditing standards, but there are standards by which they must be conducted.

We told the Gen. assembly. How many consultative reports have been put out, but we have not told you one. Have any of them have been conducted in accordance with the standards that the statute says that they should be.

The statute says that we must report to the general assembly for anybody's audit plan that is light. None of them said we never told you that there any good. I've gone back and I looked at DOT, I've gone back and looked at DEQ and also take DEQ put out three internal audit reports and nine of the three met standards not that's state auditor Beth Wood sharing her concerns with state lawmakers about internal auditing with the North Carolina state government departments would emphasize that auditors are sharing incomplete information about their work were telling you audit plans are later not or not telling your grading good or not. I will look at DEQ and DOT.

And if you look at two years of their audit plans. Many of the land on its on the second year was exactly what I had on the first year, which means they accomplished little to nothing if we would just sort of start putting out and then we tell you how many reports we'll tell you that were done in accordance with standards or not. And we don't tell you how many they plan to do. I can tell you that on a performance audit are many of these audits were you don't know necessarily what you get into. Would you start with. You will just go out there and data gather and data gathering and data gathering. The next thing you know $1000 has been spent only on data gathering my client about all of this and I say Sec. Boyette is commanded to have a great internal audit division. But when he went into the office. He thought he had one. And guess what he does and he doesn't know what he doesn't know he or any other agency head doesn't know what internal audit shop really should look like and the fact that you got people we got hundred 87 audit internal auditors. They have 202 certifications across the nest.

When I got all report to the Gen. assembly said.

But if they are CPA doesn't mean they're great internal auditor, I can tell you right now you give me the best tax CPA in the nation and put them in my agency any snow good to me because we don't do taxes we do audits you could have certifications for certified fraud examiners. You can be certified, but if you're not always looking for from that may not be the best certification and the same thing with the certified internal auditor again just because you got the certification doesn't mean you're qualified would focused specific attention on the state Department of Transportation DOT were internal auditors should be doing a better job for Sec. Eric Boyette job there doing, reviewing and approving invoices internal audit function.

So again, the Sec. of the OT is what he needs and is what he needs today we get down to the intent of the law are not in compliance with the law say in my opinion this is where the Council comes in. Would urge lawmakers to consider more funding for internal auditors. They don't have the resources to date and we don't need to be hiring auditors that nobody else wants. When you get the salaries up because here what I'm saying. Currently today, where $46 billion state and federal budget were spinning 18 million a year on internal auditors. We need to make sure we are hiring the most qualified. That is the most important function that the Gen. assembly will ever spend their money on again. You can wait for the great static internal auditor's office, but one audit, one audit, one on or get the right people in our agency and together we can fix the inefficient and wasteful spending.

Everybody thinks it's corruptive embezzlement stealing it inefficient and wasteful spending that's going on across our state government as we speak. But I do believe that the internal audit committee could do a better job that's state order Beth Wood responding to a recent report about internal auditors and North Carolina government agencies would believes those auditors could play a greater role in rooting out patient and wasteful spending. North Carolina Journal radio moment. If you have freedom we got great news to share with you now.

You can find the latest news, views, and research from conservative groups across North Carolina all in one place North Carolina conservative.com it's one stop shopping. North Carolina's freedom movement and North Carolina conservative.com. You'll find links to John Locke foundation blogs on the days news Carolina journal.com reporting and quick takes Carolina Journal radio interviews TV interviews featuring CJ reporters and let foundation analysts, opinion pieces and reports on higher education from the James G. Martin Center for academic renewal, commentary and polling data from the scimitar's Institute and news and views from the North Carolina family policy Council. That's right, all in one place North Carolina conservative.com that's North Carolina spelled out conservative.com North Carolina conservative.com.

Try it today. North Carolina is changing not just day-to-day but outward to our minute to minute. Even 2nd to 2nd, how can you keep up with the changes, especially the ones that affect you, your family, your home, your job, make the John Locke foundation and Carolina Journal part of your social media diet on Facebook like the John Locke foundation like Carolina Journal.

Follow us on Twitter at John Locke in the sea and at Carolina. Journal news, insights and analysis you'll find nowhere else. Thanks to the experts at the John Locke foundation and thanks to the first-class investigative reporting of Carolina Journal. Don't wait for the morning newspaper. Don't wait for the evening news if it's happening now it's happening here the John Locke foundation and Carolina Journal have you covered with up to the second information like us on Facebook the John Locke foundation and Carolina Journal. Follow us on Twitter at John Locke in the sea and at Carolina. Journal. Who knew you could shop and invest in freedom at the same time it is true online shopping is now a great way to support the John Locke foundation just shop using the Amazon smile program and designate the John Mott foundation to receive a portion of your purchase amount that's right you shop Amazon donates money to pass the John Locke foundation. Here's how long. Time to smile.amazon.com Amazon smile is the same Amazon you know same products same prices. But here's what's better is on donates 0.5% of the price of your eligible Amazon smile purchases to the John Mott foundation to try it. Be sure to designate us as the nonprofit you want to support. It's that easy.

