The North Carolina Democratic Party is going on a road trip on Friday, August 10th through Sunday, August 12th in eastern North Carolina.

Road trips usually conjure memories of dusty roads, rocking out to bad 80s music, and quirky roadside attractions like Fire House Fred or the world’s biggest frying pan.

But our road trip has a purpose. Many counties in the east are Democratic strongholds with lower than ideal levels of voter turnout. If we hope to win big statewide in 2008, it’s critical that voters in the east make their voices heard!

Volunteers from across the state will hit the road, working with local activists, registering voters, canvassing, performing community service projects, meeting with candidates and elected officials, and listening to the ideas and concerns of eastern North Carolinians.

Young, College and Teen Democrats will team up with folks from the NC Democratic Party, including NCDP Chairman Jerry Meek. The caravan will leave Raleigh at noon Friday, August 10th and return Sunday evening, August 12th.

The state is on its biggest spending spree since the late 1990s, before the dot-com bubble burst and recession staggered the state. . . .

Republicans . . .  are troubled about the increase in the state's past four budgets, which have grown by 9.5 percent, 9.7 percent, 8 percent and 7.1 percent, respectively. They note that the budget is growing faster than the state's population or the rate of inflation.

"We are spending a lot more than we should," said Senate Republican leader Phil Berger of Eden. "The additional spending does not seem to provide us with any measurable improvement in services."

Historically, North Carolina has not been a big-spending state like New York or California. With its poor rural background and broad conservative streak, North Carolina has typically spent well below the national average.  . . .

Joe Coletti, a fiscal policy analyst with the conservative John Locke Foundation, said North Carolina's spending is growing faster than personal income is rising. Republican legislators have unsuccessfully sought a constitutional amendment to limit annual spending increases based on such factors.

Coletti also says state spending does not follow a pattern, instead going up and down like a yo-yo based on how much revenue is available each year. The result of the current spending surge, he said, will inevitably be future tax increases or budget cuts.

In 2000, North Carolina ranked 36th in the nation in combined state and local taxes, according to the Tax Foundation. But the state is now 19th in tax burden -- although the state's standing could change after the legislature voted last week to reduce the income tax on wealthy residents. Analysts say North Carolina did not see a corresponding rise in the state's rank in spending because some of the new taxes were used to plug holes in the budget when tax revenues declined during the recession.

The striking increase was not mentioned this week when Democratic Gov. Mike Easley signed the budget. Instead, the budget was hailed as a tool to prepare North Carolina for the future -- including putting an additional $1 billion into education.

"I see this as a historic and dramatic moment as North Carolina emerges as a leader in education for the 21st century," Easley said.

Democrats, who control state government, say North Carolina is making up for the recession's lean years as well as preparing for the global economy.

"We are playing catch-up to some extent from earlier in the decade," said House Speaker Joe Hackney, an Orange County Democrat. GOP troubled  . . .

Hackney said the expenditures are necessary if North Carolina is to remain competitive.

"We know we are in a global competition to train and prepare for work our children and our adults in our work force," he said. "North Carolina chooses to invest in training that work force and training those children to compete."

Hunt and Easley have supported efforts to raise teacher salaries to the national average, start and expand pre-school programs such as Smart Start, and keep the University of North Carolina system nationally competitive.

This year's budget includes a broad array of new programs with big price tags, such as providing scholarships to poor children ($100 million), expanding pre-school programs ($56 million), allowing more high school kids to take college courses online ($11.5 million) and providing a tax break for the working poor ($48 million). . . .

Democrats point to rising test scores in math and reading for public school students, smaller classes and larger numbers of children attending college. Republicans note that a third of high school students drop out, SAT college board scores continue to lag, and there are waiting lists for kids to get into charter or private schools.

North Carolina has increased spending during the past three decades slightly faster than the national average, according to state and national budget figures. Since 1979, North Carolina's budget has risen an average 7.9 percent annually, compared with an average 6.5 percent in all states. . . .

But even with its budgets on the rise, North Carolina spends less than most other states.

State and local governments in North Carolina spent an average of $7,006 for every person in 2005, the most recent data available, according to the Tax Foundation, a conservative think tank in Washington. That's compared with a national average of $8,000. North Carolina ranked 33rd in combined spending by state and local governments, in line with states such as Tennessee, Nevada and Mississippi.