RALEIGH — We live and work in a mostly free economy — but a spate of year-end stories demonstrated a prominent exception.
All by John Hood
John Hood: Post COVID scores tumble in NC
RALEIGH — In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, student performance fell across much of the United States. According to a new study of 2022 math and reading scores, however, North Carolina students suffered one of the country’s biggest tumbles.
John Hood: Carolinians Start Year with Guarded Optimism
RALEIGH — Being a naturally hopeful person with much to be thankful for, I try to talk to a wide variety of people before speculating about public opinion.
John Hood: Our Electoral Future Remains Unwritten
The Republican Party enjoyed impressive electoral successes in 2024. Its candidates won the presidency, the U.S. Senate, and (narrowly) the U.S. House, while retaining control of most state governments around the country. For the first time in many decades, more Americans identified as Republicans than as Democrats in preelection polls.
John Hood: More freedom means more progress
RALEIGH — North Carolina has one of the freest economies on the continent — a fact that augers well for the future of our state and its (now) 11 million residents.
John Hood: Carolinian Paired Calypso and Christmas
Even the most curmudgeonly of Scrooges can’t help but tap their toes when they hear the first few notes of the modern masterpiece “Mary’s Little Boy Child.” For that, we can all thank the North Carolinian who so memorably paired calypso and Christmas — though that was not his original intention.
John Hood: Why Medicaid Expansion Isn’t Over
Of course Congress and the White House are going to reduce federal funding for Medicaid expansion. Of course North Carolina and other states will be forced either to reduce Medicaid coverage or to shoulder billions of dollars in additional medical expenses. That was always the inevitable endgame for Medicaid expansion.
John Hood: New import taxes are a bad bet
During his 2024 campaign, Donald Trump promised sky-high tariffs on products from China and across-the-board taxes on imports from other countries. Now president-elect, Trump has already pitched the idea of levying 25% taxes on Mexican and Canadian imports to the U.S., blaming those governments for failing to arrest the cross-border flow of illicit drugs and illegal immigrants.
John Hood: Go Bigger on Regulatory Reform
Pro-growth tax reform has paid big dividends, at both the state and federal levels, but if I had to pick a top priority for economic policymaking in 2025, it would be to go bigger on regulatory reform.
Timely Read for Our Troubled Times
If you think what has made 2024 memorable is a chaotic political campaign featuring multiple assassination attempts, a first-ever switcheroo at the top of the ticket, and the second-ever election of an American president to non-consecutive terms in office, consider yourself a political junkie.
John Hood: Down-Ballot Races Show Modest Shift
RALEIGH — Now that the counting of ballots is more-or-less complete, let’s take another look back at the results of the 2024 elections — with a particular emphasis on contests closer to the bottom than the top of the ballot.
John Hood: DOGE Can Learn from North Carolina
President-elect Donald Trump has tapped business leaders Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to head up the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), an initiative that isn’t really a department but could do some good — as long as its leaders carefully study past efforts at reform.
John Hood: North Carolina Must Compete for Nurses
RALEIGH — The North Carolina General Assembly has made our state a more attractive place to live, work, and do business by reforming our tax code, reshaping our regulatory system, renovating how we fund infrastructure, and taking some initial steps toward a more competitive hospital market.
John Hood: Let’s Reform How We Pay Teachers
RALEIGH — During the just-ended 2024 election campaign, candidates for offices such as governor, legislature, county commission, and state superintendent of public instruction talked a lot about raising the pay of public schoolteachers in our state — as well they should have.
John Hood: Trump Won the “Double Haters”
RALEIGH — The 2024 election cycle will be one for the history books — be they about American politics generally or North Carolina specifically.
John Hood: North Carolinians Make a Familiar Choice
To describe North Carolina as one of America’s chief political battlegrounds is a well-worn cliché. I’ve certainly done my part to wear it out. In past columns I’ve called our state a “flirt” (which happens to be a reddish shade of purple) that still contains just enough split-ticket voters to surprise even the most experienced of political prognosticators
John Hood: Candidates Should Have Talked About Roads
During the homestretch of the 2024 election, I complained repeatedly about the absence of serious engagement by presidential and congressional candidates with the critical issue of the national debt.
John Hood: Which is Wealthier: Germany or North Carolina?
Although our state’s economy has grown faster than the national average over the past decade, not everyone has fared well. Some regions and communities are struggling — a condition now worsened in parts of western North Carolina by Hurricane Helene.
John Hood: Lawmakers Made Right Call on Relief
When the North Carolina General Assembly voted unanimously on October 24 to appropriate another $604 million for disaster relief, Gov. Roy Cooper said it wasn’t enough.
John Hood: When Carolina Ladies Made History
Over the next couple of years, you’ll hear a great deal about the 250th anniversary of our country’s founding