So now not only will you enjoy what you buy. You also support freedom.

Don't forget to smile.amazon.com today, something nice and help defend freedom, help support the John Mott foundation will go back to Carolina Journal radio I Michiko got former wake County register of deeds Laura Riddick is in prison serving time for embezzling more than $900,000 from taxpayers but Riddick wants to keep her state retirement benefits that the state Court of Appeals Judge John Tyson grilled Riddick's lawyer Bob or you. Please use 14.A. Which is about public access thousand dollars so all elements only apply to public official.

So I don't understand why some additional findings related to the hopeless is when the only way your clock convicted of this particular stretch. I shot into his. She was a public official that she embezzled public law hundred thousand dollars also extracts so you what was right or irrelevant to play.

There was surgery there your clock tribunal due to a precise Sony there were only collected $100,000 and I was could be convicted of a stretch typically out certain crimes that would automatically import implicate Thursday night they done it in other statutes, for whatever reason, I can't speak for the Gen. assembly. They set up a particular scheme that will quires the aggregator and while this might be terrible legislation, not the court to rewrite the statute in more reasonable fashion. This is what the Gen. assembly.

The Gen. assembly with the Goodwin acting after the all I know is they did not in this they did not comply with this sense is only apply to a public official thousands of access thousand. Those are essential elements of the elements of what she pled guilty to choose whether or not she would be subject to full for that all pertinent good guys and we should written statute that would that's attorney Bob or explaining why he believes former wake County official Laura Riddick should keep her state retirement benefits. Despite pleading guilty to embezzling hundreds of thousands of dollars for Carolina where doubling down on freedom at Carolina Journal radio were proud to bring you stories that impact your life and your wallet.

And now get twice as much freedom when you also listen to our podcast headlock available on iTunes and@johnlocke.org/podcast Locke is a little bit different. It's a no holds barred discussion that challenges softheaded ideas from the left and the right, like Carolina Journal radio headlock is smart and timely but with headlock you hear more about the culture wars get some more humor as well.

We guarantee great information and a good time to double down with us. Listen to Carolina Journal radio each week and listen to headlock to remember, you can listen to headlock@johnlocke.org/podcast or subscriber download each week iTunes Carolina Journal radio and headlock just what you need to stay informed and stay entertained both brought to you in the name of freedom by the John Locke foundation of Québec Carolina Journal radio I Michiko guy, the percentage of Americans who know much about our constitutional form of government is low to low, but a group called constituting America is working to address that problem during a recent online form for the John Locke foundation copresident Kathy Gillespie discussed the group. It started 10 years ago with a focus on young people think about where our kids these days are out on YouTube there. This is the especially back in 2010 which they were the American Idol generation. They all wanted to be stars, fish and so we thought of kissing and making short films and videos and in silence when I have them doing making projects about the U.S. Constitution and learning something while they do it so we started constituting America in 2010 with the mission to educate and inspire students and adults in their parents about the U.S. Constitution and enhance their civic knowledge. We started with a contest. Like I mentioned where kids can commit exhibits on short film public service announcements, but since we branched out into many other programs and were excited that this is our 10th year. Gillespie says she has seen signs of improvement. There has been a little bit of a renewed concentration on on teaching these founding principles through organizations like the John Locke foundation and an Bill of Rights Institute in and you I Civics and the National Constitution Center, where were actually part cussing back as part of the organization. Now that is that's been in existence for the past three or four years, the city external network. We were pulling together all of the civics education organization so that we can pool our resources and have an even larger impact so we are hopeful. Gillespie emphasizes working together. The first three words of the Constitution are we the people and America is a neat country. We are all Americans, and I think so often we've stop listening to each other and actually one of the programs that we started the costing America is our civil civic conversation program where we actually going to schools and will take a hot topic issue we done everything from whether or not to build the wall to the Second Amendment to its kids should have cell phones have cell phones in school are not and then climate change. We bring incredibly common articles and we expose the kids who are predisposed one side read articles from the other side and vice versa. They have to find three things on the other side they agree with. They come together and they write a bill and they may see if they can find common ground and some of these issues we had so many kids tell us never even heard any arguments for this position on this issue and we had several kids come in and change their mind on certain issues because they just never been exposed to the other side.

