ELECTIONS HEALTH CARE Filing challenged Fighting unionization Democrat candidate J.D. Wooten faces Hospital consolidation complicates issues challenges over loan, residency in his run of who’s at fault in Mission Health union for Senate District 24 debate PAGE 6 PAGE 5

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FROM THE PUBLISHER Public Opinion: Black men speak out, Slogan Favorability demonstrate difference between blm and BLM Do you have a favorable or unfavorable view PUBLISHER Amy O. Cooke of the following slogans? @therightaoc

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF f you haven’t experienced a Rick Henderson Mark Robinson speech, you’re Law and Order @deregulator missing a gifted orator. Watch- ing the Republican lieutenant ◼ VERY FAVORABLE 46% MANAGING EDITOR Igovernor candidate is like being ◼ SOMEWHAT FAVORABLE 19% John Trump transported back to an old-time ◼ SOMEWHAT UNFAVORABLE 12% @stillnbarrel revival. At a Back the Blue rally ◼ VERY UNFAVORABLE 12% ASST. MANAGING EDITOR a few weeks ago, I watched him ◼ HEARD OF, BUT NO OPINION 5% captivate the crowd with his Kari Travis ◼ NEVER HEARD OF 4% @karilynntravis booming voice and inspirational ◼ UNSURE/REFUSED 2% message about freedom and being EXECUTIVE EDITOR a black man in North Carolina and Don Carrington America. Mark Robinson [email protected] As he makes his case for why North Carolinians should vote Black Lives Matter ASSOCIATE EDITORS for him in November, he demon- dollars to the BLM organization. Julie Havlak strates the distinction between While blm is uplifting and VERY FAVORABLE 41% @juliehavlak ◼ two black-lives-matter move- moves Americans toward a “more ◼ SOMEWHAT FAVORABLE 17% Mitch Kokai ments — little “b,” little “l,” little perfect union,” BLM seeks social SOMEWHAT UNFAVORABLE 9% @mitchkokai ◼ “m” or big “B,” big “L,” big “M” upheaval, chaos, and violence to ◼ VERY UNFAVORABLE 24% Lindsay Marchello — in a way that only a black man destroy our union. HEARD OF, BUT NO OPINION 6% @LynnMarch007 can do. (Side note: I’d like to take Robinson is dangerous to BLM ◼ 1% credit for little blm versus big and those on the Left who cham- ◼ NEVER HEARD OF EDITORIAL INTERN BLM, but that goes to a colleague pion it. He disrupts their narrative ◼ UNSURE/REFUSED 2% Emma Schambach who recently mentioned it to me.) and does so with authenticity. DESIGNER Little blm is literal and unifying. He’s not a career politician. He Greg de Deugd Of course, black lives matter. Just burst on the scene in 2018 at a [email protected] as all lives matter because each Greensboro City Council meeting life matters to someone. Support- with an impassioned four-minute Defund the Police PUBLISHED BY ers of blm invite dialogue and free speech about the “majority” of speech. law-abiding gun owners. ◼ VERY FAVORABLE 11% Big BLM is the violent, Marxist, He’s fearless in the face of BLM ◼ SOMEWHAT FAVORABLE 13% divisive movement with secular and its woke mob followers. At ◼ SOMEWHAT UNFAVORABLE 13% VERY UNFAVORABLE 57% The John Locke Foundation religious undertones. BLM seeks the rally I attended, he confronted ◼ to shut down speech, to defund roughly two dozen BLM protesters 4800 Six Forks Road, #220 ◼ HEARD OF, BUT NO OPINION 3% the police, and to coerce corpo- Raleigh, N.C. 27609 ◼ NEVER HEARD OF 1% rations to contribute millions of continued PAGE 20 (919) 828-3876 • Fax: 821-5117 ◼ UNSURE/REFUSED 2% www.JohnLocke.org John Hood COMMENTARY BY JOHN HOOD Chairman Harper Polling, on behalf of Civitas Institute, a conservative public policy organization, surveyed 600 likely voters between Aug. 6-10. The margin of error is plus or minus 4%. Bill Graham, John M. Hood Ted Hicks, Christine Mele, New monuments Rodney C. Pitts, Paul Slobodian David Stover, Edwin Thomas Board of Directors could unify state

ISSN 2578-8167 Carolina Journal is IF YOU’VE LIVED a monthly journal of news, analysis, in North Caro- altogether: Rather than expend and commentary on state and local government and public policy issues lina for even a few years, you’ve so much time debating what to do in North Carolina. probably formed an opinion about with existing public monuments, whether statues and monuments we ought to focus more attention ©2020 by The John Locke Founda- tion Inc. All opinions expressed in by- honoring Confederate leaders on erecting new ones. lined articles are those of the authors and soldiers ought to remain in Over the coming weeks and and do not necessarily reflect the or near courthouses, town halls, months, I’ll devote a series of views of the editors of CJ or the staff and board of the John Locke Founda- state buildings, and other public columns to key figures in N.C. tion. Material published herein may property throughout the state. history whose public service and be reprinted as long as appropriate Whatever your opinion, you accomplishments deserve greater credit is given. Submissions and let- ters are welcome and should be di- can be sure a significant share of renown. Some have already been rected to the editor. North Carolinians agrees. That’s honored by historical markers how divided we are. or other works but merit more To subscribe, call 919-828-3876. Readers also can request Carolina I’ve waded into this contro- numerous and impressive me- Journal Weekly Report, delivered versy a number of times, empha- morialization. Others languish in each weekend by e-mail, or visit sizing the critical importance of relative obscurity. CarolinaJournal.com for news, links, reaching such decisions through What these North Carolinians CJ RESEARCH ON TELEVISION. Don and exclusive content updated each Carington’s report on J.D. Wooten’s weekday. Those interested in educa- deliberation and legislation in- have in common is that, through residency challenges was featured in a READ THE STORY tion, economics, higher education, stead of attacking the rule of law. health care or local government also continued PAGE 21 political advertisement by the group PAGE 6 can ask to receive weekly e-letters Today, I’ll make a different point Citizens for a Better NC Senate. covering these issues. CAROLINA JOURNAL // SEPTEMBER 2020 3 QUICK TAKES State Board of Education member links ‘white moderates’ to ‘white supremacy’ in tweet Forest drops lawsuit

tate Board of Education mem- against Cooper ber James Ford tied “swing voters” and “white moder- ates” to “white supremacy” in a t. Gov. Dan Forest has nor, who is running against Coo- Slate-night tweet Aug. 17. dropped his lawsuit against per for governor, wanted the court The tweet responded to the Gov. Roy Cooper over the to throw out Cooper’s executive Democratic National Convention, governor’s COVID-19 executive orders shutting down much of the which opened its virtual nominat- Lorders. Josh Stein, N.C attorney economy. ing convention that day. Democrats general, tweeted the news Aug. Forest argued Cooper exceed- formally nominated former Vice 13. ed his authority under the Emer- President Joe Biden as their presi- Forest’s decision not to con- gency Management Act and dential nominee the next night. tinue the legal challenge comes failed to seek concurrence from Ford called out the DNC for shortly after a trial judge refused the Council of State for his orders. “playing to swing voters” and to grant a preliminary injunction Judge James Gale disagreed with “white moderates,” which he then in the case. The lieutenant gover- Forest’s reasoning. connected to “white supremacy.” Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat, man Eric Davis, Johnson said, but if tion. appointed Ford to the state educa- Ford can’t do that then he should at Ford’s bio on the Center for Ra- tion board in 2018 to fill a vacan- least resign from the Strategic Plan- cial Equity in Education website de- Younger children carry cy for the state’s southwest region. ning Committee. scribes him as an “equity warrior” Because Ford filled a vacancy, the “DPI and the State Board face who has written about race and ed- smaller COVID-19 General Assembly wasn’t required many challenges moving forward, ucation in Education Post, EdWeek, to confirm his appointment. and your inflammatory rheto- Charlotte Magazine, Charlotte Agen- On Thursday, state Superinten- ric harms our mission to provide a da, and EducationNC. risk, doctor says dent Mark Johnson weighed in. sound, basic education to all stu- CJ sent an email to Ford asking if “Given your leadership role on dents,” Johnson said. he stood by his tweet. He didn’t re- A DOCTOR TOLD the State Board, while you might Cooper didn’t respond to a Caro- spond. lawmakers of those hospitalized need in- not find the current Democratic Par- lina Journal email asking whether he He did, however, refer to CJ’s that children younger than 10 tensive care, but children face ty leadership to be very inspiring, it felt the statement was appropriate original story in an Aug. 20 thread are significantly less infectious a maximum of a 0.3% mortali- is unacceptable to equate middle-of- for a board member to make. on Twitter. He said he was using than adults. The data on their ty rate. Up to 40% of kids don’t the-road North Carolinians to being Before serving on the state ed- the Rev. Martin Luther King’s “Let- risk of virus transmission is “re- show symptoms, Hill said. racists,” Johnson said in an email to ucation board, Ford was a program ter from Birmingham Jail” as a ref- assuring,” Dr. David Hill from With schools closed, identi- Ford. director at the Public School Fo- erence. the N.C. Pediatric Society said fying developmental disabilities Ford leads the Strategic Plan- rum of North Carolina. He was the The News & Observer reported during an Aug. 11 meeting of the or child abuse is more difficult, ning Committee on the state educa- N.C. state teacher of the year during on the dispute. Ford didn’t respond Joint Legislative Oversight Com- he said. “Children do not live in tion board, but Johnson questioned 2014-2015. to the Raleigh newspaper, either. mittee on Health and Human isolation. They do need schools, whether Ford could hold onto his Ford is also the principal at Fill- Neither Davis nor State Board of Services. they do need community sup- leadership position after his actions. ing the Gap Education Consultants, Education Vice Chairman Alan Dun- That reassurance evapo- ports for nutrition,” Hill said. “I If Ford demonstrates that his LLC, a consulting firm providing eq- can responded to CJ’s email asking rates for children older than 10. think it would be a tragedy to be “radical views” won’t impair his uity-based educational solutions to whether they thought Ford’s tweet But hospitalization rates are having an emergency discussion ability to serve in an impartial man- districts and schools. was appropriate. 95% lower for children younger about measles or influenza tear- ner, then the matter should be de- He is executive director of the than 18 than for adults. A third ing through our communities.” ferred to Cooper and board chair- Center for Racial Equity in Educa- CJ Staff

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In First in Freedom the John Locke Foundation’s president and research staff apply the timeless ideas of 20th-century conservative thinkers to such 21st-century challenges as economic stagnation, tax and regulatory burdens, and educational mediocrity.

Available at: ● PASSIVE CONSUMPTION 41% ● INTERACTIVE CONSUMPTION 37% JohnLockeStore.com ● COMMUNICATION 14% ● CONTENT CREATION 3% 4 CAROLINA JOURNAL // SEPTEMBER 2020 GOVERNMENT North Carolina’s lax census response could affect our state’s congressional delegation

ore than 4 million North Georgia, which has 14 congressional who failed to report. Field operations Carolinians are missing seats. But Michigan — population 10 were temporarily suspended, once from the 2020 census. Ma- million — is expected to lose one of again setting back the census collec- jor media reports have emphasized its 14 congressional seats. tion. Ma low census count could put bil- If North Carolina’s census count The bureau had asked Congress lions in federal dollars at risk. comes in at or below Michigan’s, the for an extension to April 30, 2021, to But it also could keep North Car- 14th U.S. representative so many deliver the preliminary results, but olina from gaining a congressional have anticipated could go to another has since contradicted that request. seat. state. Perhaps Montana, which has The bureau quietly moved up the The census count, done every 10 1.1 million people but only one con- collection date from Oct. 31 to Sept. years, helps determine how federal gressional seat. 30, giving census workers even less money is allocated to communities. Carolina Demography, a time to complete the count. It also determines representation in UNC-Chapel Hill center focusing on The Democrat-led U.S. House Congress. North Carolina’s popula- data collection, found North Caroli- passed a bill extending the cen- tion has grown by nearly 1 million na’s census response is ranked 35th. sus deadline. But the Senate, which people over the past decade. But if As of Aug. 2, only 59% of N.C. house- holds a Republican majority, shows census takers don’t count them, the holds have responded — compared no interest in taking up the measure. people parceling out congressional to 63% nationally. Partisan interests are driving districts won’t know they’re here. The census is in a major time the divide on extending the census Each state gets at least one of the crunch, behind schedule even be- count, said Andy Taylor, a political 435 seats in the U.S. House. The oth- fore the COVID-19 pandemic. Initial- science professor at N.C. State Uni- er 385 are divided mainly by popula- ly, the count was to finish by the end versity. tion. Fast-growing states can pluck of July, but the U.S. Census Bureau “Historically, it has been more congressional seats from states los- pushed the deadline to Oct. 31. difficult to count the kinds of people ing people. The COVID-19 outbreak wors- who you would think would support CENSUS 2020. More than 4 million North Carolinians are missing from the 2020 North Carolina should get a 14th ened during a critical collection pe- Democrats,” Taylor said. census. A low census count could put billions in federal dollars at risk. district. We have about 10.6 million riod, when workers were going door- people, roughly 100,000 fewer than to-door to collect data from people CJ Staff

State Board of Education rejects call to Online school off to rocky start

expand enrollment in virtual charter schools echnical difficulties marred per called the malfunctions un- the first week of school. acceptable. “Parents, educators, A statewide online learn- and students are all doing the THE N.C. STATE BOARD of Educa- ing portal crashed, leaving ma- best that we can and deserve tion rejected a unanimous recom- Tny N.C. students and teachers un- technology that works,” Johnson mendation from the state’s Charter able to access virtual classrooms. said in a news release. The De- School Advisory Board to let 3,800 NCEdCloud crashed Aug. 17 and partment of Public Instruction more students enroll at the state’s again Aug. 19. Identity Automa- planned to have a “blunt discus- two virtual charter academies. The tion, the vendor for NCEdCloud, sion” with the vendor and the De- education board’s vote was 7-4. is investigating the cause of the partment of Information Tech- The advisory board on Aug. 12 outages. State Superintendent nology about the failures in the said the state-run virtual charters Mark Johnson and Gov. Roy Coo- days ahead, Johnson said. should take more students to han- dle growing demand because dis- tricts had reduced in-person in- State acts to remove questions struction due to COVID-19. But the six SBE members ap- pointed by Gov. Roy Cooper, and over criminal history board Chairman Eric Davis, an ap- pointee of Gov. Pat McCrory, vot- orth Carolina is joining 35 arrests not resulting in a convic- ed to freeze enrollment at the virtu- other states in removing tion, or a dismissal of charges, un- al charters. The four no votes were criminal history questions less the applicant is legally ineli- from Lt. Gov. Dan Forest, state Trea- BOARD DENIES EXPANSION. About 5,000 students attend the two virtual char- from state job applications. The gible for the position. Under the surer Dale Folwell, and two McCro- ter schools. The advisory board recommended adding up to 2,800 more. Ngovernor signed Executive Or- executive order, state employers ry picks. der 158, which removes employ- won’t conduct background checks Forest issued a statement blast- ment barriers for people with a before the initial job interview ing the decision. criminal record. “People who have and will give applicants a chance al schools closed, families Slightly more than 5,000 stu- made mistakes often deserve a to explain their conviction if it’s For a board that says it seeks without access to the internet dents attend the two virtual char- second chance, and having a job relevant to the job. “Not only will equity in all decisions, with or a virtual academy, as well ter schools. The advisory board had helps turn lives around,” Cooper this help reduce recidivism, it will this vote today, they are leav- as numerous students with recommended admitting as many said in a news release. The execu- give state government access to ing thousands of students special needs, are begging for as 2,800 more students at the N.C. tive order prohibits state employ- more qualified job applicants who with no truly viable choice. alternatives. Gov. Cooper’s Virtual Academy and up to 1,000 ers from considering expunged now don’t even get the chance to Many of these students live Board of Education should be more at the N.C. Charter Acade- or pardoned convictions, charges show what good employees they in the poorest communities providing more options, not my. Nearly 10,000 students are on a unrelated to the job in question, would be,” Cooper said. in our state. With tradition- blocking them. waiting list for the virtual charters. CAROLINA JOURNAL // SEPTEMBER 2020 5 HEALTH CARE Hospital consolidation complicates issues of who’s at fault in Mission Health union debate

