Jones North Carolina: Top Political

Jones

North Carolina: Top Political and Environmental Issues

North Carolina is without a doubt one of the most vibrant of the fifty states. Rich in historical memory, as well as strikingly beautiful in her natural resources, the state (according to its official website) also boasts "one of the most dynamic economies in the U.S." Yet, despite its fabled industrial, textile and furniture industries, North Carolina still grapples with many of the same environmental and political issues that plague other states -- chief among them state budgetary concerns, and the impact of serious air pollution.

There is little question that the current lack of a state budget is of pressing concern to many in the state. Indeed, the fiscal year has begun, yet a large amount of uncertainty and frustration reigns where a solid budget should stand. Adding to this frustration is the many programs and agencies that depend upon the firm establishment of a state budget before their own financial issues and programs can be set. Consider, for example that the state's school system is particularly hard hit with uncertainty over available funds as well as confusion over just how many teachers can be hired for the coming school year. One can clearly see how such concerns can create a ripple effect down to the smallest communities and families.

According to many in North Carolina, the problem is not merely that the current budget problems are so serious, but that it is a longstanding problem (as is the case in many other states), so much that "It happens every year now (Citizen Times, 2005)." This, a problem many assert lies with the elected officials, who think nothing of deadlocking the budgetary process in endless debate and stonewalling based on motivations of opposing issues.

One common example of this problem seems to be the growing "polarity of politics (2005)" concerning "hot button" issues between the Republican and Democrat camps. This is especially true for issues concerning tax increases. Thus, if one party considers some legislation to be against their interests, they do not hesitate to stymie the budget process, in effect holding it hostage for political gains unrelated to fiscal policy.

Like in other states, however, North Carolina seems to be beginning to consider methods by which future budget stalls can be averted. Some of these steps may include the establishment of set "deadlines" by which the various stages of the budget process must be completed. However, many still assert that having an abiding interest in the welfare of the state rather than personal power will go far in ending the problem.

Clearly, much of the reason that the budget problem is so prevalent in the minds of many North Carolinians is the fact that it so adversely affects the educational quality available to the children of the state. Education is always of central concern at a most fundamental citizen level, and allowing a system that continually harms the ability of schools to offer the education that the state's children need certainly grates heavily on the psyche of the state as a whole. This, coupled with the additional burden being felt by the state's police department as well -- another state agency that directly affects the quality of life of virtually all of the state's citizens (Hartsoe, 2005), seems to further underscore the very urgent nature of the problem, bringing it to the forefront of current political concerns in the state.

Environmentally, North Carolina is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful, and resource rich, states in the country. Yet, just as in the political realm, the state is plagued with many of the environmental issues facing other states. This is particularly true when one considers the often skewed balance between preserving the environment, and the financial bottom line.

In North Carolina air pollution is of central and growing concern. Much of this is directly attributable to both the relatively large amount of industry in the state, as well as to its heavy reliance upon coal-based power generation. Currently, within the mountainous Asheville area, record high ozone levels have been declared, forcing the North Carolina Attorney General to file suit against the infamous Tennessee Valley Authority (owned by the federal government) to reduce and clean up its emissions springing from its coal powered power plants (Citizen Times, 2005).

The fact is that in the western, mostly mountain area of the state, a disproportional high level of pollution impacts the lives of the citizens that live there, both through increased levels of reported respiratory ailments, as well as in the visual smog-like fog that often seems to take up permanent residence in the sky. Yet, according to the state's office of the attorney general, the TVA continues to not only pollute the air through its emissions, but it also is in violation of the "Clean Air Act" by not installing the "best available" equipment to protect the air.

This problem is of particular interest in that the TVA plants are not only federally owned, but as such are highly bound by the standards set by the government, yet, again according to the attorney general, the company continuously, blatantly, and intentionally ignores Clean Air regulations. Thus, in an attempt to force the company to deal with the issue, the Attorney General is seeking to involve the EPA, which supposedly has the "teeth" necessary to force the TVA to comply with government standards.

Sadly, the repercussions for many North Carolinians are severe. Not only did a 2004 study show that the state as a whole ranks ninth in the nation for the number of deaths attributed to air pollution, but it is estimated that more than a thousand citizens die state wide as a result of exposure to air pollutants (2005). Sadly, additional "hundreds of thousands" more people (particularly the very young or the very old) are affected by the air pollution plaguing the state, and display symptoms of asthma, general "respiratory problems," as well as heart attacks and disease (2005). Interestingly, however, it is not just coal-powered power plants that cause such damage to the air quality in North Carolina, but other industries as well, including (surprisingly enough), the state's booming swine industry.

Although many might imagine that the environmental impact of hog farming is relatively minimal compared to smog producing factories, many in North Carolina are beginning to assert that the emissions produced from the waste gasses rising from the farms are harmful to the quality of the air.

The way in which modern hog farming is conducted in the state may contribute to the increasing problem of air pollution in that increasingly large hog farms are being established and run -- often increasingly close to populated areas. Although one might well imagine that the unpleasant stench that arises from even the smallest hog farm might be the greatest threat posed by the industry, there is growing evidence that the emissions arising from the practice may be physically and environmentally harmful as well.

Consider the various sources of pollution arising from hog farming, including foul odors, animal dander, and gasses released from the "lagoons" used to hold open pools of animal waste which releases several gasses into the air. Further, according to scientists, when people breathe the fumes that arise from the cesspools as well as the spray fields often used in the farming process, they may be exposed to several potentially dangerous compounds, bacteria, and other contaminants (NC Air, 2005).