Cities must clear out homeless camps
Which major urban area in America experienced the largest decline in homelessness last year? According to a recent analysis by the Brookings Institution, it was Wake County — North Carolina’s most-populous. It had a rate of 78 homeless residents per 100,000 population, down 40% from 2022. If you live in or near the state’s capital...
1864 and abortion law
On April 9, 2024, the Arizona Supreme Court reinstated a statute criminalizing those who perform abortions, except to preserve the life of the mother. The blogosphere and the networks were aghast that this statute was originally adopted in 1864. Is a statute better because its origins are of old, or is it worse? Liberals can’t...
The necessity and dangers of anonymous speech
Wild, disruptive protests in support of the Palestinian cause are in progress at campuses across the country. At many of them, there are threats and antisemitic language. But it can be difficult to trace much of what is said back to particular people because of attempts by protesters to remain anonymous by covering their faces....
Addressing gaps in NC’s anti-squatting laws
In recent months, the issue of squatting has taken main stage, causing significant concern for property owners across North Carolina, particularly those who own vacation homes or properties that remain vacant for parts of the year. The issue has become so bad in other areas of the country that an illegal immigrant TikToker went viral...
Give it back
Last week the non-partisan Fiscal Research Division of the North Carolina General Assembly forecast yet another $1 billion+ surplus in anticipated tax revenues for the 2024–2025 fiscal year. That’s on top of the $400+ million in surplus collections for the 2023-2024 fiscal year. The news, the latest in a decade-long run of tax revenue surpluses,...
OJ’s new judge
Which candidate for NC governor will connect with voters?
Democrat Attorney General Josh Stein and Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson might offer the sharpest contrast on policy, personality, background, and education in a race for governor that North Carolina has seen in the last century. In almost every way, these two men, who are popular with their home political parties, are polar opposites. But which...
Who would have thought?
Politics should be less important
It might sound odd to hear this from someone who’s been writing a syndicated column on politics for nearly four decades, but politics has become vastly more important in our lives than it should be. Virtually every decision we make in our ostensibly free society is now subject to review, refinement, and reversal by some...
The W(rong)PATH on gender medicine
WPATH (World Professional Association for Transgender Health) produces standards of care that are considered the gold standard for transgender care. Colleges, universities, the media, and even churches adopted WPATH’s approach, whether or not they realized where it came from. Recent revelations have shown that not all that glitters is gold. More than 100 pages of...
North Carolina has good reason for early Law Day celebration
April 28 marks the one-year anniversary of three significant decisions from North Carolina's highest court.