Columns can change political views
I have written a syndicated column on politics and public policy for North Carolina newspapers since 1986. Have I influenced how readers think about the issues I discuss? I certainly hope so, at least... Read More
NC Spin Articles
Cooper administration takes a welcome stand on Medicaid expansion
There was another strong and promising statement from the Cooper administration yesterday on the vital importance of enacting Medicaid expansion legislation ASAP. as Lynn Bonner of Raleigh’s News... Read More
Bob Orr postulates on compensating college athletes
Former N.C. Supreme Court Justice Bob Orr doesn’t want to touch the hot topic of paying college student-athletes. But Orr supports one change that could help star players make money from their... Read More
Senate proposes pay-as-you-go school construction plan instead of bonds
A Senate plan to pump $2.03 billion of tax revenue into K-12 public school construction would both outspend a competing House plan and do so with cash rather than debt, Senate Majority Leader Harry... Read More
The intersection of policy and politics
With North Carolina’s State Legislature in full swing, people who pay attention to the workings of the General Assembly are closely watching the recent news from the Division of Motor Vehicles and... Read More
Isn't it about time to compromise on Silent Sam?
As I understand this mess, some want a statue (Confederate Memorial/Soldiers Monument/"Silent Sam") at McCorkle Place on the UNC-CH campus to go away, some want it to stay. Most could care less except... Read More
State budget battle is looming
The single most important issue during every legislative session is the approval or revision of North Carolina’s state budget. For the 2019-20 session about to get underway, the political... Read More
Will the new General Assembly agree on anything?
The 2019-20 General Assembly gets down to business next week. Without a Republican supermajority, a governor who is all too happy to veto and/or sue and everyone vying for a political advantage in the... Read More
Trump's NC shutdown accomplices and the mess they're making
Donald Trump does not and cannot act alone. Notwithstanding his serial dishonesty and raging narcissism and megalomania, the current inhabitant of the White House could never inflict the kind of... Read More
State policy agendas sound familiar
North Carolina Republicans lost their General Assembly supermajorities in the 2018 midterms, and the GOP nationally lost ground in both legislatures and governorships after years of dominance in state... Read More
