Results from a new survey of North Carolinians by the Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice reveals residents of the Tar Heel state are highly supportive of giving parents more choice and more power over where their children go to school. John Locke Foundation Director of Education Studies, Terry Stoops, analyzes the poll results and explains options such as charter schools, tax credits, education scholarships, and voucher. Then we turn to the program taking up a growing chunk of the state budget in recent years: Medicaid. Some state lawmakers want to get a handle on the factors driving Medicaid spending growth. You’ll hear highlights from a recent legislative debate about a planned Medicaid audit and a competing study from the state Department of Health and Human Services. Next is a look at the intersection of technology and politics. Political pundits have spoken in recent years about the growing importance of social media in the electoral process. UNC-Chapel Hill assistant journalism professor Daniel Kreiss explained during a recent public forum how this new technology has been used to promote traditional methods of boosting voter turnout. That’s followed by a look at the Millennial generation and interest in policy issues and politics. Young adults have been one of the groups hit hardest by the recent economic downturn. Paul Conway, president of the group Generation Opportunity, says economic woes have had a major impact on young people’s attitudes about politics and the 2012 election. And finally, John Locke Foundation Vice President for Research, Roy Cordato, explains why flexible policies related to growth and transportation are better policy than so-called “smart growth” policies, which actually restrict choices for citizens and property owners. Cordato explains why flex-growth policies respect individuals and “smart growth” policies transfer authority to government.