I found a pair of old jeans in the back of my closet the other day. They were cut extra baggy, from an era in which everything was baggy. And they were at least two sizes too large, a roomy reminder... Read More
Mark Harris is winding up his delivery, his voice rising, bending over in a fighter’s crouch, his right hand balled up in a fist. “Can we do this?” he shouts. Yes, replies the crowd. “Can we... Read More
I’m a teacher. And I’ll be a teacher for another two whole months! That’s another eight weeks with the 20 first-grade children in my room. I’m a good teacher. No, really, hear me out. I’m... Read More
This is how spending priorities get set in Raleigh. The Republican legislature is facing a revenue hole. And there are three big pots of money: public schools, the UNC system and Medicaid. At... Read More
Editorial by Jacksonville Daily News, April 11, 2014. In eliminating yet another federal limit on campaign contributions, the U.S. Supreme Court on April 2 reaffirmed the principle that money is... Read More
Every two years, the N.C. Center for Public Policy Research releases survey results ranking the effectiveness of individual state legislators. The results are fairly predictable. The House speaker and... Read More
It is “The Week of the Young Child” here. But it could be — yes, really — “The Century of the Young Child” in Greensboro and Guilford County. I know Greensboro better than many... Read More
Republicans may seem like ultimate Scrooges. Many want to slash food stamps, unemployment benefits and just about any program that helps the needy. So they know nothing about poverty, right? Wrong... Read More
Republican legislative leaders plan to ask the North Carolina Supreme Court to allow a new program using taxpayer money for tuition at K-12 private or religious schools to begin this fall while... Read More
Editorial by Burlington Times-News, April 10, 2014. The state is looking for new ways to generate revenue to help fuel what it characterizes as the ever escalating costs of maintaining North Carolina... Read More
