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 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 talk about monitoring a precious resource. It’s been a while since North Carolina has faced the threat of severe drought, but that hasn’t stopped state lawmakers from looking into ways the government can play a greater role in overseeing water use. You’ll hear highlights of a recent water allocation study, as explained by Richard Whisnant of the UNC School of Government and Bill Holman of Duke University’s Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions. Joseph Coletti, John Locke Foundation Director of Health and Fiscal Policy Studies, will react to the study’s recommendations. Next we turn to national politics. Stephen Hayes of Fox News and The Weekly Standard offered his thoughts about the 2012 presidential election during a recent John Locke Foundation Headliner luncheon in Raleigh. In an excerpt from that speech, Hayes discusses the impact of Osama bin Laden’s death on President Obama’s re-election chances. That’s followed by an examination of liberal feminism. Should feminists declare victory and go home? Conservative columnist and author S.E. Cupp says yes. Cupp says present-day feminism has little relevance to today’s women, who face fewer gender-related barriers than prior generations. Cupp says today’s radical feminists often do more harm than good. And finally, we look at property rights legislation making its way through the General Assembly. John Locke Foundation Director of Legal and Regulatory Studies Daren Bakst updates the landscape on eminent domain power and forced annexation power.
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