BY JULIE HAVLAK region. It’s a big player in seven oth- for surprise billing after charging er counties. Union organizers say some patients hundreds of dollars in bout a dozen protesters the hospital has cut corners, eroding “facility fees.” stood in the rain on an Ashe- patient safety. Opponents say they “One could argue that this push ville sidewalk at Mission depend on Mission Health, and the to unionize is a natural response to Health on Aug. 21. Some held um- union activity is designed to cause cartelization,” Guze said. “Under Abrellas or “Vote No” signs. A white the most harm to HCA, making pa- these circumstances, when there’s banner draped over the medical tients an afterthought. only one provider, it doesn’t just center’s logo urged nurses, “Don’t One anti-union protester, who leave consumers without choice. give your voice away.” Passing driv- wasn’t identified, said her family It also leaves employees without ers occasionally honked car horns. depended on the hospital for emer- choice.” Mission Health, the state’s gency treatment. “As nurses, we Union organizers promise nurses sixth-largest hospital system, is took an oath to do no harm. When greater negotiating power. fighting efforts to unionize 1,600 you choose to go on strike and leave “Conditions at the hospital are registered nurses across 18 coun- patients in the hospital uncared for, such that patient care is suffer- ties in western North Carolina. The that means those patients are left to ing,” organizers wrote in a July let- battle pits HCA Healthcare, Mis- suffer and struggle to survive,” she ter to hospital administration. “The sion Health’s owner and the nation’s told the camera livestreaming the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbat- largest hospital network, against protest. “Those patients could lose ed all existing issues, and we are on VOTE NO MISSION RN MISSION NO VOTE the National Nurses Organizing their lives.” OPPOSITION TO UNIONIZATION. Opponents of a nurses union have posted the verge of a local health care crisis Committee, the largest registered Union organizers say the hospi- signs above the parking lot at Mission Health in Asheville. if steps to alleviate the situation are nurses’ union in the United States. tal is causing the damage. not immediately taken.” Union election ballots were “These outrageous conditions Union opponents were skepti- mailed Aug. 18. They’ll be counted are a disgrace. There is no excuse for Mission Health holds a dom- possibly compromise care. Hospital cal. They argue a national union will in mid-September. HCA or the Mission administration inant 49.5% market share across care is already the largest driver of take away nurses’ voices. Protesters and union organizers to be subjecting its frontline care- 11 counties, according to Mod- high health care costs in the nation. “I’m concerned about what hap- say patient safety is at stake. Mis- givers or patients to jeopardy,” Ma- ern Healthcare. The system’s own North Carolina’s regulators al- pens to the community when they sion Health, they argue, is failing to linda Markowitz, NNOC president, consultant called it “the only ma- lowed the acquisition, hoping to dial 911 and we may happen to be protect nurses and patients from the said in a news release. jor producer of hospital services in protect quality and access by requir- on strike at the time,” another pro- coronavirus pandemic. But union But nurses and patients are Western North Carolina,” according ing HCA to sign on to 15 obligations. tester told the camera. “You can opponents say a strike would cause stuck, with few health care alter- to a 2015 Urban Institute report on But after HCA took over Mission make changes here, and it doesn’t more harm to patients, with short natives in the region, said Jon Guze, the system. Health, its grade in patient safety cost you part of your check to do so.” staffing and neglect possibly killing John Locke Foundation director of At the time HCA took over Mis- fell from an “A” to “C” in little over Whatever the outcome, consum- some. legal studies. sion Health, economists wor- a year. It recovered in spring 2020 ers will pay more for medical ser- The election’s outcome will have Neither the nurses nor their pa- ried about the “frenzy” of hospi- to a “B,” according to the hospital vices. massive ramifications for western tients will have much freedom to tal consolidation sweeping the U.S. watchdog Leapfrog. Attorney Gen- “The consolidation is going to North Carolina. HCA controls al- go elsewhere. The hospital system’s and western North Carolina. They eral Josh Stein said he received “har- raise health care costs. Unionization most half of the health care services dominance makes the battle over a feared consolidation would create rowing” complaints about its quali- is going to raise health care costs,” and providers in 11 counties in the union problematic. monopolies, drive up prices, and ty of care. HCA also came under fire Guze said.

THIS IS WHAT OPPORTUNITY LOOKS LIKE. Learn more online at: www.carolinajournal.com/series/opportunity-scholarships #SchoolChoice 6 CAROLINA JOURNAL // SEPTEMBER 2020 ELECTIONS Dem candidate faces challenges over loan, residency

BY DON CARRINGTON

n an apparent attempt to an- swer concerns about a contro- versial home loan, Democrat J.D. Wooten may have raised questions Iabout where he lived when he filed documents to run in state Senate 204 WILSON ST 6761 COBBLE CREEK RD District 24. Wooten, a Greensboro lawyer, is 101 SOUTH LINDELL RD 4817 REDLAND CT one of six Democratic candidates in Elon “Republican-leaning” Senate dis- 840 McLeansville tricts the left-wing 501(c)(4) group Education Now is boosting. The goal? To help Democrats take con- Whitsett 40 trol of the state Senate. A confiden- tial fundraising document Carolina GREENSBORO 40 Journal obtained shows how Edu- 40 cation Now plans social media and digital ad campaigns to flip Republi- can-held seats in Senate Districts 1, 7, 11, 13, 24, and 31. Wooten also moves a lot. CJ’s N.C. SENATE 85 review of voter registration, cam- DISTRICT paign finance, and real estate re- Jamestown 28 1607 HARGROVE DR cords concludes that since August 2016 Wooten has used at least five Guilford County addresses. N.C. SENATE N.C. SENATE He drew media scrutiny for pos- 85 DISTRICT DISTRICT sibly violating the terms of a Veter- 27 24 ans Affairs loan. He used the loan in March 2019 to buy a house at 73 101 South Lindell Road in Greens- Leansville. The McLeansville house 1 through June 30, 2019. Wooten clause and that Wooten complied ning as a Democrat in District 24, boro. Reports in late July from Tri- is in District 24. The Greensboro changed his address on 10 expendi- with the terms of the loan. even though he may not meet res- ad television station WXII-12 and house is in District 28. tures and 10 in-kind contributions When Wooten bought the idency requirements. The Insider, a political newslet- By state law, a member of the from a rental property on Hargrove South Lindell Road home in March Wooten is a graduate of the U.S. ter published by McClatchy, ques- General Assembly must reside in Road in District 24 to South Lin- 2019, Godfrey said it was Wooten’s Air Force Academy, a 10-year Air tioned whether Lindell lived up to the district he serves for at least dell Road in District 28. He never primary residence and he intend- Force veteran, and an intellectual the terms of the VA loan. The deed one year. used South Lindell Road as his vot- ed it to remain so. “Circumstanc- property attorney with the Womble of trust for the property said the Wooten ran in 2018 for District er registration address even though es changed, and Wooten moved in Bond Dickinson law firm. house must be his principal resi- 24 and lost to GOP incumbent Sen. he now claims to have lived there October 2019,” she said. She said Wooten recently has changed dence for at least a year “unless Rick Gunn. Gunn chose not to run though most of 2019. Wooten hadn’t planned to run for his voter registration address sev- extenuating circumstances exist this year. Republican Amy Galey, a CJ contacted Wooten on July 29 the Senate again. He moved to be eral times. In August 2016, he reg- which are beyond Borrower’s con- lawyer and chairwoman of the Al- to ask about his loan and residen- closer to his Greensboro office. -Af istered as unaffiliated at a Greens- trol.” amance County Board of Commis- cy issues. He passed the request to ter reflection, she said, Wooten still boro address in Senate District 28. Wooten admits he doesn’t live sioners, is Wooten’s November gen- Brigid Godfrey, deputy communi- felt strongly about serving his com- In January 2017, he re-registered as there now. He rents the house to a eral election opponent. The district cations director for the N.C. Dem- munity and decided to give it an- a Democrat. In February 2018, Woo- tenant. covers all of Alamance County and ocratic Party. “J.D. is unavailable,” other shot. ten changed his voter registration State Board of Elections records the eastern third of neighboring Godfrey told CJ. But she offered But if Wooten had filed from address to an apartment in District show in October 2019, when Woo- Guilford County. some background information at- his Lindell Road address, he would 24. The next month he changed his ten filed to run in Senate District On July 28, in an apparent at- tributed to Wooten’s campaign or- have been in District 28. It’s repre- voter registration address to anoth- 24, he listed his residence as the tempt to address discrepancies, ganization. Wooten’s real estate sented by Sen. Gladys Robinson, er location in District 24. In October address on his voter registration Wooten filed an amended cam- attorney said Wooten fell under a Democrat who’s running for her 2019, he changed his address to a forms: 4817 Redland Court, Mc- paign finance report covering Jan. the “extenuating circumstances” sixth term. Instead, Wooten’s run- third location in District 24. Timeline of J.D. Wooten’s voter registration changes, campaign finance records, residences, and real estate holdings since August 2016

Aug. 24, 2016 Jan. 13, 2017 Feb. 19, 2018 March 2018 June 28, 2018 March 18, 2019 Oct. 16, 2019 Dec. 2019 July 28, 2020 Wooten registered Wooten changed Wooten changed Campaign docu- Wooten changed Wooten bought the Wooten changed Wooten filed to run Wooten filed the to vote in Guilford his voter registra- his voter registra- ments listed Woo- his voter registra- house on South Lin- his voter registra- in Senate District amended midyear County at 204 Wil- tion from unaffili- tion address to ten’s address as tion address to dell Rd. in Greens- tion address to 4817 24. He listed Red- semiannual cam- son Street, Greens- ated to Democrat. 6761 Cobble Creek 1607 Hargrove Dr., 1607 Hargrove Dr., boro. The price Redland Court, Mc- land Court as his paign finance re- boro. He registered Wooten bought the Rd., Apartment McLeansville. Re- McLeansville. was $165,000, and Leansville, in Dis- home address. port covering the unaffiliated.CJ de- 204 Wilson Street 2D, Whitsett. The cords indicate he again he used a VA trict 24. Property first half of 2019. termined that he property. He paid apartment is in Dis- was renting. The program to finance records indicate he He changed his ad- was renting the $300,000 and fi- trict 24. house is in District the entire amount. is renting. dress from the Har- home. Later he nanced the entire 24. He owns this house, grove Drive house he would buy it. amount with a VA and WXII report- was renting in Dis- home loan. He still ed he rents it to a trict 24 to the house owns the house. tenant. It is in Dis- he owned on South It’s in Senate Dis- trict 28. Wooten did Lindell Rd. in District trict 28. not change his vot- 28. He has never list- er registration ad- ed South Lindell Rd. dress. as his residence on voter registration re- cords. CAROLINA JOURNAL // SEPTEMBER 2020 7 QUICK TAKES Powerful House leader Lewis faces federal charges, resigns from General Assembly

acing federal charges of mak- government signifies my commit- website, Lewis said at the time that ing a false statement to a ment to put an unfortunate chap- he was withdrawing his name from bank and failing to file a tax ter behind me. The plea agreement the November ballot. At the time, return, powerful N.C. state lawmak- is the result of my failing to file my he did not indicate any plans to Fer David Lewis resigned from his 2018 tax return on time and my in- leave the General Assembly before position “effective immediately.” cluding a false statement on a bank finishing his term. The early resig- Lewis later pleaded guilty in a deal form. These are my mistakes, and nation meant Lewis would not take with prosecutors. my mistakes alone. I am very sorry part in House sessions scheduled A court filing alleges that - Lew for these mistakes, and I apologize. for early September. is diverted $65,000 from his cam- “I was raised on a farm, and I’ve “Since 2003, I’ve had the hon- paign bank account to his business been a farmer all my life. But farm- or and privilege of representing the in 2018, using an account known ing has been tough for me for the people of Harnett County, and I’ve as NC GOP Inc. as a conduit. Lew- past six years in a row, and the fi- taken this great responsibility se- is controlled the NC GOP account, nancial stress I’ve been under has riously, offering everything I have which had no connection to the been tremendous. However, that and everything I am in service, to state Republican Party. is the reality facing many fami- improve the lives of my neighbors Lewis documented the mon- ly farms, and it does not excuse my and our community,” Lewis said in ey transfer as a contribution to the mistakes. July. “I’m proud of the growth both Republican Party, according to the “I thank the people of Harnett in our great state and within our be- court filing. He later transferred GRAY BECKI BY PHOTO CJ County for the opportunity to serve loved county, and I know the future $65,000 to the Republican Party RESIGNATION. House Rules Committee Chairman David Lewis, R-Harnett, left them in the North Carolina House of our community is strong.” from a personal bank account. He the General Assembly to deal with federal criminal charges. for the past seventeen and a half Lewis, arguably the most pow- closed the NC GOP Inc. account in years. It’s been the honor of my life- erful member of the House aside October 2018. time. Today, I retire from public of- from Speaker Tim Moore, R-Cleve- Less than a month after the sur- the powerful N.C. House Rules Com- serving them for the past 17 and fice. I am grateful for my family and land, was an architect of Republi- prise announcement that he would mittee addressed the letter to the a half years,” Lewis wrote. “It has our family farm.” can reforms. He led election redis- not seek re-election, Lewis, a Har- House speaker. The letter did not been an honor of a lifetime.” Political observers had known tricting and voter ID efforts in the nett County Republican, submitted mention the federal charges. A longer statement from Lewis since July 24 that Lewis would not House. a three-sentence resignation let- “I want to thank the people of referenced the criminal charges. seek a 10th term in office. ter dated Aug. 20. The chairman of Harnett County for the privilege of “Today’s agreement with the In a statement posted on his CJ Staff

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FACTS www.johnlocke.org/podcast 8 CAROLINA JOURNAL // SEPTEMBER 2020 COVID-19: WHAT WE’VE LOST

Music venues, closed since March, struggle to survive. Some are gone for good.

