To the Members of the Reform Party of North Carolina,
In the omnibus spending bill, a known political tool to give handouts to special interests that support them, the Democrats and Republicans moved the mandatory age to purchase tobacco from eighteen to twenty-one. This sucker punch was a blow to North Carolina’s agricultural economy.
It is no secret that Donald Trump’s agricultural policies are sowing the seeds of ruin. Due to Trumps “trade wars”, farmers have been reduced to living on subsidies while their crops rot on the vine. Farmers do not want these subsidies, they want access to markets that are closing quickly.
These subsidies are shrouded in stupidity. Trump and the legislature are raising spending to bail out farmers from a problem that Trump’s policies created. To cut production and raise spending, is a large step towards America’s imminent bankruptcy.
The lack of transparency on this legislature is the failure of a corrupt system. Had Mischievous Mitch introduced this measure in the open, it would have failed on its own. He had to bury this garbage in hundreds of thousands of line items, to conceal it from those that would vote “no”.
Tobacco is North Carolina’s cash crop. Not only does its production feed the families of small farmers and factory workers, but its sales tax keep America’s finances afloat. This over regulation will create a reduction in tobacco’s production, and the tax revenue it creates. It is a boon, not just to North Carolina, but to the United States as a whole. The United States’ tax revenue will decline, small businesses will shut down, and factory jobs will be lost.
Meanwhile our sitting Republican Senators paid homage to their party rather than stand up for the people they represent. At best Richard Burr and Thom Tillis were asleep at the wheel. At the worst, Richard Burr and Thom Tillis reduced themselves to lap dogs – following their master’s commands while sporting a muzzle and a leash.
The Democrats are not much better. As the blows rained down on North Carolina, they remained silent, as they’ve always been. Their silence is acceptance of this issue is a cowardly act, and evidence that they stand for nothing.
Sincerely,
Nicholas Hensley
Chairman
