Opinion
The Mayflower Compact: America’s first great experiment
The Mayflower Compact stands as living proof that the principles John Locke would later define were already embedded in the human pursuit of liberty.
Opinion
Locke’s lessons for a government in gridlock
John Locke's insights aren’t dusty history, but living ideas guiding how our government must act and what citizens must expect.
Opinion
Sen. Kaine smears the Founders’ idea of rights
What truly threatens freedom is not Jefferson’s declaration that rights are endowed by our Creator. The danger lies in the opposite belief — that rights come from government.
Opinion
Democracy is not a virtue
Unchecked majority rule in a democracy can erode liberty just as surely as a tyrant.
Opinion
Separation of powers protects freedom
Has there even been a point of time in which so many public controversies rest on a single, abstract principle of constitutional government? I can’t think of one. The principle in question is the separation of powers. Here are only some of its recent political manifestations: • The U.S. Supreme Court has just blocked President...
Opinion
No common ground without Natural Law
It’s recently become clear that the common ground people of a variety of worldviews once stood on is crumbling beneath our feet. And without this mutual starting place, known as Natural Law, it’s not clear how we can have meaningful dialogue or come to agreements on how to live together. Evidence for this can be...
Opinion
Kyle Rittenhouse and our long tradition of self-defense
In the Western tradition, self-defense is fully understood as an inherent right that governments can’t rescind.
Opinion
Why we should read the American founders
Thomas Jefferson was renowned for stressing that authority ultimately rested with the people and not the government. Self-government often seems more like a theoretical concept today, or even a partisan issue. Ultimately, so much of what we see in politics today is a belief that Americans are no longer capable of governing themselves. They need more rules, and regulations to cope, and “free stuff” to...
Opinion
North Carolina still has room for improvement on taxes
In states that do tax income, 16 have lower rates than North Carolina.
Opinion
Why Mark Robinson is smart to focus on first principles
Mark Robinson understands that the purpose of the government should reflect John Locke’s understanding and is fundamental: protecting life, liberty, and property.
Opinion
Please mind your own business
We might have a better chance of getting governmental busybodies to mind their own business if we really and truly minded our own business.
Opinion
Modern conservatives have liberal roots
One Carolina legacy of John Locke and his patron Anthony Ashley Cooper is the iconic city of Charleston, nestled between the Ashley and Cooper rivers, while the other can be found further north.
