Notes from the NC Chamber Conference

I attended the NC Chamber’s 2012 Government Affairs Conference yesterday.  Here are five things I learned:

1. North Carolina has more regulations than any other state in the Southeast.
2. We’ve lost 300,000 jobs since 2008.
3. We have the highest unemployment rate in decades and  the 4^th highest in the nation.
4. At $2.9 Billion owed, we have the 4^th largest unemployment insurance debt in the country.
5. Walter Dalton, Joe Hackney and Martin Nesbitt want to restore education funding and polices from the past and Dalton wants more corporate welfare to create jobs.  Pat McCrory, Thom Tillis and Phil Berger want to reform education with more accountability and choice, continue regulatory reform until it’s fair and lean, explore new energy sources and reform our tax system.  All want to work with the business community.