Opinion
Income taxes: the enemy of economic progress
If one wanted to halt or otherwise hinder economic progress, it would be difficult to come up with a more effective tool than the income tax.
Opinion
Facts must come before explanations
Who is to blame for North Carolina losing its industrial base over the past two decades? Misguided federal lawmakers who passed free-trade agreements? Foolish state policymakers who refused to invest in new infrastructure? Overzealous local regulators? I’ve heard each of these explanations before. Perhaps you have, too. But none constitutes a valid explanation for North...
Opinion
Our workforce is still too small
Most economic forecasters expect us to enter a recession sometime in 2023. I sure hope they’re wrong. Even a mild recession would throw tens of thousands of North Carolinians out of work. And the ranks of displaced workers would rise into the hundreds of thousands if we suffered a downturn as serious as the Great...
Opinion
Higher output means higher incomes
Measured properly, average compensation per hour rose 81 percent from 1973 to 2017, after adjusting for inflation, while productivity rose by 83 percent — not a significant difference.
Opinion
Manufacturing jobs on the rise
As we learn how to produce more food, clothing, shelter, and other goods at a lower cost, that allows us to improve our standard of living by producing and consuming services.
Opinion
Growth still drives worker pay
Making workers' labor more productive, through capital investment of various kinds, remains a better way to improve their well-being than hiking regulations or redistributing income.
Opinion
Jobs Lost At a Minimum
Government-mandated minimum wages nearly always boost the incomes of some workers at the expense of other workers losing their jobs.
Opinion
Wage Debate Diverts Attention From Real Economic Problems
Forcing employers to pay a higher hourly wage does nothing to improve the skills of those who need the most help.
Opinion
Overtime Rule Reflects Economic Ignorance
The president's new regulations would cut off an important avenue of advancement in the labor market, especially for workers who are just beginning their careers.
Opinion
Minimum Wage Hikes Hurt The Most Disadvantaged Workers
Both supporters and critics of a higher government-mandated minimum wage offer faulty arguments.
Opinion
It’s Not Just Obama’s Fault
The causes of the great economic slowdown are complex and often outside the purview of public policy.
Opinion
Economic Stat Explains Political Debate
In order to have a meaningful conversation about how to address the state’s economic woes, there must be a shared set of facts.