That's Kathy Gillespie, copresident of constituting America. The group focuses on young people. So to the recent John Locke foundation online form to Kari Chapman is a student ambassador. I read a book by Sean Covey. In it he says seek first to understand then to be understood and I feel like that is a very powerful statement because a lot of times we come into the so-called argument or conversation and we are just thinking about how someone could have bacon, we can change someone's mind and I always say you're not able to change some of the opinion, but what you can do is you can tell them how you feel, but it's not change their opinion either way so I feel like we just have to converse with one another and be able to hear each other out like that and that's again on both sides of matter your Democrat or Republican or libertarian.

It just it's about listening to the other person so that we can all move forward arguing just takes a lot of time. Chapman offered thoughts about so-called cancel culture. A lot of these things, you know that people are trying to cancel our what you know these things are what make America so so great will make America so amazing. You know, it's that opportunity to kind of do you do what you can for you to do it. You need to do to to allow you to be better. What's Chapman's hope for the future of America. My hope for America is for people to start listening and that is that is literally all I think that if people will listen to others and and really grasp these different concepts that we would most definitely be a better country and I feel like if you know another thing that that is that I deftly see in the future is that if were able to listen. I always say things like a chain chain reaction. If you're able to listen to someone when you're able to to note, you could be able to find common ground and finding common ground, especially in our government is the is almost the backbone of our legislature we could find common ground, we can write legislation for the people and I think that that is that is definitely another student tied to constituting America is Tova love Kaplan. She's the group's national youth director and something equally to every generation to generation that continuous document that any single person in America so knowledgeable about it's not Constitution somewhere in general can make a now you to young people speaking to young people to expect Constitution and makes it real applicable here everything right. Kaplan also has hopes for the future of our constitutional Republic agent information on young people's what information he wants a recent sale, young people can Constitution right. I hope may have a change on sounds great change and help young people learn how to be single conversation.

I'm not only necessary and crucial on society we constituting a lot our country.

I as a way for people with different opinions to come to know everything I we need to realize that differences of opinion around his eyes understand other people's points and you respect to create compromises and decisions that everybody public running for many many that's Tova love Kaplan of constituting America. She participated along with fellow student to Kari Chapman in a recent online forum sponsored by the John Locke foundation will return with Carolina journal radio really influence you either have it or you don't and at the John Mott foundation we have it, you'll find our guiding principles in many of the freedom forward reforms of the past decade here in North Carolina.

So while others talk or complain or name call.

We provide research solutions and hope our team analyzes the pressing issues of the day jobs, healthcare, education, and more. We look for effective ways to give you more freedom, more options, more control over your life. Our goal is to transform North Carolina into a growing, thriving economic powerhouse, the envy of every other state research is how policymakers make decisions that ensure you keep more of what you are.

Expand your choice of schools for your kids. Widen your job opportunities improve your access to doctors. The recipe for stability and a bright future for truth for freedom for the future of North Carolina. We are the John Locke foundation. Welcome back to Carolina journal radio time. Donna Martinez North Carolina voters endorsed common sense spending and low-fare taxes on election day.

We know this because they reelected fiscally conservative Republican majorities to the North Carolina Senate and the North Carolina house and they did so at the very same time. They also reelected Democrat Roy Cooper for second term as governor. So what does this all mean to you Becky Gray, senior vice president with the John Locke foundation. She follows all of these races very closely.

She joins us now to take a look at all of that, Becky. Welcome back. Thank you Donna. Incredibly positive winning cycle for Republicans in the Gen. assembly in an running up to election day. There was hesitation. People were really sure it will be running up to election time and we were hearing that the Senate could very well be an even split between Republicans and Democrats 25 on each side. That's why there was a lot of attention in the last days on the Lieut. Gov.'s race who of course in their role presides over the Senate and could cast the deciding vote as a matter of fact for the Democrat candidate. It was 8 1/2 million dollars that was put into that campaign just in the last days of the election that we were hearing that. We also were hearing that you know the house can anticipate to lose several say to me, and some were saying the Democrats would take over, the more likely thing that people talking about was maybe going down from the 65 Republican majorities with 61 Republican majority. Actually, it was better than people that the outcomes were better than anybody I think had had anticipated, except perhaps for Tim Moore and Phil Berger, who had been working like crazy through the election cycle, and the king and the winning candidates, particularly those in the in the in the swing districts. Donna made the efforts that they had was just phenomenal against some pretty big spending in those races to in fact we have seen a Democrat Ted donors just pour money into North Carolina.

There was just a national effort focused on North Carolina to try to flip our legislature over to the Democrats.

