State must brace for recession
If state leaders dip too far into savings now, they may be forced in the not-too-distant future to lay off public employees, cut back precipitously, and raise taxes.
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Category: Opinion
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Loosening controls helps avert disaster
During emergencies, government plays an indispensable role — and that role can certainly include swinging the hammer of more regulation. But not every problem is a nail.
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Virus further exposes N.C. ABC system as existentially flawed, irreparable
I’ve written volumes over the past few years about the way North Carolina controls distilled spirits. There’s little need to recount the many problems here, other than to say the coronavirus and the ensuing consumer panic has exposed the N.C. Alcoholic Beverage Control system for…
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Disruption, though painful, can lead to innovation
Most of us can’t remember a time of such widespread disruption. The spread of coronavirus has wreaked havoc on the economy, on families, on how and where we work, on how we live and communicate. Our health care system is fragile and stretched. The roles…
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Pandemic tests our institutions
Pandemics, wars, and other disasters have always tested the durability of free institutions. If they are to pass the test, we must all do our part — and keep our heads.
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Believing rumors can be dangerous
When you see something outlandish in your news feed from a like-minded friend, media outlet, or political figure, do you give it instant credibility?…
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Easing government burdens to help with coronavirus response
Uncertainty clouds the discussion of how the U.S. should fight the spread of the COVID-19, the flu-like respiratory disease that originated in China in December and was first reported in the U.S. in late January. Now, more than a month later, there’s cause for greater concern as the virus continues…
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Virus response fits government’s role
Government planners at every level may have an abundance of good intentions. But they have an inevitable shortage of good information.
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Let’s spoil the garden party
A truly federal form of government gives states, communities, and individuals lots of room to breathe. It promotes diversity and competition. Do we have a truly federal form of government?…
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The voices of those pushing labor unions — in N.C. and nationally — will only get louder
North Carolina law bans government agencies from making contracts with unions and bans public employees from striking. Some people, in North Carolina and throughout America, want to change that. Those people are getting louder. In February, a faction of the…