• Hasty Celebration of • UNC a Bargain even 2000 Math Scores with Big Tuition Hike

New and Improved Walden C A R O L I N A Local Sports Subsidies

Volume 10, Number 10 A Monthly Journal of News, August 2001 Analysis, and Opinion from JOURNAL the John Locke Foundation www.CarolinaJournal.com www.JohnLocke.org

North Carolina Talk Radio Makes Itself Heard

Conservative hosts are The Tar Heel Tea Party attracting listeners with against a tax increase topical issues, interaction attracted 1,000 taxpayers

By ANDREW CLINE By ANDREW CLINE Managing Editor Managing Editor RALEIGH RALEIGH hen Barbara Howe, the Libertar- bout 1,000 North Carolina taxpay- ian Party’s candidate for N.C. ers rallied behind the state Legisla- W governor in 1996 and 2000, A tive Building in July for a Tar Heel drives anywhere between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. Tea Party in hopes of halting a nearly $600 on a weekday, she listens to Jerry Agar, af- million tax increase proposed by legislative ternoon talk show host on Raleigh’s long- Democrats. That proposal came on top of a time news/talk station WPTF-AM. $260 million increase in the state and local “I listen to talk radio not so much to tax burden already approved this year. The get ideas that I agree with but to hear what prospect of more spurred many North Caro- people are thinking,” Howe said. “I think lina citizens to come to Raleigh to tell legis- that’s valuable. You don’t get as good a lators that they’d had enough. cross-section of what everybody is think- The protest was the brainchild of Jerry ing, but you do get some interesting feed- Agar, afternoon talk show host on Raleigh’s back on the issues.” WPTF-AM radio station. Agar had read In the past few years, more and more about an anti-tax protest in Tennessee ear- North Carolinians have taken Howe’s atti- State radio hosts were instrumental in promoting a July 31 rally in Raleigh against tax hikes. lier this summer and thought North Caro- tude toward talk radio. Tar Heels search- lina could use one itself. ing for an interactive, rather than a passive, conservative talk show. But now there are still improving after a decade on the air. Agar got together with John Hood, listening experience are increasingly turn- local conservative hosts in Asheville, Boone, Radio is a business, after all, and Rush’s president of the John Locke Foundation, ing to the rejuvenated format. Winston-Salem, New Bern, Jacksonville, numbers have the attention of station man- and the two of them rounded up others “Their minds are being stimulated,“ Wilmington, and even Charlotte (though agers and owners. who helped plan the event, which was said Al Bunch, general manager of WPTF- that show is co-hosted by a liberal). Limbaugh’s ability to pull in gobs of staged just five days after Agar decided to AM. “They’re getting foreground, it’s not “Every big town now has at least a con- advertising revenue has led managers to promote it. background as some of the other stations servative talk radio station,” Agar said. “Ev- seek local conservative hosts in an effort to Agar and Hood lined up other talk are. Talk radio is very captivating; the hosts ery town now has at least one media outlet extend that revenue stream beyond Rush’s radio hosts, including Mike Fenley of WSJS- make you think. It’s very engaging.” who says, ‘Maybe this is right.’” allotted three hours. AM in Winston-Salem and Richard Spires Naturally, the level of engagement de- Even a number of North Carolina’s “If Larry King were on daytime radio of WBT-AM in Charlotte, as well as pends on the content of the show, though non-talk stations are adopting partial talk- and were No. 1, you’d have more Larry grassroots organizations such as Citizens all talk radio shows are designed to engage formats with more or less conservative lean- King-type shows,” Ball said. for a Sound Economy, the N.C. Libertarian the audience in active listening. ings. The syndicated John Boy and Billy But King isn’t No. 1 — Limbaugh is. So Party, and the N.C. Republican Party. Whether the content is gardening or Show, based in Charlotte, and Jerry Wayne’s some managers try to recreate Rush-style The result was the news event of the sports or politics, the goal is the same, said show on WNCT-FM in Greenville are ex- shows, Ball said. It’s not the case that AM summer. It made the front page of every Ben Ball, station manager at WTKF in New amples of morning rock ‘n’ roll shows that station managers are conservative, it’s that major N.C. paper and was the lead story on Bern, North Carolina’s first FM talk station. also dedicate a portion of their program- conservative talk shows are the most popu- television and radio stations from the moun- Engagement extends beyond the conserva- ming to talk segments that often cover poli- lar and attract the most advertising dollars. tains to the coast. The event also attracted tive talk shows that get the most attention. tics from a conservative point of view. “I don’t think it’s nearly as much a re- national attention, from The Wall Street Jour- “We also have more moderate shows flection of the management than as the busi- nal and Fox News Channel, among others. and non-political shows,” Ball said. “Talk All Rush’s Children ness climate,” Ball said of the proliferation The protest, designed to knock the wind radio has long been strong and varied in its of conservative radio talk shows. “They’re out of the sails of the tax hike plan, came opinions.” How is it that conservative talk radio the most successful. There are fewer suc- hours after a hastily assembled press con- But lately talk radio in North Carolina has become so popular in North Carolina cessful liberal shows than there are conser- ference called by Gov. Mike Easley for the has been trending toward conservative talk that even FM stations are adopting parts of vative ones.” purpose of pre-empting the taxpayer rally. shows, or more correctly, toward shows the format? Conservative radio shows are success- Easley used his budget officer, the state hosted by conservatives or libertarians who First, there’s the astonishing success of ful not only in money, but in influence as controller, and the current and past treasur- talk about politics. Rush Limbaugh, the nationally syndicated well. Last month Agar, along with fellow ers to argue that tax increases were the only In the late 1990s, local right-leaning talk host who is on virtually every major AM shows have sprung up all across the state. news/talk station in the state. No one gets Raleigh’s WPTF-AM has long had a local better ratings than Rush, and his ratings are Continued as “Talk Radio,” Page 3 Continued as “Tea Party,” Page 3

Offer Vouchers in Low-Scoring Schools? The John Locke Foundation NONPROFIT ORG. Contents 200 W. Morgan St., # 200 U.S. POSTAGE Favor 51% Raleigh, NC 27601 PAID Oppose 30% RALEIGH NC Not Sure 19% Calendar 2 PERMIT NO. 1766 State Government 3 Education 6 Higher Education 10 Local Government 14 Books & the Arts 18 Opinion 20

% of N.C. Respondents in Oct. 2000 JLF Poll Parting Shot 24 C A R O L I N A Contents

ON THE COVER JOURNAL • An interview with Rhonda Bridgers, prin- • The Heritage Foundation releases a study • Why does conservative talk radio con- cipal of Raleigh’s PreEminent Charter on the successes of competitive contracting tinue to thrive, especially in North Caro- School. Page 9 for governments. Page 16 lina? The answer is part Rush inspiration; Richard Wagner and part public participation. One example HIGHER EDUCATION • An interview with Wake County Com- Editor of conservative chat’s influence resulted in missioner Kenn Gardner. Page 16 the recent Taxpayer Tea Party at the legis- • Will higher education, offered on the Andrew Cline lature, which was led by WPTF’s Jerry Agar. Internet, be eventually attainable for free? •Tax dollars for beach renourishment and Managing Editor Page 1 Page 10 public-funded international mayoral trips top the local government news. Page 17 NORTH CAROLINA • A study found that UNC tuition, despite Thomas Paul De Witt increases, was still a bargain compared to THE LEARNING CURVE Opinion Editor • Almost anywhere you go in North Caro- other state universities. Page 11 lina, you are likely to find a local conserva- • Reviews of Making Patriots by Walter tive radio talk show on the air. Page 4 •George Leef says that by looking at how Berns and The Revolutionary Writings of John Paul Chesser other states cut their university budgets, Adams by C. Bradley Thompson. Page 18 Associate Editor • The state auditor’s review of the Aviation North Carolina might learn something. Division of the Department of Transporta- Page 11 • Reviews of Coming Out of the Woods by Sherri Joyner, Erik Root, Jon Sanders tion revealed several irregularities in a Wallace Kaufman and Antitrust after Assistant Editors grant for airport improvements. Page 5 • UNC-Chapel Hill offered a summer in- Microsoft by David Kopel. Page 19 doctrination course on “diversity.” Page 12 • The Department of Public Instruction OPINION Roy Cordato, Charles Davenport, raved about the state’s performance on na- •Some colleges are requiring students to Ian Drake, Tom Fetzer, tional math tests, but close analysis should have personal digital assistants. Page 12 • Editorials on welfare reform and toll Nat Fullwood, David Hartgen, temper their enthusiasm. Page 5 roads. Page 20 Paige Holland, George Leef, Michael Lowrey, Kathryn Parker, • A U.S. Supreme Court ruling could have Marc Rotterman, Jack Sommer, EDUCATION a major impact on Title IX implementation • Editorials on bike helmets and posting the George Stephens, John Staddon, on college campuses. Page 13 Ten Commandments. Page 21 Jeff Taylor, Michael Walden • A few NC counties are working to re- Contributing Editors duce dropout rates. Page 6 • Another U.S. Supreme Court ruling hurts •Andrew Cline proposes that state the cause of race-based preferences in cam- legislators complete N.C. State’s Econom- • Paige Holland trumpets the work of edu- pus admissions. Page 13 ics 201 course. Page 22 Hans Hurd, Rheta Burton cation leader Linda Harrell. Page 7 Editorial Interns LOCAL GOVERNMENT • Michael Walden debunks myths about the • Proofreading textbooks, and the NEA’s minimum wage. Page 23 position on gays, mark school reform news •North Carolina is home to many minor from around the country. Page 8 league baseball teams, and most receive PARTING SHOT John Hood benefits from taxpayers. Page 14 Publisher • Early childhood initiatives are leading to • A report on the terrorist tactics practiced mandatory school attendance for very • Sam Staley says regulations can unneces- at the Taxpayer Tea Party. Page 24 Don Carrington young children in some areas. Page 8 sarily strangle new businesses. Page 15 Associate Pubhlisher Calendar Published by The John Locke Foundation 200 W. Morgan St., # 200 Raleigh, N.C. 27601 (919) 828-3876 • Fax: 821-5117 Locke President John Hood To Speak In September www.JohnLocke.org

he John Locke Foundation’s Head- Kory Swanson for details or email Bruce Babcock, Ferrell Blount, liner speaker series is taking a hiatus [email protected]. John Carrington, Hap Chalmers, for the month of August. But look Sandra Fearrington, Jim Fulghum, T William Graham, John Hood, for Foundation’s events to start back up in “Locke Lines” Kevin Kennelly, Lee Kindberg, September. That’s when the staff will un- Robert Luddy, William Maready, dertake its biannual regional meetings tour, The John Locke Foundation publishes J. Arthur Pope, Assad Meymandi, during which we hold events in towns and a monthly audio magazine called Tula Robbins, David Stover, cities across the state. This fall’s topic, as “LockeLines” that features speeches made Jess Ward, Andy Wells, always, will be public education. at Locke events that month. Art Zeidman “LockeLines” includes Headliner Board of Directors • Also in September, John Locke Foun- speeches as well as Shaftesbury Society dation chairman and president John Hood speeches and commentary by Locke staff. will speak in Raleigh about his new book, To subscribe, call Kory Swanson at (919) CAROLINA JOURNAL is a monthly journal Investor Politics: The New Force That Will 828-3876. of news, analysis, and commentary on state Transform American Business, Government, & and local government and public policy Politics in the Twenty-First Century, being Carolina Journal in Your Library issues in North Carolina. published this fall by the Templeton Foun- dation Press. We at Carolina Journal often are asked ©2001 by The John Locke Foundation Hood will speak at a Locke Headliner JLF President John Hood where one can find copies of the newspa- Inc. All opinions expressed in bylined ar- luncheon at noon, Tuesday, Sept. 11 at the per. Carolina Journal is available by sub- ticles are those of the authors and do not Brownestone Hotel in Raleigh. For the 15 years before that he taught necessarily reflect the views of the editors of scription only, or by picking up a copy at a Carolina Journal or the staff and board of Hood has worked at the Foundation political science at Dickinson College in Locke Foundation event, your local public the Locke Foundation. since its opening in 1990 and now serves as Carlisle, Penn. library, or the Foundation offices in down- president and chairman of the board. His The conference will be held Oct. 20 at town Raleigh. Material published in Carolina Journal previous book, The Heroic Enterprise: Busi- the North Raleigh Hilton. For more infor- If your local public library does not may be reprinted provided the Locke Foun- ness and the Common Good (The Free Press, mation, call (919) 828-3876. carry Carolina Journal, ask them to subscribe. dation receives prior notice and appropri- 1996), was widely acclaimed in such publi- We provide the Journal for free as a public ate credit is given. Submissions and letters cations as The Wall Street Journal and Na- Shaftesbury Society service. to the editor are welcome and should be tional Review. Many libraries across the state now stock directed to the managing editor. Each Monday at noon, the John Locke Carolina Journal, though they may not dis- Readers of Carolina Journal who wish • Following Hood’s speech and the Foundation plays host to the Shaftesbury play it prominently in their periodicals sec- to receive daily and weekly updates from CJ regional meetings tour in October will be Society, a group of civic-minded individu- tion. If you don’t see it, ask for it. If your editors and reporters on issues of interest to the Pope Center for Higher Education als who meet over lunch to discuss the library doesn’t carry Carolina Journal, it can North Carolinians should call 919-828- Policy’s annual Higher Education Confer- issues of the day. receive a subscription for free by calling us 3876 and request a free subscription to ence. This year’s conference will feature Dr. The meetings are held at the Locke at (919) 828-3876 or emailing Kory Swanson Carolina Journal Weekly Report, deliv- Eugene W. Hickock, the Under-Secretary- Foundation offices in downtown Raleigh at at [email protected]. ered each weekend by fax and e-mail, or designate for the U.S. Department of Edu- 200 W. Morgan Street, Suite 200. Plenty of We also make Carolina Journal Weekly visit Carolina Journal.com on the World cation. parking is available in nearby lots and decks. Report, the Locke Foundation’s weekly Wide Web. Those interested in education, Dr. Hickock is former education secre- The Shaftesbury Society is taking a sum- higher education, or local government newsletter on state and local politics and should also ask to receive new weekly e- tary for the state of Pennsylvania, a post he mer hiatus and will resume meetings this policy, as well as “LockeLines” available to letters covering these issues. held during the mid- to late-1990s under fall. If you’d like to suggest a speaker for any individual or organization, including Gov. Tom Ridge. Shaftesbury, or if you’d like to join us, call libraries, at no charge. CJ C A R O L I N A August 2001 JOURNAL North Carolina 3 Talk Radio Makes Itself Heard in North Carolina’s Major Media Markets

