Opinion
Political Potpourri for the Holidays
What could be more festive this Christmas than to curl up in front of the computer screen, pointing and clicking your way across an assortment of colorful political items?
Opinion
The Economics of Joblessness
Triangle Congressman David Price and others are rapping the Bush administration for not pushing through another extension of unemployment benefits. This is revealing.
Opinion
What’s That Cloud Hanging Over Jones Street?
That dark cloud hovering over the state legislature in Raleigh might be signs of a gathering political storm. Or maybe it's a flock of federal fowl.
Opinion
It’s Back to Court for Boyce
Raleigh attorney Gene Boyce is back in court suing the state over allegedly illegal management of taxpayers' money. Based on the past, the political class should worry.
Opinion
In Search of the “Perfect” Tax
Government “experts” are often incoherent on tax policy — complaining that both the sales tax and income tax are oudated and flawed. There is a single solution.
Opinion
On Revising Historical Revisionism
A cable-TV history of the Alamo prompts another round of historical revisionism -- despite the fact that the "real story" of the Alamo has already been told and retold.
Opinion
Bark! the ‘Germanic language’ rings — in this bizarre UNC-CH course
Since 1997 I have written the "Course of the Month" column for Carolina Journal to highlight courses in North Carolina universities that feature "overt political content, rabid infatuation with pop culture or sexuality, [or] abject silliness." In the seven years I have been running this feature, this course has to be the most absurd course I have ever encountered.
Opinion
Time to Prepare for Smart Growth’s Return
The Smart Growth movement hasn't been that vocal over the past couple of years of economic doldrums. But now that a recovery is underway, expect the argument to return.
Opinion
No. 724: Cooper Wages Environmental Imperialism Against Other States
In 2002 the North Carolina General Assembly passed the “clean smokestacks” bill. The legislation mandates dramatic reductions in emissions from coal-fired power plants run by Duke Power Co. and Progress Energy and will cost North Carolina electric customers more than $2 billion over the next eight years. In spite of the high price tag, the law was enacted with no cost-benefit analysis or serious scientific investigation of its health effects. Now that these costs are a permanent part of living and doing business in North Carolina, Attorney General Roy Cooper has decided to use a little-known aspect of the law in an attempt to impose these hardships on our neighbors. The smokestacks bill authorizes the state to “use all available resources and means,” including lawsuits, “to induce other states...to achieve reductions in emissions...comparable to those required [in NC]...”
Opinion
Is the Dean Moment Fleeting?
Howard Dean reached the highest point of his presidential candidacy thus far in early December. But is it a brief stop on a continued climb, a plateau, or a precipice?
Opinion
No. 133:Nothing Is Sacred: Barro Writes Against the Grain
Considering the vast number of economists trained in leftist universities and fed socialist soup, it’s refreshing to encounter some who found truth or who got mugged by economic reality. Robert J. Barro is one such person. Noted Harvard professor, economic consultant, and author, Barro also admits to having experienced this deep-seated university tilt.
Opinion
No. 723: California Ignites a Fire in Homeschooling
Public opinion is often difficult to measure. However, every now and then, a benchmark identifies the next shift. When the culture reaches a “tipping point,” the change begins to spread. The largesse of the education establishment prohibits little more than a snail’s pace of change from the issues surrounding teacher education programs and licensing, to curriculum, standards, textbooks, testing, expectations, accountability, funding, merit pay, privatization, choice, etc.
