Pay raise could lessen regulation
I have been writing a regular column on North Carolina politics and public policy since 1986. Over three decades of writing about and talking to politicians in Raleigh, few issues have come up more... Read More
NC Spin Articles
State needs an alternative to occupational licensing
by Jon Sanders, John Locke Foundation, May 25, 2017. For half a century, making any reform to a state’s occupational licensing system has been nigh on impossible. How hard? In 2015, the federal... Read More
House budget outlines sharp differences with Senate
House members on Thursday began reviewing pieces of the chamber's proposed 2017-18 budget, but legislative leaders said details about raises for teachers and state employees won't be released until... Read More
Independent investigators, courts and press guard us all
This is a tough time for our country, but we can count on our strong national institutions to carry us through them. If we protect those institutions. President Donald Trump fired FBI Director James... Read More
Stay safe on holiday highways
Editorial by Fayetteville Observer, May 25, 2017. We knew a holiday weekend was coming when a couple of local gas stations bumped up their prices by 10 to 15 cents a gallon. They’re ready to make... Read More
Independent redistricting needed
Editorial by The Winston-Salem Journal, May 23, 2017. Here we go again. The U.S. Supreme Court rightly ruled Monday that North Carolina lawmakers relied too heavily on race when drawing two... Read More
Lessons from a North Carolina embarrassment
In image-conscious North Carolina, sometimes it takes an embarrassment to get the state in gear. Consider, for example, what happened in 1989 when North Carolina learned it ranked as the state with... Read More
Opening the books on renewable power in NC
In what may be a first, the North Carolina Utilities Commission (NCUC) has put on its docket a petition to declare that a renewable power facility is in fact a public utility under NC law. This... Read More
Republicans advance education budget over strong objections
GOP leaders deflect criticism, promise to hear amendments next week A key House committee signed off on the chamber’s public school budget report Thursday, despite Democrats’ complaints that they... Read More
GOP crafts a message to UNC with a chainsaw
The state Senate took a chain saw to the University of North Carolina law school this month, cutting nearly a third of the state appropriation for one of the nation’s oldest law schools. The... Read More
