Commentary/Opinion
National Police Week: Supporting Law Enforcement
National Police Week is May 11 – 17, 2025 By: A.Z Williams As someone who has been in public safety for 35 years, I appreciate the acknowledgement and homage paid…
You Decide: Who Controls The Federal Reserve?
By Mike Walden One of my favorite topics, both when I was teaching at NC State University and now as I continue to speak to various groups, is the Federal…
Letter To Editor: Life Jackets Save Lives, But Only If They Are Worn
A close call on Holt’s Lake in Johnston County is a reminder of how important it is to wear a life jacket. Two people jumped into the water to rescue…
You Decide: Can We ‘Have It All?’
By Mike Walden After earlier jobs in the private sector (furniture) and the government sector (local and federal), I found my ultimate career in teaching. As I look back, I…
You Decide: Why Are Recession Fears Back?
By Mike Walden There’s a word most economists — indeed, most people — don’t want to hear, and it begins with an “r.” I’ll give you a 5-second countdown to…
You Decide: Can We Make Sense And Cents About The Debt?
By Mike Walden The national debt has been an issue in the U.S. for decades. But concern about the debt has peaked for two reasons. The first is the debt’s…
You Decide: What Can Egg Prices Teach Us About The Economy?
By Mike Walden My wife is an excellent cook, perhaps because she came from a family of cooks. Her paternal grandparents ran a restaurant, and her maternal grandparents were bakers.…
Opinion: Federal Funds Bring Federal Strings
By John Hood RALEIGH — President Donald Trump’s executive orders on education have some North Carolinians crying foul. When the University of North Carolina system moved to comply with Trump’s…
You Decide: What Will Be The Next North Carolina Economy?
By Mike Walden North Carolina has gone through two major economic overhauls in the last 150 years. The first was the shift from a largely agrarian economy to an economy…
You Decide: What Is The Status Of North Carolina Manufacturing?
By Mike Walden Manufacturing has a special place in our economy and is something people can easily relate to. The output of manufacturing companies, spanning a variety of items from…
You Decide: What Does It Take To ‘Get Ahead’?
By Mike Walden The older I get — I’m 74 in a few days — the more I seem to think about my past, especially my parents. Both were high…
You Decide: What Are The Impacts Of Tariffs?
By Mike Walden I was introduced to the concept of tariffs over half a century ago when I took my first undergraduate economics class. While I remembered the definition for…
