L to R: Pat McCrory, Graeme Keith, Mac Everett and Andy Dulin, at the Good Fellows Club holiday lunch, Dec 2007. And I have never been as happy as these dudes, ever.
It's called a kleptocracy, and yes, it's exactly what it sounds like. Kleptomania is a compulsion to steal. A kleptocracy is a government run for the profit self-interest of an individual or company. It's a kleptocracy when the elected officials are personally profiting rather than doing right by their constituents.
Trump should get a lot of attention for planning to run a kleptocracy. The greatest republic in the world is getting ready to be a government of self-interest and personal gain by a man who so far has completely refused to use a blind trust for his companies. But North Carolina has been leading the way with kleptocracy the past 4 years.
Yes, Pat McCrory appears to have fully lost the election and should concede. Any reasonable person would have by this point. But not him. Why not? It is because he's profited hand-over-fist as our governor. Read this official complaint filed by the News & Observer on McCrory's ethics violations, which point out the main ones:
McCrory gave Duke Energy the lightest of hand slaps for their coal ash spill which has seriously harmed the health of thousands of North Carolinians and our natural resources. 40% of McCrory's 401K assets were wrapped up in Duke Energy stock - which would have suffered if their stock plunged from a large penalty. Oh yeah, and he worked at Duke Energy for 16 years.
McCrory served 4 years on the Board of mortgage company Tree.com, for which he received a "gift" of over $1,000,000 worth of stock, $255,680 in director's fees and at least $10,063 in dividends,…all while appointing members of the NC Banking Commission, which regulates banks and…mortgage companies.
McCrory was listed on his tax forms as a consultant for his brother's sales solution company, McCrory & Company, LLC. But according to SEC filings, Pat was actually a full partner in the business. Many of the customers of McCrory & Company are also state contractors that donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to Pat McCrory's gubernatorial campaign and to related PACs for his election.
Graeme Keith, of Keith Corp Development, received a $3 million state prison contract, against the wishes of prison officials, after stating in McCory's presence that he had given a lot of money to candidates over the years and now it was time for him "to get something in return." He did. An FBI investigation followed of which McCrory was only recently cleared of breaking the law.
And that's not even getting into his time at Moore & Van Allen, a law firm that does lobbying deeply entrenched in the GOP. And that's just McCrory! Can you imagine all the stock holdings, board entanglements, income sources, business relationships and other potential conflicts of interest that Trump has? Well, you'll have to imagine it, because he hasn't released his tax records so far, and is under no legal rule to do so as president.
For the record, Democratic Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon wants to re-introduce a presidential tax return disclosure bill. We hope it gains momentum and will pertain fully to sitting presidents as well as future candidates. Pressure Virginia Foxx, Thom Tillis, and Richard Burr that this something we want.
But in the meantime, we need to hold our NC leadership to higher standards as well. NC state law does not require candidates to disclose details of salary information either. Perhaps it should reconsider that, because a self-serving NC leadership can have a disastrous impact close to home. Goodbye McCrory, we will not miss you.
Trump should get a lot of attention for planning to run a kleptocracy. The greatest republic in the world is getting ready to be a government of self-interest and personal gain by a man who so far has completely refused to use a blind trust for his companies. But North Carolina has been leading the way with kleptocracy the past 4 years.
Yes, Pat McCrory appears to have fully lost the election and should concede. Any reasonable person would have by this point. But not him. Why not? It is because he's profited hand-over-fist as our governor. Read this official complaint filed by the News & Observer on McCrory's ethics violations, which point out the main ones:
McCrory gave Duke Energy the lightest of hand slaps for their coal ash spill which has seriously harmed the health of thousands of North Carolinians and our natural resources. 40% of McCrory's 401K assets were wrapped up in Duke Energy stock - which would have suffered if their stock plunged from a large penalty. Oh yeah, and he worked at Duke Energy for 16 years.
McCrory served 4 years on the Board of mortgage company Tree.com, for which he received a "gift" of over $1,000,000 worth of stock, $255,680 in director's fees and at least $10,063 in dividends,…all while appointing members of the NC Banking Commission, which regulates banks and…mortgage companies.
McCrory was listed on his tax forms as a consultant for his brother's sales solution company, McCrory & Company, LLC. But according to SEC filings, Pat was actually a full partner in the business. Many of the customers of McCrory & Company are also state contractors that donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to Pat McCrory's gubernatorial campaign and to related PACs for his election.
Graeme Keith, of Keith Corp Development, received a $3 million state prison contract, against the wishes of prison officials, after stating in McCory's presence that he had given a lot of money to candidates over the years and now it was time for him "to get something in return." He did. An FBI investigation followed of which McCrory was only recently cleared of breaking the law.
And that's not even getting into his time at Moore & Van Allen, a law firm that does lobbying deeply entrenched in the GOP. And that's just McCrory! Can you imagine all the stock holdings, board entanglements, income sources, business relationships and other potential conflicts of interest that Trump has? Well, you'll have to imagine it, because he hasn't released his tax records so far, and is under no legal rule to do so as president.
For the record, Democratic Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon wants to re-introduce a presidential tax return disclosure bill. We hope it gains momentum and will pertain fully to sitting presidents as well as future candidates. Pressure Virginia Foxx, Thom Tillis, and Richard Burr that this something we want.
But in the meantime, we need to hold our NC leadership to higher standards as well. NC state law does not require candidates to disclose details of salary information either. Perhaps it should reconsider that, because a self-serving NC leadership can have a disastrous impact close to home. Goodbye McCrory, we will not miss you.