News
Towns are pushing for subsidized stadiums, while others struggle to keep them afloat
While some counties look to build new sports complexes, others struggle to pay bills and upkeep.
Opinion
Buy Christmas gifts without regret
Now that the Christmas shopping season has begun in earnest, we are about to witness the ritualistic burning of a straw man. Call it one of many pagan-inspired traditions of the season. Just watch: some sly journalist or humorless scold will assert that the exchange of Christmas gifts is a lose-lose for our economy. The...
Opinion
I was once a National Conservatism skeptic, but the ideas are needed
I attended the third National Conservativism conference in Miami and was pleasantly surprised by what I heard. I went skeptical: “nationalism” left a bad taste in my mouth, and I was sure I would find rabid Donald Trump supporters, QAnon types, or people who despised those from other countries. None of my preconceptions were true....
Opinion
Student loan forgiveness signals more national decline
Of all the bad economic policies I’ve seen in government — and boy, let me tell you, I’ve seen a lot — the decision to “forgive” student debt is, by far, the worst by degrees of comparison. It is intellectually dishonest, it is morally indefensible, and it screams louder than any other thing the Biden administration has done, that...
Opinion
North Carolina’s decade of tax reform
Naysayers from the political left warned that revenues would plummet, and our state would face a budget crisis.
Opinion
How can we slow the increase in house prices?
In 2020, the average house price rose 11%. In 2021 home prices jumped another 19%. And, if the price gains in early 2022 continued for the entire year, the price of the average home will increase by 28%. Including compounding, this would mean an astounding 69% rise in home prices over three years. Importantly, the...
Opinion
Ending North Carolina’s ABC system
The general tendency of the marketplace suggests that the more open a market is, the more that can be made, traded, or sold. When a company begins manufacturing or even just setting up ordinary operations, it must call upon other companies and individuals to acquire or handle all that is needed. This includes office supplies,...
Opinion
Money does not have a causal relationship with a baby’s brain activity
Money cannot address all forms of anxiety or depression.
Opinion
Dear politicians: stop ignoring economic laws
Economic laws are not subject to a vote. They can’t be wished away because you don’t like certain realities they reveal. They don’t bend to accommodate your feelings or the politician’s will. These harsh realities must be kept in mind when anticipating the results of public policy. For instance, there’s no surer way to make...
Opinion
Government ‘economic development’ programs: benefitting the few at the expense of the many
Imagine Ted wants to start his own company to, say, build and sell televisions. Ted rents the land and factory, hires workers, and acquires the capital goods and other inputs as necessary. Months later, he starts putting his televisions up for sale. To make a profit, of course, Ted needs to sell the sets at...
News
Lawmakers honor Gastonia native Thomas Sowell on 91st birthday
Legislators in both the N.C. House and Senate took a short break from pressing business today to mark the 91st birthday of Thomas Sowell. The Gastonia native has injected important economic concepts into high-profile national public policy debates for decades. John Locke Foundation CEO Amy Cooke had urged state officials to honor Sowell during a...
Opinion
Causes and challenges of North Carolina’s revenue surge
A year ago, in the midst of the pandemic, all hands were wringing about shortages – shortages of food, everyday essentials, salaries, and government revenues. State budget experts were expecting revenue shortfalls of between 5% and 10%. Massive layoffs of state workers were possible, even possibly reaching into the ranks of university professors. Now, a...
