Daily Archives: May 21, 2012

Newark, N.J., Mayor Cory Booker, a rising star within the Democratic Party, raised some eyebrows this weekend when he criticized his own party along with Republicans during an appearance on NBC’s “Meet The Press.” Commentary blogger Jonathan S. Tobin notes that Booker appears to have faced intense pressure to disown his initial comments. Speaking onContinue Reading

Swing, battleground, turn-around: all are terms  used to describe North Carolina in the upcoming November election.   Nate Silver introduces new terms in this New York Times piece:  elastic and inelastic. “…an elastic state as one that is relatively sensitive or responsive to changes in political conditions, such as a change in the national economic mood….AnContinue Reading

North Carolina is one of only two states that send all 16-year-old offenders to adult courts, rather than the juvenile justice system. State lawmakers are considering a proposal to shift those charged with misdemeanors away from the adult court system. They heard some support for the cause today during the John Locke Foundation’s Shaftesbury SocietyContinue Reading

We’ve all heard it, “the war got us out of the Great Depression.” This fallacy, that war generates wealth and higher incomes—rather than waste, death, and destruction—seems to be everywhere, including the economics profession. Robert Higgs is an expert on this matter, and I encourage you to consider his perspective. The key counterexample he offersContinue Reading

In today’s Wall Street Journal, one Hannes Swoboda, a member of the European Parliament from Austria, argues that Europe Can Spend Its Way to Growth. He believes that what the nations of Europe (and presumably everywhere else) need is ways to “channel additional funds into national treasuries.” Herr Swoboda ought to take the time toContinue Reading

By now, many have seen (actually listened to) the video of the Rowan County teacher who scolds a student for “disrespecting” President Obama. Just in case you haven’t, here it is: The worst part of this incident is that the teacher let ideology and emotion get in the way of a potentially valuable opportunity toContinue Reading

Barry Smith reports for Carolina Journal Online that legislation to require photo identification for voters is in limbo as this year’s legislative session enters its first full week.

• A group funded by the Democratic Governors Association runs this attack ad against GOP gubernatorial nominee Pat McCrory. The McCrory campaign claims it’s inaccurate and demands TV stations and cable operators pull it.     • Asheville Citizen-Times reporter Jon Ostendorff says Republicans should not consider Rep. Patrick McHenry’s re-election in the 10th CongressionalContinue Reading