Congressional Committee asks Perdue to explain release of embargoed data

By RICK HENDERSON/MANAGING EDITOR Carolina Journal   January 3, 2012   RALEIGH — The U. S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce  has requested that Gov. Bev Perdue provide information spelling out how  she was able in August to release North Carolina employment data that was  supposed to be protected by an embargo. In a letter sent to Perdue Dec. 21, Committee Chairman Rep. John Kline,  R-Minn., cited a Carolina Journal Online story published Dec. 19 reporting  that Perdue, in a speech, publicly discussed information from the state’s monthly employment report before its scheduled release. The letter also stated that emails between the state’s Employment Security Commission (now the Division of Employment Security) and Perdue’s office  showed information was shared that may not have been authorized by the  cooperative agreement between the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics and  each state that is meant to protect the unauthorized release of protected  employment data. A CJ Online story published Monday reported BLS had concluded that  Perdue’s August remarks before the Rotary Club of Asheville violated the  cooperative agreement with BLS. At the time, state ESC Labor Market Information Division director Betty McGrath reported the violation to the BLS regional office in Atlanta, and BLS Regional Director Janet Rankin followed up with interviews of ESC officials. Rankin would not say if any further action was taken. The committee gave Perdue until Wednesday to produce copies of the state’s cooperative agreement with BLS; CJ requested that and other related information last week and was told the request was being  reviewed by DES lawyers. In addition, Kline’s letter asks the governor to produce a series of  documents and communications, including those: • “related to the protocols your office and [the N.C. Employment  Security Commission] have put in place to protect against the  unauthorized dissemination” of employment data; • “relating to the potential unauthorized released of BLS data;” • between the governor’s office and ESC relating to unemployment  data, and; • between ESC and the U.S. Department of Labor related to    unemployment data. Read the letter here (PDF download). U.S. Rep. Virginia Foxx, a Republican who represents North Carolina’s 5th Congressional District, is a member of the committee. Attempts to get comment from the committee, Foxx, and Perdue  have not been successful. Rick Henderson is managing editor of Carolina Journal. Executive  Editor Don Carrington also contributed reporting for this story.

©2010 John Locke Foundation | 200 West Morgan St., Raleigh, NC 27601, (919) 828-3876

Where does North Carolina stand on NLRB vs. Boeing? Perdue plays coy.

Verne Strickland Blogmaster

September 14, 2011

By Matthew Boyle / The Daily Caller

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Governor Bev (left) takes innocent schoolgirl pose in this photo as she talks with somebody.

 North Carolina Gov. Bev Perdue won’t answer whether she supports the National Labor Relations Board or The Boeing Company in the ongoing labor battle in neighboring South Carolina.

“As for the NRLB and Boeing, I can only say this: Governor Perdue is, and will continue to be, 100% focused on creating jobs here in North Carolina,” North Carolina Democratic Party spokesman Walton Robinson said in an email to The Daily Caller.

Because President Barack Obama is in the state on Wednesday selling his “jobs plan” to residents, the North Carolina GOP is asking, yet again, where specifically Perdue stands on the issue.  The question has come up repeatedly, North Carolina Republican Party spokesman  Rob Lockwood told TheDC, but Perdue has never given a specific answer: Boeing or the NLRB?

Lockwood says that punting on the NLRB v. Boeing question isn’t attractive to prospective businesses, and isn’t likely to create any jobs as it adds to the uncertainty already in the economic environment.

“President Obama’s NLRB is the one to blame, but Governor Perdue’s deafening silence screams to employers ‘I won’t fight for you if you wanted to come here,’” Lockwood said in an email. “It is almost as if she has a deal with the White House to not comment on this issue.”

The NLRB is suing Boeing as a result of claims from the International Association of Machinists that the airline giant violated labor law by opening a new plant in South Carolina. Boeing contends that building there instead of Washington State was not retaliation against the IAM. Boeing has added new jobs in Washington state and no workers there have lost work. (RELATED: Obama works to keep North Carolina blue)
 
Lockwood compares Perdue with South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who’s been overtly vocal and outspoken against the NLRB for its pursuit of Boeing. She even went as far as calling the NLRB “Un-American” about two weeks ago.

