Republicans realize that short-changing teachers and public schools was politically stupid. Now, they are throwing stuff against the wall hoping something sticks. The governor’s latest proposal for raising teacher pay is a reflection of both election year posturing and Republican magical thinking. And Lt. Governor Dan Forrest’s proposal to fund education is just silly. 

The basis of Pat McCrory’s latest scheme certainly has some merit but the governor seems to have forgotten that, last year, he and his pals in the legislature slashed state revenue. The tax cuts were supposed to lead to a “powerful comeback,” as he predicted in a letter the New York Times last year. Instead, they’ve left the state with a $450 million hole in the budget. So he may have a plan but he doesn’t have any way to pay for it. I’ve got a plan for a European vacation, too, but, like McCrory’s education plan, it’s not going to happen anytime soon. 

Next up is Dan Forest’s nutty idea for funding teacher pay and schools. He wants to sell license plates and ask for donations. It’s nothing more than a glorified bake sale. Teachers, schools, and our kids deserve reliable source of revenue, not some gimmick.

Forest’s plan reminds me of that Republican program, “Adopt-a-Highway.” Remember that? People agree to take on the responsibility for cleaning up a stretch of highway in exchange for a sign with their names on it. It’s free advertising for businesses and a dream for narcissists. Twenty five years after it’s beginning, the signs are fewer and most of the ones left are battered and stained. And the roads? They are generally a mess. The best thing we’ve gotten out of that program is the side show of hate groups like the Ku Klux Klan trying to get a sign paid for by the government.

All of this is just part of Republican magical thinking. Since the 1980s, Republicans have held firm to the belief that decreasing taxes leads to increased revenue. They reason that the tax cuts will offer such a boost to the economy that everyone will be making more money to make up for any shortfall. It’s never worked and it never will. Forest’s plan relies of the goodness of people’s hearts and their willingness to open their wallets. It’s a nice thought but it’s not realistic. Like Adopt-a-Highway, the program will start with a boom and see steady declining participation. It’s just another bad idea while our teachers and schools continue to suffer under Republican mismanagement.  

Thomas Mills

Thomas Mills is the founder and publisher of PoliticsNC.com. Before beginning PoliticsNC, Thomas spent twenty years as a political and public affairs consultant. Learn more >