NC SPIN Posts by John Hood

Labor market on the mend

North Carolina’s economy isn’t behaving the way it was supposed to. According to liberal critics of Gov. Pat McCrory and the leadership of the General Assembly, the state should be losing its...    Read More

by John Hood   |   December 9, 2013


NC among top 10 in economic growth

If you are even an occasional reader of this space, you know that I put very little stock in “best places for business” lists. There are too many of them, reflecting too many different and...    Read More

by John Hood   |   December 2, 2013


Still time for a reading revolution

Every passionate reader has a first literary love – that first book that captured your attention and inspired your desire to explore and understand. For me, it was a true classic: A Child’s...    Read More

by John Hood   |   November 27, 2013

Liberal claims get reality checks

For North Carolina liberals intent on recovering some political power in Raleigh, a funny thing happened on the way to a quorum: reality intruded on their most-cherished claims about the two biggest...    Read More

by John Hood   |   November 25, 2013

A lacklluster decade in education

During the 1990s, North Carolina’s public schools posted some of the strongest performance gains in the country on independent reading and math tests. Democrats and Republicans took pride in the...    Read More

by John Hood   |   November 22, 2013


Regan, Goldwater, Friedman - and Carolina

Over the past three years, the North Carolina legislature has enacted Ronald Reagan’s favorite tax reform, Barry Goldwater’s favorite regulatory reform, and Milton Friedman’s favorite education...    Read More

by John Hood   |   November 18, 2013

What a Difference a Month Makes

Moving is a hassle. We like the new house, but my kids and I are still living partially out of boxes, figuring out where the light switches are, investigating the source of strange new noises, and...    Read More

by John Hood   |   November 15, 2013

The world of pure imagination

Remember when fiscal conservatives took over North Carolina government and radically reduced its size and scope? Sorry, trick question. No such event ever happened, except in the fevered imagination...    Read More

by John Hood   |   November 11, 2013


What the Local Elections Revealed

Not too long ago, North Carolina Republicans competed effectively with Democrats in urban elections. In fact, there was a moment in the 1990s — a fleeting moment, as it turned out — when the...    Read More

by John Hood   |   November 7, 2013