• U.S. Supreme Court • Not by the Book: Vouches for Vouchers NCSU Cuts Library

Kayaking Charlotte C A R O L I N A Foolish in Afghanistan

Volume 11, Number 8 A Monthly Journal of News, August 2002 Analysis, and Opinion from JOURNAL the John Locke Foundation www.CarolinaJournal.com www.JohnLocke.org

New Districts Encourage Newcomers, Dissuade Incumbents Key committee chairmen GOP must get lucky face strong competition to win both majorities after districts redrawn in legislature, Cobey says

By PAUL CHESSER By PAUL CHESSER Associate Editor Associate Editor RALEIGH RALEIGH he nightmares of a brutal redistrict- he wind was at the Republican ing battle aside for now, North Caro- Party’s back throughout the legal T lina is finally proceeding with its T fight over redistricting in state and long-delayed 2002 campaign season. federal courts. Having achieved electoral The Sept. 10 primary and Nov. 4 elec- balance, North Carolina GOP Chairman tion established by the General Assembly Bill Cobey says the party now must catch a are expected to produce some of the most few more breaks in order to win majorities competitive races the state has had in years. in both the state House and Senate. The abbreviated filing period for House “I really believe we’re going to take both and Senate races, which ended July 26, lasted chambers, but it will be razor thin — one or just eight days. In that short time frame two seats in each chamber,” Cobey said. several lawmakers decided not to campaign “That’s predicated on our U.S. Senate can- because of unfavorably drawn districts. didate (Elizabeth Dole) running very well.” Others switched from races for one legisla- Despite being a nonpresidential elec- tive chamber to the other because of a greater tion year, Cobey said the fortunes of the likelihood of victory. Some longtime hope- Raleigh’s Legislative Building may see many new faces when regular session convenes in January. party holding the White House rise and fall fuls jumped into races suddenly offering with the nation’s financial condition. them a chance to win. House district with fellow Republican Rep. Mecklenburg counties. He has served since While N.C. Republicans say they have a John Rayfield. However, his Senate district 1982. Rep. Fern Shubert of Marshville is popular issue in recent state tax increases Turning in their gavels? leans favorably for the GOP, so he will run running for the seat against four other Re- with which to target incumbent Democrats, against Hoyle. publicans, and the winner of that primary voters traditionally hold the party of the Among those leaving or in danger of “We’ll see if the Gastonia people want will face Democrat Frank McGuirt. president responsible for a poor economy. losing their seats are chairmen of two of the to return Mr. Hoyle,” Harrington said, cit- The only Republican leader who might Cobey’s hoping for an upswing on the Senate’s most powerful committees. ing what he calls the Democrat’s spend- be in danger is Senate Minority Leader economic front. North Carolina has been After redistricting, Rep. Carolyn Russell thrift ways. “I’m going to beat him.” Patrick Ballantine, who has a primary chal- particularly hard hit by the recent reces- of Goldsboro found herself matched against Sen. Fountain Odom of Mecklenburg lenger in Dallas Brown, Jr. of Wilmington. sion. Rep. Billy Creech of Johnston County, so County, a cochair of Appropriations whose Should he survive, he will face Democrat “In ’94 (when Republicans won the state she decided to leave Creech uncontested in new district is 45 percent registered Repub- Laura Padgett, a Wilmington city council- House) the environment was great for us,” his race and challenge influential Sen. John lican and 33 percent Democrat, will attempt woman. The seat is considered competitive Cobey said. “Issues are important, but the Kerr, also of Goldsboro. Cochair of the Sen- to overcome the odds and run again. Why? but most say it favors a Republican. environment is important, too.” ate Finance Committee, Kerr represents a “Of course it will be a difficult election, Cobey on some key races: district skewed heavily Democratic by a 66 but he’s done an awful lot of things for the Writing on the wall • Rep. Carolyn Russell vs. Sen. John percent to 24 percent ratio over Republi- state,” said Althea Callaway, Odom’s cam- Kerr and former Raleigh Mayor Paul Coble cans in voter registration. paign manager. “It’s really a feeling the Several other Democrat lawmakers de- vs. Sen. Eric Reeves: “Those seats look good “The district on paper is not a good one people are going to recognize that.” cided against another campaign because because of who’s running.” for me,” Russell said. “But the way spend- Odom is challenged by Robert Pittenger, their new districts gave little hope of win- • Republican challenger Robert ing has increased…I have watched the level who owns a real estate investment com- ning. Pittenger vs. Democrat Sen. Fountain Odom: of the importance of the people of this state pany. In addition to the new makeup of the In the Senate, where Democrats hold a “I’m counting on that one.” take a back seat to politics. This is a very district, Pittenger’s inspirations for running 35-15 majority, new district maps drawn by • House members John Blust vs. Flossie serious campaign and it’s important.” are Odom’s role as a chief appropriator and Superior Court Judge Knox Jenkins Jr. are Boyd-McIntyre: “I wouldn’t want to run Russell said her first House district the state’s spending problems. expected to help bring party parity to the against John Blust. He’s got the energy of when she ran in 1990 had a similar voter “We’re going to put those (spending) chamber. As many as eight seats now held two people. He’ll knock on every door in registration makeup. bills on our website so people can see them,” by Democrats could be considered toss- that district.” The other cochair of the Finance Com- he said. “[Odom]’s a big spender.” ups, and four seats now filled by Democrats • Wilmington Councilwoman Laura mittee, Sen. David Hoyle of Gastonia, also Sen. Aaron Plyler, another cochair of are considered solidly Republican because Padgett vs. Senate Minority Leader Patrick faces a challenge from a Republican House the powerful Appropriations Committee, Ballantine: “Ballantine has the biggest (Re- member. One-term Rep. Michael Har- declined to run again in the 35th District, publican) challenge in the Senate, but he’s rington, also of Gastonia, was placed in a which includes Union and southern Continued as “New districts,” Page 3 proven that he can get it done.” CJ

Best Way to Solve Fiscal Crisis The John Locke Foundation NONPROFIT ORG. Contents 200 W. Morgan St., # 200 U.S. POSTAGE Cut Spending 64% Raleigh, NC 27601 PAID Raise Taxes 4% RALEIGH NC PERMIT NO. 1766 Do Both 32% Calendar 2 State Government 3 Education 6 Higher Education 10 Local Government 14 Books & the Arts 18 Opinion 20 % of NC Business Execs in March 2002 JLF Poll Parting Shot 24 C A R O L I N A Contents

ON THE COVER cal money collected through fines and for- writes that despite hype about record rid- JOURNAL feitures, just like other public schools. ership on mass transit, the 2000 Census • The nightmares of a brutal redistricting Page 8 shows a record low. Page 15 battle aside for now, North Carolina is fi- nally proceeding with its long-delayed 2002 • Sherri Joyner reports that closing the • An interview with Phillip Frye, mayor of campaign season, which has some of the achievement gap between white students Spruce Pine in Mitchell County. Page 16 Richard Wagner most competitive races in years. Page 1 and black students is a nationwide prob- Editor lem. But one school in Northampton THE LEARNING CURVE NORTH CAROLINA County, N.C. closed the gap in just one Paul Chesser, Michael Lowrey school year. Page 9 • George Leef reviews Fool’s Errands by Associate Editors • Several national television networks Gary T. Dempsey with Roger W. Fontaine, question how states, particularly North HIGHER EDUCATION and Hansmarc Hurd reviews the film “The Carolina, have misused money won in the Sum of All Fears.” Page 18 Sherri Joyner, Erik Root, 1998 tobacco settlement. Page 4 • The Center for Immigration Studies re- Jon Sanders leased a damning evaluation of the Foreign • Reviews of the books Serving the Word: Assistant Editors • John Locke Foundation adjunct scholar Student Program. Conducted by a profes- Literalism in America from the Pulpit to the George Stephens speaks at a foundation sor at Harvard University, the evaluation Bench by Vincent Crapanzano, and The Six- Thomas Paul De Witt luncheon on his new book, Locke, Jefferson, finds the program rife with corruption and teen-Trillion Dollar Mistake by Bruce S. Opinion Editor and the Justices: Foundations and Failures of failing abysmally at achieving its advertised Jansson. Page 19 the U.S. Government. Page 4 benefits. Page 12 OPINION Andrew Cline, Roy Cordato, EDUCATION • Jon Sanders says SAT changes are a suc- Charles Davenport, Ian Drake, cessful end run around the inevitability that • Carolina Journal Editor Richard Wagner Tom Fetzer, Nat Fullwood, • Voucher supporters in North Carolina racial preferences will be declared illegal recounts his first year working for the John John Gizzi, David Hartgen, think some sort of the voucher program, across the United States. Page 13 Locke Foundation — a legislative year un- Lindalyn Kakadelis, George Leef, now that vouchers have been approved by like any other in recent history. Page 20 Kathryn Parker, Marc Rotterman, Jack Sommer, George Stephens, the U.S. Supreme Court, would greatly ben- LOCAL GOVERNMENT John Staddon, Jeff Taylor, efit children in the state. Page 6 • Citing incompetence and negligence Michael Walden • Another public-private partnership in the among Agriculture Commissioner Meg Contributing Editors • After switching throughout the 1990s, form of a nonprofit organization has been Scott Phipps’s many shortcomings, Thomas today 73 percent of all high schools in North created in Charlotte, all in the name of get- Paul DeWitt calls for her resignation. Carolina are block-scheduled. Despite its ting taxpayers to help fund a whitewater Page 22 popularity, the reform draws mixed reviews park for the city. Page 14 Hans Hurd, Brian Gwyn from a number of studies. Page 7 • Michael Walden says the key to fairness Editorial Interns • In two N.C. cities, local restrictions have in an economy of free choice is the oppor- • Lindalyn Kakadelis says a new study been proposed on the design and construc- tunity for individuals to prepare themselves ranking each state’s accountability system, tion of large retail stores. Unlike previous to make those choices. Page 23 rating North Carolina No. 1, raises doubts debates about such so-called “big box” John Hood about the way the study evaluates the stores, the issue often centers on the design PARTING SHOT Publisher states. Page 7 and reuse of such buildings. Page 15 • Believe It or Not, Ripley’s is looking to Don Carrington • A recent State Appeals Court decision take over Raleigh’s troubled Exploris Associate Publisher found that a charter school is entitled to lo- • Wendell Cox of the Heartland Institute Children’s Museum. Page 24

Published by Calendar The John Locke Foundation 200 W. Morgan St., # 200 Raleigh, N.C. 27601 (919) 828-3876 • Fax: 821-5117 Veteran Political Commentator Barone to Speak at Luncheon www.JohnLocke.org

olitical commentator Michael Barone Bruce Babcock, Ferrell Blount, Special dinner event John Carrington, Hap Chalmers, will be the featured speaker at a John Sandra Fearrington, Jim Fulghum, P Locke Foundation luncheon at noon James Woosley, former director of the William Graham, John Hood, Sept. 12 at the Brownstone Hotel in Raleigh. Central Intelligence Agency, will speak at a Kevin Kennelly, Lee Kindberg, Barone is a senior writer for U.S. News special John Locke Foundation dinner at 7 Robert Luddy, William Maready, & World Report. Barone grew up in Detroit p.m. Oct. 16 at the Brownstone Hotel in J. Arthur Pope, Assad Meymandi, and Birmingham, Mich. He graduated from Raleigh. Tula Robbins, David Stover, Harvard College (1966) and Yale Law School Woolsey also has been ambassador to Jess Ward, Andy Wells, (1969), and was editor of the Harvard Crim- the Negotiation on Conventional Armed Art Zeidman son and the Yale Law Journal. Forces in Europe; under secretary of the Board of Directors Barone served as law clerk to Judge Navy; general counsel to the U.S. Senate Wade H. McCree, Jr., of the U.S. Court of Committee on Armed Services; adviser on Appeals for the Sixth Circuit from 1969 to the U.S. Delegation to the Strategic Arms CAROLINA JOURNAL is a monthly journal 1971. From 1974 to 1981, he was a vice Limitation Talks; and delegate at large to of news, analysis, and commentary on state president of the polling firm of Peter D. the U.S.-Soviet Strategic Arms Reduction and local government and public policy Hart Research Associates. Talks. issues in North Carolina. From 1981 to 1988, he was a member of For more information or to preregister, the editorial page staff of the Washington contact Kory Swanson at (919) 828-3876 or ©2002 by The John Locke Foundation Post. From 1989 to 1996, and again from [email protected]. Inc. All opinions expressed in bylined ar- ticles are those of the authors and do not 1998 to present, he has been a senior writer necessarily reflect the views of the editors of with U.S. News & World Report. From 1996 Michael Barone Shaftesbury Society Carolina Journal or the staff and board of to 1998, he was a senior staff editor at Reader’s the Locke Foundation. Digest. Barone is a regular panelist for the Each Monday at noon, the John Locke Barone is the principal coauthor of The “McLaughlin Group,” and has appeared Foundation sponsors the Shaftesbury Soci- Material published in Carolina Journal Almanac of American Politics, published by on many other television programs and ety, a group of civic-minded individuals may be reprinted provided the Locke Foun- National Journal every two years. The first networks, including the Fox News Chan- who meet over lunch to discuss the issues of dation receives prior notice and appropri- edition appeared in 1971, and the 15th edi- nel, MSNBC, CNBC, CNN, “Meet the Press,” the day. The meetings are conducted at the ate credit is given. Submissions and letters tion, The Almanac of American Politics 2000, “This Week,” “Today,” “Good Morning Locke offices at 200 W. Morgan St., Suite to the editor are welcome and should be directed to the editor. appeared in July 1999. America,” “Hardball,” “Crossfire,” the Brit- 200, Raleigh. Parking is available in nearby He is also the author of Our Country: ish Broadcasting Company, ITN of Britain, lots and decks. Readers of Carolina Journal who wish The Shaping of America from Roosevelt to the Canadian Broadcasting Company, and to receive daily and weekly updates from CJ Reagan (Free Press, 1990). His essays have the Australian Broadcasting Company. “Locke Lines” editors and reporters on issues of interest to appeared in several other books, including Barone lives in Washington, D.C. He North Carolinians should call 919-828- Our Harvard and Beyond the Godfather. has traveled to all 50 states and all 435 The John Locke Foundation produces 3876 and request a free subscription to Over the years he has written for many congressional districts. He has also trav- a monthly audio magazine called Carolina Journal Weekly Report, deliv- publications, including the Economist, the eled to 37 foreign countries and has re- “LockeLines” that features speeches made ered each weekend by fax and e-mail, or New York Times, the Detroit News, the Detroit ported on the most recent elections in at JLF events each month. “LockeLines” in- visit Carolina Journal.com on the World Wide Web. Those interested in education, Free Press, the Weekly Standard, the New Mexico, Italy, Russia, and Britain. cludes Headliner speeches as well as higher education, or local government Republic, National Review, the American Spec- The cost of the luncheon is $20 per Shaftesbury Society speeches and commen- should also ask to receive new weekly e- tator, American Enterprise, the Times Literary person. For more information or to prereg- tary by Locke staff. letters covering these issues. Supplement, the Daily Telegraph of London, ister, contact Kory Swanson at (919) 828- To subscribe, call Kory Swanson at (919) and the Italian publication Libro Aperto. 3876 or [email protected]. 828-3876. CJ C A R O L I N A August 2002 JOURNAL North Carolina 3 New Districts Encourage Newcomers, Dissuade Incumbents

Continued from Page 1 ture Democrat Sens. Ellie Kinnaird and must survive a primary with former Wake trict by Republican Phillip Frye, mayor of Howard Lee. The winner will be challenged Forest Mayor George Mackie, Jr. The win- Spruce Pine. the majority of voters in those districts are by Republican and education-reform activ- ner of the solidly Republican District 15 will Also, Alexander County Sheriff Ray registered for the GOP. ist Peter Morcombe of Hillsborough. Voter face Democrat activist Dorothy “Gerry” Warren will challenge fellow Republican Democratic Sen. Cal registration in the district Bowles. Edgar Starnes, who holds the 87th House Cunningham of Lexington favors the incumbent. Sen. Brad Miller’s seat, which Miller is seat. decided not to run when he Republicans Phil leaving in order to run for Congress, is An open seat in District 95 will be con- was drawn into a new dis- Berger and Bob Shaw will expected to stay in Democrat hands. Wake tested by two Republicans: former Rep. trict having 48 percent reg- run against each other in County Commissioner Vernon Malone was Robert Brawley, who served from 1980 to istered Republicans and 38 the Triad’s District 26. No the only Democrat to file for that race, as 1998, and Mooresville’s Karen Ray, an percent Democrats. He Democrat filed. have two Republicans. Iredell County commissioner. would have faced Republi- “My plan is not to dig Democrat Sen. Eric Reeves should face House Minority Whip Frank Mitchell can Sen. Stan Bingham, who through his voting record,” an intensively competitive campaign by will defend his 96th District seat against now faces only a primary Berger said. “I see this as former Raleigh Mayor Paul Coble. former Democrat House member Bill opponent, Ronald Cole- ‘I’m running for the seat, Senate District 22 may be the most com- McMillan of Statesville. man. According to the and Bob is running for the petitive district in either chamber for both District 85, a district that should lean Statesville Record & Land- seat as well. I don’t see it as parties. Two Democrats and four Republi- toward GOP incumbent Mitch Gillespie, mark, Cunningham rejected running against him.” cans will chase a seat considered leaning will feature a challenge from Democrat a suggestion by Republican Sen. Ken Moore of toward the GOP. Everette Clark, the mayor of Marion. leaders that he switch par- Lenoir and Sen. Virginia Former 10-year House member Jimmy Former eight-term Republican Rep. ties. Foxx of Banner Elk, both Love will compete for the Democrat nomi- Charlotte Gardner will attempt to recap- After first indicating he Republicans, will pursue nation against former state ture the Rowan County would run, Democratic Sen. the District 45 mantle, and Sen. Wanda Hunt. seat she lost in 2000 to Sen. David Hoyle Charles Carter of Asheville whoever emerges from the Former state Reps. Democrat Lorene Coates. finally announced he would not seek re- primary is likely to defeat Democrat chal- Bobby Ray Hall and Teena Gardner must first win election. His newly redrawn 48th District lenger Mollie Marlene Laws. Little, Harnett County a primary against Lynn includes all of Henderson County, a Repub- In District 50, Democrat Sen. Dan Commissioner Tim Dula of Salisbury. lican stronghold. Four GOP candidates, in- Robinson of Cullowhee will face Republi- McNeill, and Republican Former Greensboro cluding Henderson County Commissioner can Sen. Bob Carpenter of Franklin in a race Party activist Harris Blake City Councilman Earl Grady Hawkins, former state Sen. Jess that is a tossup. are all pursuing the GOP Jones is among the Demo- Ledbetter, and former state Rep. Ralph The House has two races in which in- nomination. crats seeking victory for an Ledford, are seeking the nomination. Busi- cumbents will compete. Democrats Edd Nye Sen. Bill Purcell will de- open District 60 seat. nessman Tom Apodaca also filed for the of Elizabethtown and Nurham Warwick fend his solidly Democratic Rep. Shelly Willing- primary. Robert Burris is the only Demo- will both seek the District 22 seat, and who- District 25 seat against ham, who was appointed crat candidate for the seat. ever wins will also likely defeat Republican former state Rep. Donald to replace former Rep. In a Senate district that perhaps leans challenger Joy Barbour of Fayetteville. Dawkins, who served as a Toby Fitch, will defend his favorably toward the GOP, Sen. Oscar Har- In a race that could be close, Republican Democrat from 1985 to District 24 seat against ris chose not to run against fellow Demo- Rep. John Blust will run against Democrat 1992, but is now a Republi- three other Democrats in- cratic Sen. Allen Wellons of Smithfield after incumbent Flossie Boyd-McIntyre for the can. Rep. Frank Mitchell cluding Wilson City Coun- having been drawn into the same district. District 62 seat, if he survives a primary Democrat Sen. Kay cilman A. P. Coleman. Wellons will face either of two Republicans, challenge from Stephen Paul Jones. Hagan is opposed by former state Sen. Mark In what should be a wide-open race in E. Ray Boswell of Wendell or Johnston McDaniel, who previously served as a sena- District 16, four local Pender County elected County Commissioner Fred Smith Jr. of Opportunities in Senate races tor from Forsyth County but now lives in officials will run. Clayton. Greensboro. Three Democrats: F. D. Rivenbark, In the House, Democrat Rep. Ronnie Placed in districts that were either un- Sen. Katie Dorsett, D-Guilford, is chal- Dwight Strickland, and Jack Barnes, and Smith of Newport, after filing initially, dis- friendly to them or matched them against lenged in District 28 by Mike Causey, who Republican Carolyn Justice (who has a pri- covered a primary challenger in former Rep. other incumbents, some House members was the GOP candidate for state insurance mary opponent in David Greene) are the Bruce Ethridge and was also drawn into a decided to run for a Senate seat instead. commissioner in 2000. candidates. Rivenbark, Strickland, and Jus- strong GOP district with Republican Rep. Drawn into a district with fellow Re- Former state Sen. Don East of Pilot tice are county commissioners, and Barnes Jean Preston of Emerald publican Rep. Debbie Mountain will challenge Republican Sen. is a former Topsail Beach official. Isle. Smith decided against Clary, Rep. John Weatherly John Garwood in District 30. In Asheville, Republican Sen. Hugh Webster, defend- another term. of Kings Mountain instead former Republican two-term Sen. R. L. Clark ing District 24 in which his party is outnum- Preston thinks Ethridge decided to run against is challenging Sen. Steve Metcalf for the bered in voter registration by 52 percent to will lean heavily on the lot- Democrat Sen. Walter District 49 seat — a race that should be 32 percent, will face Democrat business- tery referendum issue to Dalton of Rutherfordton. close. man Bill Powell of Burlington. promote his campaign. That Senate district leans “I’m very optimistic The House has sev- “I think that’s why slightly Democratic. Clary about the district,” said eral competitive open Bruce picked that issue, be- will still have a primary Clark, who lost the last two seats. District 34 in Raleigh cause a lot of people in the challenger in District 110. campaigns in former two- features three Republi- district support a lottery The challenger is Gaston seat districts to Metcalf cans — Don Munford, Al referendum,” said Preston, County Commissioner Joe and Charles Carter. “It’s Nunn, and J. H. Ross — who is leaning against a ref- Carpenter. very compact now. I can competing in the primary erendum. Smith opposed Rep. Gregg Thompson go door to door and do for a chance to run against the lottery as well. of Spruce Pine will run for talk radio.” Democratic newcomer Rep. Mary Jarrell of senator of open District 47, Senate District 41, a Julie Paul in November. High Point decided not to which favors the GOP can- Republican stronghold, At least three House run in a new district that is didate, against three other has no primaries and will Republicans may have Sen. Eric Reeves 46 percent Republican and Republicans. One Demo- look to a race between difficulty keeping their 38 percent Democrat. No Democrat filed for crat, Joe Queen of Waynesville, filed for the GOP candidate R. B. Sloan, redrawn seats. Rep. Mia the race, but four Republicans, including race. former chairman of the Morris’s Fayetteville dis- former Rep. Steve Wood and High Point Iredell Board of Commis- trict became less favorable City Councilman Chris Whitley, will com- Comeback kids and other politicos sioners, and Democrat Rep. Jean Preston for her, opening the way pete in the primary. Victor Crosby. for Democrat and retired Democrat Rep. Daniel Barefoot of Lin- In a district that leans Republican, Sen. Austin Allran of radio executive Margaret coln County was drawn into an unfavor- Democrat Sen. Scott Thomas of Craven Hickory, who served three terms in the Highsmith Dickson to mount a strong bid able district with a Republican incumbent County will be opposed by the winner of a House and eight in the Senate, will be up to unseat her. and will not run. Rep. Joe Kiser has a pri- Republican primary between Craven against Hickory’s former mayor of 20 years, Rep. Mark Crawford, who was ap- mary challenger in David Noles of County Commissioner Chuck Tyson and Bill McDonald, in a Republican primary. pointed to replace Lanier Cansler, must run Lincolnton, who served one term in the Carteret County Republican Party Chair- a strong campaign in order to win a race House in the mid-1980s. If Kiser is victori- man Jule Wheatley. Seeking the House considered to be a toss-up. Marge Carpen- ous there he will be opposed by Democrat Democrat Sen. Kever Clark, who was ter, R-Haywood, also faces difficult odds. Floyd Mason. appointed to replace the late Sen. Luther On the House side, Hickory Mayor Pro Even more House Democrats, however, Jordan, will defend the District 7 seat against Tem Hamilton Ward will challenge Repub- are considered to be in danger. Among Incumbents battle each other primary challenger Cecil Hargett. Two Re- lican Rep. Mark Hilton in the 88th District. them are Appropriations Chairman David publicans, Tom Mattison and former Sen. Republican Monroe Buchanan, who Redwine. Others are Alice Underhill, Russell In four of the Senate races incumbents Tommy Pollard, also filed in the Democrat- came under heavy fire for not supporting Tucker, Phil Baddour, Alex Warner, Jenni- will compete for the right to return to Ra- dominant region. the GOP caucus on several key votes last fer Weiss, Hugh Holliman, Maggie Jeffus, leigh. Orange County’s District 23 will fea- In Raleigh, state Sen. John Carrington session, will be challenged in the 84th Dis- and Walter Church. CJ August 2002 C A R O L I N A 4 North Carolina JOURNAL

