Weekly Briefing Archive

New analysis shows how many North Carolinians are dying (literally) for lack of health insurance

One of the major ideological bones of contention between progressives and market fundamentalists these days relates to the impact of societal inequality. Does it really matter and, if so, how? Does inequality just bruise people’s egos or is there something more to it?

What will the presidential candidates do for North Carolina?

With the May 6 presidential primary right around the corner, many North Carolinians are asking a simple question: Which of the three remaining presidential candidates is most likely to do the most to help North Carolina (and other similarly situated American states) to construct a vibrant 21st Century, post-NAFTA economy? A look at their records and recent statements on the matter is instructive.

New transportation reform coalition tells General Assembly: Now’s the time to get ahead of the state’s population boom

It’s been said more than once of late, but it’s a remarkable fact, so it bears repeating. By the year 2030, more than 12 million people will call North Carolina home. It will be as if the entire population of South Carolina picked up and moved to North Carolina during the first three decades of the 21st Century.

Flawed “street gangs” bill is not the answer

The state of North Carolina has been shaken in recent weeks by the horrific murder of UNC-Chapel Hill student body president, Eve Carson. The terrible circumstances under which such a vibrant and promising young life was so senselessly ended in such a gruesome and (what appears to be) random fashion have stunned and saddened North Carolinians across the state from all walks of life.

Though better than some, North Carolina’s tax system still socks it to the poor and the middle class. The results are bad for everyone.

All taxes are not the same. Most North Carolinians “get” this simple premise. Even the most mathematically challenged among us understands that there is a difference between a sales tax applied to a bill at Target and the income tax deducted from one’s paycheck every two weeks.

Noted scholar reminds N.C. progressives of what they’re all about

What is it that defines and unifies the progressive movement in modern America? What distinguishes it from conservatism? How can progressives reassert themselves and reclaim their rightful place as the true heirs to the American traditions of freedom and liberty espoused in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution?

Mortgage lenders fight real reform proposals

Question: How can you tell if a piece of proposed consumer protection legislation is likely to make a significant difference in the real world relationship between consumers and big business?

Answer: When business lobbyists say the measure poses “a threat to the economy.”

North Carolina’s Fiscal Modernization Study Commission is revived after a lengthy hiatus

Eighteen months ago at the conclusion of the 2006 session of the North Carolina General Assembly, lawmakers passed a bill that established a special Senate-House study with an ambitious charge.

How “HK on J” highlights the difference between progressives and conservatives

What is it that distinguishes North Carolina “progressives” and “conservatives”? Is it their competing positions on tax policy? How about racial integration in the public schools? Transportation policy? Global warming? The death penalty?

Progressives are marching for change this weekend. Will you be there?

This Saturday, February 9, thousands of progressive North Carolinians will descend upon downtown Raleigh for the second annual H K on J march and rally. HK on J stands for “Historic Thousands on Jones Street” (the site of the state Legislative Building) and is the brainchild of Rev. William Barber, the dynamic president of the North Carolina NAACP.

Can state lawmakers keep up?

The news on the mortgage foreclosure front remains grim. In 1998, there were 16,661 mortgage foreclosures in North Carolina. Last year, the total was 49,754 and some experts expect this year’s number to approach 60,000. The grand total over the last decade exceed 340,000. California, Florida, Nevada and several other states are experiencing per household foreclosure rates that are even higher.

Could its success represent a “tipping point” for North Carolina?

A few years back, writer Malcolm Gladwell wrote a popular book called “The Tipping Point.” In it, he explored several different societal examples in which small changes on a small scale have accumulated and coalesced until, like a health epidemic, they reached a “tipping point” and suddenly spread explosively throughout a community. Some of Gladwell’s examples are bad (the AIDS virus, teen suicides), while others (the decline of crime in New York City, literacy amongst children who watch “Sesame Street”) are good.

Tired or primary politics insanity? Here’s another place to channel your energy

By Rob Schofield

Many North Carolinians are of two minds on the ongoing presidential primaries. On the one hand, some are sad that we have to wait until May. These folks wish that North Carolina was more involved in the process and could have a real say in who is at the top of the national ballot in November.

Lethal injection goes before the U.S. Supreme Court

By Rob Schofield

As one of the dwindling group of nations that still permits executions, the United States continues to wrestle with the fundamental question of how to carry out The Deed. What is the appropriate way to kill a person? Firing squad? Guillotine? Hanging? Cyanide?

…And Today’s Ideological Debate

By Rob Schofield (republished from Monday, December 18th for your reading enjoyment)

Quick Take:

• Recently, Governor Easley was labeled a “Grinch” by a conservative advocacy group for urging caution in the adoption of a new round of state tax cuts.
• A look at the facts, however, shows that Easley’s motivations were almost certainly anything but Grinch-like.
• In fact, it is the far right’s obsession with wealth and self-interest that conjures up unflattering holiday analogies.

Sometimes, you have to hand it to the spin-savvy ideologues on the far right. For all of their shortcomings in the realms of statecraft and public policy development, no one can camouflage an unpopular, regressive idea behind an honorable sounding name (“Contract with America,” “No Child Left Behind,” “Ownership Society”) better than the market fundamentalists of modern America. (more…)