We wanted a war for jobs, but we got a culture war (Asheville Citizen-Times)

[struggle4progress]

5:38 PM, Sep. 14, 2011

The unemployment rate in North Carolina is at 10 percent. In the U.S., the official poverty rate for 2010 topped 15 percent, up from 14.3 percent in 2009. Some 46.2 million Americans, 15.1 percent of the population, are living at or below the official poverty rate, up from 12.5 percent in 2007. The numbers would be worse, but 3.2 million of us were kept out of poverty by unemployment insurance and another 20.3 million by Social Security.

Against that backdrop, the N. C. General Assembly met in a special session this week, at a cost of $50,000 a day, to railroad onto the ballot a measure to amend the state Constitution to ban gay marriage.

Well. That should fix everything.

Having taken control of the state legislature for the first time in more than 100 years largely due to voter dissatisfaction with the economy, the state GOP has decided instead to dive headfirst into an all-out culture war ...

http://www.citizen-times.com/article/20110915/OPINION01/309150008/Editorial-We-wanted-war-jobs-we-got-culture-war?odyssey=nav|head

[Kolesar]

1. Wow, that is an editorial by the Citizen-Times, not just a signed oped

or an opinion piece by a regular columnist.
:thumbsup:

[pinto]

2. Kick

:kick:

[rfranklin]

3. Sooner or later people realize the absolute uselessness of the Republicans...

who are only working for one percent of the population.

[struggle4progress]

4. Amendment puts GOP at odds with businesses

Many business leaders affirm a commitment to nondiscrimination.
By Craig Jarvis
craig.jarvis@newsobserver .com
Posted: Wednesday, Sep. 14, 2011

RALEIGH ... A large segment of the business community has been vocal in its opposition to the proposed amendment, giving opponents their strongest leverage in the debate. About 80 business leaders signed a letter urging lawmakers to vote it down, and more than 200 businesses signaled their opposition on Equality North Carolina's website.

A dozen business leaders called a news conference Tuesday, just before the Senate vote, to underscore that they think the idea is bad for business.

And Charlotte-based Bank of America issued a statement this week boasting of its longstanding commitment not to discriminate based on sexual orientation, and its domestic partner benefits ...

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2011/09/14/2606142/amendment-puts-gop-at-odds-with.html#storylink=misearch

[Doctor_J]

5. Not as long as Hate Radio blankets the airwaves

"the people" will never realize it.

[bemildred]

6. The only way out is populist capture of the Democratic Party. nt