I have strong opinions — but not about how to perform brain surgery, write a smart-phone app, design a golf course, or produce a hip-hop album. Perhaps you do have a strong view about one of these, but almost certainly not about all four.
All in Opinion
North Carolina among worst in the nation for COVID vaccine distribution
Nearly a month after COVID-19 vaccines made it to North Carolina, the state has administered only a quarter of the doses it has on hand — one of the slowest roll-outs in the country.
State lawmakers gear up for busy 2021-22 session with COVID-19 in focus
COVID-19 and the ongoing fallout from the pandemic will likely dominate the 2021-22 session of the General Assembly. On tap for lawmakers is crafting a new budget for the biennium plus drawing new legislative and congressional maps for the next decade based on fresh census data.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, our schools have gone in a variety of directions. Some public-school districts that shut down last spring have never reopened for in-person learning to any significant degree. Others have welcomed at least their younger students back to school, as have most charter and private schools.
Led into the building and encouraged by a cadre of alt-right provocateurs, the mob also produced priceless propaganda for the enemies of our country. “The celebration of democracy is over,” one Russian official wrote. “America no longer forges that path, and consequently has lost its right to define it. Much less force it on others.” A state-run Chinese newspaper headlined its coverage this way: “An iconic humiliation! The madness of the Capitol has dragged the U.S.’s standing into its Waterloo!”.
Reversing learning losses from remote classes a legislative priority
It might be a new year, but remote learning isn’t over. As the legislature enters a new session, students are leaving the classroom. Learning is back online in many of the state’s major districts. Learning loss is reaching historic highs, and lawmakers want to make sure students aren’t left behind.
With Democrats in charge of the White House, and U.S. House, and (possibly as of this writing) the U.S. Senate, you can expect a push by left-wing activists and politicians to repeal some federal tax cuts enacted by the previously Republican Congress and signed by President Trump.
After getting many political predictions wrong in 2016, including but not limited to the results of the presidential election, I threw my long-cherished crystal ball out and started building a new one.
John Hood: Lower Taxes Attract Key Leaders
When Democrats attack pro-growth tax reform as “trickle-down economics,” I can understand their rhetorical intent. But the charge is silly on multiple levels — including the fact that every Democrat who ever serves in state or local office spends great time and effort to try to recruit business executives, entrepreneurs, investors, and high-value professionals to their communities.
May I tell you a bit about the pioneering Campbells of eastern North Carolina? The patriarch of the family, minister James Archibald Campbell, founded a school in Buies Creek in 1887 that we now know as Campbell University. In the early days, privation and bad luck sometimes forced “Jim Arch” to keep institution alive through sheer force of will.
Among the pagan-inspired customs of the Christmas season, there has come to be the ritualistic burning of the straw man. Specifically, I refer to the traditional seasonal column by a sly journalist or political analyst asserting that the exchange of Christmas gifts is a major lose-lose for the economy.
John Hood: How Civilization’s Tale Was Spun
Not all heroes wield blades. And many problems cannot be solved simply by hacking away at them. Their causes are complex and interconnected. They twist and turn. They are fabrics that must be unraveled, patiently and prudently, to be understood. Often, solutions come from following seemingly small threads in unexpected directions, and weaving them into something new.
Algenon Cash: COVID-19 may wipe out 75% of North Carolina’s 20,000 restaurants
Small independently owned restaurants are facing an extinction-level event as we move deeper into colder months and the coronavirus spread reaches all-time highs. Without immediate financial aid, over 75% of the state’s 19,504 eating and drinking locations are in danger of closing permanently.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic began in March, 17% of restaurants throughout the country (or about 110,000 establishments) have closed either permanently or long-term and 10,000 restaurants have closed over the last three months alone. As for the 10,000 restaurants that have closed over the past three months, the majority had been well-established in the industry for years, and on average, had been in business for 16 years.
As of November, North Carolina’s state government has some $4 billion in unreserved cash in its General Fund, plus well north of $1 billion in its rainy-day account and other reserves.
Independent pharmacies welcome SCOTUS ruling on benefit managers
The U.S. Supreme Court gave states the power to regulate the companies that negotiate between insurers and pharmacies, otherwise known as pharmacy benefit managers — the jargon for middlemen. The court unanimously ruled in favor of Arkansas’ regulatory reforms Thursday, Dec. 10.
Sen Jim Perry: Gov. Cooper rips broadband money away from rural NC
On Sept. 3, a bipartisan supermajority in the North Carolina General Assembly appropriated $30 million for rural broadband to help rural areas impacted by the pandemic. The next day, Gov. Roy Cooper issued a press release, taking credit for our work, with the following statement: “This budget followed my recommendations on school enrollment funding and invested in important areas like high-speed internet access…” Seventy-five days after the legislation passed, and 74 days after Gov. Cooper touted the investment, his administration quietly ripped this money and broadband from the hands of rural North Carolinians.
Despite the current spike in COVID-19 infections and deaths, there is good news on the not-so-distant horizon. Three effective vaccines are in the pipeline. Some North Carolinians — those battling coronavirus on the frontlines as well as those put at greatest risk by infection — will being vaccinated in the coming weeks.
Clean energy is not a partisan issue in North Carolina. Year after year, our businesses and markets demand higher levels of electricity derived from renewables. Clearly, Our investments in the sector spell out a history of success and numerous payouts — from job growth to spin-off businesses and local tax revenue.
Julie Havlak: Lawmakers slam state officials for lockdowns that left students behind
RALEIGH — More students face repeating a grade than any time in the past century, says David Stegall, deputy superintendent of innovation at the N.C. Department of Public Instruction.
Remote learning is failing North Carolina’s students. Roughly 19% of students aren’t attending classes regularly. State officials predict fewer students would graduate or advance to the next grade.
John Hood: Voters Say No to Discrimination
RALEIGH — In its daily newsletter called “The Morning,” the New York Times had this to say about California voters defeating a proposition that would have reinstated racial preferences in state hiring, contracting, and university admissions:
“Polls that ask broadly about affirmative-action programs for racial minorities find most Americans to be in favor of them. Polls that specifically ask whether employers and colleges should take race into account when making decisions find that most Americans say no. These two patterns are contradictory.”