North Carolina General Assembly voted this week to clear the Opportunity Scholarship Program waitlist. This will give over 50,000 more students in the state vouchers to attend the private school of their choice.
All in Opinion
John Hood - Let a Thousand Billboards Bloom
RALEIGH — Put me down as entirely unsurprised that media companies are adding commercials back into their streaming services as a means of making them profitable. Advertising has never been as unpopular as its critics imagine — a truth that North Carolina policymakers should embrace as they try to finance new infrastructure without irritating taxpayers.
John Hood: Debates will inform state voters
RALEIGH — Brace yourself. The arrival of Labor Day traditionally begins the homestretch of electoral campaigns. You may well join millions of fellow voters in utter exhaustion with the politics of 2024. But I promise you the candidates and their surrogates are raring to run this final leg of the race.
OPINION Recession: Not if, but when
In reaction to an array of economic indicators pointing toward an upcoming recession, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell stated during an August press conference that the Federal Reserve would be shifting its focus from quelling inflation to promoting employment. This change in language signals a transition toward interest-rate cuts soon.
John Hood: Campus peace for everyone
Now that fall term has begun for most colleges and universities, we’re about to witness one of the most predictable phenomena in modern American politics: for every raucous or violent campus protest that gets significant media attention, Democratic candidates will lose voters.
Op Ed: Opportunity Scholarship A Critique of the Second “Duke Attack”
Jane Wettach of Duke Law School’s Children’s Law Clinic was on the attack again. "School Vouchers in North Carolina – The First Three Years” was authored by Professor Jane R. Wettach of the Children's Law Clinic, Duke Law School in March, 2017. In May 2020 she released another broadside.
OPINION: War on 3rd parties could come back to haunt Dems in November
For years, the Carolina Journal has been following Democratic Party efforts to keep third parties off the ballot. The Democrat strategy makes some sense practically, since the fewer left-of-center options there are, the more Democrats can dominate that voter pool. But it was always a strategy with some risks.
John Hood: Downtowns Change, Like It or Not
Four years ago, communities in North Carolina and beyond were reeling from the COVID-induced Great Suppression. After spiking into double digits in April 2020, the state’s headline jobless rate was still a painful 7.3% by August, with some 376,000 fewer North Carolinians employed than on the eve of the pandemic.
John Hood: First congress met in North Carolina
RALEIGH — Before the United States had a Congress, North Carolina had a Congress — and this week marks its 250th birthday.
State Sen. Mike Woodard: Investing in Innovation for North Carolina’s Future
North Carolina is home to numerous healthcare companies and research institutions. The state’s biopharmaceutical industry generates about $80.2 billion worth of economic output and supports over a quarter million jobs, making its continued success critical to our state as well the larger national economy.
John Hood: Taxpayers deserve better than this
RALEIGH — In 2021, the North Carolina General Assembly enacted a budget that funded core state responsibilities, instigated critical repairs and renovations of government facilities, built up savings reserves, and slashed tax rates on personal and corporate income.
John Hood: North Carolina doesn't overcharge drivers
RALEIGH — Our state levies a motor-fuels tax of 40.65 cents per gallon. This is one of the highest rates in the nation — but don’t jump to conclusions. North Carolina doesn’t spend more on highways than the average state. And motorists aren’t being overcharged.
John Hood: Push for Liberty Began in Rowan
RALEIGH — If you look at North Carolina’s state flag, you’ll see two dates: May 20, 1775 and April 12, 1776. Each signifies a moment when North Carolinians played a key role in the emerging American Revolution. Each strengthens the claim that our state was, in this context, “First in Freedom.”
John Hood: Don’t Overlook Down-Ballot Races
RALEIGH — I have no idea who will be elected president this November. Respectfully, neither do you.
John Hood: Suppress freedom at your peril
During each election cycle, we are treated to an endless parade of politicians extolling freedom. Given how many of them subsequently vote to restrict our freedom in myriad ways, we have ample reason to be skeptical about politicians.
John Hood: Shot clocks for permits make sense
North Carolina plays a starring role in the origin story of college basketball’s shot clock.
Governor Cooper Statement on President Joe Biden's Decision Not to Seek Re-election
Governor Roy Cooper issued the following statement on President Joe Biden's decision not to seek re-election:
Murphy Statement on President Biden No Longer Seeking Presidency
Congressman Greg Murphy, M.D. issued the following statement in response to President Biden's decision to no longer seek the Presidency:
Congresswoman Ross Statement on President Biden
Raleigh, N.C. — Today, Congresswoman Deborah Ross released the following statement on President Biden’s decision to withdraw from the 2024 Presidential Election:
NC Speaker Tim Moore Reacts to NCSBE Decision Denying Third Party Ballot Access
Raleigh, NC – The North Carolina State Board of Elections voted to deny ballot access for Cornel West and the Justice For All Party.