2008

RALEIGH — Rampant state government spending bears much of the blame for North Carolina’s current budget woes, according to a new John Locke Foundation Spotlight report. State spending has…

RALEIGH — Wilson’s $28 million Greenlight fiber-optic cable system could be obsolete before it’s complete, sticking taxpayers and electric utility customers with the bill for the city’s investment. That’s the…

Real reform of the state’s regressive annexation law does not mean getting rid of annexation generally or even city-initiated annexation. However, it should mean getting rid of the practice of forced annexation that allows municipalities to unilaterally force individuals in unincorporated areas to live within the municipalities.

RALEIGH — Four major reforms are critical for North Carolina to get rid of forced annexation, according to a new John Locke Foundation Spotlight report. The changes would help…

North Carolina's little-known Beach Plan imposes an enormous fiscal liability on the state. Intended largely to provide windstorm insurance for coastal residents unable to find coverage elsewhere, the Plan has grown to become one of the nation's largest entities of its type.

RALEIGH — North Carolina could face a “property insurance disaster” unless it takes steps soon to shore up its coastal Beach Plan, according to a new John Locke Foundation…

According to the Employment Security Commission of North Carolina, only a handful of fast-growing occupations require a four-year degree. A U.S. Department of Education report found that North Carolina devotes a relatively small share of its resources to vocational schools.

RALEIGH — Improved Career and Technical Education programs could help lower North Carolina’s public school dropout rate while helping more students prepare for the workforce. Those are key findings in…

During policy discussions, much is made of the greed of private individuals, but rarely is government greed mentioned. Government greed is the lust for power that consumes policymakers — the desire to do whatever it takes to stay in power and to give government more power. In the North Carolina legislature, government greed is alive and well. Ten policy examples discussed in this report reasonably attest to this lust for power.

RALEIGH — Chatham County landowners would bear the costs of a “radical” land-use plan designed to benefit a small, politically connected elite. That’s the conclusion of a new John Locke…