Among the pagan-inspired customs of the Christmas season, there has come to be the ritualistic burning of the straw man. Specifically, I refer to the traditional seasonal column by a sly journalist or political analyst asserting that the exchange of Christmas gifts is a major lose-lose for the economy.
Not all heroes wield blades. And many problems cannot be solved simply by hacking away at them. Their causes are complex and interconnected. They twist and turn. They are fabrics that must be unraveled, patiently and prudently, to be understood. Often, solutions come from following seemingly small threads in unexpected directions, and weaving them into something new.
As of November, North Carolina’s state government has some $4 billion in unreserved cash in its General Fund, plus well north of $1 billion in its rainy-day account and other reserves.
When U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis narrowly won reelection against Cal Cunningham, the two candidates had collectively spent $78 million. That’s a large number. But it was dwarfed by the $221 million spent on the race by groups other than the two campaigns.
RALEIGH — In its daily newsletter called “The Morning,” the New York Times had this to say about California voters defeating a proposition that would have reinstated racial preferences in state hiring, contracting, and university admissions:“Polls that ask broadly about affirmative-action programs for racial minorities find most Americans to be in favor of them. Polls that specifically ask whether employers and colleges should take race into account when making decisions find that most Americans say no. These two patterns are contradictory.”
While modern conservatism in America brings together a number of discrete groups, interests, and priorities, one of its unifying themes is maximizing freedom — by which conservatives mean maximizing the right of individuals, families, and private associations to make their own decisions rather than having them overruled by government coercion.
by John Hood When the Associated Press and other news organizations asked North Carolina voters for their perspectives on the just-concluded 2020 elections, there was no shortage of disagreement. No surprise there. After all, Donald Trump won the state by just 1.3 percentage po
By JOHN HOOD Since the beginning of the COVID-19 recession in March, North Carolina policymakers have been watching government revenues and expenditures carefully. How big a hole would the economic downturn poke in the state budget? Would cash-strapped localities come begging for aid? Would la
by John Hood In 2020, North Carolina Republicans and Democrats took their respective cases to the public. Each party asked voters to put them fully in charge of North Carolina government. The voters said no. Well, to be more precise, the vast majority of voters actually s
by John Hood North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper has just been reelected. It’s an outcome his two immediate predecessors, Democrat Bev Perdue and Republican Pat McCrory, were unable to accomplish. A sweet as that victory must taste to the governor and his team, his ability to conver
by John Hood North Carolina Democrats thought the stars had finally aligned for smashing victories in 2020. A controversial Republican president was at the top of the GOP ticket. Gov. Roy Cooper was posting double-digit leads for re-election. Court-ordered redistricting created
By JOHN HOOD The day before the 2018 midterms, I posted a column about “what to do if you lose.” Without knowing the outcome, I urged those about to be disappointed not to react to their loss in ways that would make themselves, and everyone around them, miserable. “While mourning