Continued From Page 1 change until somebody can come That applies even when the along and be the liberal Rush caller shares the host’s basic politi- conservative radio hosts Mike Fenley of Limbaugh,” Agar said. cal outlook. WSJS-AM in Winston-Salem and Richard There are varying theories for “I can find myself often Spires of WBT in Charlotte helped organize why this is so. “[Conservative talk preaching to the choir, but with and promote the Tar Heel Tea Party, which show host] Neal Bortz has a theory that understood, I make a point to brought about 1,000 citizens to Raleigh to (and I agree with him) that it’s broaden that horizon a little bit by protest a proposed tax increase plan. much easier to be a liberal televi- shining a harsh light on some of The event showed the influence that sion host or a writer because so the traditional conservative lazi- talk radio hosts can have in informing and many of their positions come from ness,” Forbis said. “I’m a big, big motivating listeners. But don’t confuse that feelings and they can’t stand up to antagonist of those who vote a influence with power, say the hosts, who the rigor of taking phone calls that straight ticket. I’ll jump in and stir usually think of themselves as just regular disagree with them,” Agar said. up the norms a little bit to remind guys talking about politics with other regu- people who think, ‘I’m a Republi- lar folks. Entertainment (as a) Value can because my daddy is,’ that “People sometimes say to me, ‘You that’s not a good reason.” should be careful because you have a lot of It also could be that liberal That desire to shake people up power,’” Agar said. “We don’t have any hosts are too serious about their and to serve as a foil to conven- power. The governor has power. He signs politics and forget that talk radio is tional news and opinion outlets is a piece of paper and someone gets executed. just as much about entertaining as what drove many talk radio hosts He signs a piece of paper and your taxes go it is about informing, some say. into the business. up. That’s power. We have influence. Al Bunch, general manager of “This show is based on point- “There are plenty of people listening WPTF-AM, said that he didn’t set ing out stupidity and challenging who don’t agree with what we say. It’s a out to get a conservative host for the commonly held beliefs and not let- discussion, it’s not a classroom. I’m not here afternoon drive-time slot. “What ting the people in Raleigh or Wash- to indoctrinate, the point is to get a discus- we strive for is the maximum en- ington sell us a bill of goods,” sion going.” tertainment value for the audi- Forbis said. “I feel very lucky. I’m That’s something that a lot of left-wing ence,” Bunch said. “Our goal was doing what I’ve always wanted to critics of talk radio don’t seem to under- not to hire a conservative host. We do.” stand, talk show hosts say. Their shows are considered over 100 different appli- Spires said the show he cohosts public forums like London’s Hyde Park cants. Jerry’s audition tape just had, with Democratic partner Krantz Corner, where everyone is given the oppor- well, there was something about it A spirited protester holds a sign at July’s “Tar Heel Tea Party.” succeeds precisely because it tunity to speak his mind, not lectures in that we didn’t hear in all the oth- Photo by Andrew Cline doesn’t toe a conventional line. which only one viewpoint is preached. ers. “When you tune into Hannity “I believe very strongly in discourse,” “He just displayed that passion and gotten to.” and Colmes, you know that the party line said Jason Forbis, conservative host of a talk tempo that we felt would be very entertain- Even being No. 1 doesn’t guarantee a is going to come out of each of their mouths. show on WXIT-AM in Boone. “The best ing on WPTF. Entertainment value. That’s wide mix of listeners. All conservative talk We don’t want to do that. opinions are formed when you’ve had an really what it is.” show hosts interviewed for this story com- “We’re both not in the mainstream. I’m opportunity to hear all points of view.” That political talk radio is a combina- plained about not having enough left-wing a doctrinaire Libertarian, and Brad is a mod- But aren’t liberals supposed to be bet- tion of information and entertainment is listeners. erate Democrat. Our audience is over 70 ter than conservatives at that sort of thing? inescapable and something that bothers its “I wish I had more [liberal callers],” percent Republican,” Spires said. “There are no overwhelmingly success- critics, hosts say. Agar said. Still, there is a certain consistency to ful liberal talk shows,” Forbis said. “There “We also understand the purpose of it, “The theory is that maybe you’d have each successful show. Listeners know what are some who claim to be liberal, but if you which is entertainment,” Agar said. “We more if you were nicer to them,” he joked. to expect from the hosts, even if that means listen to them they are really middle-of-the- still underneath it all understand that this “I did an open line for liberals, and I to expect the unexpected. road. You can go down the list of every com- is entertainment, whereas the kind of per- had a very tough time getting callers. All “Rush isn’t going to talk about ‘Dude, mercially successful talk show, and they are son that’s going to go chain themselves to talk show hosts will go immediately to a Where’s My Car?’ and you know that,” all conservative. That tells me that we are a tree gets to the point where they don’t un- caller who disagrees. The show is better. ” Agar said. CJ filling a need for America that cannot be derstand that.” filled anywhere else.” The entertainment factor is certainly That need is having the news discussed one reason conservative talk radio is so suc- Jonathan Hill, among others, and repeat- and reported without a left-wing bias, the cessful. It’s not dour and dry and policy- Tea Party edly chanted “axe the tax” and “no new hosts say. wonkish. taxes” while waving pirate flags, “don’t “I think the success of conservative talk “Did you ever listen to Mario Cuomo? Continued From Page 1 tread on me” flags, and signs of all sorts. radio shows is the extreme liberal slant of Just awful,” Spires said. Some of the featured slogans included: traditional media,” Spires said. “People are “We entertain and inform,” he said. • “Tax my parents and I can’t get a frustrated when they pick up The Charlotte “That sounds so cliche, but it’s true. We try available option to fill the hole in the state puppy.” Observer and they don’t report on the facts to be the person sitting next to the person budget. • “Don’t take new books from my chil- or they report on it, then they slam it on driving home in the car.” Administration officials made the ar- dren.” their editorial page. The only person who’s And it seems that it’s conservatives, not gument that the state had to increase taxes • “Extra cash the Easley way: Confis- going to give you a straight story a lot of liberals, that people want sitting next to to save its AAA bond rating, without which cate it!” times is the ‘biased’ conservative talk radio them on the way home. the state would face about $15 million a • “Taxes SUCK the life out of the host.” WBT-AM in Charlotte used to have sev- year in higher debt payments. economy.” “Too much inflection and spin is put eral liberal shows, but not any more. Hood countered that argument at the • “Taxation with representation ain’t on the news, and I feel that in 98 percent of “There’s never been a conservative host rally. “What kind of buffoon would raise so hot either.” the cases it’s a liberal spin,” Forbis said. “In here locally,” Spires said. “They have had taxes $600 million to save $15 million?,” he what I do I try to remind people that there liberals to moderates to man this seat for as asked. “Apparently the kind of buffoon Into the Legislative Building are two sides of each story.” far as I can remember. They had a very lib- that sometimes gets elected to the North Then there’s the fact that the left already eral nighttime host at one time and his rat- Carolina legislature.” As the protest wound down, several has its own radio shows, publicly subsi- ings were good, but they couldn’t sell it.” The governor’s press conference was protesters made their way to the House’s dized, which not only draw left-wing lis- And selling it is the key. Radio shows far from successful in muting the taxpay- observation galleries, where they proceeded teners but also hire the left-wing hosts. are bait designed to draw viewers for the ers’ message. The next morning saw mas- to shout anti-tax slogans at legislators. “An eloquent liberal who wanted to purpose of listening to advertisements, sive front-page coverage of the protest in A woman tossed tea bags onto the speak his peace on local issues would be which is what the radio stations are really every major newspaper in the state, while House floor, and several agitators got into welcome on our station, we’d try to find a in the business of selling. the press conference barely rated a mention arguments with Rep. George Holmes, R- spot,” Ball said. “We haven’t found many Left-wing shows have not been able to in most of the stories. Yadkin, who had come to the gallery to ask liberals who would step forward. They’re draw as many advertisers as conservative The protest itself, while far tamer than them to settle down. all listening to NPR.” shows have. its violent predecessor in Tennessee this Another protester was nearly arrested The left has attempted to compete with That even goes for shows that aren’t 100 summer, was a raucous, loud, and at-times after getting into an argument with police Rush Limbaugh, but without success. The percent conservative or political. In Char- confrontational event. over whether he could bring a sign into the only left-wing show that has managed to lotte, the “Spires and Krantz” show, with Media reports pegged the number of building. draw a nationwide audience during the Libertarian host Richard Spires and Demo- attendees at about 700, but total attendance The protest wound up with no violence coveted afternoon time slot is National Pub- crat host Brad Krantz, has an audience that throughout the four-hour event was closer or arrests, and in the end protesters left lic Radio’s “Talk of the Nation,” which re- is 70 percent Republican despite the fact to 1,000 (based on attendee signatures) saying that they had a good time and hoped ceives government subsidies and does not that neither cohost is Republican and the which was large considering that the event legislators had heard their message and depend on advertising. show is not always about politics. had been put together in just five days. taken it to heart. Left-wing talk show hosts do quite well “Politics tend to polarize,” Spires said. Protesters listened to speeches from And because four radio stations broad- in some markets, particularly in the North- “That type of polarization in a genteel Hood, N.C. GOP Director Bill Cobey, Lib- cast live from the event, the total audience east, but not nationally. Southern town like Charlotte doesn’t make ertarian Party gubernatorial candidate Bar- numbered in the tens of thousands across “And that’s probably not going to us No. 1 in our demographic like we’ve bara Howe, and North Carolina CSE head North Carolina. CJ August 2001 C A R O L I N A 4 North Carolina JOURNAL

Around the State Who Should Pay for Animal Control?

