"Almost 80% of jobs in North Carolina are created by small businesses and entrepreneurs. We need leaders who understand this and want to remove tension between the private sector and public sector to create the right environment for jobs."

Last year the State of North Carolina had a record-breaking $2.6 billion state budget surplus. With so much money on the table, did we fully repeal the so-called temporary taxes? At last, did we finally give small businesses and families a real plan for long-term economic growth and improved government service?

Of course not. The Liberal Democrats passed a budget that spends $20.6 billion dollars - a spending increase of 8.9% on top of an 9.7% spending increase from the year before. The Liberal Democrats in the General Assembly blew past the spending cap recommended by the Democratic Governor and left the full weight of Medicaid on the backs of the counties, which will in turn pass that burden onto the taxpayers in the form of a higher property tax. (NOTE - The burden of Medicaid has now been taken off the backs of our counties by the legislature).

If we had actually implemented the Governor's hollow spending cap promise, we would have spent $700 million less this year alone! I urged the Senate to return that $700 million dollars back to the taxpayers by removing the burden of Medicaid from the counties. In Johnston County, we could use that funding relief alone to build seven new schools.

Irresponsible spending is endemic in the General Assembly though. That's why I introduced the Taxpayer Protection Act, a bill which aimed to set spending priorities and control the dramatic growth of government while making sure we meet our needs in education, infrastructure, and public safety. The Taxpayer Protection Act forces government to change the fundamental question in Raleigh from "where can we go find taxes and fees to pay for new programs" to "now that we know how much money we have, let's set priorities and eliminate wasteful programs or programs which have outlived their useful life."