Around the State CNN, NBC, Fox News question North Carolina’s plan

• The Winston-Salem Journal re- Networks Focus on Misuse of Tobacco Funds ported that the first August weekend’s sales tax holiday, in which North Carolina consumers By PAUL CHESSER ies in part that went toward the funding of were absolved from the state’s 6 1/ Associate Editor an equestrian center and a tobacco process- 2 percent sales tax on back-to-school RALEIGH ing plant.” purchases, wasn’t necessarily a great irst it was addressed on MSNBC’s As reported by Carolina Journal, the deal. “The Abrams Report” and Fox News Golden LEAF Foundation, established by The story cited the research of Channel. Then ABC’s “Good Morn- the state to distribute half of North David Brunori, an editor for Sales F ing America” ran an in-depth segment on Carolina’s settlement for economic devel- Tax Notes, which tracks state tax poli- the story. opment in “tobacco dependent” communi- cies, and studies by a University of At the end of July, CNN and “NBC ties, gave the Five Points Horse Park in West Florida professor. Brunori said, Nightly News with Tom Brokaw” reported Hoke County $200,000. It also provided “People rush to the stores. The laws the controversy over how states, and par- $400,000 for a tobacco processing plant’s of supply and demand then dictate ticularly North Carolina, have misused water and sewer lines in Nash County. that the prices go up. You save 5 or money won in the 1998 tobacco lawsuit. Brown said Gov. Mike Easley provided 6 percent on your sales tax, and Forty-six states settled for $246 billion from a statement to “NewsNight” that said “he’s you’re paying 10 percent more for the tobacco industry because of health-re- disappointed with the way some of the the underlying product.” lated costs they incurred for the care of money has been spent, notwithstanding smokers. some investments that have helped attract • Gov. Mike Easley’s order to The national news organizations have good jobs to North Carolina.” hire 1,200 teachers for a More at discovered that several states, rather than Brown interviewed Mississippi Attor- Four program and additional teach- using the money to offset health costs re- ney General Michael Moore, whom Brown ers may have unintended conse- lated to smoking or campaigns to prevent tal projects. said “spearheaded the tobacco settlement.” quences. smoking, have instead used the revenue on “Those eyeing what became known as Brown asked Moore whether it was realis- The Statesville Record & Land- questionable projects. the Master Settlement Agreement back in tic to expect states to spend all the settle- mark reported that public school of- On July 22 CNN’s “NewsNight with 1998 hoped the public health initiative ment money on tobacco prevention and ficials in Iredell County worry that Aaron Brown” (which airs in prime time at would become as habit-forming as tobacco health programs. layoffs or a lack of space will be 10 p.m.) zeroed in on projects in New York itself,” Brown said. “Yeah, of course, you know, we didn’t caused by the addition of More at and North Carolina as ex- “Of the estimated $30 sue to build highways,” Moore said. “We Four teachers. They expect cuts in amples where tobacco billion handed out to date sued because tobacco kills more people than other areas such as textbooks or other settlement money was “I assume you find it a nationwide, experts say a anything else in this country.” jobs to make up for the additional misused. little galling…that North little more than 5 percent “I assume you find it a little galling to cost. “No one really be- — 5 percent — has been know that North Carolina spent it on a to- The officials also said the order lieved the states would Carolina spent it on a used toward tobacco pre- bacco processing plant,” Brown said. will require more classroom space spend all of their billions tobacco processing vention,” he said. Moore said, “Yeah, my friend Mike in already crowded schools, and on health care and anti- Later in the segment Easley up there of course was very helpful more furniture. smoking ads,” Brown plant.” — CNN’s Aaron Brown turned the focus to us with this tobacco settlement, but he’s Person County school leaders said, opening the seg- Brown in an interview to North Carolina. He having some tough times, and the tobacco are concerned that its “Support Our ment. “Politicians and the said the state’s allocation lobby is pretty strong…up there in tobacco Students” program, which they say tobacco industry didn’t of funds to cut teen smok- land in North Carolina.” has increased end-of-grade test believe that, and I guarantee you reporters ing “falls way short of what needs to be “Yeah, that’s a little galling,” Moore scores for at-risk 12- to 14-year-olds, who covered the story didn’t either. done,” according to “critics.” said. “I mean, we don’t need to do anything is expected to receive a 36 percent “But golf courses?” wondered Brown, “There is also a lawsuit which has been to help the tobacco companies. Believe me, cut in state funding. The program referring to New York’s Niagara County filed against the state for the way it’s dis- they have plenty of money. So I wish they offers tutoring in math and English, public golf course, which received $450,000 tributed millions of the big tobacco settle- wouldn’t do things like that. That’s kind of and homework assistance. Reported in tobacco settlement money for two capi- ment dollars,” Brown said, adding, “mon- crazy.” CJ by the Roxboro Courier-Times.

•Most Democrats in the Gen- eral Assembly support some in- crease in the state cigarette tax, but Locke Scholar Discusses Founders’ Founder the Winston-Salem Journal reported last week that a significant number By PAUL CHESSER ethics. The teachings of the Gospel, for ex- from the party, mostly representing Associate Editor ample loving God and one’s neighbors, were eastern counties, aren’t on board RALEIGH to be followed not just because Jesus said so, with the idea. n adjunct scholar for the John Locke but because they promoted one’s happi- Rep. Nelson Cole of Rocking- Foundation since it began in 1990, ness.” ham County said at least 10 Demo- George Stephens was an appropri- Stephens writes that Locke was “very crats oppose an increase, the news- A ate author to write a book on John Locke. He religious” and found that religious toler- paper reported. “A vast number of spoke at a luncheon sponsored by the Foun- ance “promoted political and economic smokers are low-income,” Cole said. dation July 24. unity.” Those views were expressed in “I view it as a tax that unfairly im- His book, Locke, Jefferson, and the Justices: Locke’s “Essay Concerning Toleration” and pacts the lower-income population.” Foundations and Failures of the US Govern- “Letter Concerning Toleration,” and Other Democrats oppose the tax ment, introduces Locke as the philosopher Stephens said that “our rights of free speech, because they represent large tobacco from whom the Founding Fathers drew press, and assembly stem at least in part growing and manufacturing coun- their governing principles in establishing from” those essays. ties. the United States of America. He calls Locke Locke is also known as the mind and “the Founder of the Founders.” author behind the establishment of the gov- • A publication called the Arab “He was our political philosopher,” ernment of Carolina. Stephens writes that News, which claims to be “Saudi Stephens said. in 1699 Locke “contributed to or perhaps Arabia’s first English language The theme of Stephens’s book is that wrote all of ‘The Fundamental Constitu- daily,” published a report June 28 even today Locke is the basis from which tions of Carolina.’” The reason for Stephens’s about the activity of The Islamic our laws must be interpreted. Author George Stephens doubt is that the “Constitutions” created a Center of the Triad in Greensboro. “Locke’s principles and the Common serfdom, which was “antithetical to The article claimed “the immi- Law are written into the Declaration of by heart in 1776, when he incorporated it [Locke’s] other writings, whereas the sec- grant community in North Carolina Independence and the Constitution, espe- into the Declaration of Independence,” tions on religious toleration sound like him.” has taken a proactive role in devis- cially in its Bill of Rights,” Stephens writes. Stephens said. “He took Locke’s ideas for Stephens considers whether Locke “was ing a program to respond to the “They are the foundation of the supreme granted, as did his contemporaries.” ordered to write the untypical part, or if daily attacks on Islam which the law of our land, so the laws passed under it Creation of American government was perhaps he did not write it.” media are carrying out.” must reflect his principles, and judicial in- most influenced by Locke’s Second Treatise Stephens’s book traces the history of It also said the Center’s Imam terpretation must give deference to them.” of Government, which he wrote in near-exile American individual rights in the light of its Badi Ali “has built a good relation- Stephens’s luncheon speech followed in Holland after writing critically about founding historical documents, which were ship with the local media and works the outline of his book, beginning with “royal policies” in England. Stephens writes fortified by Locke’s philosophical brain around the clock to respond to news Locke’s background and writings, then ex- that “our theory of rights was developed in power. While some of those rights were lost coming out of the Middle East.” The plaining Thomas Jefferson’s “discipleship” it,” and especially Locke’s views on reli- in the early 20th century, Stephens said article detailed the center’s call to from Locke and implementation of those gious tolerance “are echoed in our found- “Locke made a comeback” in the late 1970s influence public opinion. CJ standards at the founding of the country. ing documents.” through tax cuts advocated by Jack Kemp “[Jefferson] knew Locke’s phraseology “For Locke, Christian ethics was natural and Ronald Reagan’s presidency. CJ C A R O L I N A August 2002 JOURNAL North Carolina 5

ECU students working on business plan TransPark Officials Overstate Financial Obligations to U.S.

By DON CARRINGTON additional funds from the state,” he said. that the GTP borrowed from the state Es- Gene Conti. Conti is also vice chairman of Associate Publisher DOT public information officers could not cheat Fund. The loan still remains a sticking the GTP Authority. RALEIGH be reached for a response to the FAA state- point for state officials to resolve. State Trea- According to the invitation, the meet- .C. DOT officials overstated po- ment. surer Richard Moore told CJ, “We consider ing was labeled a “public forum to discuss tential financial obligations in a The DOT report also mentioned an ob- this to be an official and enforceable loan. So the GTP,” but all the panelists were strong Nreport on the Global TransPark ligation to the U.S. Army Corps of Engi- far, there has been no breach of the terms of supporters of the GTP. released in late July, federal officials say. neers to spend $4.5 million for remaining the loan, and we do expect repayment.” There were no panelists calling for the The report claimed that if the state did environmental impact mitigation. The en- project to be shut down. About 60 people not spend an additional $2.9 million on vironmental impact statement permitted Interns develop business plan attended. They were either public officials capital costs for the runway completion, the 6,000 acres of land for development, includ- or business leaders from the 13-county GTP state might have to pay back the Federal ing 1,500 acres of land that the state owns at Another plan to keep the GTP alive was region. Aviation Administration as much as $33 the GTP. The document said the cost to unveiled July 25 at a forum in Greenville. Manning was an official with the Alli- million and may also have to forfeit $14 complete the environmental commitments, Isaac Manning, a consultant hired by ance Airport in Fort Worth, Texas. Two million in annual statewide airport grants. including wetland mitigation, is $4.5 mil- the GTP Foundation, told a select group of attendees told CJ they learned that Man- Federal airport grants to North Caro- lion. “If the state chooses not to complete invitees to the forum that a team of five ning is being paid $15,000 per month by the lina fall under the authority of the FAA the mitigation of the GTP, it will lose its college students is developing a business GTP Foundation. Airports District Office in Atlanta. Man- permit with the Corps of Engineers and its plan for the project. “When I came here I asked for a busi- ager Scott Seritt told Carolina Journal that credibility with the Corps, EPA, and DENR, The students working on the project ness plan. We’re making one. It will have there appears to be a lot of misinformation as well as the environmental groups across also doubled as well-dressed parking at- what the TransPark can do, what the prod- being disseminated about the GTP in the state,” the document said. tendants who greeted the invitees in the uct is, what we can sell, and when we’re Kinston. He said no grants need to be re- But David Franklin, of the Corps’ parking lot before the event, forum attend- done, we’re going to take it up to Raleigh paid as long as the airport remains a public Wilmington office that issued the environ- ees interviewed by CJ said. The students are and answer the question everyone has been facility. The airport, he said, could be trans- mental permit, told CJ the state could apply from East Carolina University and two other asking, which is how can this project make ferred from the GTP to another government for a modification. state universities. money and start to turn around,” Manning organization, such as a Kinston-Lenoir He said wetlands restoration was Started in the early 1990s, the GTP was said, as reported by The Free Press of Kinston. County Airport Authority. needed only for work that was already com- meant to become a futuristic manufactur- Both Gov. Mike Easley and the N.C. He also said North Carolina is not in pleted, such as new roads and the runway ing and transportation complex that would Senate have proposed only $1.6 million in any danger of losing $14 million in annual itself. He said there is no need to mitigate give factories access to large airplanes and funding for the GTP this year. The House federal statewide airport grants that De- wetlands damage for the numerous manu- world markets. The emphasis was on just- has yet to make a proposal. partment of Transportation officials said facturing facilities that have not been built. in-time manufacturing. Since its inception, Rep. Nelson Cole, D-Rockingham, told were at risk. He said the amount of mitigation that has the project has failed to attract any new CJ he was frustrated with the lack of progress “Those grants are not tied to the GTP,” been completed needs to be determined manufacturing facilities. at the GTP. Five years ago he began asking Seritt said. and matched to actual damage. The meeting was sponsored by ECU GTP officials for a business plan. Cole is “We believe the GTP runway can be The DOT report pointed out $11.2 mil- Chancellor William Muse and N.C. Depart- chairman of the House Appropriations Sub- open and operational at this time without lion in principal and $2.5 million in interest ment of Transportation Deputy Secretary committee on Transportation. CJ Equal opportunity advocate wants privacy Collection of Racial Data Useless, We Want Less!

Connerly Tells Locke Audience Concerned About Issues Such As Taxes, Regulations, Property Rights By PAUL CHESSER ment and powerful opposition to RPI than & Patient Choice in Health Care? Associate Editor Proposition 209, that he will need the time RALEIGH to gather financial and grass-roots support Thousands of your fellow North ard Connerly, known for leading for 2004. Connerly said teachers’ unions, Carolinians are, too — that’s why the effort that successfully re- the NAACP, ACLU, the Mexican Legal De- they have joined North Carolina Wmoved racial preferences in Cali- fense Fund, the Latino Caucus of the state Citizens for a Sound Economy to fornia government and education, has be- legislature, and environmentalist groups fight for less government, lower gun his second battle in pursuit of a color- are uniting to fight the measure. He said taxes, and more freedom. They are blind America. such formidable foes could raise significant making their voices heard. Connerly spoke at a John Locke Foun- money quickly, and waiting until 2004 North Carolina CSE members protest state dation luncheon June 25 in Raleigh, and would give RPI a better chance for passage. Fighting for the People’s Agenda tax increases at a rally in Raleigh. explained his advocacy for the sequel to “I don’t believe we can match them 10 Proposition 209, called the “Racial Privacy cents on the dollar,” he said. North Carolina Citizens for a Sound Economy holds politicians accountable for Initiative.” Connerly said minorities, especially their votes on taxes, regulations, and other issues. Its aggressive, real-time Whereas Proposition 209 by popular blacks, need to stop thinking of themselves campaigns activate a grassroots army to show up and demand policy change. vote in California eliminated race-based as “hyphenated Americans,” citing Jesse “affirmative action” in public education, Jackson’s coining of the phrase “African- And it gets results. CSE has helped to defeat three large tax increases in North contracting, and employment, the RPI Americans.” Carolina and defended property rights, parental choice, and individual freedom would prevent state government from col- He said that identifier, plus the growth before the state legislature, county commissions, city councils, and elsewhere. lecting personal information about race. of multiculturalism, “gave schizophrenia “The time has come for us to revisit to black Americans.” Here’s what some are saying about Citizens for a Sound Economy: what we call race,” Connerly said. “If you “Many accept the left side of that hy- can’t have preferences or discriminate, why phen, rather than the right side of that hy- • “They have been doing a great job all over the country educating people.” do you need the information?” phen,” Connerly said. — President George W. Bush Connerly began pushing Proposition He said the “American creed” estab- 209 in 1995 as a member of the University of lished by the Founding Fathers determined ¥ “CSE is a great organization . . . The hundreds of thousands of volunteer California Board of Regents, after he per- that “we will all come here from around the activists that are members of CSE are vital to this country’s economic prosperity.” suaded a majority of the board to end the globe…and become ‘Americans.’” — U.S. Rep. Richard Burr of Winston-Salem university system’s use of race as a means Connerly said RPI would prevent “all for admissions. The proposition passed in of these bureaucrats” from asking citizens ¥ “You guys are everywhere! CSE is a great organization. CSE, thanks.” 1996 by a 54 percent to 46 percent ratio. to provide race information by checking — Sen. John McCain RPI will appear on the March 2004 pri- boxes on government forms. mary ballot. California state and county He said race categories have grown agencies certified that more than 670,000 from “five to 63 boxes,” because the nation Get Involved! names on a petition submitted by Connerly has become such a melting pot as the result Join North Carolina CSE are legitimate. He delivered 980,000 signa- of reproduction across traditional races. NORTH CAROLINA and Make a Difference! tures in April. Keeping data on race exists only to main- 115 1/2 West. Morgan St. “It’s going to be a hotly contested initia- tain the divisive interests of increasingly Raleigh, NC 27601 tive,” Connerly said in an interview before smaller groups, he said. www.cse.org the luncheon. “It is fundamentally un-American,” he 1-888-446-5273 In fact, he expects so much more vehe- said. CJ August 2002 C A R O L I N A 6 Education JOURNAL

