ave you heard the joke about Black and Decker? I am not referring to the tool manufacturer, but instead to the North Carolina state legislature as we have our own little government scandal brewing just minutes from our campus. Jim Black, Democratic Speaker of the NC House from Mecklenburg County, and Michael Decker, the former Republican turn Democrat, are entangled in what I find to be a sad situation down on Jones Street.

To sum up: Decker received checks written by Black through an optometrist lobbying group of which Black was a high ranking member when Decker switched Parties. Decker’s bolt from the GOP made the NC House an even 60-60 split and resulted in Black being made co-Speaker of the House. Black has since become the lone speaker after the Democrats regained their majority in the 2005-2006 legislative session.

I would think that two educated men could find a better way to hide their illegal acts, because this almost makes it appear as if they wanted to get caught.

As suspicious as Decker’s partisan change of heart might seem, it pales in comparison to the way in which Black led the fight to establish the North Carolina Education Lottery. This legislation, penned by Black, is written so that only one company - Scientific Games - could truly compete for the contract. This might be because this company is specialized and Black wanted a specific system for our state. However, look closely and you will find that Black's former political director, Meredith Norris of Scientific Games, played a key role in passing the legislation. This furthers the suspicion that Black may be involved in some “funny business” with our tax dollars.

Want even more corruption from Black? How is this for job security: Black was going to give every optometrist in the state just that with a bill he designed. This bill mandated that every North Carolina child get an eye exam before attending elementary school. What is infuriating about this is that the state might have to start picking up the tab for these exams. Aside from the questionable use of tax dollars, who is the government to mandate certain things about our health?

Wake County District Attorney Colin Willoughby is considering filing charges against Jim Black for breaking state campaign finance laws per the recommendation of the NC Board of Elections.

The scandals surrounding state government are not isolated to Speaker Black. We are in the midst of a poor run for state agencies. The headliner was former Agriculture Secretary Meg Scott Phipps being convicted on fraud charges. This goes along with numerous scandals involving employees at the Departments of Health and Human Services and transportation. These scandals range from skimming money off the top, to committing outright fraud.

Here is my message to the Jones Street politicos: we need reform in North Carolina that will bring an end to the cronyism and corruption in state government; we all deserve better than to have the Jim Blacks of the world in power. Ô

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