One thing about the administrative state in North Carolina is that it carries on regardless of the party in power. Here’s a graph of the annual page counts in the…
WTVD reports on a market innovation filling an obvious need during a natural emergency: where can thousands of temporarily displaced families find places to stay? You can’t just build…
The budget standoff in North Carolina is generating national attention, which focuses on the debate over Medicaid expansion. But there’s another policy standoff in Raleigh, and it’s interesting not just…
A bill now before the state Senate, House Bill 590, would make a simple but sensible adjustment to an already good regulatory policy. The Regulatory Reform Act of…
What is the difference between hemp and marijuana? One difference is the presence of an addictive, psychoactive chemical compound. Unlike marijuana, hemp doesn’t contain delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the compound…
An occupational license is a special kind of government regulation known as an entry regulation. The state forbids a would-be worker from entering his chosen field of work until he…
Ever since the end of Prohibition over eight decades ago, North Carolina has been a “control” state for liquor. In North Carolina, government controls the pricing, warehousing, wholesale, and retail…
Since the end of Prohibition eight decades ago, North Carolina’s wineries and breweries have been making a return. As state laws have relaxed over time, those industries have started to…
Sometimes, when trying to explain how a political issue is a thorny mess, I’ve used the phrase “public-choice problem.” Recent examples include such issues as occupational licensing, film…
Republicans made many changes when they came into the majority of the General Assembly, but one of their most important is one of the least known. That is their dedication…