School Reform Briefs Vouchers Constitutional, High Court Says U.S. Supreme Court upholds the right of educational choice for parents •North Carolina State Board members are required under the No Child Left Behind Act to define a By BRIAN GWYN of Education and dangerous school and offer transfers Editorial Intern president of the to students attending the schools. RALEIGH state’s equivalent But some critics question whether chool vouchers are part of a grow- of a chamber of the state’s definition is too lenient. ing school reform movement. commerce, was In North Carolina, if a school has Voucher programs allow parents to also quoted in The five or more violent incidents per S apply their tax dollars to private schools, Charlotte Observer 1,000 students, a state team will visit, providing more choice where their children as saying the and the State Board of Education will go to school. The newest development in state’s business vote whether to classify the school this idea is the U.S. Supreme Court ruling community op- as “persistently dangerous.” in June upholding the voucher program in poses vouchers on But is the definition strict Cleveland, Ohio. the ground that enough? The list of violent crimes In 1996, only one in 10 Cleveland City “strong public defined by the board included an as- School District ninth-graders passed a ba- schools [are] a bet- sault causing serious injury, robbery, sic proficiency exam. In that same year the ter way to build the and sexual assaults. It does not in- district failed to meet any of the state’s 18 work force.” clude possession of a weapon, fire- minimum standards for acceptable perfor- However, ac- arm, or drugs. These less serious mance. cording to a survey crimes accounted for 6,789 of the Sensing a state of education emergency, by the N.C. Alli- 7,586 incidents reported on the policymakers implemented Cleveland’s ance for Smart state’s 2001 school-crime report. voucher program in the 1996-97 school year. Schools, 66 percent With the current definition, only The money in the program is distrib- of business execu- 21 schools in the state would qualify uted on the basis of income. Here are the tives in North last year as persistently dangerous rules: Families with incomes below 200 per- Carolina favor schools. Five of the schools are lo- cent of the poverty line have first priority scholarships or tax CSE activists rally for school choice in front of the U.S. Supreme Court cated in Mecklenburg or Union of receiving up to $2,250 in private school credits for students County. The 21 schools are: tuition. All parents have to help pay the tu- to attend private schools. to be considered for “government” funds. ition. Families with incomes below the 200 One drawback to local action may be Religious schools in particular feel that Caldwell Gateway, Caldwell Co. percent poverty mark are not required to the state’s education funding formula. The their ability to incorporate faith into the Neal Middle, Durham Co. copay more than $250. Families with higher formula may make it difficult for school classroom would be hindered if important Forsyth Vocational High, Forsyth Co. incomes have no specified limit on their co- boards to initiative reforms; North Carolina distinctions are not made about the vouch- Greene Co. Middle, Green Co. payment amount. The school district gives relies heavily on state funds for education. ers. Mulberry St. School, Iredell Co. the parents a check, which they can apply According to the Department of Public Dr. Joe Haas, executive director of the Lewis Center, Lenoir Co. to their chosen school. Instruction, the state pays for almost 70 per- North Carolina Christian School Associa- Jamesville High, Martin Co. Since 46 of the 56 participating schools cent of the education costs in North Caro- tion, praised the Supreme Court ruling as a Coulwood Middle, Mecklenburg Co. are religious, the issue at hand was whether lina. Local governments contribute less than good first step but noted that if vouchers Eastway Middle, Mecklenburg Co. the voucher program violates the Establish- 25 percent. are to ever come to North Carolina, it must West Middle, Montgomery Co. ment Clause of the First Amendment. In a States such as Ohio, Florida, and Wis- be clear that the money goes to the parents Emma B. Trask, New Hanover, Co. 5 to 4 decision, the Supreme Court said no. consin all have voucher programs. Ohio rather than to the school. Once that distinc- Swansboro Middle, Onslow Co. In the majority opinion, Chief Justice pays only 41 percent, Florida 51 percent, tion is made, he said, it will be no different Pender Co. Alt., Pender Co. William Rehnquist wrote that “the Ohio and Wisconsin 56 percent of their states’ than other current programs. Leak Street, Richmond Co. program is entirely neutral with respect to education costs. The states depend much “It’s amazing that we can’t trust par- Rohenen JHS, Richmond Co. religion…It permits such individuals to ex- more on local control and local solutions. ents, but we trust people with food stamps Orrum Middle, Robeson Co. ercise genuine choice Still, some N.C. leg- and the G.I. Bill,” Haas said. Monroe Middle, Union Co. among options public islators think the court’s Monroe High, Union Co. and private, secular and decision is a step in the Is constitutionality still an issue? South Providence, Union Co. religious.” “It’s amazing that we right direction. North Garner Middle, Wake Co. The decision clears can’t trust parents, but “It gives a green light Education officials in Kentucky have ar- Speight Middle, Wilson Co. up years of ambiguity re- we trust people with to states who want to find gued that the Supreme Court’s decision garding the use of school better solutions for edu- bears little significance because many states As reported by the News & vouchers. Opponents of food stamps and the cation,” said Senate Mi- have constitutional restrictions on money Record of Grensboro. vouchers were quick to G.I. Bill.” nority Leader Patrick going toward private schools. use the First Amendment Ballantine, R-New Kentucky’s constitution, in particular, •Guilford County school offi- challenge as a way to — Dr. Joe Haas Hanover, “but first we states, “No portion of any fund or tax now cials have decided it’s time to ensure have courts intervene any need to build a consensus existing, or that may hereafter be raised or all students reach grade level. Strug- voucher program. Now, with that avenue with the large groups who are opposed to levied for educational purposes, shall be ap- gling students will now have to stay eliminated, proponents say there will be change.” propriated to, or used by, or in aid of, any after school three days a week for more talk about the benefits and costs of School-choice supporters such as church, sectarian or denominational tutoring. voucher programs. Lindalyn Kakadelis, director of the North school.” This is the first time the program Carolina Education Alliance and the Some might point to N.C. as being a is mandatory. Officials predict that Reaction in North Carolina Children’s Scholarship Fund of Charlotte, state that prohibits money going to private 6,000 students will stay after school think some sort of scholarship program schools as well. The N.C. Constitution is not this fall. After the Supreme Court’s ruling came would greatly benefit children in the state. as direct as Kentucky’s, since it says only Associate Superintendent down, supporters in several states, includ- “As in Cleveland, communities in that money shall be “used exclusively for Chuck Morris told the News & Record ing Texas, California, Colorado, Washing- North Carolina should be able to offer establishing and maintaining a uniform sys- of Greensboro, “If you want to catch ton D.C., and Pennsylvania, pledged to scholarship assistance to disadvantaged tem of free public schools.” students up and close the gaps, you work toward new voucher plans. In North children so then can get the sound, basic Still, the wording could have vouchers have to extend the school day.” Carolina, however, there has been no sig- education they deserve,” said Kakadelis. interpreted as deviating from the funding Students will be expected to stay nificant movement for vouchers. “When schools compete — kids win!” of public schools. an extra 90 minutes after school on Some reject the indications of improve- This excerpt does not provide a com- Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thurs- ments in other states and say vouchers are Private school climate in N.C. plete picture of North Carolina’s constitu- days beginning the second week of a weak solution to the state’s education tional attitude towards religious education. September. After-school tutoring will woes. Critics say vouchers pull the best stu- In order for vouchers to even become The state constitution goes as far as say- not finish until early May when stu- dents out of the public schools, called a an issue in the long run, private schools ing that, “Religion, morality, and knowl- dents take the state’s end-of-grade “creaming” effect, and divert resources that must be willing to accept them. Some pri- edge being necessary to good government tests. should be spent improving public schools. vate schools in other states have been re- and the happiness of mankind, schools, li- District officials hope the efforts The accusations, however, are un- luctant to participate in voucher programs braries, and the means of education shall will help schools meet new federal founded. According to a study by the because they could include government re- forever be encouraged.” regulations. The No Child Left Be- RAND Corporation in 2001, schools that ac- strictions, which is exactly what they want As Haas pointed out, the question hind Act requires schools to have all cept government-funded vouchers in other to avoid. could be averted entirely if the state chooses students at grade level. Scores are states tend to serve higher at-risk popula- Private schools are free from much of to enact a law specifying that the money split into nine racial and socioeco- tions than traditional schools do. Further, the bureaucratic red tape that plagues pub- goes to the family rather than to the school. nomic subgroups to ensure no group parents are more satisfied at these schools lic schools. “If vouchers go to the parents, there are of students is failing to make signifi- and student achievement improves after Accepting vouchers could mean par- fewer complications,” Haas said. “If there cant progress. CJ just one year. ticipating private schools would have to are those who are willing to listen, we’ll see Phil Kirk, chairman of the N.C. Board submit to some of the regulations in order how it goes.” CJ August 2002 C A R O L I N A JOURNAL Education 7 Most high schools have long class periods Block Scheduling, the Latest N.C. Rage True or False: N.C. Best in Tests? By SHERRI JOYNER Assistant Editor Percent of Block Scheduled High Schools in N.C. RALEIGH n June, The Princeton Review released a report, hrough the mid- to late 1990s many North Carolina 80.0% Testing the Testers 2002, ranking each state’s high school principals chose to switch their schools accountability system. News quickly spread to “block scheduling.” The change gave teachers I T that North Carolina ranked No. 1 for having the best 90-minute class periods instead of the traditional 45 min- 60.0% testing program in the country. utes. This announcement was a surprise to many Today, 73 percent of all high schools in North Carolina who consistently deal with issues surrounding the are block-scheduled, a far cry from the six high schools, or 40.0% ABC’s, North Carolina’s accountability program. 1.6 percent, that were block-scheduled 10 years ago. How is it that we are first? The report ignored whether “Principals really wanted the longer class periods,” our tests are actually reputable. said Gengshu Zhang, senior evaluation researcher with the 20.0% The executive summary N.C. Department of Public Instruction. A 1997 survey of 25 states the study was not con- blocked-scheduled high schools in North Carolina con- cerned with state standards ducted by DPI found that principals chose the system SOURCE: N.C. DPI or academic rigor. The report 0.0% because it offered “a greater variety of courses, greater 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 studied the “accountability focus on fewer courses each semester, and the ability to system” as a whole. But look- retake failed courses immediately.” ing at the accountability sys- Despite its popularity, the reform draws mixed re- tem without looking at the views from a number of studies. A new study by Iowa State operate on this model. specific standards and the University and administrators of the ACT found that stu- Schools also can use an A-B-A-B model. In this system, rigor of the test is like evalu- dent achievement may actually be impaired by certain students still have four class periods a day, but alternate to ating a car repair shop with- models of block scheduling. The series of joint studies, a different four classes the next day. Lindalyn out looking at the quality of Kakadelis conducted by Donald Hackmann, associate professor of The 4 x 4 system receives the most criticism, mainly the repair work or whether educational leadership and policy studies at Iowa State and because it leaves large gaps between studies. For instance, the cars actually ran! a research team, concentrated on high schools in Iowa and a student who takes geometry in the fall may not have There were four criteria with 25 factors reviewed Illinois. another math class until the following fall. The Iowa study in the report. North Carolina scored a perfect 2 Other studies have also questioned the system of re- found that schools using a 4 x 4 schedule showed perfor- points on 21 of the factors considered, and only arranging class time. In 1999, the Texas Education Agency mance declines in ACT scores. scored a one or zero on four. Criterion No. 1 evalu- released a study of block scheduling in Texas high schools DPI recognizes the problems with a 4 x 4 schedule and ated whether the tests were aligned to the state that found no proof the system improved student learning. recommends that schools pursue an A/B block schedule or curriculum. North Carolina made a B+ on this first Mixed results were reached in several studies of North a mix of the two. All Charlotte-Mecklenburg high schools major criterion. While our state scored high, there Carolina high schools. Overall, block scheduling made no operate on an A/B schedule. are questions surrounding the accuracy of the evalu- difference in performance for most subject areas, except in “It comes up every once in a while that we could switch ation. The Standard Course of Study in Language Algebra I where block-scheduled schools outperformed to a 4 x4 schedule,” said Kevin Carr, assistant principal of Arts changed two years ago to include phonics, but tradition public schools, Zhang said. E. E. Waddell High in Charlotte. “But then someone re- the state assessments have not changed. For most subjects, however, the change had negative members the controversy over decreased scores on stan- Criterion No. 2 evaluated whether the tests are impacts before adjusting for student differences such as dardized tests and the 4 x 4 schedule.” able to determine if the curriculum standards have race or parental education. “Without adjusting for differ- been met. North Carolina made a perfect score for ences, students in traditional schedules score higher on Weighing the costs and benefits every indicator. Did the authors of the report miss English, biology, and history,” Zhang said. The differences the questionable testing debacles we’ve had in the disappeared once adjustments were made. These same The lengthening of class periods has pros and cons. last two years? There wasn’t a single mention of the studies by DPI also found that principals and teachers are Students can take fewer classes in one day, but the longer fiasco in 2000-2001 regarding the extremely low generally satisfied with many aspects of block scheduling. class periods allow for more group work and discussion in proficiency level of the math test. Now, with all the the classroom. Carr also noted that longer class periods are problems in this past year’s writing assessment — Different types of blocks especially helpful for science labs. Teachers also have to The Princeton Review needs to come back to review. work with fewer students each day under a block schedule. Criterion No.3 evaluated the openness and on- There are two basic models most schools use. The most But students commonly complain that longer classes going improvement of the state assessments. North common, known as the 4 x 4, requires students to take four make school more boring. It can also be harder for some Carolina made a B. The report scored N.C. lower in classes a day for a semester. The next semester they stu- students to make up missed work. Some teachers aren’t this category because contracts with testing compa- dents move on to four new subjects. In North Carolina, prepared, either, to teach longer class periods. Some ques- nies are not open for review. Yet, the report ignored Zhang estimates 85 to 90 percent of block-scheduled schools tion whether the system lowers standardized test scores. CJ other factors. Our test is not open, even parents cannot review the assessment. Texas received the same score as N.C. However, after the test is admin- Manning orders harsh measures istered in Texas it is released for public review. I also question the disparity between the ABC tests and more-recognized national tests. The National As- sessment of Educational Progress 1998 reading scores State Ignored School Ruling, Judge Says reported 28 percent of students at proficient level in N.C., while the state end-of-grade tests reported 69.8 percent of students were proficient. By SHERRI JOYNER Demonstrating a tone of displeasure, Manning also Criterion No. 4 assessed whether the account- Assistant Editor said it is time for the state to “roll up its sleeves” and “step ability program moves the state forward toward its RALEIGH in with an iron hand” to “straighten up the mess,” suggest- goal for academic progress. There are concerns n a letter delivered to the Deputy Attorney General’s ing the state may need to remove ineffective teachers, whether the increase of academic growth is as dra- Office, Wake County Superior Court Judge Howard principals, or superintendents. matic as the public is led to believe. The disparity in IManning denounced the state for failing to “do little, if Manning reiterated that the state should implement performance for certain groups of students persists, anything, in order to comply” with the court’s orders to successful strategies with “resources currently available to and the State Board continues to study the situation. provide all students in North Carolina with a sound basic public schools” and should require all LEAs to “maintain The federal No Child Left Behind Act mandates education. cost-effective, successful educational programs.” that each state develop an assessment program that Manning ruled April 4 that the state must file a written The only positive statement by Manning was that Gov. involves testing students and releasing the results report with the court every 90 days on actions taken to Mike Easley’s More at Four prekindergarten program com- on a school-by-school basis. Testing the Testers takes ensure all children in every district (including Hoke County plies with the court’s ruling and should be pursued. He did many of these mandates and checks to see if states — the plaintiffs in the case) are provided with a sound basic not mention the need for a lottery to fund the program. have begun what will be required. North Carolina education. Manning concluded that “from the state’s report it did well on this study because we have a strong After receiving the state’s first report, Manning re- appears that nothing concrete has been done whatsoever to standards and accountability program and a State sponded with a 12-page letter blasting the state’s inad- assist HCSS (Hoke County School System) or any other Board of Education that is trying to move us for- equate efforts and referring again to his decision made in school system in need of assistance from the State…to ward. The information on the report is interesting, April. improve the educational opportunities for at-risk chil- and the state is moving in the right direction. The In his letter, Manning said, “The bottom line is that the dren.” difficulty is whether North Carolina is above all state of North Carolina has consistently tried to avoid Before making any final decisions, Manning ruled that other states, and that is questionable. responsibility for the failures to provide at-risk students the state has 10 days to say whether it miscommunicated in The report can be found at www.review.com/ with the equal opportunity for a sound basic education in its report and has indeed been in contact with HCSS and stateStudymsg.cfm. CJ LEAs (districts) throughout the state by blaming failures other plaintiff school districts, or to come up with a new on lack of leadership and effort by the individual LEAs.” plan. CJ August 2002 C A R O L I N A 8 Education JOURNAL

School Reform News From Across the Nation

National List of Failing Schools

.S. Secretary of Education Rod said. “I don’t like being blackmailed.” Paige recently released a na- Immediately, more than $3.5 million U tionwide list of 8,652 failing that had been approved but not yet paid schools. The No Child Left Behind Act out has been put on hold. The founda- allows students to choose a higher-per- tions will resume funding once they see forming school as early as this fall, if enough progress has been made. they attend a school that has been District board members Randall Tay- deemed failing for two lor and Alber Fondy say consecutive years. they understand, but “This is a news day think the foundations in education and oppor- may have gone too far. tunity for the nation’s Taylor, part of the Keynote speaker Vernon Robinson talks with charter school administrators Doug Haynes and neediest children,” board’s minority fac- Baker Mitchell Jr. at the Fifth Annual Charter School Conference in Durham. Paige said. “For the first tion, has clashed with time, school districts Fink and called for her must tell, and parents resignation — an idea Charters entitled to local money will know, which schools are not mak- that Fink quickly rejected. ing sufficient academic progress.” Officials with the foundations were School districts will be required to particularly upset with the departure of Charters Gain Financial Victory pay transportation costs for students two Literacy Plus program leaders. The wishing to transfer schools. reading program has received heavy sup- By BRIAN GWYN few in North Carolina that has an additional Many states are worried about port from the foundations. As reported Editorial Intern local tax on residents that goes directly to changes the law may bring. Illinois has by the Post Gazette. RALEIGH the city’s schools. 435 failing schools and it is estimated unding is always an issue for charter Asheville City Schools Superintendent that more than 150,000 students are eli- State eliminates race as factor schools. Since capital costs are not Robert Logan said the money is not meant gible for transfers. The Chicago Tribune funded by the state or local govern- for charter schools and the ruling could cost reports that thousands would have to The Florida Department of Educa- F ments, most charters are fighting hard for the district almost $800,000 initially and be bused into different school districts tion has eliminated race as a qualifica- every penny they receive. Francine Delany more in the long run. or moved into schools barely better. tion for admission into gifted classes. New School for Children in Asheville paved “I’m taking issue with the fact that they California and Michigan each had Until recently, any student whose IQ is the way for charter schools to receive addi- are seeking funds designated for city more than 1,000 failing schools. Some 130 or higher is admitted into the schools’ tional income that should have come a long schools” Logan said. states, including Arkansas and Wyo- gifted programs. Black and Hispanic stu- time ago. ming, reported none. dents in Broward County have been ad- In May, the N.C. Court of Appeals up- Charter schools are public The U.S. DOE warns against mak- mitted with an IQ of 116 or higher to held a lower court’s ruling that the charter ing comparison between states. “Be- encourage diversity. school is entitled to local money collected The discrepancy arises when charter cause of the differences in the ways each The change was in part due to a through fines and forfeitures. Asheville City schools are not seen as public schools. Many state defines school progress, state com- response from parents claiming the two- Schools appealed the ruling to the N.C. Su- school districts have not accepted charter parisons are not valid,” the news re- tiered system was unconstitutional. Stu- preme Court, but no decision has been schools as public alternatives. lease said. dents with a lower IQ will still be eligible made on whether the case will be heard. The Court of Appeals says differently. Some groups have questioned for gifted classes if they are from a low- By law, the district is required to give “Charter schools are public schools… As whether some state’s standards are too income background, or if they have lim- charter schools the same per-pupil allot- such, they are eligible for state and local lenient. The Center for Education Re- ited English skills. As reported by the ment that other district schools receive. In funding” wrote Judge Wanda Bryant in the form also found that Maryland school Miami Herald. 1999, Francine Delany sued the Asheville court’s opinion. districts have discouraged public choice City Board of Education for refusing to dis- Roger Gerber, director of the League of in the past by promising parents contin- Scores soar at same-sex classes tribute monies collected from fines, forfei- Charter Schools, says the issue is clear. ued improvements and telling them they tures, and supplemental taxes. In “By the state constitution the money be- will miss out on new programs. Moten Elementary School officials Asheville’s case, that money is no small longs to charter schools and charter schools in Washington, D.C. report large in- prize — $1,100 per pupil from a local school are public schools. This conflict shows the Foundations yank school funds creases in the number of student scores tax goes to the city’s schools. bad faith that government schools have in in the highest categories — “advanced” The crux of the issue is N.C. General competition,” Gerber said. Three foundations, the Pittsburgh and “proficient” — on the Stanford 9 test. Statute 115C-238.29 H(b), which states: “If Logan said the $800,000 has been pulled Foundation, the Heinz Endowments, Reading scores jumped from 49 percent a student attends a charter school, the local aside over the years for Francine Delany if and the Grable Foundation, indefinitely to 88 percent in one year, and math scores school administrative unit…shall transfer the case is finally decided in their favor. pulled funding from the Pittsburgh jumped from 50 percent to 91.5 percent. to the charter school an amount equal to the However, he feels it will create a windfall school district, citing their loss of confi- The increases have put Moten, a per pupil local current expense appropria- for the other charters within the district and dence in the district’s leadership. The Southeast Washington school where tion…” Asheville City Schools contends around the state. three groups have awarded the district more than 98 percent of the students that “local current expense appropriation” Since the Court of Appeals decision was $11.7 million in the last five years. qualify for free or discounted lunches on does not include funds acquired from fines, unanimous, the state Supreme Court may Officials from the foundations say the map. Moten’s overall math scores is forfeitures, and supplemental taxes. choose not to hear the case. Officials from they wanted to make a public state- the second-highest among the 106 el- the district are also trying to work with lo- ment, hoping their decision will be a ementary schools in the D.C. system, and A question of accountability cal legislators to pass a bill in the General catalyst for community leaders and resi- its reading scores is the sixth-highest. Assembly clarifying the issue. dents to push for a change in how the Principal George Smitherman thinks The topic of fines and forfeitures money If the ruling stands, Asheville City school district is managed. the sharp increase was caused by two proved to be a hot one at the Fifth Annual Schools will have to pay only for students Susan Brownlee, executive direc- changes in the autumn at the 362-student N.C. Charter School Conference in Durham who reside within its district. This means tor of the Grable Foundation, called the school: switching to same-sex classes and on June 26 at Healthy Start Academy. Philip the families of the students at charter decision wrenching. “The Pittsburgh cutting the lunch period from one hour Adkins, a Durham lawyer, gave a presen- schools are already paying the supplemen- Public Schools in the largest beneficiary to 30 minutes. Changing to same-sex tation on how charter schools can recover tal tax from which the allocation is made. of Grable funding… But from an inves- classes allowed the teachers to spend unissued money. The families are simply using their tax tor viewpoint, you just can’t justify it.” more time on academics and less time on Before filing a lawsuit, Adkins stressed money for their children’s schools. The foundations notified the dis- classroom management. the importance of a cordial initial request. Supporters of charter schools see these trict of their decision in a letter. School officials made the change Because the state’s statute of limitations is efforts as attempts to drag out a clear-cut “The board is divided, the adminis- quietly without alerting the D.C. system. three years, schools could theoretically re- issue. tration is embattled, key personnel are The Bush administration recently an- cover money they were owed from up to Adkins said that charters are not re- leaving or under attack, and morale nounced it would remove obstacles to three years before the date the lawsuit is quired to work through the local district appears to be devastating low,” the let- the creation of single-sex schools. Re- filed. and that if anyone is unaccountable in this ter said. search shows that some students benefit. If a district refuses to voluntarily dis- situation, it is the school district. School board President Jean Fink Shadonna Washington, who recently tribute the local funds, a lawsuit is often the “I would submit that the public school was upset over the decision by what she graduated from the sixth grade and was only way for a charter school to proceed. system isn’t accountable to parents,” characterized as a strong-arm tactic. promoted to another school, said split- Adkins represents four charter schools that Adkins said. “I can’t tell them what to do, and ting the classes by gender was “scary” at are waiting for a final word from the state He said the individual school district’s they shouldn’t tell me what to do. They first, but in time she didn’t miss having Supreme Court before pressing further le- input has little to do with whether the char- shouldn’t use money as a threat,” Fink boys around. CJ gal action. ter schools should rightfully receive a por- Asheville’s school district is one of the tion of the fines and forfeitures money. CJ August 2002 C A R O L I N A JOURNAL Education 9

School Innovation Spotlight Charter School Closes Racial Achievement Gap in Just One Year

By SHERRI JOYNER learning isn’t always dents saw them [the teachers] coming to Assistant Editor easy. “Everyone of those class sniffling with cups of tea,” Damon GASTON kids have shed tears to said. In return, the school saw a 98 percent losing the achievement gap between get them where they are attendance rate from students. white students and black students now,” Damon said. Teachers are also required to keep cell Cis a nationwide problem. But one Damon attributes phones with them to ensure the students school — Gaston College Preparatory, in the school’s success to could reach them for help on homework. Northampton County, N.C. — closed the strong commitment and The hardest challenge was recruiting a gap in just one school year. leadership from teach- student population in a community that The school works off three simple rules: ers, the extra time for in- wasn’t familiar with choice, Damon said. Work hard, be good, and think. struction, and the free- Word also spread that the school was only Gaston College Preparatory started last dom allowed in charter for “smart kids.” “We went out and visited year with 85 fifth-graders. Pretests from the schools. “As school lead- every single parent of children already in beginning of the 2001-02 school year showed ers, we are able to hire the public schools,” Damon said. “We ran that only 49 percent of the students were and fire. We control what into many parents who thought the school reading at or above grade level. This sum- we spend money on. It is was just for gifted kids.” mer, the school learned that 93 percent of its important that a school The school isn’t just for gifted students. students scored at or above grade level on leader have that ability,” The average student performed below the end-of-grade reading tests. The students Damon said. district average — but no longer. Twelve aren’t the cream of the crop. Ninety-eight He admits that with- percent of the student population also has a percent of the school’s student population out strong leaders and learning disability or is physically disabled. is black and 85 percent qualify for free or teachers, it would be The active recruitment of students discounted lunch. hard to make a differ- didn’t help the school start out on a good Observers may not believe it at first ence. “There isn’t one foot with the district. But Damon said the sight, but perhaps they will once they learn solution for every school is working through any of these the charter school is also a KIPP school. The school,” Damon said. problems. Knowledge Is Power Program began in 1994 “But you have to find a The untold part of the story is that KIPP and gained national recognition quickly for group of incredibly dedi- wanted Damon and Sutton to start a school proving to be an educational solution for cated teachers who are in Georgia or Colorado. Persistence paid off black students. Most Americans who are going to make it happen. and the founders/co-principals were able Chevon Boone, a student at Gaston College Prepatory, knows familiar with the KIPP recognize it from a the answer And you need strong to stay in Northampton County. “We 60 Minutes show that focused on the first leadership to make it wanted to help the students and families two KIPP schools located in Houston and ments for good behavior. happen.” we were already working with. So we just New York. With assistance from Doris and “Kids at every KIPP school are told not Dedication from the teachers is evident decided we would argue with them until Donald Fisher, founders of Gap, Inc., and to slouch, and they are told why. “We ex- to everyone, including the students at we were allowed to stay,” Damon said. now owners of both Old Navy and Banana plain that body language is important, we Gaston College Preparatory Teachers didn’t To learn more about KIPP, go to Republic, the program is being duplicated teach them, and then we enforce it,” Damon miss one day of class last year. “The stu- www.kipp.org. CJ by recruiting and training educators to open said. Name-calling and teasing are also and lead their own KIPP-like schools. quickly squashed. The school day is also much longer. A KIPP school in North Carolina School starts daily at 7:30 a.m. and ends at 4 p.m. Students also are required to attend As popularity and success of the pro- school two Saturdays a month and two gram quickly spread, two teachers in North weeks during the summer. The extra time Carolina, Caleb Dolan and Tammy Sutton, gives the students plenty of time to learn decided their district not only reading and needed the program. math, but science and his- “We started teaching This summer, the tory. at Gaston Middle School Most of summer in 1996 and the number of school learned that 93 school is spent acclimat- students passing grade percent of students ing new students to the level material was in- new school environment. creasing,” said Dolan, performed at or above This year, sixth-graders, who serves as the school’s grade level on reading who have already at- co-principal and fifth- end-of-grade tests. tended the school for one grade English teacher. year, came in to tell the “But we were sending new fifth-grade students Advertisement for kids off to low-performing high schools.” what to expect. “Its a tremendous change So the two teachers set off to leadership for a child,” Damon said. “All of the kids training and came back with a plan to start went through a real transformation.” a charter school based on the same ideas of Hard work is expected. Parents and KIPP. KIPP schools work from five “pil- students have to sign a Commitment to Ex- John Hood’s Book lars:” High expectations, Choice and com- cellence pledge. One of the mottoes carried mitment, more time, power to lead, and along to all KIPP schools is “If there’s no focus on results. One of the best known struggle, there’s no progress.” The motto, facts of KIPP schools is their strict require- Damon said, helps the students realize that

C A R O L I N A Weekly Report JOURNAL for Executives Carolina Journal Weekly Report for Executives is your antidote to wa- tered down media coverage of state politics and policy. North Carolina has hundreds of newspapers. But from those hundreds of papers, only a handful of reporters are assigned to Raleigh. And how many of them do you think write from a free-market frame of mind?

