Much has transpired since the General Assembly adjourned this summer.

As I read the newspaper reports and observed the session from a distance, I think it’s fair to say there was some disagreement and tension between Republicans in the House and the Senate, and between General Assembly Republicans and the McCrory administration.

To some degree, this is predictable, as Republicans now are completely in charge of state government for the first time, I think, since Moses walked the Earth. There may be a little literary license taken there, but you get the point.

It may to be a shock to some, but different factions of the Republican Party differ on policy prescriptions for the state, and, frankly, disagree on how best to govern.

But I would encourage my Republican and conservative brethren to view their accomplishments over this short period of time.

I see what transpired as historic in scope and speed.

Let’s examine key areas where conservatives and Republicans made a difference.

I have stated for quite some time that if the public sees progress on three key issues, Republicans will maintain control of state government, not only in 2014 but in 2016 as well.

To buttress my point, it is instructive to look back at the 1984 campaign of former Gov. Jim Martin.

His main theme was simple, yet effective: “Better roads, better jobs, better schools.”

So, let’s talk about these issues.

After decades of Govs. Jim Hunt, Mike Easley, and Bev Perdue using transportation tax revenues to finance pork-barrel projects, Republicans changed the deal.

Instead of kowtowing to fat cat contributors, Gov. Pat McCrory and the General Assembly rewrote the spending formulas, with the goal of making our roads more driver-friendly and less congested. The Republican/conservative team set priorities based on transportation needs rather than political considerations.

And let’s be clear — setting priorities and eliminating pork will help create jobs and lower North Carolina’s unemployment rate.

Fixing potholes and improving our highway infrastructure are good policies and great politics.

The tax reform package that became law this year greatly enhanced North Carolina’s national ranking by the esteemed Tax Foundation in Washington, D.C.

“With one stroke, North Carolina’s business tax climate improved from No. 44 in the nation to No. 17,” noted John Locke Foundation vice president of research and resident scholar Roy Cordato.

“Beyond the improved ranking, the decision to lower and flatten rates unquestionably meets the goal of a pro-growth tax reform,” Cordato added.

To an old Reagan/Kemp supply-sider, this is music to my ears.

This tax reform will leave businesses more dollars to invest in equipment and more dollars to hire employees. And make no mistake, families will have more money in their pockets.

Finally, to my last key, education: Replacing teacher tenure with multi-year contracts, introducing merit pay, and assigning schools performance-based letter grades are all major reforms. As are strengthening charter schools and offering private-school scholarships to as many as 13,000 students with below-average household incomes or special learning needs.

Is there more to do? Yes. But this Republican governor and this Republican General Assembly are off to a great start. In the process, they will provide North Carolinians with “better roads, better jobs, and better schools.”

Marc Rotterman is a senior fellow at the John Locke Foundation.