Kim Mackey, a Wake County social-studies teacher, put together a website called N.C. Teacher Tax, which calculates how much money teachers lose to inflation compared to the pay they “signed up for” when they started.
All in Opinion
John Hood: Blue Cross bill makes good sense
How often do the majority and minority leaders of any legislative chamber in America agree on a significant policy change? You can probably count those occasions on your fingers without putting down your coffee cup.
OPINION: Cooper’s tax hikes hide beneath the surface
Roy Cooper’s latest budget proposal wouldn’t raise tax rates. But his plan still calls for tax hikes.
John Hood: Patriotism Requires a Common Story
Is a picture really worth a thousand words? In very online debates among very online people, the exchange rate is even more skewed. Case in point: a recent Wall Street Journal illustration generated tens of thousands of words of argument, invective, and speculation.
OPINION: Charter school students deserve equal funding
In the coming weeks, state lawmakers will consider a fundamental issue of fairness in public education: Should some students be educated with less taxpayer funding than others simply because their parents chose a different type of public school?
OPINION: It's time HOAs had some oversight
In a nationwide survey of Yelp reviews on homeowners associations, Raleigh tied for the city with the lowest ratings. Yelp's lowest rating is 1 star out of 5, and Raleigh's HOAs averaged 1.00 stars.
OPINION: Judge exposes activist group’s dubious legal tactic
The activist group Emancipate NC can continue to work with Raleigh residents fighting police in federal court over a 2020 raid. But the group cannot continue to take part in the case as a plaintiff.
OPINION: Book bans are dangerous. Curating age-appropriate school material is not
Book bans have been a real problem in history, typically by totalitarian governments — whether Marxist, fascist, theocratic, or otherwise. But parents who don’t want their young children given explicit tutorials on how to practice the latest sexual fads are not Robespierres in training.
John Hood: Let workers be more independent
Are you an employee or a contractor? This isn’t simply a matter of what you call yourself, or how you think about your relationship to those who pay you to perform services. Because formal employment is the subject of so many local, state, and federal rules, its definition is spelled out in law — and penalties for violating it can be severe.
OPINION: Medicaid expansion would hurt, not help North Carolinians
Medicaid expansion has been a topic of lively and lengthy debate in the North Carolina General Assembly for the better part of a decade. As a representative of the people, I have thoroughly reviewed the presented data, listened to the feedback provided by my constituents and concerned citizens in neighboring counties, and have come to the conclusion that ObamaCare Medicaid expansion is a bad deal for North Carolina.
John Hood: States Should Lead on Parental Rights
A few weeks ago, three members of the North Carolina Senate — Amy Scott Galey of Alamance County, Lisa Barnes of Nash County, and Michael Lee of New Hanover County — filed a state Parents’ Bill of Rights to ensure that local schools respect parental authority to direct the education, development, and medical treatment of their children.
OPINION: Average teacher pay critics need remedial math instruction
A recent headline in a major N.C. newspaper declared “Average N.C. teacher pay is nearly $58,000, state says. But educators argue many earn less.”
OPINION: Gov Cooper should end duplicative and historically racist gun policies
One of the most discriminatory laws on North Carolina’s books is the pistol purchase permit system, which was first implemented in 1919.
OPINION: Outrageous story of the week: Government again mandates we pretend it’s an hour in the future
Every year I have hope that whatever sane adults exist in positions of power will come together to ensure we never again have to deal with government-mandated clock shifting. But every year the disappointing “spring forward” arrives, as it did this week.
OPINION: Are college degrees losing their luster?
in North Carolina and across the country are struggling to find qualified workers to fill key positions in their organizations. As they reconsider the minimum qualifications they are willing to accept, those screening candidates are increasingly setting aside the requirement of a four-year degree.
John Hood: Labor Participation Is Falling Again
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics just released its latest jobs report for North Carolina and the rest of the country. As usual, the report contained a mixture of good news and bad.
John Hood: Partisan Elections Are the Best Kind
When I returned home to North Carolina from the nation’s capital in 1989 and subsequently registered to vote, I opted not to join a political party.
OPINION: Let’s build more housing
The American dream of owning a home is falling out of reach for many in our state. Home prices continue to rise in North Carolina as we lag pre-recession levels of new construction.
Thomas Mills: Republicans in North Carolina haven't built anything
Republicans claiming that they’ve made North Carolina an economic powerhouse reminds me of the saying “Some people were born on third base, but think they hit a triple.”
John Hood: Don’t Let Roads Become Racetracks
During the early stage of the COVID crisis in 2020, my daily commute got super easy. Then it got scary hard.