• If you have Internet access you Debate in Guilford County Focuses Attention on Growing Public Expenditure no longer have to wait in line to change your address on your driver’s By PAUL CHESSER sharply differing views of how the costs of the density of the city’s population, costs license or get a duplicate license. In Associate Editor should be assessed. for responding to calls would be less there. early August the Division of Motor GREENSBORO County charges to municipalities for “We feel like it would be a cheaper per- Vehicles allowed both of those ser- ike hundreds of times before, Darren animal control date to the mid-1990s. That call cost,” Davis said. “The reasonableness vices to be handled over the DMV Mode, a Guilford County animal was when smaller Guilford communities of $440,000…we weren’t sure we could rec- web site. DMV estimates that about control officer, placed a trap contain- incorporated in an effort to thwart ommend that to our board.” 300,000 people a year wait in line for L ing a captured raccoon next to his truck. Greensboro’s zeal for annexation. Davis added that officials considered those services. “Very smart animals,” he told a reporter “The City of Greensboro was just gob- evaluating log books, travel time, dispatch who joined him in a morning ride-along. bling up land like crazy,” said Randy time and performing time-motion studies, As Mode went to fetch something from Friddle, a budget analyst for Guilford to determine how much time officers spent • Members of the State Employ- the front of the truck, the skittish animal County. “Some of the smaller towns, want- in each jurisdiction. County officials ees Association of North Carolina climbed to the top of the trap and easily ing to preserve their land, incorporated.” doubted such data would provide a fair (SEANC) are considering changing pushed open a door, leapt to the ground, As a result, the county found itself pro- measurement either. the organization’s bylaws to grant and ran across the street and out of sight. viding control service for the small After much debate, county and city themselves the ability to strike and The escape was a first-time occurrence for towns.“We were enforcing their ordi- leaders arrived at a compromise July 18 that conduct work stoppages, SEANC the five-year officer. nances,” Friddle said. “So we decided since would cost Greensboro about $340,000 per Executive Director Dana Cope said Very smart animals, indeed. we were enforcing a town year, representing nearly in early August. Cope said that rank- “I shouldn’t have tried to stop him, ordinance, that they half of Guilford’s control and-file employees came up with should I?” asked the reporter. should pay for it.” Funding responsibili- budget. Greensboro resi- the idea on their own out of frustra- “No, he would have bit you in a heart- Guilford determined dents account for 53 per- tion with the way they’ve been beat,” Mode said. the most equitable way to ties for animal control cent of the county’s (hu- treated by legislators. The SEANC The incident was not the best example charge for animal control vary from county to man) population. state convention is next month, and of Mode’s job performance. In the past he was on a per-capita basis, Before the 1995 con- members would consider the issues has helped take down a charging 2,200- dividing the budget allot- county and city to city tract, Greensboro man- then. pound Brahma bull, and once evicted 77 ment by the size of the across North Caro- aged its own animal con- black cats from an abandoned house. On population. Such a calcu- lina. trol. Now Gibsonville, August 4 he removed bats from three lation worked out to Archdale and High Point • “ It will wind up costing us more homes, and recently took a copperhead about $1.62 per person. are the only Guilford mu- to notify students of changes than the snake out of someone’s living room, which However, the existing contract with Greens- nicipalities that don’t use county services. increase will collect.” he sarcastically characterized as “fun.” boro “threw a monkey wrench” into the Responsibilities for animal control vary — Gary Tilley, vice president “I just don’t like snakes,” he said. equation, according to Friddle. As a result, from county to county and city to city across for finance and operations at Surry the smaller towns as well as the county it- North Carolina. Raleigh maintains its own Community College, telling the Win- Debate Joined in Greensboro self paid more than twice as much for ani- patrol in Wake County. Meanwhile, the city ston-Salem Journal of the tight spot in mal control per capita as Greensboro. of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County which the state’s delayed buget has Animal control officers, as do police, The expiration of the contract presented share the burden in their areas. put his institution. Legislators had regularly put their lives in harm’s way to an opportunity for renegotiation with the Animal control can also fall under dif- failed to pass a budget by the begin- protect humans, and their pets and prop- city and the ability to make cost distribu- ferent government departments. In ning of the academic year. The two erty, from unpredictable creatures. tion more fair. But when Guilford presented Guilford County, the health department different budgets they were consid- Recently, the cost of such protection Greensboro with the significantly higher oversees the service. In High Point, the po- ering contained two different tuition was at issue between Guilford County and figures, the fur didn’t exactly fly, but was lice department manages animal control. increases for community colleges. the City of Greensboro. After providing decidedly ruffled. Most officials contacted for this story Because the academic year has be- animal control services for the Gate City The proposed county budget for 2001- said that privatization of animal control was gun, public colleges and universities under a 1995 contract that required $180,000 2002 for animal control was $688,422, of not a viable option for N.C. localities. across the state have had to decide annually (adjusted each year by the con- which Greensboro would have been re- “I can’t think of any community in this whether to charge students last year’s sumer price index), the county proposed sponsible for almost two-thirds under state that is privatized,” said Joseph tuition or one of the two tuition rates raising the city’s portion to $440,000. More Guilford’s proposed calculations. Bloomquist, animal control supervisor for being considered by legislators. than doubling the cost made city budget The city countered that per-capita cal- the City of Raleigh. “I don’t see any way Tilley said that the cost of notifying analysts nearly gag like a polecat. culations were not an appropriate basis for you could do that because of (law) enforce- students of a tuition increase later in “From a simple standpoint, we’re a cus- the cost of animal control. “We don’t nec- ment. There’s a lot to it.” the year would be more than the tomer, and our vendor notified us of a huge essarily see [population] as having a one- “It’s a public safety issue,” Mode said. amount of thi increase for Surry Com- jump in our bill,” said Larry Davis, budget to-one correlation for animal control ser- “[Raccoons] are known to carry rabies. munity College, meaning the bud- and evaluation director for the city. vices,” Davis said. Once it gets captured, it has to be de- get delay will cost the school money. While the conflict didn’t resemble any- Greensboro officials countered with the stroyed.” thing seen in the recent film “Cats & Dogs,” idea that because animal control bases op- Pause. officials for both the city and county had erations in the center of the city, and because “Unless it gets away.” CJ • Sen. David Hoyle, D-Gaston, has suggested that the state should more deeply cut Smart Start to make N.C. Emissions Often Blown Out to Sea ends meet. As an example of waste- ful spending, he cited the Onslow County Partnership for Children’s Benefits of Smokestacks Bill Exaggerated expenditure of $23,000 for billboard advertising. Onslow Partnership Executive Director Dawn Rochelle By RICHARD WAGNER The Environmental Protection Agency The state-by-state analysis in the study 2.5 told CJ that billboards were “the best Editor (EPA) standards for the regulation of PM is based on a nationwide reduction of SO2 way to reach our population. It costs RALEIGH are very controversial. Though the Clinton emissions — not on reductions that would $13 per billboard per day for us, roponents of the so-called “Clean EPA adopted these regulations in 1997, the occur as a result of S1078, Cordato found. which is cheaper than other meth- Smokestacks” bill under consider- EPA’s own Clean Air Science Advisory The study concludes that if the entire coun-

ods of advertising. Phone referrals ation in the General Assembly touted Committee refused to endorse them. try reduced SO2 emissions by 75 percent, P 2.5 from parents increased from 274 a study “approved by the Harvard School PM is a by-product of sulfur dioxide North Carolina would experience a reduc- tion of about 1,000 deaths per year. within a six-month period to 678 of Public Health” in claiming that the bill (SO2) which is emitted by coal-fueled elec- within a two-month period.” would save 1,000 lives a year. This state- tric power plants. The N.C. legislation in Cordato says there are two reasons why ment misrepresents both the study’s origin question, Senate Bill 1078, calls for a 75 this is irrelevant in assessing S1078. First,

and its findings, according to an analysis by percent reduction in SO by 2013 and does much of the SO2 in North Carolina comes 2.5 2 • “Decisions regarding any addi- Dr. Roy Cordato, vice president for research not regulate PM directly. from power plants located in the upper at the John Locke Foundation. Some studies have shown a statistical Midwest. Most SO2 emissions from N.C. tional revenues must spread the burden 2.5 across all the income categories and not The study in question was done by a association between PM and higher death plants are blown out to sea. Second, the rate private consulting firm and was funded rates, but the Clean Air Task Force report at which N.C. emissions of SO are trans- allow it to fall only on the working and 2.5 2 middle-class citizens.” and published by a consortium of left-wing selectively reported those findings, Cordato formed into PM can only be known by environmental groups called The Clean Air found. On its web site, the Task Force ar- assessing the levels of other compounds — Sen. Luther Jordan (D-New 2.5 Hanover), chair of the Legislative Task Force. The only apparent connection gues that a study by the Health Effects that help form PM , such as ammonia. The to Harvard is that the “Forward” to the Institute has conclusively reaffirmed the study makes no attempt to do this. SO2 Black Caucus, discussing Gov. Mike 2.5 Easley’s proposed 1-cent sales tax “Executive Summary” was written by a link between PM and death rates. But an emissions in North Carolina have been de- hike in the Winston-Salem Journal. Harvard School of Public Health professor. important finding of this study was that clining continuously for the last 30 years The pollutant discussed in the report is there was no significant association between and are consistently less than half the na- 2.5 2.5 “fine particulate matter,” known as PM . PM and mortality among non-smokers. tional standards, Cordato added. CJ C A R O L I N A August 2001 JOURNAL North Carolina 5

Aviation Panel Takes No Action on Case — the 100th anniversary of the Wright The purpose of the trip was for state brothers’ flight at Kitty Hawk. officials to attend the Experimental Aircraft General Statute 143B-356 saysthe Association’s “Air Venture 2001.” Aviation Forget the Audit, Council Says — “Aeronautics Council shall advise the Sec- Division Director Bill Williams said at the retary of the Department (of Transporta- meeting that the trip was necessary for tion) in the issuance of loans and grants to North Carolina to prepare for the 100th an- We’re Talking Oshkosh, By Gosh the cities, counties, and public airport au- niversary celebration in 2003. thorities of North Carolina for the purposes “You can’t put a price on what we did of planning, acquiring, constructing, or im- there or what we accomplished there,” Wil- By DON CARRINGTON unanimously. proving municipal, county, or public au- liams said. Associate Publisher The auditor’s review also addressed thority airport facilities and upon any mat- But Tippett, who is Williams’s boss, dis- RALEIGH problems with a grant to the Sanford Lee ter relating to airports which the Secretary agreed. “I am very disappointed that we n independent audit has revealed County Airport. may refer to it. The Secretary shall report chose this method to accomplish this mis- several irregularities in a state In 1998 the airport received a $4.38 mil- the activities of the Council to the Gover- sion,” Tippett told the Raleigh News & Ob- A grant that was awarded to the lion grant to construct a new airport. Upon nor.” server.” Town of Ocean Isle for airport improve- completion of the airport, however, it was When one member left during a break, The role of the division and council in ments. apparent that the runway had substantial council members and the division staff re- 2003 events is not specified in legislation. The report, issued July 1 by State Au- surface water problems. The division, with alized attendance at the meeting, at six The General Assembly established a First ditor Ralph Campbell’s office, concluded the council’s approval, council members, did not Flight Centennial Commission several that a company owned by W. J. McLamb, a awarded a $430,000 grant constitute a quorum. years ago. The commission’s responsibili- Brunswick County paving contractor and to correct a construction A state official said the Council members could ties were to determine extent of any official a member of the North Carolina Aeronau- defect before determining Wisconsin trip was not vote to approve state-sponsored celebrations in 2003. tics Council, was paid from a grant awarded who was responsible for grants, but the meeting by the division, creating the appearance of the problem. necessary to prepare continued as “informa- The Official Response a conflict of interest. McLamb also owns an In a response July 13, for the 100th anniver- tional.” airplane, which he keeps at Ocean Isle Air- N.C. Department of Current membership The council has six regular meetings port. Transportation Secretary sary celebration of the of the council is not clear. scheduled this year. When CJ asked Will- The apparent conflicts were uncovered Lyndo Tippett agreed Wright brothers’ flight. Terms of seven of the 14 iams why the auditor’s review was not dis- by Carolina Journal in its March 2001 issue. with all of the state members expired June cussed at the meeting in August, he said But apparently the council members and auditor’s recommenda- 30. McLamb, who did not the review would be on the October agenda. the division director dismissed many of the tions to avoid similar problems in the fu- attend the meeting in August, will not be DOT Deputy Secretary David King issues raised in that story and decided to ture. reappointed. Also, DOT is waiting for Gov. said, “I think everyone has learned a les- pay the town of Ocean Isle for unauthorized But despite Tippett’s concern, the Mike Easley to name the seven new or re- son. It is clear the situation was mishandled work performed by their fellow board auditor’s review did not even make it on tained members, DOT Deputy Director by the Aviation Division staff, the Aeronau- member. the agenda for the next meeting. David King said. General statutes contain tics Council, the council member and the According to minutes of the meeting no clear provisions for members to continue Town of Ocean Isle. I think the decision to May 4, the council approved spending for The August meeting until they are replaced. go ahead and pay the town was fair, based projects, including a grant of $190,656 to on the value added to the airport.” repave runway and to install a lighting sys- At its meeting Aug. 1 the Aeronautics Off to Oshkosh He said that after studying the situa- tem at the airport. Council member Dudley Council did not discuss the auditor’s report. tion, DOT officials decided the best resolu- Humphrey asked that the minutes reflect Council members and Aviation Division Di- One of the items discussed Aug. 1 was tion was to pay for the improvements at that the recommendations for Ocean Isle rector Bill Williams spent most of the two- the trip to Oshkosh, Wis. A state aircraft Ocean Isle. had been reviewed by the state Attorney hour meeting discussing a potential avia- made three round trips involving 16 people The amount that would go to McLamb, General’s Office and that the appropriation tion museum, a recent trip to a Wisconsin from July 22 to July 30. The group included however, would be for actual costs of had been permitted by appropriate law. The air show, and concerns about adequate fes- five DOT employees and two council mem- $104,039, instead of $137,500 that he had council approved the recommendations tivities in North Carolina for the year 2003 bers. billed the town last year. CJ State Should Temper Enthusiasm over Math Scores, Skeptics Say

