Why conservatives defend free enterprise
When conservatives advocate lower taxes and less regulation, their critics often retort that conservatives are just advancing the interest of business. That’s either a misunderstanding or a... Read More
NC Spin Articles
How to defuse North Carolina's fiscal time bomb
For many decades North Carolinians of all political stripes have taken solace in the fiscal responsibility of our state. One of only a handful of states with a coveted AAA bond rating, North Carolina... Read More
Modern conservatives have liberal roots
Can I speak to Mr. Locke?” During the quarter-century that I served as either president or vice president of the John Locke Foundation, we got such calls on regular basis. Some actually wanted to... Read More
Is there a new debate over capitalism vs. socialism?
by Dr. Mike Walden, NCSU Professor of Economics, July 20, 2018. I took my first college economics course in 1969. One of the topics in the course was about alternative ways a country can organize its... Read More
Missing Bert Bennett
In 1965, Terry Sanford left the governor’s office and moved down Fayetteville Street from the Capitol into law offices in the BB&T Building. Political insiders started referring to that structure as... Read More
Labor shortage teaches policy lessons
Hickory has a labor shortage. Given our state’s recent economic history, that claim may sound incredible. But it’s true. Not so long ago, the metropolitan area anchored by Hickory, Morganton, and... Read More
Just say No
The easiest way to push back against NC’s rogue General Assembly is to vote against all six proposed constitutional amendments Like Congress and most modern American state legislatures, the North... Read More
School test scores
This spring, the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction declared ‘NC holds steady on most measures of national assessment.’ The assessment in question was the 2017 version of the National... Read More
More division to come
A recent article in the Washington Post notes that in about 20 years, 70% of the population will live in just 15 states. Half the population will live in eight. North Carolina is one of those eight... Read More
Push back on budget deficits
Right after the 2016 elections, I observed that the combination of Donald Trump’s rise and continuing GOP strength across the landscape of American politics had yielded three distinct Republican... Read More