In Carolina Journal Weekly Report, you get unfiltered weekly cover- age of state government from experienced reporters who have actu- ally read the Federalist Papers. Our reporters attend committee meet- ings and interview lawmakers face-to-face, so you get the stories first- hand. To subscribe, email [email protected] or call (919) 828-3876. August 2002 C A R O L I N A 10 Higher Education JOURNAL

Course of the Month Decision imperils a long improvement effort

his month’s selection, al- though not technically a N.C. State’s Cutback at University Library T course, finds its way into CM by popular acclaim. It’s this year’s assignment for the Carolina Summer Sparks Widespread Disbelief and Outrage Reading Program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. According to its web site By JON SANDERS (www.unc.edu/srp), the program: Assistant Editor …is designed to introduce you to RALEIGH the intellectual life of Carolina. Required orth Carolina State of all new undergraduate students (first University’s reaction to re- year and transfer), it involves reading quests that it reduce its budget, an assigned book over the summer, writ- N given the state’s ongoing fiscal crisis, sur- ing a one-page response to a particular prised many. The university turned its bud- subject, participating in a two-hour dis- get clippers on the university library. cussion, and sharing your written re- All UNC institutions are having to de- sponse with others. The goals of the pro- cide where to cut their budgets, and natu- gram are to stimulate discussion and rally whatever decisions they make are critical thinking around a current topic, greeted with howls of protest from the af- to introduce you to academic life at Caro- fected areas. What made N.C. State’s deci- lina, to enhance a sense of community sion on its library so surprising was the fact between students, faculty and staff, and that over the past decade, the entire aca- to provide a common experience for in- demic community at the university — stu- coming students. dents, faculty, and administration — rallied Note that it’s not the program’s around the library and pushed for improv- admirable goal that has sparked criti- ing its holdings and status among the cism nationwide, it’s this year’s cho- nation’s research university libraries. sen book, Approaching the Qur’án: The While public outcry caused the univer- Early Revelations, translated and in- sity to ameliorate its position somewhat, troduced by Michael Sells, which some public-relations damage was done, “consists of thirty-five suras, or short and friends and critics of the university passages from the chief holy book of alike were left to wonder exactly what pri- D.H. Hill Library at N.C. State University paid the price during recent university budget moves. Islam, that largely focus on the ex- orities the university has. perience of the divine in the natural Steve Ford of The News & Observer of world and the principle of moral ac- Raleigh opted for a slightly less cynical view of the library following budget cuts of the researcher herself, understands the impor- countability in human life.” of the university than concluding the uni- early 1990s. That buildup was a tance of a library to research, has main- Much of the criticism centers on versity really did esteem its library the low- campuswide effort, as students, faculty, tained support for the library, Nutter said. requiring the suras, which some say est, the most marginal, item on its budget. alumni, parents, administrators and library Another factor contributing to the amounts to state support of a religion Ford wrote that he hoped it wasn’t the “old officials all worked to help resuscitate the library’s improvement, Nutter said, was the — a constitutional no-no under cur- bureaucratic response” to calls for budget- library. special $400 tuition increase granted by the rent judicial interpretation of the Es- cutting, that “the knife seems to be aimed The effort reflected the recognition of legislature for the 1996-97 academic year. tablishment Clause via a phrase in a not toward things that common sense the academic importance of the library, and The legislature allowed the increase for only letter by Thomas Jefferson in 1802 to would classify as dispensable under the cir- it bore fruit. Between 1994-95 and 1999- three areas of funding: financial aid, librar- the Danbury Baptist Association. cumstances,” but instead “toward things 2000, N.C. State recorded the second-larg- ies, and faculty salaries. UNC-CH Chancellor James Moeser whose loss would have a real and painful est increase in library expenditures in the The increase yielded $8.4 million for told Fox News on July 6, “This is an impact — an impact likely to provoke an country among Association of Research Li- N.C. State, half of which went to student attempt to understand a religion, not outcry among people whom the agency is braries members. aid. to promulgate its beliefs.” supposed to serve.” Last year the ARL awarded its first Ex- The other $4.2 million went to the li- What fault UNC-CH has with Regardless of how it could be catego- cellence in Academic Libraries Award to brary system — the faculty voted to forego this choice of book lies not in the pro- rized, N.C. State’s decision involved the N.C. State. N.C. States’ rank among ARL their salary increases in favor of improving mulgation of a religion, but in the following: libraries went from its low point of 101st the library. modern academy’s typically ham- • Laying off 27 library personnel, in- (out of 105th) in 1991 to 35th last year. In “We didn’t ask them [the faculty] to do fisted approach to issues involving cluding all security personnel; compiling the rankings, the ARL uses an that; that was something they took upon “diversity,” based on the notion that • Reducing library expenditures on index involving several variables: volumes themselves to do,” Nutter said. “It was a all controversy stems from “igno- acquisitions, by as much as $1 million; held, volumes added, current serials, total surprise.” rance” so what’s needed is “aware- • Canceling up to 834 magazines; library expenditures and total professional For its part, the library returned the fa- ness.” As Moeser told The Daily Tar • Cutting library hours of operation, and support staff. vor. Nutter said that she and her staff turned Heel of July 18, “The job of the Uni- eliminating overnight access (N.C. State N.C. State Director of Libraries Susan to the faculty and students and asked them versity is to open doors and turn on was the first major library to offer full li- Nutter said that in the early 1990s, former to set the guidelines for how to invest the the lights to dispel the shadows of brary services overnight); Chancellor Larry Monteith had set a goal money, and that based on their suggestions fear and bias and hatred.” • Closing the library on Saturdays. of the library reaching the top 50 in five to it went to improving its collections and ser- Such gratuitous condescension The significance of the university’s de- 10 years. Monteith pledged to get the uni- vices . has become academic boilerplate, of cision was not only that it might reflect the versity the kind of library that would befit After the initial public reaction, the uni- which the general public is keenly university’s “true” priorities, but that it was a top research university. versity decided to reopen the library on Sat- aware albeit generally tolerant. In a major setback for a decade-long buildup Chancellor Marye Anne Fox, who as a urdays beginning Aug. 17. CJ time of war (one can imagine high dudgeon in the 1940s were UNC-CH to require reading Mein Kampf to “dispel the shadows of fear and bias A brief history of library improvements at N.C. State, 1992-2001 and hatred” toward Germans), how- ever, it heaps hot coals on contro- versy. Also, Moeser’s remarks about • In 1992, Chancellor Larry Monteith set • NCSU Parents’ Association and the Se- • Monteith resigned in 1998, with the the critics’ “hatred” and their “witch- a five-to-10-year goal of improving the nior Class of 1993 raised $274,000 in match- library ranked at 42. hunt” are a marked change from the library’s standing to the top 50, up from ing money for N.C. State libraries in 1993. way the university usually addresses its ranking of 101 out of 105 Association • New Chancellor Marye Anne Fox con- offended groups on campus. Mean- of Research Libraries members. • Anonymous donor gave a $200,000 tinued her predecessor’s championing while, UNC-CH addressed their con- matching gift to N.C. State libraries in 1993. of the N.C. State library after she took cerns quietly, allowing that offended • Hundreds of N.C. State students signed the reigns in 1998. students “may choose not to read the and mailed a letter to Monteith challeng- • Chancellor Monteith placed the library at book” but “instead complete their ing him to support the university’s “in- the top of his budget request for new fund- • In 2000 the ARL awarded its first Ex- one-page response on why they adequate library” to enhance the “intel- ing in 1993. cellence in Academic Libraries Award to chose not to read the book.” lectual credibility” and “academic repu- N.C. State. A survey by the ARL showed Ironically, the outcome of this tation of this university.” The pre-ad- • Faculty at N.C. State in 1996-’97 volun- that N.C. State had the second-largest requirement may indeed be to give dressed, tear-out form letter was pub- teered to forego $4.2 million in new tuition increase in library expenditures in the incoming students an introduction lished in the Feb. 1993 issue of The State money, which was slated to go toward in- country from 1994-95 to 1999-2000. “to academic life at Carolina” and Critic, an independent student publica- creasing their own salaries, and directed the the “sense of community” therein. CJ tion.” money instead to improving the library. • In 2001 the library ranked at 35. C A R O L I N A August 2002 JOURNAL Higher Education 11 State Budget Crisis Triggers Scrutiny Of ‘Overhead Receipts’ at Universities Campus Intellectual

By JON SANDERS for the schools keeping all of their “facilities and adminis- Intolerance Is Back Assistant Editor trative funds,” and the web site for N.C. State has a large RALEIGH section on “indirect costs.” ublic universities in North Carolina this year re- Those arguments point toward the “good uses” of n 1976, I was a student at Duke Law School. One ceived $120 million from the federal government in those funds, which include: N.C. State’s recruitment of of the campus speakers that year was Milton “overhead receipts.” That money is intended to help Ralph Dean, an expert in fungal genomics, who since 1999 IFriedman, who had recently received the Nobel P Prize in economics. Prior to his talk, leftist student pay the universities’ administrative and institutional costs has garnered more than $11 million in research grants; East in conducting research for federal projects. It is also com- Carolina University’s acquisition of the Da Vinci Surgical groups posted signs around the campus protesting ing under legislative scrutiny in this tight budgetary era System, robotic technology that has enabled ECU surgeons Friedman’s appearance on the grounds that since he as lawmakers question how the universities use the money to perform the world’s first adrenal gland removal surgery, had once given some economic advice to Pinochet’s and whether it duplicates any state funding efforts. and the nation’s first gastric reflux repair; UNC-CH’s re- government in Chile, he was therefore complicit in Until 1999, the legislature did exact a portion of the cruitment of Charles Perou, a researcher developing new that regime’s repression. overhead receipts, ostensibly to reimburse the state for its technology in the fight against breast cancer; and the fur- Now, this was a classic case of protesting just share of the “double payment” for operational expenses. ther development N.C. State’s Centennial Campus, thus for the sake of protesting. Friedman is as much Determining the exact amount of the double coverage of driving employment and spinoff beneficial research dis- against repression as anyone could be. Linking him operational expenses, or even whether there was such a coveries. Also, they say, the receipts help support start-up to Pinochet’s bad human rights record was prepos- redundancy (university officials, of course, say there costs for new laboratories, fund new research areas, and terously silly and unfair. wasn’t), is difficult given the way the legislature allows help fight diseases. Diverting a portion of that revenue My point, though, is the University of North Carolina system to decide the dis- stream to the legislature, they say, would be “devastating,” about what did not hap- tribution of its operational expenses from the single, large and not just to the universities, but to the state as well. pen rather than what did. amount the legislature appropriates for them. “If overhead receipts were diverted from our cam- Students engaged in Having given the complete overhead receipts to the puses,” Fox and Moeser write, “North Carolina would lose some moronic antics, but UNC schools, they also viewed them as another straw to ground — and perhaps new companies, new jobs, and our I heard of no faculty grasp in the current fiscal quagmire. But also having seen best faculty — to other states that can make investments members leading or en- some of the questionable uses the universities had put them that promote research.” couraging them. Duke toward, legislators began to consider whether they should Legislators have their own list, however; theirs is of had plenty of hard-left again avail themselves a portion of the universities’ over- the apparent “bad uses” of the funds. Those include Win- professors then, but to the head receipts. That was the goal of several House mem- ston-Salem State University spending more than $75,000 best of my recollection, George C. Leef bers this summer as that body discussed the state budget. to search for a new chancellor, UNC-CH diverting grant they did not urge stu- As one member of the House Education Appropria- money supposed to reimburse its libraries to other areas, dents to stay away from tions subcommittee, Alex Warner, D-Hope Mills, told The and N.C. State suggesting (a suggestion since retracted) it Friedman’s lecture, or to go and shout him down, or News & Observer of Raleigh in July, “You could make a very could use the money to cover deficits in its proposed ho- to steal and burn copies of his books. To be sure, there viable argument for the loose ends of those overhead re- tel, conference center, and golf course. were intellectual battles fought at Duke and other ceipts. We could put them to practical use in the state bud- Nevertheless, the universities’ worst-case-scenario ar- universities a quarter century ago, but for the most get.” gument — that returning a portion of the funds to the leg- part, the faculty took up only intellectual weapons. Naturally, this development set off alarms within UNC. islature would result in the financial immolation of the state How things have changed. The radical students UNC officials took their case to legislators and also to the as well as the universities — appears to have carried the of the ‘70s are today’s tenured faculty members, and public. For example, UNC-Chapel Hill Provost Robert N. argument, at least for now. The issue appears to have many seem to recognize no dividing line between Shelton wrote an op-ed in the N&O in June, N.C. State shifted away from returning to the pre-1999 practice of the appropriate and inappropriate modes of disagree- Chancellor Marye Anne Fox and UNC-CH Chancellor universities returning a portion of their overhead receipts ment. Campus protests are now often led by profes- James Moeser teamed up to write an op-ed in July in The back to the legislature. The focus now seems to be on full sors who do not hesitate to display their intolerance Charlotte Observer, the web site for the UNC system has an disclosure of how those funds are used. It’s an uneasy and for those who disagree with them. “Issue Brief” section to help UNC advocates make the case uncertain truce. CJ Last year when David Horowitz’s famous ad on why paying reparations for slavery is a bad idea caused tumult on campuses nationwide, professors eagerly led the attack on Horowitz. Instead of em- ploying their academic skills to calmly argue against Students Are Taught ‘Do Your Own Thing’ Ethics, Horowitz’s points (not to assume they all possess such skills), many faculty members instead re- National Poll of College Seniors Shows sponded by making demands on their schools for reprisals against the student newspapers that had “dissed” them. Great example for young people. By THOMAS CROOM ing “clear and uniform standards,” 33 percent came from Another man whose very presence on campus Contributing Editor science or math majors and 33 percent were in miscella- can lead professors to fly off the handle is psycholo- RALEIGH neous majors. gist Arthur Jensen, who has the temerity to say that ollege students are being taught to behave unethi- Despite the students’ lack of clarity in determining he thinks there is a link between intelligence and cally in today’s workplace despite their own per- right and wrong, 97 percent believe they have been pre- heredity. That view is intolerable to Marxists who C sonal beliefs, according to a report released July pared to behave ethically in their future professional lives, claim social environment determines all. At many 23 by the National Association of Scholars. according to the study. The same poll, however, revealed campuses where Jensen has been scheduled to speak, Zogby International, an international polling firm, con- other beliefs and attitudes among college students that do professors have led attempts to keep him from ap- ducted the study for NAS. The national survey of 401 ran- not inspire confidence in their ability to make ethical judg- pearing and used rowdy, disruptive tactics if he did. domly selected college seniors ran from April 9-16 at both ments. And earlier this year, when Clarence Thomas public and private four-year institutions, asking those se- For example, asked to rank common business prac- gave a speech at the University of North Carolina niors questions relating to their instruction on ethical or tices by importance, the largest plurality of students polled Law School, a group of black law professors promi- moral issues. (38 percent) responded with “to recruit a diverse workforce nently announced their refusal to attend because of “These results have disturbing implications both for in which women and minorities are advanced and pro- their disagreement with Justice Thomas on various America’s economy and its institutions of higher educa- moted.” They were also asked in which fields they thought cases and issues. Of course, they’re entitled to their tion,” said NAS President Stephen H. Balch. “They sug- an “anything goes” attitude would lead to success, and disagreements, but what message does it send to stu- gest that our colleges and universities, however unwit- the top fields chosen were business (28 percent of students dents when their teachers signal that the way to deal tingly, are contributing to, and perpetuating, the ethical responding), journalism (20 percent), law (16 percent), with disagreement is to petulantly refuse to listen to laxness behind the recent scandals at Enron, Worldcom, teaching (5 percent), science and medicine (5 percent), civil the other side? and other major American firms.” service (5 percent), religion (3 percent), and military (2 per- Examples of professorial intolerance are a dime In the survey, college seniors were asked, “Which of cent). Only 8 percent chose “none.” a dozen these days and are evidence of a disturbing the following statements about ethics was most often trans- Another worrisome aspect of this survey is, as Balch decline in civilization. It has often been observed that mitted by those of your professors who discussed ethical said, the fact that “a free society depends on strong ethical there is only a thin veneer of civilization covering or moral issues?” Nearly three-fourths answered that principles.” Students today, however, are not taught to and restraining our primitive, animalistic nature. “what is right and wrong depends on the differences in understand the concepts of property rights and free mar- Throughout most of human history, disagree- individual values and cultural diversity.” Just one-fourth kets, but they are subject to the consistent mischaract- ments were settled with clubs, swords, and guns; dis- agreed that “there are clear and uniform standards of right erization of capitalism and the basis for contract law, he senters from “proper thinking” were fortunate to and wrong by which everyone should be judged,” and 2 said. They are taught not just to neglect the foundations to avoid prison or the gallows. Gradually mankind has percent were “not sure.” our constitutional rights, but sometimes even to struggle made some progress against those impulses, en- “The disturbing implication for American society at against them. “To be sure the foundations of ethical edu- throning reason and turning from violence and in- large is that people are getting a kind of ‘do your own thing’ cation are laid in the home and school,” Balch says. “At tolerance. view of ethics,” Balch said. Eighty-five percent of either best, universities can only confirm the lessons taught there. The trend on American campuses, alas, is in the education or preprofessional majors (e.g., law and medi- But they can also undermine these lessons by providing opposite direction. CJ cine), and 79 percent of the humanities and social science sophisticated excuses for succumbing to the temptations majors said right or wrong “depends.” Among those choos- of greed and power.” CJ August 2002 C A R O L I N A 12 Higher Education JOURNAL

Bats in the Belltower A ‘national security fiasco’ I Pledge Allegiance to the Idea U.S. Foreign Student Program That Dunderpates Deserve Mockery Rife With Corruption, Study Says

ana Cloud is no fan of the be in earshot, and yells “Expel the funda- By JON SANDERS entire 444 days of the crisis,” Borjas writes. Pledge of Allegiance. The re- mentalists!” Assistant Editor “And the INS still has no way of determin- Dcent ruling, since put on hold, Who are the fundamentalists? I ask. RALEIGH ing how many foreign students are present by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals “America has its own Taliban!” he Center for Immigration Studies in the United States.” to ban the Pledge from voluntary recita- He has a way of both shouting and re- in Washington, D.C., released in Another problem highlighted by Borjas tion in schools so delighted the Univer- sponding only with protest slogans he makes TJune a damning evaluation of the is the “implausibly large number”—about sity of Texas associate professor that she up on the fly. Everyone but me seems bent Foreign Student Program. Conducted by 73,000—of U.S. schools certified by the INS was compelled to write The Daily Texan on avoiding him. George Borjas, Pforzheimer professor of to accept foreign students. He points out about it. It wasn’t just “the religious im- Are you even a student here? I ask. Public Policy at Harvard University’s John that there are “only about 4,000 colleges and position” (the “under God” part) that What’s your name? F. Kennedy School of Government, the universities in the country, at most 6,000 she objected to, it was also “because it “I? I am an enigma!” he shouts. evaluation finds the program rife with cor- more state-accredited vocational schools, seems very strange to pledge loyalty to A few hours later I pass the same spot, ruption and failing abysmally at achieving and only 24,000 secondary schools.” Borjas a scrap of cloth representing a corrupt and he’s still there. Now he repeats the re- its advertised benefits. writes that “the United States has delegated nation that imposes its will, both eco- frain to “We Are the World.” And he has a “The foreign student program needs its legitimate role of selecting the immigrant nomic and military, around the world by new sign: “I’m an idiot.” radical surgery,” Borjas writes. “The INS flow to thousands of privately run entities force.” I don’t see any reason to argue. [Immigration and Naturalization Service] whose incentives need not coincide with the Cloud also said her 11-year-old has little control over the number and type national interest.” As he shows, foreign stu- daughter inspired her to rewrite the Stickin’ it to Da Man of students being admitted; the program is dents provide universities with low-sala- Pledge, and she shared her new version littered with corruption and fraud; and ried research staff and teaching assistants, with the paper. Here is that new version, “Kill Whitey” — Predictable dia- many education institutions with the au- and they also fill the coffers of the thou- which she said to “Imagine schoolchil- logue in a blaxploitation film? Raison thority to admit foreign students look and sands of vocational and language schools. dren every day reciting”: d’etre of blacks as imagined by the one- act an awful lot like ‘visa-for-sale’ store- The “incentives for corruption” are so great I pledge allegiance to all the ordinary people track minds of fearful, ign’ant white su- fronts.” that firms compete to place prospective for- around the world, premacists? Nope (well, not only those), In the report, available online at eign students. to the laid off Enron workers and the it’s also a chapter title in the recent book www.cis.org, Borjas examines “the funda- As for the benefits the United States re- WorldCom workers Stupid White Men, by the Left’s answer mental questions [that] will not go away: Is ceives from the program, Borjas finds three: the maquiladora workers to humor, Michael Moore. such a large-scale foreign student program a permanent increase in the skilled and the sweatshop workers from New York In that chapter of the book, which in our best interests? What does it cost us? workforce in the United States from the 13 to Indonesia, recently earned Moore a Lifetime Ab- And what does it buy us?” The knowledge percent of foreign students who choose to who labor not under God but under the heel solution from Culpability certificate that rogue states are deliberately trying to stay; contributions to the U.S. workforce of multinational corporations; I pledge alle- from the Bureau of Immediate Liberal infiltrate the United States to attack its citi- from foreign students employed particu- giance Guilt Extermination, Moore gives a zens, infrastructure, and landmarks, and larly as research, lab, and teaching assistants to the people of Iraq, brief list of troubles caused by all those that they are taking ad- at universities; and tu- Palestine and Afghanistan, meddling, pigment-deficient, y- vantage of the foreign ition revenues from for- and to their struggles to survive and resist chromosomed planet scourges. It reads student program to do so eign students. slavery to corporate greed, like the reductio ad absurdum of the Left’s underscores the impor- What Borjas finds is But what of the brutal wars against their families, efforts to remove “Dead White Males” tance of undertaking an appalling lack of costs? “The United States and the economic and environmental ruin from any prominence, if not study, in such an evaluation. control over the pro- has traditionally banned wrought by global capitalism; I pledge alle- college curricula: What Borjas finds is the export of goods it giance • Who gave us the black plague? A an appalling lack of con- gram. Tracking of for- considers vital to its na- to building a better world white guy. trol over the program. eign students is prac- tional security, such as where human needs are met • Who invented PCB, PVC, PBB, and Tracking of foreign stu- supercomputers, encryp- and with real liberty, equality and justice for a host of chemicals that are killing us? White dents by the INS is prac- tically nonexistent. tion technology, or mate- all. guys. tically nonexistent. As rial that can be used to • Who has started every war America Borjas shows, the INS is incapable of deter- produce weapons of mass destruction,” Truth in advertising has been in? White men. mining exactly how many foreign students Borjas writes. “Yet there is no similar ban • Who is responsible for the program- enter the country in a given year, let alone on the type of knowledge that can be ac- Brendan Miniter wrote in a recent ming on FOX? White men. know how many are in the country at any quired in American universities.” Wall Street Journal opinion column about • Who invented the punch card ballot? given time. In one recent example, Borjas One compelling example he cited was his encounter with campus radicals at A white man. shows a huge discrepancy between the a recent study of foreign students by Geor- the University of Texas. Miniter states • Whose idea was it to pollute the world INS’s count of the number of foreign stu- gia State University professors Paula that “the quantity and quality of the ‘dis- with the internal combustion engine? dents admitted to the country in 1998 Stephan and Grant Black that found, among sidents’ I met here suggest that the war Whitey, that’s who (599,000) and the State Department’s count other things, between 1981 and 1999, per- effort isn’t in much danger.” • The Holocaust? That guy really gave of the number of student visas it issued sons on student visas from “countries that Following is Miniter’s description of white people a bad name… (280,000). are now targeted for increased security an encounter with one “dissident”: • The genocide of Native Americans? Worse, there is no tracking of foreign monitoring, including such countries as Al- One day I encounter a lone protester White man. students once they’re in the country, Borjas geria, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Saudi carrying a torn box made into a sign that • Slavery? Whitey? notes. Schools are not required to report Arabia, and Yemen” received 111 doctorates reads: “I’m an eye sore.” • So far in 2001, American companies when a foreign student has enrolled in the in nuclear and organic chemistry—“40 of I asked him what he’s protesting. have laid off over 700,000 people. Who or- program for which he received the visa, nor them going to Iraqi students.” Also, stu- “Everything!” he shouts. dered the layoffs? White CEOs. are they required to provide updates on the dents from those countries received “434 Before I can follow up with something • Who keeps bumping me off the student’s academic status. Such a lack of doctorates in chemical and nuclear engi- like “Wow, that’s a lot. Anything more spe- Internet? Some friggin’ white guy, and if I oversight makes the student visa program neering, with 106 going to Iraqis; and 112 cific?” he turns to some people who seem to find him, he’s a dead white guy.” CJ easy for foreigners to enter and remain in doctorates in atomic and nuclear physics, the United States as illegal aliens. with 31 going to Iraqis.” The nadir of the INS’s lack of control As Borjas writes, “Once one stops over the foreign student program must mindlessly humming the ‘Ode to Diversity’ have been when the INS mailed out official that plays such a central role in the modern I’m approval of the student visas of secular liturgy—and particularly so in I’m Mohammed Atta and another of the terror- higher education—it is far from clear that an with ists in the planes Sept. 11, six months after the program generates a net benefit for the their attacks. Another terrorist, Hani Hasan U.S. ”The economic benefit from it, he ar- idiot stupid Hanjour, received a student visa to study gues, is “more than offset by the tuition English in California, but he didn’t attend subsidy that taxpayers grant to foreign stu- any classes. This colossal bureaucratic blun- dents enrolled in public universities.” der tells Borjas that the INS had not learned Borjas calls for a re-evaluation and a restruc- the lesson from the Iranian hostage crisis turing of the program. He writes that the in 1979. Borjas explains how President “remarkably powerful combination of INS Jimmy Carter considered the possibility of ineptitude and the higher-education expelling Iranian students from American sector’s greed perverted what would have soil and asked the INS to tell him how many seemed to be a sensible and noble effort into students that order would affect. “The INS an economically dubious proposition and could not provide that number during the a national security fiasco.” CJ August 2002 C A R O L I N A JOURNAL Higher Education 13