By PAUL CHESSER Further clouding the ability to validly Associat Editor compare results in 2000 to performances RALEIGH four and eight years ago was the fact that ongratulatory back-slapping and more North Carolina students were identi- hand-shaking marked an Aug. 2 fied as having disabilities or limited profi- C press conference held by the De- ciency in English. Such students are ex- partment of Public Instruction, celebrating cluded from the NAEP assessment. North Carolina’s performance on the Na- Since 1990, North Carolina had the larg- tional Assessment of Educational Progress est increase in the country in the percentage tests taken last year. of students excluded, because of disabili- The NAEP math tests have been con- ties, from the eighth-grade NAEP test. The ducted quadrennially since 1992, and in state’s increase in exclusions for fourth- 2000 measured the skills of public school graders was exceeded only by Iowa’s. Advertisement students in 40 states. North Carolina stu- For both fourth and eighth-graders, dents exceeded the national average by six North Carolina’s exclusion rate was almost points in each grade tested, scoring 232 for double the national average rate. Since these fourth-graders and 280 for eighth-graders. students tend to perform poorly on such “These scores are real and they’re really tests, excluding them improves the average good, and you should be proud,” said Gov. score, thus making comparisons difficult. Mike Easley at the press conference. Lou Fabrizio, director of Accountabil- North Carolina performed better than ity at the Department of Public Instruction, many other states, making larger gains than attributed the state’s higher rate to conflict- any other state in the Southeast. ing guidelines by the federal government. Additionally, 28 percent of N.C. fourth- He said rates rose because the state graders and 30 percent of the state’s eighth- seeks compliance with the federal Individu- graders rated at the proficient level, slightly als with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) surpassing the national average. by providing students with Individualized However, closer examination of the fig- Education Programs (IEPs). In turn, IEPs ures caused some skeptics to mute the state place limitations on how children are tested. education establishment’s enthusiasm. “In our state, we had an increase in the “They can pat themselves on the back number of students who were selected all they want to, but to have fewer than one whose IEP required accommodations, that in three capable to do math at grade level is were not allowed for use with the NAEP,” unacceptable,” said state Rep. Fern Shubert, said Fabrizio. “It’s a ‘Fed’ call as to what R-Union. “How would you like it if your car they allow, but it’s an IEP call as to what the ran one-third of the time? Or would you student needs,” he said. “So you’ve got two hire someone who could only make change parts of the government arguing with each one-third of the time correctly?” other.” CJ August 2001 C A R O L I N A 6 Education JOURNAL School Reform Briefs Raising the Bar on Dropouts • Leaders of the Community Creative Approaches Are Working in Some North Carolina School Systems Coalition for Educational Excellence in Greensboro have voiced their con- cerns over whether Guilford County is fully committed to education. The By RHETA BURTON ized, more intensive school that helps stu- percent to 7 percent. The cause, said Preston group rallied and planned to boycott Editorial Intern dents who need extra motivation. The drop- Wells, curriculum director for Pender the school system by asking black stu- RALEIGH out rate in Rockingham County fell from 5.5 County schools, is the failure by some stu- dents and supporters to miss the first hy do students drop out? The percent in 1998-99, or 359 students, to 3.7 dents to achieve new, higher standards that 10 days of school. main reason, according to a percent in 1999-00, or 240 students. have been instituted. Coalition leaders said too many W study by the North Carolina De- Kay Rodgers, director of secondary edu- “Some students have trouble passing blacks were being shuffled through partment of Public Instruction, is because cation at Rockingham County schools, un- the algebra exam and the end-of-grade tests, the school system or were dropping students did not attend classes on a regu- derlined the importance of the SCORE cen- which makes it difficult for them to gradu- out. Members approved a boycott in lar basis. Other reasons cited in the study ter. She also said block scheduling helped ate,” Wells said. early August, but later postponed it, are students moving, students having aca- because it allowed any student who did fail Pender County is taking a more hands- saying community sentiment was too demic problems, and students dropping out a class an opportunity to retake the class the on approach by implementing electrical divided. to enroll in a community college to get their next semester. and auto body repair classes, where stu- “Parents and community mem- GED certificate. dents who are at risk of dropping out or bers in general have expressed differ- Many North Carolina counties, includ- Solutions in Durham have already dropped out can learn a trade. ent views and concerns since the ing Burke, Pender, and Rockingham, have “It gives students who might not other- Bethel meeting,“ said Rev. Nelson taken an individualized look at preventing Although many students drop out, wise have a future to train at something Johnson. “We have been listening to students from dropping out. North Carolina has seen an unsettling trend they are good at and go out into the our community, and we desire to be Now, after several years of implemen- of large numbers of black males leaving workforce with a skill,” Wells said. “We responsive to what we are hearing.” tation, districts are seeing an improvement. school, especially in Durham County. hope that those who participate in this pro- One parent suggested an alter- North Carolina dropout rates decreased Durham high schools hit the national gram decide to go back to school to get their nate boycott that would include mas- from 4.6 percent, or 25,567 students, in 1998- radar several years ago when they were diploma.” sive parental involvement in the 99 to 4 percent, or 24,596 shown to have a low Programs that do offer students the school for the first 10 days. students, in 1999-00. graduation rate of 30 per- option of training in a technical skill, how- The coalition formed in June in Longer-term com- “We contacted each stu- cent for black males. ever, cannot substitute for students having response to several proposed changes parisons can be mislead- In 1999 the Rev. the foundation of advanced courses taught at predominantly black schools, in- ing. Starting in 1998-99, dent who dropped out Curtis Gatewood, presi- in a high school setting. cluding the replacement of Dudley students who transferred and gave them options dent of the Durham chap- Students who go through the program High School, teacher reassignments, to a community college as to why and how they ter of the National Asso- are not taught the usual high school cur- and the district’s plan to cut 94 were considered drop- ciation for the Advance- riculum that the state implements through teacher assistant jobs to hire extra outs, whereas before, they should come back to ment of Colored People, the accountability and ABC’s program. teachers for poor neighborhood were considered transfer school.” called for any action to In Rutherford County, the high school schools. Reported by the News & students and not in- “save black boys and dropout rate almost doubled in 1999-00. Record. cluded in the data. other students who are Rosemary Smith, director of student ser- falling through the cracks.” vices in Rutherford County, attributes part • A new choice-based student as- Prevention Plans Durham County has also experienced a of the increase to the loss of more than 6,000 signment plan in Charlotte- decline in the number of dropouts. Funded jobs last year in Rutherford County. Mecklenburg is still under way after No two schools are alike in implement- by a two-year grant from the Governor’s “Our students had to help their fami- a federal district court ordered an end ing polices for dropouts or those at risk of Crime Committee, two Durham high lies out, and so they dropped out of school to desegregation policies in 1999. dropping out. Most school districts provide schools implemented a High School Acad- to find what little work they could to sup- The school system is being sued a variety of options for schools to use. emy, which targeted a group of at-risk ninth- port their family,” said Smith. by white parents who want Char- Schools in Burke and Rockingham coun- graders. The program provided peer lotte-Mecklenburg’s desegregation ties have seen a large decrease in dropout mentoring and extra activities for the group Time Pays Dividends policies stopped and by black parents rates, from 10 percent in 1998-99 to 7 per- of children. who want them continued. cent in 1999-00. Even though the district has enjoyed In short, schools that take the time to Even though a ruling is still pend- In Burke County, Superintendent David all-around improvements with the acad- work with at-risk youths individually usu- ing in the Appeals Court, Superinten- Burleson said educators looked at each stu- emy, Heather Graham said all “too often ally have greater success reducing the num- dent Eric Smith is pushing for a new dent as an individual and not a statistic. these students who are targeted as at-risk ber of dropouts. plan because of the time needed to “We contacted each student who are black males.” This could be a major factor explaining handle all the logistics. dropped out and gave them options as to Despite the continued dominance of why many smaller schools also have a The plan now under way will why and how they should come back to black males among dropouts, there has been smaller percentage of dropouts. keep both options for the district, race- school,” Burleson said. “We also offered some improvement in dropout rates in the According to a study conducted by free and race-conscious, open until a them chances to enroll in GED programs Durham County schools (see below). Harvard Professor Gary Orfield and ruling is received and a plan is and to go to our career-ready program to The Academy at Northern High School Achieve, Inc., located in Cambridge, Mass., launched in 2002. give them incentives to go back and get has made a difference in children’s lives, the nation’s dropout problem is most se- “The courts might give us some- their diploma.” and they enjoy it, Graham said. vere in the 200 to 300 schools located in the thing else that we can’t anticipate. But Burke County implemented programs 35 largest cities across the nation. we think this outlines the two most to target students in danger of dropping Problems Persist in Some Areas The study also showed that most of the likely possibilities,” Smith said. “This out, Burleson said. “We had a program problems occurred in schools that had more plan gives us a way to proceed under called extended day school, which gave Regardless of North Carolina’s overall than 900 students. both eventualities.” students an opportunity to go to school in improvement, some districts haven’t suc- But Charlotte, North Carolina’s largest The plan, which includes new the afternoons if they couldn’t make school ceeded. Dropout rates in Pender and Ruth- city, managed to escape the criticism by boundaries for the expected seven in the morning for whatever reason.” erford counties, for example, have increased. being one of only four cities that had two or new schools, divides the county into Burke County offers a program called During the 1999-00 school year, the fewer schools with high dropout rates in four regions, called “choice zones.” Leap Academy in which students who re- dropout rate for Pender County rose from 5 both 1993 and 1996. CJ Each student would have a guaran- peated the seventh or eighth grade could teed seat in a “home school.” Parents enroll in the eighth grade and take ninth- would also have the ability to apply grade courses at the same time so that they Dropout Rates for Grades 7-12, Durham Public Schools for schools outside their choice zones. could catch up to their peers and graduate The plan would relocate about 20 on time. “It’s a centralized program in which magnet programs, and students they get first-class attention and are able to 6.00% Dropout Rates would be able to win admission to get back on track,” Burleson said. 5.48% 5.21% 5.09% schools through a lottery. If the court “The community has helped us out a 5.00% decided the school system should be lot,” he added. “Here at Burke, we have an SOURCE: North 4.25% 4.25% Carolina Department race-conscious, the lottery could in- alternative to those students who are in 4.00% of Public Instruction. clude race as a factor. suspension. Instead of students being sus- The dropout rate for School Board member Bob pended, they take part in community ser- 2000-01 was estimated Simmons said the board should move vice, while still doing their schoolwork and 3.00% based on preliminary data from the Durham ahead with the new proposal. not getting behind. It has proved to be a Public School System. “We made that commitment to positive thing.” 2.00% staff, we made that commitment to In Rockingham County, Tim Newsom, *Denotes change in the community,” he said. “(To now) director of dropout prevention, said that assesment of dropout 1.00% rates to include back away seems to me to be betray- one reason Rockingham’s dropout rate de- community college ing that commitment.” Reported by creased was the implementation of an alter- transfers. The Charlotte Observer. CJ native school called the SCORE center. 0.00% The SCORE center is a more central- 1996-97 1997-98 1998-99* 1999-00* 2000-01* C A R O L I N A August 2001 JOURNAL Education 7 Among Documents with Historical Significance Character Education Bill Passes Champion for Children good friend and I were once with a menu of assistance tailored to discussing our mutual hero, community and family concerns. with the Ten Commandments A Linda Harrill, and he said, At CIS schools and home sites stu- “Working with Linda is like trying to dents receive integrated, coordinated law “will withstand constitutional scrutiny” drink from a fire hydrant, and I mean assistance from a wide menu of op- By JORDAN CAPPS since it has been reviewed by the attorney that with the greatest esteem.” tions: mentors, tutors, health care, ca- Editorial Intern general’s office and officials there “believe What a fitting and unique descrip- reer counseling, job shadowing, and RALEIGH it is constitutional on its face.” tion of the kind of power and energy much more. he state legislature passed, and Gov. “How schools implement this is prob- Linda brings to her fight for children . . . Traversing the state and country to Mike Easley signed, a new law pre- ably the more substantial question,” Dalton full blast and full steam ahead! visit effective programs and learning scribing directives for character edu- said. Linda Harrill has been my mentor how to replicate existing successes, T for most of my career in the education meeting with state and national lead- cation in schools and paving the way for Likewise, John Bason, a spokesman for documents such as the Ten Commandments Attorney Gen. Roy Cooper, said that al- arena. Her tireless dedication to the ers, heading committees and commis- to be displayed based on their historical though the bill itself seemed constitutional, children of North Carolina sets a high sions, building coalitions in local com- significance. “the way local school boards apply the law standard to work toward. But her will- munities, and conducting workshops Controversy surrounding the legisla- is vulnerable to challenge, because we are ingness to share her knowledge, con- are all part of a typical “Linda Harrill tion had stemmed from a Senate character not aware of any case involving posting of tacts, and resources makes that goal more week” as she champions the message education bill joined with a different House the Ten Commandments in public schools attainable. of CIS and the children they serve. bill in committee. that has been held to be constitutional.” Linda is a vigorous advocate for chil- Knowing that today’s children face The additional sections include a list of Michaux opposed the measure, saying dren, particularly those who a myriad of social and eco- key character traits to be promoted in the Ten Commandments were included are often left behind: the poor, nomic challenges that most schools, a mandate for school dress codes, “under the subterfuge of displaying [them] the learning disabled, the for- of us would never have and permission to display documents that as a historical document.” gotten. You only have to dreamed of, and knowing have influenced the legal code or govern- The less-discussed character education speak with her for a minute that educators cannot be ex- mental system in the United States. section of the bill identifies eight desirable to discover her enthusiasm is pected to serve as social Most intensely debated is the legality of traits that should be included in curriculum equally matched by experi- workers, counselors, and permitting schools to display the Ten Com- designed with “input from the local com- ence. parents, Linda works to mandments as a historically significant munity” for the 2002-2003 school year. During her career, Linda bring essential community Paige Holland document. In contention are the first four Courage, good judgment, integrity, has worked as a special edu- resources to the table, so that commandments that require obedience to kindness, perseverance, respect, responsi- cation teacher, a Chapter 1 children can focus on learn- God. bility, and self-discipline comprise the core teacher, a school administrator, a uni- ing. “The [last] six commandments are cer- traits for schools’ character education. versity instructor, and a national educa- She challenges school leaders tainly constitutional. The first four are not. Included in the definitions of the traits tion consultant. She has served on more across the state and nation to look at It’s the first four that get are the themes of resolv- committees and boards than is possible creative ways to address the issues of us into trouble,” said Rep. ing “to do the right thing to list here. the most needy children. With a can- But they include such organizations do, no-excuses attitude, Linda fights Bob Hensley, D-Wake. Permitting schools to even when others don’t,” Permitting schools to “treating others as you as the N.C. School Improvement Panel, hard for young people. And she never display the Ten Com- display the Ten Com- would like to be treated,” the Legislative Study Commission on gives up. mandments is merely mandments is merely and “being in proper con- Alternative Education, the Council for In the past year alone, CIS of North “setting the state up for a trol of your words, ac- Children with Behavior Disorders, and Carolina provided services for more lawsuit,” said Rep. “setting the state up tions, impulses, and de- the Coalition of Healthy Adolescents. than 46,000 children and their families Mickey Michaux, D- for a lawsuit,” said sires … ” While there are many people in the in 27 communities. North Carolina education community CIS tapped 920 agencies and orga- Durham. Rep. Mickey Michaux. Dalton, who origi- In support of the bill, nally introduced the char- who possess impressive resumes, there nizations to provide essential services, Rep. Art Pope, R-Wake, acter education portion of are only a handful who have truly af- while more than 6,000 volunteers con- cited constitutional freedom that allows the the bill, cited studies from California and fected children’s lives - Linda is one of tributed almost 300,000 hours to serve mentioning of God in schools and public South Carolina that show character educa- those few. CIS children. The results are impres- documents while also highlighting the N.C. tion leads to schools with “more safety, sive. Collectively, the North Carolina Constitution’s profession of a belief in God. better discipline, and better academic per- Working With CIS CIS programs kept 95 percent of high- So far, the track record for schools dis- formance.” risk students in school and saw 90 per- playing the Ten Commandments is clear: School faculty and parents alike “have As the president of Communities in cent of them promoted to the next level. All instances have been deemed unconsti- embraced [character education] favorably Schools since 1989, Linda has worked In a “what’s in it for me?” day and tutional by the courts. and believe it makes a positive difference,” with school districts across the state to age, Linda exemplifies the servant lead- Because of the legal precedents, legisla- Dalton said. develop appropriate educational pro- ership mentality. She is completely tors carefully phrased the provision to in- Originally introduced three months grams for at-risk youths. CIS is not a pro- dedicated to young people, she con- clude the Ten Commandments only as an ago, House Bill 195 was a measure intended gram but a broker of resources. Work- tinually chooses community over self, example of a historically meaningful docu- to add North Carolina history and geogra- ing together, CIS shows communities and she never seeks the spotlight. ment along with the Magna Carta and the phy to fourth- and eighth-grade curricula. how to coordinate their public, private, The children of North Carolina are Justinian Code. Additionally, the bill states The final version states that two years and nonprofit resources so children can blessed to have Linda Harrill carrying clearly that no display of any document of instruction, one in elementary school and get the help they need. their torch. CJ should “seek to establish or promote reli- one in middle school, should “include con- Schools and communities no longer gion or to persuade any person to embrace tributions to the history and geography of have to depend on random, limited ser- a particular religion, denomination of a re- the State by the racial and ethnic groups vices for their students. Moreover, CIS Holland is director of the North Carolina ligion, or other philosophy.” that have contributed to the development responds to each school’s unique needs Education Alliance. Sen. Walter Dalton said he thinks the and diversity of the State.” CJ

