Speaking of the American Spectator, the latest column in that venue from Carolina Journal Associate Editor David Bass focused on an issue of interest to many Tea Party protesters: the danger of surrendering freedom to the government. Sticking with the theme of a growing government, The Jefferson Post recently republished a Bass column on North Carolina’s expanding budget. That expanding budget is prompting some N.C. lawmakers to look for new revenue sources. The News & Observer featured an op-ed piece this week from Roy Cordato warning lawmakers against trying to disguise tax hikes by using the words “tax reform.” In other tax-related news, a recent High Point Enterprise article cited the John Locke Foundation in discussing statistics related to Tax Freedom Day. The Center for Local Innovation’s annual By The Numbers report also continues to attract media scrutiny. The High Point Enterprise and Yancey Common Times Journal recently published articles using BTN data, and a column in the Robesonian from the chairman of the Robeson County Republican Party cited both the report and author Michael Lowrey, JLF Economic Policy Analyst. (My conservative friends over at the John Locke Foundation produced the report cited by our manager. I contacted the author, Mike Lowrey, after the manager’s report and Lowrey would be pleased if I clarify his data.)