Issues
Turning Back the Hands of the Clock
Once upon a time North Carolina was considered the most anti-union state in the country; back then, nobody ever heard of a Democrat like Jim Hunt or Bob Scott supporting legislation to create more unions – but that’s exactly what Senator Kay Hagan is doing. So, what changed? It’s simple: Today Democratic voters see corporations…
Read MoreThe Great Tax Debate Resumes
It’s time to round up the usual suspects. Because Washington is headed into the same old battle over raising taxes. But this time the stakes are bigger, the faces are different and the outcome may be surprising. Since Ronald Reagan, the Republican formula has been a simple one. As Mary Matalin put it on MSNBC…
Read MoreEconomic Advice from the Russians
Here is, perhaps, the ultimate irony: Former KGB head and Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin is warning the United States against socialism. Quote: The U.S. should take a lesson from Russian history and not put its faith in “excessive intervention in economic activity and blind faith in the state’s omnipotence because socialism doesn’t work.” “In…
Read MoreWhat’s Happening in the Legislature?
Yesterday, reading a report in the paper about all the bills introduced I got the impression the state legislature is a hotbed of activity – so last night at dinner with a state representative I said, It looks like you all have been pretty busy. He frowned, I don’t know where you got that idea…
Read MoreWashington’s Going to Head the Economy?
Most everybody in America has figured out by now the Masters of the Universe on Wall Street are fallible, but no matter how much cupidity there is in board rooms and executive washrooms it’s beginning to look like Congress is still king of the hill when it comes to waywardness. The other day a conference…
Read MoreObama’s Lincoln Problem
I wonder if Abraham Lincolnâs shoes are big enough to fit both his feet and Barack Obamaâs? Before the ink dried after the election, Obama said, like Lincoln, he was going to appoint a âTeam of Rivalsâ to his cabinet. He rode to his inaugural following the same route as Lincoln. Took the oath with…
Read MoreBambi in the White House?
Several times during the presidential campaign, opponents and commentators dismissed Barack Obama as “Obambi.” John Edwards privately told friends he thought Obama was weak. The Clintons believed he was too soft. So did John McCain. At every turn, Bambi turned out to have sharp teeth. His path is littered with his opponents’ bones. But now…
Read MoreThe Governor’s Next Press Conference
The governor’s been doing a lot of talking lately about cleaning up the probation mess and Senator Phil Berger’s just announced he’s taking her at her word and introducing a bill to help. First, Senator Berger wants the legislature to pass a law to make it legal for all “probation and law enforcement officers…
Read MoreResegregating Raleigh’s Schools?
It’s always seemed there might be a little bit of hoax about the Wake County School Board’s ‘diversity’ policy – that the policy was really about race and not academics (as the board has argued for years). The board has made its case like this: It says it buses students based on their family incomes…
Read MoreA Strange Cure
Most times, to me a Jamaican voodoo doctor rattling chicken bones makes as much sense as an economist, and I’d say there is a greater probability the voodoo doctor’s predictions will come true. The fact is I simply do not understand economics. It’s as much a mystery as astrology. Or tarot cards. Or a scientist…
Read More