A Message
from Cullie Tarleton...
I’ve had a lot of questions recently about the negative TV ads running against me as well as the negative mailers dropped. Let me say at the outset, most of what they say is simply untrue and everything they say is wildly misleading. As my dear late Mother would say, “just consider the source”, but it’s crap like this that gives politics a bad name and keeps good people from running. Real Jobs NC, one of groups behind both the TV and mailers is based in Raleigh (why is someone from the East trying to defeat someone from the West) and I’m told that Art Pope is one of the founders. Fred Eshelman, a Wilmington businessman (again someone from the East, could it be they don’t like my effectiveness for my Western district), along with Republican State Senator Fletcher Hartsell and Republican House member Jeff Barnhardt are part of the Right Change group which is also involved. While they rave on about government spending, Eshelman’s Company, PPD, has taken over $600m in federal government grants and contracts (over the past 10 years) and Cabarrus Community Health, of which Hartsell is the founder and Barnhardt is the Director, received $1.9m in federal grants. So I guess it’s OK to take government hand outs if it’s lining your own pockets.
The TV ads accuse me of being the Tax King, whatever that means. The facts are that we have cut state spending almost $3b, the largest cuts in the state’s history and still balanced the budget. Our opponents keep screaming about “not cutting enough” but so far they haven’t come up with any cuts of their own. In fact, they all voted against a balanced budget. We did this while creating tax credits for small businesses that hire new workers, provided incentives for job creation, protected education, our classroom teachers, our Community Colleges and our UNC System Universities, including ASU. If this is considered “pork” rather than an investment in our future, then I think we’ve reached a sad state of affairs in our state. We raised the sales tax 2 years ago (set to expire on June 30, 2011), with most of the money going to education. I have always worked hard to be a responsible and thoughtful member of the legislature, protecting education, our teachers, our state employees and being a voice for those who have no voice. I hope you agree and will continue to support me.
A word about the mailers. The mailers accuse me, once again of supporting “pork projects”. One is the $25m pier being build at Nags Head. The bill authorizing the pier passed the House 111-0, which means that every Republican present and voting supported the bill. The pier is being built with receipts from the NC Aquarium and other non-general fund sources, meaning there are no appropriated dollars being spent. Whoever provided their “research” should give them their money back. Interestingly, both Barnhardt and Hartsell voted for the Nags Head pier bill. The Shakespeare Festival in High Point has been in the budget since 1999, long before I got to the legislature. Same for the N C Botanical Garden in Chapel Hill. Regarding the Garden, there are both appropriated and receipt dollars involved but NOT over $1m of tax dollars as stated in the mailer. The so called $7m of our tax dollars for Hollywood Fat Cats, simply isn’t true. It is true that we passed and I supported a tax credit for movie production. This was done to keep N. C. in the movie production business and keep us competitive with other southern states. I’d prefer no tax credit but if we want to protect the thousands of N. C. jobs associated with this business, then we have to keep our state competitive with other southern states. The movie business in North Carolina brings millions of new revenue into our state and hires hundreds of North Carolina citizens. I find it ironic that Real Jobs NC says they are concerned about jobs and yet they criticize me for supporting something that protects N. C. jobs. Go figure. Another mailer is about the Polar Bear Exhibit at the N. C. Zoo. We have a world class zoo with the polar bear exhibit being among if not the most poplar exhibit. The zoo brings thousands of visitors to N. C. plus it creates hundreds of jobs. Just as you need to occasionally remodel or make repairs to your home, old exhibits have to be “remodeled” to maintain the quality of the exhibit and for the protection of the animals. Frankly, this is another “investment” that will pay dividends to the state. This investment was supported by the Randolph County (where the zoo is located) Republican legislative members.
This is just the first volley folks. It’s going to be a very tough campaign. That’s why I need your support more than ever, including your financial support. I hope you’ll consider supporting my campaign with a financial contribution. Just click on Contribute and follow the steps. Also, please help me spread the word about these misleading mailers and TV spots.
Thank you. Feel free to contact me at any time.
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