Dear Editor,
Everyone in North Carolina needs to read the newest bill, H.B. 765, proposed by Republican State Representative Jeff Zenger. Sponsors are calling it the “Save the American Dream Act.” Reminds me of all the so-called great bills passed in Washington. They always come up with great names for the newest bill they want to pass, and they are good at selling it. Remember the “Affordable Care Act”? How’s that working out for you?
The politicians of both parties are using this newest state bill title to convince us they care about homeownership in our state. I have read the bill cover to cover. I can’t find anything in it about homeowners or home ownership. Citizens better wake up. Always watch out for those “great” sounding bills that are usually written with a lot of gobbledygook. Read the fine print, folks.
Study Representative Zenger’s history and you will discover some background purpose for this bill. It is probably a vendetta bill against the city his company sued. Just like Representative Zenger, we do not like people telling us what we can and cannot do on our land. However, this single bill, written to control all counties, cities, and towns across North Carolina, will not help our most important group of people: the taxpayers. Every county, city, and town is different across our state.
This bill has some good things in it to limit local government, which most appreciate. However, it will put a lot of burden on the locals. Local taxpayers will be forced to pay for infrastructure upgrades when a big developer comes to town. The bill does not state this fact, so you must read between the gobbledygook lines to see it, or get a lawyer well versed in state law to explain it to you.
Most of us expected something in the bill written to protect homes from big development, big government, or even lower our taxes. But it’s just another bill that gives the state another big stick. Once our state government grabs a new stick to control local government, they rarely let it go. You will also hear many Democrats and Republicans say, “It’s a bipartisan bill, there is nothing wrong with it.” But the wrong is the fact that it has both good and bad in it, which makes it a wash for the rest of us.
Besides, if our representatives truly cared about home ownership, they would work on one of the biggest growing burdens for North Carolina homeowners: taxes and insurance. Call your state representatives and tell them we do not need any more laws. If they want to help build the “American Dream” for North Carolinians, they can do it by fixing the state laws they already put on the books.
Tony Meads
Hertford, NC
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