Other NEA state affiliates targeted in state affiliates have coordinated their politi- Lawsuit Questions Political Activity Landmark’s complaint are the Pennsylva- cal activities with the Democratic Party, nia State Education Association, the Ne- and have used millions of dollars in tax- braska State Education Association, the exempt general revenues to support these of N.C. Association of Educators Kansas National Education Association, and activities is truly breathtaking,” it states. Education Minnesota. Other members of the Steering Com- Landmark’s complaint, filed July 20 mittee included in the complaint were the By RICHARD WAGNER cratic Party, complete with an ATM ma- with the IRS, includes responses by the 1996 Clinton-Gore Campaign, the Demo- Editor chine that dispenses tax-exempt member- Democratic National Committee and the cratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, the RALEIGH ship dues to underwrite that party’s politi- 1996 Clinton-Gore Campaign to Federal Democratic Congressional Campaign Com- he Virginia-based Landmark Legal cal activities,” a Landmark press stated. Elections Committee subpoenas. The FEC mittee, and the AFL-CIO. Foundation has filed a complaint “The NEA has concealed these activities had released the information to the public Landmark’s complaint is the latest with the IRS claiming the National from America’s teachers, the public, and May 2, but four days later placed the reports phase of the Foundation’s five-year investi- T gation and legal research into alleged viola- Education Association and five of its state the IRS.” under seal, the press release says. affiliates — including the North Carolina In its complaint, Landmark asked the Landmark says its complaint provides tions of federal tax and election laws by the Association of Educators — have illegally IRS to investigate the conduct and tax fil- “overwhelming evidence of the NEA’s po- NEA and its state affiliates. Landmark also used millions of dollars of tax-exempt funds ings of the associations. Landmark also re- litical activities, including its key role as a filed complaints with the IRS last year about to coordinate political activities with the quested that the IRS assess income taxes on member of the so-called ‘Coordinated Cam- the union’s political activities and expendi- Democratic Party. tax-exempt resources used for political pur- paign Steering Committee,’ which set na- tures in earlier election cycles. “The evidence Landmark is making poses and impose fines and penalties, “in- tional and statewide campaign strategy for A spokeswoman for the N.C. Associa- public today demonstrates that the NEA cluding possible revocation of the tax-ex- the election of Democratic candidates. tion of Educators did not return phone calls has become an appendage of the Demo- empt status of these organizations.” “The extent to which the NEA and its seeking comment for this story. CJ August 2001 C A R O L I N A 8 Education JOURNAL

School Reform News From Across the Nation Cost to Taxpayers Climbs Lawmakers Continue to Extend Proofing Texts, Gay Resolution Age Requirements for Schools exas A&M University has signed place,” Paige said. “We have dedicated a first-of-its-kind $80,000 con- ourselves to the proposition that the De- Ttract with the Texas Education partment of Education can be a well-run, By SHERRI JOYNER Although most children start school in Agency to proofread science textbooks. well-respected agency.” Assistant Editor kindergarten, the current law in North The university review team will in- Paige also plans to hire a new assis- RALEIGH Carolina says children must be enrolled be- clude 12 faculty members, 17 graduate tant secretary to assist and oversee the ost parents don’t consider com- ginning at age 7. students, and 11 College progress of these rem- pulsory attendance when enroll- Former Gov. Jim Hunt’s preschool ini- Station-area school edies, a position that M ing their children in school, but tiative, Smart Start, and local initiatives like teachers. requires Senate confir- that may change as lawmakers continue to Mecklenburg County’s Bright Beginnings “We’re pleased be- mation. The position extend the age children must attend school. have began to offer preschool programs to cause we’re committed has been vacant for five Early-childhood initiatives were the children in North Carolina — at an ever- to public education, and years. As reported by first to make waves across the nation. Both increasing cost to state taxpayers. we think we have a lot Education Week on the the theory of “readiness to learn” and the Last year, Judge Howard Manning, Jr. to offer, but it’s also a Web. concept of universal preschool have become of the Wake County Superior Court added little ominous because national movements. to the debate by demanding preschool pro- we know we’re the The National Education Association grams for at- risk 4-year-olds. Manning home of the Aggie joke, so we know it’s Improve Schools, Parent Power has already supported “early childhood stated on Oct. 26, 2000, in his second ruling important we do a good job,” said Dr. programs in public schools for children in the case Hoke County Board of Education v. Timothy Scorr, director of the A&M Bi- A new grassroots group, L.A. Metro from birth through age eight.” State of North Carolina, that the state will be ology Department. Strategy, with longtime ties to Los An- Last month, U.S. Secretary of Education expected to expand its prekindergarten pro- In the past, TEA has used public geles’ urban neighborhoods, is focusing Rod Paige and Mrs. Lynne Cheney hosted gram for those children identified as “at school teachers or individuals to fast- on raising student achievement. the White House Summit on Early Child- risk.” check textbooks. This is the first time Supported by the city’s top leaders, hood Cognitive Development. Paige sup- Although, Manning’s final ruling is not TEA has given the job to a university. including Mayor James K. Hahn, School ported the idea of studying early-childhood expected for another year, districts may be “We decided to take a different slant, District Supt. Roy Romer, City Council initiatives to discover what works best. required to spend millions of additional knowing we could get a lot more done President Alex Padilla, and school board “Together, the Department of Educa- dollars on classes for 4-year-olds, and par- by using a university, which has a more member Caprice Young, the group is tion and the Department of Health and ents of at-risk students may be required to expansive pool of possible reviewers,” gathering the support of more than 700 Human Services will ensure that the Head send their children to school years earlier said Eugene Rios with the TEA. parents and educators in an effort to em- Start and preschool programs we support than what the current law demands as a There are a few requirements for power parents. are doing the right things and getting re- way to compensate for children who have every reviewer. Each reviewer must “I really approve of what’s happen- sults,” Paige said. “missed the boat.” have a bachelor’s degree with a concen- ing here,” Romer said. “We all share Other attendees supported universal tration in a relevant subject area, and common values: All children can learn preschool. Among them was Stephanie The End of the Spectrum pass a TEA screening process. As re- ... and the way to get there is through Fanjul, director of student achievement for ported by dallasnews.com. expert teaching and parent involve- the NEA, and former architect of the North Although students in North Carolina ment.” Carolina Smart Start Program. are allowed to quit school at age 16, legisla- The group has a three-pronged strat- Given this context, it is no surprise that tion may keep them in the school, regard- NEA Drafts Controversial Bill egy for success: 1.) Allow it to select 25 efforts in many states are shaping new com- less. schools; 2.) Give it three years to create pulsory laws. General Statute 20-11 passed in 1997 The National Education Association a new relationship between parents and attempts to compel students to attend drafted and then withdrew Resolution educators; and 3.) Agree to success with State Action for Early Childhood school. The statute mandates that students New B, a proposal for “the develop- an underlying theory that all kids can who drop out of school before age 18 will ment of curricula designed to meet the learn. As reported by the Los Angeles A law adopted last year in California have their driver licenses revoked. needs of gay youth.” In place of the Metro. makes kindergarten attendance mandatory The same statute also strips students of resolution, the NEA has opted for a task by making it a prerequisite for first grade. their driver licenses if they have been ex- force to pursue the issue. Japan and School Violence The bill, AB 25, also calls for school officials pelled or suspended for more than 10 con- The resolution, released March 20, to contact the parents of preschoolers about secutive days, if a student possesses or sells states: “The NEA recognizes that the After a man knifed and killed eight programs specific to their children. an alcoholic beverage, if a student brings a complex and diverse needs of gay, les- children and injured 15 others at Ikedo Another action came earlier this sum- weapon to school, or if a student assaults a bian, bisexual, transgender, and ques- Elementary School near Osaka on June mer in the District of Columbia as council teacher or other school personnel on school tioning students . . . and gay, lesbian, 8, schools across Japan have been tak- member Kevin Chavous proposed to lower property. bisexual, and transgender families and ing drastic measures to ensure safety. the compulsory age for public school from The Healthful Living Section of the their children require the development School officials have locked gates, 5 to 3 years old in D.C. “It would force the Department of Public Instruction is in the of programs that promote a safe and posted guards, organized parent con- school system to take charge and responsi- initial stages of studying the effects of the inclusive environment.” trols, installed cameras and enrolled bility for every 3- and 4-year-old in the city law and whether it actually compelled teen- The NEA asserts that withdrawing teachers in self-defense courses. But to make sure they are prepared for kinder- agers to stay in school. the resolution and establishing a task more shockingly, other schools are arm- garten,” Chavous told The Washington Post. By law, DPI is required to report on “the force is not a gesture of acquiescence to ing teachers with ear-splitting alarms, The trend has not bypassed North effectiveness of this act on the dropout rates critics. long Y-shaped poles (often used by the Carolina, which is seeing an overall move- and progress toward graduation of students The association intends to broaden police to subdue suspects), and canisters ment to increase preschool participation. under the age of 18,” by Nov. 15, 2002. CJ its examination of the issue in order to of tear gas. ensure that their members and students A town east of Tokyo, Urayasu, is “teach and learn in a safe, supportive planning to distribute tear-gas canisters environment.” to 42 schools. “It might look dangerous for schools to have such devices, but what should Changes for Dept. of Education not have happened did actually happen in Ikeda, and the city government Rod Paige, U.S. Secretary of Educa- should consider concrete measures to tion and a former Houston educator and keep children safe.” school board chairman, announced sev- Some are concerned that the safety eral changes would take place to curb measures are too much and that the re- wasteful spending of Department of alistic drills are frightening students. Education funds and to encourage ac- In one class, a teacher wearing a countability. mask and wielding an iron rod burst into The changes include reducing a classroom and started screaming at the spending limits on all purchase cards students _ all for the sake of provoking and putting top officials on performance a conversation on safety. contracts. In total, the department must While school shootings have be- put in place about half of 661 recom- come all too common in the United mendations made in the spring by the States, this was the first tragedy to strike department’s auditors. Japanese schools. Reported by the San “In the last 90 days, a lot has taken Francisco Chronicle. CJ August 2001 C A R O L I N A JOURNAL Education 9