BY JOHN TRUMP Without meaningful feder- out of the lease and plans to focus al assistance, the National Inde- on the art gallery and the club’s in- THE POUR HOUSE Music Hall and pendent Venue Association says ternet radio station. Record Shop is eerily quiet. in a news release, 90% of its mem- “I think, again, because our mis- Dusty. Empty. bers will close for good. A biparti- sion and vision was to help pro- It’s as though the space is still san group of lawmakers is push- mote artists and musicians, we can under construction, or in some ing a measure, the Save Our Stages still do that through our website. So stage of renovation. A cordless Act, to help — through Small Busi- we’re going to try to keep the Imurj drill and some sound equipment ness Administration grants — in- radio popular and build on that a lit- are spread out over one end of the dependent live venues throughout tle bit.” L-shaped bar, adjacent to a row of the country. The act could be part Trying to figure things out. beer taps. A couple dozen, at least of the next stimulus bill, but nego- Thor said he was frustrated at first glance. tiations between Congress and the with Cooper’s lockdowns. At first. Now dry, unused. White House, as of late August, During the early days of the shut- A twisted irony, really. were stalled. downs and executive orders. The This venerable venue on Blount Some clubs, for instance, have rules, he said, kept changing. Street in downtown Raleigh, a hub tried to fill the void with online “If we’d have had time to get a for live music since 1997. Gone streams. Places such as The Blind better plan, we might have been dark, though the record store re- Tiger in Greensboro re-opened re- able to stay open longer,” Thor says. mains open. CARRINGTON DON BY PHOTO CJ cently at about 25% capacity, Maybe. The frustration? Not so This part of Blount Street is an THE POUR HOUSE. This venerable venue on Blount Street in downtown Raleigh changing seating to meet social much anymore, Thor says. example of the dichotomy Raleigh is now eerily quiet. distancing requirements, the Triad “Even if we could be open, if we — and cities throughout the coun- Business Journal reported. Co-owner had to be socially distanced, we try — has become. Restaurants that Doc Beck told the TBJ customers are couldn’t make enough money to just a few months ago were awash required to buy hot dogs or sand- pay the bands and keep the lights in national attention, their doors wiches to help the club meet Coo- on, really. ... I understand, you clogged with customers, are tem- per’s requirements on food and non- know, it’s a rough situation. porarily closed. A Dollar Gener- alcoholic beverage sales. The Grey “But,” Thor says, “we can’t have al DGX a few hundred feet to the Eagle in Asheville has taken acts people packed into that place. It’s in south is dark and foreboding, a sad outside, to the “patio,” albeit with a basement.” memorial to the violent protests limited capacities and strict rules. Adam Lindstaedt lets me in that battered the city just a couple The Pour House plans to reopen, through a side entrance of the Pour of months ago. A shiny new park, though it has taken on considerable House, over a row of sandbags at Moore Square, seen as a place to debt to do so. the door’s threshold. He owns the gather, a place for concerts and fes- Imurj, an arts collaborative club, along with the record shop up- tivals, is mostly unused. tucked under Whiskey Kitchen on stairs. It’s not an outlier, the Pour Raleigh’s South McDowell Street, Never mind the dust, he says be- House. The club is part of a long, si- closed in March. fore grabbing a stool at the bar, the lent list. High-energy places such It won’t reopen. dormant beer taps along a wall just as Cat’s Cradle in Carrboro, The Or- Not in its space under the a few feet away. Rows of posters ad- ange Peel in Asheville, Ramkat in restaurant. Not as it was. vertising beer line a wall behind Winston-Salem. “We’re closed down,” says Karl him. One, with a big red “R” stands Music venues throughout the Thor, a managing partner for the out, just over Lindstaedt’s right state have been closed since March, venue catering to emerging and am- shoulder — Raleigh Brewing Co. when Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat, CARRINGTON DON BY PHOTO CJ ateur artists. Anyone with a pas- He pauses to adjust the yellow- ordered a statewide lockdown in re- KINGS. Music venues like this have been closed since March, when Gov. Roy sion for the performing or visu- and-black bandana covering his sponse to the COVID-19 pandem- Cooper ordered a statewide lockdown in response to COVID-19. al arts. “We try to give them a plat- mouth. Shakes his head. ic. It was part of a three-part plan, form to try to get started and get “If it wasn’t for loan money, we he said then, to “flatten the curve” moving. We also have burlesque, we would have gone out of business a and to prevent overwhelming hos- have comedy, we’ve had the North month ago,” he tells me. “We would pitals with patients. Cooper in May theaters, are closed, until at least ing, shaky bridge and getting to the Carolina Symphony. We’ve had the have gone bankrupt.” enacted a modified Phase 2, open- Sept. 11, when Cooper will revisit middle of the span, high above a North Carolina ballet do some small He had 17 employees, including ing restaurants, breweries, hair sa- the issue and when the state health river, only to feel the ropes snap in groups. …” engineers, bartenders, door people, lons, tattoo parlors, and other busi- department secretary, Dr. Mandy your hands, the boards crumble un- The venue, an arts incubator managers, and people to work in the nesses at limited capacity. Cohen, will unveil her latest set of der your feet. including a gallery, stage, record- record shop, which has gone online But the state, as of mid-August, coronavirus graphs and charts. For some business owners, Coo- ing studio, and shop, opened about and is open by appointment. A PPP has remained stuck in an excruciat- For many businesses, such as per’s September announcement, three years ago. Construction on loan helped, but only a little. Lind- ingly abstract Phase 2, per Cooper’s bars and music venues, Cooper’s whatever it may be, is already too the space started about a year be- staedt said he took a disaster loan, orders. Myriad businesses, includ- next move is the difference between late. They never made it to the riv- fore that. continued NEXT PAGE ing bars, gyms, bowling alleys, and successfully traversing a swing- er, let alone tried to cross it. Thor said he’s working to get CAROLINA JOURNAL // SEPTEMBER 2020 9 COVID-19: WHAT WE’VE LOST continued from PREVIOUS PAGE I glance at the colorful and or- nate taps, trying to decipher brands, which, before COVID-19, existed for beer styles. From Foothills, Raleigh businesses and nonprofits recover- Brewing, Red Oak, New Belgium, ing from natural disasters, such as Shock Top. I’m wearing a mask, so hurricanes. I miss the smells so ubiquitous in The loan isn’t forgivable, he a music club, even hours after the says, which means Lindstaedt will night’s final note. The sweat and be paying it until 2051. It will cov- spilled beer, breath spoiled by liquor er rental insurance for about a year. and cigarettes. All sorts of residual There’s also the rent itself, as well smoke. as the cost for liquor permits, which At the start of the lockdowns he can’t use. The the state ABC re- club’s air condition- solved to amend ing went out. Throw some policies, this another $1,500 onto You always hear time permitting lo- the pile. cal boards to allow The Pour House about restau- bar owners to re- record store opened rants having turn bottles of li- in November. Cus- thin margins and quor for a refund, tomers could browse bars having thin less the mixed bev- the extensive collec- erage tax, a news tion, grab a beer, and margins, but release said. Thing even listen to some music venues is, that mixed bev- CJ PHOTO BY DON CARRINGTON DON BY PHOTO CJ live music. The tim- have the thin- erage tax amounts ing, said Lindstaedt, to $3.75 per bottle, LINCOLN THEATRE. The National Independent Venue Association says that without meaningful assistance, 90% of its couldn’t have been nest of margins. which would be members will close for good. A group of lawmakers is pushing a measure, the Save Our Stages Act, to help. better. We usually oper- twice that should “At the end of ate on 1% or 2%, a bar owner sell rants having thin margins and bars the day, we’re in bet- and on a good ABC the liquor and September. “At the same time, you go to ter shape,” he says, then buy it back. having thin margins, but music “By far, September and Febru- these restaurants that are operat- “because we actu- year we might “It didn’t seem venues have the thinnest of mar- ary, for us, have always been our ing at 50% capacity. They might ally do have a reve- get up to like 5% necessary for us gins. We usually operate on 1% or top two months,” Lindstaedt says. normally hold 300, but now they nue stream coming or 7% profit. to do that,” Linds- 2%, and on a good year we might Not this September. February? can put 100, 150 people in those in. Everyone else has taedt says. get up to like 5% or 7% profit.” Who knows? spaces, and that’s OK. been sitting at zero The bigger September should be a good Breweries, distilleries, and win- “Extremely frustrating,” Linds- revenue since March - Adam Lindstaedt, problem, as coun- month for live music in North Caro- eries opened in May, and most don’t taedt says. 17.” The Pour House terintuitive as it lina, especially for Raleigh. The In- have on-site restaurants. State-con- His feelings are genuine, raw, Businesses like sounds, is beer. ternational Bluegrass Music Asso- trolled ABC stores are flourishing. palpable. Emotions a cloth bandan- Lindstaedt’s have Thirty taps, in bar- ciation, each September for the past “There’s seven classifications na can’t hide. closed and will con- rels costing be- few years, has brought world-fa- for selling alcohol to the public in “This type of environment, more tinue to close, even with govern- tween $160 and $250. He has sold mous artists and bands to the capi- North Carolina,” Lindstaedt says. than any other business, is used to ment payouts and small legisla- growlers through the website and, tal city, musicians who play in front “Six have been operating since the regulating people. We’re constant- tive victories. Three times Republi- for Labor Day, planned a “blowout” of hundreds of thousands of fans. middle of May. Private clubs are the ly telling people they can’t do this, can lawmakers tried to reopen bars. sale, with price breaks on gallons Some of these bands, as part of only ones that are not allowed to they can’t do that, but approaching Three times Cooper vetoed their and half gallons. PBR for 50 cents. the festival, fill downtown music operate ... about 1,200 in the state.” it in a way that doesn’t piss them bills, which managed to pass the Coronas for a penny, “just because clubs: The Lincoln Theatre, Kings, Lindstaedt talks about a man off and create a scene; just letting General Assembly largely among nobody wants to buy a Corona any- The Architect, the Pour House, who’s doing some work for him. them know like, ‘Hey, please don’t party lines. Three times lawmakers more.” which also holds a festival of its The man, he says, plays in a church do that.’” failed to override Cooper’s vetoes. All of that brings in money. But own: Groove in the Garden. Hop- band. Unlike bars and gyms, We’re ready for it, Lindstaedt “Something’s got to give,” Lind- all of that was never meant to pay scotch, an eclectic and vibrant mu- churches are open. Even running says. To reopen, he means. staedt says. “We have to be given the bills. sic festival that also brings huge at half capacity, Lindstaedt says, “We’ve been ready for it, and a chance to operate like everybody Music was. crowds to downtown, was sched- that’s 500 people attending any giv- continued NEXT PAGE else.” “You always hear about restau- uled a couple of weeks earlier in en service. NORTH CAROLINA

BUDGET IN PICTURES ONLINE NOW AT JOHNLOCKE.ORG

A visual exploration of the current N.C. budget: How does state government get its money? How does it use that money? How has that changed over time? And how might that change in the future? 10 CAROLINA JOURNAL // SEPTEMBER 2020 COVID-19: WHAT WE’VE LOST continued from PREVIOUS PAGE artists, clubs. Many, maybe. Who knows? I feel like we can do it better than “We’re going to lose a lot of most people because we’re used to bands,” May told CJ. “A lot of bands it, and people are used to being told are going to have to break out to get no in places like this. Not just our day jobs. We’re gonna lose a lot of place, but other independent ven- venues.” ues across the town, across the Tri- Small concert series and festi- angle, across the nation. vals may go by the wayside. Cities “So, just like, right off the bat and towns will cut funding for simi- because of our license type, that lar events or decide to spend it else- we’re not allowed to be in business where. Or politicians simply won’t is extremely frustrating. I mean, my risk bringing people together. More rent is $9,000 a month, and I’m not than 10 or 15 at a time. getting any breaks.” “It collapsed in a matter of days, Tables and stools, in vari- to zero, and to start it back up is go- ous stages of completion, take up ing to be so much more challeng- space on the floor, in front of the si- ing,” May says. “This thing is like lent stage, more than six feet from an aircraft carrier. It’s going to take the bar. Lindstaedt has a plan. The a long time for it to start back up.” thinking is, when decreed clubs like Lindstaedt, building on an idea the Pour House can re-open, they’ll from an event series pairing local open at limited capacity, probably bands and local beer, put together 50%. The Pour House has room for an inclusive group, 13 people with a 289 people. But, Lindstaedt says, al- wide spectrum of musical interests. lowing 145 or so people in the space They recommend bands and sub- makes social distancing impossible. sequently act as promoters, inject- More like 20% then. ing diversity to the music and to the “Never in a million years did I crowds. think we’d only be allowed to have Bands and artists with a loud 58 people in the building that’s voice. Bands and artists people 5,400 square feet.” should hear. BRENDAN MCLEAN BRENDAN Dead space. Lots of it. SCYTHIAN AND FANS AT LINCOLN THEATRE. Patrick May represents dozens of bands and artists, including Billy Strings, “Before all this happened, I Lindstaedt points to a strip Mandolin Orange, Sam Bush, and Scythian. He believes we will lose a lot of bands, small concert series, and festivals. would have between 400 and 500 of masking tape, which someone bands a week contacting me to do stuck to the front of the bar. That’s shows, and I don’t have that many four tickets, he says. Over there, slots a week.” that’s two tickets. It’s an evolving process, which “All the tape marks on the floors will continue to change. Morphing are spots where tables are going to into this or that. Week to week. Day be,” he says. to day. Bands will still get paid, but Basically you’re buying, more the formulas will change. like renting, a table. Typically, he says, bands work “Between all those tables, I’ve off the door, getting a percentage of got 58 tickets to sell to a single ticket sales. show.” “In the past, our typical deals The lights, someday, will come have been the bands take 85% af- back on. In a typical — well, normal ter the first $250 that comes in. So — year, Lindstaedt says, more than now what we’re talking about is a 1,100 bands and artists play the straight-down-the-middle 50/50 Pour House. It can be overwhelm- split.” ing, if one person is deciding on the Whatever works. acts, programming them, and pro- “Everyone’s been flexible,” Lind- moting them. staedt says. “You’ve been hurting. In a normal year. We’ve been hurting. We need to ap- Imagine thousands of bands, proach this like a true partnership.” artists who have been writing and Lindstaedt says future shows, playing online gigs, just to scrape three each night, won’t be longer by. Thousands of artists looking to than an hour. Crowds in, crowds play in front of actual people. Art- out. Like a restaurant or movie the- ists who want to work, to get paid. ater. Customers will place orders “I’m sure there’s going to be a lot from the table, reducing interac- of people that have given up on mu- tions with staff. Doing everything sic and gone and pursued a career possible to keep customers, bands, elsewhere,” Lindstaedt says. “But and staff safe. at the end of the day, a lot of peo- “We’re going to be taking peo- ple are still out there. It’s just going HAMILTON PT ple’s temperatures at the door. My- LOST SEPTEMBER. September should be a good month for live music in North Carolina, especially for Raleigh. The to be even harder to get in here now International Bluegrass Music Association, each September for the past few years, has brought world-famous artists and self or my manager will be bringing than it was before.” bands to the capital city, musicians who play in front of hundreds of thousands of fans. people in one by one, taking them Bands, especially those who are to their tables, explaining to them almost famous, or even less than how this is going to work. Peo- that, can’t help but try to keep go- ple are going to be required to keep ing. Same for the clubs. Orange, Sam Bush, and Scythian. says. “But in the frankness of: Can end up with a ‘yes’ when you look their masks on the entire time, even It’s a kind of addiction, says Pat- “You can’t stop trying to survive, we get a bunch of people in an en- at those parameters? Are there go- when you’re at your table, which is rick May, an agent and partner with but at the same time it’s not living, closed room over the next six ing to be little ways to kind of do not a requirement in restaurants.” Crossover Touring, based in Nash- it’s just surviving,” May says. months of the winter, while things this and that? Yes. These are en- Lindstaedt stops to demon- ville, Tennessee. The agency rep- “For every person you talk to, are rebounding, and then do that in trepreneurs, and they can’t sit still. strate, dropping his bandanna to resents dozens of bands and artists, they’re gonna have a different idea a way that is financially viable for They’re going to try.” his chin, just long enough to tilt including Billy Strings, Mandolin of what’s going to happen,” May these venues? It’s really difficult to Some will survive — bands, continued NEXT PAGE CAROLINA JOURNAL // SEPTEMBER 2020 11 COVID-19: WHAT WE’VE LOST continued from PREVIOUS PAGE der-to-shoulder. No one cares or even notices. back an imaginary glass. Just long It’s about the music, the experi- enough for a sip. ence. “If people got a problem with it, Standing on a farm, in a wide- they’ve got a problem with us, and open field “with 5,000 of your clos- then they’re going to have to go. est friends. A commonality lost. A “The last thing I want to do is guitar riff, barely audible. Fading to open up and then have pictures go- silence. Maybe the middle is there. ing out on social media that show “There’s no connection between everyone rubbing shoulders, or one the bands and us, the fans and us. of my customers get sick, or a band It’s a whole ecosystem that exists member, or one of my staff get sick. on its own, and it’s all been stripped That’s the last thing I want, and away,” says Lindstaedt. then we’re going to close down “For a lot of people that come to again. Then, if that happens, we’re places like this, this is our church.” screwed. It’s going to be really hard Like the Maren Morris song: to come back from that. It’s my “Hank brings the sermon. Cash leads business, it’s my livelihood,” Linds- the choir.” taedt says. “We don’t go to church,” Lind- “I do this because I love it. It’s staedt says. “We don’t go to tem- not because it’s making me rich. ple. We don’t follow that part of life, We’ve lost every single penny that right? This is our release. This is our was in our account when this all way to connect, unwind.” started. We were on track to have FILE Live music will return, of course. our best year ever in 22 years, 23 IT’S ALL BEEN STRIPPED AWAY. “We don’t go to church. We don’t go to temple. We don’t follow that part of life, right? Outdoors at first, swaggering slow- years, and that’s all gone. Every- This is our release. This is our way to connect, unwind,” says Adam Lindstaedt, owner of the Pour House in Raleigh. ly back inside. Someday. Lindstaedt thing’s gone. We’re operating on and May say they’ve talked to a lot borrowed money now. of people. “Everyone’s in the same boat. About festivals and big arena Streaming is great, just like selling of loses its essence. So, it’s a sliver same time, and, you know, whatev- Until they can play again, and the shows. To artists and people in the online is great ... but everything re- of what it can be, because live mu- er’s happening on that stage brings people can come. industry. In the U.S. and around the lated to live music and picking re- sic is about feeling, it’s not about them together.” Until then, though, something world. cords out, it’s a very hands-on expe- seeing or hearing ... especially Online streams reach audiences, will be missing, something falling A general consensus exists. It’s rience. And when you take out the when you have a group of strangers bring artists a little money. To keep somewhere in the middle. Maybe concise and succinct. thing that drives people to it, it kind experiencing the same thing at the going. The bands and the fans, too. that middle is a club, packed shoul- “I don’t know.”

