The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled unconstitutional Arizona’s program of giving matching funds to candidates who participate in the state’s program of taxpayer financing of election campaigns. John Locke Foundation Director of Legal and Regulatory Studies Daren Bakst explains why the recent ruling should kill North Carolina’s matching funds provision, which mirrors Arizona’s program. Bakst also explains why North Carolina’s entire program of publicly funded campaigns collapses when the matching funds provision is excised. He discusses what he recommends legislators should do in the wake of the ruling. Then we turn to the debate over federal spending and debt. The federal government faces trillions of dollars in unfunded liabilities, and that could mean major obstacles for young people trying to build successful careers in the years ahead. That’s the warning two Heritage Foundation experts delivered in a recent presentation co-sponsored by the John Locke Foundation. Rob Bluey of Heritage’s Center for Media and Public Policy and Bill Beach of the Center for Data Analysis explained why government overspending must be addressed soon. Next is a look at the ongoing debate over North Carolina’s K-12 education program, funding, and achievement results. When it comes to funding, North Carolina courts have been dealing with school funding issues for more than a decade, as judges and N.C Supreme Court justices have dealt with the implications of the Leandro ruling that every school child is entitled to a “sound basic education.” Wake County Superior Court Judge Howard Manning oversees the Leandro case. He shared his frustration recently about the slow pace of improvement in the state’s public schools. That’s followed by a look back at one of the most significant primary election campaign wins in North Carolina history. The Jesse Helms Center recently hosted a celebration of the 35th anniversary of Ronald Reagan’s critical 1976 Republican primary victory in our state. Helms Center Foundation president John Dodd discusses that celebration and offers an update of the center’s other major activities. And finally, Carolina Journal Managing Editor Rick Henderson discusses a range of occupational licensing bills that have been introduced in the state legislature and why, if passed, the laws would erect barriers to entry for entrepreneurs looking to use their trade or skill to earn a living. Henderson also explains who really wins when these barriers are put in place and details some of the sillier pending legislation, such as one that would impact African hair braiders.