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As we travel and meet with family this week for the Thanksgiving holiday, there are two items that are bound to be on most tables - turkeys and sweet potatoes. North Carolina is ranked first nationally in sweet potato production and second nationally for turkey production. The state's...
Published: Thursday, November 24th, 2016 @ 3:36 am
By: John Locke Foundation
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This week I will take a break from politics and spend time reflecting on the celebrations of our country's independence day. Former President John Adams wrote about his Independence Day visions nearly 240 years ago...
Published: Sunday, July 3rd, 2016 @ 6:04 pm
By: John Locke Foundation
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When America was a young country, the federal government had a much more prominent role to play in transportation than it does today. Federal transportation programs were heavily involved in the collaboration among the states to ensure consistent standards, interconnectivity of facilities, and...
Published: Friday, March 11th, 2016 @ 10:48 am
By: John Locke Foundation
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Recent historic tax reforms have helped North Carolina jump from No. 44 to No. 15 in the Tax Foundation's annual ranking of state business climates
Published: Thursday, January 7th, 2016 @ 10:23 am
By: John Locke Foundation
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Today is Election Day for many local governments across North Carolina. While it is a big day, many of the races will be overlooked by major media outlets, despite the fact that they will actually affect citizens the most. Today, 92 counties are holding an elections of some sort, and many of them...
Published: Wednesday, January 6th, 2016 @ 7:52 pm
By: John Locke Foundation
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Tax Reform In North Carolina: John Locke Foundation Principles Move The State In The Right DirectionThe Tax Foundation estimates that, once all reforms are fully phased in, North Carolina's overall business tax climate ranking will be 13th best in the country. According to the 2016 index, North Carolina is now ranked as the 15th most attractive business tax climate. Given where we started...
Published: Wednesday, January 6th, 2016 @ 2:03 pm
By: John Locke Foundation
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Every year the Tax Foundation publishes the State Business Tax Climate Index, which allows taxpayers, businesses, and policy makers an easy comparison of how their states' tax systems relate. This ranking of the states is based on tax policy has been very important in North Carolina over the last...
Published: Wednesday, January 6th, 2016 @ 1:36 pm
By: John Locke Foundation
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Traditionally, city and county Parks and Recreation (P&R) departments provided the public with parks and user-fee-supported sports leagues -- soccer, softball, etc. Now, many P&R departments have expanded well beyond these boundaries. Some provide uncommon services that benefit only a...
Published: Wednesday, January 6th, 2016 @ 3:25 am
By: John Locke Foundation
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We will offer this allotment of three with more to come; some old, most new, but all quite informative, and, moreover, necessary to understanding that in North Carolina, there is a wiser path to govern ourselves and our People.
Published: Wednesday, January 6th, 2016 @ 3:17 am
By: John Locke Foundation
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As the state continues to increase spending, many citizens have begun to suspect that the effectiveness of that spending is diminishing. North Carolina's balanced budget amendment was intended to create a fiscally responsible state that uses tax dollars wisely. However, over the last few decades...
Published: Wednesday, October 28th, 2015 @ 1:33 pm
By: John Locke Foundation
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Many times we hear about the state of North Carolina entering into agreements with corporations to promote economic development, but did you know that local municipalities do the same?
Published: Tuesday, October 27th, 2015 @ 12:35 pm
By: John Locke Foundation
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North Carolina's largest cities dealt with nearly 240 economic development contracts and promised $65 million in incentives from 2009 to 2014
Published: Sunday, October 25th, 2015 @ 7:48 pm
By: John Locke Foundation
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The majority of the state's operations are funded through the General Fund. There are, though, some major components of the state's expenditure that are located outside the General Fund.
Published: Friday, October 23rd, 2015 @ 1:29 pm
By: John Locke Foundation
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Increasingly, city officials have been using municipal-level resources to participate in economic development activities. These efforts have replicated approaches utilized by state and federal officials, albeit on a smaller scale. This study surveys North Carolina's most populous cities and...
Published: Friday, October 23rd, 2015 @ 1:10 am
By: John Locke Foundation
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We will offer this allotment of three with more to come; some old, most new, but all quite informative, and, moreover, necessary to understanding that in North Carolina, there is a wiser path to govern ourselves and our People.
Published: Thursday, October 22nd, 2015 @ 8:32 pm
By: John Locke Foundation
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The majority of the state's operations are funded through the General Fund. There are, though, some major components of the state's expenditure that are located outside the General Fund. In short, the General Fund amounts to around $20 billion, while total state spending amounts to approximately...
Published: Wednesday, October 21st, 2015 @ 6:54 pm
By: John Locke Foundation
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If you thought North Carolina was alone when it came to tardy budgets, think again. North Carolina joined Alabama and New Hampshire in passing budgets late last week. Now there are only two states left in the country without budgets, Illinois and Pennsylvania.
