Hurricane victims, struggling rural hospitals, and the state Department of Transportation will get an infusion of cash. Gov. Roy Cooper on Monday, Nov. 18, signed two bills into law that aim to stabilize the DOT and rural hospitals, as well as provide disaster relief for victims…
Government is inevitable and necessary because human beings are flawed creatures with temptations, inherent in our unchangeable human natures, to break the very rules that allow civilization to flourish.
North Carolina suffers from a severe case of overcriminalization. We have more activities and actions classified as a crime, something worthy of public condemnation, than just about any state. In addition, those crimes are scattered far and wide — not only in Chapter 14 of the General…
Bruce Clarke couldn’t help his client, so she called a lawyer and ended up with a bill near $1,000. “Is that the end of the world? It might not be to many, but she’s on a business that operates on government grants, and she barely makes…
The Democratic party’s most radically progressive candidates, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, have promised to impose a tax on wealth. To be clear, wealth is distinct from income. Wealth is accumulated income in the form of savings and investments and real assets such as real estate, antique or art collections,…
U.S. Rep. Mark Walker, R-6th District, has the NCAA’s attention when it comes to fair pay for student athletes. But he wants action from the collegiate sports giant — and from Congress. The NCAA’s board of governors voted Tuesday, Oct. 29, to…
To understand the educational zeitgeist of voters, start here: Most want choice and change. Republican or Democrat? Gen Xer or millennial? It doesn’t matter much. Views on initiatives or implementation may differ, but conceptually, school choice garners broad bipartisan support. It’s time to push past political polarization…
If North Carolina’s nebulous criminal code isn’t confusing enough, the “elephant” metaphors lawmakers use to describe them are even less enlightening. At a reform-oriented summit hosted Monday, Oct. 21, in Cary by the Cato Institute and the John Locke Foundation, several lawmakers excoriated the state’s criminal…
Twelve years ago, the General Assembly gave counties the option to ask residents if they wanted more government spending. The county commissioners’ response this year in Mecklenburg? Spend an extra $50 million on the arts and parks. The General Assembly passed legislation in 2007…
I have written about gerrymandering in these pages before, but the recent Superior Court ruling that the state’s legislative districts constitute an unconstitutional partisan gerrymander makes me want to do it again. This is a prime example of judicial overreach and regrettable encroachment of quantitative social…
