All are visitors in "The People's House"
More than perhaps any other public facility the Legislative Building and Capitol are symbols of our government at work. While everyone owns them, no person or group has permanent rights to them... Read More
My Spin by Tom Campbell
What the legislature should (but won't) do to get North Carolina moving forward
At the beginning of every legislative session it is good to take stock of where North Carolina is and where it is headed. No doubt legislative leadership will point with pride to their... Read More
Lawmakers face high-stakes math test
When lawmakers return to Raleigh on Wednesday for the “short session” they will face their own high-stakes math text, one that could prove troublesome as they face budget numbers that don’t add... Read More
Taking risks out of the state pension plan
North Carolina has been fortunate to have honest and trustworthy State Treasurers. Current Treasurer Janet Cowell is no exception. The present discussion over public pension plans focuses on three... Read More
Let's take teacher pay off the table
Just when we might be ready to engage in productive discussions about creating world-class schools in North Carolina another distraction arises. Drop-out rates, common core, testing, charter schools... Read More
The Great Debate
I don’t blame Thom Tillis for refusing to attend one of the three televised GOP Senate primary debates. The only mystery is why he (or any candidate) is bothering with any of them. Many of us have... Read More
What's the issue?
In little more than three weeks voters will cast ballots in the May 6th Primary Elections. Despite a lot of noise from independent expenditure groups this has been a fairly quiet election cycle. What... Read More
For wont of the public trust
The Duke Energy coal ash saga reminds us of the old poem, “For Wont of a Nail.” No doubt you remember that because of a missing horseshoe nail a horse, a rider, a message, a battle, a war and a... Read More
A third political party in NC?
Fact: 26 percent of all registered voters are Unaffiliated. More than one in four had the option of registering as a Democrat or a Republican but chose not to do so. Some probably chose to remain... Read More
College sports: Can't hold on and won't turn loose
UNC System President Tom Ross recently appeared before the Knight Commission to address the need to reform some of the egregious problems with college athletics. Well-intentioned as Ross was, his... Read More