School Spotlight PreEminent Charter School Set To Take on New Challenges

By SHERRI JOYNER senior year, so I continued at William Penn Assistant Editor High School. RALEIGH reEminent Charter School, located CJ: Are you excited about PreEminent’s on Wade Avenue in Raleigh, is open new facility? P for its second year and is expecting Bridgers: When we have the new build- some big changes. The school, which is ing it is going to make a huge difference in operating in temporary trailers, will have a the number of students and families want- new school building in August 2002. ing to attend the school. This past year we Rhonda Bridgers, principal of had fewer than 40 students enrolled in PreEminent and native of Randolph County, grades K-2. This upcoming year we will New facility for PreEminent Charter School, to be located on Rock Quarry Road in Wake County. has spent more than 20 years in the educa- have around 200. And we are already ac- tion arena. She has worked as a teacher and cepting enrollment for the fall of 2002. The CJ: What makes this school special? pants, shorts, skorts, and jumpers, with a counselor in public schools many of those new facility, which is expected to be 55,000 Bridgers: I was really lucky to get teach- white or black shoes. years. square feet, will be located on Rock Quarry ers that are dedicated to the students. That Road, right next to the Alltel Amphitheater. is one thing we assure the parents — that we CJ: What is the biggest challenge you are CAROLINA JOURNAL: Your background At our highest capacity we will be able to will provide a nurturing environment for facing with educating young children? is with traditional district schools. How did you accommodate 700 students. their children. I want to make sure that no Bridgers: In Halifax, the kids were good become involved with PreEminent Charter? This school year we will offer grades K- child gets lost in the group. We really try to to work with. Then you didn’t have to worry Bridgers: I was asked if I would be 5, and then each year we will add an addi- make sure each child is excelling in the class about the arrogance or disrespect many interested in the job and was blessed enough tional grade until the school includes K-8. and is being challenged. If a parent is un- children demonstrate today. That is one of to receive it. It has been a challenge and also We are really looking forward to creating a sure about the school, we also have parent the keys behind the education here at a wonderful experience. neighborhood school for that community. ambassadors that they can talk with. PreEminent. PreEminent is run by an outside man- When I was in high school my teachers agement company — National Heritage CJ: Why do you think parents’ will be CJ: Why did you decide to require uniforms took the time to make sure we were in a Academies. Having National Heritage interested in PreEminent? this year? nurturing and encouraging environment. Academies manage the school has made Bridgers: One of the biggest factors Bridgers: We are looking forward to Our teachers taught us to make sure we things much easier on me. I really admire would be to keep the children from being uniforms. We have parents who have said take pride in everything we do, and if we those charter schools who have to both bused across town. But our school also has their children were often teased by some do something to make sure we do it right. manage and operate their schools. other attributes, including an excellent cur- students if they didn’t wear a certain name Our teachers took special interest in us. riculum. We use the E.D. Hirsch Core brand. Our uniforms will be grey and white That is what we strive to achieve here at CJ: In 1968 you graduated from college. Knowledge curriculum on steroids. I say and there will be a variety of options — PreEminent. CJ This was a time in history when many districts that because the curriculum also includes were desegregating. Did this cause problems for Saxon Math, Collins Writing, and other ex- you as a black educator? ceptional curriculum. Bridgers: I interviewed for a job with Personally, I am just getting used to the Raleigh schools, but they were really look- curriculum. But it has had excellent results ing for teachers with experience. Although thus far. Our students took a pre-test and I had student teaching training, I didn’t get post-test last year using the Metropolitan a job in Durham or Raleigh. And sometimes Achievement Test. There was only a six- I wonder and think that fate has a plan for month time span between the two tests and us all. And I think it was fate that drew our first-graders showed a nine-month gain Grover (my husband) and myself to Halifax in performance. Our second-graders did County, one of the poorest school systems even better, showing a 12-month gain. If the in the state at that time. curriculum is delivered correctly to the kids, Even though Halifax was integrated at it can really work. the time, most of the schools were predomi- nantly black, predominantly white, or In- CJ: This curriculum is known to be repeti- dian. There was a lot of gerrymandering at tive and many educators say that this element is the time to keep the black children out of its downfall. How would you respond? Roanoke city schools. But it wasn’t difficult Bridgers: Well, I think repetition is good. to get a job in that area because they needed The more a child hears something, the more teachers. it will stick with them. I always tell the kids, Advertisement I was actually in high school when my especially when I was a counselor and they school system, Trinity, in Randolph County didn’t want to study: It’s just like when you was integrated. At the time I was being listen to the radio and the first time you hear bussed to the black high school in Guilford a song that you like, you don’t know all the County to go to school, but my senior year words to it. But the more you hear it, even- I had the option to stay in Guilford County tually you will know all the words. It is the and attend an integrated school. At the same way with studying. The more you time, I didn’t want to change schools my study, the more it will stick with you.

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

In Carolina Journal Weekly Report, you get unfiltered weekly cover- age of state government from experienced reporters who have actu- ally read the Federalist Papers. Our reporters attend committee meet- ings and interview lawmakers face-to-face, so you get the stories first- hand. To subscribe, email [email protected] or call (919) 828-3876. August 2001 C A R O L I N A 10 Higher Education JOURNAL Bats in the Belltower Getting A College Education for Free?