Issues in Higher Education: Changing the SAT The SAT or the Racial Gap It Measures—Guess Which Got Changed First

By JON SANDERS “There is a very lowed up on of 100 points for whites and 110 points for Assistant Editor large, long-standing, Atkinson’s threat blacks, and it furthermore masked the scor- RALEIGH and apparently un- by passing a pro- ing gap by 10 points. uick analogy quiz: Changes to the yielding difference in Issues in posal recommend- In 1999 two changes were suggested, SAT: Politically motivated: as (A) idea academic prepared- ing to the Board of but public outcry stopped them. The Edu- Qof scholastic merit: offensive to egali- ness among blacks Higher Regents that UC re- cational Testing Service proposed a new tarians, (B) reality TV shows: con- and whites as mea- place the SAT with program called the “Strivers” scoring sys- trived obnoxiouness, (C) bear: “going” in the sured by the Scholas- its own admissions tem, which would promote certain test-tak- woods, (D) all of the above, or (E) What the…? tic Assessment Test,” Education test in reading, ers as “Strivers” if they tested 200 points If you selected (E), and you plan to take it states. “For many writing, mathemat- higher than their “expected score” accord- the Scholastic Aptitude Test but haven’t yet, years now, the valid- ics, and two other ing to their background (weighted by their you’re in luck. In the College Board’s re- ity of the SAT as a subject matters by race, gender, ethnicity, and 11 other per- cent major overhaul of the SAT, analogies measure of academic 2006. The regents sonal categories). Also, the Office of Civil are being eliminated in favor of “short read- aptitude has been under constant attack. were slated to vote on the proposal in July. Rights under the Clinton administration ing passages.” Other changes include re- However, after extensive test repair, the case The UC system being the SAT’s largest cus- issued proposed “guidelines” to discourage naming the Verbal section to “Critical Read- for racial bias in the content of the current tomer, it is perhaps not surprising the Col- universities from using tests that have a ing,” dropping quantitative comparisons test is no longer a strong one. In an aca- lege Board made its changes, to become “disparate impact” on applicants according from the math section, and introducing a demic world that is moving away from ra- effective in late June 2005. to their race, gender, or ethnicity, even if that new Writing Section to test knowledge of cial preferences, the problem for blacks is “disparate impact” (the OCR’s way of ac- grammar and require students to complete not so much the propriety of the content of Last change in 1995 knowledging the scoring gap without blam- an essay question. the test but rather the fact that the test con- ing public schools) was unintended. tinues to be used, often quite mindlessly, to The last big change to the SAT took The significance of the changes of 2002 The assault on objectivity sort, select, and reject the people who wish place in 1995 after years of falling SAT goes beyond the fact that UC is effectively to gain admittance to the nation’s highest- scores and a widening of that nagging ra- imposing its racial-politics straw-grasping With the addition of the new section, ranked colleges.” cial gap. The median score for all students on universities reliant on the SAT in the the perfect score of the SAT will increase taking the test was “recentered” at 500. The other 49 states, or even that historical com- from 1600 to 2400, the test will take a half- Minorities and elite schools effect was, as the autumn 1996 JBHE parisons of SAT scores will become more hour longer, and it will cost more. Although showed: in 1988 the combined average uncertain. The changes signify two things: the scoring change will make comparing Note that last phrase; the JBHE’s and score for blacks and whites were 1036 and 1) a recognition that it is inevitable that ra- SAT scores over time even more difficult the UC’s concern is basically over the SAT’s 847 (with a gap of 189 points), while in 1995 cial preferences in admissions will be de- than the infamous “recentering” of SAT effect on minority admissions to top col- under the new system the combined aver- clared unconstitutional across the land, and scores in 1995, the most controversial leges. As has been reported in CAROLINA age score for blacks and whites were 1046 2) a successful—and more importantly, le- change is the new essay, which necessarily JOURNAL, the admissions rate of minorities and 854 (with a gap of 192 points); how- gal—end run around that inevitability. The injects subjectivity in scoring the tests. in the UC system now (19.1 percent) ex- ever, under the old scoring system those standard that reflected the failures of the What was so wrong ceeds that of minorities scores were 946 and 744. The new scoring system has now been enslaved to the sys- with the SAT that it re- before the passage of Prop. system masked a seven-year drop in scores tem. CJ quired such large-scale The SAT changes are 209 (18.8 percent). Only at changes? The University the three most selective of California didn’t like it. a successful end run campuses in the UC sys- What was UC’s problem around the inevitabil- tem (Berkeley, Los Ange- with it? The SAT is, quite les, and Irvine) are minor- frankly, too objective— ity that racial prefer- ity admissions rates be- and one of the things it ences will be declared low their pre-209 level. So measures objectively is illegal across the U.S. those in California who the vast difference in edu- opposed Prop. 209 be- cational preparation be- cause it would suppos- tween black students and edly slam the door on mi- white students. Since UC is prevented by norities seeking entrance into the UC sys- public referendum to use race-based pref- tem, rather than acknowledging the erences in admissions, the gap has become unlooked-for success, instead deftly A New Web Site Providing a State Perspective a considerable sore spot, and the university avoided their mea culpas. They focused on system has attempted numerous, albeit the lower minority enrollment rates at just on 9/11 and the Current International Crisis merely cosmetic, solutions to the problem. those three institutions, and affixed blame From the John Locke Foundation Naturally all concerns over the scoring gap on the SAT. There is a certain inverse logic and coinciding admissibility problems were at work behind it: If the standard cannot be couched in the acceptable language of “pro- attained by educational business as usual, tecting diversity” at UC, lest anyone risk the standard must change. Recent Articles and Columns Spotlighted on NCAtWar.com Include: the grave heresy of questioning pedagogic Thus last year UC President Richard C. and other practices at public schools. Atkinson proposed dropping the SAT alto- ¥ Military historian Victor Davis Hanson argues that the Western way of war The Spring 1997 issue of The Journal of gether as an admissions requirement, and and Western notions of freedom and civilization are proving their worth. Blacks in Higher Education signaled as much. this March a UC faculty committee fol- ¥˚Moderate Muslim clerics preach peace in Durham and Greensboro while a former Black Panther leader calls First Lady Laura Bush a murderer at Duke.

¥ North Carolinas economy, hurt further by wartime deployments, awaits help from Washington, where disagreements about tax cuts block a stimulus bill.

¥ Dr. Andrew Taylor, NCSU Political Scientist, on the likely impact of the war on North Carolina politics and the U.S. Senate race.

¥ As U.S. Marines from Camp Lejeune participate in military action near cartoon goes here Kandahar, Seymour Johnson airmen prepare for deployment to the Mideast.

¥ Gov. William Yarborough, former head of Special Warfare Center at Ft. Bragg, distinguishes terrorism from legitimate armed resistance.

¥ Locke Foundation President John Hood argues that North Carolina short-lived anti-war movement unknowingly exposed its own fallacies.

For the latest news, analysis, and commentary on the war on terrorism, visit what National Review once named its Cool W eb Site of the Day located at www.NorthCarolinaAtWar.com or www .NCAtWar.com. August 2002 C A R O L I N A 14 Local Government JOURNAL

Town and Country

• Forced annexation is here to stay — let the exodus begin: The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit returned an unfavorable de- cision for the Good Neighbors of New Hanover County (and others hoping for relief at the hands of cities that forcibly annex). The decision has forced many to prepare their homes for sale. Ex- cessive taxation by the City of Wilmington has so burdened the “new residents” that remaining in the ever-growing city would bank- rupt them, they say. For many, the choice is to get out while they still can. The court unanimously, 3-0, af- firmed for Wilmington that city of- ficials could continue to annex rich areas to feed their appetite for more tax revenue. Citing a 1907 Supreme Court decision, the 4th Circuit noted “that annexation is ‘entirely within the power of the state legislature to regulate.’” Readers following the case may remember the April 2002 edition of CJ where CJ recounted the questions by the judges on this matter. A map shows the configuration of the Charlotte Whitewater Park near downtown. The project is estimated to cost $15 million to $18 million. One judge asked the plaintiffs whether the issue was not a politi- cal question because the voters of North Carolina could vote for state representatives who could in turn Charlotte Surges Ahead on Water Park reverse the state’s policies on an- nexation. Nonprofit organization formed to create a ‘more livable and memorable city’ Since the 4th Circuit has af- firmed forced annexation is not a violation of the equal protection By ERIK ROOT able” or “memorable,” the implication is place, Wise said that many other cities, such clause of the Constitution, the only Assistant Editor that cities that do not have such luxurious as Boston and San Francisco, have defining remedy now is for voters of the state CHARLOTTE amenities are less livable. characteristics. Each is unique in some way. to elect members to the General As- t is becoming common for local gov- Still, Wise asserts that the park should The whitewater park in Charlotte can sembly who will change the law. ernments to establish 501(c) nonprofit be funded because: be one of those defining characteristics, he Absent being allowed to vote organizations to conduct the public’s • Families can participate in recre- said. on annexation, equal protection I business. This is not just a North Carolina ational activities together; grounds do not apply. phenomenon, although the state has been The whitewater park would serve as Government officials on the board Since North Carolina’s statutes • engaging in the practice in no small mea- a venue for tourists and a magnet for na- on annexations do not violate a fun- sure. Often, governments institute the non- tional and international athletic competi- Still, like other nonprofit agencies con- damental right, “annexation deci- profit agencies in order to hide the financ- tions; nected to the public, the park has several sions are within the absolute discre- ing of certain projects from public view. Parks provide character and help officials on its board of directors who are tion of the state,” the court con- • In Charlotte a new type of nonprofit establish a “sense of place” for [the] com- either elected members of the local govern- cluded. has been instituted. munity, and create amenities that attract ment, are employed by the local govern- The court further denied that According to the city’s website, the and retain valuable talent and human re- ment, or receive funding from the local the Good Neighbors had procedural Charlotte Whitewater Park nonprofit’s sources; government. due-process claims. Under proce- “goal… is to build a public park with out- They provide learning opportunities The board of directors and advisory dural due process, the annexation • standing facilities and amenities, all cen- to understand the importance of maintain- board for the park comprise local officials scheme would have had to interfere tered around an active recreational, ‘con- ing healthy ecosystems; from the Charlotte City Council, the public with liberty and property. tinuous’ river near the center of Charlotte. Parks offer recre- school system, parks and Again, because the 4th Circuit • “The river will have the look and feel of ational opportunities to recreation, and other gov- did not view their lack of voting on mountain rivers and streams like the help youths develop life- ernmental agencies and the matter of annexation as a denial “Parks provide char- Nantahala and French Broad, in the west- skills such as leadership, organizations. of any legal right, the court opined ern North Carolina mountains, or the Ocoee cooperation, risk assess- acter and help estab- There are members of that they were not deprived of lib- river in Tennessee, but with a condensed ment, decision-making, lish a ‘sense of place’ the business community erty. series of adjustable rapids and whitewater. and self-confidence; and the local chamber of As to the argument that forced for [the] community, Charlotte Whitewater Park will bring a The events and traf- commerce, as well, but annexation amounts to a “taking,” • mountain rafting or kayaking experience to fic would promote small while creating ameni- the involvement of local the court wrote that because the city an uptown urban environment.” business, cultural, and en- elected and appointed of- had not physically taken any land, ties…” Charlotte will join about a dozen other tertainment opportuni- ficials is more than no- the city did not violate the law: “the American cities that have created similar ties; ticeable. possibility of a taking is not a tak- parks. About 12 other cities, including Public attractions promote cultural Vic Howie, a senior vice president with ing,” according to the 4th Circuit. • Fayetteville, Asheville, and Bryson City in diversity as people of different backgrounds Charlotte-based Bank of America and a In other words, even though North Carolina, are considering develop- play and interact; member of both the park’s board of direc- city officials may intend to, say, an- ing similar parks, according to The Charlotte The park would be a state-of-the-art tors and its executive board, told the press nex property to widen a street, they • Observer. facility for the training of firefighters per- that Mecklenburg County would contrib- have not violated any law. If they in The project is expected to cost $15 mil- forming swift-water and flood rescues. ute $3 million of taxpayers’ money to buy turn compensate for any taking, they lion to $18 million. Wise said he supports the free market. the land for the park. have not violated the law either. He said he has spent most of his career on Wise told Carolina Journal that the park Park’s director gushes optimism the private side of the market. He said he is in the planning stages and that all the believes in supply and demand. details have not been worked out. • Note: The City of Wilmington In a recent Business Journal column, Jeff However, he said does not want the He said that the sprawling 307-acre will be back in court in early July. Wise, executive director of the park, wrote park to look like or function like a free- campus will be managed by a private com- CJ will have a report on the devel- “unique and exciting projects such as the market theme park, where the goal is to pany and that the choice of that company opments between the city and pro Charlotte Whitewater Park are critical ele- charge an exorbitant amount of money and will be determined by competitive bidding. se plaintiff Kent Chatfield in an up- ments to building a more liveable and admit as many people as possible. Such a The park will also sell naming rights, coming issue. In the first round, memorable city.” market goal is not a pleasurable experience, like many professional sports teams do. It is Chatfield emerged successful. CJ While Wise does not elaborate as to he said. still unclear how much taxpayers will be how such a park makes a city more “liv- As far as what he means by a sense of charged for the park’s expenses. CJ C A R O L I N A August 2002 JOURNAL Local Government 15

Ignore the Hype, Mass Transit Fails

n recent years, the American Public Transpor- tation Association and mass-transit agencies I have been pumping out press releases about record ridership. At the national level, a recurring theme has been that ridership has reached a 40-year high. So, it was expected that when the results of the 2000 U.S. Census were announced, a large increase would appear in the number of people using mass transit. The news is out, and there is a record — a record low. Not in the 40-year history of census jour- ney-to-work information An abandoned Upton’s retail store is located on Albemarle Road on the east side of Charlotte. have fewer people used mass transit to get to Charlotte, Concord target ‘blight’ work. As a result, mass transit’s work-trip market share is also at a record low, and is probably at Cities Impose Regulations on Big-Box Stores the lowest rate since be- fore the streetcar was in- By MICHAEL LOWREY chandiser with a favorable but small location may move to vented in the 1880s. Now, Associate Editor a new site, close the old store yet continue to rent on the old just 4.7 percent of people CHARLOTTE location to deny the site to potential competitors. use mass transit to get to n at least two cities in North Carolina, local restrictions work. During the 1990s, have been proposed recently on the design and con- Concord regulates 13 million workers began Wendell Cox I struction of large retail stores. Unlike previous debates using cars to get to work. about such so-called “big box” stores, the issue currently In Concord, the city council recently adopted restric- This compares to a slight often centers on the design and reuse of such buildings. In tions on new stores over 20,000 square feet. To give build- decline in mass-transit use and a 10 percent market some cases, a city may even require the tenant or developer ings more “character,” uninterrupted exterior facades can- share loss, from 5.3 percent in 1990 to 4.7 percent in to post a bond to ensure the building’s destruction if it is not not exceed 150 feet. At least every 30 feet exterior walls 2000. Mass transit is clearly not reducing traffic con- used. must change in color, texture, or materials, or have a gestion, because to do that requires getting people Big-box stores are large retail stores, generally more distinct architectural feature. who drive to work out of their cars, something that than 20,000 square feet in size. While perhaps the classic Each store must also have at least two features to no census has ever shown. example of a big box is Wal-Mart, a number of other chains, enhance its appearance, such as a patio or seating area, a The nation’s most expensive new rail system is such as Target, Media Play, Upton’s, Circuit City, K-Mart, kiosk area, water feature, tower clock, pedestrian plaza in Washington, D.C. About $10 billion and 100 miles The Sports Authority, Marshalls, TJ Maxx, Circuit City, with benches, window shopping walkway, transportation of subway, not to mention two new commuter rail Home Depot, and Lowe’s all typically operate large stores center, or outdoor playground area. lines, have not been enough to stem the decline. To- that are often sited away from traditional malls. In the case Concord’s ordinance also prevents stipulations in con- day mass-transit’s work-trip market share is 30 per- of Wal-Mart, stores can be 150,000 square feet. tracts that keep landlords from re-renting property if it is cent lower than when there were only buses. Traditionally, concerns about big-box stores have fo- abandoned by the original tenant and require that build- Portland, Ore., has not only built two new light- cused on their immediate impact, such as additional traffic ings be maintained even if unoccupied. Architectural rail lines, but has embarked on “smart growth” strat- or development a new store might generate. Wal-Mart sketches must also show how the building could be reused egies to limit sprawl and to not expand highways. stores, because of their size and pricing structure, often by either a single user or multiple tenants. Yet today more people than ever drive alone to work generate opposition from those concerned that locally in Portland, and transit’s market share is lower than owned shops will be forced out of business by the new Charlotte planners take charge before rail was built. outside competitor. None of the nation’s top 15 states relies on mass In Charlotte, the big-box issue is being addressed transit less than North Carolina. This is reflected in Big-box blight? through the rezoning process. As virtually all new large the major metropolitan totals. The leader, at only 1.7 retail developments require rezoning approval, city plan- percent, is Raleigh-Durham, followed by Charlotte The issues driving new regulations in Charlotte and ning officials has enormous power to shape future projects. at 1.4 percent and Greensboro-Winston-Salem-High Concord, however, have little to do with the impact of large While the city council, ultimately approves or rejects re- Point at 0.9 percent. Market share dropped by about stores when they open. Rather, it centers zoning requests, planning staff recom- 15 percent in Raleigh-Durham and 25 percent in on what happens to these buildings at the mendation weigh heavily in the process. Charlotte and the Triad. But predictably, local rail other end of their life cycle. A 2000 report When asked by The Planning officials in Charlotte are now enthusiasts, masquerading as urban planners, seek in Charlotte noted there were more than Charlotte Observer, recommending that future big-box stores to build urban rail systems. Already it is clear that 30 abandoned big-box stores in the city. be part of a mix-use development with the voters were misled in Charlotte, where they ap- And as Charlotte Councilwoman Nancy Planning Director Mar- other stores, and offices, and perhaps proved a system that could not possibly be built Carter told The Charlotte Observer, “It hurts tin Cramton said, “My even apartments. within the constraints of the available funding. With the economy. It hurts the neighbors. It In addition, the planning office is respect to traffic, no one would notice if mass tran- scares people away.” The term “big-box attitude is, let them go also requiring a “demolition bond” for sit disappeared tomorrow in North Carolina — and blight” is often used to describe the phe- someplace else.” any future big-box store. The developer no one would notice if ridership doubled. The pro- nomenon. would be required to ensure, either by posed rail systems wouldn’t even accomplish that. The problem with large empty stores posting a bond or placing money in es- Still, mass transit is effective where the condi- arises primarily from three causes: demographic changes, crow, that funds are available in the future to tear down a tions are right — very large and dense downtown the changing nature of retailing, and constraints on reuse: big-box store if it should stay empty for some specified areas and high-density cores that are served by auto- • Many of the unused large-store sites in Charlotte are length of time. competitive transit. For example, more than one-half concentrated along Independence Boulevard and Freedom The exact details of the bonds are still being worked out of commuters to Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Chicago Drive in areas that have experienced large-scale demo- and may vary between developments. No formal rezoning use transit. Outside these areas, little of the modern graphic change in recent years. The east Charlotte neigh- requests have been submitted to date. urban area is conducive to auto-competitive transit. borhoods surrounding Independence Boulevard and As with all regulations, the restrictions on big-box The story is no different even in Europe, where nearby Eastland Mall, for example, have changed from stores come at a price. The extra cost of a prettier building Americans visiting rail-oriented tourist cores miss middle-class suburbia to immigrant communities, with or a demolition bond are out-of-pocket expenses to devel- the suburbs where most people live, work, and com- obvious effects on the disposable income and tastes to opers and retailers and are, at least in part, passed on to mute by car because auto-competitive transit service which nearby stores and restaurants must cater. The movie consumers in the form of higher prices or reduced compe- is so scarce. The reality is that mass transit is about theater in Eastland Mall has just reopened to feature Span- tition. downtown and downtown alone. But, on average, ish-language films after being shuttered for several years. Retailers, for example, might be tempted to locate only 10 percent of employment is downtown and Seeing empty retail space is hardly a surprise in this envi- outside Charlotte or Mecklenburg County, where costs are most job growth is in the suburbs. Despite the hype, ronment. lower. there is no prospect for mass transit to reduce traffic • Retailing is a constantly changing industry. What is When asked by The Charlotte Observer about this, Char- congestion. That has been clear for decades. CJ popular today may not be popular tomorrow. Once domi- lotte Planning Director Martin Cramton said, “My attitude nant chains, such as K-Mart, can diminish in importance is, let them go someplace else.” Crampton noted that and even face bankruptcy as the market changes. This can Charlotte had such a large area in its planning jurisdiction Wendell Cox is a senior fellow of the Heartland Institute, result in empty big boxes. — about 380 square miles — that it would be difficult for and member of the Amtrak Reform Council. • A third factor is anti-reuse clauses in lease agree- those wanting to serve the Charlotte market without being ments. In real estate, of course, location is critical. A mer- subject to its zoning regulations. CJ August 2002 C A R O L I N A 16 Local Government JOURNAL

