Sharing NC’s fruits with the rest of the nation
A scholar from the libertarian Cato Institute recently publicized North Carolina's unique constitutional provision protecting economic liberty.
Because I spend much of my time encouraging constructive engagement across political difference, through such programs as Duke University’s North Carolina Leadership Forum, readers sometimes ask me if I think political differences are more appearance than reality — that if we just tried hard enough, we could reach a broad public consensus on many seemingly...
The libertarian Cato Institute is supporting the bid of two N.C. drunk driving defendants to have their case heard by the U.S. Supreme Court. The defendants claim authorities have denied their right to a "speedy" trial.
I have two favorite quotes from Ronald Reagan about the world of work. The first one illustrates his mastery of an indispensable political tool: self-deprecating humor. “It’s true hard work never killed anybody,” he quipped, “but I figure, why take the chance?” My other favorite Reagan quote makes a serious point: “I believe the best...
Marian Tupy, senior fellow at the Cato Institute, is co-author of the book “Superabundance: The Story of Population Growth, Innovation, and Human Flourishing on an Infinitely Bountiful Planet.” Tupy discusses the United Nations’ estimate that the world’s population will reach 8 billion people on Nov. 15, 2022.
North Carolina is a pro-growth place — the best state in which to do business, I hear — and yet we continue to saddle our job creators with heavy regulatory burdens that discourage capital formation and investment in our state. I don’t mean to suggest we haven’t made some progress over the past decade. The...
Although North Carolina has become a demonstrably freer place to live and work over the past 10 years, our state remains grossly out of step with the rest of America in a key respect: we unnecessarily restrict the freedom of workers to enter new occupations and the freedom of consumers to purchase goods and services...
For some, our strongest impulse is for government, an inherently coercive institution, to butt out of our private affairs and decisions. For others, the strongest impulse is to butt in.
During the 1920s, North Carolina’s paved road mileage exploded by 92%. The commercial and social life of our state was radically transformed.
Economic growth isn’t driven primarily by existing companies getting a little more productive. It’s driven by innovators with new, sometimes disruptive, ideas.
Among voters with graduate degrees, 60% of Republicans express the concern that disclosing their political views may harm them at work. Only 25% of Democrats express the same concern.
Maximizing freedom is a core conservative goal. Over the past 10 years of largely conservative governance in North Carolina, we have made significant progress toward that goal.