Wednesday, February 17, 2016

#NCGov McCrory has billionaire spinmeister/donor at Forbes Magazine

Came across this link on CarolinaPlottHound.com today, and it got the campaign season BS meter ringing loudly.

It's an article from Forbes Magazine written by billionaire Rex Sinquefield out of Missouri.  The article reads more like a campaign add than anything else.

One would think McCrory single handedly is responsible for NC's AAA bond rating.  Here' a sample...

"Last week, North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory delivered the banner news that his state upheld its AAA bond rating – the highest rating possible – from all three major bond-rating agencies. North Carolina’s stellar standing owes much to Governor McCrory’s leadership. Unwilling to send the Tar Heel State down the same tax-and-spend death spiral that plagues too many other states, the North Carolina governor developed a strong approach toward tax reform – and stuck to it."

The news is good to be sure, but the credit is misplaced.   If anything, the credit goes to the fiscal conservatives in the NC Senate, not McCrory.

Here's a more accurate depiction from DailyHaymaker.com on the governor's involvement with the 2013 tax reform Sinquefield credits to McCrory.

"This deal is a far cry from what Civitas was calling for on this site.  The Senate had stood strong on trimming taxes and cutting government. Today, the Senate approved a much-more watered down bill favored by Team Tillis and the McCrory administration.

Gov. Pat had balked at earlier, more conservative proposals put forth by the Senate, saying that he needed to be sure that there would be enough revenue to pay for the things that state government needed to pay for. Yet, this week, we had McCrory, Tillis, and Berger this week touting a tax bill. The legislature has yet to pass a budget.  How does Gov. Pat KNOW that this tax bill gives him enough revenue if a budget has not been passed?

It’s nice that tax rates are being adjusted downward.  But if the GOP majority in the legislature doesn’t seriously trim the size and scope of state government, this tax “deal” is irrelevant.  The spending craze will just pile onto our current debt. Gov. Pat’s proposed budget is $400 million higher than Bev Perdue’s final budget. "


So, who is this guy Rex Sinquefield, Missouri billionaire?

Well, for one thing he's a McCrory donor.  Sinquefield and his wife both sent maximum sized checks of $5,100 each to the McCrory campaign this last reporting cycle.

How much do you want to bet Governor Pat won't be reporting Sinquefield's column in a national magazine as an "in kind" contribution?

Not much?  Me either.

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