Not time to pull out the crystal ball
If you are absolutely sure what is going to happen in next year’s midterm elections, my advice is to keep it confidential, tell just a few key folks, let them be awestruck by your prescience on... Read More
NC SPIN Posts by John Hood
The Right Way to Cut Taxes
If your goal is to foster economic growth and job creation, there’s a right way and a wrong way to cut taxes on business. Fortunately, Pat McCrory and the General Assembly made the right choice. The... Read More
NC Roads Are Getting Better
Don’t look now, but North Carolina’s long-maligned highway system is showing signs of significant improvement. Actually, do look now. Look at a just-released set of infrastructure grades from... Read More
Don't read too much in unemployment numbers
When the July jobs report for North Carolina came out last week, showing an uptick in the unemployment rate, all the usual suspects said all the usual things. Republicans whose main focus is national... Read More
I Have an Unanswered Question
Call me a policy nerd if you like. I don’t mind. ??Part of my job involves commissioning, reading, interpreting, and writing about public policy research. As I began researching my 2012 book on... Read More
Do Not Play This Game
North Carolina politicians face many difficult decisions. Whether to subsidize professional sports with tax dollars isn’t one of them. The answer should be no, not a dollar, not a dime. If you like... Read More
Legislature Gets A- On Growth
When it comes to addressing North Carolina’s most-pressing challenge, our lackluster economy, the state legislature deserves a grade of A- for its 2013 session. Here's how I computed the grade. Last... Read More
What McCrory Is Counting On
When the July jobs report for North Carolina came out last week, showing an uptick in the unemployment rate, all the usual suspects said all the usual things. Republicans whose main focus is national... Read More
When Education and Politics Collide
When educational statistics and state politics collide, the results can be cringe-inducing. A memorable example dates back to March 4, 1999, when the governing board of the National Assessment of... Read More
