The Carolina Journal makes a wide sweeping evaluation of the news that most effects us here in North Carolina, and is distilled, here on BCN, for your clear understanding by the electronic means of video broadcast.
Published: Sunday, August 28th, 2022 @ 10:52 am
By: Carolina Journal
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My Locke colleague Brian Balfour has noted that Americans voted with their feet in 2021, moving away from higher-tax states to lower-tax states like North Carolina.
Published: Thursday, January 20th, 2022 @ 12:24 pm
By: John Locke Foundation
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Brian Balfour, senior vice president of research at the John Locke Foundation, discusses the history of Critical Race Theory.
Published: Friday, January 14th, 2022 @ 12:13 am
By: Carolina Journal
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Brian Balfour, senior vice president of research at the John Locke Foundation, criticizes an Oxfam America report ranking North Carolina as the worst state for workers.
Published: Wednesday, January 12th, 2022 @ 1:42 pm
By: Carolina Journal
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The Carolina Journal makes a wide sweeping evaluation of the news that most effects us most here in North Carolina, and is distilled for your clear understanding by the electronic means of video.
Published: Tuesday, January 4th, 2022 @ 5:58 pm
By: Carolina Journal
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On the Thursday "What Matters in North Carolina" program, host Mark Shiver spoke with Brian Balfour, executive vice-president of the Civitas Institute, to discuss the proposed Wake County sales tax increase on the Nov. 8 ballots, which will go to fund a mass transit plan
Published: Tuesday, November 1st, 2016 @ 2:46 am
By: Civitas Insitute
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Progressive critics of North Carolina's historic 2013 tax reforms are quick to seize on topline unemployment rate figures in an attempt to discredit the rate cuts. But a closer look shows that in fact our state has enjoyed stellar job growth since taxes were cut.
Published: Friday, January 8th, 2016 @ 11:54 am
By: Civitas Insitute
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Late last week, the Tax Foundation - the nation's leading independent tax policy research organization since 1937 - released its book "North Carolina Illustrated: A Visual Guide to Tax Reform."
Published: Wednesday, January 6th, 2016 @ 6:37 pm
By: Civitas Insitute
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In the face of defeat, claim victory anyway. That's what state bureaucrats in charge of meddling with North Carolina's economy are doing in light of a recent report that suggests their meddling has produced dismal results.
Published: Wednesday, October 28th, 2015 @ 2:02 pm
By: Civitas Insitute
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In 2013, North Carolina's unemployment insurance (UI) program was in terrible shape. Like most states, North Carolina borrowed funds from the federal government to cover increased unemployment benefits during the great recession. The Tar Heel State owed Washington $2.75 billion. As a result, the sta
Published: Thursday, October 15th, 2015 @ 4:12 am
By: Civitas Insitute
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The FY 2015-16 North Carolina state budget has finally been finalized. Was it worth the wait? Rather than wading through 400 pages of text, you can read here about the ten most interesting and important aspects of the budget in this article.
Published: Saturday, October 3rd, 2015 @ 4:40 pm
By: Civitas Insitute
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This series, entitled "Cut This, Go Home," includes several budget items that should no longer receive taxpayer funding because they fall well outside the legitimate, core functions of government.
Published: Wednesday, September 30th, 2015 @ 11:01 pm
By: Civitas Insitute
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In the series "Cut This, Go Home," several items that should have been eliminated from the budget were highlighted to facilitate the budget's passage and to enable legislators to go home sooner.
Published: Tuesday, September 22nd, 2015 @ 4:02 am
By: Civitas Insitute
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On net, this year's final budget deal can be viewed positively by conservatives. Tipping the scales in favor of the spending plan include: a net tax cut of nearly $400 million over two years, allowing the renewable energy tax credit to expire, elimination of taxpayer support for the highly...
Published: Saturday, September 19th, 2015 @ 3:47 pm
By: Civitas Insitute
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As budget negotiations for the long-overdue 2015 North Carolina state budget continue, the Civitas Institute would like to remind legislators and taxpayers about opportunities to save real money in the budget - which will enable negotiators to come to an agreement once and for all.
Published: Monday, September 7th, 2015 @ 9:05 pm
By: Civitas Insitute
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As the nation's sub-par economic recovery continues, tax revenues to state coffers are not rising as rapidly as in past periods of robust economic growth. Some left-leaning groups in North Carolina have attempted to seize upon this as an opportunity to criticize the state's 2013 tax cuts as a...
Published: Saturday, August 22nd, 2015 @ 4:13 am
By: McCrory Communications
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Likely North Carolina voters overwhelmingly favor a measure to restrain the growth rate of state spending. According to the April 2011 Civitas Institute poll, 67 percent of respondents support the ideas contained in HB 188 - which would limit the growth rate of the state budget to a formula based...
