Daily Archives: November 16, 2011

North Carolina counties would incur an estimated $5 million to $7 million in additional expenses if the state’s primary is delayed in 2012 due to redistricting lawsuits, according to the State Board of Elections. The following scenario could play out: North Carolina voters go to the polls in May, as usual, to vote in theContinue Reading

This morning the social media sites starting lighting up about a campus lockdown at East Carolina because a guy was spotted walking around with a shotgun. Students and families were worried. Prayers were requested and sent. Tensions were high. Police were mobilized. Then they found the guy. And his umbrella. WWAY-TV (with emphasis added): AuthoritiesContinue Reading

Rick, It’s good to clarify that the 1,629 figure represents real people, not unfilled jobs. Since the 1,629 figure is actually 1,629.06 full-time equivalent positions, the number of real people affected is likely somewhat higher. But it is safe to say that as of Nov. 1, the number of full-time state-funded employees paid severance and/orContinue Reading

As my colleague Mitch Kokai wrote, the North Carolina Court of Appeals just held that the state’s Felony Firearms Act was unconstitutional as applied to an ex-felon (Baysden).  The law places severe restrictions on the right to bear arms for ex-felons. I wrote about the Felony Firearms Act and a North Carolina Supreme Court caseContinue Reading

(Aside: This atrocious legislation has more “glitches” than a Don Martin character at a dog show.) From Jonathan H. Adler and Michael F. Cannon in The Wall Street Journal: Even if ObamaCare survives Supreme Court scrutiny next spring, its trials will be far from over. That’s because the law has a major glitch that threatensContinue Reading

[For clarity, I have altered the closing paragraph.] Remember that number. It’s the full-time equivalent employees funded with state money who received some sort of severance as a result of budget cuts from the current session of the General Assembly. The news was delivered by David Brown of the Office of State Budget and ManagementContinue Reading

Yesterday’s Wall Street Journal included a letter lamenting the fact that the term “liberal” now means almost the precise opposite of its original meaning. In the following letter, Don Boudreaux elaborates on the writer’s point. Editor, The Wall Street Journal 1211 6th Ave. New York, NY 10036 Dear Editor: Ivan Hills says that “There isContinue Reading

In today’s Pope Center Clarion Call, Jenna Ashley Robinson writes about the distressing fact that roughly half of the students who enroll in college are not regarded as “college ready.” Nevertheless, colleges admit them because they want paying customers. The fact that many students are not capable of handling college-level material is papered over byContinue Reading