Local governments are far too willing to believe ridiculous hype and outsized promises from economic developers.
The combination of American and US Airways is unlikely to lead to the end of the Queen City's hub.
The city's convention promoters claim the industry provides a a financial boost to the Queen City that falls far short of reality.
Even a dog of a proposed rail line will be virtually impossible to kill.
A once-great series survives today only because of local governments’ economic development efforts.
As North Carolinians have tightened their belts, many local governments have boosted property tax bills.
RALEIGH -- The economy started to slow in fiscal 2008. Even so, local governments took in an extra half billion dollars -- revenues rose to $15.09 billion -- but all of it came essentially from higher property tax collections.
RALEIGH — Government isn’t run like a business. It does, however, often offer aid — politely called “incentives ” — to businesses. And that can be a toxic brew for taxpayers.
CHARLOTTE — August is a popular month to take a vacation. This year it was also a popular month for local governments to engage in some economic development activity involving vacationing and travel: Government-sponsored hotel deals made the news in Fayetteville and Wilmington. In both cases, citizens could use an extended holiday from this sort of questionable dealmaking.
Taxpayers need a vacation from dubious deals involving local governments and new hotels.
If you don't mind sifting through the numbers, you can learn a lot more about the way your tax money is spent.
