Commentary/Opinion
Three Wishes For The Telehealth Genie
By John Hood RALEIGH — According to folklore, extraordinary beings resent being confined within ordinary spaces. In “The Fisherman and the Jinni,” one of the stories Sheherazade tells her misguided…
Keep Recent Economic News in Perspective
By John Hood RALEIGH — Here are three stories about North Carolina’s economy that made headlines last week — each undeniably newsworthy and yet each requiring more information to put…
Swing Voters Aren’t Necessarily Ticket-Splitters
By John Hood RALEIGH — Like it or not, the 2026 election cycle is in full swing. For North Carolina’s March 3 primary, voters are already mailing in absentee ballots…
Reforming SNAP Is A Fiscal Necessity
By John Hood RALEIGH — As several provisions of the reconciliation bill Congress passed last year come into effect, the North Carolina General Assembly may have to appropriate as much…
You Decide: Can The Beat Go On?
By Mike Walden I know I am dating myself, but when I was in high school in the 1960s, one of my favorite songs was “The Beat Goes On” by…
Economic Growth Brings Lifestyle Change
By John Hood RALEIGH — In the second quarter of 2025, the most recent measurement available, North Carolina’s gross domestic product reached $883.6 billion — the highest number ever, even…
Liberty And Generosity Form Virtuous Circle
By John Hood RALEIGH — In places where governments are smaller, taxes are lower, regulations are lighter, and property rights are more secure, people tend to be more generous, trustful,…
Property Tax Merits Reform, Not Repeal
By John Hood RALEIGH — North Carolina House Speaker Destin Hall (R-Caldwell) had created a 23-member select committee to evaluate potential reforms of the state’s property-tax system. That is a…
Do Sternly Worded Letters Win Wars?
By John Hood RALEIGH — It was 250 years ago this week that a displaced governor issued a proclamation intended to restore him to power in North Carolina. Instead, it…
Bookstore Rebirth Teaches A Crucial Lesson
By John Hood RALEIGH — One benefit of getting married on New Year’s Eve is that our anniversary is unlikely to slip my mind. If you doubt my capacity to…
Letter To The Editor: Reality TV And Foreign Policy
In our society, being famous is a goal unto itself. You can become famous, and even be called an influencer, with no particular skill other than self-promotion. I don’t mean…
Opinion: When Think Tanks Lose Their Way
By John Hood RALEIGH — Think tank is a funny term for a serious enterprise. For more than a century — the first one was the Brookings Institution, founded in…