Public Affairs, Policy Issues & Perceptive Commentary

See refreshing, balanced conversations about timely topics facing North Carolina and the nation on FRONT ROW with Marc Rotterman. By bringing together his insider experience, keen mind and key contacts (including elected officials, policy makers and journalists), Marc and his guests explore important issues about policy and public affairs during each lively episode.

Catch FRONT ROW— Five Times a Week! UNC-TV: Fridays, at 8:30 PM • Sundays, at Noon North Carolina Channel: Fridays, at 9 PM • Saturdays, at 4 PM Sundays, at 9:30 AM Online anytime at unc.tv/frontrow 12 CAROLINA JOURNAL // SEPTEMBER 2020 COVID-19: WHAT WE’VE LOST

Year without a state fair leaves North Carolinians sad, nostalgic

BY KARI TRAVIS But, in a packed environ- ment where North Carolin- TRAVIS KARI BY PHOTO CJ or the first time in more ians love to wander exhib- SOMETHING ABOUT THE EMPTINESS. When the fair is open, a walkway by the pond on the north- western side of the grounds provides a reprieve from the noise of the midway. than 20 years, Chef Fe- its and stand in line for rides licia Daniel has no while devouring barbecue, plans for autumn in North ice cream, and roasted corn, FCarolina. there was no modified op- It’s a muggy, Friday af- tion that could possibly of- ternoon on Aug. 7 when I “CHICKENATOR.” Fried chick- fer the same experience, Fair phone Daniel, the operator en, bacon, and pepper jack Manager Kent Yelverton told of the N.C. State Fair’s pop- cheese in a cinnamon roll. WRAL in July. There was “no ular Chef’s D'Lites conces- halfway,” he said. sions booth. She picks up “The people. The lights. on the second ring, and her Even in the best of years, The rides. The smells. The voice lifts after I tell her why events like this have been music. All of that contributes I’m calling. The pastry chef is known to coincide with in- to an atmosphere that can giddy when talking about the fection risks. In 2019, the N.C. only be felt during the fair,” fair. It’s her favorite time of Mountain State Fair, held in Yelverton said. year. For months in advance, Fletcher, was tied to a Le- It’s a huge social loss, said she experiments in the kitch- gionnaires outbreak. A hot Connie Chesner, a dedicated en, concocting deep-fried rec- tub display was the breeding fairgoer from Winston-Salem. ipes to tempt hungry fairgo- ground for bacteria, news re- To her, browsing exhibit halls ers. Her treats are greasy and ports said. Ninety-four people and talking with vendors “is decadent — the kind that were hospitalized. Four died. like meeting neighbors you make you crave an ice-cold Several of North Caroli- never knew you had, seeing lemonade to wash it all down. na’s major regional fairs were talents you didn’t realize were TRAVIS KARI BY PHOTO CJ After finalizing her menu, also canceled in July, includ- right there. Just going to the THE STATE FAIR FLYER. Added to the fairgrounds in 2016, the State Fair Flyer provides a 40-foot- Daniel usually spends August ing the N.C. Mountain State fair instills stories of who you high sky lift for fairgoers who want full view of the midway and surrounding grounds. and September preparing, Fair and the Carolina Classic met, what you saw, what sur- pulling her trailer out of stor- Fair. prised you, and more.” age. She makes lists. Runs Founded in 1853, the Chesner isn’t alone. Dan- inventory. Buys supplies. state fair has encountered its iel, who is concerned about Scrubs, bleaches, and paints. share of challenges over a run the spread of COVID-19, “It is a lot of work,” she of nearly two centuries. Be- agrees with the decision to says, her voice conveying sat- tween 1861 and 1868, the fair keep things closed. But with- isfaction. was canceled due to the Civ- out the fair, she feels a little Not this year. il War and Reconstruction adrift. North Carolina’s battle period. The state closed the After my conversation with coronavirus claimed an- fair again during World War with Daniel, I drive to the other cultural casualty Ju- II, between 1942 and 1945, fairgrounds and park by the ly 29 with the cancellation reopening in 1946. In 2018, pond at the northwestern of the 2020 fair. The event, North Carolina’s brush with edge of the complex. Some- which would’ve spanned Oct. Hurricanes Florence and Mi- thing about the emptiness 15-25, has drawn 18 million chael caused a shutdown on needles me. I try to conjure attendees over the past de- the first day of the fair. Op- visions of hubbub on the cade. For many, its cancella- erations continued, however, midway. The smoke from tion is understandable, but for the remaining 10 days. food trucks unfurling in a it remains a vast disappoint- Amid COVID-19, other haze. The ringing of carni- ment. The last time North states have continued with val games and the racket

Carolina called off its fair was fairs, adjusting events for so- of rides. The scent of deep- TRAVIS KARI BY PHOTO CJ World War II. N.C. State Agri- cial distancing or providing fried foods: funnel cake, Ore- NOT THIS YEAR. The Exposition Center at the N.C. State Fairgrounds, silent and empty on Aug. 17. culture Commissioner Steve drive-through options. Dela- os, onions, mac and cheese, Troxler says he considered ware held its 2020 state fair and every other concoction every possible option, trying from July 22 to Aug. 1. As of for which the fair is famous. to ward off the inevitable. press time, state fairs in Ken- But today there’s only si- their wooden pavilion. I hear Market, for years known as a Raleigh catering company, “We have hoped, we have tucky and Maryland were on- lent air ­— lifeless, scentless. the occasional drone of a car the Raleigh Flea Market. It’s and his dream was to have prayed, and we have thought going. Georgia, South Caroli- I’m trying to summon on Trinity Road. Insects buzz. reopening for the first time a concessions stand at the and thought, but at the end na, and several other states ghosts, I think, from a time The echo of a hammer drifts since March. fair. It took 11 years, but he of the day, it's the only log- were planning modified ver- before COVID-19. from somewhere further Chef’s D’Lites is a family earned a spot on the grounds. ical decision that we could sions of their October extrav- Across the water, pic- afield. A handful of vendors business, Daniel told me. De- continued PAGE 13 make,” Troxler said July 29. aganzas. nic tables sit empty beneath are setting up for the Raleigh cades ago, her uncle owned CAROLINA JOURNAL // SEPTEMBER 2020 13 COVID-19: WHAT WE’VE LOST

North Carolina State Fair Cancellations Since Its Founding in 1853

1861-1868 The Civil War ended the State Fair in 1861. North Carolina, now a Confederate state, used the fairgrounds for the instruction of troops.

1942-1945 2020 Record-breaking crowds attended the fair in 1941, but it remains closed during World War II. The fair is canceled due to the continued uncertainty of conditions related to the COVID-19 epidemic.

continued from PAGE 12

Daniel, who lived in Greensboro at the time, traveled to Raleigh to help. Gradually, she took over, making the stand her own. Fried food is her spe- cialty, and she loves to experiment. Her mac-and-cheese balls are a hit. So is her famous “Chickenator,” a luscious combination of fried chick- en, bacon, and pepper jack cheese wedged between the sticky halves of a cinnamon roll. Daniel drizzles the concoction with a combination of sriracha and honey. The treat made headlines during the 2019 state fair. It’s a point of CAROLINA CLASSIC FAIR CLASSIC CAROLINA AGRICULTURE OF DEPARTMENT CAROLINA NORTH pride and accomplishment for Dan- MAYBE NEXT YEAR. Fairgoers at last year’s Carolina Classic Fair. Due to restric- NORTH CAROLINA MOUNTAIN STATE FAIR. The North Carolina Mountain State iel. tions on mass gatherings and concerns surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, Fair with the Blue Ridge Mountains as the backdrop. The Fletcher, N.C., event A favorite part of the extrava- the 2020 Carolina Classic Fair has been canceled. has also been canceled due to COVID-19. ganza, Daniel says, is seeing regu- lars line up for their favorite treats. She’s got a fan club. People who show up just to see her. But she “It’s something I’m connected grounds in an ambulance, dehydrat- tle leaf scrapes the pavement. The The fair would’ve been a re- counts herself especially lucky to from growing up,” she told me ed and ill. wind gusts occasionally between prieve for Johnson, who’s had an when first-timers appear at her win- during an Aug. 17 phone call. Her He returned just two days later. buildings. A crow screeches from otherwise horrendous year. He’s dow. If you’ve never had her fried parents always brought her to the “Fortunately, I didn't have an atop the J.S. Dorton Arena. My foot- separated from family members. food, Daniel said, she makes you fair when she was little. She nev- ambulance ride that time,” he said, steps are loud to my own ears. He’s lost his job amid the econom- a sampler. Savory deep-fried Cu- er stopped going. “The sounds, the “but I did get an Uber to take me I pause near the Sam Rand ic slump. ban rolls. Deep-fried cream cheese smells. I just like the atmosphere.” home. I wasn't feeling that great. Grandstand, in the spot where Dan- “It’s been a hard and bitter pill to cinnamon rolls. Even a “crack-n- Hopp speaks fondly of roast- Did I learn my lesson?” iel and her Chef’s D’Lites usually swallow,” he wrote. “I need to find cheese waffle cone” filled with mac ed corn on the cob, of hot dough- Not in the least. In 2018, John- draw crowds. I draw a breath, hop- something positive to do!” and cheese, turkey barbecue, turkey nuts, of hand-cut fries sprinkled son attended 10 days of the fair, ing for phantom scents of her cook- During the summer, the fair cracklings, and coleslaw. with salt and vinegar. She recalls his personal record. This year, what ing. But the air, dense with humid- hosted a few days of drive-through “I love watching people take the warm, musky scent of farm an- he’ll miss most is the opportunity ity, smells only like asphalt and options for fair food, giving fans a that first bite, eyes closed, rocking imals. Talking of the fair makes her to go. The fair is a tradition. A cap- earth. I walk south, past the Dor- taste of their annual favorites. More side to side,” she says. long for the sounds on the midway, stone to summer, an introduction to ton Arena, toward the lot where the of those days may follow, the N.C. “I will miss my fair family,” she popping, humming echoes from the autumn. State Fair SkyGazer, North Ameri- State Fair has said on social media. says when I ask her about the big- games and rides. Her love affair with “The fair is a place where I seem ca’s largest traveling Ferris wheel, But for now, all Johnson, Hopp, gest emotional loss of the fair. “We the event has changed year-to-year. to feel more carefree without any stood in 2019. Today, it’s noth- Chesner, and Daniel can do is look always say we’re the ‘dysfunctional As a child, she lived for the carnival stresses to worry about!” Johnson ing but a cement yard, fenced in forward to next year’s fair — if it fair family.’ To know we’re not going rides. Now, she laughs, she and her wrote. “I'll miss seeing many of the against Hillsborough Street. Cars happens. Johnson will eat coun- to see each other is hard.” husband mostly attend for the food. people (including some of the work- roar past. I feel exposed against try ham biscuits, watch pig rac- Daniel’s words stick with me “I just like to wander and look at ers) I've seen over the years. I'll miss the wide open spaces and graying es, and go to the flower and garden during the following weeks as I talk everything,” she says. “It’s still part the entire experience.” sky, so I turn my path again to the show. Hopp will take her son on his with more fairgoers, seeking out an- of the whole experience.” Hopp shares that melancholy. more secluded northwestern corner favorite rides and buy doughnuts ecdotes of what people will miss Gregory Johnson, a photogra- She wasn’t surprised when the fair of the complex. I trudge the wooded from Peachey’s Baking Co. Chesner this year. The event is so prone to pher from Garner, has attended was canceled. But she was holding pathway along the pond, disturbing will eat a spicy sausage and pep- traffic jams along the highway, to the state fair since 1986. He wrote out “a glimmer of hope,” she says. a cranky flock of Canada geese. per sandwich and take a ride on crowds, to lines, to headaches, I to me in a long email relating his “I was really sad, because to me The walk transports me back to the swings. Daniel will cook up her think, that perhaps this year off memories, his must-eat foods, and it puts a cherry on the dumpster fire a dusky October evening at the fair newest fried treat — probably a riff might be a relief to some. his record of attendance. Johnson of this year.” in 2015. I was in this spot, carrying on her popular Cuban rolls and her But people who love the state can tell you what years he’s missed “It broke my heart.” a dripping plate of powder-topped Chickenator, she tells me. fair really love it, I find. the state fair, and why. He can tell I drive back to the fairgrounds funnel cake, sweating slightly in The afternoon heat is closing in, Jennifer Wood Hopp, a human you about listening to an accordi- Aug. 17, park my car next to the the unseasonably warm air. I was so I turn my steps toward my car. resources director from Fuquay-Va- onist play, about riding the state Jim Graham Building, and walk the happy, lighthearted. It’s a long walk back, and I’m sud- rina, attends the fair about three fair flyer, and about the smell of sprawling complex from end to end. It’s a stark contrast to 2020, denly wishing for a state fair lem- times every year. She relishes the turkey legs roasting on charcoal. Without activity from the Raleigh when COVID-19 has drained so onade, full of fresh squeezed juice experience for herself, and for her Above all, he can tell you about the Market — it’s closed during the much from North Carolina and its and gritty sugar. 8-year-old son. night in 2013 when he left the fair- week — the silence is eerie. A brit- residents. Guess I’ll have to wait. 14 CAROLINA JOURNAL // SEPTEMBER 2020 COVID-19: WHAT WE’VE LOST

