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During a townhall on Thursday, State Sen. Malcolm Graham laid out a bleak picture of the state of North Carolina under the new Republican regime.

News of how impending legislation, the proposed budget and tax reform have been reported in bits and pieces. At the town at Greenville Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church Graham gave about 50 listeners a comprehensive overview of what’s in store. For starters the state declined to participate in the Affordable Healthcare Act. The tax reform bill would tax social security, hospitals would no longer be tax exempt, mortgage interest would no longer be tax deductible, Graham said.

The proposed budget would:

Cut support for teachers such as assistants and guidance counselors

Increase class sizes

Cut funds to public universities

Cut health and human services

“The budget is the worse piece of legislation I’ve seen in many years” Graham said. “There is a crisis in North Carolina. If a police shot a black kid this place would be filled. That’s a crisis. What I just outlined is a crisis.”

Graham emphasized the importance of voting so citizens could elect more Democrats to the state legislature. He said voters get excited about president elections, but off-year elections are even more important because the people elected to state legislature and local races impact N.C. residents.

Proposed State Budget, Bills and Tax Reform Will Hurt Poor, Children and Middle Class  was originally published on praisecharlotte.com