Considering all the talk about the need to lower health care costs, one would think there would be more serious discussion about the state law that impedes the very competition that leads to lower costs. John Locke Foundation Health and Human Services Analyst Katherine Restrepo discusses the state’s Certificate of Need law and analyzes how it impedes competition and protects current players in health care. She recommends repeal and discusses the positive results that occurred when the state removed a particular specialty from the requirement. Then we turn to news about North Carolina’s efforts to pay down the $2.8 billion debt owed to the federal government for unemployment benefits. You’ll hear highlights from a recent legislative update on the debt and efforts to clear a backlog of unemployment claims. Next is a look at the ongoing negotiations over the Dorothea Dix campus. As the state government continues to negotiate with the city of Raleigh over the future of Dix, one key unresolved issue involves the future home for the Department of Health and Human Services. Lawmakers recently discussed their options for addressing that issue. That’s followed by a look at a key criticism of capitalism. Even those who see the benefits of capitalism often lament that those benefits tend to flow to the selfish and greedy. But Mark Steckbeck, assistant professor of economics at Campbell University, sees links instead between self-interest and the morality of capitalism. And finally, we look at the workings of two key sources of government revenue. John Locke Foundation Director of Fiscal Policy Studies Sarah Curry explains the local property tax, why rates vary from county to county and what the revenue is used for. She also discusses the state’s lottery and proceeds that help fund public education. Curry provides data on trends in sales and revenue and details about what specifically the money is used for.