Without live shows, artists seeking ways to reach fans

BY JOHN TRUMP for a bit. Let’s close down again.’ Or, they could do it gradually ... out- ill Easter is a promising The first stage [of doors, small audiences. But ... you N.C. musician. A career streaming] was really just can’t pay the band with a small just starting to take off. cute, and everybody’s audience.” I reached him on his cell phone, For Easter and musicians like Wand he wanted to talk. streaming from their him, it’s a bit more complicated. A bit busy now, though, he said. kitchen, sort of like Easter graduated from Appalachian Hanging drywall. State University and last year re- “I actually took a job in con- they’re on a life raft, leased an album, “Carolina Home.” struction to make money outside of saying, ‘Help me.’ The The tour dates mounted, in music,” he told me. Western North Carolina, in the Tri- Money to, well, pay the bills. public was just over ad, the Triangle. Just trying to get by. It’s a com- that quickly because “I didn’t stop. ... I went 100 mph mon theme for musicians these all the time, it felt like,” says Easter, days. it’s not how you who’s originally from Pine Hall in The big acts, megastars like normally consume Stokes County. Tim McGraw, can schedule on- video content. Easter was playing every week, line shows, and people are excit- even after a 40-hour work week. ed to pay good money to see them. - Patrick May, He needed a break. Established bands, Chapel Hill’s Crossover Touring “It became pretty hard for me,” Mandolin Orange, for instance, Easter says, “and after a while I can schedule live streams, sell couldn’t keep up with that. I was al- tickets. grow themselves online first, and ready talking about taking a break.” Some bands and artists, says EASTER WILL have some stability and viability For a month or so. Adam Lindstaedt, are trying a N.C. MUSICIAN. Will Easter is focusing on his writing, the creative side of online, so that then maybe you can Then this. Zoom-like format, in which a virtu- things. He’s not actively looking for gigs, but would be happy to play at a go play a small show here, there.” “I got a hell of a break,” he says. al crowd can see each other, as well brewery or restaurant. With proper social distancing, of course. To stay relevant. To keep going. Easter is focusing on his writ- as the musicians. Venues and festivals are book- ing, the creative side of things. Get- “So you got 20 screens of differ- ing for 2021. ting some new music recorded and ent people that are watching, and ists want live shows. Shuttered seriously.” “You’re not going to get me to out. He’s not actively looking for you can see other people’s reaction, venues want live shows. Fans want Online streaming is evolving, he say for certain that festivals will gigs but would be happy to play at a which kind of mimics the experi- live shows. says, and it must. even exist next year, and some peo- brewery or restaurant. With proper ence of being together,” says Linds- May wants live shows. But long- “The first stage [of streaming] ple say it’s not coming back till ’22. social distancing, of course. Some- taedt, owner of the Pour House Mu- term survival is paramount. May was really cute, and everybody’s … Who knows? I think outdoors is where outdoors. sic Hall and Record Shop in down- talked about Chase Rice, a country streaming from their kitchen, sort probably the best hope for the fu- Lindstaedt is confident live mu- town Raleigh. star criticized over a live show in of like they’re on a life raft, saying, ture right now,” May says. sic will return. To keep going. June. ‘Help me.’ The public was just over Karl Thor is a managing partner When? Where? Who knows. Music venues throughout the May talked about a drive-in, that quickly because it’s not how at Imurj, a collaborative music and Even after a vaccine gets to state have been closed since March, charity concert by the Chainsmok- you normally consume video con- arts venue, also in downtown Ra- market, Lindstaedt says, a sort of when Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat, ers, which caught the attention of tent. leigh. Thor says a pent-up frustra- post-traumatic stress disorder will ordered a statewide lockdown in re- New York politicians after a video “You want Netflix-level ac- tion will send people out. There’s linger. sponse to the COVID-19 pandemic. showed fans closer to one anoth- cess quality, high definition, great precedent, and it’s not so pretty. “Is everybody really going to “Nobody knows the answer; ev- er than allowed under COVID-19 sound,” May says. “The cuteness Consider the dysfunctional, and be comfortable, you know, rubbing eryone’s trying to pivot and figure edicts. wore off quickly. ... It’s not easy.” ultimately failed, return of students shoulders with strangers?” things out in real time,” Lindstaedt “The last thing the artist wants Not every artist was born ready to University of North Carolina Something more that’s lost. For says. “There’s just no replacing the to have happen is an unsafe event, for the camera. Some never will be. campuses. Or those who used the now, at least. For some time, at best. actual experience of being in a room where somebody gets sick and, “It’s changing the skills the nightlife of Glenwood South to ex- “I think it’s going to be tough,” with it.” heaven forbid, dies on their watch,” bands need to survive. It’s chang- periment with herd mentality. Easter says,” just because people Live music. May says. “So, there’s a lot of pres- ing how we, as agents, look at art- “I think they would pack in as like me and my other buddies, who Patrick May is an agent and sure to make sure that the events ists and how we’re going to devel- close as you’d let them pack in,” are really getting started, we’re partner with Crossover Touring, are safe. At least our company, and op them. Thor says, “but I think there could pretty much losing a year of the based in Nashville, Tennessee. Art- the artists we represent, take it very “It’s almost like the band has to be another, ‘OK, let’s go backwards momentum that we already had.”

www.carolinajournal.com CAROLINA JOURNAL // SEPTEMBER 2020 15 EDUCATION U.S. Supreme Court boosts school choice in critical case MK: You recently wrote Unfortunately, our What we do is we try to find a column about this. The current governor is very families that will qualify headline was “Supreme much against the program for this. We help walk them Court affirms school — actually saying that he through the application choice, Tar Heel state believes the Opportunity process with the state. We celebrates.” Why is the Tar Scholarship is an expense help get them funded, and Heel State celebrating? that needs to stop. So then we help them find the Parents for Educational school that best meets the ML: We are celebrating Freedom in North Carolina needs of their children. because we have such a will continue to fight for So Parents for Education- fantastic program called families across our state to al Freedom is the leader in the Opportunity Schol- indeed have the educational that throughout the state. arship in North Carolina freedom to choose a school And we’re here to help any that provides scholarship of their choice that best fits family who feels like they’re funding for working-class, the needs of their children, stuck or just not getting the low-income families that as opposed to the state kind of education that they are stuck in the ZIP-coded saying, “We know better for need in their ZIP-coded school that is not meeting everyone. We want a one- public school. Contact us, their needs. size-fits-all system.” and we will help them get It provides them oppor- That is not meeting the a scholarship that can get tunity to go to the school of needs of all the families in them to the school that will their choice, particularly a North Carolina, especially best meet those needs. private school — even if it’s when you have 20% of our Mike Long MK: President a private religious school. families right now choosing If they qualify, and KENDRA ESPINOZA. Mom seeks to restore school choice program Parents for Educational The Supreme Court has alternative styles of edu- if they find a school that that was struck down for including religious options. Freedom in North Carolina upheld that these public cation rather than just the helps, I believe they get up funds can be used for those public school system. That’s to $4,200 a year? The U.S. Supreme Court types of programs. So that’s does have this support for tend. They are not getting pretty incredible. That’s ML: delivered a victory this summer a great victory when we choice. the success from it for their incredible growth. We hope That’s right — $4,200 is for school choice supporters have approximately 12,000 children. that it will continue to grow the maximum amount. We ML: across the United States. Mike students here in North It’s saying that the Parents know best what to best fit the needs of fami- understand that tuitions Long, president of Parents for Carolina — families in state cannot discriminate their children need in their lies in North Carolina. can be more than that, but Educational Freedom in North North Carolina — that are against parents who choose education. So the fact that we do believe that parents MK: Carolina, discussed the impact benefiting from the current a private school — or a they can now have eco- As much as this should also have a little bit of the Espinoza v. Montana Opportunity Scholarship Christian school or Islamic nomic opportunity to make Supreme Court ruling is a of investment in that edu- Dept. of Revenue case during here. school or Jewish school. You the choice that best fits the reason for celebration in cation as well. But usually a an interview with Mitch Kokai cannot discriminate against needs of their children edu- North Carolina and across lot of these private schools MK: for Carolina Journal Radio. This is a case that parents’ choice to go to cationally is a tremendous the country, ... you also will offer financial aid to came out of Montana. The schools like that. Besides, benefit. That’s why we say say in the column: This is help meet those needs and particulars are not ones they’re taxpayers as well, it’s liberating families. It’s not a time to just sit back so forth. So there are all that would play out here in and these are tax dollars. getting them out of a situ- and say, “OK, it’s over. We kinds of great opportunities North Carolina. Yet you’re But this is not supporting ation where their kids can’t won.” There’s still a lot of thanks to the Opportuni- looking at this ruling as a particular religion. It’s grow or their family cannot work to do. ty Scholarship program, one that really does have freedom of religion, not grow because they do not where we can help parents ML: positive benefits even in freedom from religion. The have equal access to great Absolutely. There was find those schools that will our state. Supreme Court upheld educational opportunities. a bill introduced in the leg- best meet those needs — that, and that’s why we are islature just recently where not only for their children’s ML: MK: It does because in celebrating. One of the interesting 40 Democrats actually — education, but also meet 2015 our Opportunity aspects of this is as not one Republican signed those needs financially. MK: Scholarship program was You mention in the Supreme Court is on to it — where there MK: challenged in the N.C. the column some of making this ruling, we was language in the bill to Going back to the Supreme Court because of the specifics about the know that there are eliminate the Opportunity column and the way you the religious implications plaintiff in this case: some people in North Scholarship program in wrap it up, you call the primarily — using tax Kendra Espinoza, a single Carolina — including North Carolina. So they Espinoza decision an dollars to fund scholarships mother in Montana people in positions of are definitely trying to enormous loss for the for parents to go to private working three jobs. high government power carry out the orders of the education elite, decision- schools or religious schools. She used Montana’s — who are not fans of the governor to accomplish this making class, teachers That ruling was upheld in scholarship to send her Opportunity Scholarship goal. Parents for Education- unions, and supporters of our favor in 2015. daughters to a faith-based program. How helpful al Freedom will always be the education status quo, So now that the [U.S.] Su- private school of her is it to have a ruling like there to fight this on behalf but [an] enormous victory preme Court has essentially own choice. I’m guessing this when our program of families and students for students and families done the same thing in the as you learned about faces some high-profile and children throughout — particularly those of Montana case, that is from this plaintiff you were opposition? the state. less means. Why do you the top of top, so to speak, thinking of some of the think that this outcome ML: MK: which is why we are really people in North Carolina It means that they will We’ve talked about from the Supreme Court celebrating that outcome. who are in very similar not be able to challenge this and named it — the is so important moving circumstances using this again in the [U.S.] Opportunity Scholarship forward? MK: You, in your column, Opportunity Scholarships. Supreme Court. It’s already — but for those who ML: call this the most been decided. So issues of are unfamiliar, remind Because the education- ML: important and far- That’s correct. That’s expanding the program or us how this works and al system, as we know it, reaching school choice what’s so incredible about not expanding the program how parents can take was developed back during decision by the Supreme the Opportunity Scholar- [have] to be done in the advantage of it. the Industrial Revolution. Court in decades. It had to ship program. It is liberat- legislature. Right now our It is so outdated, and the ML: be good news as a person ing families in our state, legislature is very support- Probably one of the thought that one size fits Listen to this and other who supports school where they are stuck in the ive of this program and has best ways to do that is to, all — in today’s technolog- interviews online: choice to see that the ZIP-coded school that the a 10-year window out of it first of all, go to our web- ical world — is just ridicu- www.carolinajournal.com/radio highest court in the land state requires them to at- growing. site, which is PEFNC.org. lous. 16 CAROLINA JOURNAL // SEPTEMBER 2020 COMMENTARY Inputs, outcomes, and the school that spent $25k per student

teachers for its 497 students. Nev- an interstate financial reporting however, education researchers ertheless, 77% of students were Yet, despite compact, a critical factor to ensur- still disagree about the issue. proficient in reading, and 86% ing the comparability of expen- On the one hand, some research- were proficient in math. spending nearly ditures across schools and states. ers contend that factors outside of Niche.com rated East Robeson $25,000 per student That said, accessing the data can the classroom, such as the socio- as the No. 2 Standout Elementary in 2019, only a be tricky. North Carolina’s school- economic status of parents, have a DR. TERRY STOOPS School in North Carolina. The by-school spending data are not greater effect on student perfor- VICE PRESIDENT FOR RESEARCH school’s GreatSchools Summary third of students located in the statistical profile mance than school-based factors. JOHN LOCKE FOUNDATION Rating is a stellar nine out of 10. at Hampton but rather on the North Carolina This faction believes that schools How do we account for these Elementary were School Report Card website. won’t improve until government differences? Does money matter? Thankfully, education nonprofit imposes measures to eliminate y all accounts, the now-shut- While comparisons of school proficient in BestNC poured state data into an economic and racial inequalities. tered Hampton Elementary performance have been available reading, and just easy-to-use online tool, the Per Others believe that schools with University Partnership for years, the ability to evalu- less than half were Pupil Expenditure Interactive Data abundant resources can mitigate Magnet School in Guilford County ate spending by school wasn’t proficient in math. Explorer. The data explorer allows the effects of external factors. Bhad access to tremendous resourc- possible until this year. Like most the user to sort and filter school- Among the latter group, there are es. According to state and district state education agencies, the N.C. and district-level data by district, differences of opinion about the sources, the 130-student school Department of Public Instruction level, and demographics. More kinds and levels of investments employed 31 teachers, maintained published annual per-student ex- Lucy Hadley, Elizabeth Ross, and important, it includes per-student that make the most difference. a partnership with N. C. A&T State penditures by school district only. Marguerite Roza point out in a spending information and student COVID-19 will muddy the University that provided assis- Since the 1970s, the agency duti- recent research brief, “The hope performance measures. A scatter- waters further. Most public school tance and technical support, and fully published these figures in a was that the data would be a game plot displays the relationship be- students in North Carolina started offered a 190-day calendar with publication called “North Carolina changer in that it would prompt tween the two. That relationship the school year under a full-time extended school days. Public Schools Statistical Profile,” districts to re-examine how they is anything but consistent. remote learning plan. Students Yet, despite spending nearly which is available as an online spend dollars across schools, with Of course, researchers employ in well-resourced schools may $25,000 per student in 2019, only tool. After charter school legisla- more intention paid toward equity more sophisticated methods to de- not have access to the internet at a third of students at Hampton tion passed in 1996, the agency and improving education.” It’s the termine if there is a meaningful re- home or a broadband hotspot near Elementary were proficient in reported per-student spending for laudable goal of using transpar- lationship between spending and their home. Further, the successful reading, and just less than half each charter, but school expendi- ency to drive accountability and outcomes. These methods control implementation of remote learn- were proficient in math. tures remained buried deep within ultimately improvement. for key differences across schools, ing will require an extraordinary About 150 miles away is East district budgets. The authors’ initial assessment such as variations in teacher amount of parental involvement, Robeson Primary School in Robe- Fortunately, a provision in the of the published data is a positive qualifications or student demo- clear expectations, and continuous son County. East Robeson spent a federal Every Student Succeeds one, which is surprising given graphics. Once these factors can communication. In other words, fraction of that amount — a mere Act required state education that 2020 generally has been an be ruled out, researchers can get we may find that big-time spend- $11,728 per student — enrolled officials to report per-student unpleasant year. States appear a relatively unobstructed look at ing on schools yields few benefits a larger share of disadvantaged spending for all schools in the to have adhered to minimum data the variables in question. Despite for students forced to learn at students, and employed only 39 state. As school finance experts reporting guidelines contained in methodological advancements, home.

