Official data understate growth rate
Our news diet contains far more pessimism than it should. In most ways most of the time things have been getting better, not worse. Read More
NC Spin Articles
How to resolve the budget impasse
The new state budget was due to take force July 1 but there is a budget impasse between the legislature and the governor. There is a path out of this thicket, but it will require both sides to change course a bit. Read More
Educate the educators
Shannon Watkins, with the James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal, reports that North Carolina's education outcomes are not great, and they are not getting better. Perhaps this is a failure in teacher preparation and higher standards are needed to become a teacher. Read More
Betting on racism
Thomas Mills, in Politics NC, says Donald Trump is betting that racism is good politics and Senator Thom Tillis is clearly getting in on that bet. Read More
What can we do about the national debt?
In the last 30 years interest rates in the U.S. economy have fallen by an amazing 80 percent and interest costs on the national debt, as a percentage of the economy are half as much. But we aren't doing anything to retire the $22 trillion we owe. Walden has a proposal. Read More
As Trump arrives in Greenville, analysts highlight administrations broken promises
When candidate Trump campaign in North Carolina he made promises that a new report indicates he hasn't kept. Read More
Cooper's Medicaid demand won't work
Opposition to Medicaid expansion isn't a partisan game. Abandoning this core principle in the midst of budget negotiations is unwise and unproductive. Read More
Democrats and Republicans find common ground
Gary Pearce, in Talking About Politics, says that both parties agree Washington is corrupt. But nothing ever seems to change. People get angrier and angrier – at the system and, ultimately, at each other. Read More
Context needed on school spending
If we are ever to make the best use of resources devoted to education, we need to find a better, less accusatory way to talk about school spending. Read More
The fight over the budget is our government starting to work again
Thomas Mills, in Politics NC, says we’re going to see a lot of threats and teeth gnashing over the next few weeks, but this is our government working. We just haven’t seen very much of it lately. Read More
