One sign displayed in the Wisconsin teacher protests states, “If you can read this, thank a teacher.” However, if you can spot the logical fallacy in that statement, it probably had nothing to do with what you learned in school since by and large, logic is not taught in the classroom. An even more egregious statement from the other side comes from pundit Rush Limbaugh when he states, “We are either on the side of the Wisconsin protesters or we are on the side of our country.”

The main logic fallacy with connecting the ability to read with the cause of the Wisconsin public school teachers involves something called affirming the consequent.

If P, then Q. Q, therefore P.

Following is Together NC’s Statement on Gov. Perdue’s State of the State address:

Our state stands at a crossroads. We recognize that the Governor and other elected officials face a significant challenge in maintaining and building upon our core infrastructure.

But it can be done, even in these trying financial times.

Gov. Perdue hinted at her priorities for her state budget, including preserving education and spurring job creation. These are essential priorities.

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It is becoming increasingly difficult to understand the Republican legislative leadership’s definition of open and transparent government, particularly the way House leaders define it.

This week News & Observer reporter Andy Curliss was kicked out of a meeting between lobbyists and 15-20 Republican lawmakers who were discussing the merits of legalizing video poker in the state. House Speaker Thom Tillis defended the closed meeting, which was basically a secret committee hearing, saying it “allows lawmakers to ask questions they might not ask in public for fear of being perceived as ignorant or biased.” But the public deserves to hear the testimony of lobbyists and the questions from lawmakers, ignorant or biased or whatever else.

Funding for North Carolina schools and human services in the next few years might not only depend on how many people the state can convince to waste their money on a lottery ticket, but also how many folks can be persuaded to throw their money away on video poker machines.

Last week we learned that Governor Beverly Perdue is seriously considering a proposal to legalize video poker to raise revenue to help address the state’s $3.7 billion shortfall. That recommendation may come in Perdue’s State of the State speech Monday night and in the budget she will submit to lawmakers shortly after her address.