State lawmakers return to Raleigh today for a three-day session of the General Assembly with Democrats rightfully wary of the leadership’s intent. At the Legislature’s last gathering, the Republican majority used backroom maneuvers and a vote at 1 a.m. to retaliate against public school teachers for their opposition to the state budget passed earlier that year.

Republican lawmakers campaigned in 2010 on a pledge to throw open the doors of government and improve transparency, a promise that lasted only months after they assumed control of the Legislature. Though they learned these tactics from their Democratic predecessors, it is precisely that type of behavior that turns the public away from government and undermines confidence in elected officials.

In 2005, then-Lt. Gov. Beverly Perdue cast the deciding vote to approve a state lottery, ending a highly partisan debate about North Carolina entering the world of gaming. Democrats controlled both houses of the General Assembly and the governor’s office, using that power to push through legislation allowing the game. It passed only because two Republican opponents in the Senate were absent for the vote.

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