Berger's disappointing rebuttal
I felt sorry for Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger Tuesday night. The lighting in the Senate Chamber wasn’t good; the audio was worse. It sounded as if he was speaking into a barrel and you could hear crowd noise in the background, presumably those exiting the House chamber. And he didn’t have the advantage of a teleprompter, as Governor Perdue enjoyed, so he was looking down at his speech during his whole address.
But I was most disappointed in his remarks. If Governor Perdue’s assessment of North Carolina at this moment was too rosy, viewers probably felt Berger’s response of the “grim” picture of current reality probably didn’t ring true either. I have heard Berger speak before and know him to be a very effective speaker, but that wasn’t the case Tuesday night. After about five minutes it just felt like blah, blah, blah….same ole, same ole. Democrats got us into this mess and we have to fix it. Cut, cut, cut. O.K, we got it.
Here was a marvelous chance for the Republicans to tell us on statewide TV their vision for North Carolina. Now that they have control of the state what do they want to do? How are they going to improve education, mental health, transportation, and create jobs? Berger didn’t make it sound like Republicans are in charge but were still the minority party criticizing those who were making the real decisions. I’ve heard Phil do much better. Sorry to say, but this looked like a “not ready for prime time” presentation.
I couldn't disagree with you more, Tom. As a small business owner in the construction industry, I have experienced the recession personally. My business is down by 75%. In addition, the financial numbers that I follow on a regular basis paint the picture that the recovery is stalling, and could possibly get worse. I have worked twice as hard since the recession began, for a quarter of the pay. Nothing has changed. I firmly believe that Senator Berger has a clear understanding of the issues at hand, and is not afraid to speak the truth. The majority of voters has now moved past partisan politics, and is examining the reality of government spending, and fiscal responsibility. The traditional political spin, by both parties, does not work any longer.
We The People of NC understand the definition of insanity is doing the same thing repeatedly, but expecting a different result. Therefore, the policies of the past 100 years have not worked. They have created this fiscal debacle, and fostered the dependency society that has enabled our great North State to lose comparative advantage. The marvelous chance you spoke of, in my humble opinion, is not an accurate statement. In order to repair the damage of the past, certain steps must be followed. Senator Berger is simply instigating step number one; call things for what they are, and admit there is a problem. Step number two is to plan your work, and step three is to work your plan.
If the new majority continues to follow these simple steps, then true reform will begin. We The People of NC will continue to watch for common sense to prevail without the rose colored glasses of the past. Thank you for the opportunity of this website to express our opinions. I firmly believe it is a valued tool of this great North State.
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