Commentary/Opinion
Opinion: Suburban Surge Drove GOP Success
By John Hood RALEIGH — North Carolina has long been a political battleground — but the shape of that battlefield has changed significantly over time. Fifteen years ago, for example,…
Opinion: Few Institutions Inspire Public Trust
By John Hood RALEIGH — The three most-trusted social institutions in North Carolina are the military, the police, and small business. Make of that what you will. I made the…
Opinion: Sweat The Details On Teacher Pay
By John Hood RALEIGH — The General Assembly ought to enact big pay increases for educators in North Carolina’s public schools. In the context of soaring prices, strong revenue collections,…
You Decide: What Makes North Carolina Popular?
By Mike Walden Almost every week we see another positive comment or ranking about the North Carolina economy. For example, recently North Carolina surpassed 5 million people in the labor…
Opinion: Inflation Is Not Just An ‘NC Teacher Tax.’ It’s An Everybody Tax.
By David Larson Opinion Editor, Carolina Journal 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…
Opinion: Blue Cross Bill Makes Good Sense
By John Hood RALEIGH — 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…
Opinion: Cooper’s Tax Hikes Hide Beneath The Surface
By Mitch Kokai Carolina Journal Roy Cooper’s latest budget proposal wouldn’t raise tax rates. But his plan still calls for tax hikes. Reconciling those two apparently contradictory statements requires a brief review…
Opinion: Patriotism Requires A Common Story
By John Hood RALEIGH — 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…
Opinion: Charter School Students Deserve Equal Funding
By Lindalyn Kakadelis Executive Director of the North Carolina Coalition for Charter Schools In the coming weeks, state lawmakers will consider a fundamental issue of fairness in public education: Should…
Opinion: It’s Time HOAs Had Some Oversight
By David Larson Opinion Editor, Carolina Journal 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…
Opinion: Democrats Face Headwinds On Top Issues
By John Hood RALEIGH — North Carolina remains a political background. Although Republicans have won most recent statewide contests and retained majorities in legislative seats and county commissions, they usually…
Opinion: We’re Sliding Towards Single Payer
By John Hood RALEIGH — North Carolina is about to become the 40th state to expand its Medicaid program under the Affordable Care Act. The bill drew huge, bipartisan majorities…
