And the Oscar goes to....
If the State of the State was the Oscars, Governor Cooper won Best Performance, Democratic women legislators won Best Costume and Phil Berger was hands-down Best Villain. Once derided as dry and... Read More
NC Spin Articles
A courageous judge taps the breaks on a rogue General Assembly
In case you missed it, there was an enormously important ruling issued last Friday afternoon by a Wake County Superior Court judge that ought to rekindle the public’s belief in (and support for... Read More
Amendment decision endangers Democrats
Arguing that GOP-tilted districts had rendered elected lawmakers “usurpers” who “did not represent the people of North Carolina,” Wake County Superior Court Judge Bryan Collins has struck down... Read More
Could Brooklyn-North Carolina lightning strike again?
Do you remember the important North Carolina connection to “A Tree Grows in Brooklyn,” one of America’s most loved novels? The book was written in North Carolina. Although its author, Betty... Read More
Are professional sports players overpaid?
By Dr. Mike Walden, NCSU Professor of Economics, February 27, 2019. It’s March, and for most of my colleagues, neighbors, and friends, this means only one thing – “March Madness” and the NCAA... Read More
Lawmakers should be rule makers, not cartographers
Death and taxes aren’t the only two certainties North Carolinians face. New congressional and legislative districts are coming, too — for 2020 (by court order) and 2022 (after the end-of-decade... Read More
Giving helps us play our roles
Although I write regularly about politics and public policy, my “day job,” so to speak, is to give money away. It’s not as easy as you might think. Or, to be more precise, it may be easy to give... Read More
Metropolitan Area Economic Output 2017
The United States economy is primarily driven by the economic activity within its metropolitan areas. From 2012 to 2017, 90% of the nation’s annual GDP was contributed by the nation’s 383 metros... Read More
Second redistricting reform bill emphasizes rules and transparency
A bipartisan group of state lawmakers Thursday introduced the second of what may be several measures to reform North Carolina’s redistricting process. The two bills share several sponsors. But House... Read More
"Thank you for what you do" - A tribute to Walter Jones
After taking a semester off from ECU to run an eastern North Carolina Republican field office during 2008 election, I was back at school with a full schedule of classes – and a yearning to stay... Read More
