RALEIGH — We live and work in a mostly free economy — but a spate of year-end stories demonstrated a prominent exception.
All in Opinion
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.
Three of the biggest NC government and politics storylines of 2024 — and what they mean for 2025
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: 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.
A North Carolina Where People Are Better Educated, Healthier, With More Money In Their Pockets
Governor Roy Cooper delivered his farewell address and celebrated the progress made building a North Carolina where people are better educated, healthier and have more money in their pockets to live lives of purpose and abundance.
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.
Trump taps U.S. Rep. Bishop for Office of Management and Budget
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: 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.
Budd Statement on Murder of American Hostage Omer Neutra
Senator Ted Budd (R-NC) released a statement after the Israeli Defense Forces confirmed that U.S.-Israeli citizen Omer Neutra was killed by Hamas terrorists during the October 7, 2023 attacks. His body remains in Gaza.
Hand parents the keys to teen online safety
As a father, I have a responsibility to protect my family. Our adversaries come in many forms, but in recent years, it is the poisonous content that makes its way onto children’s phones that gives me concern. Parents across the nation understand all too well the consequences of overexposure to digital devises and acknowledge that keeping inappropriate material off our kids’ screens starts with common-sense policies that put us parents at the forefront of our children’s online experience.
NC GOP leaders muster only bogus explanations for shameless power grab
In case you ever wondered, here’s a sure indicator that a politician has been caught doing something sketchy and underhanded.
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.
Op-ed: Oppose the PRO CODES Act to Protect North Carolina's Liberties
As Chairman of the Anson County Board of Commissioners, I take seriously my responsibility to protect the individual liberties of our communities here and across North Carolina. This responsibility includes ensuring citizens have unfettered access to the public information that directly affects their lives and livelihoods.
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.
Op-Ed: Private School Vouchers are Unpopular, Failed Policy
On November 5th, voters in three states rejected private school voucher measures on their ballots. A majority (58 percent) of voters in Nebraska chose to repeal a recently passed voucher law