Jon Sanders

The John Locke Foundation has released my follow-up report on the need to modernize and free up our alcoholic beverage control system. It opens with a tale of two North Carolina entrepreneurs: Bob, a sweet potato farmer, and Amber, a distiller who makes rum.

George and West are ideological foes, but they are friends. Their lesson is vitally important for higher education, which has become so warped over the past couple of decades.

Although there still is legislation to revert the state's film grant program back to the open-ended and likely unconstitutional refundable film tax incentives program, the state House budget does not make such a change.

North Carolina is partly responsible for the de-licensing revolution going on in other states. But oddly enough, so far we've been sitting it out. So the Wall Street Journal writes about "Arizona's Licensing Liberation."

What point would this serve? Even if this new requirement were supposed to address a burning need in the state (which is highly unlikely), the fact that only two of the eight hours would be of a mandatory course strongly suggests it's unnecessary. Requiring six hours a year on elective instruction? What is that but to enrich the board and the instructors?

Carolina Journal has the story on support for the newly filed House Bill 971 from the N.C. Restaurant and Lodging Association and N.C. Retail Merchants Association. The bill would basically clear a path for private liquor stores in North Carolina.

Whether jobs are created or destroyed, they always say it's good for 'economic impact,' and media buy it.

Last week I wrote a post on "Cronyism and public-choice problems." I realized I kept discussing the term without providing much background on it. Here's more on a very important insight in economics.