A North Carolina wind energy project that was given conditional approval by the North Carolina Utilities Commission is facing concern from three distinct areas. John Locke Foundation Vice President for Research Roy Cordato explains why the Beaufort County Pantego project, and its 49 giant wind turbines, could sink or swim based on presidential politics, military aviation concerns, and environmentalist outcry. Next is a look at presidential politics as both major parties compete for North Carolina’s 15 electoral votes. The vice presidential candidates from both parties have been stumping in the Tar Heel State. You’ll hear key themes from recent North Carolina speeches from Vice President Joe Biden and Republican challenger Paul Ryan. Then we turn to mental health funding. A state budget mixup recently led to an unplanned $4.3 million cut in state mental health funding. Acting N.C. Health and Human Services Secretary Al Delia recently discussed the cut with lawmakers. Some of them, including Sen. Tommy Tucker, R-Union, had pointed questions about the impact of the cut on services. That’s followed by a look at Libertarian Party politics. While Republicans and Democrats are attracting the headlines, the Libertarian Party is also making a push for support in the 2012 elections. Libertarian vice presidential candidate Jim Gray, a retired California Superior Court judge, explains why his party offers a better alternative than the two traditional choices. And finally, we look closely at what’s called the “Amazon tax.” John Locke Foundation Director of Fiscal Policy Studies, Fergus Hodgson, explains that North Carolina is one just nine states that impose the tax, which forces out-of-state retailers to collect tax on online sales if the retailer has an online affiliate located in North Carolina. Hodgson also explains why the tax should be scrapped.
Beaufort Wind Energy Project Comes Under Fire
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