Supporters of special North Carolina tax breaks for film and television productions defend the special break by saying it creates jobs and leads to greater economic impact. But research from the General Assembly’s fiscal research staff shows otherwise. Carolina Journal Managing Editor Rick Henderson explains why. Then we turn to accountability and efficiency in government. State Auditor Beth Wood’s office has not been shy about pointing areas in which state government agencies have fallen short of acceptable accounting standards. Wood discusses her auditing priorities and explains why some areas of state government need major improvements. Next is a look at the debate over health and health insurance. Medicaid expansion is one of the key pieces of the Obama administration’s health care reform plan. But Duke University research scholar Chris Conover recently warned North Carolina lawmakers that Medicaid expansion creates too many problems. You’ll hear highlights from his remarks. That’s followed by a look at education policy. Another Duke expert, public policy and economics Professor Jacob Vigdor, outlined for a legislative panel an alternative to North Carolina’s current public school teacher salary schedule. Vigdor’s “evidence-based” model would build larger raises into the earliest years of a teacher’s career, then flatten out pay increases for later years of teaching. And finally, we turn to an incident on a college campus that has made national news. George Leef, research director for the Pope Center for Higher Educatioin Policy, discusses the furor over Bradeis University dis-inviting a speaker because some students complained they were offended by her comments and work to shine light on radical Islam’s treatment of women,which she says she personally experienced. Leef explains that it is just one more example of a disturbing trend that moves college campuses further and further away from their mission of being marketplaces of ideas, where young people are exposed to many ideas.
Research Shows Film Incentives Poor Public Policy
Related
Federal judge issues injunction against Asheville in parks ban dispute
A federal judge has ruled that Asheville cannot ban activists for the homeless from accessing city parks while they pursue a federal lawsuit against the city. An injunction Monday allows the plaintiffs to use city parks as their case proceeds.
Students with disabilities forgotten in extreme political battles
According to North Carolina Department of Public Instruction 2022-2023 assessment data, there is not a single assessed subject in which even 40% of North Carolina’s students with disabilities scored “Grade Level Proficient” or above. Stated another way, in 2022-2023, 84.3% of North Carolina’s students with disabilities could not read proficiently in grades 3 through 8,...
Jack Denton: Moving Forward, Looking Back
Jack Denton sat down with the Carolina Journal to reflect on his federal case and look forward to the future.
Disappointing primaries lacked substance
Party nominations for North Carolina’s 2024 elections are, for the most part, decided. Just four races remain to be settled in runoffs on May 14. So, would you say you’re generally satisfied or dissatisfied with our primaries this year? Here’s my answer to the question: I’m deeply disappointed. It’s not that all the candidates I...