The motive: House Bill 482 is not a cause. It is an attack on free speech.

The vote on House Bill 482 is not about righting a wrong.

It is not even about the people it purports to protect.

Standing up for the workers is not the reason a group of North Carolina legislators decided to create a bill regulating the conduct of business between the state's newspapers and its independent contractor carrier forces.

The reason there is a bill that would subject newspaper publishing companies who use carriers to state worker's comp and unemployment tax, and which would eliminate the 12-year-old "special presumption" that carriers are independent contractors, not employees, is about something much simpler, and, frankly, baser.

It is about retaliation.

It is about punishing -- and silencing -- critics.

It is about treading on the freedom of the press.

And it is about sending a message -- you say stuff we don't like, and we will use our political influence to damage your business.

This is not the first attempt.

The recent calls to push legal notices out of newspapers had the same objective -- although it was cloaked in the disguise of saving money. Thank goodness there was a core group of leaders in this state -- led by some key state Republican and Democrat legislators -- who did not let that happen.

And it is about a battle of wills between four large newspapers in this state and the Republican majority in the Senate -- and the other newspapers in this state who are about to be caught in the crossfire.

On the surface, it might seem as if there is no reason for anyone who reads a newspaper or who takes advantage of the chance to promote his or her business there to be concerned about this bill.

After all, this sounds like a normal course of business.

But the truth is this is more than a decision to put a piece of legislation together that would make life better in this state.

It is an attempt to stop those who would examine, critique and speak out against policies in this state with which some might not agree.

It is about putting a leash on the state's watchdog -- and it is going to hurt not just the big four papers at which it was directed -- the News and Observer of Raleigh, the Charlotte Observer, The Fayetteville Observer and the News and Record of Greensboro.

(And as a side note, we don't always agree with what they say either, but we fiercely defend their right to say it -- and anyone's right to critique them, or us, if they disagree.)

It is going to cripple small papers and medium-size papers and anyone who works to bring the news to their communities every day.

And it is going to hurt others, too.

It is going to hurt the independent contractor who uses his or her route as a supplement to an income, a retirement and as a way to put away a little extra money.

But, as we said, this is not a debate about what is the right way to treat newspaper carriers or independent contractors.

It is about using a political advantage to silence critics.

And no North Carolinian, and no American, should stand by while that occurs. No political party should be able to strike back at an opponent unfairly or give an ally an unfair advantage. It is exactly what most of us think is wrong with politics today.

There has been a surge in popularity over the past year in candidates who are not traditional politicians -- and there has been a revelation about what really runs the American political power grid.

One of the criticisms that has struck a chord with American voters is that some politicians expect a quid pro quo -- you donate to my campaign or support me publicly and you have influence, you have pull.

And if you don't, there will be consequences.

It is why businesses need lobbyists - and campaign donations.

So that is why we have to stand up and say no when a political majority -- of either party -- uses its influence to target a business with the express purpose of damaging that business and silencing a critic.

Often over the past few years, it has been Republicans who have stood against this sort of activity.

We hope that it will be the Republicans in the rest of North Carolina who will have the courage to do so again.

Published in Editorials on September 24, 2015 11:33 AM