It is called crony capitalism – an umbrella term covering government activities by which an industry or firm is given favors or special treatment it couldn’t get in the marketplace, where competition is the name of the game. John Locke Foundation Director of Regulatory Studies Jon Sanders gives examples of cronyism in North Carolina and offers recommendations for reforming the system. Then we turn to a dust-up between the state auditor’s office and the Alcohol Law Enforcement division. When Beth Wood’s staff followed a hotline tip suggesting that two top leaders in North Carolina’s Alcohol Law Enforcement division were misusing their state-owned vehicles to commute from Raleigh to Asheville, no one expected that ALE would erect a series of roadblocks to block Wood’s investigation. Wood detailed her conflict with ALE leaders during a recent presentation to state lawmakers. You’ll hear highlights. Next is a look at North Carolina reaction to President Obama’s recent “you didn’t build that” comment. You’ll hear how that comment sparked a reaction from the owner of a Raleigh-based hot dog restaurant and other North Carolina entrepreneurs. Then we turn to economics and free trade. Free trade is a key component of the economic freedom that promotes economic growth. But North Carolina’s congressional delegation has a poor record for supporting free-trade agreements in recent years. Bryan Riley, trade policy analyst for the Heritage Foundation, documents that record in a recent report. And finally, we analyze North Carolina’s $2.6 billion debt to the federal government for money borrowed to pay unemployment benefits. North Carolina’s debt ranks 4th among the 22 states that borrowed. John Locke Foundation Director of Fiscal Policy Studies Fergus Hodgson explains how the debt was incurred and offers proposals to get the fiscal situation under control, including reining in benefits and reducing the eligibility time.