Straw Polls
When it comes to straw polls, from cradle to grave, there’s a whiff of deception in the air. Hardly anything is what it seems. For instance, political groups don’t take straw polls to measure... Read More
NC Spin Articles
Capping local business tax could hurt businesses
Editorial by News and Observer, April 10, 2014. Here they go again. Republican legislators pride themselves on championing the interests of business, but sometimes they don’t know when to quit... Read More
Miles to go
I’m told that one of the wise, old political operatives in the state recently remarked that do-nothing politicians in today’s highly partisan environment move down a safer path than those who... Read More
McCrory stepping on toes is not the problem
Governor Pat McCrory seems to think that every time people in Raleigh have questions about one of his proposals, it is because he is courageously “stepping on toes” of people in entrenched... Read More
NC WARN, Locke Foundation take on Duke energy, electricity reforms
What would inspire a prominent free-market nonprofit and an assertive environmental nonprofit to join forces in a very public way? Mutual concern over policies that keep the cost of a basic household... Read More
States try to unload local roads
For years, the leaders of Beaufort, S.C., have promoted the charms and convenience of their coastal city, which has a historic downtown and cozy neighborhoods. Many of Beaufort’s 13,000 residents... Read More
Voter turnout in the May 6th primary
One of the key questions for the May 6 primary is voter turnout. It is likely to play a role in deciding the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate. The conventional wisdom among political observers goes... Read More
The Dix hill haggle
After years of scrambling and squabbling about the fate of the Dorothea Dix campus near downtown Raleigh, the two sides are finally doing the right thing: negotiating the size and price of the land... Read More
Tax cuts could jeopardize teacher raises
Tax cuts that state lawmakers passed last year have trimmed the amount of revenue North Carolina is collecting to the point where promised raises for teachers are at risk. When lawmakers wrote the two... Read More
Is good money bad too?
This is a story about how even “good” money – that is, money spent for candidates and causes I like – can be bad. It’s a story about how outside donors and independent campaigns, not... Read More
