Tag: John Hood

Build on North Carolina’s strengths

white and blue come on in we ere open signage

By John Hood Raleigh, NC – When will North Carolina’s economy return to normal, or at least to a “new normal”? Unfortunately, that destination is many months away, if not years. Still, we’ll know we’re making progress when we can…

Competing schools serve NC families well

By John Hood Raleigh, NC – In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, our schools have gone in a variety of directions. Some public-school districts that shut down last spring have never reopened for in-person learning to any significant degree. Others…

Five North Carolina political questions for 2021

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By John Hood Raleigh, NC – After getting many political predictions wrong in 2016, including but not limited to the results of the presidential election, I threw my long-cherished crystal ball out and started building a new one. Figuratively speaking,…

Lower taxes attract key leaders

business woman in high rise with cellphone

By John Hood Raleigh, NC – When Democrats attack pro-growth tax reform as “trickle-down economics,” I can understand their rhetorical intent. But the charge is silly on multiple levels — including the fact that every Democrat who ever serves in…

Christmas gifts aren’t wasteful

girl eating cupcake while sitting beside woman in blue denim distressed jeans for Christmas

By John Hood Raleigh, NC – Among the pagan-inspired customs of the Christmas season, there has come to be the ritualistic burning of the straw man. Specifically, I refer to the traditional seasonal column by a sly journalist or political…

Let’s compensate victims of regulation

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By John Hood Raleigh, NC – As of November, North Carolina’s state government has some $4 billion in unreserved cash in its General Fund, plus well north of $1 billion in its rainy-day account and other reserves. Other states would…

Let candidates control their message

By John Hood Raleigh, NC – When U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis narrowly won reelection against Cal Cunningham, the two candidates had collectively spent $78 million. That’s a large number. But it was dwarfed by the $221 million spent on the…

North Carolina has gotten freer

By John Hood Raleigh, NC – While modern conservatism in America brings together a number of discrete groups, interests, and priorities, one of its unifying themes is maximizing freedom — by which conservatives mean maximizing the right of individuals, families,…

Elections are a soap opera

By John Hood Raleigh, NC – The day before the 2018 midterms, I posted a column about “what to do if you lose.” Without knowing the outcome, I urged those about to be disappointed not to react to their loss…

District school closings boost homeschooling in NC

by Raleigh, NC – North Carolina is already the homeschooling capital of the United States. Now the attraction of this education option is soaring higher than ever — thanks not to the actions of its proponents but to the antics…