RALEIGH — North Carolina has one of the best-performing economies in the country. We also have one of the country’s most competitive tax codes. That’s no coincidence. Tax reform had served our state well.
All tagged john hood
John Hood: A Big Tent Still Has Sidewalls
RALEIGH — Having spent most of my career building, financing, and leading conservative institutions — in North Carolina and around the country — I’ve learned many critical lessons, often the hard way. One of them is that if you truly want to persuade and influence, rather than just perform or provoke, you can’t do it alone. You must be willing to cooperate with people who may share only some of your views and goals.
John Hood: North Carolinians Join the First Battle
RALEIGH — It was 250 years ago this week that North Carolinians fought in their first formal battle for American independence. But they didn’t fight it in North Carolina — and they didn’t fight British redcoats.
John Hood: Treasurer Seeks to Reform Health Plan
RALEIGH — Pointing to a projected $1 billion budget hole in North Carolina’s health plan for teachers and other public employees by 2027, State Treasurer Brad Briner and his team are implementing an array of program changes and premium hikes. Their response may not be popular among beneficiaries — but reform is essential if the state is to continue providing health benefits at a reasonable cost.
John Hood: Democratic Wave Crushes GOP Candidates
RALEIGH — The odd-year elections yielded precisely what all the warning signs of 2025 portended: a strong Democratic wave that crushed Republican nominees in the gubernatorial races of New Jersey and Virginia, gave Democrats their largest legislative majorities in decades in both states, delivered left-wing results in various ballot initiatives, and elected a hate monger as attorney general of Virginia and a socialist as mayor of New York.
John Hood: Low Debt Burden Aids North Carolina
RALEIGH — Because I’m a fiscal conservative, you might think I reflexively oppose government borrowing. You’d be mistaken. I believe that public finance and toxicology share a common rule: the dose makes the poison.
John Hood: North Carolina Still Isn’t Very Urban
RALEIGH — According to the latest count by the U.S. Census Bureau, North Carolina has added yet another metropolitan area. Has our state become an urban colossus?
John Hood: Technology Is Reshaping Policy and Politics
RALEIGH — Having spent nearly 40 years analyzing and writing about North Carolina politics and public policy, I often find myself placing today’s challenges and controversies into historical context.
John Hood: Drawing New Districts is a Terrible Idea
RALEIGH — The North Carolina General Assembly is about to redraw the state’s congressional districts for the 2026 elections. It will be the fourth-such map employed this decade — and a terrible idea.
John Hood: Let Parents Choose Their Public Schools
RALEIGH — Having expanded its Opportunity Scholarship program and strengthened its charter-school laws, North Carolina got a solid “B” in the latest American Legislative Exchange Council ranking of educational freedom. About a quarter of our students attend chartered public schools, private schools, or home schools.
John Hood: North Carolina Needs More Savings
RALEIGH — With the federal government running massive deficits, inflation still running ahead of the Federal Reserve’s 2% annual target, the administration’s mercurial trade policies generating significant uncertainty, and both business investment and consumer confidence trending in the wrong direction, now would be a good time for states and localities to reexamine their fiscal risk.
John Hood: Defining Terms Can Shape Political Debate
RALEIGH – Are you an epicurean? The answer to this question reveals something about you, the English language, and the power of propaganda.
John Hood: Popularity Is Precisely What We Want
RALEIGH — What is the most popular state in the continental United States? You guessed it: our own North Carolina.
John Hood: To Combat Radicalism, Teach the Founding
RALEIGH — Recent assassinations and attempts on the lives of politicians, commentators, and other high-profile leaders are horrifying, wreaking havoc on our political discourse. Those who commit, welcome, or excuse such outrageous crimes differ in ideology, but most share a common objective: to provoke a wider war that, they assume, will result in victory for their “side.”
John Hood: Shoddy Statistics Will Produce Bad Policy
RALEIGH — President Donald Trump has removed the head of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and appointed an economist from the Heritage Foundation to replace her. A legal exercise of the president’s powers? Absolutely. But the replacement, E.J. Antoni, must be confirmed by the U.S. Senate. I hope North Carolina’s Thom Tillis and Ted Budd give the matter careful consideration.
John Hood: Yes, We Can Stop the Fire
RALEIGH — I had strong political disagreements with Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, on both style and substance — and I mourn his death, deem it an indefensible crime, and fear its consequences.
John Hood: Leaders Badly Mishandled Charlotte Killing
RALEIGH — Long before the release of a video graphically depicting Iryna Zarutska being stabbed to death on a Charlotte train, state and local leaders should have publicly mourned her death and expressed outrage at so appalling a crime. Now they’re paying the price.
John Hood: Test Scores Show Modest Improvement
RALEIGH — Test scores are up for North Carolina’s public-school students — a welcome development, although the news isn’t all good.
John Hood: Border Control Sets Stage for Reform
RALEIGH — Over the first six months of the Trump administration, the United States has experienced a dramatic decline in illegal border crossings. In June, reported the Department of Homeland Security, there were just 25,243 apprehensions or expulsions — the lowest such number in reported history.
John Hood: Tales of Adventure Engage Young Readers
RALEIGH — I am not much of a weeper. But a recent survey of American schoolchildren is testing my stoic disposition. Only 36% of 13-year-olds say they read for fun at least once a week. Back in 1984, the year I graduated high school, 70% did so.