As the pinks, purples, and whites of blooming dogwood trees paint the landscape and a blanket of yellow pine pollen settles over everything, signaling the unmistakable arrival of springtime in North Carolina, another significant event is near — the “short session” of the state General Assembly. Yet, amidst the seasonal renewal, there is a healthy...
The United States’ national debt is above $34 trillion, but leaders in Washington do not notice. Instead, they’re focused on more important things, like the national security threat of foreign garlic or maintaining funding for a United Nations aid organization, some of whose workers may have been involved with the Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7. Sadly,...
As the filing period for state legislative office in North Carolina concluded on Dec. 15, 2023, the stage is now set for a pivotal 2024 election cycle, with all 50 seats in the state Senate and 120 seats in the state House up for contention. A total of 380 candidates, spanning diverse political affiliations — including...
As we gather with loved ones this Christmas Day, I am reminded of the blessings I enjoy as a resident of North Carolina and a citizen of the United States. Our state and nation, founded on principles of liberty and limited, constitutional government, have provided the freedom to shape our destinies and pursue happiness. In...
A medida que el año llega a su fin y la temporada navideña nos envuelve en su resplandor festivo, recuerdo el sentimiento atemporal de Charles Dickens en A Christmas Carol: “Siempre he pensado que la Navidad es una buena época; un momento amable, indulgente, caritativo y agradable; cuando hombres y mujeres parecen, de común acuerdo,...
As the year draws to a close and the holiday season envelops us in its festive glow, I’m reminded of Charles Dickens’s timeless sentiment from A Christmas Carol: “I have always thought of Christmas time as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable, pleasant time; when men and women seem by one consent to open their...
In a 2015 Fox News interview, Charles Koch, the chairman of Koch Industries, said, “Well, corporate welfare I think is a disaster for this, this country. It’s crippling our economy. It is contributing to a permanent underclass and corrupting the business community.” Mr. Koch correctly assessed corporate welfare programs, which involve government policies and financial...
Tenía 17 años y estaba en el último año de Habersham Central High School en Georgia. Acababa de terminar mi clase de Anatomía Humana del primer período y estaba entrando a mi clase del segundo período. Al entrar en la habitación, miré a mi derecha y vi, sorprendentemente, que la televisión estaba encendida. Estaba reproduciendo...
I was 17 and a senior at Habersham Central High School in Georgia. I had just finished my first-period Human Anatomy class and was walking into my second-period class. As I entered the room, I looked to my right and saw, surprisingly, that the television was on. It was playing a video of an airplane...
I feel a bit like Charlie Brown trying to kick the football with Lucy holding. In 2023, the word on Jones Street was that state legislators would come into session in January, work on the state budget early, pass the budget before June 30, and be done with the legislative session by Independence Day. Yet...
It was a great television piece that would help shape American conservatism for the next 35 years. In a 1979 interview, Phil Donahue and Nobel laureate Milton Friedman discussed political power, capitalism, and greed. To counter Donahue’s argument about the problems with an economic system and society based on greed, Friedman responded, “You know, I think you’re...
On May 19, the North Carolina Department of Agriculture announced that the economic impact of North Carolina’s agriculture sector had topped $100 billion for the first time. That is a fantastic accomplishment, and everyone involved in the extended supply chain of our state’s agribusinesses should be proud. While North Carolina has a burgeoning agriculture sector,...