Congratulations, you owe $42 billion
State Treasurer Dale Folwell isn’t known to mince words and in a recent NC SPIN interview he reported North Carolina has made promises to present and retired state employees we are presently unable... Read More
My Spin by Tom Campbell
Escaping from the HB2 box
The recurring HB2 nightmare will celebrate a birthday next month with no end in sight. Both sides of the political spectrum find themselves in a box, albeit a cardboard box they are treating as if it... Read More
We are failing too many children and paying a steep price for it
North Carolina is failing far too many children, especially those “at-risk.” Few dispute that conclusion but fewer still agree on solutions to the problem. The Emerging Issues Forum has never... Read More
I'm not embarrassed and won't keep my mouth shut
Trusted Trump advisor Steve Bannon fired the latest salvo in the war against the news media, calling them the “opposition party,” suggesting the media should be “embarrassed and humiliated and... Read More
If you see something, say something
When the phone rings at 3 a.m. it’s a safe bet it’s not good news, especially when a police officer is on the other end of the call. The call came to a Salvation Army social worker and the officer... Read More
North Carolina on "Pause"
The year has just begun, yet it feels as if someone pushed a big “pause” button within state government. Governor Cooper has been put on hold in having his cabinet secretaries take office, due to... Read More
Two different narratives of the same events
We have just witnessed one of the most divisive election campaigns in history, one that saw partisans on all sides spinning narratives to best benefit their candidates and positions. It is both... Read More
The McCrory Legacy
To assess Pat McCrory’s four years as governor we must begin in 2012. McCrory was a popular, moderate Charlotte Mayor, leading the Queen City during a time of explosive growth. Tens of thousands of... Read More
The unsettling year 2016
The best word to describe the year 2016 is unsettling. We barely had time to break our New Year’s resolutions before the year crashed down on us. We knew it was going to be unusual when the General... Read More
Picking up the pieces
Once again North Carolina made national news and once again it wasn’t favorable. For a while it appeared our state was ready to rid itself of all the negative publicity, economic loss and rancor... Read More
