Pat McCrory came to Raleigh to fix what’s broken. Unfortunately, he’s also trying to fix what ain’t.

Today’s News & Observer noted North Carolina’s pre-kindergarten program was listed as one of the top programs of its kind in the country. But instead of offering it to all at risk children, McCrory wants “tighten eligibility,” leaving some needy kids without help. And McCrory wants to privatize our Medicaid system, even though its costs have grown at the slowest rate in the nation and other states have turned to North Carolina to help them implement similar programs. And while we have consistently been ranked one of the top states to do business, the Governor has decided to privatize our Department of Commerce.

Governor, let me help you. There’s plenty to fix and you seem to have trouble getting your priorities straight.

First, you can fix our unemployment situation. We have the fifth highest unemployment in the nation. Give us a jobs plan.

Next, 47 of 100 counties lost population over the past two years. Many of these are our poorest areas. Are we going to try to help these areas survive or let them die on the vine?

Third, fix our tax code. It’s outdated and littered with loopholes that are costing us billions of dollars.

Finally, fix that damn legislature. They’ve made us a national laughing stock on your watch. It’s obvious now that neither Phil Berger nor Thom Tillis has much control over their caucuses. Show some leadership. Nobody else is.

Now, credit where credit is due. Tackling our dysfunctional transportation funding system was a good idea. Thanks for doing that. I may not agree with everything you propose, but moving beyond good ol’ boy cronyism to determine transportation priorities is a good start.

There’s plenty to fix. Don’t mess with what is working. Get off your ideological competition-is-the-answer kick. Government is not a business and running it as such is pure folly. Fix one or two of our most pressing issues and you’ll have a good shot at keeping your job. Keep messing with what works and you’ll find yourself back in Charlotte sooner than you like.

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 >