GK Butterfield and Ashley Wollard -- On Federal Education Spending

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GK Butterfield of NC-1 is attempting to vilify Ashley Woolard for having the temerity of suggesting that education is best administered from no greater than the state level.

According to Washington Daily News:

“This radical plan would be devastating,” Butterfield is quoted as saying in the release. “Many of our schools rely heavily on these monies to serve their most at-risk students, and less-affluent students often need help to go to college.”

It seems Butterfield is unaware that the education funding he argues we are so dependent on in NC comes from us, the tax payer, first. These monies do not simply materialize in the hands of Washington politicians and departments.

When the money is not directly generated by the tax payer it is brought into existence by growing the national debt which the tax payer has to pay back in time.

Butterfield is arguing that we should send our education funding dollars to the federal government (of which he is a part) so that the federal government can return our money to us through the US. Dept. of Education with strings attached. He clearly feels it is best that these dollars run through the hands of governance so that he can more effectively influence the nation.

Do we really want our education dollars sullied by the Dept of Education? Why not simply keep our money in state?

This is an obvious example of Butterfield's penchant for growing Federal influence at the expense of local influence by funneling dollars through his hands and skimming off either influence or even a few per diem dollars.

Butterfield -- once again representing DC at the expense of NC.




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Rep GK Butterfield, Ashley Woolard Debate Impressions....

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This is my first exposure to Ashley Woolard; he has passion, understanding of the issues and what seems to be a consistent among the Tea Party supporters running for office... youth. Rep GK Butterfield by comparison was unprepared, disheveled and seemed almost bothered by the fact that he had been taken from his important business in DC.

There were six questions in the debate and they were all difficult for Butterfield to address. All but one indicate the nationalized nature of this election. In fact, the only question that hearkened to anything local was one concerning possible bribery in relation Butterfield's acceptance of campaign funds from Charlie Rangel then later sitting on an ethics panel investigating Rangel. Butterfield refused to recuse himself despite the obvious conflict of interest involved. Overall, though, the majority of the questions are a direct result of governing against the will of the people and the fact that every major bill tackled by congress was unpopular.

A few of quotes sum up some of their positions nicely.

• GK Butterfield on the economy:

  We need more people to pay income taxes. That's the way we are going to grow our economy.

[Translation: Your tax dollars funneled through my hands will power our economy... long live Keynesian Theory. ]

• Ashley Woolard on ObamaCare:

  The bottom line reality is - this is not about about health care, it's about more government control and that's what we're sick of. We're sick of people like my opponent going into Washington, telling them what's better for us, better for our families, and better for our lives. It's nonsense.

[No translation needed. Woolard believes in the American people.]

• Ashley Woolard on GK. Butterfield's skimming per diem expenses:

  You have been taking the taxpayer's money and putting it in your pocket and you will not account for it. It's unacceptable behavior... The people of the US are sick of it and that's what's wrong with Washington, people such as yourself. You don't represent the people by putting the people's money in your pocket and not accounting for it.

[No translation needed. Theft is wrong.]

• GK Butterfield on the Dept. of Education:

  Our school system in NC. depends on support from the US Dept. of Education ... We sent some Recovery Act funds to the school system in Beaufort Co.

[Translation: The US Dept. of Education needs to hold on to your federal tax money so it can attach strings to it before it puts your money back into your school system.]

• Ashley Woolard on the Dept. of Education:

  I believe the Dept of Education is just another big major bureaucracy created by liberal democrats to control the lives of the citizenry. I believe the folks of Eastern NC are more than capable of making the choices of what's better for their school systems than a bunch of bureaucrats running around Washington DC.
  

[No translation needed. Ashley Woolard believes in the American people and federalism.]



This election could not be clearer. Some of us believe in America while some believe in American government.



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Rep Brad Miller and Bill Randall Debate Scheduled....

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Update:
Miller /Randall debate impressions here.


ABC 11 is sponsoring four congressional debates. The first, between Butterfield and Woolard is already available for viewing.

• Monday, October 4 at 10 a.m. - NC 1st District Congressional Debate: Rep. G.K. Butterfield (D) and Ashley Woolard (R) - airs: 10/24/10 at 12:30 p.m. Click to watch the Butterfield/Woolard debate

• Monday, October 11 at 10 a.m. - NC 2nd District Congressional Debate: Rep. Bob Etheridge (D), Renee Ellmers (R) and Tom Rose (L) - airs: 10/24/10 at 12:00 p.m.

• Monday, October 11 at 2 p.m. - NC 4th District Congressional Debate: Rep. David Price (D) and Dr. B.J. Lawson (R) - airs: 10/24/10 at 11:00 a.m.

• Monday, October 18 at 7 p.m. – NC 13th District Congressional Debate: Rep. Brad Miller (D) and Bill Randall (R) - airs: 10/24/10 at 11:30 a.m.

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