Daily Archives: January 4, 2012

JLF expert recommends steps for repaying N.C.’s $2.6 billion unemployment insurance debt

Written on January 4, 2012 at 4:09 pm, by

As state lawmakers grilled the head of the N.C. Division of Employment Security today on steps the state plans to take to repay $2.6 billion to the feds for unemployment insurance benefits, JLF’s Fergus Hodgson prepared to release a new report on the topic. Learn more about Hodgson’s report here and in the video clipContinue Reading

Personal plug: Stateless Man radio show begins tonight!

Written on January 4, 2012 at 12:18 pm, by

Perhaps you’ve noticed the pretty banners in my latest articles, promoting the Overseas Radio Network, but tonight is the night! This evening I have my debut broadcast as host of the Stateless Man show, Wednesday 6 to 8pm EST. To register with ORN and listen in online, please click here or on the banner below,Continue Reading

Michele Bachmann bye-ku

Written on January 4, 2012 at 10:30 am, by

Tea Party queen falls While the GOP seeks the Last statist standing. Previous: Cain, Pawlenty

In case you missed it …

Written on January 4, 2012 at 9:36 am, by

News 14 Carolina asked for the John Locke Foundation’s assessment of the potential impact of redistricting on legislative turnover after the 2012 elections. If the legal challenges to North Carolina’s redistricting maps proceed, the picture could change again. It’s a good time to revisit some summer commentary on the state’s redistricting process, along with proposalsContinue Reading

Wake school board: Lessons not learned

Written on January 4, 2012 at 9:17 am, by

According to an article in the News & Observer, the newly elected Democrats on the Wake County school board “pushed for substantive changes in the system’s new assignment plan.”  I have to admit that I did not expect this to happen.  It is a case of giving the Democrats too much credit. I thought thatContinue Reading

Cato’s Tanner pours water on Santorum’s parade

Written on January 4, 2012 at 9:02 am, by

The latest National Review Online column from Michael Tanner of the Cato Institute examines former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum’s record. “[I]t is a record that should give supporters of limited government pause.” There is no doubt that Santorum is deeply conservative on social issues. He is ardently anti-abortion, even in cases of rape and incest,Continue Reading

Adding an arrrrggghhhh to your economics lesson

Written on January 4, 2012 at 8:57 am, by

Study any economics, and you’re bound to learn about the “invisible hand.” But what about the “invisible hook”? That’s the title George Mason University economist Peter Leeson assigned to his book about the economics of pirates. He discussed the issue during the most recent edition of Carolina Journal Radio.

The “logic” of protectionism

Written on January 4, 2012 at 8:06 am, by

Republicans and Democrats are about equally bad when it comes to pushing protectionist legislation to help certain companies and their workers at the expense of consumers in general. In the letter below, Professor Don Boudreaux clashes with Republican Jeff Sessions of Alabama, who wants a high tariff on imported sleeping bags. As Boudreaux notes, protectionistsContinue Reading