Greensboro should take 1% prepared-food tax off the menu
In her recent State of the City address for 2024, Mayor Nancy Vaughn of Greensboro put forward a bold proposal: a citywide 1% prepared-food tax. The rationale behind this initiative, according to Vaughn, is to inject much-needed revenue into the community, with estimates suggesting a minimum influx of $20 million. While on the surface, this...
Wrong, Mr. Stephens. I do not overlook exceptional students, like my own
In response to a recent Carolina Journal opinion piece written by Glen Stephens, who acknowledges the poor record of North Carolina’s services to its academically and physically challenged students, let me say, I share your frustration. I have a child with developmental and academic challenges. Public schools could not accommodate my child’s unique learning needs,...
Squatters
Carolina economy solid, not spectacular
How has North Carolina’s economy been performing lately? Let’s focus on four standard measures: unemployment, jobs, incomes, and gross domestic product. Last week, the US Census Bureau released its latest jobs report. It’s based on two surveys. The household survey polls hundreds of North Carolinians and generates, among other statistics, the unemployment rate. The establishment...
Time for NC colleges and universities to look beyond SACS for accreditation
Two new policy briefs from the James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal take aim at college and university accreditation. On Feb. 25, the Martin Center released its first brief, “It’s Time for More States to Sack SACS,” by Adam Kissel. Kissel was deputy assistant secretary for higher education programs at the US Department of...
Need more lipstick
Court ruling exposes downside of corporate diversity targets
A standout employee at Novant Health lost his job because of the company's embrace of questionable diversity goals.
Students with disabilities forgotten in extreme political battles
According to North Carolina Department of Public Instruction 2022-2023 assessment data, there is not a single assessed subject in which even 40% of North Carolina’s students with disabilities scored “Grade Level Proficient” or above. Stated another way, in 2022-2023, 84.3% of North Carolina’s students with disabilities could not read proficiently in grades 3 through 8,...
Ash heap
Sales-tax rules don’t make sense
I think the North Carolina General Assembly deserves loads of credit for making our tax code friendlier to growth, investment, and freedom. In one respect, however, the state still imposes too heavy a load. It requires too many out-of-state retailers to collect and remit sales taxes. Lawmakers ought to fix this problem when they reconvene...
Our economic crisis is also a moral one
It is an error of the highest order to assume morality has nothing to do with economics. The stewardship of resources, seemingly spiritually devoid things like monetary policy, and the economic indicator called inflation are directly tied to our moral decisions as a nation and as individuals. For those of religious faith, as many here...