It did not work. Our friend Brad Crone, a political consultant and an analyst saying wow those folks have to be waking up wondering what was the return on their casino. Just a quick note on that too in the in the owner's rights. I'm still getting the figures Antonina will see the end of the day, but on what were hearing now is a $30 million was spent on Gov. Cooper's race for Dan Forrest. His opponent was like 4 1/2 million dollars. So I'm not that good at math and how much that was outspent but it was a lot worse with exactly into you see that kind of effort and really my question. The rice was with that kind of financial advantage with Roy Cooper being on television and radio and many cases the front page of the newspaper for seven months leading up to the election only be Dan Forrest by about 4 1/2 points. You know my question is, with all of that advantage. Why did he do better than that dead end ends up being only a four point victory for Gov. Cooper which is a clear victory, but to your point there had been pole saying it was gonna be an 8 to 10 point race there and that just shows the strength really of the Republicans who came out to vote as so many of those Republicans voted in those House and Senate races. Let's talk a little bit about the house because they have fought 6869 seats again waiting for the final numbers to roll through and that would be a pickup of six incredible so you know in this cycle with the predictions of employment and pushing out the crown, questioning polling and predictions waking across the board that yes and no to pick up six seats in this environment was pretty amazing. And over in the North Carolina Senate within us either to be about the same majority will outline again is as we are talking today. You know which state we do not have the final final tabulations, but it looks like that the Senate will have lost to anticipated one in Mecklenburg one and wakened the demographics in the districts of changed enough. They knew that going and they picked up one Michael Lee, former Sen. Michael Lee defeated looks like he defeated Harper Peterson in that Senate District down in the New Hanover County area. So that's the politics of it back and let's talk a little bit about the policy that is behind this is me that's behind the vote from North Carolinians because over the past at least half dozen years may be close to a whole decade we have seen the Republicans in the Gen. assembly B fiscally conservative. They have cut taxes. They performed our tax system so everybody has lower income tax they've reined in spending and this just seems to be a resounding endorsement to continue that.

We just offer a couple other things to do been on those whose minds we also have healthcare and you know what we heard from the left is the answer to the high cost of healthcare and the difficulty of people being able to afford health insurance is to expand Medicaid with. Also education has also been always a big issue in which are not 57% of our budget goes for education in working on. We care about education and have consistently thinking of what we heard from Roy Cooper and his aunt and the left because that messages resonated on down through the legislative races you know the answer, of improving education is raising teacher pay what you heard from the Republicans. And we've done at the lot – a tremendous amount work on school choice and offering options for parents and students to best meet their needs to get a say on basic education so you know it there's a clear difference up and down the line on issues that are important to North Carolinians and Donna what and go back and review some of the television ads review some of the mailers were review just what we Cooper's been talking about since he went into office and that's Medicaid expansion and teacher pay increase. What we saw in the swing districts help you be clear is gerrymandered as most states are. That means that they are some district a part of this is there gerrymandered because were people choose to live out of it is nothing nefarious about this, but there districts that are solidly Republican.

There districts that are solidly Democrat whereon looking for what message are we getting it in the swing districts that we were looking at and the house and the Senate in the swing districts.

Republicans prevailed and I have to believe that it is because the policies and the message and answers in the solutions to the problems that North Carolinians care about and that taxes and budget the size of government regulation, education, the right investments in infrastructure that the rooftop that the solutions that Republicans have to offer resonate more with voters than the Democrats answer Medicaid expansion more spending, higher taxes, more regulation, and just focusing on the financial part of education rather than looking at what really is going to be best for students, so Becky based on that, then going forward because you have the legislature you work with the governor and there's always negotiations among legislators themselves as they work toward sound public policy decisions. If some of those leftists. The progressives in the Democratic Party realize that the people there representing have rejected those leftist ideas is to change the policy guidelines in milepost here in North Carolina.

I'm very optimistic about that. And of course the Chama offenders and is well-positioned to have those ideas and present those to the new members of the generals on the Emma gutter as we have been doing what struck me as one of the governor's statements just since the election, he said that moving forward. He wants to focus on affordable healthcare.

He wants to focus on a better education and he wants to focus on the economy and getting people back to work we have. We being the John Locke finish.

We have ideas to solve all of those problems. I am very optimistic that, given – that we will have a receptive audience in the governor's office and that all members of the general summary on both sides of the outer going to be looking for those ideas that are not partisan that actually address the problems that face North Carolinians and sent you here here and all the stuff that we need to have Kumbaya. We need to come together. I just think when you have the best policy ideas on the table you're going to have people anxious to sit at that table Becky Ray thank you that's all the time we have for the show this week. Appreciate you listening to join us again next week for another edition of Carolina Journal radio program of the John Locke foundation to learn more about the job on foundation donations support programs like Carolina Journal radio send email to development John Locke called 66 jail left 166-553-4636 Carolina Journal radio is the John line foundation Carolinas free-market think tank and Carolina broadcasting system, Inc. all opinions expressed on this program are solely those do not merely reflect the more the station formation about the show. Other programs and services of the foundation toll-free at 866 JL would like to thank our wonderful radio affiliates across Carolina and our sponsors. Carolina Journal radio.

Thank you for listening.

Please join us again next week