Without the consent or approval of Buncombe County’s citizens and representatives, Rep. Tim Moffitt has proposed to take property that does not belong to the state. This government ambush from Raleigh amounts to a gross abuse of power. We appeal to your sense of fairness and ask you to consider the costs of Rep. Moffitt’s actions: if the state can take our water, then they can take the water in your districts. Please don’t annex our water.
— Conor Quinn
Asheville
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First of all, legislators in Raleigh do not need the consent or approval of local government. We are not a home rule state and that’s the way the Democrats set it up. Asheville is incorporated at the pleasure of the General Assembly.
I have to suppose that the writer favors home rule for North Carolina.
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First of all, legislators in Raleigh do not need the consent or approval of local government. We are not a home rule state and that’s the way the Democrats set it up. Asheville is incorporated at the pleasure of the General Assembly.
I have to suppose that the writer favors home rule for North Carolina.
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So, when the outcome favors your overall agenda you are suddenly in favor of government going against the will of the people?
Or did I miss something here?
“Or did I miss something here?”
You missed something. It’s called a statement of fact.
“when the outcome favors your overall agenda you are suddenly in favor of government going against the will of the people?”
That would be the operating principle of the progressives — oh, until your ox was gored.
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Tim, I notice in your above ‘response’ to mat, you didn’t actually answer his questions. In fact, you just engaged in some sort of unrelated attack on ‘progressives’
What gives? Can you not defend your ‘statements of fact’?
This is not an issue that relates to flippant or off the cuff cliches. Our water source is in evident risk of being privatized, destructured and sold to the highest corrupt out of state bidder. Your comfort days are over with your clean, fresh montain water source. Just as in our routine daily obanking we assume too much that Wells Fargo and Bank of America are “on our side” or deserve our public trust, when in actuality their psychologically oriented banking practices induce a passive, subserviant dependence upon them. As with these banks, the GOP state legislature induces and expects a passive, meek acquiescence on the part of the general public at large. We have become lazy and dependent upon corporate banksters and GOP politicians in the employ of Wall Street, Art Pope, and ALEC.. While Wells Fargo and Bank of America rip us off of millions of dollars from our local wage earners., the GOP wants to sieze OUR Water AND SewerAuthorities then use our water source for fracking and sell it to Atlanta. WAKE UP! The time for “please and thank”, and “mother may I” has passed. We must vote with our dollars, excercise our collective wisdom and electorial might and disempower these forces of raw greed whose agenda is to destroy what standard of living our ancestors and local governments have built over the cenuturies. Needed is an “ARAB SPRING” here in WNC.
Also, in defense of Democrats the original Sullvan Act was concieved out of ACUTE enviornmental crises brought about by the rampant, unregulated wholesale destruction of our mountains and ecosystems from 1885-1911. Study the Week’s Act of 1911, especially the 25 years prior to its implementation. WE are the 99% of political, banking and enviornmental exploitation and raw greed.. We must go about our work everyday of ridding ourselves of caustic political power and these banks which sap our economic power, which is the sole product of our labors. These banks and politicans’ are hell bent in keeping us dependent and servile when all we have to do, IS TO VOTE with your money AND your ballot. Study your history, WNC has been exploited before from 1885-1929, we have the POWER to contol our own money, and our political fortunes. Just quietly observe how these banks are beginning to exploit our Latino Community, for example.
The letter writer is correct – this grab by Raleigh is unlike any before. The assets of the water system are owned by the City of Asheville, like any municipality in the state. Rep. Moffitt & friends are contemplating an entirely new doctrine – seizing the assets of a town or city & claiming that ‘they never actually owned it – the ratepayers own it. We’re acting in the interest of the ratepayers.’
Never mind that most of those ratepayers a) live inside the City of Asheville, b) aren’t represented by any of the Study Committee members, and c) the elected representatives of most of those ratepayers were specifically barred from participating in this “study”.
It’s a great experience to be on the side of the angels with this issue and be devoted to preserving, protecting and defending our Asheville, our mountains, our water and air, all out natural resources for the best interests of our babies and childrens’ and pets’ health. We have no hatred, no animosities, no under the table agendad from the Dark Side, the evil doers who machinate against everything that makes our city and enviornment, our public health and public education the best that WE, rather that than the republican party can build collectively rather than dissemble by secrect caviat. By getting involved, by voting with your bank account and your money (Ashevillians might consider making The Land of The Sky” a CORPORATE-Wall Street Free banking zone; a paradise of credit union enterprises, a loop financial consumer responsibility that encircles us.) we empower ourselves with each transaction and every ballat we cast.. My account at the Credit Union is hand in glove with my vote. ” Political Willpower is a Renewable Resource!
What happened to the glorious Bolshevik notion of the water and resources belonging to all the people instead of just you folks on this side of the fence? Shouldn’t the movement people of Asheville have to make their fair share contribution to the common good?
There’s nothing “Bolshevik” about cities and towns being allowed to own and operate public utilities for their citizens and surrounding residents without the State coming in and seizing them just because the political winds have shifted.
BTW, Rep. Moffitt’s form letter reply to those who oppose seizing Asheville’s water system contains this gem:
“All water issues are State issues, not local.”
Meaning he is setting the precedent that whoever is in charge in the General Assembly from one election to the next can and will seize whatever public assets they want and hand them over to their cronies.
You can be sure that when those dastardly “Democrakks” reclaim power, they will be equally ruthless.