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.
My Spin by Tom Campbell
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Choosing voters or choosing opponents?Election politics keeps getting curiouser and curiouser. These exercises aren't good for democracy and won't make our country better. Read More |
For want of a king
There's no question our system of government is strained right now and it is easy to want something different. Would the arguing stop if we just had a king? Read More
Will hospitals kill Medicaid expansion?
Medicaid expansion now enjoys bipartisan support but enactment is being held up because of North Carolina's Certificate of Need laws. Read More
Bipartisanship was key in North Carolina's top business climate ranking. Tax cuts were not
Be on guard against insinuations that right-wing austerity economics played more than a marginal role in creating North Carolina’s business prowess. Read More
Unaffiliated voters shouldn't be banned from helping N.C. elections
Every citizen should be able to fully participate in our democracy regardless of political affiliation or lack thereof. Read More
Cooper defends racial discrimination
Governor Roy Cooper, along with former Governors Jim Hunt, Mike Easley and Bev Perdue have intervened in a case before the U.S. Supreme Court regarding racial preferences by university admissions policies. Read More
How can we slow the increase in house prices?
House prices have increased by an astounding 69 percent over three years. Read More
Federal judge rejects Democrats’ request, questions their role in Greens’ ballot battle
The U.S. District Judge says Democratic groups attempting to delay the Green Party's certification "do not appear in this court with clean hands." Read More
Pardon Trump
Instead of touting Democratic boasts of legislative accomplishments once again Trump dominates the news cycle. Read More
NC treasurer’s love for cash in the pension fund hobbled returns during the stock market boom
Treasurer Folwell is criticized for have 13 percent of the $119 billion pension fund in cash, much higher than the rest of the top 10 in public pension funds. Read More
David McCullough and the rise of popular history
Many remember when he came to Raleigh to discuss his book on the Wright Brothers, but this historian knew that history matters and needs retelling often. Read More
Please. Don't ban books
People burn books because they are afraid. Do we really believe that banning or burning will make the subject matter go away? Read More
Why did NC rank number one?
CNBC used a weighted average of many different categories — and North Carolina ranked either middling or high in all of them. Read More
North Carolina climate change deniers owe the world an apology
The urgency of climate change is a message that seems finally to be getting through in a lot of places that long denied it or tuned it out. Read More
Teacher shortage underscores the unaddressed crisis in NC’s public education system
We must stop making choices that prevent us from ensuring our kids have access to a high quality and equitable education. Read More
Should we use incentives to attract firms?
For the past twenty years the State has been using an economic model that predicts the benefits and costs of incentive packages. Read More
Some tips for reading this column
How can you be a conservative, libertarian, “fusionist,” or perhaps “conservatarian" Read More
NC Business Leaders: Court must order state to fulfill Constitution's promise to NC children
More than 50 business and community leaders across our state signed the friend of the court brief supporting the funding of the Leandro Comprehensive Remedial Plan. Read More
State education leaders advance new and controversial teacher compensation proposal
Superintendent Catherine Truitt denies plan would introduce “merit pay,” but critics strongly disagree Read More
Why we need to keep gender identity out of North Carolina's healthful living and science standards
The Department of Public Instruction is reviewing the healthful living and science academic standards. At issue is whether or not to include gender identity. Read More
A very good month
Going into November Democrats need to make the midterms a referendum on abortion instead of on Joe Biden. Read More
Cooper right about Certificate of Need, but for the wrong reason
North Carolina has some of the most restrictive laws on hospital expansion and hospital leaders need to do what is right for patients. Read More
NC Attorney General: The right to reproductive care is on the ballot
Politicians are playing with women's lives and decisions about reproductive care are deeply personal, says NC's Attorney General. Read More
Nuclear energy is best for North Carolina
New laws say North Carolina must cut carbon dioxide emissions by 70 percent in the next eight years. Experts say we need a mix of all available sources. Read More
The Spanish Armada
There is an Armada of trawlers in the Neuse River but for every pound of shrimp they haul in there is at least four pounds of bycatch they must throw away. Read More
North Carolinians think recession is here
Relatively speaking, North Carolina's economy is performing well. But try selling that to people who have drawn conclusions that things have gone horribly wrong. Read More