Published: Monday, August 17th, 2015 @ 1:56 pm
By: Civitas Insitute
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According to recent reports, the federal government administers 126 separate programs directed at low-income households. Many of these programs are administered in partnership with state governments, while state and local governments provide still more separate programs. Spending on these...
Published: Sunday, August 2nd, 2015 @ 2:53 pm
By: Civitas Insitute
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North Carolina's historic 2013 tax reform drastically improved our state's tax climate, making the Tar Heel State far more competitive for job and investment growth. The Tax Foundation credited the tax changes for North Carolina's dramatic increase from the 7th worst business tax climate in the...
Published: Tuesday, July 14th, 2015 @ 6:39 pm
By: Civitas Insitute
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The North Carolina Senate this week unveiled its state budget spending for the upcoming FY 2015-16 fiscal year. The plan includes total spending of $21.47 billion, compared to $22.15 billion in the House budget plan.
Published: Sunday, June 21st, 2015 @ 3:23 am
By: Civitas Insitute
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Big government "progressives" love telling other people what to do (and spending other people's money). It's all about control, as a central tenant of progressivism is a strong central state controlling what should be free, voluntary associations between citizens.
Published: Wednesday, June 10th, 2015 @ 7:51 am
By: Civitas Insitute
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Late last week the North Carolina House passed its FY 2015-17 budget proposal. The spending plan would appropriate $22.16 billion in the coming year, an increase of 6.3 percent over the amount of projected actual spending in the current budget year.
Published: Sunday, June 7th, 2015 @ 12:42 pm
By: Civitas Insitute
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This week's Bad Bill of the Week features the resurrection of a Bad Bill feature from two years ago. House Bill 609, The Healthy and High Performing Schools Act, is sponsored by Reps. Pricey Harrison (D-Guilford), Susan Fisher (D-Buncombe) and Becky Carney (D-Mecklenburg). HB 609 is a near...
Published: Saturday, June 6th, 2015 @ 5:27 am
By: Civitas Insitute
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North Carolina requires occupational licensing for more than 700 professions, which generates an absurd amount of bureaucracy and red tape. Occupational licensing forces people to pay a fee, and often go through needless additional training, in order to legally practice their profession in the state
Published: Friday, May 22nd, 2015 @ 8:49 pm
By: Civitas Insitute
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Would it be okay if citizens were forced to vote for a candidate against their will? Of course not.So why do certain NC legislators think it okay to force citizens to financially support candidates against their will?
Published: Wednesday, May 13th, 2015 @ 7:32 am
By: Civitas Insitute
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Two months ago, we featured as a Bad Bill of the Week HB 245, which was a bill that would funnel state taxpayer funds to a local children's museum in the bill sponsor's district.
Published: Monday, May 11th, 2015 @ 10:53 pm
By: Civitas Insitute
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The news that North Carolina's state General Fund budget revenue is now predicted to come in $400 million above original estimates caused the Left to go into full spin mode. For months, liberal progressives were fretting about the end of Western Civilization as we know it due to earlier...
Published: Saturday, May 9th, 2015 @ 3:20 am
By: Civitas Insitute
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Imagine a piece of state legislation that could both lower your utility bill and make North Carolina more competitive for jobs.
Published: Thursday, May 7th, 2015 @ 9:38 am
By: Civitas Insitute
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In a free society, employers and employees voluntarily agree to the terms of their relationship. Unfortunately, government has for generations forcibly inserted itself into that relationship with various mandates and restrictions. Minimum wage laws, workplace requirements, and mandatory government u
Published: Saturday, May 2nd, 2015 @ 4:25 pm
By: Civitas Insitute
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Now you can learn the school of economic thought that politicians, mainstream economic professors and Paul Krugman don't want you to know about - right in the palm of your hand.
Published: Thursday, April 30th, 2015 @ 1:57 pm
By: Civitas Insitute
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Five years ago, in response to a groundswell of parental complaints, Wake County schools finally ended its long-running policy of forced busing. Wake had long been one of a few remaining holdouts still clinging to this failed experiment that disrupted so many lives.
Published: Tuesday, April 21st, 2015 @ 4:47 am
By: Civitas Insitute
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The glitz and glamour of movie and television production in North Carolina apparently is just too tempting for several North Carolina legislators to pass up. Unfortunately, they are willing to use your tax dollars to bribe more Hollywood big shots to come to the Tar Heel State.
Published: Saturday, April 18th, 2015 @ 9:30 am
By: Civitas Insitute
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This week's Bad Bill has a title only George Orwell would love. Senate Bill 354, sponsored by Angela Bryant (D-Nash) and Ben Clark (D-Cumberland) is titled "North Carolina Healthcare Jobs Initiative."
Published: Wednesday, April 1st, 2015 @ 9:07 pm
By: Civitas Insitute
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There's an old saying that says "you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink." The phrase is used to emphasize the fact that simply making something easy to do does not guarantee anybody will do it.
Published: Wednesday, April 1st, 2015 @ 3:20 am
By: Civitas Insitute
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