Here in North Carolina, most of us agree that everyone should have the freedom and opportunity to work hard, earn a living, provide for their families and contribute to communities. Politics aside, we share those values as Americans.
All tagged op-ed
Op-Ed for publication from Governor Cooper: The Road to a Brighter Future Runs Through North Carolina
North Carolina is emerging from a worldwide pandemic strong and growing, with new jobs and new neighbors arriving daily. We welcome this growth, but in order for our communities to thrive, our infrastructure must catch up and keep up. In recent weeks, Vice President Kamala Harris, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff visited North Carolina with a plan to help transform our state and nation’s infrastructure.
BJ Murphy: Killing the American Dream One Stimulus Check at a Time
Whatever happened to tax credits and tax deductions? How many more payments will people expect in the future before we declare the pandemic over? The utter reliance and potential household budgeting for future stimulus payments disincentivizes Americans from using their skills and creativity to find a way to meet their obligations. The unintended consequence of stimulus payments may very well be a methodical way of killing the American dream by taking away all incentives of hard work and individualism.
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.
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.