State revenue numbers show a windfall.  And with the “temporary
tax hike” still in effect, don’t count on any tax relief by state
legislators, says JLF fiscal policy analyst, Joe Coletti in his recent Spotlight.
While it may be no surprise to find that government continues to grow
thanks to your tax dollars, you may be shocked to find, as JLF‘s legal and regulatory policy analyst, Daren Bakst did,
that North Carolina’s Urban Redevelopment Law is so vague it allows the
state to seize private property with just the thinnest of
excuses.  This finding follows Daren’s report on the state’s weak
position on private property protection, which made headway in Wake Weekly, Bladen Journal, the Topsail Voice, and the Watauga Democrat. 
Speaking of revenues and property, the new education lottery, set to
begin as early as the end of March, needs to use the former more wisely
for investment in the latter, says JLF education analyst, Terry Stoops. 
Instead of earmarking revenues for the class-size reduction (an issue
Stoops discussed on “At Issue” and the Matt Mittan show in Asheville)
and pre-kindergarten programs, programs that have failed to increase
academic performance, the state should put that money towards school
construction.