But, since Perdue hasn’t commented, Lockwood points out that companies may choose South Carolina over North Carolina when relocating or opening new facilities or businesses. “Governor Perdue’s deafening silence on the NLRB v. Boeing case has severely hurt employment in North Carolina,” Lockwood said. “We share the same geography and right-to-work laws as South Carolina, but our Governor refuses to fight for jobs like Nikki Haley.”

Obama presented his “jobs plan” in several different places throughout North Carolina on Wednesday, including at WestStar Precision’s headquarters in Apex. WestStar is a high-end, specialty manufacturer that just opened a new facility in San Jose, Costa Rica — creating many new jobs there, but not in the United States.

The company’s owner, Obama donor Ervin Portman, is quoted in local news reports from 2004 as saying the reason he moved jobs to Costa Rica is to “take advantage of low labor costs.”
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Tags: Boeing, National Labor Relations Board, North Carolina

Poll: Perdue trails McCrory by eight points as Democratic base erodes. Oh boy!

Verne Strickland Blogmaster

Submitted by WWAY on Fri, 07/15/2011 - 11:51am.

RALEIGH, NC (WWAY) -- A new poll shows Republican Pat McCrory with a solid lead in hypothetical rematch of his 2008 race against Gov. Bev Perdue.

Raleigh-based Public Policy Polling found McCrory leads the incumbent Democrat 47 percent to 39 percent. McCrory gets 83 percent of the Republican vote, while only 67 percent of Democrats will commit to voting for Perdue. And she trails by a 57/28 margin with independents as well.

PPP says the story with Perdue's poll numbers doesn't change much. Just 34 percent of voters this month say they're happy with the job Perdue's doing while 49 percent disapprove.

The biggest obstacle to Perdue seeing a significant improvement in her numbers, according to the poll continues, is a lack of support for her from Democrats. 

Only 55 percent of them give her good marks to 25 percent who dissent. PPP's analysts say you usually expect a governor to be at 70 or higher with voters in their own party. With independents, Perdue gets just a 31-percent approval rating compared to 57 percent who disapprove.

PPP says McCrory is a pretty popular figure, with 29 percent of voters rating him favorably to 23 percent with a negative opinion of him. The pollsters say 48 percent with no opinion indicates a lot of voters have already forgotten McCrory since his 2008 campaign, so he will have a lot of reintroducing of himself to do once he formally enters the race.

For more analysis on this poll check out http://publicpolicypolling.blogspot.com/2011/07/perdue-trails-mccrory-by...

GOP will go for override on Bev's veto -- Speaker Thom, you're doing noble work!

Verne Strickland Blogmaster  

CHALLENGES TO VOTER ID ARE FARCICAL. IT'S FREE, IT'S IMPERATIVE, IT'S A SAFEGUARD TO BALLOT BOX INTEGRITY. SYSTEM IN PLAY ON DRIVER LICENSES,  CREDIT CARDS, AIRLINE CHECK-IN. THIS IS BLATANT OBAMA VOTE PLOY!      

June 24, 2011

Raleigh -House Speaker Thom Tillis (R-Mecklenburg) announced today that the North Carolina House will attempt to override Gov. Bev Perdue's veto of the voter ID bill when the body reconvenes in July.

"Governor Perdue has chosen to veto a bill that over 75% of North Carolinians support and more than a dozen other states utilize," Tillis said.  "GovernorPerdue continues to play politics and she has once again turned her back on the voters of our state.  Republicans in the state House will not let this stand.  We will take the lead and we will work for an override vote on the voter ID bill when the House reconvenes in July."

Tillis said the House will notice the veto override once the House reconvenes in July for a brief session on redistricting.   The override vote will occur during the July session.

"This legislation is a no-brainer," Tillis said.  "Requiring a photo ID to vote is a measure that provides confidence in voting and protects the integrity of our electoral process.  Why this bill was vetoed is beyond me, but we will not stand idly by while the Governor and her liberal allies put politics before principle.  We simply want North Carolina to join the majority of states that have an ID requirement when someone shows up to vote."

The voter ID bill, known as the "Restore Confidence in Government Act," has consistently received substantial support of the voters across party lines.  If citizens do not possess photo identification, the bill stipulates that free photo identification can be provided at DMV locations or local Boards of Elections.

"This is not a partisan issue, nor is it defined by political controversy in other states," said Tillis.  "The Governor is out of touch with the people in her state, and we intend to make that very clear to the citizens of North Carolina in the days and months ahead."

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