RALEIGH — Gov. Beverly Perdue’s state budget plan offers a good start for lawmakers looking to trim North Carolina’s overgrown government obligations. But the John Locke Foundation’s chief budget expert says Perdue’s plan also relies on tricks to kick critical decisions down the road. The governor does not seem to recognize government’s proper role in...
Click here to view and here to listen to Dr. Roy Cordato discussing this Spotlight report. RALEIGH — The General Assembly’s new Republican majority should scrap state renewable energy mandates, reject recommendations from a state global warming group, and realign its positions on environmental policies. A new John Locke Foundation Spotlight report offers that advice....
Click here to view and here to listen to Dr. Terry Stoops discussing this Spotlight report. RALEIGH — North Carolina needs a thorough review of the number and types of courses offered in its public schools, especially during tight budget times. The John Locke Foundation’s top education expert reaches that conclusion in a new Spotlight...
Click here to view and here to listen to Jon Sanders discussing this Spotlight report. RALEIGH — North Carolina’s government-run lottery gets most of its money from the state’s poorest counties, while failing to provide a promised boost in funding for education. A close look at the numbers leads to a simple conclusion in a...
Click here to view and here to listen to Daren Bakst discussing this Spotlight report. RALEIGH — Legislators should provide real property-rights protections as they pursue a constitutional amendment targeting eminent domain abuse. The John Locke Foundation’s top legal expert offers that advice in a new Spotlight report. “There will be only bite at the...
Click here to view and here to listen to Joseph Coletti discussing this press release. RALEIGH — North Carolina state government faces a “precarious financial position” because it doesn’t have $43.4 billion available to pay state obligations as they come due. That’s the assessment the Chicago-based Institute for Truth in Accounting reaches in a new...
Click here to view and here to listen to Joseph Coletti discussing North Carolina’s latest unemployment data. RALEIGH — North Carolina’s ongoing struggle with sluggish employment growth provides more evidence that it’s time for the state to change course on economic policy. That’s the advice the John Locke Foundation’s top budget expert offers after North...
Click here to view and here to listen to Dr. Roy Cordato discussing this Spotlight report. RALEIGH — North Carolina has recorded in 2010 its second-lowest number of high-ozone days in the past decade. A John Locke Foundation expert highlights that finding in a new Spotlight report. The numbers look good, even though the federal...
Click here to view and here to listen to Dr. Roy Cordato discussing North Carolina’s latest unemployment data. RALEIGH — North Carolina’s lingering employment woes provide plenty of evidence that the state cannot afford to extend job-killing temporary taxes. That’s the assessment of a John Locke Foundation expert. “North Carolina’s official unemployment rate has topped...
Click here to view and here to listen to John Hood discussing this press release. RALEIGH — Nearly 60 percent of North Carolina voters cast ballots to give Republicans control of the General Assembly for the first time in more than a century. John Locke Foundation President John Hood says that’s just one sign of...
Click here to view and here to listen to Dr. Roy Cordato discussing this Spotlight report. RALEIGH — Government efforts to employ “demand-side management” in North Carolina energy, transportation, land-use, and water policies are inconsistent with the principles of a free society. That’s the conclusion the John Locke Foundation’s top economist reaches in a new...
Click here to view and here to listen to Daren Bakst discussing this Spotlight report. RALEIGH — Gov. Beverly Perdue has taken a step in the right direction on regulatory reform for North Carolina. That’s the initial reaction from the John Locke Foundation’s top regulatory expert, who pushes even stronger reform measures in a new...