There was big political theater recently when some state legislators tried to push through, in an ethics bill, a provision to force the expansion of public funding for political campaigns. John Locke Foundation President John Hood explains how and why the grassroots organization Americans for Prosperity quickly mobilized and helped scuttle the effort. Hood also discusses why the plan is a bad idea and the fees that would have been imposed on industry to fund several races for statewide office. Then we turn to election politics. The top race on North Carolina’s 2010 election ballot pits candidates seeking to represent the state in the U.S. Senate for the next six years. Incumbent Republican Richard Burr, Democrat Elaine Marshall, and Libertarian Michael Beitler recently conducted their first debate of the campaign season. You’ll hear what they had to say about offshore drilling and voters’ negative perceptions of Congress. Next, a recent change in the way North Carolina assesses its hotel tax prompted two leading legislative Democrats to debate the proper role of elected officials and bureaucrats in determining state tax policy. You’ll hear alternate viewpoints from Sen. Dan Clodfelter, D-Mecklenburg, and Rep. Paul Luebke, D-Durham. Speaking of taxes, at least one lawmaker is still interested in increasing the tax on little cigars. Sen. Josh Stein, D-Wake, pushed the issue during a recent Senate Finance Committee meeting. While Stein contends makers of little cigars are trying to flout the state’s cigarette tax, two Republican colleagues offered opposing views. You’ll hear from Stein and Sens. Jerry Tillman, R-Randolph, and David Rouzer, R-Johnston. Joseph Coletti, John Locke Foundation Director of Health and Fiscal Policy Studies, also will offer his perspective on the topic. And finally, Gov. Perdue has signed into law the new state budget, declaring that it makes critical investments in public education. But John Locke Foundation Director of Education Studies Terry Stoops explains that the budget actually penalizes public charter schools by allowing school systems to withhold some funds from charters. Stoops says this budget move is just the latest in a continuing effort to thwart charter progress in the state at the behest of quasi-union organizations and other special education interests who fear competition to the traditional public school.