The mostThe influential most influential thinkers thinkers in our in our educationeducation schools schools are radicals are radicals who who adhereadhere to a collectivist, to a collectivist, utopian utopian vision.vision.

Read ourRead latest our latestreport: report: The PoliticizationThe Politicization of University of University SchoolsSchools of Education of Education Download at go.jamesgmartin.center/researchDownload at go.jamesgmartin.center/researchor call 919-828-1400 to request a hard copy. or call 919-828-1400 to request a hard copy. CAROLINA JOURNAL // SEPTEMBER 2020 17 COMMENTARY Credential inflation: What’s causing it?

when they don’t have inflated Occupational licensing require- education credentials. Third, formal ments often go too far, driven by education is expensive. Requiring a the ability of incumbent providers college degree for a job that doesn’t to erect barriers to entry against really need one encourages people new competitors. When this to get unnecessary degrees, which happens, licensing can contribute ANDREW GILLEN is costly for both the student and to credential inflation rather than COLUMNIST taxpayers. serve as a potential remedy. There are nonmonetary costs, as Fourth, allow employers to test well, such as students’ opportunity job applicants. redential inflation refers to cost of time, namely, the four years For example, an employer can an increase in the education (or more) of their lives they spend no longer give applicants a test credentials required for a job in college. of general intelligence. But they — for example, a job that used to Given the minimal benefits and can require a college degree — and Cbe done by high school graduates high costs of credential inflation, many do. but now requires new hires to have what can be done to halt and Finally, create a tight job market. a college degree. reverse this damaging trend? While the previous four rec- Credential inflation has been First, employers should stop re- ommendations may halt — and going on for decades; two recent quiring unnecessary education. As perhaps partially reverse — cre- studies give a sense of how wide- on job opportunities due to creden- With so many graduates floating Peter Blair and Shad Ahmed wrote dential inflation, there is only one spread it has become. tial inflation. around, employers use a degree as a in a June 28 Wall Street Journal arti- way to start a widespread trend of The first, a study by Burning There are two main drivers of screening device, even if the job in cle, employers “should change their credential right-sizing, and that is Glass, looked at the education credential inflation. question doesn’t require knowledge hiring and management practices to create a tight job market. level of current workers compared The first driver is upskilling — that one might learn in college. to focus on job skills, rather than If employers can hire college-lev- to the education level listed in job when the nature of a job changes Credential inflation is a problem continuing to privilege college el workers without paying col- postings and found substantial to require more education. For for several reasons. degrees.” lege-level wages, they will do so. credential inflation for many occu- example, drafting did not tradition- First, it (unnecessarily) reduces Second, we need to develop new But in a tight job market, employ- pations. For example, about 19% of ally require a college degree. But opportunities for many qualified ways to certify skills. ers will face the choice of either a) executive secretaries and executive as computers and complex archi- workers. If a job doesn’t truly need As the Burning Glass report keeping their credential require- assistants hold a bachelor’s degree, tectural software have become a college education, yet a college notes, some “jobs resist creden- ments and paying college-level but 65% of job postings require a more prevalent, the skills needed education is a job requirement, tial inflation when there are good wages, or b) dropping any unneces- bachelor’s degree. Similarly, 26% by drafters have expanded, so it’s then many otherwise qualified alternatives for identifying skill sary credential requirements. of credit authorizers, checkers, and not surprising or objectionable workers will be passed over, thus proficiency.” Thus, many health For those who don’t have the clerks have a bachelor’s degree, but that these jobs increasingly require impeding their upward economic care and engineering positions right pieces of paper, credential 66% of job postings require one. college degrees. mobility. haven’t experienced credential inflation is a big problem because Another study by a team But the other driver of creden- Second, credential inflation inflation, probably because licens- it prevents them from getting jobs including Joseph Fuller analyzed tial inflation is a mismatch in the devalues other forms of learning. ing and certification requirements they’re qualified for. 26 million job postings and found supply of and demand for educated Colleges aren’t the only place allow employers to be confident many “employers were increas- workers. The New York Federal where people can learn, but that potential hires can perform the Andrew Gillen is a senior policy ingly inflating the educational Reserve Bank estimates 34% of requiring a college degree ignores job without resorting to inflated analyst in the Texas Public Policy requirements for jobs usually held all college graduates are underem- this fact. Experience is probably credentials. Foundation’s Center for Innovation by high school grads.” Across the ployed, meaning they’re overqual- responsible for more learning than Third, we should eliminate un- in Education and an adjunct U.S. economy, they estimate 6.2 ified — in terms of educational formal schooling, yet even highly necessary occupational licensing professor of economics at Johns million workers could be losing out credentials — for their current job. experienced workers are ignored requirements. Hopkins University. Across colleges of all types, student anxiety a growing issue

students are more anxious. The College counseling has grown In a study that looked at why noted, with a food bank, wellness type and causes of anxiety also rapidly, with its revenue hitting students have become more anx- counselors, a rally fund for emer- differ depending on what type of $1.88 billion in 2018, a 58% in- ious, Chris Martin, a sociologist at gency grants, and — with remote college students attend. But higher crease from a decade ago, accord- Georgia Tech, found that college classes since COVID-19 shut down education is devoting more time ing to Crain’s Chicago Business. counselors pointed to social colleges — lending out laptops. and money to student anxiety than “That’s the biggest change I’ve change, helicopter parenting, Not all students struggle to cope ANTHONY HENNEN in the recent past. seen in my career,” John Sapa- competitiveness, and “thwarted with anxiety. But it’s common. A COLUMNIST “I think students are more rud- rilas, associate vice president distinctiveness” — being able to 2018 report from the American derless than ever before because of enrollment services at Wake stand out from the crowd — as College Health Association found they have more freedom than ever Tech Community College, said of driving anxiety. Counselors dis- that 63% of college students felt COLLEGE ADMISSIONS IS a differ- before,” Allen Koh, the CEO of student anxiety in a Martin Center agreed about whether the changes “overwhelming anxiety” in the ent field than it was 20 or even 10 Cardinal Education in California’s interview. He has spent more than were dramatic or whether some past year and 23% of students years ago. High school guidance Silicon Valley, said in a Martin two decades in admissions and students simply felt anxiety more were diagnosed or treated for counselors still help hundreds of Center interview. Students have counseling, primarily in communi- acutely. anxiety. It’s not an easy fix, either. students plan, and students still so many options for college, with ty colleges. As anxiety becomes more Parents, colleges, and students try to get into the best college they some applying to more than a doz- “There’s a lot more anxiety and common, colleges have adapted. themselves all have a role to play can. en schools. Without a steady hand, depression and pressure and school They’ve become better about ca- in alleviating anxiety and teaching But they are now more cost-con- they can’t clarify their thoughts avoidance or concerns about tering to students before and after students to cope with the stress scious, their families hire private and then get overwhelmed by the bullying and the effects of social admission. of life. college counselors, and they are college search. They need to calm media, and it’s changed a lot, even Wake Tech offers counseling ser- Whether during admissions or much more anxious and stressed. down and dwell on what they want since I was a high school student,” vices to figure out what students while students earn their degree, The jobs of private high school their future to look like. Jake Rosen, founder at Launchpad want and whether they would be anxiety will be a long-term, not a counselors and college counselors If students don’t already have Coaching in Philadelphia, said in a a good fit at the school. They’ve short-term, issue for colleges. have expanded to deal with stu- a solid foundation of their values, Martin Center interview. also provided more resources to dents anxious about the future. they can develop anxiety. It may be Anxious students don’t lose their students after they’re admitted. Anthony Hennen is managing editor Counselors disagree about the why college counseling is a grow- anxiety after they get accepted, Wake Tech provides “wraparound of the James G. Martin Center for extent of the change and why ing industry. either. services for students,” Saparilas Academic Renewal. 18 CAROLINA JOURNAL // SEPTEMBER 2020 COMMENTARY Cooper’s post-COVID-19 plans should worry all North Carolinians

the plan that works best for them- selves and their families, rather than be stuck with a one-size-fits- all government-issued plan. Getting people back to work is BECKI GRAY the key to a COIVD recovery. A SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT healthy recovery depends on pro- JOHN LOCKE FOUNDATION growth economic policies. Over the past 10 years, North Carolina has implemented pro-growth pol- icies, less government spending, oy Cooper owns this. He lower taxes, reasonable regula- owns the coronavirus re- tions, smart investments, and sav- sponse and everything that ings that resulted in a robust econ- will follow. omy pre-COVID. Cooper will take RCooper has refused to confer us backward. Higher energy costs, with the Council of State, vetoed expanded entitlement programs, the General Assembly’s efforts and higher taxes are burdens on to get businesses safely opened families and businesses struggling and people back to work, relied to get back on their feet. solely on his administration’s data As North Carolina considers a and science, blamed President federal supplement to the state Trump and the Republican General unemployment benefit, Cooper’s Assembly when convenient, and response warns of poor fiscal deci- taken credit when it fit his political sions ahead. The proposal is a $400 agenda. His decisions over the past additional monthly benefit, with few months will define his leader- the feds covering $300 of it and the ship and leave North Carolina with state covering the additional $100. lasting marks. North Carolina will The General Assembly proposes be worse off if he continues to get lessons, it’s been a disaster. Tech- COVID-19. On the one hand, we’ve using federal CARES money to his way without a check from the nology, devices, broadband, enroll- implemented measures to lower make up the state’s share. Cooper General Assembly or the judicial ment counts, food, and services Flatten the curve, he costs, increase access, and ensure says it’s not enough and wants to branch. for special-needs students have told us. Well, we’ve quality of care. Telemedicine can go back to the $600 provided by He shut the state down in March. been a mess. He had all summer to flattened the curve. be an effective tool. Waiving certif- the feds immediately after COIVD Unemployment soared. Businesses get it right, and he failed. Teachers icate-of-need restrictions enables hit. (You think he would have closed. Every student was ho- are doing their best. Parents, who Yet businesses providers to treat where they’re learned from that time he vetoed a meschooled. People died alone in counted on school for child care, remain restricted or needed. Data and cost transpar- pay raise for teachers because “it hospitals. North Carolinians were are struggling and worried this will ency lead to informed decisions. wasn’t enough” and they ended up terrified to leave their homes. be a lost year. Low-income kids, closed altogether, Fast-tracked innovation has led to with nothing.) Flatten the curve, he told us. the ones we worry about most, are thousands of people medicine and treatments to make Now he wants to raid the Un- Well, we’ve flattened the curve. disadvantaged the most. people less sick and to help them employment Trust Fund, which Yet businesses remain restricted How have parents responded to are still unemployed, heal faster. More patient-driven was $2.6 billion in debt in 2011. or closed altogether, thousands Cooper’s COVID-19 school plan? education at all levels and fewer government-controlled But because of responsible fiscal of people are still unemployed, Homeschooling registrations measures will better meet post- decisions, that debt was paid off, education at all levels is delivered crashed the website for several is delivered over the COVID-19 health care needs. replenished and in good shape over the internet, and people are days. Private schools, flooded with internet, and people Still, Cooper continues his to pay benefits when he through still scared. With Cooper’s opening applications, have waiting lists. are still scared. insistence on expanding Medicaid thousands into unemployment plan stuck on pause with no end Low-income and special-needs stu- to 700,000 mostly working-age, with his shutdown order. Raiding in sight, North Carolinians are dents with Opportunity Scholar- childless, able-bodied adults. trust funds when other sources are increasingly frustrated and angry. ships are grateful. The state’s two Our current Medicaid program available was a bad idea in 2009, The goal posts keep moving. virtual charter schools have almost Opportunity Scholarships for poor already covers 20% of our popu- and it’s a bad idea now. Between those goal posts is a 10,000 kids on their waiting list, kids to attend a private school that lation, serving poor children and So where will we go as we post-COVID plan that should worry but Cooper has refused to expand meets their needs. His allies filed a pregnant women, the aged and emerge from the COVID-19 fog? every North Carolinian. this option. lawsuit to eliminate the program. disabled. Instead of ensuring the If Cooper has his way, it will be Caving to pressure from the N.C. If we’ve learned anything He thinks charter schools should program meets the needs of those one-size-fits-all education, gov- Association of Educators, Cooper through the school debacle, it’s be limited in number and ability to groups, Cooper’s expansion plan ernment-issued health care, more took in-person instruction off the that kids learn differently. But Coo- grow. Cooper has chosen the edu- would cost an additional $6 billion spending, and more debt. Coo- table in opening schools this year, per has hunkered down with the cation system over educating kids. in the first two years. A better per’s foot soldiers in the General offering a false choice of virtu- NCAE on offering only one choice A vaccine won’t change his choice. plan? Get people back to work, Assembly will sustain his vetoes. al-only instruction after. From the — traditional public schools. Coo- It’s not just Cooper’s education able to provide for themselves and His allies on the courts will uphold roll out, to the administration, to per is public enemy No. 1 against response that’s worrisome. Health their families, open the health in- his dangerous policies. What’s it the quality and consistency of the school choice. He wants to defund care may look different post- surance market, and let people buy going to be, N.C.?

