Debate over the best way to spend public money and sell North Carolina as a place to do business is to be expected, especially during a tough budget year. But John Hood, president of the John Locke Foundation, says the divide is  widening between fact and fantasy surrounding the debate. He explains why. Then we turn to election politics. After Democrats won big in the 2008 election and Republicans responded with a major victory in 2010, it’s hard to say what will happen in 2012. Stephen Hayes, senior writer for The Weekly Standard and contributor to Fox News, offers his thoughts about President Obama’s chances for re-election. Next is a look at the debate over requiring a photo I.D. to  vote in North Carolina. Lawmakers approved a bill this year to require voters to present photo identification at the polls, but Gov. Beverly Perdue vetoed the measure. Perdue cited a number of concerns about voter ID. In a recent presentation for the John Locke Foundation and Federalist Society, senior legal fellow Hans von Spakovsky of the Heritage Foundation countered Perdue’s arguments. You’ll hear highlights from that presentation. That’s followed by a look at the influence of the environmental movement. One analyst says the movement appears to have waned in recent years. Steven Hayward of the American Enterprise Institute and Pacific Research Institute explains why he believes the radical environmental lobby has little impact on public policy these days. Next, Carolina Journal Managing Editor Rick Henderson discusses a range of occupational licensing bills that have been introduced in the state legislature and why, if passed, the laws would erect barriers to entry for entrepreneurs looking to use their trade or skill to earn a living. Henderson also explains who really wins when these barriers are put in place and details some of the sillier pending legislation, such as one that would impact African hair braiders.