Local Innovation Bulletin Board Phillip Frye, Spruce Pine Mayor And Native of Mitchell County Lighthouse Privatization By ERIK ROOT is about 15,000 in population, we have lost Associate Editor over 800 jobs. These were good industrial n 1996, the Mackinac Center for Pub- rying old plaster to shore sank and MITCHELL COUNTY and manufacturing jobs gone as of last year. lic Policy published the article Holman and company had to dive to It is mainly attributable to NAFTA (the I“Would You Like to Buy a Light- depths up to 70 feet to retrieve it. None CJ: Tell us about your history in North Caro- North American Free Trade Agrement). house?” In it, Burton Folsom, senior fel- of the contents spilled from the heavy lina and Mitchell County. The furniture industry and the textile low for economic education, suggested industrial bags. industry were big employers for us. We lost that the federal government sell off its Another task was to haul propane, Phillip Frye: I am a native of Mitchell Lexington Furniture Industries and Vision. lighthouse properties. Since North Caro- batteries, and a water pump ashore to County, and I was born here in 1943. I am Most of those people employed are in re- lina maintains several lighthouses, and provide basic energy needs. The 96- 58 years old now. I graduated from high training now and drawing unemployment. given its budget situation, this study of- year- old derrick, which was needed to school in 1961. I attended Blantons Business The question is what happens when the fers a possible avenue for securing state hoist supplies from boats to the island, College and received a degree in account- unemployment compensation runs out. So, revenue. had to be repaired. A new set of 420 ing. we are facing some fairly serious times right Folsom wrote that selling the light- steps had to be built from the base of the I have always been interested in cars. now. houses could be a win-win situation for island up to the lighthouse itself. The A friend of mine had an auto upholstery To put this in perspective, a county our all. Private investors would have a greater primary work crew lived in a large tent shop right next to my dad’s furniture up- size to lose 800 jobs is equivalent to Bun- incentive to care of the historic treasures, Mondays through Thursdays, working holstery shop. combe County losing 12,000 jobs. the government would make money on 12-hour shifts. A portable, wall-less com- My friend was wanting to sell the busi- Another strong industry we have de- the sales, and taxpayers could be relieved mode (similar to an RV chemical toilet) ness, so I decided that was a venture I pended on for years is the mining industry. of subsidizing the properties, many of was hauled to the island for the work- wanted to try. So, I went into business for There is something that a group of us are which are in disrepair. What has hap- ers’ convenience and placed on the north myself in 1964 — Frye Auto Interiors. I spe- working on. We are looking at the idea of pened since? In 1999, the U.S. Coast Guard end of the island to ensure “picturesque cialize in auto restoration. I have been work- going to the purchasers of these mining placed a single Michigan lighthouse up views” for its users. ing on cars now for 38 years. I am still in products and asking them to look at our for sale, presumably to test the waters for After removing what could not be business as a small businessman in Spruce area and ask them to come here. possible future sales. The Granite Island saved, workmen outfitted the island Pine. We have a huge workforce Lighthouse was sold to an with new electrical wir- As I began my business life that is ready to go to work. entrepreneur for $86,000. ing, fuse boxes, batter- in 1964, I started to get involved Granite Island is a for- ies (which are charged with the community and be- CJ: A little about your political bidding rock in Lake Su- by solar panels and wind came involved in several civic background. perior. Its first owner was generators) and high- activities. I became president of a private citizen, Henry B. speed Internet access, the Jaycees for starters and then Frye: Yes, I got involved in Re- Lathrup, who had it taken downloaded via satel- ventured into the merchants as- gion D Council of Governments from him by the state of lite. The next step was to sociation. I also got involved in in Boone in 1976. I have served Michigan in the 1860s for install nearly 10,000 the Mitchell County Chamber continually since then for the re- purposes of transferring square feet of new dry- of Commerce, the parent- gional council of governments. it to federal ownership so wall. Workers then teacher association, and so I have also participated in Washington could build a prepped the door and forth. the joint regional forum. There lighthouse. After acquir- window areas for new, That background got me Mayor Phillip Frye are representatives all across the ing the island, Holman custom-made windows interested in the community state and we make recommen- and his wife began plan- on the outside of the life of Spruce Pine and Mitchell County. dations to the North Carolina Association ning its refurbishment. lighthouse and new Many people want to stay out of poli- of County Commissioners and the North They hired a videographer, a photogra- doors on the inside, including a set of tics — they are willing to participate in civic Carolina League of Municipalities on mat- pher and a project manager to document French doors. Most of the floors were activities, but stay out of the political arena. ters involving regional issues. We meet in the condition of the lighthouse. The salvaged by the renovators, cleaned, To me, politics is an extension of your civic Raleigh bimonthly usually. Holmans studied period lighthouses hop- and refinished after the drywall had activities. I call it being a civic politician. That is one of my pet projects, if you ing to recreate an authentic 19th-century been painted and other carpentry work If you want to be involved in your com- will. I believe in regionalism and a regional version. done. munity and want to have a chance to shape approach to solve our problems. If we join As part of their research, they visited When the work of restoration was its destiny a little more, there is no better forces and combine efforts on a regional the National Archives in Washington, complete, the Holmans opened their way than to involve yourself in civic poli- basis then you can make the dollar stretch D.C. and asked the U.S. Park Service for property to public use. Its first public tics. much farther. information on the structure of original function was a fund-raising event for a We are fortunate that we have a non- Government and agencies really appre- lighthouses. They also worked closely theatre group from Marquette in June partisan board in Spruce Pine and that ciate cooperation among local governments with Michigan’s Historical Preservation 2001. makes it easier to work with others. I ran — especially when you are talking about Office and with private citizens inter- They also allowed the National Oce- for the [town] board in 1973 and I served such things as regional landfills and water ested in lighthouse preservation. anic Aerospace Administration to place continually for 20 years on two year terms. issues. Small towns and counties especially The interior of the lighthouse was a webcams around the island to observe I ran for, and was elected, mayor in 1993. need to work together. mess. Cracked roof plaster was falling ice formation on Lake Superior. The I have been involved in politics for 29 from the walls, there was no glass in any Holmans have also hosted a nonprofit years now on the local level and that has CJ: So you have had this decline in employment of its window frames, and there was only corporation’s board meeting and visits heightened my life that I have been in poli- — a rise in unemployment — but you’ve also one salvageable door. The roof that had by two state senators and three state tics. been growing in population? survived through the decades was made representatives since buying and refur- of asbestos, and would need to be re- bishing the property. CJ: Politics has kept you busy. Frye: Well, we have been cooperating with placed. A hole in the roof had managed to In addition, the Holmans have in- other counties like Avery with our water. replicate itself down through every level stalled equipment to record wind Frye: It has been enjoyable. I have seen a This has been beneficial to the whole area. of the lighthouse, all the way to the base- speeds, temperature, and other weather- lot of things happen to Spruce Pine — The employment is not all bleak. We ment. The roof would eventually be re- related data. These are fed into a com- growth, expansion of water and sewer have attracted a Wal-Mart Supercenter, placed using shingles chosen to replicate puter that frequently updates the plants and facilities that have to be in place which has helped our employment prob- the original. weather portion of the Holmans’ web to entice industry. lems. The wage scale of Wal-Mart does com- Armed with something the govern- site, graniteisland.com. The site’s I think Spruce Pine has been a leader pare favorably with the manufacturing jobs ment didn’t have — a private owner’s weather page is popular among of that in the Mitchell, Avery, and Yancey that left the area. This helps fortify our tax incentive to improve the place — the Marquette fishermen and leisure boat- counties as the one to look to as being al- base. Holmans removed more than 260 bags of ers. ways able to provide business with basic We are trying to renovate our down- plaster from the lighthouse before build- Rather than using Granite Island as infrastructure. We have always seemed to town of Spruce Pine to become more of a ers could install new drywall. Since there an example of the benefits to be derived stay ahead of the game that way. tourism attraction. We do go after the tour- is no dump on the small island, garbage from allowing private ownership of Our water and sewer plants are both ist industry. generated by the restoration had to be lighthouses, state and federal leaders in excellent shape right now. We are concentrating on making down- hauled ashore and disposed of properly. are back to responding to calls for light- town a tourist stop with speciality shops From July through September of this house preservation in the usual way: by CJ: So Spruce Pine is ready to receive industry. and the like. But we are not counting on year more than 500 trips were made to expanding the government’s role. But your area has been hard hit by economic tourism, we need to work hard to make sure and from the island by three vessels car- setbacks. we have strong industry. rying refuse from the lighthouse restora- This article was originally published We have not experienced a tourist de- tion. A single leg of the journey can take by the Mackinac Center for Public Policy in Frye: The biggest challenge facing us right cline this year. We have been fortunate in 15 to 90 minutes, depending on the Michigan. For more information, visit now — the biggest challenge is the economy that aspect, as people are not generally trav- weather. On one such trip, the barge car- www.mackinac.org and job loss. This concerns all of us very elling much these days. Still, we are get- much. ting many from Charlotte, Raleigh, and At- In our small county of Mitchell, which lanta. CJ C A R O L I N A August 2002 JOURNAL Local Government 17 From Cherokee to Currituck Monkey Business in Morrisville: Rail Station Goes to Cary Instead

By ERIK ROOT fulfilled any of his fiscally conservative cafeterias has resulted in more choice for ments appeared in The News & Observer of Assistant Editor promises to the groups that supported his the students and better food. Guilford Raleigh. RALEIGH campaign. This has prompted many to say County will privatize its 100 school cafete- Lang then proposed a 10-cent cut in the orrisville, a city that proclaims it that Peterson is rhetorically a conservative, rias. Guilford joins Winston-Salem/Forsyth, property tax rate. The move has left many is all about business and has little but a liberal in action. which has already signed a privatization wondering what has changed since Lang Mresidential tax base, has lost its Such was the case recently when contract, which will take effect this fall. said in the past that localities cannot afford bid for a rail stop, The News & Observer of Peterson began to investigate the possibili- Guilford is North Carolina’s third-largest Easley’s decisions to withhold millions in Raleigh reported. ties of becoming more like Cary. Peterson is district. reimbursements. The Triangle Transit Authority decided reportedly wishing to curb growth in The process is simple: Companies make to reject the proposed stop that Morrisville Wilmington, the Star-News of Wilmington money by streamlining operations and in- What budget crisis? city officials wanted and elected to place a reported. creasing sales, not raising prices or lower- stop in the city of Cary instead. Nevertheless, the public shift has dam- ing quality. The City of Greensboro is engaging in a The TTA wants its stations to be located aged the mayor, who has lost his base. The The story reported other success stories spending spree while it raises taxes, the in high-density areas with a mix of offices, problem for the coalition is who will step of school cafeteria privatization. Rhinoceros Times of Greensboro said. shops, and residential development. forward as the real fiscally conservative The Chapel Hill-Carrboro School sys- Even in these “tough” times, it appears Morrisville wanted to place the station in a candidate? One potential candidate, Laura tem privatized its system in 1994-1995. Ac- that the Greensboro City Council has a few low-density area because of the excess con- Padgett, is Peterson’s greatest rival. Padgett, cording to Associate Superintendent Steve “sacred cows.” Among items that cannot be gestion that would be caused in the area the whom Peterson recently removed from the Scroggs, “the move has worked well, both cut are Health and Human Services and TTA wanted the stop. transportation committee, is reportedly saving the district money and providing nonprofit organizations that provide such For Morrisville, the argument is con- similar to Peterson in ideology. students with attractive, quality selections.” “services.” fusing, because city officials boldly claim Guilford County estimates that Many of the nonprofit organizations that they are more business-oriented, which Waste privatization? privatization will save the system $2.3 mil- are headed by local elected officials. Groups by definition causes more commuter traffic lion next year. that are funded: African American Atelier, than residential towns. Atlantic Beach is moving toward priva- headed by North Carolina state Rep. Alma tizing its sewage treatment, the Daily News Lang’s duplicity Adams, and One Step Further, run by Mayor Mayor Peterson shows true self of Jacksonville reported. Pro Tem Yvonne Johnson. However, before they formally approve Cary mayor Glen Lang has been at the Some of these groups get a free ride, at Harper Peterson was elected mayor of the move to a privatized system, the city forefront of criticizing Gov. Mike Easley for taxpayer expense, to use the Cultural Arts Wilmington as a result of a “cross-pollina- council has decided a study should be con- withholding local government revenue to Center, the Rhinoceros Times reported. The tion” effort to form a coalition of unlikely ducted to determine whether it would save balance the state budget. council discussed the possibility of charg- groups — African-Americans, Libertarians, the town money. However, Lang confirmed Easley was ing the groups to cover operating expenses. and conservative Republicans fed up with right — that localities have more money However, the idea was dropped so as the liberal republican establishment. Amaz- School cafeteria privatization than they know what to do with — when he to “not ruffle the feathers of some nonprofit ingly, they all agreed on the issue Peterson said, “I think we have a lot of money at the groups.” If these groups were to test the campaigned on: fiscal conservatism. How- The News and Record of Greensboro town level, much more than we need, given open market, they would find themselves ever, since taking office, Peterson has not reported that the privatization of school the level of expenditures…” Those com- paying three times the amount proposed. CJ

National Review Ad

CarolinaJournal.com is Your Daily Launching Pad to the Best North Carolina News, Analysis, & Opinion

¥ Reports and columns on the legislature, politics, culture, and local government from Carolina Journal editors and reporters.

¥ Carolina Journal Publisher John Hood’s exclusive “Daily Journal.”

¥ Timely links to important stories and editorials from the state’s major newspapers, magazines, and other media organizations.

¥ Instant access to state & national columnists, wire reports, and the John Locke Foundation’s other public policy web sites.

See what Spectator magazine called “Matt Drudge with Class” And Get Informed About Your State — At CarolinaJournal.com

Center for Can local governments deliver good Local quality services without raising taxes? North Carolinians looking for the answer Innovation to that question need look no further than the Center for Local Innovation, New Ideas for Governing North founded by former Raleigh Mayor Tom Carolina’s Cities and Counties Fetzer. Its mission is to identify and pro- mote efficient, effective solutions to prob- lems in local government using such tools 200 W. Morgan St., Suite 200 Raleigh, North Carolina 27601 as competition, new technologies, and activity-based costing.

Hon. Thomas Stith To obtain more information about CLI, Director, Center for Local Innovation and subscribe to Prism, its weekly e- Member, Durham City Council letter, call Erik Root at 919-828-3876. August 2002 C A R O L I N A 18 Learning Curve JOURNAL

From the Liberty Library Book Review

• Abigail and Stephan Fool’s Errands: Blueprint for Disaster in Afghanistan Thernstrom are the editors of Beyond the Color Line: New Perspectives on Race and Ethnicity in America, a collection • Gary T. Dempsey with Roger W. Fontaine: deposed the elected president, Jean Bertrand of essays about the changing racial Fool’s Errands, Cato Institute, 2001, 215pp., Aristide (and elections in Haiti are any- and ethnic scene in a range of areas, $19.95 thing but reliable expressions of popular including education, law, religion, will), Clinton pressured the Haitian mili- immigration, family structure, crime, By GEORGE C. LEEF tary to give up power to the supposed demo- economics, and politics. The product Contributing Editor crat Aristide. of the Citizens’ Initiative on Race and RALEIGH Through economic sanctions that man- Ethnicity—formed in 1998 as an al- he destruction of the Taliban gov- aged to depress the already low standard of ternative to the one-sided official ernment in Afghanistan and its re- living to abysmal levels, the United States “dialogue” on questions of color— Tplacement by a new regime that is at got the ruler it wanted. Once Aristide was many of the 25 essays offer public least not certifiably lunatic has led to dis- in power, U.S. troops were sent in to help policy recommendations. A common cussions on the role that the United States keep him there and support a variety of theme unites them—new realities re- should play in that country’s future. Some structural changes Washington wanted to quire new thinking, and old civil advocate a big “nation-building” program make. rights strategies will not solve today’s designed to create a model democracy. Fool’s But it was all for naught. The authors problems. Contributors include Errands, however, counsels that “nation- explain that, “Few, if any, in the Haitian Michael Barone, Ward Connerly, building” has in the past been a costly fail- government favor a working market Linda Chavez, Thomas Sowell, ure that we should stay away from in Af- economy or even understand what the term Shelby Steele, and Clint Bolick. Pub- ghanistan and everywhere else. means, and no political culture prevails lished by the Hoover Institution Press Authors Gary Dempsey, a foreign- with widespread acceptance of the habits, (www.hoover.stanford .edu/ policy analyst with Cato Institute and Roger beliefs, and values that sustain…democratic homepage/books/recent.html) Fontaine, who served on the national Secu- institutions.” Aristide rules Haiti with an rity Council under President Reagan, here iron hand and progress is imperceptible. • The prolific David Horowitz survey the history of U.S. interventions in Bosnia and Kosovo have been more of has written How to Beat the Democrats foreign nations for the purpose of trans- the same—costly, feel-good political grand- and Other Subversive Ideas, which forming them—to end violence, replace Somali farmers. Moreover, the U.N. and standing that changes nothing. An anec- Spence Publishing calls “an indis- despicable rulers, promote democracy, and American peacekeeping force, far from re- dote will convey the absurdity of it all. One pensable manual for wartime poli- generally to make life less Hobbesian for ducing the level of violence, actually raised of the top nation-building officials an- tics.” Horowitz says if the Democrats unfortunate people. Most of the book is it. The authors write, “Many Somalis…came nounced a program that was designed to thought we’d forget who demoral- devoted to analysis of our most recent na- to view U.N. peacekeepers as just another reduce ethnic hatreds in Bosnia. He was ized our military, eviscerated the tion-building escapades: Somalia, Haiti, clan, with its own set of enemies and allies, going to have 300,000 T-shirts printed up CIA, and let America become a play- Bosnia, and Kosovo. In each case, we learn fighting to get its way. The round of warfare with the new, Western-imposed flag of ground for terrorists, they’re in for a much about the futility and even counter- that broke out between UNOSOM II and Bosnia and see that they were distributed to rude awakening, and says How to productivity of our efforts that strongly Aideed would last for four months and a cross-section of Bosnian children. There is Beat the Democrats makes sure it won’t contradicts the official optimism spun out produce thousands of casualties.” no evidence that children of the rival Bosnian be politics as usual in 2002. More in- by the Clinton administration. Most enlightening of all is the authors’ groups are being won over to the ideas of formation available at www. postscript on Somalia, “By 1997, two and a peace and democracy due to the wearing of theimarketplace.com/Spence. Dark days in Somalia half years after the last U.S. troops departed, T-shirts. commerce was booming in Somalia, the There is, however, evidence that many • Philip Gerard is author of Se- The recent movie Black Hawk Down re- markets were full, and people who had Bosnian adults are coming to depend on the cret Soldiers: The Story of World War II’s minded Americans about our unhappy previously eked out their existence with the inflow of American aid. Nation-building, it Heroic Army of Deception, about the adventure in Somalia in 1992-93. Dempsey barrel of a gun had gone into business im- turns out, has a lot in common with domes- men of the 23rd Headquarters Spe- and Fontaine fill in many details of that porting, exporting and transporting goods.” tic welfare schemes. cial Troops who were recruited to be- fiasco that were downplayed or entirely Peace—at least as much as the Somalis had Nothing in the U.S. Constitution autho- come phantom warriors in a ghost ignored by the media and Clinton adminis- ever known—had returned, despite our rizes the president or Congress to engage in army to help win the Battle of Europe. tration spinmeisters. Although there cer- useless meddling. foreign nation-building. This timely book A thousand strong, they fought in tainly was starvation on a large scale in shows how wise the Founders were in try- more campaigns, from D-Day to the Somalia in 1992, the authors note that the Clinton’s next fiasco: Haiti ing to limit the federal government to just a Rhine River, with more Allied armies, worst of it had passed by the time of the few necessary domestic tasks. than any other unit in the European nation-building operation, and the free food Haiti was the next of Clinton’s nation- Transform other nations? Forget about Theater of Operations—yet not even shipments were devastating to the efforts of building exercises. When a military coup it! CJ their fellow American soldiers were aware of their presence. The Special Troops’ mission was twofold: to de- Movie Review ceive the German Army into believ- ing that the Allies possessed more troops and material than they actu- Sum of All Fears a Victim of Political Correctness ally did, and to draw enemy fire on their position to allow other units to • The Sum of All Fears, 127 min, Rated PG-13 turned into a junior CIA agent, who just since they’re the only ones without a lobby. advance free of lethal resistance. started at the agency, sans wife and kids. In the process, the story was robbed of any Through the art of camouflage, sonic By HANSMARC HURD The motley ensemble of neo-Nazi Euro- coherence, leaving the movie poorer for it. deception, and illusion this troop of Editorial Intern trash is made up of an unlikely collection of The Sum of All Fears serves as a men saved countless American RALEIGH university professors and rich industrialists, frightening example of how far censorship lives—while sometimes losing their he Sum of All Fears is the fourth who hope to increase European power by has come in Hollywood, when entire subject own. Published by Dutton, informa- Tom Clancy book to be made into a facilitating the destruction of the United matters are placed off-limits due to the tion available at www. T movie, and is by far the weakest of States and Russia. It seems to have proliferation of pressure groups. Soon all penguinputnam.com. the Jack Ryan franchise. Its disjointed completely escaped their attention that the bad guys will be aliens (the extra- storyline puts the audience to sleep and it Europe sits right smack in between the two terrestrial, not the illegal kind). • For an in-depth study of the takes the obliteration of Baltimore in a sides and would end up bearing the brunt Besides the weakness of the story, the beginning of the current state of Is- nuclear attack to grasp the viewer’s of the fallout from the conflict. Indeed, they movie suffers from an unconvincing hero rael, Yoav Gelber’s Palestine 1948: attention. never make a convincing case of how they in the form of Affleck. Affleck doesn’t come War, Escape and the Emergence of the In the movie a nuclear bomb is stolen would actually benefit from engaging in across very believable as either an ex-Marine Palestinian Refugee Problem is timely from Russia by a pan-European neo-Nazi this high-risk caper, or how they could keep captain (in one scene he is quite reading. Based on new or newly in- group (an oxymoron if I ever heard one) to their part in it hidden from detection. uncomfortable with a gun), or as someone terpreted Israeli, British and Arab blow up Baltimore in order to trigger a Those familiar with the book might not with a doctorate in international relations. documents, this book attempts to in- nuclear war between the United States and be able to remember the appearance of neo- Affleck is out of his depth in this spy-thriller, tegrate present controversies con- Russia. Meanwhile, Jack Ryan, played Nazis. In the book Palestinian fanatics set his smart-alecky personality is not serious, cerning the development of the Jew- unconvincingly by Ben Affleck, races to off the bomb because they were angry over or deep enough for the role. ish–Palestinian war from December discover what happened to the missing a U.S. settlement of the Mideast crisis. This lackluster fourth installment of the 1947 to mid-May 1948 and the con- bomb. The greatest mystery of the movie is However, the Council for American-Islamic series probably dooms the previously secutive Israeli-Arab wars. It follows not whether he will discover the true Relations protested against against the successful series, not only because the organization of both sides at the perpetrator of the attack (he will), or whether stereotyping of Arabs. CAIR, which itself Hollywood’s desire to not offend anyone beginning of the war and the shap- he will be able to stop the nuclear destruction has supported terrorist Palestinian groups will make it impossible to convert any of ing of their respective war policies. of Baltimore (he won’t), or whether he will in the past, won and the protagonists were Clancy’s latest works to celluloid, but also Find out more at www.sussex- prevent all-out nuclear war (he will), the changed to European neo-Nazis. because another Ryan movie with Affleck academic.co.uk. CJ biggest mystery is how Jack Ryan was able Apparently, in politically correct Holly- would be too horrible to imagine. Now that to suddenly grow 30 years younger and wood, only white men can be bad guys, would be truly the sum of all our fears. CJ August 2002 C A R O L I N A JOURNAL Learning Curve 19 Book Review Serving the Word: Examining Literalist Styles of Interpretation

