Universities should cultivate civic leaders
Most students and their families invest time, effort, and resources into higher education for vocational reasons. They expect the knowledge, skills, and relationships acquired at a college or university will lead to good jobs — which will, in turn, generate income for graduates to support themselves and their families as well as the satisfaction and...
A rebate to taxpayers? Let’s pay down debt instead
Some legislators have proposed that the General Assembly send some tax money back to us. That sounds like fun. I have another idea: Use whatever money is in mind to pay down state debt. State debt currently stands at $8 billion. This would not change the state balance sheet. It would reduce the chance of...
Why we’re rallying for a Convention of States in Raleigh this week
The movement to have North Carolina join other states in exercising the call for an Article V Convention to propose amendments to the US Constitution has been brewing steadily in our state legislature since 2013. As consistent supporters and sponsors of the current Resolution HJR235, here are a few reasons we believe North Carolina needs...
Sharing NC’s fruits with the rest of the nation
A scholar from the libertarian Cato Institute recently publicized North Carolina's unique constitutional provision protecting economic liberty.
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NC has much to celebrate this National Charter Schools Week
It’s National Charter Schools Week, and there is much to celebrate about North Carolina’s charter school movement. Public charter schools in our state now educate 145,000 students in 63 counties, and charter popularity continues to grow with families. In fact, the state’s charter school waitlist now features over 85,000 student names. Despite widespread popularity, however,...
Listening
Fiction can be a teaching tool
“It is a delight!” That’s what a recent reviewer said about my novel Mountain Folk, which she called an “entertaining and instructive” blend of American history, folklore, and fantasy. “As a long-time teacher of middle school and high school students,” she wrote, “I think Mountain Folk would be a great addition to school reading lists.”...
Free speech or extortion?
In recent weeks, pro-Palestinian protests have roiled college campuses nationwide. In many instances, protests led to encampments, which in some instances resulted in takeovers of university grounds, facilities, and buildings. Thus far, North Carolina’s colleges and universities have been spared the worst effects of the protests and rioting, thanks in no small part to quick...
The continuing good sense of North Carolina voters
The latest Carolina Journal poll was a satisfying reminder of the continuing good sense of residents of my adopted home (in great contrast to where I grew up inside the DC Beltway). Their common sense shone through especially on questions related to economics and the role of government. With the state anticipating a $1-billion surplus,...
Biden’s latest vehicle regulation will ban most new gas cars by 2032
By all accounts, President Biden is going to be spending a lot more time in North Carolina. But I’d wager to guess he won’t say a thing during his visits about what his administration has just done to ban most new gas, diesel and traditional hybrid vehicles by 2032. If this is news to you,...