I have often heard the myth that Republicans are for smaller government, reducing taxes and cutting government spending. Rep. Tim Moffitt, in his first term in office at the North Carolina House, put all these myths to rest. He has increased the size of our County Commissioners by 40 percent, and this was not in response to grassroots or popular call for more county commissioners in Buncombe. This means he increased the salaries and expenses that the taxpayers have to pay by 40 percent.
So much for smaller government and reducing our taxes! Instead, we have higher expenses for something we do not need. I think Rep. Moffitt himself should cover these added expenses. I think we should garnish his wages to cover these new expenses.
Next, this guy wants to privatize our water system. We will not let you do that, Rep. Moffitt. You have clearly shown that you do not know how to govern, and you did it in record time. Jane Whilden has announced that she is running for N.C. House, District 116. Clearly a better choice, by a huge margin, so I sure hope the good people of Buncombe County vote this clown Moffitt out of office.
— Susan Oehler
Asheville
“He has increased the size of our County Commissioners by 40 percent, and this was not in response to grassroots or popular call”
Not true. One of the first initiatives I got involved with after moving to Asheville was the county district elections drive. That was 8 years ago.
“Next, this guy wants to privatize our water system.”
Not true. Moffitt has never claimed any intent to privatize the system and has, in fact, refuted this false assertion every time it was made (even in this paper). Privatization means selling the system to the private sector. Moffitt’s bill would first study the current system’s pros and cons (just as Joe Minicozzi did) and would consider transferring operations to a regional authority (still public sector).
Moffitt on privatization: “When it comes to issue of privitizaiton. I’ve said over and over that it has not been a consideration of mine…I have no desire to privatize our system, and let someone take our asset and put them in hands of a private company”
http://www.mountainx.com/article/40550/Moffitt-under-fire-highlights-from-the-Mountain-Voices-Alliance-water-forum
……………………
In principle the Authoritarian Personality experiences all social relationships as conforming to a pattern: Top-bottom, strong-weak, leader-followers. So there is a tendency towards extremes: Weak people are despised and strong people are admired. Above all one has to see as a prerequisite (associated with upbringing) to the development of this personality being “breaking the will” of the child (the child is in a situation where the parents’ power is everything and where the child’s own desires do not count. So the child identifies itself with the attacker – IDENTIFICATION). – Schmidbauer
“Not true. One of the first initiatives I got involved with after moving to Asheville was the county district elections drive. That was 8 years ago.”
Please give me links to your letters to the editor saying that you were working on this. Please show some evidence of grassroots support for the idea, because I have been living here longer than 8 years and I have not heard a word about it.
“Next, this guy wants to privatize our water system.”
Not true. Moffitt has never claimed any intent to privatize the system and has, in fact, refuted this false assertion every time it was made (even in this paper). Privatization means selling the system to the private sector.
False. How do I know this? I attended the hearings of Chairman Moffitt’s “Public-Private Partnership Committee”. Here are some presentations from that very committee. First, despite the smoke emitted by those who don’t want us to know what’s really going on, “privatization” = “PPP”:
http://tinyurl.com/78me3a2 Slide 2: “PPPs – a.k.a. privatization…”
Second, privatization doesn’t require selling the system:
http://tinyurl.com/735pqn9 Slide 1: “Public retain ownership”
or here:
http://tinyurl.com/74jpj8g Slide 3: “What does ‘PPP’ mean?…” “Publicly Built, Publicly Owned, Privately Operated”
and third, Rep. Moffitt himself grudgingly conceded that privatization could well be an “unintended consequence” of removing the system from the City’s control, and admitted that his previous ‘assurances’ to the contrary are empty:
http://tinyurl.com/88hus34
And I’ll tell you that in private, when the microphones aren’t on, he’s fully OK with Asheville’s water being privatized.
“What do you have against profit, Barry? Why shouldn’t delivering public services produce revenue?… People don’t care who’s delivering the water, they only care about things like price and quality.”
He said these things to me when he called to complain about my blog:
http://www.ashevillewater.blogspot.com
“privatization” = “PPP”
Not true.
PPP = Public Private Partnership. All terms of the partnership are determined in a contract; including control, which remains in the hands of the public. Privatization means selling outright.
“And I’ll tell you that in private, when the microphones aren’t on”
Funny you have to speculate on private conversations to have a consistent point.
………………..
It’s true. In a PPP, the public pays much of the cost up front, while the private organization reaps the protfits.
Tim,
You should reread. Barry is not speculating. He is quoting.
The way to stop any possible privatization, if it were to be proposed, and if you ever wanted to, is to attend the commission meetings and be influencial with good arguments, not to attack your representative in Raleigh.
…………………….
Ah, if only Mr. Moffitt did represent the City of Asheville, water ratepayers, or, for that matter, more than a sliver of Buncombe County.
Your reverence for an elected official is duly noted, however.
“Funny you have to speculate on private conversations to have a consistent point.”
It is not speculation when you were a part of the conversation. Funny that you do not understand what “speculate” means. I don’t think you understand “consistent” either.