Policymakers often point to the greed of private actors as the root cause of economic and societal problems. This is convenient because the last thing they’d want to do is point to their own greed.
Government greed, or the lust for power, is pervasive on both the federal and state level. On Jones Street, where the North Carolina legislature resides, this insatiable appetite for power is alive and well. Legislators do whatever it takes to protect and expand their own power and look for new ways to expand the scope of government.
Recent legislative actions can reasonably be attributed to legislators worrying more about power than the best interests of North Carolinians. In 2007, the North Carolina House overwhelmingly passed by a 104-15 margin a constitutional amendment to protect against eminent domain abuse.
The support of constituents and fellow legislators didn’t mean a thing, though, to the North Carolina Senate, or at least to those few who controlled the Senate. The amendment was sent to the Senate Ways and Means Committee, a committee that hadn’t met since 2001. In other words, it was sent to its death. For some legislators, the influence of the taxpayer-funded North Carolina League of Municipalities is more important than worrying about doing the right thing.
This allegiance to the League recently was seen on another issue. Forced annexation is the power given to municipalities to force people living in unincorporated areas to live within municipalities. On July 2, 2008, the House overwhelmingly passed a moratorium on forced annexation by a 98-18 vote. Again, the Senate leadership decided the League was more important than constituents and fellow legislators. Senate leaders refused to let the bill be heard.
Sometimes government greed is crystal clear. The legislature has developed excessively restrictive laws on political speech that help to silence critics and protect power. North Carolina has a McCain-Feingold bill on steroids. In many instances, corporations, unions, and even nonprofit groups are prohibited from using mass mailings, faxes, and telephone communications that mention candidates 30 days prior to a primary and 60 days before a general election.
North Carolina law makes it extremely difficult for third parties to get on ballots. When there’s little competition, it’s easy to keep power. To gain ballot access, a party must obtain a massive number of signatures. Based on total number of signatures, North Carolina has the second most restrictive ballot access law in the country for statewide offices. Taking account of differences across states in total number of voters in the 2004 presidential election, North Carolina has the fifth most restrictive ballot access law.
There also are times when greed for power is mixed with arrogance. On July 18, 2008, the legislature passed a drought management bill. Instead of looking inward at how the state and local governments caused water shortage problems, the legislature blamed North Carolinians for using water.
The bill increased the state’s power to impose draconian water restrictions with no real oversight. There wasn’t a single provision mandating new ways to address water supply. The bill simply mentioned that water supply issues would be studied. If this weren’t bad enough, the express protection that private well owners thought existed in the bill is a fallacy. The bill likely authorizes the regulation of water use from private wells.
In 2007, the legislature passed a bill, the infamous Senate Bill 3, which presumed North Carolinians are too ignorant to make decisions about energy use. The government will now centrally plan the purchase of energy-efficient goods and services, such as what kind of light bulbs people should use.
The legislature’s lust for power is probably at its most obvious when it comes to charter schools. Parents across the state are clamoring to have their children attend charter schools. At just one charter school, Franklin Academy in Wake Forest, there were 1,525 students that applied for the 101 open seats available in the 2007-08 school year. Instead of lifting the artificial cap of 100 charter schools, the legislature hasn’t dared to go against the education establishment.
In January, a new legislature will convene. As politicians constantly speak of change, they can demonstrate change by replacing government greed with a commitment to unselfish service to constituents. Putting a spin on tired rhetoric, the legislature should worry about Main Street, not Jones Street.
Daren Bakst is legal and regulatory policy analyst for the John Locke Foundation.