No Net Ground Lost in the Latest Culture War Battles Internet, Competition Make It Possible The latest skirmishes in the Cul- ture War have resulted in a wash, Evolving technology triggers higher education free. tech companies are luring high-school stu- according to experts reading the field Building on the research of Carl Shapiro dents out of school before graduation. journal of the decades-long battle, a revolution in how higher and Hal R. Varian in Information Rules: A “Their senior year doesn’t matter when they Lingua Franca. Strategic Guide to the Network Economy, could be making $30,000 to $40,000 easily In the latest issue, experts note, education will be delivered Weigel writes of how “the Web has revolu- working for these companies,” Geringer queer theorists made surprising in- tionized the way we reproduce [informa- told the Chronicle. roads in recently abandoned terri- tion], lowering the cost of additional cop- Along with a rapidly changing work tory with the publication of Our By JON SANDERS ies to nearly zero. The forces of competi- environment, what is driving this phenom- Monica, Ourselves: The Clinton Affair Assistant Editor tion will drive the price of information enon is opportunity cost. As Weigel writes, and the National Interest (New York RALEIGH down to roughly the cost of its reproduc- the 1999 average for a private, four-year University Press), following a path he burgeoning opportunities cre- tion.” With broadband access in the near institution’s tuition was $15,380. Com- previously hewn by cultural warrior ated by Internet technologies are future, multitasking already being “irre- pound that for four years and add fees and Toni Morrison, who argued that Bill T changing the face of higher educa- pressible,” and with in- bookstore expenses, and Clinton was America’s first black tion. The changes are coming so quickly, vestors interested in pro- compare that with giving president, despite the rather obvious even the experts are unsure of how the viding online education, A student could take up four years’ worth of fact that the man is white, even structure of higher education will appear Weigel writes that free in a lecture while earnings beginning, as pastily so. Morrison employed ste- once the dust settles. And that uncertainty college degrees are “just Geringer suggested, at reotype, usually a dangerous is also creating opportunity. a matter of time.” browsing through ad- $30,000. In just four weapon, to argue for Clinton’s black- One thing that seems certain is that “It is not unthinkable vertisements for the years, that is an approxi- ness, because he was born into a bricks-and-mortar portals (the hallowed that a student could take mate cost of more than single-parent household, liked junk campuses of old) to higher education will in a lecture while brows- latest in video games, $200,000. food and saxophone music, and was decrease in popularity — but the rub is, how ing through advertise- fashions, or autos. It’s no wonder that, hounded for his sexuality. much will they decrease? Their decline ap- ments for the latest in as Shelley Donald Queer theorist Tyler Curtain led pears to be linked to the availability, effec- video games, fashions, or Coolidge of The Christian Operation: Our Monica, writing that tiveness and relative cost savings of online automobiles,” writes Weigel. “And al- Science Monitor wrote in June 2000, an in- Clinton was also the nation’s “first providers of higher education, not to men- though professors find it hard to swallow, creasing number of students are opting out queer [president] as well,” despite tion the desirability of higher education it- students in an engaging and multitasked of college altogether to pursue high-tech the rather obvious fact that the man self in the market for high-tech workers. virtual classroom might well be more atten- careers, especially in Internet startup com- is heterosexual, even lustily so. Not- The amenities of an education from the tive to the lecture than are students who panies. “With all of that young, raw talent, ing Clinton’s gift of Walt Whitman’s bricks-and-mortar campus are well known daydream or read material for other courses many Internet start-ups are openly wonder- Leaves of Grass to Monica Lewinsky (“campus life”), but they come at a high in a large lecture hall.” ing why they should wait for students to and Monica’s particular return favor price. As the cost of online alternatives Another factor to consider is the chang- get a diploma,” Coolidge wrote. to the President (which is not tech- drops, and as more students opt for online ing nature of the demand for higher educa- Still, Coolidge did find some workers nically sexual intercourse, depend- education, those amenities will start to pale. tion by the high-tech market. A shortage of who originally went straight into high-tech ing upon the meaning of “is”), Cur- How low will the cost of online education high-tech workers is creating opportunities work willing to return to school to pursue tain wrote, “Any queerly en- go? Some forecast it could be driven down right out of high school (even if they drop a four-year degree. Low-cost online educa- culturated gay man will recognize by competition to virtually zero. out) for technologically savvy teen-agers. tion could help tremendously in this area; the acts and the objects.” In his article in The Chronicle of Higher Gov. Jim Geringer of Wyoming was quoted its low costs and ease of access could sig- Other Cultural Warriors quickly Education of May 19, 2000, Professor Van B. in the July 23 Chronicle of Higher Education nificantly lower technologically proficient rushed into the breach. One had Weigel discusses how the World Wide Web online about how certification classes of- students’ opportunity costs in their pursuit Clinton as the first female president; would one day allow students to receive fered by Microsoft, Cisco and other high- higher education. CJ another, the first black female presi- dent; and one (obviously not a “team player”), the first white-trash presi- dent. Flexibility and training offered by online courses In another foray, pedophilia scholar James Kincaid (quoted in the July/August 2000 Clarion as saying appeal to a new breed of time-strapped students that spanking gave parents “drool- ing erotic satisfaction”) pronounced the Clinton/Lewinsky affair “unerotic” because “neither Monica By RHETA BURTON that market among others. Many tailor their Web-U offers more than 1,000 courses in 17 nor Bill can be thought of as chil- Editorial Intern offerings to adults already in the workforce areas of study. People who take these dren,” making it “hard for us to see RALEIGH who need either a few pickup courses or courses range from those who want to com- them as enticing.” any colleges today are taking ad- training for a particular job skill. plete a university degree to those who want Meanwhile, one of the towering vantage of Internet technology to take courses for the pure enjoyment of citadels of these Cultural Warriors Mto offer online classes to people Looking to Michigan, Phoenix learning. Through Web-U, many people are fell under intense fire in a surprise seeking degrees or wanting to take supple- able to earn their degrees while working attack. Several Catholic and Chris- mental classes. Most of the schools offer- For example, Michigan Virtual Univer- and taking care of family obligations. tian theorists successfully put forth ing online courses are public two-year and sity originated as Michigan Virtual Auto- Online classrooms do pose some prob- the idea that Oscar Wilde was a four-year colleges and universities. motive College. The college’s original in- lems, however. Online students face more closet Catholic and “latent Chris- There are two especially prevalent tent was to train people via the Internet for distraction than students do in a classroom, tian” who wrote religious allegory. models for online classes. One is the con- work in the automotive industry. The uni- such as domestic duties (tending to crying Opening rounds of this siege sortium model, which appeals primarily to versity later expanded, and as Michigan infants) and other home distractions (such came from the Rev. Antonio Spadaro, students who want to take only a few Virtual University it offers training in other as prime-time TV). The unique capabilities S.J., in the November 2000 issue of classes online. The model also appeals to fields, including information technology, of online viewing provide a way around the the Jesuit journal La Civiltà Cattolica, local students, within the host university’s health care, and education. problem, in that students can review parts Joseph Pearce in The Unmasking of home city or state. University of Phoenix Online special- or even the entirety of the lecture, which is Oscar Wilde, and Jeffrey Tucker in the The second model is that of an inde- izes in undergraduate and graduate pro- also an advantage over on-site attendance Catholic magazine Crisis. Tucker pendent university, usually for-profit, that grams dealing with business courses and of lectures. Nevertheless, reviewing classes even went so far as to claim that Jesus can reach students who are out of the state information technology. According to some takes extra time, which is a rather scarce “was truly [Wilde’s] lifelong lover” or even out of the country. Independent uni- graduates of the online program, it gives resource for many working adults who are — a devastating blow. versities offer a quality online education, them equal access to speak freely or discuss attracted to the programs in part as a way Another biographer, Michael more options of online courses, and a the subject at hand. Also, discussions can to save time, such as when avoiding a drive Coren, wrote in the National Post that greater marketing potential. be saved onto a disk so students can access to and from a campus and being able to “Wilde was not really homosexual at Virtual colleges market to a different them at any time for reference. The Univer- “attend” a class virtually at times suitable all, and only ‘used’ young men be- group of people from the typical 18-to-22- sity of Phoenix also offers a smooth transi- to individual schedules. cause he had venereal disease and year-old college student interested in earn- tion in case one moves out of state or out of Another problem is that many profes- feared infecting his wife.” Coren did ing a bachelor’s degree in a discipline and country. Students can enroll and begin tak- sors find it difficult to spur debate and dis- allow for the possibility that Wilde entering the workforce in that field. Most ing courses at Phoenix at any time of the cussions in online course. Synchronizing might have been bisexual, but it is state universities are in the business of edu- year. This feature is especially attractive be- discussions is a general problem, because uncertain at this time whether that cating people who are already educated, at cause it provides working adults with fami- students also tend to lose interest when the clarification will be sufficient to re- the high school level at least. Continuing lies an opportunity to set their own pace other students are off-line and there is no gain the citadel. CJ education has not been the main focus of and schedule in taking courses. one to talk with. This problem is a major most four-year colleges and universities. In North Carolina, UNC-Wilmington one; it’s one of the main reasons students Virtual colleges, however, have pursued offers web-based classes called Web-U. drop out of online courses. CJ C A R O L I N A August 2001 JOURNAL Higher Education 11 UNC-Chapel Hill Still a Bargain Preserve or Transform?

Despite Any Increase in Tuition niversities, with the exception of higher education, must dare to ar- of a benighted few, are facing gue for change. But, what kind of U serious challenges to their ex- change? Here are some modest propos- By JON SANDERS mandate’s “wording is too vague to be cited istence as we know it. Responses to these als to consider in North Carolina. Assistant Editor as mandating the state’s policy of compel- challenges are usually preservationist • Less Child Care and Remedial RALEIGH ling the taxpayers to subsidize the educa- rather than transformational, and almost Education — Identify clearly the role egardless of which tuition increase tion of all students in the UNC system, rich all call for more money to meet them. of different institutions in the system for UNC schools the General As- and poor.” It also asks whether North Caro- The minimalist maxim of “less is more” and admit students accordingly, but in R sembly chooses, UNC tuition lina is in fact imposing an “impractical, may serve universities better to aid their all cases admit only students who are would still be a bargain compared with costly burden” on the “people of the State” transformation to a new era of service prepared to participate in higher learn- other state public university systems. by the way we fund higher education. to higher learning. ing. Perpetuation of the roles of child- Earlier this year the Pope Center for The paper also examined who was pay- Here are the issues before us: care facility and remedial education Higher Education Policy released an Inquiry ing the lion’s share of the costs of their edu- • Those in the business community center diminishes the opportunities for research paper (“North Carolina’s ‘Reverse cation, and found that “most of the people are dismayed at the diminished funda- serious students to achieve, wastes re- Robin Hood Scheme,’” Inquiry No. 11, Jan. responsible for providing the tax revenues mental literacy qualifications of students sources on watered-down “introduc- 12, 2001) that found that students' costs for to the state that support public higher edu- who have attained a baccalaureate. tory” courses, and encourages mean- enrollment in four-year public universities cation in N.C. are neither wealthy nor • Faculties are dismayed ingless majors that contrib- in North Carolina were the second-lowest highly educated.” at the education students ute little to the society that in the nation. It also found that UNC stu- bring with them from K-12. supports them. dents paid the second-smallest proportion Comparing Student Costs • Students are annoyed This means much in the nation of the costs to educate them. at the brushoff they receive tougher standards and the According to The News & Observer of If the tuition and fees at UNC-CH this from instructors whose ca- forthright acceptance of dis- Raleigh, tuition and fees under the Senate fall grew to the projected $3,219, they still reers hinge on research pro- tinct classes of institutions proposal, the most expensive for students, would compare favorably to those of UNC- ductivity rather than on instead of maintaining a would increase by 19 percent next fall for CH's 17 self-selected “peer” institutions, an teaching effectiveness. charade that they are all UNC-Chapel Hill, to $3,219, and N.C. Cen- analysis by the Pope Center found. In fact, • University administra- Jack Sommer equally excellent. Also, it tral University, to $2,350, and 18 percent for UNC-CH would still be cheaper than all of tors are miffed by penurious implies a very serious ex- N.C. State University, to $3,228. its peers except the University of Florida. legislatures threatening cuts. amination of the meaning of Student leaders in the UNC system, More tellingly, UNC-CH, at $3,219 in tuition Unfortunately, the electorate contin- teacher education programs (the part naturally, are complaining, and at least one and fees for 2001-02, is cheaper than its ues to demand extended child care for of a failed system over which universi- is threatening a lawsuit. The student body peers (except Florida and the University of their teen-somethings, remedial educa- ties have some control) and the intro- president of UNC-CH, Justin Young, is Texas at Austin) were several years ago. tion for everything their kids didn’t learn duction of correctives where necessary. seeking higher taxes rather than the $74-to- Three years ago, in-state students at the in high school, entertainment in the form • Less Regional Entertainment — $168 tuition increase faced by students. University of Washington paid $3,495, and of winning athletic teams, and a host of Forsake the regional-entertainment role Andrew Payne, student representative on their counterparts at the University of Wis- other non-education services. These de- of big-time intercollegiate sports in fa- the UNC Board of Governors who once consin paid $3,408. Ten years ago, in-state mands are preservationist rather than vor of enhanced intramural programs. called the universities the state’s “economic students at the University of Virginia paid transformational and it is the responsi- Unimaginable? Let’s agree that sport is engine,” told The News & Observer that stu- $3,354. Twenty-three years ago, students at bility of enlightened academic and po- important in the development of the dents were considering a lawsuit to get the Duke University paid $3,830. (None of these litical leadership to point this out. individual, but participation (particu- courts to interpret the state constitution, numbers has been adjusted for inflation). Looming over this situation is the larly in lifelong sports) and personal which they say guarantees them a nearly The table below shows how a cost of clear and present potential for techno- health and fitness are far more impor- free university education. Article IX, Sec. 9, $3,219 in tuition and fees at UNC-CH com- logical advances in distance-learning tant than the spectatorism that is pro- of the constitution states: “The General As- pares historically with the costs of its “peer” and computer-based home schooling moted as “bread and circuses” for stu- sembly shall provide the benefits of The institutions (except Florida). It also gives that will rapidly render antiquated the dents, alums, legislators and adminis- University of North Carolina and other how many years removed in cost each peer residential-based instructional role of all trators who hope big-time sports will public institutions of higher education, as institution is from UNC-CH under that cost but the more prestigious private univer- help big-time augmentation of the in- far as practicable, be extended to the people assumption (that is, for each peer institu- sities and public Ivies. More “presti- stitutional budget. Where this transfor- of the State free of expense.” tion, how many years it has been that stu- gious” certification can be earned from mation seems too much, the least the The Inquiry paper, however, says the dent costs there have exceeded $3,219). CJ brand-name universities offering elec- leadership can do is explore, with other tronic courses and, arguably, these are a universities and professional teams, the How UNC-CH compares historicallyto its “peer” institutions * better educational value. conversion of major college sports into Of the nearly 4000 institutions of professional “feeder” teams and thus in costs paid by students higher education in the United States eschew the student-athlete ruse. only a few escape the reality of these is- For those who would argue that the Years removed from sues in whole or in part. How we stand higher learning that does occur at our Institution Cost (tuition, fees) Year UNC-CH in cost** in the Carolinas is open to a discussion universities can be sustained only by more extensive than this space permits. agreeing to be a place where “young UNC-CH $3,219 2001-02 -- persons find themselves,” where their U. of Texas Austin 3,252 2000-01 1 Time for Transformation educational and social deficiencies are corrected, where they can be enter- U. of Washington 3,495 1998-99 3 Intellectual leadership from the tained by big-time sports, and where U. of Wisconsin 3,408 1998-99 3 highest levels of the university systems they can be certified “for having been Ohio State U. 3,507 1995-96 6 and from the campuses is needed to ad- there” whether or not they have pur- U. of Calif. Los Angeles 3,549 1993-94 8 dress these issues forthrightly and pub- sued higher learning — I say move licly because the citizenry has become along. Courageous, transforming lead- U. of Illinois-Urbana 3,348 1992-93 9 accustomed to an anachronism. Rethink- ership is needed to make higher edu- U. of Calif. Berkeley 3,249 1992-93 9 ing and resolute action is required to cation institutions perform higher U. of Virginia 3,354 1991-92 10 transform universities from “good old learning as their most important func- U. of Michigan 3,493 1990-91 11 boola boola” (the preservationist aug- tion. Less can mean more. CJ mentative agenda) into centers where U. of Chicago 3,922 1978-79 23 higher learning is central. Those who Duke U. 3,830 1978-79 23 cherish higher learning, as distinct from Sommer is the Knight Professor of Public Vanderbilt U. 3,650 1978-79 23 those who only cherish the management Policy at UNC-Charlotte. Emory U. 3,450 1978-79 23 U. of Pennsylvania 3,450 1974-75 27 Stanford U. 3,375 1974-75 27 200 W. MORGAN STREET, STE. 204, RALEIGH, NC 27601 OPE CENTER 919-828-3876 • FAX 821-5117 • WWW.POPECENTER.ORG * The University of Florida is omitted because it is the only peer institution of UNC-CH with for Higher Education GEORGE C. LEEF, DIRECTOR lower tuition and fees. P With colleges and universities enrolling a record number of students and spending unprec- ** Not adusted for inflation edented public and private dollars, the mission of the Pope Center for Higher Education Policy couldn’t be more important: to report on, analyze, and research issues in higher (Sources: For data from 1974-1978, Barron's Profiles of American Colleges, respective education such as cost-effectiveness, tenure, curriculum, and the quality of undergraduate years; from 1990-1993, The Insider's Guide to Colleges, respective years; from 1993 on- education. The Pope Center publishes Inquiry papers on these issues, holds an annual ward, The Chronicle of Higher Education online, Facts & Figures, www.chronicle.com/ conference for academics and policy analysts, and distributes a weekly e-newsletter on stats/tuition.) higher education. For more information, please call Jon Sanders at 919-828-3876 or visit www.popecenter.org. August 2001 C A R O L I N A 12 Higher Education JOURNAL

