We need more and better policing
One of the best ways to save black lives and help poor North Carolinians would be to increase funding for North Carolina police departments and sheriffs.
John Hood
Right and Left differ on personal agency
Because political behavior is a rich and fascinating field of study, you can find many valid and useful theories to explain why conservatives and progressives disagree about the proper role of government. Here’s one with salience right now: the Right and Left disagree about personal agency.
Electoral Outcomes Aren’t Inevitable
Will North Carolina Republicans have smashing victories in the 2022 midterms? Many politicos are acting as if they will, and it isn’t hard to understand why.
We All Want Better Schools
North Carolinians disagree about a great deal. But here’s a proposition virtually all of us endorse: the future of our state is closely tied to the amount and quality of education our people receive.
State blows it on history
If the primary purpose of public education was to prepare young people for jobs, its entitlement to taxpayer support would be far weaker.
Got to pick a pocket?
If you’ve read Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist or seen the musical derived from it, you’ll immediately recognize the name. Fagin is the rogue who takes in orphans and runaways, trains them to pick pockets and swindle marks, and then distributes the proceeds between himself and street tough Bill Sikes.
Stop kicking social security can
Although the politicians in Washington almost never talk about the issue anymore, our entitlement programs are on a collision course with fiscal reality.
Fantasy explores timeless truths
I’ve had some version of this conversation many times in recent months. Having spent most of my journalism career writing about government and politics, and authoring books of economic and political history, people assume any new project of mine would fall into the same category.
Government shouldn’t set prices
I once found a $20 bill on a sidewalk in Washington, D.C. I picked it up, thus ruining the punchline of an old joke.
Users should pay for highways
As a fiscal conservative who thinks government is generally too large and taxes too high, I am grateful for the gas tax.
Cutting corporate tax helps consumers
With negotiators for the North Carolina House and Senate confirming that they’ve agreed on the broad outlines of a state budget for next year, the prospect of ending the state’s 2.5% corporate income tax is one step closer to becoming reality. A phase-out is already in the Senate’s budget plan, and key House members have endorsed the idea.
Carolinians remain fiscal conservatives
North Carolinians are closely divided when it comes to party preference. Our state has long been one of America’s key political battlegrounds. But when it comes to managing the state’s finances, the conservatives in charge of the state legislature are in tune with prevailing public sentiment.