Donna Martinez

My husband is a former speechwriter, so I have a special interest in, and appreciation for, the words that are crafted to convey a leader’s vision and thoughts. My practice is to listen or watch a speech, and then a few days later, read the text. I usually find nuggets…

  As progressives move even further to the Left and endorse policies that clearly make them welfare statists, a new poll shows that Americans are not convinced about the call to soak the wealthy with sky-high marginal tax rates. From Rasmussen: Most voters agree that government spending and taxes…

The Pew Research Center’s January 2019 survey of U.S. adults resulted in an interesting list of priorities for President Trump and the U.S. Congress. The top three? The economy, health care costs, and education. But why wait for the federal government and federal officials to take action? Certainly, let’s…

Our Senior Fellow and former secretary of the Department of Environmental Quality asks pointed questions about why hog farmers who complied with regulations are being hauled into court. In an op-ed published in the News and Observer, van der Vaart lays out his case. Imagine you’re one of…

Some in North Carolina want to expand Medicaid to able-bodied, childless adults. But there’s a better way to make sure vulnerable populations have access to medical care, and to lower costs. Our Jordan Roberts makes the case against expanding Medicaid in North Carolina: Expanding Medicaid is a temporary, albeit…

Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz wants to be president. His plan to run as an independent has Democrats concerned. So much so that Mike Bloomberg — who has toyed with the idea himself — posted a statement about the consequences of an independent run. Now I have never…

JLF Senior Fellow Joe Coletti offers a thoughtful commentary on the controversy over the Gillette ad and the behavior of men in our society. Context is important. The latest Gillette ad touches some political buttons at a time when everything is viewed as the next potential battle…

When Buncombe County voters narrowly approved a 2011 sales tax hike, it was promised the funds would pay for a $130 million repair and renovation plan for Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College. JLF’s Joe Coletti looks into the years-long diversion of revenue into the county’s general operating fund. None of…