Be sure to watch this week’s NC SPIN. Our balanced debate begins with Governor Cooper’s appointment of a Chief Justice of the Supreme Court to replace Mark Martin, who is resigning at the month. We speculate as to who the Governor might appoint to fill the vacancy of the high court. Next we debate the […]
Archive for May, 2014
Senate Medicaid cure worse than the illness
by Tom Campbell, Executive Producer and Moderator, NC SPIN, May 30, 2014. The most common reactions to the NC Senate budget revisions have been surprise and shock. Few imagined the dramatic changes Senate leaders had in store from their closed-door deliberations. The media focused its coverage on the teacher pay and SBI move provisions but […]
What’s the deal with e-cigarettes?
by Becki Gray, John Locke Foundation and NC SPIN panelist, May 30, 2014. The House voted in favor of, the Senate approved and the governor signed the Omnibus Tax Law Changes bill into law yesterday which includes a tax on a new product – e-cigarettes. What’s the deal and how should lawmakers and the tax code treat e-cigarettes? Cordatoexplains here why taxing […]
NC Education Lottery budget deserves a close look
by Bob Luebke, Civitas Review online, May 30, 2014. Governor McCrory wants to use lottery money to equip schools with more technology. The Governor thinks some of the money could come from limiting “annoying” advertising and cutting the Lottery’s “bloated” administrative costs. According to lottery budget documents (see NC Lottery Budget1 andNC Lottery Budget2) Civitas has received, it doesn’t appear the […]
5 years after recession’s bottom, problematic progress in North Carolina
by Mike Walden, Reynolds Professor of Economics, NC State University, published in News and Observer, May 30, 2014. We’re getting ready to celebrate an anniversary, although I doubt any balloons will be popped or cake served. This summer will mark five years since the bottom of the economic recession. Since then our overall economy has […]
Tackling obesity epidemic
by Dr. Jessica Schorr Saxe, family physician in Charlotte, published in Charlotte Observer, May 30, 2014. Obesity epidemic? Everyone knows the “facts,” right? Do the following seem so obvious as to be boring? • Obesity is a personal problem that individuals should solve on their own. • A calorie is a calorie. • Fat people just need to […]
Senate approves $21.1B spending plan
by Laura Leslie, WRAL, May 30, 2014. After a long and contentious night, the state Senate approved its $21.1 billion spending plan for 2014-15 early Saturday. Votes were held Friday night and shortly after midnight Saturday. The first vote was 32-15; the second was 32-10. The entire budget process in the Senate – from the […]
Civitas Poll: Tillis leading Hagan
by Frances de Luca, John W. Pope Civitas, May 29, 2014. RALEIGH – The latest Civitas Institute Poll shows state House Speaker Thom Tillis, the Republican candidate, leading Democratic incumbent Kay Hagan in the race for the U.S. Senate. Tillis leads Hagan 39 percent to 36 percent, with Libertarian candidate Sean Haugh the choice of […]
Tenure trap
by Gary Pearce, Talking About Politics, May 29, 2014. If you did a poll – and Senator Berger surely has – you’d probably get overwhelming support for this proposition: “Should public school teachers get an 11 per cent raise in exchange for giving up tenure?” Therein lies the challenge to Senate Democrats. Berger says: […]
The Follies of the Senate’s cynical and dangerous budget
By Chris Fitzsimon, NC Policy Watch and NC SPIN panelist, May 29, 2014. Many of the headlines about the state budget Senate leaders rolled out this week describe it as taking the state in a different direction or remaking North Carolina. True enough, but that’s not the half of it. The Senate budget proposal is […]
New Utility tax another punch in the nose
Editorial by Rocky Mount Telegram, May 28, 2014. Just as we’ve begun warming up to the possibility of a business deal that could lead to a significant reduction in utility bills, news comes this week of a new sales tax to be applied to utility rates, courtesy of the N.C. General Assembly. Rocky Mount City […]