www.carolinajournal.com CAROLINA JOURNAL // SEPTEMBER 2020 19 COMMENTARY Bowling alley case reminds us of important fruits

preliminary injunction.” That injunction gave bowling alleys an early win in Gale’s courtroom. Why? The association rep- resenting bowling alleys “has demonstrated that it is likely to MITCH KOKAI succeed in proving that there is no SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST evidentiary basis from which the JOHN LOCKE FOUNDATION Governor can reasonably prohibit bowling if conducted under the operational guidelines to which egardless of the outcome of Plaintiff’s members commit while a lawsuit pitting N.C. bowl- allowing other businesses with ing alley owners against common risks to remain open.” Gov. Roy Cooper, the case already In other words, the bowling Rhas offered us an important alleys — using proper safety reminder about North Carolinians’ precautions — could open with no fundamental rights. greater risk than other businesses The trial judge in the case exempted from Cooper’s shut- focused attention on people’s right down. In Gale’s estimation, that to “the enjoyment of the fruits of fact rendered the shutdown order their own labor.” That right means unreasonable. governments in this state should It’s appropriate for judges to face a steep hurdle when consid- defer to public officials managing ering restrictions on our ability to a statewide emergency, but “that earn a living. deference has a limit and that limit We learn as school kids that ENJOYMENT OF THE FRUITS OF THEIR OWN LABOR. Governments in North Carolina should face a steep hurdle when is exceeded in this case as there the Declaration of Independence considering restrictions on our ability to earn a living, according to the N.C. Constitution. is no longer a rational evidentia- spells out Americans’ unalienable ry basis to which the Court may rights to “life, liberty, and the defer.” pursuit of happiness.” Gale followed that finding by The N.C. Constitution goes even ment overreach in the regulatory Gale explained why the case basis test,” Gale employed a revisiting the real-world meaning further. On the first page — Article sphere,” Orr said. required a thorough review. standard of legal review labeled of the “fruits of their own labor” I, Section 1 — the words “fruits The “fruits of their own labor” “[O]ur appellate courts require “reasonable relationship.” Under clause. It protects the “right to of their own labor” sit between clause also helps explain why that the Court conduct an eviden- this standard, the governor would earn a livelihood,” he explained. “liberty” and “the pursuit of hap- Business Court Judge James tiary review when measuring the win only if evidence suggested “The right to conduct a lawful piness.” Those fruits are just as Gale sided with 75 bowling alley reasonableness of the Governor’s that the bowling alley shutdown business or to earn a livelihood is fundamental to North Carolinians owners in their efforts to reopen orders rather than presuming their was reasonable. Cooper still could regarded as fundamental.” as the rights Thomas Jefferson their businesses. The owners had constitutionality until Plaintiff prevail, but the alley owners at Bowling alley owners’ initial spelled out in 1776 for the new challenged Cooper’s executive has rebutted any conceivable least had a chance to make a sub- legal victory proved to be short- American nation. orders forcing the alleys to remain rational basis upon which those stantive case against his order. lived. One week after Gale granted And the “fruits of their own closed. The governor had justified orders might rest.” “Rational” and “reasonable” his July 7 preliminary injunction labor” clause has an interesting his action by citing ongoing con- In plain English, Gale said previ- might not sound all that different, against Cooper’s order, the state political history. It first entered cerns about COVID-19. ous court precedents dictated his but the legal consequences could Supreme Court stepped in and the state constitution in 1868, Both the state constitution action. Those precedents required be significant. Under the rational restored Cooper’s restrictions. The according to former state Supreme and state law grant a significant him to reject the standard of legal basis standard, “the Governor’s governor’s shutdown could remain Court Justice Bob Orr. amount of power to the governor’s review the governor preferred. orders are presumed to be lawful in effect until the case concludes. The provision “was obviously office. Our system of government That standard, employing a so- and must be upheld unless the Whether the plaintiff or defen- grounded in the history of an en- requires courts to recognize legiti- called “rational basis” test, would Plaintiff meets the high and often dant ultimately wins, Gale’s initial slaved people obligated to work for mate gubernatorial power. But the allow the governor to win the suit insurmountable burden of proving order reminds us of an important the benefit of others but unable to power is far from absolute. if he had any conceivable reason that there is no conceivable principle. N.C. courts must pay benefit for themselves,” Orr said Citing both the “fruits of their to justify his shutdown order. Un- rational basis for the challenged special attention to constitutional during a January 2019 legislative own labor” clause and the “equal less the order had been completely executive order,” Gale wrote. protection for people’s right “to presentation. protection” clause of the state divorced from reality, the bowling On the other hand, “Applying enjoy the fruits of their own labor.” In the intervening 150 years, constitution (Article I, Section 19 alley owners would have no case the proper reasonable relation- People in this state value those the provision has helped protect says “No person shall be denied at all. ship test, the Court concludes the fruits as dearly as life, liberty, and North Carolinians from “govern- the equal protection of the laws”), Rather than use the “rational Plaintiff is entitled to a tailored the pursuit of happiness.

THIS IS WHAT OPPORTUNITY LOOKS LIKE.

LEARN MORE ONLINE AT: WWW.CAROLINAJOURNAL.COM 20 CAROLINA JOURNAL // SEPTEMBER 2020 FROM THE PUBLISHER CARTOONS

made his case for being contrarian: it condescendingly talks down to Black men “You make the Left mad when you them. have brown skin and your own McWhorter, a linguist, admits speak out and mind and are self-determinant.” to struggling with how to describe And he added, “In this place the racial hysteria adherents. In a demonstrate [America] my people have thrived forthcoming book he says he la- more than any other place on bels them “parishioners” invoking earth.” That doesn’t sit well with a sense of religious zealotry, which the difference the violent, woke mob. seems appropriate. The good news is Mark Robin- Most interesting was their between blm son isn’t alone. Other black men mental exercise replacing the word and women are coming forward to “racist” with “witch.” Every time warn about BLM, the hysteria of someone calls another person and BLM the “systemic racism” narrative, “racist,” insert the word “witch.” and the meteoric rise of cancel Just like the infamous Salem witch continued from PAGE 2 culture. In what is now probably trials of 1692, the “parishioners” considered counterculture, 1776 see witches everywhere, and Unites, a direct response to the Twitter and the media are their who amusingly tried to shout him New York Times’ “1619 Project,” court where the accused are tried, down as he said, “When is the features those black men and convicted, and condemned. last time you saw BLM scream at women, including two of my aca- The list of condemned is long Crips and Bloods that black lives demic heroes — Brown University and includes famous names like matter?” economics Professor Glenn Loury Andrew Sullivan, formerly with He followed up with this pow- and Professor John McWhorter of New York Magazine, and Harvard erful statement: “Republicans are Columbia. Professor Steven Pinker. The list of the original black lives matter” In a recent hourlong conversa- those challenging BLM is growing, movement with blood, sweat, and tion on the “Glenn Loury Show,” too, including Robinson, Loury, tears of the Civil War. On a hot, hu- McWhorter and Loury offered McWhorter, and others. mid summer afternoon, Robinson a harsh critique of the current Just as the Salem colonists grew had people in the crowd on their cultural climate of racial hysteria. weary of the hysteria, I think feet, applauding and cheering. McWhorter asserted that racism Americans will tire of the Marxist At a time when people fear is the “only arrow” in the woke BLM along with its anger and being harassed, being boycotted, mob’s “quiver” and added that it’s cancel culture. When the history being called a “racist,” or being a something “right out of the French of this period is written, I hope victim of criminal violence, Rob- Revolution” minus the guillotine. these heroic black Americans are inson is unafraid to challenge the He also calls Robin DiAngelo’s featured prominently. That means group responsible for much of the best-seller White Fragility a “bi- we will have recognized the differ- chaos — BLM. zarre little manual” that actually ence between blm and BLM and Earlier this year in Charlotte, he diminishes black people because rejected the latter. Insurance markets need state innovation

tered approach, namely calling for insurers who sell insurance sion of the Medicaid program. for North Carolina to expand the on the state’s individual health Reinsurance programs aren’t Medicaid program as allowed for There’s a tool that insurance exchanges. The state the only options for states when under the Affordable Care Act, or lawmakers can use uses federal money already slated applying for a section 1332 waiver. Obamacare. Medicaid expansion is to come into the state in the form As long as the requirements are an insufficient and costly solution that can bolster the of premium subsidies and a small satisfied regarding coverage and JORDAN ROBERTS that’s incompatible with the bud- individual market, amount of state money to create a costs, states have wide latitude HEALTH CARE POLICY ANALYST getary shortfalls facing the state. lower insurance fund that pays for claims above a on how to use the federal funds in JOHN LOCKE FOUNDATION Fortunately, there’s a tool that certain amount. Therefore, insurers different ways. lawmakers can use that can bolster premiums across the can eliminate the need to pay for N.C. lawmakers should pass the individual market, lower insur- board, and provide high-cost claims, lowering the legislation enabling the Depart- t’s hard to quantify everything ance premiums across the board, premium rate for everyone in the ment of Insurance to start working America has lost due to the fall- and provide new coverage options new coverage options risk pool. on a state innovation waiver. The out from the coronavirus. From for those currently uninsured. for those currently According to a report by Avalere, more quickly the state begins the what we can quantify — lives, jobs, The tool is a state innovation uninsured. states that set up a reinsurance work, the faster it can bring relief Ibusinesses, and health insurance waiver, as allowed by Section 1332 program through an innovation to those in need. — the losses are staggering. Unem- of Obamacare. State innovation waiver were able to reduce pre- State innovation waivers em- ployment is the most widespread waivers allow states to experiment as would be provided without a mium prices by 19%, on average. body the vision of most conserva- effect of the pandemic. At times with reforms in the individual and waiver, provide coverage to at least Some states did much better than tives when it comes to health care unemployment levels exceeded the small-group markets by waiving a comparable number of residents the average. For example, after reform: decentralized, state-run worst parts of the Great Depres- federal regulations. Those who lose of the state as would be provided the approval of Arkansas’ reinsur- health insurance markets, in which sion. Tragically, many who lost their ESI during the pandemic have coverage without a waiver, and not ance program, the state reduced states have the flexibility to ex- their jobs during the pandemic also few options besides the individual increase the federal deficit. premiums by 34%. Minnesota’s periment with how federal money lost access to their employer-spon- market. The need for reforming the As of this writing, 13 states have reinsurance program was able to is spent. Every state has different sored health insurance. State inno- individual market has never been successfully applied for a section reduce premiums by 20%. Mary- populations with different health vation in the individual market is as high as it is during the pandem- 1332 waiver. State innovation land’s reinsurance program was needs. States should oversee their needed to remedy this situation. ic. waivers are not a partisan tool. able to reduce premiums through a individual health insurance mar- Such widespread loss of ESI has For the federal government to Both Republican and Democrat-led reinsurance program by a stag- kets. As job losses and subsequent led many to consider how to use approve an innovation waiver, the states have experimented with gering 43%. An adequately set ESI losses mount, state leaders public policy tools to provide relief state would need to submit a plan changes to their individual mar- up reinsurance program in North should look to state innovation for those who recently lost insur- that satisfies three main require- kets. All but one have used innova- Carolina could potentially lower waivers as a long-lasting reform ance. Democratic members of the ments, among others. The propos- tion waivers to set up a state-based premiums by similar rates as these that offers uninsured individuals General Assembly and left-wing als would need to provide access to reinsurance program. other states, thereby expanding another affordable option and advocacy groups have renewed quality health care that’s at least State-based reinsurance pro- coverage options at a fraction of entices those who have left the their push for a government-cen- as comprehensive and affordable grams work as stop-loss insurance the cost compared to state expan- individual market to return. CAROLINA JOURNAL // SEPTEMBER 2020 21 CARTOONS COMMENTARY BY JOHN HOOD

New Homicides spiking in Carolina cities AS IF THE COVID crisis and and hold departments account- economic recession weren’t bad able. But slashing police budgets, monuments enough, here’s some more bad discouraging people from cooper- news to process: Homicide rates ating with police investigations, are spiking in many North Caro- and pulling officers back from could unify lina communities. high-crime neighborhoods are Through the end of July, 32 unpopular — and rightly so. state people in Greensboro have been Context also matters, as a the victims of homicide so far recent study by two Harvard continued from PAGE 2 this year, up 52% from the count University scholars discovered during the first seven months of when they examined the effects 2019. Charlotte’s 68 homicides of federally ordered investiga- word and deed, they prodded their are up more than 11% from last tions of police departments on state (native or adopted) to live up, year and more than double the subsequent rates of crime. however imperfectly, to its stated comparable count for 2018. In They found investigations of constitutional principles of “liberty Winston-Salem, homicides are police procedures didn’t affect and free government.” up 17% over 2019. criminality. But in communities Consider the life of James These developments are part where there was a high-profile Walker Hood (no relation). Born in of a national trend. Homicides death at the hands of police — 1831 into a family of free African are up 14% so far this year in Los think Baltimore, Chicago, and Americans in Pennsylvania, Hood Angeles, 24% in New York, 27% HOMICIDES UP. Slashing police budgets, discouraging people from coop- Ferguson, Missouri — the feder- followed his father into the minis- in Houston, 32% in Phoenix, and erating with police investigations, and pulling officers back from high- ally ordered investigations that try and eventually became a bishop 52% in Chicago. crime neighborhoods are unpopular — and rightly so. came afterward were associated of the African Methodist Episcopal I know what you’re thinking. with large increases in homi- Zion Church. It sent him south in You’ve probably already seen cides and other felonies in those 1863 to lead an AME Zion congre- or heard the argument that the cities. The likely mechanism, gation in New Bern, which was by anti-police protests that erupted But as the Wall Street Journal er hand, are up because violent they found, was that embattled then controlled by Union troops. a couple of months ago, after the recently pointed out, the diver- criminals have been emboldened departments were pulling back After the Civil War, Hood served highly publicized death of George gence between homicides and by the sidelining of police, courts, from policing risky neighbor- as president of the first statewide Floyd, explain the recent increase other crimes could be the result schools, churches, and an array hoods. “There is no free lunch,” convention of blacks, and three in homicides — that as embat- of the pandemic. of other social institutions by the researchers concluded. “If years later as a delegate to the tled law-enforcement officers “Police in many departments the reckoning with police and the price of policing increases, state’s constitutional convention. withdraw from urban centers, said robberies, burglaries, and the pandemic, say analysts and officers are rational to retreat. The resulting Constitution of 1868 violence is surging. rapes are down so far this year law-enforcement officials in And retreating disproportionate- had so many provisions he had Advocates of police reform re- because more people stayed several cities.” ly costs black lives.” either initiated or endorsed that sist this explanation. They point home during COVID-19 lock- As for calls to reform the There’s no shortage of useful some reactionaries later derided it out that, in fact, other reported downs, leaving fewer prospective police, the specifics matter. The ideas for improving the quality of as “Hood’s Constitution.” crimes are often flat or declining victims on the streets, in bars or public largely agrees with con- policing. But if we end up reduc- As assistant state superintendent in the very cities where homi- other public places,” the Journal structive proposals to enhance ing the quantity of policing, our of public instruction from 1868 to cides are rising. reported. “Homicides, on the oth- training, increase transparency, cities will be less safe. 1871, Hood championed education- al opportunities for black North Carolinians. His political activities LOCAL GOVERNMENT included representing North Caroli- na at the national Republican Par- ty’s 1872 convention and chairing the state GOP convention in 1876. County races turn on governance A truly statewide figure, James Walker Hood led churches in New Bern, Charlotte, and Fayette- s the fall homestretch of offices and Democratic for state necessarily true a generation or must explain how their ideas, ville, and he was instrumental in the 2020 election ap- and local ones, they’ve become two ago. If you are a Republican translated into actual public founding what are now Livingstone proaches, you’re probably more reliably Republican. or GOP-leaning independent policy, will make families and College and Hood Theological Semi- not spending much time consid- But there are also suburban moving to North Carolina to communities better off in practi- nary in Salisbury. Aering the implications of county counties that flipped Republican take a job in Charlotte, Raleigh, cal terms. That was the strategy A dogged defender of equality, commission races in North not just because of changing or Greensboro, you often end up GOP leaders pursued during the Hood repeatedly refused attempts Carolina. But I am. I’m just that behavior by natives but also due buying your home in one of the 1980s and 1990s in our state by railroad and steamship compa- weird. to an influx of GOP-leaning voters neighboring red counties and and the rest of the South, as I nies to remove him from their first- As recently as 2008, 64 of from Northeast and Midwestern commuting. explained in my 2015 book, Cat- class accommodations. He believed North Carolina’s 100 counties had states. These places may have All of which is to say that alyst: Jim Martin and the Rise of passionately in freedom, both po- Democratic majorities on their robust elections for county com- while Republicans currently North Carolina Republicans. litical and spiritual. In a remarkable boards of commissioners. But a mission and other local offices, control 56% of the state’s county “Washington issues are passage from one of his five books, decade later, in 2018, even as the but the competition is in the commissions, GOP boards don’t tremendously important and so Hood wrote that what distinguish- GOP lost ground in legislative spring, during primaries, rather govern 56% of the state’s pop- fascinating,” observed then-Ten- es man from other creatures is his and judicial races, the share of than during the general election. ulation. To compete effectively nessee Gov. Lamar Alexander freedom to choose how he will live Republican county commissions The realignment hasn’t all been for statewide office or control of at a 1986 party gathering. But if his life. “The fatalist would rob man rose to 56 — the highest in state in one direction. Some places that the General Assembly over time, GOP candidates talk about them of his moral free agency, and make history. now boast heavily Democratic Republicans must regain their at the expense of specific ideas him a mere machine,” he wrote. This reflects the down-ballot boards of commissioners used to footing in major metropolitan to “improve the schools, clean James Walker Hood — minister, realignment that began in 1984, be more politically competitive — areas — winning outer-ring sub- up the garbage, [and] fix the scholar, statesman, and civic leader when Republicans went from 11 including the two most populous urbs convincingly while getting roads,” Democrats will win the — is a North Carolinian whose county commissions to 23, and counties, Mecklenburg and Wake. a large share of votes in the inner down-ballot races, he said. likeness should be displayed in then continued into the 1990s To some extent, this also re- suburbs of urban counties. Politics has become more na- numerous public spaces across our and 2000s. One factor is that in flects immigration patterns. New To accomplish that, GOP candi- tionalized, admittedly. But when state. His heroic life is well worth rural counties where conserva- arrivals in our urban counties dates at all levels of government hiring county commissioners, celebrating and emulating. tive voters once split their tickets, tend to be disproportionate- will have to talk about gover- voters are still looking for practi- voting Republican for federal ly Democratic, which wasn’t nance, not symbolism. They cal solutions to local concerns. 22 CAROLINA JOURNAL // SEPTEMBER 2020 COMMENTARY ‘If I die in Raleigh, at least I will die free’: Well, not exactly

