Cartoon
Opinion
Time for NC to fix its benefits cliffs problem. Here’s how.
It’s no secret that many North Carolinians rely on government assistance programs to make ends meet. But they often get caught in a benefits cliff which disincentivizes them from looking for more meaningful work and gaining independence. Benefits cliffs occur when an individual, family, or household experiences a sudden, steep loss of government assistance as...
Opinion
Listen closely to the campaign promises this year
Stepping up to the checkout counter might hurt more this holiday season. For a state where the economy is churning with low taxes and steady growth, North Carolinians have struggled under the weight of inflation in 2023. Headlines are brimming with news of economic growth in North Carolina, although it remains below the national level...
Cartoon
Every time a bell rings…
Opinion
Some NC school districts resist implementing Parents Bill of Rights
Across the state, county by county, school boards are grappling with how to comply with the new Parents’ Bill of Rights, SB49. The Parents’ Bill of Rights was passed to spell out all of the rights parents have with regard to schools and healthcare decision-making. It also contains provisions to stop the indoctrination of young...
Opinion
Change for good: The NC Charter School Review Board and the road ahead
What’s in a name? In the case of the newly minted Charter School Review Board, that answer encompasses the entirety of the entity’s new charge and function. Formerly known as the Charter School Advisory Board, or CSAB, this government body has moved from an advisory to a regulatory capacity. It no longer makes recommendations to...
Cartoon
It’s my age, isn’t it?
Opinion
Land-use rules cost us dearly
Though polarization is a pervasive and powerful force in our politics, housing policy is one area where cross-ideological coalitions have become increasingly common. For example, there are both progressive and conservative champions of zoning reforms and other deregulatory efforts to allow more construction of new houses and apartments, including denser forms of development. Opponents of...
Opinion
Government has no rights: Another look at free speech at UNC Asheville event
In early November, five departments at UNC Asheville sponsored an official event accusing Israel of “anti-Indigenous state violence” for declaring war on Hamas after the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks. While the event was condemned across the political aisle, there have been fierce disagreements about whether the university should have permitted the event to move forward...
Cartoon
Avoiding jail
Opinion
Bald Head transportation fight could clarify limits of state regulation
A legal fight over regulation of one parking lot and a barge service could have broader implications.
Opinion
Why the right never wins
About a quarter of a century ago, I read Whittaker Chamber’s magisterial “Witness,” his cri de coeur execration against “Godless” communism. As a young man, Chambers had embraced communism and even wrote for the Marxist-cum socialist Daily Worker. Over time, however, he came to realize that in this war of ideas, one side embraced God...