Published: Tuesday, September 22nd, 2015 @ 4:53 pm
By: John Locke Foundation
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Guess what! Another budget extension has been passed by the General Assembly. Which means North Carolina is still without a spending plan for the current fiscal year. North Carolina's fiscal year began July 1st, with the state continuing operations under a temporary spending plan.
Published: Wednesday, September 2nd, 2015 @ 3:40 pm
By: John Locke Foundation
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Existing businesses in North Carolina are taxed at rates below the national average, and new firms generally benefit from tax rates beneath national norms, making the Tar Heel State an attractive place to do business, a new study concluded.
Published: Sunday, August 30th, 2015 @ 12:53 pm
By: John Locke Foundation
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This past week I had the pleasure of being invited to speak at Americans for Prosperity's annual event, the Defending the American Dream Summit. I spoke about Washington's power grab and how the growth of federal agencies is threatening our laboratories of democracy. Many of us know that...
Published: Wednesday, August 26th, 2015 @ 2:35 am
By: John Locke Foundation
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We will offer this allotment of three with more to come; some old, most new, but all quite informative, and, moreover, necessary to understanding that in North Carolina, there is a wiser path to govern ourselves and our People.
Published: Sunday, August 23rd, 2015 @ 8:56 am
By: John Locke Foundation
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The General Assembly on Wednesday approved a measure allowing state government to continue spending money through the end of the month while budget writers from both chambers continue to hammer out a compromise.
Published: Tuesday, August 18th, 2015 @ 11:21 am
By: John Locke Foundation
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North Carolina lawmakers still cannot agree to a final budget. The Senate saw difficulty in compromise, so they decided to move their economic development and Medicaid reform plans out of the budget and into stand-alone bills. Unfortunately, even with this change, the two chambers were unable to...
Published: Monday, August 17th, 2015 @ 7:23 pm
By: John Locke Foundation
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Each year the North Carolina General Assembly discusses how much is spent on state government. Many, including the John Locke Foundation, argue that a spending limit or cap should be in place. The call for such a cap has not been impromptu, but rather a reaction to inflation-adjusted state...
Published: Friday, August 14th, 2015 @ 2:05 am
By: John Locke Foundation
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There are approximately 90,000 state and local governments in the United States. Most of these entities provide a defined benefit pension plan for public employees as part of their overall compensation. State governments employ 5.3 million people and local governments employ 13.8 million, with...
Published: Saturday, August 8th, 2015 @ 1:41 pm
By: John Locke Foundation
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In North Carolina, the federal government owns 1.7 million acres, or 7.7 percent of the state. Federal land is found in nearly half of the state's counties, yet the majority of the federally owned land is concentrated in the western part of the state. Counties derive the majority of their...
Published: Tuesday, August 4th, 2015 @ 9:30 pm
By: John Locke Foundation
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In North Carolina, the federal government owns 1.7 million acres, or 7.7 percent of the state. Federal land is found in nearly half of the state's counties, yet the majority of the federally owned land is concentrated in the western part of the state
Published: Tuesday, August 4th, 2015 @ 4:50 am
By: John Locke Foundation
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N.C. counties entered into incentives contracts totaling nearly $284 million from 2009 to 2014, according to a first-of-its-kind John Locke Foundation Policy Report compiling statewide local incentives data. The report shows actual incentives payments totaled $144 million over the same five-year per
Published: Sunday, August 2nd, 2015 @ 2:05 pm
By: John Locke Foundation
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We will offer this allotment of three with more to come; some old, most new, but all quite informative, and, moreover, necessary to understanding that in North Carolina, there is a wiser path to govern ourselves and our People.
Published: Thursday, July 30th, 2015 @ 5:00 pm
By: John Locke Foundation
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We hear a lot about the state of North Carolina and how much they give in economic development dollars to private businesses — but what about the counties? County governments have their own agendas when it comes to economic development and can choose whether or not to participate in these...
Published: Thursday, July 16th, 2015 @ 6:36 am
By: John Locke Foundation
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We will offer this allotment of three with more to come; some old, most new, but all quite informative, and, moreover, necessary to understanding that in North Carolina, there is a wiser path to govern ourselves and our People.
Published: Tuesday, July 7th, 2015 @ 5:02 am
By: John Locke Foundation
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Over the last few weeks, debates in the North Carolina legislature have focused on the budget and the stark differences between the House and Senate versions. This week I would like to discuss more of the politics of the budget process and what that means for spending measures.
Published: Saturday, July 4th, 2015 @ 1:12 am
By: John Locke Foundation
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We will offer this allotment of three with more to come; some old, most new, but all quite informative, and, moreover, necessary to understanding that in North Carolina, there is a wiser path to govern ourselves and our People.
Published: Monday, June 29th, 2015 @ 3:06 pm
By: John Locke Foundation
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We will offer this allotment of three with more to come; some old, most new, but all quite informative, and, moreover, necessary to understanding that in North Carolina, there is a wiser path to govern ourselves and our People.
Published: Friday, June 19th, 2015 @ 7:33 pm
By: Stan Deatherage
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