Gentlemen (Dear Commissioners, July 19, 2013) | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Gentlemen,

    The Rural Center is getting the axe. The waste, incompetence and tangled interests that your inane economic development schemes have forced on this county have likely lost their inspiration. Tragically, the music did not stop soon enough. Beaufort County remains mired in two useless industrial parks. The Folly on Frederick Road remains a wasteland. The Washington Industrial Park has actually had recipients of free land give the land gift back to the county. "Thanks but no thanks."

    We literally cannot give the industrial park away!

    Your intransigent support of Mr. Thompson's syncophants and country club chums has done more than $10,000,000 in damage to taxpayers. To what purpose?

    Happy I could be of help,

    Regards,

   Warren Smith
     Beaufort County, NC

    FYI:

    Press Coverage:

    The Rural Center is a prime example of unnecessary government cronyism at its worst. It has empowered a group of unelected, unaccountable bureaucrats with hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars. Much of their activity is either redundant, wasteful or appears to benefit its own board members.

    Its high time state lawmakers consider sparing taxpayers from having to continue funding this highly questionable organization.

    De-funding the Rural Center would be just one more step in restoring fiscal stability to the state budget, he said. "As North Carolina moves forward toward greater financial responsibility, there are many other wasteful projects, programs and non-profit funding that should be eliminated from the state budget."

    To see the Civitas Institute's two-part series exposing the cronyism and wastefulness of the Rural Center, use the links below:

    North Carolina Rural Economic Development Center Exposed Part I: Rural Center Scheme Robs Taxpayers

    North Carolina Rural Economic Development Center Exposed Part II: Government Waste Flushed Down Rural Center