The time is now to modernize the state’s revenue system. The purpose of the revenue system is to fund investments in the public structures— schools, courts, hospitals, colleges and universities, and infrastructure—that are critical to building and preserving a strong middle class and a 21st century economy, but North Carolina’s outdated revenue system is failing the people of the state. [Continue Reading...]
Few public institutions have brought greater acclaim to the state of North Carolina or contributed more to general prosperity over the last century than its world class university system. Now, however, as state lawmakers contemplate a new and vastly reduced state budget for the upcoming biennium, the UNC system faces the greatest threat to its [Continue Reading...]
Few issues have drawn more attention and spawned more controversy during the early months of the 2011 session of the North Carolina General Assembly than the debate over charter schools. At this point, lawmakers seem poised to dramatically expand the state’s experiment with charters. Is this a good idea? What is the track record of [Continue Reading...]
As most everyone is aware by now, the Comedy Central news team of Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert is hosting a giant event in the nation's capital on Saturday October 30. The combination "Rally to Restore Sanity" / "March to Keep Fear Alive" is expected to bring as many as 100,000 people (or [Continue Reading...]
NC Policy Watch Crucial Conversation luncheon – July 29 – "Latino Children in North Carolina" Latino children make up the fastest growing segment of North Carolina's child population, jumping 34 percent in just three years. As the state's schools and other institutions incorporate this growing group of children and youth, it is important for policymakers, [Continue Reading...]
NC Policy Watch and the NC Justice Center’s Health Access Coalition invite you to a very special Crucial Conversation luncheon featuring Dr. William Roper. [Continue Reading...]
NC Policy Watch and the NC Justice Center invite you to a very special Crucial Conversation Luncheon featuring nationally recognized economist, author, and commentator, Dr. Heather Boushey of the Washington, DC-based Center for American Progress.
In August 2002, Dr. Dean Baker published a paper entitled "The Run-Up in Home Prices: Is It Real or Is It Another Bubble?" Using the simplest of economic measures — the relationship between the cost of renting and buying a house — Baker concluded that there was in fact a housing bubble. The inevitable correction [Continue Reading...]
On March 18, N.C. Policy Watch is proud to welcome Dr. Dean Baker to Raleigh to help us make sense of the current economic situation.
Understanding the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in the Citizens United case. How bad is it? What do we do now? [Continue Reading...]
Short of all-out nuclear war, it’s unlikely that any issue confronting humankind poses a greater threat to its long-term health and wellbeing than global warming. Now, happily, it appears that the federal government is beginning to get serious about enacting legislation that would place some limits on U.S. carbon emissions. But, of course, as with any major federal legislation, the devil is in the details. [Continue Reading...]
RESCHEDULED FOR SEPTEMBER 29th (not 22nd) THIS EVENT IS SOLD OUT Wendell Potter is one of the nation’s most prominent spokespersons for national health care reform. He is a Senior Fellow on Health Care at the national nonprofit advocacy group, the Center for Media and Democracy. After a 20-year career as a corporate public relations [Continue Reading...]
With North Carolina's economy and budget in crisis, state leaders of all political parties and philosophies are demanding – more than ever – a solution to the mushrooming growth in corrections expenditures. Can North Carolina gain control of this unsustainable budget-buster while, at the same time, improving both public safety and outcomes for offenders? If [Continue Reading...]
With North Carolina's economy and budget in crisis, state leaders of all political parties and philosophies are demanding – more than ever – a solution to the mushrooming growth in corrections expenditures. Can North Carolina gain control of this unsustainable budget-buster while, at the same time, improving both public safety and outcomes for offenders? If [Continue Reading...]
With so many policy debates in Washington and Raleigh shifting into high gear, it's easy for those who care about the progressive movement to lose sight of the forest for the trees. Are things improving? Getting worse? Where have we been? What's next? For some thoughtful answers to these and other "big picture" questions, take [Continue Reading...]