than 200,000, went off as planned, without supervision, I’m sad even as mainstream media mocked they’ll miss their last year of high Noem and city officials as careless school, at least as it should have and reckless. been. One son has played basket- “I think what we are seeing,” ball since he was 4. We hope he she told Fox News, “is encouraging plays in 2020. My other son thrives JOHN TRUMP leaders to make decisions where on the social aspects of school. MANAGING EDITOR they will overstep their authorities Forget that. and a time of crisis, and that’s how These never-ending suppres- we lose this country. sions and lockdowns were never etch Secor of the energet- “The story that needs to be about flattening the so-called ic American roots band told,” Noem said, “is that I trusted curve. Rather, this is, and has Old Crow Medicine Show my people, they trusted me, they always been, about politics. and a few of his talented friends took personal responsibility for Positive COVID-19 results, as streamed a concert from the stage dealing with this virus, and we are reported recently by the state,

K ACCOUNT FLICKR MERLEFEST VIA BURNS GORDON DR. of the Grand Ole Opry on a recent doing very well. Not only do we were down to 6%, as close to that Saturday. LIVE. Old Crow Medicine Show performs in 2016 at Merlefest in Wilkesboro. have one of the lowest death rates, mythical, magical 5% the media In eloquent music parlance, they we’ve got about 40 people in the and state officials keep talking killed it. hospital today statewide, our in- about. One song, “Wagon Wheel,” Cooper is governor. Woolverton wrote: “There is fection rates are low, our job losses So what? says Cooper. though overplayed and overcov- Cooper, if he talked to Carolina a difference,” said the governor, are low, our economy is doing bet- He again has delayed reopening ered — Darius Rucker remade it — Journal, would probably say that “in that these were made, the ter than virtually any other state, bars, gyms, bowling alleys, etc., thrust Old Crow into the national statement is ridiculous. Of course products were made on site, and and I think it’s a real testimony to another five weeks, until Sept. 11. spotlight. The band picked up we’re free, he might say, and he’s in addition, the small number of what could have been possible in That’s a fantasy, too. I don’t expect and finished the song, which Bob just trying to keep us safe. His those craft breweries and win- other states, but those governors Cooper to shift to Phase 3 — let Dylan started years ago, and made supporters will cheer him, regard- eries presented a strong plan of just made the wrong decisions.” alone go full on into Phase 2 — it iconic. less of the latest lockdown edict. public safety to the Department We’ll know in the weeks ahead until after the election, and then The song is about a musician Most reporters will — with a few of Health and Human Services, to about Sturgis, but Noem is clear it’ll depend on who wins. Or he’ll and busted poker player “running exceptions — too, avoiding any the point that the experts believed and correct about a couple things: just delay reopening until we have from the cold up in New England,” questions that may challenge him that that would work.” trust and personal responsibility. a functional vaccine. hitchhiking to North Carolina, pre- or cast doubt on the value of his Let’s pause for a moment to give Free? Not in North Carolina, and Dr. Mandy Cohen, the state sumably to see a girlfriend, who restrictive suppressions. bar owners, who’ve done every- not now. health department director, happens to play the guitar. The Paul Woolverton, a former thing possible to promote a safe We’re not allowed, per the gov- opened a recent Cooper news con- hitchhiker picks the banjo. Now. colleague of mine in Fayetteville, environment, the chance to spit ernor, to work out indoors. Instead, ference by congratulating Missouri One line in the song, the last be- seemed to shake Cooper a bit with out their drinks to avoid choking. my gym holds classes outside and for expanding Medicaid, a move fore a reprise of the chorus, strikes a question about the differences South Dakota and Republican has moved free weights to a tennis N.C. Republicans, to their credit, me each time I hear Ketch sing it. between breweries and bars. Bars Gov. Kristi Noem have taken a court, where members can work continue to resist. Cohen isn’t an Always resonating. Hitting have been closed since March. different tack on the coronavi- out a few hours each morning. I elected official. different, as my sons say. Breweries, and wineries, and rus. Eschewing the nanny state truly appreciate the effort, though So, tell me again this isn’t about “If I die in Raleigh, at least I will distilleries, have been open for approach, like Cooper’s, South I can’t help but feel I’m serving politics. die free.” months. Dakota is largely open. The state time for something. “If I die in Raleigh, at least I will I heard the line that Saturday I’m keeping you safe, Cooper, celebrated July 4 at Mount Rush- My twin boys are seniors, and die free.” and turned to my wife. a Democrat, sort of mumbled in more, and the annual motorcycle while I’m thankful they’re old Sorry, Ketch. Cooper is still Unless, that is, I told her, Roy response. rally in Sturgis, which draws more enough to take classes at home governor.

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Triad had begun their explosive comers from places like New York left. There remains a strong con- growth in 1995, but this process North Carolina’s and Michigan professionalized the nection with the party dominated accelerated, especially in the eight state party, focused it on economic by Hunt. Gov. Roy Cooper shares to 10 years preceding the finan- immediate future issues, and gave it a suburban base. his understanding of traditional cial crisis of 2008-09. Charlotte looks purple. It In 2010, the party won control of N.C. values, healthy relationship ANDY TAYLOR is now a regional banking center, is a presidential both chambers of the General As- with the business community, and COLUMNIST Raleigh-Durham an area of great sembly and then quickly, not least suspicion of radical change. The influence in biotechnology and battleground in 2020, by redrawing favorable district party’s 2020 U.S. Senate candidate, computing. Expansion continues and statewide races, lines, took a 10-3 advantage in the Cal Cunningham, might be cut from in these areas, but the explosive particularly for U.S. state’s congressional delegation. the same cloth. s of August, I have lived in growth is at the coast or in exurban Over the course of the decade, But the party now has an appe- North Carolina for 25 years. areas like Union County near Char- Senate, look very however, GOP candidates felt tite to take on the state’s cultural It seems appropriate to lotte and in Chatham and Johnston tight. themselves increasingly reliant on conservatism, particularly on mat- mark the occasion with a column counties around the Triangle. It rural votes. Trump has accelerated ters like race and religion. It seeks Aexamining how the politics of the seems a long time since the state’s the development. Now, suburban to nurture labor unions, especially state I am now very happy to call economy was dependent upon control with the Populists in a fu- counties are slipping away, and the in education, local government, home have changed over that time. furniture, textiles, and tobacco. sionist arrangement in the 1890s. cities, with increasingly Millennial and services. To grow the economy, It would be an understatement to As a result, our politics were But the Democrats were still and minority populations, are a it looks to a progressive profession- say a lot has happened. very different in 1995. Republicans strong 25 years ago. They were deep shade of navy blue. McCro- al class and technology sector, not Political transformation is gen- had begun to make gains in 1972 also very much in the mold of the ry was mayor of Charlotte for 14 the state’s small businesses and erally driven by economic, cultural, when Richard Nixon captured the pragmatic, business-friendly, and years. The Wake County commis- manufacturing concerns. North and social developments. The Tar state, Jim Holshauser was elected infrastructure-minded governor of sion and school board were con- Carolina’s immediate future looks Heel State is no different. Since governor, and Jesse Helms won his the time, Jim Hunt. Hunt handily trolled by Republicans as recently purple. It is a presidential battle- 1995, North Carolina’s population first Senate term. In 1980, Ronald won re-election to a second consec- as a decade ago. Now governance ground in 2020, and statewide has grown nearly 50%, to just more Reagan began a string of seven utive and fourth total term in 1996. of the state’s biggest counties is races, particularly for U.S. Senate, than 10.5 million. The proportion consecutive GOP presidential wins That year, the Democrats swept dominated by Democrats. There’s look very tight. I worried the state of residents who are white and not in North Carolina. In 1993, the the Council of State races and won not a single Republican on the might be a bit “sleepy” when I Hispanic now stands at around year the state’s second Republican back two of the U.S. House seats Mecklenburg or Wake County moved down here from the hustle 64%, about 10 percentage points governor of the century, Jim Martin, and the lower body of the General commissions. Although they enjoy and bustle of the Northeast. For lower than it did back then. Today, was leaving office, a former aide, Assembly they had relinquished in a healthy majority on the Supreme a political scientist, it has proved about 45% of our residents were Tom Fetzer, was elected mayor of 1994. I would not see a Republican Court, the Democrats remain in the anything but. born outside the state. Raleigh. The year before I arrived, governor until Pat McCrory was minority in the General Assembly Catholic churches and strip malls Republicans won majority control inaugurated in 2013. and Council of State. They, too, are Andy Taylor is professor of political now stand in places that were of the state House, the first cham- The changes to the state’s transforming. Demographic and science at the School of International fields and woodland when I arrived. ber of the General Assembly to fall demography and economy acceler- geographic shifts in the party’s cen- and Public Affairs at N.C. State Charlotte, the Triangle, and the into their hands since they shared ated the GOP surge. Affluent new- ter of gravity are pulling it to the University. You decide: Is it really 2030?

Here’s a good example. Meat not all economists agree with those be cautious of opening unknown processing plants use large numbers What is the cause predictions, it looks as though the attachments. Maybe someday — of individuals working near each pandemic could make them more hopefully soon — we’ll have similar other to convert cattle, hogs, and of this time travel? likely. techniques, like a vaccine, to protect poultry into products supermarkets It’s the COVID-19 Technological unemployment us against viruses. Unfortunately, MICHAEL WALDEN and restaurants can use. In fact, pandemic. isn’t new. It goes back at least as far just like computer viruses, human COLUMNIST meat processing is an important as the 18th century, when English viruses can be totally different each economic sector in North Carolina. textile workers opposed factory year, thereby requiring an entirely When some of these plants had turists thought it would gradually owners replacing them with ma- new vaccine. virus outbreaks, several econo- expand, perhaps doubling between chines. Once perfected, machines Therefore, until we have better THE CALENDAR SAYS 2020, but mists — including me — speculated 2020 and 2030. usually can produce more output protection from infections like some say it’s really 2030. Huh? Did that down the road we would see However, today there are in a given period of time than can COVID-19, I expect people and busi- we suddenly lose a decade? I cer- the processing plants begin to estimates that perhaps 30% of humans. Plus the machines don’t nesses won’t let their guard down. tainly hope not, because that would replace workers with machines and employees are remotely working, need rest or vacations. If they can, more workers will con- make me 79 instead of 69. technology. The logic was that ma- and in the next decade that number Today there’s an additional sider remotely working. Also, if they Actually, no one is saying it chines and technology are immune could expand to as high as 40%. reason for companies to consider can, more businesses will look for really is 2030. What they mean to virus outbreaks, and thus when Once again, the trend was already replacing workers with technology. ways to use fewer people and more is ongoing trends in the economy a future pandemic occurred, these there; it’s just that the pandemic Technology and machines don’t machines and technology to protect have accelerated so rapidly that the high-tech food processing plants has pushed the accelerator. get sick for long periods of time like against disease and pandemics. world we’re looking at now is closer could continue operating. The commonality of these people infected with COVID-19. The result will be a shake-up in to what it would have been in 2030. I thought such a conversion was two examples is technology. For Technology and machines also the job market like we’ve never seen In other words, the future is on us years away. A couple of weeks ago years, economists have talked don’t spread sickness from machine before. Education will have to be sooner than we thought. I read some meat processing plants about “technological unemploy- to machine, and machines aren’t fast, focused, and inexpensive if we What is the cause of this time have already begun to introduce ment” as a trend shaping the labor subject to stay-at-home orders want to retrain the millions of work- travel? It’s the COVID-19 pandemic. robots in their facilities. force. Indeed, in 2013 two British during a pandemic. ers who will need it. As economists look at how busi- Another example is remote work- economists estimated almost half Now, before you think I’m nesses, households, and workers ing. Before the pandemic, remote of today’s occupations could be sus- unaware of spreadable “computer Michael Walden is a Reynolds have coped with the virus, many working was expanding, but it was ceptible to substantial downsizing viruses,” I am! I know that users distinguished professor at N.C. State see outcomes not expected until still relatively small, accounting for due to the substitution of technolo- of modern technology must use University. He does not speak for the many years in the future. under 10% of the work force. Fu- gy for humans in doing work. While protective computer programs and university.