NC SPIN episode #1154 Air Date 12/25/2020
The Year in review, Tar Heel of the Year, Closing comments Watch NC SPIN Previous Episodes
Balanced Debate For The Old North State.
Some of North Carolina's leading political thinkers appear every week in the NC SPIN weekly newsletter, SPINCycle. You can get it for free by subscribing now. Start the New Year off by staying informed. If you are already a subscriber, please tell a friend to subscribe. We want to get 150 new subscribers this month. As always, thank you for trusting NC SPIN for Balanced Debate about the Old North State.
My Spin by Tom Campbell
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Is Justice blind?More and more frequently we hear accusations of partisanship in our courts. If true, this is a sorry commentary on the state of justice. Read More |
COVID is here to stay, so let’s start dealing with it
Should we be trying to catch Omicron rather than trying to avoid it? Read More
The sky was never falling
A flock of progressive "Chicken Littles" spent the past decade warning that the GOP-controlled legislature was ruining our economy and reputation by failing to “invest” enough in government. Read More
Ohio Supreme Court shows North Carolina the way in the fight against gerrymandering
The Ohio Supreme Court ruled, the Ohio Redistricting Commission “did not attempt to meet the standards set forth” in the legislative redistricting process of the Ohio Constitution. Read More
True 'democratic process' doesn't lead to a result 'incompatible with democratic principles'
The three judges were unanimous in their dislike of districts drawn by Republicans and they would potentially lead to results incompatible with democratic principles and subject our state to ridicule. Read More
The Late 20th Century Crime Wave Was a Disaster for Blacks and the Poor
n terms of crime and public order, the middle decades of the 20th century were a period of remarkable tranquility. In the decades that followed crime rates soared. Read More
Democrats get a little good news
A poll released last week has Democrats leading Republicans in the Congressional generic ballot for the first time in months. Read More
January is International Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month.
All communities are vulnerable to the horrors of human trafficking. Read More
Revolutionary history surrounds us
We live in a state surrounded by reminders of our nation's founding era. Read More
How deep is our economic divide?
Many economists have apparently changed their opinion of the benefits of the free market. Read More
Takeaways from a snowy night in I-95 purgatory
30 hours after leaving New York City we arrived in North Carolina. Read More
McCrory Leads North Carolina’s GOP Senate Primary Race, Budd Leading Head-To-Head
Half say Trump endorsement likely to determine their vote. Read More
School closures were too risky
Are we really going to make the same mistake again, hoping against all evidence that the outcome will be different? Read More
Government schools
After 10 years of controlling the legislature, Republicans claim that public education is irreparably broken. If that's true they have nobody to blame but themselves. Read More
Three-judge panel to make quick decision in N.C. redistricting trial
The ruling could come Tuesday. Read More
Thoughts on January 6th
An assassination took place on January 6th. An attempted political assassination of our form of governance. Read More
In support of a broad-based pro-democracy movement
In states where gerrymandered districts protect Republican majorities against the consequences of election losses and where the GOP base is not willing to accept defeat, what keeps Republican elected officials from overturning the will of the people? Read More
Few Senators served in the House
Since the 1913 passage of the 17th amendment, that allowed the election of Senators, only one North Carolinian has previously served in the US House. Read More
It was an insurrection. It is past time to stop spreading Trump's lies
Trump called the 2020 election the "crime of the century." The real crime is his continuous lies and the insurrection he sanctioned. Read More
The famous man from Tally Ho
You might be surprised to know the famous North Carolinian. Read More
The five freedoms we must champion in the New Year
FDR spoke 81 years ago about the four freedoms all Americans should enjoy. But there's also a 5th to consider. Read More
Democrats’ expert challenges narrative about ‘fair’ election maps
The case being considered is over what is fair, but also what follows the constitution. Read More
Worker shortage won't end soon
There can be several explanations why there is a shortage of workers. We can only hope that reducing labor-market frictions can close a good chunk of the gap. Read More
Year in review: In higher ed, higher stakes as the UNC system becomes more politicized
Politics has become increasingly obvious within the UNC System and UNC Chapel Hill Read More
Year in review: Critical Race Theory, mask mandates and Leandro funding made for a tumultuous 2021 in education
It was a tumultuous year in public education even as students and teachers struggled to recover from a year of remote learning that saw standardized test scores fall to new lows. Read More
What changes can North Carolina taxpayers expect in 2022
There are several changes that may affect you in the coming year. Read More
