Economy
North Carolinians need lower gas prices, but more importantly, they need leaders who will actually show up and tackle the cost-of-living crisis every day, not just when it’s politically convenient.
Helene won’t define Western North Carolina. How people showed up for one another in the aftermath– the resilience, generosity, and determination– that’s what will define Western NC.
North Carolina is lucky to have the immigrants who live and work here, and we’re lucky to have local leaders who are willing to step up and advocate for them. Throughout tough circumstances, they’ve continued to support us and keep our communities running. Now we need to do a better job of supporting them.
Duke Energy has been a prime example of greedy corporations demanding too much – whether it’s 6.8% or 9.3% – and North Carolinians have rallied together to fight back.
NC’s Supreme Court is our last line of defense. They had a chance to defend us last week against rising costs and corporate greed. They failed. They had a choice between considering the evidence provided by their constituents, or burying their heads in the sand. They chose the ostrich route.
This wasn’t just preventable, it was intentional. It’s like they saw that the dumpster was starting to smoke and they responded by throwing away the fire extinguisher.
Whether it be at the gas pump, the grocery store, or even at home– North Carolinians are paying for Trump’s war. And we have little to show for it. Americans feel less safe than they did before the war, and are increasingly pessimistic about when it will come to an end.
Since 2020, Duke Energy has raised your bill by 22%. They don’t need to be doing this– Duke Energy made $5 billion in profit last year. But as if that weren’t enough, they’re now asking state leaders to raise your bill AGAIN– this time by another 18%.
We’ve all been feeling the pain caused by tariffs. The average family lost $1,700 as a result of Trump’s tariffs last year. In fact, tariffs cost the average family roughly two to three times the size of any tax refund they will receive from the “Big Beautiful Bill” passed last summer.
If you could tell your lawmakers one thing about the rising cost of living, what would it be? It’s a question that the Coalition Against Right-Wing Extremism posed to North Carolina, and folks from all across the state, from Asheville to Wilmington, shared stories of pain and perseverance, struggle and resilience.