Tuesday’s Crucial Conversation

“When government promotes gambling: A budget solution or state sponsored exploitation?” North Carolina has never been known as a big state for gambling. We adopted a state-run lottery later than most and have been slow to embrace casinos and other forms of legalized games of chance. Video poker remains the subject of a hotly contested [Continue Reading...]


Crucial Conversation – When government promotes gambling: A budget solution or a state-sponsored exploitation?

Bernal photo

“When government promotes gambling: A budget solution or state sponsored exploitation?” North Carolina has never been known as a big state for gambling. We adopted a state-run lottery later than most and have been slow to embrace casinos and other forms of legalized games of chance. Video poker remains the subject of a hotly contested [Continue Reading...]


Not to be missed Crucial Conversation – Feb 2nd

The coming political year: What will happen? What should happen? It looks like 2012 is going to be one heck of a year in North Carolina politics and public policy — maybe one for the ages. Between the General Assembly’s “midnight madness” fiasco, other special legislative sessions, a statewide vote on a constitutional amendment to [Continue Reading...]


Crucial Conversation – Building a 21st Century System for Serving People with Mental Illness

Disability Rights NC

“No more excuses: Building a lawful, 21st Century system for serving people with mental illness.” Federal law has long commanded the states to deinstitutionalize persons with mental illness; it’s illegal to use federal money to gather up such individuals and lock them away in big hospitals as was the favored practice during the last century. [Continue Reading...]