Displaying items by tag: policy

The Biden administration is embracing the same flawed “fair trade” mantra that previous administrations used to sanctify protectionist policies. Biden’s team has “largely dispensed with the idea of free trade as a goal in and of itself,” the New York Times reported. U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai recently touted the Biden administration’s plans to “shape the rules for fair trade in the 21st century.” What could possibly go wrong from such a lofty aspiration?

RALEIGH — North Carolina’s economic health seems strong. Taxes are low, cost of living is below average, and a recent CNBC study gave the state a No. 2 ranking as “Best for Business” because of solid growth, quality workforce, business friendliness, and technology. 

Violent crimes are surging across the country, with North Carolina outpacing the national average. Newly released data from the FBI notes that 44,000 violent crimes were reported in the state last year, an almost 12% jump from 2019. According to the FBI, violent crime rose nationally by 5.6%. The murder rate fueled that surge, jumping nearly 30% — the largest spike in six decades. More bad news is on the way, given that further increases are expected in next year’s report.

Last week, Ned Davis Research published a note titled “Turns Out, Growth Looks like It Was Transitory—Inflation Is More Sticky.” There are many factors that show us that consumers and salaries are being eaten away by inflation, leading to an abrupt halt in the recovery. Autos and new home sales plunged, real disposable personal income has plummeted, and real median wage growth is lower than inflation.

ROCKINGHAM — Richmond County’s two largest municipalities and the community college are offering financial incentives to employees to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

ROCKINGHAM — City employees have three options: get the COVID vaccine; get tested weekly; or face the consequences.

RALEIGH — It’s now a time in North Carolina to dismiss policy based on politics and embrace a move toward legislation focusing on common sense, John Locke Foundation legislative experts said in a policy debate forum on Monday.

The state senate’s budget is chock full of tax cuts while continuing to underfund our schools and universities. But tax cuts are what really matter to the GOP. Activists and legislators perpetually tout the Tax Foundation’s business climate ranking as evidence that their tax policy is making North Carolina more competitive. Since Republicans took control of the legislature, we’ve steady moved up in the rankings and now are 10th in the nation. 

For years, but especially since the George Floyd protests, Republicans have claimed to be the law-and-order party, while painting Democrats as soft on crime. They’ve tried to wrap Democrats around the Defund the Police crowd, despite Democrats’ long commitment to the public servants who make up our justice system. A new group called Democrats Serve is pushing back, recruiting and supporting candidates who have served on the front lines of our efforts to ensure public safety and provide human services that make a difference in day-to-day lives. They want to put more police officers, judges, prosecutors, public defenders, social workers and other public servants into policy making positions. 

RALEIGH — Five years after House Bill 2 put North Carolina at the center of national controversy, cities in the state’s liberal enclaves are once again discussing discrimination and the LGBT community.