• Vincent Crapanzano: Serving the Word: symbolic significance in American of biblical truth to everyday life. And Chap- Literalism in America from the Pulpit to the social and cultural life. They exem- ter Three examines how fundamentalists Bench, New Press, New York, (2000) 406 plify literalism. They illustrate its and other literalists understand time and pages paperback edition. range, its pervasiveness, its effect history. on everyday life. They point to the Part II of Serving the Word concentrates By KORY SWANSON moral implications of interpreta- on legal originalism with Chapter Four in- Contributing Editor tion, which are generally ignored troducing the U.S. Constitution and its his- RALEIGH in secular society and even in many tory and interpretation. Chapter Five is con- hen I use a word,” Humpty- philosophical circles. Although nei- cerned with the foundational role of the Dumpty said, in a rather scorn ther the Fundamentalists nor the le- Constitution, centering on the textual theory W ful tone, “it means just what I gal literalists…are numerically sig- of Antonin Scalia. And in Chapter Six, choose it to mean—neither more nor less.” nificant, they have very consider- Crapanzano focuses on the interpretational “The question is,” said Alice, “whether able moral and political influence approach of legal scholars such as Robert you can make words mean so many differ- today. Bork, who insists on the need to determine ent things.” original intent in the interpretation of the “The question is,” said Humpty- “Referential function” of language Constitution and other legal texts. Chapter Dumpty, “which is to be master—that’s all. Seven examines the role of precedent in the —Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland Central to literalism is the “referential reading of the Constitution. Crapanzano function” of language, i.e., the notion that concludes the book with his personal reflec- To necessarily oversimplify, but not by words refer to things out there—they name tions on his findings. that much, postmodern thought sees the them. Sentences are primarily propositions To be clear, Crapanzano is no friend of world as encounters among competing about reality, or they can be so construed. the academic or political right. However, power structures. And ultimately, in spite And our conventional understanding of the Serving the Word is necessary reading for of all the academic fine-hair splitting, what written word gives to the texts we write and anyone who wants a deeper understanding reality comes down to, as Humpty-Dumpty read an illusory stability and independence. of “literalism” as well as a fascinating look cynically notes, is who is in control. In this the Pulpit to the Bench, an examination of According to Crapanzano, this is perhaps into the world of the Fundamentalist view, all interpretive modes are instrumen- literalist styles of interpretation, the emi- the central tenant that connects Fundamen- (Crapanzano did extensive interviews with tal, serving to promote the dominance of a nent anthropologist Vincent Crapanzano talism and legal originalism. For the Funda- Fundamentalists in the Los Angeles area), particular social or political agenda. Indeed, admits to being a practitioner of this mentalist the canonical, stable text is the and a more contentious but less-convincing the Ninth Circuit’s Pledge of Allegiance postmodern methodology. But for this Bible; for the legal originalist it is the U.S. look at how “literalism” animates the think- decision will be seen by liberals—if they study, he has chosen not to examine his Constitution. These texts become transhis- ing of legal conservatives. admit their true colors—as wresting con- subject, literalist styles of interpretation, in torical, giving them a timeless, authentic, I say less convincing because an irritat- trol to the right to determine whether “one terms of particular social and political is- and authoritative meaning. The task of in- ing feature of Crapanzano’s analysis is his nation under God” literally means “one sues. Rather, he has taken two of its main terpretation is to lay bare that meaning so different treatment of the Fundamentalist nation under God”? and, hence, promotes expressions found in the United States— that it may be truly projected forward into and the legal originalist. He has an almost religious monotheism as “a national reli- Christian Fundamentalism and legal think- the present and become determinative of reverential sadness for the Fundamentalist, gion.” In the case of the Pledge of Alle- ing that gives priority to “plain meaning,” that present. and a disgust—a you-should-know-better— giance, liberals are intent on countering the “original meaning,” or “original intent”— The introduction is concerned with attitude toward the legal originalist. For he alarming (to liberals) moral and political and looks at them as a system of interpreta- theories of interpretation and language. This sees the Fundamentalist as earnest and sin- influence of religious Fundamentalists and tion, focusing on the play between what is the most difficult part of the book, but it cere in his beliefs. legal conservatives who adhere to “textual Fundamentalists and originalist have to say also provides a fascinating look at what is The legal originalist, on the other hand, originalism.” about interpretation and how they actually being taught in our colleges and universi- is an instrumentalist promoting the carry it out. ties. Part I of Serving the Word is devoted to originalist view when and where it will A system of interpretation As Crapanzano explains: Christian Fundamentalism, with Chapter serve him best. In other words, the legal One focusing on the history and theology of originalist is nothing more than a power In his disturbing and complex book, I have chosen to focus on these two Fundamentalism. The second chapter, Sanc- broker, trying to be Humpty-Dumpty, just Serving the Word: Literalism in America from domains because of their real and tification, is concerned with the application like his postmodern counterpart. CJ

Book Review Sixteen-Trillion-Dollar Mistake: A Misguided Exercise in Socialism

• Bruce S. Jansson: The Sixteen-Trillion-Dol- “national priorities” have not matched his The sixteen trillion-dollar mistake, in the economy and lead to rising unemployment, lar Mistake, Columbia University Press, 2001, utopian dreams. author’s mind, is that the government hasn’t but never comes to grips with arguments of 496pp., $27.50 In an interview distributed by publisher grown far bigger than it is! serious economists that by siphoning re- Columbia University Press, Jansson was Reaching back into history, Jansson ar- sources out of the private sector, the gov- By DON RACHETER asked, “How can a noneconomist, nonmili- gues that FDR made a “mistake” in failing ernment necessarily reduces its ability to Guest Contributor tary expert, nonbudget expert intelligently to raise taxes in order to adequately fund employ people and produce goods and ser- RALEIGH criticize budget decisions of various Presi- the New Deal. “Historians often portray the vices. It never occurs to Jansson to compare he Sixteen-Trillion-Dollar Mistake by dents and Congresses?” to which he an- New Deal as mammoth,” he writes, “but it the economic performance of high-tax and Bruce S. Jansson is an interesting, swered, “To the research and recommenda- had relatively few resources.” Jansson here low-tax nations. T but fundamentally flawed, book. tions of these experts, I have added value is entirely oblivious of the well-argued case The military is a favorite whipping boy Those who share Jansson’s ideological po- judgments.” Politicians, it hardly need be that the New Deal was a great hindrance to throughout the book. It’s true that the Pen- sition will find the book a treasure-trove of said, are not “experts,” but Jansson’s “value the economy’s recovery. tagon doesn’t always spend funds wisely, information to support their preconceptions. judgments” are for the most part absurd, but Jansson paints with an extremely broad Most normal people, however, will be hard- reflecting a socialistic mindset that Not enough taxes brush. He claims, for instance, that the mili- pressed to wade through the tome’s biased uncritically accepts the efficacy of govern- tary buildup under President Reagan was pontificating and economic misconceptions. ment to solve “social problems” and looks Our author also echoes the jaded leftist completely unnecessary. Tell that to the Jansson starts out innocently enough, askance at free enterprise. cry that corporations are undertaxed. The Poles, Estonians, Hungarians and other east- writing “I began this research with the sus- As a longtime taxpayer activist, I be- problem here is that people who have stud- ern Europeans who would still be living picion that Americans had made numerous lieve the money Americans earn should be ied the economics of taxation have gener- behind an iron curtain if the military had errors in their national priorities from the theirs to do with as they choose. Jansson’s ally concluded that the incidence of taxa- remained at Carter-era quantity and qual- presidencies of Franklin Roosevelt through view is just the opposite: “Failed priorities tion doesn’t fall on corporations, but in- ity. The Soviet Union would probably still Bill Clinton.” Virtually any well-read Ameri- stem from misguided tax rates at exces- stead falls in various groups of people— be expanding rather than having imploded. can can point to governmental blunders in sively low levels, thereby depleting the re- customers, workers, and stockholders. Un- There is little to be learned from this the allocation of resources, and from the sources available for military or domestic fortunately, all of his research never brought feeble book except that limited government book’s title, you might surmise that the programs.” He grumbles that “members of him into contact with analysis that pulls the scholarship and basic economics still have author is about to pitch into the tremendous Congress have often curried favor with rug out from under his argument. not penetrated far into academia—espe- waste that we have seen in federal farm voters by cutting taxes, even though they Higher taxes, Jansson argues, would cially schools of “social work.” CJ subsidy programs, housing programs, wel- needed money to address domestic or in- give the government more revenues for all fare, education meddling and so forth. But ternational needs.” In short, what Jansson those programs that liberals hold sacred— no—Jansson is a professor of “Social Work” gives us is the old Galbraithian argument Head Start, Medicare, welfare, foreign aid Dr. Donald Racheter is professor of political and his complaint is not with those familiar that we are starving the public sector by etc.—while not affecting productivity. He science at Central (Iowa) College and president boondoggles. Instead, he is upset that our leaving so much money in private hands. thinks it a myth that high taxes stifle the of Public Interest Institute. August 2002 C A R O L I N A 20 Opinion JOURNAL

Lying with Politicians Will Give You Fleas

appy anniversary to me. One year ago I came to the big city to join the John Locke HFoundation. Since that time I have wit- nessed the worst budget crisis in North Carolina’s history, a redistricting donnybrook that promises to bring genuinely competitive elections to the state in more than 100 years, and a campaign to institute a state-run lottery. That’s a lot of news to digest, even for a seasoned newspaperman. Like Frank Capra’s naive Mr. Smith, who went to Washington to learn a thing or two from the big boys, Mr. Wagner fell off a turnip truck one steamy summer day at the steps of the State Capitol. Brush- ing the dust from his britches, the hayseed stumbled a couple of blocks over to his new office, where he could gawk at the goings- on in state government. Now, let me say right here that lately I’ve been itchin’ to stretch the truth a little bit — OK, maybe a self-supporting, and these funds are not intended to be whole lot. But I learned Editorials there for the life of the program.” that that’s no problem in But Anne Bryan, whose sister has been paid $115,390 Raleigh. Politicians do it Richard Wagner as a consultant for fund-raising, has said, according to The all the time. News & Observer of Raleigh, that “it is unlikely that Exploris Back home in Texas EXPLORE EXPLORIS will ever be completely self-supporting, without funding we used to call it lyin’. Not here. In fact, I don’t know from the county.” what they call it in Raleigh, but it doesn’t resemble Let the museum stand on its own or die So which is it? While there is certainly nothing wrong anything that my mamma said was the truth. At least with exposing children to different cultures, to a variety of that’s what she said just before she switched my n the real world, when an enterprise fails to fulfill human interaction, it is also hard to justify taxpayer subsi- hiney with a mesquite twig for telling just a fib. expectations using its own resources or must report dies for a project that, first, claimed it could eventually pay Politicians, though, don’t get whippin’s. Maybe failure to its stockholders, there are serious conse- for itself and, second, would offer enlightenment to young- that’s why they keep on lyin’. I quences. But when one considers projects or programs sters who might not otherwise be exposed. Yet even boost- Some of my friends back home ask me what I do subsidized or fully paid for with taxpayer funds this is not ers of Exploris have testified about their disappointment for entertainment in Raleigh. That’s a real rip snorter, the case. Indeed, more often than not a program or project in the quality of its exhibits, the lack of inspiration gener- I tell them. Raleigh is nothing BUT entertainment. reliant upon such funding will waddle back to the trough ated by its exhibits, and the museum’s high costs, which Rome’s Coliseum, from what I’ve read, was a lot demanding ever more taxpayer funds because there is are paid for by taxpayer subsidies during a state budget like North Carolina’s Legislative Building. The never enough or the program is so bereft crisis. people’s representatives, or what I think of as the of support that it cannot become a self- lions (not the noble kind), conduct their business in reliant enterprise. Abolishing Exploris Lesson from Columbus a pit. Above them sit the plebeian folk. Thus is the case with the Exploris and getting our chil- Just like at the Coliseum, a patrician—the speaker children’s museum in Raleigh. It’s inten- In 1492 when Columbus first voy- of the House or the president pro tempore of the tion is to expose children to the kaleido- dren to read offers a aged westward, his crew, faced with un- Senate—tosses out a piece of raw meat onto the floor. scopes of cultures and peoples that de- more rewarding and known waters, was uneasy, facing an The meat actually is what they call, innocently sound- fine the human race throughout the uncertain destination. They were oblivi- ing, a bill. Not so innocently, the bill frequently world. While the idea sounds attractive, wiser investment than ous of the length of their journey. As a targets a group of taxpayers. Exploris has become a disappointing Exploris ever could. result, Columbus composed two logs, Once the meat, i.e. taxpayers, is tossed into the project and a sinkhole for precious tax- one a short version of the distance tra- pit, all hell breaks loose. Most of the lions, usually payer dollars. versed, another presumably more accu- ravenous Democrats, pounce on the meat immedi- Open for almost three years now, the museum’s bud- rate, based on his own reckoning. This led the crew to be- ately. The other lions, the Republicans, leap onto the get has a deficit of $5.6 million. Of that amount, $3.3 million lieve they were not so far from home as they actually were. Democrats’ backs. It’s not a pretty sight, and I’m is from the 2001 fiscal year. As it is, Exploris has received Conversely, Sir David Edgeworth, an Australian ex- surprised that they invite schoolchildren into the $7.2 million in tax money from the state, $29.5 million from plorer and geologist who lived from 1858 to 1934, offered gallery to see it. county taxes on hotels and meals, and only $14.5 million in wisdom that supporters of Exploris should take to heart. It doesn’t take long before most of the meat is private donations from individuals and corporations. The During an exploration of the South Pole his assistant, Dou- devoured. What’s left goes to the emperor, who museum received $1.4 million from the Wake County glas Mawson, heard the call of Edgeworth as Mawson lords over all from his lair across the street at the government this year and $1.5 million last year. toiled in his tent documenting their excursions. Edgeworth, Capitol. The emperor decides, thumbs up or thumbs Attendance is problematic, too. From October 1999 annoying his assistant and in need of help, cried out with down, the fate of the taxpayers. It’s always a done when it opened through June 30, 2000 the museum had a plea for support when he offered the exclamation, “Well, deal, though. You guessed it: thumbs down. 135,000 visitors. In its second year that number was only I’m down a crevasse, and I don’t think I can hang on much I’m still not sure, after a year of observing, what 100,000. With the opening of the neighboring IMAX theatre longer.” Gov. Mike Easley does. last November, Exploris President Anne Bryan claims the Exploris, despite its high intentions, is in a crevasse, I know he spends a lot of time, like an adman, combined attendance for the museum and the theater too. It eternally will cry for help whatever the rhetorical dreaming up catchy phrases and jingles. Let’s see, should have hit 200,000 by the end of June. But for the 2001 justifications its officers and benefactors might proffer. there was his “No Excuses,” speech about the state fiscal year, Exploris raised a fairly minuscule $695,157 Despite original plans and Edenic dreaming the museum budget. Then there was his “Clean Smokestacks” through admission charges, membership fees, and various is unlikely to ever see a profit. legislation. My No. 1 hit, though, was his toe-tappin’ other fees. In Cohen’s words, its “congenital lameness” is indica- “More at Four.” Philanthropy Journal Editor Todd Cohen has referred to tive of its uselessness. Without a complete revamping, a Then there was the time he dressed up some of Exploris as a “philanthropic sinkhole.” He reported that new and viable privately oriented marketing strategy, and the Capitol statues in Carolina Hurricanes hockey the other children’s museums around the country spend an a rigorous budget, Exploris is doomed to be just another jerseys. He made George Washington look like a average of $9.95 per visitor. Exploris? The cost is $22. On the white elephant in the swamp of government largesse. Par- drag queen. In my hometown, Sweet William liked other hand, if one divides the Exploris budget of $6.46 ents would do better to encourage their children to read, to dress himself and his dog the same way. million for fiscal year 2001 and assumes 160,000 visitors and read profusely. I don’t see how any following year could match that year as the numbers indicate, the museum spent $40.38 Joris Karl Huysman noted in 1884 that one could en- the last one. I can see I still have a lot to learn. Maybe per visitor. gage in “explorations while near one’s own fireside, stimu- someday I could write a book about “Mr. Wagner Rumor has it that Exploris was to become a self- lating the restive or sluggish mind, if need be by reading Goes to Raleigh.” A movie could follow… Naw, this sufficient entity. It has yet to do so, and the odds are that some narrative of travel in distant lands.” time they’d bull-whip me back in Texas. CJ even five years from now its officials will be pining at the Abolishing Exploris and getting our children to read trough for yet more subsidies for an enterprise that cannot offers a more rewarding and wiser investment than sustain itself without undue public support. Indeed, Wake Exploris ever could. That requires parents to be more in- Richard Wagner is editor of Carolina Jornal. County Deputy Manager Joseph Durham has noted that volved in their children’s education. And that, surely, is an “the intent is that (Exploris) will at some point in time be idea worth exploring. August 2002 C A R O L I N A JOURNAL Opinion 21

six months after their initial departure, they can teach for several more years at full pay, collect the pension earned NO DOUBLE-DIPPIN’ from their first teaching position and thus “double-dip” into the taxpayers’ wallets. Real UNC Scandal Teacher loophole should end now A recently proposed piece of state senate legislation would address the first of these conditions while retaining them under the six-month rule. It would also provide that Isn’t about Islam ow often is the common man allowed to gain usu- “retired” teachers who return to the classroom could col- rious compensation when it is obtained through lect only one half of a full-time teacher’s salary. Again, the he University of North Carolina is an inher- Hnefarious means? And to what degree should real solution here is to require any teacher who wishes to ently political institution. It was created by teachers, icons of public service and dedication, be com- keep teaching, even following a temporary hiatus so they Tpoliticians, is governed by politicians, and pensated for their efforts? can collect two incomes, to actually keep teaching at the is funded overwhelmingly by taxpayers. So it gets The obvious answer is to compensate them well within stipulated salary and not collect on their pensions until tiresome, every time there is a controversy at one of the means of a strictly defined market. But that compensa- they actually retire — for good. the campuses, for university leaders to claim an ex- tion should, at the same time, be singular and offered with There is a lot to be said about the tribulations that pub- emption from political oversight or to pretend that no contradiction. The most recent data available, offering lic school teachers must endure. There is stress and sacri- Joseph McCarthy is lurking in the shadows when- teacher salary rankings for 2000-’01, put North Carolina at fice involved. But this is true also with many other profes- ever critics question what UNC does. 21st in the nation with 95.9 percent of the national average sions, not the least among them firefighters, police offic- The latest dust-up concerns a freshman read- in salaries alone. Clearly, progress has been made. ers, and rescue workers. They should be compensated ing assignment at UNC-Chapel Hill. Over the sum- Yet problems remain. And they do not comprise the justly for the work they do. Nonetheless, this is work that mer, students had to read Approaching the Qur’an, a dilemma so often discussed with respect to a lack of proper each of these people has voluntarily chosen to do in full translation and commentary on parts of the Islamic compensation for teachers. What is objectionable under awareness of the compensation available. text. Once school started, students were to partici- current policy is that teachers can engage in “double-dip- Frankly, if they do not feel their work is properly re- pate in mediated discus- ping” as they resign one position, reap the benefits of a warded — whether by monetary compensation or by the sions about the book. retirement pension, and at the same time become re-em- spiritual rewards that come from helping others and do- Not surprisingly, ployed as full-time working teachers. Thus they receive ing good work, or a combination thereof — there is a very once the requirement both the full time salary and a pension for previous teach- simple solution: Find another line of work. went public — on Raleigh ing experience. Sounds like a pretty good deal for those The very nature of such occupations implies a desire radio station WPTF-AM’s who can get it. But most of us can’t. So why should teach- to sacrifice for the common and the greater good. Such “Jerry Agar Show” and ers be any different? mundane matters as teaching our children or saving lives later on national news It is troubling that North Carolina faces a shortage of or enforcing the law are the sinews that tie our culture to- networks — the univer- teachers. Nonetheless, the solution to that dilemma is to gether, that give our society so much of its definition. sity came under heavy extend the current employment of teachers rather than al- We don’t always do these things as well as we might criticism. Also not sur- John Hood lowing them to retire in June of any given calendar year, desire, but the fact that there are people willing to do so prisingly, UNC-Chapel and work an additional full year, at full salary while also without expecting to get rich for their passion is part and Hill Chancellor James beginning to collect their pension. The provision applies parcel of what makes America such a wonderful place. Moeser responded with the usual pabulum about also to administrators. And if “retired” teachers wait a full academic freedom and the need to teach tolerance. My own view is that a freshman reading require- ment is a good thing, given the lack of a real core come and widespread. For economic reasons alone, “ur- curriculum at the university, and that the choice of ban sprawl” has encouraged independent and affordable a study of Islamic culture made sense in this era of SPOILING SPRAWL home ownership, safer neighborhoods, and, for a variety war between the civilized West and Islamic fascism. of reasons, better health. It was the choice of the book that was flawed. Does growth hurt our health? Historian Richard Hofstadter once said that “the Rather that assigning a text reflecting a single United States was born in the country and moved to the professor’s (selective) views of early Islamic teach- city.” But later social forces led many Americans — 45 per- ings, UNC-Chapel Hill could have picked from a ypochondria may be described as a condition of cent by 1990 — to live in the suburbs. This trend results in vast array of just-published, scholarly works on the morbid anxiety about health. In America today, high levels of homeownership on larger lots and, yes, modern Islamic world or the threat of radical Islamic Hthis overweening and clumsy paranoia has dis- longer distances to travel to and from work. terrorism. Instead, Moeser and others clearly chose torted judgment on everything from the use of tobacco But what the Tilsons and the Ropers of the world ap- a text designed to downplay the negative and ac- products, to guns, to Big Macs, and even hot coffee. Of pear to want, in tandem with the CDC, is more akin to centuate the positive — which was not an appro- particular import to the Triangle and other prospering social engineering than it is to any serious concern about priate intention either academically or if the goal is North Carolina communities is a meeting that was held in our health. to inform young citizens about the dangerous world mid-January of this year by a congeries of professors from And as The News & Observer of Raleigh reported Jan. they are entering. The hypocrisy galls UNC’s crit- UNC’s School of Public Health in tandem with the national 16 “even if suburbanites are better off, Tilson said, that’s ics, who correctly point out that the university Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. Ac- not the point.” Oh really? Then what, exactly, is the point? would never require all freshmen to read a book by cording to Dr. Hugh Tilson, a professor of epidemiology The question answers itself. Pat Robertson purporting to “interpret” the Gospels. in Chapel Hill, “It’s clear that urban sprawl is one of the Call it urban sprawl, call it suburbia, call it what you I guess what most distresses me about this con- important contributors to our epidemic of heart disease, wish, the fact is that people who live in America’s suburbs troversy, however, is that it has distracted North diabetes, asthma, and obesity.” Dr. William Roper, who are among the healthiest people in the world. Certainly Carolinians from the real scandal: the University of supervises Tilson and his work at UNC, also believes that this is tied to levels of education, to the quality of their North Carolina is manifestly failing to recruit and developers should take into account the effects of so-called insurance, and to the fact that they tend to be prosperous. graduate a qualified student population. Only one- “urban sprawl” on the health of those citizens who live in And if they wish a large lot with convenient shopping cen- third of the system’s incoming freshmen will gradu- highly developed metropolitan areas. But as Bruce Smith, ters and a longer commute to their place of work, then why ate four years later. More distressing, more than 40 president of the National Association of Homebuilders, has shouldn’t they have it if they’ve earned it? percent of UNC freshmen never graduate. This is a so delicately said, “We’ll all be better off if they stick to Inner-city living is characterized by more severe health staggering waste of time and money. Each year a what they do best — fighting physical diseases, not de- problems and a higher incidence of crime. Much of this is student lingers on campus costs taxpayers about fending political ones.” money-driven and much of it is an enduring cultural mo- $9,000 and depresses the economy by delaying the Of course, we have also been told for decades that high- rass that only effective governance, law and order, and in- development of useful skills on the job. density urban living is bad for one’s health, too, given its dividual initiative can remedy. Rural areas tend to be poorer There are many causes for low graduation rates. impact on the quality of the air we breathe, on the anxiety and don’t have inner city crime problems but do lend them- Admissions standards are too low. Tuition is far too levels that tend to rise with tightly bound urban environ- selves to people having poorer health. low. Students are allowed to maintain full-time sta- ments, an increased incidence of traffic accidents, and on What’s more, those promoting the idea that “urban tus with only 12 hours of classes per semester, and on. So high-density development is bad, too. Now we sprawl” causes undue health problems want people to though an average of 15 is needed to ensure timely are told that “urban sprawl” will kill us, too. One must walk more, as suggested by Durham landscape architect graduation. Students can’t find the lower-level then suppose the only answer is to live in tents in open Dan Jewell. courses they need to fulfill requirements because fields. But in that instance we not only endanger ourselves And they probably like the idea of high-speed transit administrators allow faculty members to avoid these by exposure to the elements and a lack of quality health rail. But walking is not practical for most people, and the “boring” courses in favor of teaching boutique care, we must also grow crops and kill other animals to fact is, Americans don’t like mass transit. courses of interest mainly to themselves. survive. Whichever way we turn, whatever lifestyle we But Tilson believes we need to design our living areas The real university scandal is not a freshman adhere to, we are somehow, somewhere, in some way hurt- to coax people to get off their rear-ends. “The environment reading requirement. It is how comfortable UNC ing ourselves and any living element with which we come that we live in gives us subtle but compelling signals about leaders and their patrons have become with a sys- into contact. But truly, the health angle in any discussion physical activity,” he said. “If you create barriers to being tem that benefits the academic class at the expense of “urban sprawl” is just another arrow in the quiver of physically active, people will be physically inactive.” of the rest of us. Next summer, let’s make all UNC those who wish to micromanage our lives according to their It is easy to see where this is going. There have already administrators, professors, and state legislators read standards. been several lawsuits filed against the likes of McDonald’s a basic text on economics or public finance and then Many observers — among them Jane Jacobs, an emi- and Burger King by obese customers who blame the res- sit down with groups of average taxpayers to ex- nent historian regarding the rise and fall of cities — have taurants for a failure to control their own appetites. plain why the system should continue to receive noted that as society becomes more centralized where pro- The effort to tie the social engineering of “urban almost $2 billion of their money to squander. CJ cess is concerned, it also becomes less centralized in a physi- sprawl” to having the nanny state watch our waistlines cal sense. Especially in the United States, with the excep- and gauge our blood pressure makes one’s blood boil. And Hood is publisher of Carolina Journal. tions of several major cities, this development is both wel- that, surely, is not good for our health. CJ August 2002 C A R O L I N A 22 Opinion JOURNAL

