Carolina Politics Online

Pat McCrory and Michael Munger debated last night on live television.  Bev Perdue did not attend the debate due to other committments.  While there were predictably some agreements between the two there were a few differences as well.

McCrory said that he would push to allow drilling off the coast of North Carolina once a federal moratorium is lifted, arguing it would eventually help increase the supply of oil and bring down gas prices.

Munger said the emphasis on offshore drilling is a gimmick in the short term.

“Both on employment and on the price of oil in the state, because it’s a drop in an ocean of oil,” he said. “On the other hand, it’s clearly the right thing to do.”

I guess we’ll see what the result is come October once the Federal ban on offshore drilling expires.  The expiration itself should help in the short term at least since the prospect of larger supplies of oil down the road should cause speculators to bid the price down.

“High prices are not something we should try to solve by using tax money,” he said.

The price spike drives a reduction in usage, shifts to more fuel efficient cars and pushes the addition of energy efficiencies such as more insulation in homes. High prices also will make alternative energies profitable, he argued.

Munger makes a good point here.  The natural market forces will drive us to persue more fuel efficient vehicles and larger investment in alternative fuels.  We’re already seeing that happen, however that doesn’t mean that more drilling should be off the table, which Munger acknowledged.

On the death penalty, Munger said he did not believe it was being administered equally.

“Your punishment shouldn’t depend on the color of your skin or how much money you have to pay a lawyer,” he said.

He added that he philosophically opposes capital punishment. “I don’t think we have any business with the government killing our citizens,” he said.

McCrory said he would work to reinstate the death penalty in North Carolina, which hasn’t executed an inmate since 2006. But he said as governor he would consider commuting the sentences of people who did not have a fair trial or had inadequate defense.

I support McCrory’s view on reinstating the death penalty.  I certainly understand Munger’s view point on this subject as it is a very delicate matter, but I don’t feel it’s justified that if it’s undoubtedly proven that someone takes another life in cold blood that we, the taxpayers, should be forced to financially support this individual for the next 40 or 50 years while they live out the rest of their life, which they denied the person they murdered, in jail.

After the debate, the two said they disagree on a number of social issues that didn’t come up.

Munger said that, unlike McCrory, he would allow illegal immigrants to study at state community colleges, allow gay marriage and support a much stronger school voucher program.

I do not support illegal immigrants studying at community colleges because I think it only goes to justify their presence here.  On gay marriage I really have no opinion.  If two men or two women want to marry it doesn’t effect my life.  On the voucher program, I am opposed to vouchers, but I do support open enrollment across the board.

Trackback URI | Comments RSS