From the N&O:

Democratic Gov. Bev Perdue on Wednesday vetoed a bill that would require teachers and state employees to pick up a greater cost of their health insurance, saying the Republican legislature effectively hit them with a tax increase without consulting them.

And I’m sure she said it with a straight face, just like her line about being the ‘adult in the room’ when she squared off with Phil Berger last week.

The joke is average citizens get hit with tax increases all the time and we’re never consulted. But let’s be fair. The PART board at least held a public hearing before unanimously voting to seek a $3 increase in car registration fees to keep themselves afloat. So you can say in a manner of speaking the public was consulted.

No doubt there will be public hearings as county commissioners debate the issue. But how many commissioners —after hearing strong opposition from citizens —will go ahead and pass the tax increase anyway?

Stay tuned. Greensboro City Councilman and PART board member Robbie Perkins said yesterday “(i)t’s clear we either pass this, move on and make a compelling case, or we shut down PART as we know it today.”