Editorial Briefs

Social Security worse for blacks

Blacks rely more heavily than other demo- graphic groups on Social Security for their retire- ment income. According to the Cato Institute, three of four black retirees rely on Social Security for half or more of their retirement income, and 37 percent rely on Social Security for all of their income. Although Social Security’s rate of return is dismal for all Americans, it is particularly bad for blacks. According to a new study, a 20-year-old black male can expect a real rate of return of only 0.73 percent, while a white male can expect a return of 1.82 percent. White 20-year-old males can expect 47 cents in benefits for every dollar they pay in taxes; 20-year- old black males can expect to receive only 34 cents. This is so because the rate of return on Social Security taxes paid is inherently linked to length of life, and blacks have a shorter average life expect- ancy than whites across all income levels. The average life expectancy at birth for a black male is 67.8 years, while a white male can expect to live to age 73.9. Average life expectancy for a black woman is 74.7, compared to 79.4 for a white woman. Thus a black male can expect to pay Social Security taxes his entire working life but receive less than a year of benefits. White females will collect benefits for almost five years longer than black women. Blacks average nearly $21,000 less than whites in lifetime Social Security benefits, according to President Bush’s Commission to Strengthen Social Security. Deep in Scandal, Phipps Should Resign Forest fires blamed on environmentalism By THOMAS PAUL DE WITT the Agriculture Department, where she remains at Phipps’ In a briefing to Congress, U.S. Forest Service Opinion Editor side. But Phipps claims to be an accountable executive to chief Dale Bosworth said that if proper forest man- this day. If one is the chief executive officer of any organi- agement had been implemented 10 years ago, and s six of North Carolina’s leading metropolitan zation, he or she has full responsibility for the actions of if the agency wasn’t in the grip of “analysis paraly- newspapers have suggested, it is their staff. When they fail to exercise that responsibility, sis” from environmental regulation and lawsuits, A time for our state’s agriculture commissioner to they certainly shouldn’t leave their underlings hanging out the Hayman fire in Colorado wouldn’t have raged resign. While there are many reasons to justify her depar- to dry without hanging with them. like an inferno. ture, there is one in particular that has not From fictitious organizations, to accept- According to Bosworth, of the 192 million acres been given due coverage. ing illegal, unreported cash contributions of the Forest Service administers, 73 million are at Yes, Meg Scott Phipps is incompetent more than $100, to more than $14,000 in high risk from fire. Tens of millions of acres are and negligent. She claims she was, according other illegal contributions, another $84,000 dying from insects and diseases. Thousands of to her own testimony before the State Board from “unidentified” contributors, to carni- miles of road, critical to fighting fires, are unusable. of Elections, “intentionally unaware” of the val industry money moving like a whirling Those facts back up a General Accounting Of- actions of campaign aides, as reported by The dervish on a carousel, Phipps obviously had fice report that says that one in three forest acres is News & Observer of Raleigh, in their consis- no control over her campaign. dead or dying. tent and egregious violations of campaign Or over her staff, and now she pretends When the Clinton administration was in finance laws. But the most distressing point to operate an $80 million state council agency. power—and allied with militant “green” groups— is that if she had not engaged in illegal fund- Some of the same incompetent people— federal policy was to return forests to their “natu- raising, she would not now be North such as Phipps’ campaign treasurer Linda ral” state. Timber harvesting was cut by 80 percent Carolina’s commissioner of agriculture. For Saunders—were brought on board to staff and vast tracts of land were put off limits to com- this reason alone, she should resign. the commissioner’s office to supervise the mercial use. Phipps won the 2000 agriculture Meg Scott Phipps expenditure of taxpayers’ money. As a result, many areas have more than 400 tons commissioner’s race with 51 percent of the of dry fuel per acre. Before the Clinton administra- vote to Republican Steve Troxler’s 49 percent, a difference Board stretched its authority tion limited timber sales, U.S. forests helped pay for of only 31,853 votes. In the Democrat primary, where she their own upkeep. Now the GAO says taxpayers placed first against Graham Boyd, her victory is tainted by In another development, we find that the State Board of will have to spend $12 billion to cart off dead wood. her actions. The State Board of Elections has fined the Elections may have over-reached its authority by granting commissioner’s campaign committee $130,000 for acting immunity to carnival magnates who testified against the Overpayment for Medicare supplies “willfully to deceive the public and board of elections” and, Phipps campaign before the board. As the N&O noted, this in the words of elections board Chairman Larry Leake, is “a power usually reserved for prosecutors with a judge’s Medicare and its beneficiaries are paying above- being “grossly negligent.” Phipps has betrayed the public approval.” Indeed, there is little precedent for a state market prices for medical supplies, according to a trust and, short of her illegal shenanigans, would probably regulatory board usurping prosecutorial or judicial au- new report from the inspector general of the De- not have won her job in an honest election. thority. The core argument here is that Phipps should partment of Health and Human Services. The study resign because she did not win a fair election. looked at 16 common medical items that Medicare Phipps seeks forgiveness for ignorance When she resigns—not if, but when—her office should paid $1.7 billion for in 2000. If the agency had paid be filled by the person who came in second in the electoral what the Veterans Administration paid for the same Responsible for more than $100,000 in illegal campaign sweepstakes, Steve Troxler. Barring that, with partisan items, it would have saved $958 million. contributions, Phipps claims she didn’t know what her concerns undoubtedly in mind, the second-tier Democrat Some of those savings would have been passed campaign team was doing. In other primary candidate Graham Boyd—again, on to Medicare beneficiaries, who pay 20 percent of words, she blames her campaign staff now a Republican—should be appointed the cost out of pocket unless they have secondary and offers nothing but pie-in-the-sky When she resigns… for the balance of Phipps’ term. insurance to cover their copayments. ignorance as an excuse for their viola- It’s bad enough that Phipps blames For example, Medicare pays $8.68 for 1,000 tion of the law. her office should be her campaign staff and refuses full re- milliliters of saline solution; the VA pays $1.02. Phipps, in a letter to the N&O, said filled by the person sponsibility for this tawdry spectacle. But A standard wheelchair costs Medicare $570.68, she wants “to offer a sincere apology to by using illegal contributions Phipps compared to $127.72 if purchased by the VA. the citizens of North Carolina and my who came in second in bought a 31,853-vote margin that, it may Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, chairman of the supporters for failing to have tighter the electoral sweep- be reasonably assumed, she would not appropriations subcommittee on health, said Medi- controls over my campaign’s fund-rais- stakes, Steve Troxler. have won had she run an honest and legal care is often locked into paying escalated prices ing efforts, its staff and volunteers.” With campaign. Her disposition for inattention because the House weakened legislation in 1997 nearly every violation occurring before and incompetence has led to further prob- that gave Medicare authority to reduce payments the election, and her campaign treasurer implying favors to lems in granting contracts for state fair carnival operations. to reasonable levels. CJ at least one donor with an interest in winning a N.C. State Phipps should resign and go home with her head hanging Fair contract, Phipps brought the same person on board in in shame. CJ August 2002 C A R O L I N A JOURNAL Opinion 23 Defining Fairness in Our Economy: It’s About Opportunity

By MICHAEL L. WALDEN In other words, artificially low prices encourage waste. ernment programs that do just this to the tune of $200 Contributing Editor billion to $300 billion annually. RALEIGH Profits and fairness But there’s a reply from supporters of the economic ost of us have a sense of fairness that we apply system. Supporters say income inequality exists because to all walks of life, including the economy. Yet what about profits? Are profits evil? Don’t profits people differ in how successfully they provide a product or M Unfortunately, people who are doing well in the simply represent the power of businesses over weak con- service that is highly valued by the buying public. People economy often say our economic system is fair, whereas sumers? who have the skills and know-how to deliver a product or people who have fallen on hard times will frequently say There are several answers to these questions. First, service that buyers eagerly seek will be rewarded with high the economy is unfair. average profit rates aren’t as high as many people think. earnings. Physicians fall into this category because we all Hopefully, I can widen your perspective on economic When the losses of unsuccessful businesses are included highly value our lives and wellness. But so, too, do enter- fairness to beyond your personal situation—especially be- with the profits of successful ones, average profit rates are tainers, such as movie stars and professional athletes, who cause a judgment on fairness is far more important than a in the single digits. are able to provide enjoyment to large audiences. philosophical exercise. Indeed, concep- More fundamentally, profits serve a If you don’t like what some people are paid, don’t tions of fairness are often a motivation vital function in our economy. Profits are blame them. Instead, blame the mass consuming public. behind the votes of elected officials and …the key to fairness in a beaming signal to producers telling But remember, collective values, not your individual val- citizens on public policy issues. an economy of free them where to deploy their resources. ues, determine the forces of the marketplace. I will argue our economic system is Industries with above-average profit essentially fair. I will examine fairness in choice is the opportu- rates are telling producers to enter that Opportunity and fairness four key aspects of the economy: prices, nity for individuals to market and make more of the product or profits, income, and opportunity. As I service. And when this occurs, profit rates I think the ultimate determinant of fairness in our build my arguments, I will develop the prepare themselves to will fall. In contrast, industries with be- economy is not outcome, but opportunity. Where people meaning of fairness in our economy. make those choices. low-average profit rates are telling pro- are free to make choices about what occupation to pursue, ducers to leave that market, and again, whether to be an employer or an employee, and how much Prices and fairness when this occurs, profit rates will rise. risk to take in a particular business venture, it is very hard So profits are, indeed, the “invisible hand” telling to guarantee equal outcomes. Prices are a key part of our economy. To obtain some businesses what to produce and what not to produce. The But what an economy can try to ensure is the opportu- product or service, most of us must pay a price. only alternative is a government central planner, armed nity to make these choices. Perhaps this is precisely why But is this fair? Critics of our economy say the existence with imperfect information at best, deciding how much of our economy puts so much emphasis on access to educa- of prices for “necessities” like food, clothing, and shelter is what products to make. If there was ever a belief that such tion. In North Carolina, for example, K-12 education is fundamentally unfair. They say people should be provided an alternative could work, the former Soviet Union dis- provided to all children at government expense, and tu- with these necessities even if they can’t afford the price. pelled it. ition rates at the state’s community colleges and public There are two answers to this criticism. First, there are universities are among the most affordable in the nation. government programs in place, such as food stamps and Incomes and fairness Certainly, fairness is in the eyes of the beholder, and rent supplements, that assist limited-resource households each of us has our own definition of fairness. But in my acquire necessities. Of course, the more income a person has, the better able eyes, the key to fairness in an economy of free choice is the Second, and perhaps more important, price plays a he or she can afford to pay prices and purchase products opportunity for individuals to prepare themselves to make fundamental role in our economy of communicating value and services. But all people don’t have the same amount of those choices. CJ and reducing waste. Price represents the value of resources income. So is the unequal distribution of income in our used to make a product or service. Price compensates for economy fair or unfair? the use of these resources. If prices aren’t charged, then it Again, many say the existence of income inequality in Michael Walden is a William Neal Reynolds distinguished pro- can be said buyers are “unfairly” using valuable resources our economy is very unfair, and they say government has fessor in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Econom- for free. And if limited resources are given away for free, an obligation to use its taxing power to spread income more ics at North Carolina State University and an adjunct scholar frugal and careful use of those resources isn’t encouraged. evenly across households. Indeed, there are several gov- with the John Locke Foundation. HOV Lanes Could Relieve Congestion on N.C. Highways

By MICHAEL LOWREY drivers to carpool or change the time of day when they are North Carolina’s first HOV lanes Associate Editor on the road. All involve using a set of sticks and carrots to CHARLOTTE get people to change their behavior. North Carolina’s first HOV lanes are already under rivers traveling to Charlotte and the Research An obvious way to reduce the number of cars on the construction. In rapidly growing northern Mecklenburg Triangle area in the coming years may soon be road is to get commuters to carpool. In the real world, few County, the state is widening Interstate 77 from four to Dseeing signs with different symbols and lingo in people choose to share a ride to the office. The cost savings eight lanes, with two of the new lanes being reserved for an attempt to reduce congestion. High-occupancy vehicle from reduced gas usage and less wear and tear on vehicles HOV vehicles. The Department of Transportation esti- lanes are planned for interstates through both areas in an just aren’t great enough incentives for most people to make mates that 800 vehicles per hour will use the lanes in 2005 attempt to get people to share rides. up for the inconvenience involved. during morning rush hour, compared to 1,800 vehicles per This innovative concept, which offers drivers advan- If, however, those in car pools or on hour on the normal travel lanes. tages to carpool, marks North Carolina’s first venture into buses could be guaranteed a faster, more Currently only 9.3 percent of ve- offering drivers an incentive to change their travel pat- predictable, commute, more people might By offering incentives hicles on the road carry two or more terns. be willing to share a ride. people, a high portion for a road without The problem of road congestion is often one of dealing to drivers through carpool lanes. with peak usage. Most roads have more than enough High-occupancy vehicle lane HOV lanes…the state The I-77 widening project is also capacity at 10 a.m., noon, 3 p.m. or 8 p.m.; the problem is the notable as the first use of design-build overwhelming mass of people traveling to and from work From this realization comes the con- will hopefully get fewer philosophy in North Carolina, in which in the mornings and evenings. This results in commutes cept of the high-occupancy vehicle lane, people to drive and roadwork begins even as the design is that are both long and of unpredictable length. which is a special lane reserved for ve- reduce congestion. being finalized. Completion is sched- The typical means of dealing with congestion is build- hicles carrying at least a certain number uled for December 2003. ing more lanes. Though generally appropriate, this ap- of people. (The number varies by road; proach does have its limits. two or three people per vehicle are common minimum HOV lanes in RTP In North Carolina, the road program is badly standards.) The lighter usage of HOV lanes translates to a underfunded, with the state having identified needs that at faster commute. In Washington D.C., traffic in HOV lanes The N.C. DOT is also considering the use of HOV lanes current spending levels will take two decades to address. averages 61 mph during commute times, compared to 29 on I-40 in the Research Triangle Park area. The western In addition, the price of land in some urban areas may make mph on normal travel lanes. portion of Raleigh’s Outer Loop will also have space re- widening interstates unaffordable. Throughout the country, some states and communities served for future HOV lanes. are also experimenting with even more radical market- While the lanes will not be built when road construc- Ways to reduce traffic based solutions including toll roads with varying prices tion starts in 2008, by widening the footprint of the road, it based upon the time of day. will be much easier to add the lanes in the future. Prelimi- A complement to building more roads is to reduce the The downside to HOV lanes is that they are a misallo- nary studies suggest the region might be able to support number of cars on the road, especially during rush hour. cation of scarce resources if enough commuters don’t HOV lanes by 2025. Rail transit lines are intended in part to do just this, though carpool. Indeed, in several cases HOV lanes have been As North Carolina struggles to meet its transportation they are, even if successful, a very expensive option to build abandoned because of insufficient usage. The costs of being and infrastructure needs, it is evident that it does not have and operate. Charlotte’s expanded transit system, includ- wrong about HOV lanes, however, can and should be kept the money to build its way out of all problems. By offering ing several rail lines, will cost more than $1 billion. The low. By not building special off ramps and other dedicated incentives to drivers through HOV lanes on selected roads, Triangle’s system won’t be much cheaper. infrastructure, the lanes can easily be turned over to regu- the state will hopefully get fewer people to drive and Less-costly approaches involve either encouraging lar traffic if enough commuters aren’t interested. reduce congestion. CJ August 2002 C A R O L I N A 24 Parting Shot JOURNAL Believe It or Not: Children’s Museum Freaks Out Ripley’s Entertainment could buy the failed Exploris; other North Carolina sites are under consideration

By SHIRLEY STRANGE “Good intentions do not have to produce Off-Beat Cultural Correspondent good results immediately or even ever,” he told Parting Shot. “My Smart Start program ake County commissioners are is a perfect example of that.” negotiating with Ripley’s Enter- Hunt said he feels somewhat respon- W tainment to take over the failed sible for the Exploris project and vowed to Exploris Children’s Museum in downtown lobby the federal, state, and local govern- Raleigh. The museum is privately owned, ments for more money to stop the takeover. but the commissioners have been subsidiz- While he was governor in 1995 Hunt sought ing the operation by more than $2 million a funding for the project. Both the House and year. Senate actually considered budgets with Ripley’ Entertainment is most famous funding for Exploris, but when the final for its Ripley’s Believe It or Not! museums. budget was approved funding for Exploris There are 17 such museums in North was deleted. America as well as locations in England, “That really ticked me off,” Hunt said. Mexico, China, Denmark, Australia, and “When I promise a friend that I will get tax- Thailand. payers to pay for his dream, I aim to de- The talks with Ripley’s started after liver.” several newspapers revealed that the The takeover is expected to be com- Exploris Museum was not only deeply in pleted in early 2003. Easley said he was a debt but planned to be dependent on tax- strong supporter of the change. “It’s not that payers for years to come. I wouldn’t siphon off state tax dollars for Company spokesman Gordon Ripley pet projects,” he said. “But this was not my told Carolina Journal that Ripley’s was project. It was Hunt’s. These Exploris folks happy to take advantage of a bad situation did nothing to help me get elected gover- A Ripley’s Believe It Or Not museum could come to Raleigh if talks with Exploris succeed. and make it a win-win arrangement for his nor. Why should I support them?” company and the state and local taxpayers “After Sept. 11, even very young chil- drew Jackson Museum in Union County. Easley also said he was looking forward that are still forced to pay for the failed dren know the world can be a dangerous Exploris founder Gordon Smith said he to having a Ripley’s museum close to home. project. place. The Exploris vision — if there was would continue to lobby against the pro- “ I used to fly in the state helicopter over to “We are already an international com- such a thing — is a far cry from reality,” posed takeover. “I know the Exploris Gatlinburg, Tenn. once a month just to visit pany. We plan to give the children and Ripley said. “Even though our stuff is project has not lived up to the expectations the Ripley’s museum. I know it looked bad, adults an experience they will never forget. weird, it is all based on actual events, dis- of everyone, but if you just give me enough but those trips will no longer be an issue Our museums focus on the weird and coveries, or objects.” time and money I am sure I can make it when Raleigh’s gets up and running.” He strange. Unlike the Exploris museum, we He added that Ripley’s is also planning work,” Smith said at a recent county com- also agreed to let the new museum’s yet-to will not be trying to brainwash kids into to make offers on other poorly attended mission meeting. be-named president be on the state payroll. thinking the world is one big happy fam- museums, including the Museum of the Former Gov. Jim Hunt stood by Smith “I know it’s weird, but weird is cool,” he ily.” Albemarle in Elizabeth City and the An- on his quest for more time and money. said. CJ

Host Tom Campbell Chris Fitzsimon Barry Saunders John Hood

Whether it’s politics, education, taxes, growth, or the legislature, the issues that affect North Carolina are important to you, so… Get the correct spin on NC SPIN!

THE NC SPIN NETWORK Every week, thousands of policymakers in NC SPIN has been called ‘the most WLOS-TV ABC Asheville Sundays 6am North Carolina watch NC SPIN for a full, all- intelligent half-hour on North Carolina TV.’ WWWB-TV WB55 Charlotte Sundays Midnight points discussion of issues important to the WJZY-TV UPN46 Charlotte Sundays 6:30am state. Politics. Education. Growth. Taxes. If your organization has a message for WSKY-TV SKY4 Manteo Sundays 8:30am Transportation. CEOs or government and education Thursdays 10pm leaders, NC SPIN’s statewide network is WRAZ-TV FOX50 Raleigh-Durham Sundays 8:30am A recent poll showed 48% of North Caro- the place for you to be! Call Rudy Partin Sundays Midnight lina ‘influentials’ watch NC SPIN, with 24% (919/696-3599) for advertising information. WILM-TV CBS Wilmington Sundays 11am watching ‘nearly every week.’ Greenville’s Cable 7 Fridays 8pm Tuesdays 6:30pm www.ncspin.com Saturdays 9am