Course of the Month The difference between knowing differences and knowing differences

Ah, differences. To some they aren’t The question “What difference does dif- important. To others they are, such as the ference make?” seems a particularly impor- French parliament member who fa- tant one to begin to answer in the contem- mously exclaimed, when someone re- porary context. To begin to answer it, we marked that men and women aren’t that need to open with a related set of questions: different, “Vive la difference!” Then What makes some differences significant there are those curious souls — often and others not? How have we come to de- found at colleges — who proclaim that fine various differences? How is difference differences aren’t important but dedicate constituted? What alternative conceptions their life’s work to cultivating old and of difference can we come up with? As we mining new differences between people begin to answer these questions, we can that, they rush to enjoin, aren’t impor- start to question the utility of difference and tant. diversity in our lives, especially with regard Meanwhile, you, gentle readers, to contemporary debates and crises center- may receive three hours of important ing around such issues as AIDS/HIV, fam- university credit by sitting in a class ily values, multiculturalism, the coherence where you may learn about all these ex- of notions like “American culture” and af- citing, new, non-important differences. firmative action. Ultimately, I hope we can Once you have been thoroughly indoc- bring questions of difference and questions Personal Digital Assistants trinated in all these differences, you may of citizenship together: What might it mean then expound upon what a great world to practice citizenship in a multicultural it would be if people didn’t make such a world? Gain Popularity on Campuses big deal about differences, especially these differences (be able to recite the most im- Following are some of the most portant differences upon which people critical, crucial non-important differ- By RHETA BURTON ers called iPaqs in the classroom. Currently, should be careful to place no impor- ences students could learn about: Editorial Intern WSSU doesn’t have a requirement for stu- tance). RALEIGH dents to have computers or laptops on cam- It’s all part of what colleges hail as • Social Theory, Representation and apid technological change has led pus. diversity. Diversity is important because Non-Complacency (including readings many schools to require students to The iPaqs, made by Compaq, are al- we should be aware that there are many on “Social Theory: It’s (sic) Uses and R have computers or laptops. Some ready used in two classes — a business/ differences among people. But we Pleasures” and “White Silence, White colleges and universities are suggesting to human resources class and a nursing class. should know that differences among Solidarity.” their students that they use hand-held com- “The business class uses the iPaq’s to look people aren’t important, so it’s impor- • Culture, Identity, Difference puters. up websites that the instructor tells them tant to learn how to look past differences, • Theoretical Jargon?? (sic) Personal digital assistants — small, to look up and it helps the students keep especially these differences. This view of • Margin and Center computer-like notepads that store data such up with their appointments, “ said Carolyn diversity is the collegiate version of what • Oppression (including the “Five as phone numbers, addresses, lists and cal- Anderson, curriculum designer at WSSU. elementary school teachers, using the Faces of Oppression”) endars — are becoming as popular as cell “The nursing classes use the iPaqs just feelings-based model of instruction, con- • Resistance phones among students. The digital assis- mainly for taking notes while out on the fuse our children with: “You are a unique • An Alternative Conception of tants are also helpful in checking e-mail, field, but they also use them to keep data individual, just like everybody else.” Power (including “Power/Knowl- finding information on the Internet, and on different types of prescription drugs and One such class was held this sum- edge,” “Racisms,” “New Ethnicities,” performing other tasks. medicines.” mer at UNC-Chapel Hill, and not only the video “Color Adjustment,” and At the University of Minnesota at Some classes that would use digital could students earn important univer- “Age, Race, Class & Sex: Women Rede- Duluth, half of the students enrolled for the assistants are in professional schools such sity credit for it, they also could satisfy fining Difference”) fall semester are required to have personal as computer, business, and medical schools. an important university “perspectives” • Race & Ethnicity digital assistants. Some North Carolina Such technology may not be useful, and requirement in taking the class: • Beyond Race & Ethnicity? (in- schools also are considering academic uses may even be distracting, in other class- cluding “One Drop of Blood” and of personal digital assistants. rooms such as English and history. Communications 80: Social Theory “What is Whiteness?”) Some academics foresee a purpose Frank Prochaska, associate vice chan- & Cultural Diversity • The Performance of Race and for the assistants in the classroom, while cellor for academic affairs at Western Caro- Ethnicity (including “Complexion,” some think personal digital assistants do lina University, said that after completing This course explores the contested ter- “Goin’ Gangsta, Choosin’ Cholita,” and not benefit every class. the department’s first pilot program using rain of social and cultural theory and prac- “Being and Nothingness: What Makes the palm pilots and iPaqs, students and in- tice, specifically in terms of power, knowl- Someone African American?”) PDAs at Triad Campuses structors had mixed responses. edge and identity. You will be introduced to • Constructing Genders (including “When we used them in our general basic paradigms of thinking about cultural “One is Not Born a Woman” and “How This fall, UNC-Greensboro is testing English composition class, the instructor difference (race, gender, nationality, class, to Build a Man”) a pilot program using digital assistants in and students didn’t quite like it as much as religion, generation, etc.). You will be en- • Performing Genders? (including some classrooms. “We want to test how re- instructors and students in our introduction couraged to examine the ways in which those “My Masculinity,” the video “Paris is sponsive they are in helping students and to law and health studies classes did,” paradigms shape what we do, think, say and Burning,” “Is Paris Burning?” and “The faculty. The student will walk into a class- Prochaska said. “We are no way near to re- imagine in our everyday lives as members Body You Want”) room and take a PDA that is already quiring our students to have hand-held of a diverse array of cultures and subcul- • Sexuality (including “Axiomatic” charged,” said John Eatman, an associate computers until they are fully tested and tures. In other words, we will consider how and “The Straight Mind”) professor of information systems at the free of computer glitches. The use of hand- social and cultural theories enable us to criti- • Desire (including “Bodies and Bryan School of Business. held computers may not be equally useful cally engage and problematize categories of Pleasures”) “Next, the professor will send ques- in all classes, like the English class, but they difference as they are constituted in and • Questions of Class (including the tions (or load the questions into the palm if do have their benefits in classes such as through our day-to-day lives. movie “Roger and Me” and “Unpopu- there is no wireless network) to the stu- business classes and classes where students lar Culture: The Case of White Trash”) dents’ PDA’s for them to answer, and the need the Internet on a regular basis.” What does this mean? As we head to- • Citizenship and Political Action students will answer them and return the Wake Forest Medical School began to ward the end of the twentieth century (sic), (including “Interrupting the Cycle of answers to the professor. Then, the profes- provide second- through fourth-year medi- it seems clear that we are increasingly find- Oppression” and “White Squall: Resis- sor will look at the results and analyze how cal students with palm pilots while on their ing ourselves in a contradictory position: we tance and the Pedagogy of Whiteness”) the class is doing in a particular area,” rounds in order to look up patient informa- are simultaneously closer, yet further away • Application: HIV/AIDS Eatman said. tion and care. Students and doctors store from others. The rise of global media and the • Mourning and Militancy “The goal of PDA’s is to give the pro- information, such as prescription drug dos- mobility of an ever-increasing portion of the • Departure, or An Impossible fessors an immediate response to see how ing, procedures on advanced medical care, world’s population have challenged the dis- Homecoming his/her class is doing and to give immedi- and other doctors’ names and telephone creet borders of various countries, regions ate feedback to the students,” Eatman said. numbers. and cultures. As cultures collide and inter- Well, it seems one difference is Digital assistants will be used only where Palm Inc. has initiated a program for sect, the result is an ever-intensifying de- worth ostracizing after all. Watch out for classrooms are adapted for new technology, colleges and universities in which palm pi- gree of hybridity and entanglement. Yet this “hartred” and “conservative entrench- or with a wireless network. The assistants lots can be incorporated in classrooms at re- “smaller world” phenomenon doesn’t seem ment.” Learn that lesson and you’ll be will stay in the classroom and not with the duced cost. The program is available to necessarily to bring us closer together, as the ready for graduate-level studies in “Tol- student. UNCG doesn’t require students to schools offering students a Palm OS as a rising tide of hartred (sic) and conservative erance Through Intolerance: The have a computer or laptop on campus. part of their computer science curriculum. entrenchment attest. Herbert Marcuse Model.” CJ At Winston-Salem State University, Students will pay $1,000 a year for the use students are already using small comput- of a palm pilot in class. CJ C A R O L I N A August 2001 JOURNAL Higher Education 13

servative, providing several examples of a occasional protests against the monument “liberal” campus climate at Duke. It gives to honor Confederate soldiers, but conser- Guide Gives Mixed Reviews Duke’s “Curriculum 2000” the faint praise vatives on campus have been able to get of being better than the previous curricu- their political message out as well, even lum, which had a loophole that allowed stu- bringing in big-name speakers. of North Carolina Universities dents to avoid classes in science, mathemat- ics, or a foreign language. The guide notes, Gender Gap ful campus.” With its humanities program, however, that Duke features several out- Intercollegiate Studies Institute a paucity of classes “unfortunately influ- standing teachers and departments, and The guide also notes that “women un- Tells ‘The Whole Truth’ enced by political trends in academia,” and that most students eschew the “small and dergraduates outnumber men 2-to-1” and an emphasis on teaching over research, zealous sect of agitating [left-wing] stu- that “many women undergraduates say about School Life, Studies Davidson earns the guide’s praise as a dents.” [UNC-CH] could use a little more diversity “depoliticized place where the focus re- The guide also talks about the cost to between the sexes.” That criticism is fairly mains on teaching.” the campus climate at Duke imposed by its answered by the men, who suggest “too By JON SANDERS The guide notes, however, that the fu- emphasis on “diversity.” A racially divided many women are discouraged by the on- Assistant Editor ture of Davidson’s tradi- student body has seen campus prospects and that too many look RALEIGH tional humanities pro- several racial incidents off campus when the man of their dreams he Intercollegiate Studies Institute gram “depends upon the The guide reports recently. Those include might be right under their nose (sic).” has just published a revised and ex- quality of hiring deci- very favorably of anonymous death threats Finally, the guide found a “paradox” at Tpanded edition of its guide for par- sions” made there. “Some made against a student Wake Forest — a school with “religious ents and students looking for a college. The people will come in and Davidson, with its “re- who wrote a letter to the roots [that] has eschewed religious values.” guide, Choosing the Right College: The Whole say it looks like a kind of freshing emphasis on campus newspaper op- It lauds the excellent programs and profes- Truth About America’s Top Schools (William Great Books program and posing a proposed major sors at the university, but it excoriates the B. Eerdmans Publishing), includes assess- roll their eyes,” one the liberal arts” and in Hindi and the falsified bizarre and political topics entering Wake ments of four North Carolina institutions, Davidson professor “beautiful campus.” “hate crime” of a mock Forest’s classrooms. Davidson College, Duke University, the quoted in the guide said. lynching of a black baby It also laments that “Wake Forest, since University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, The guide also dis- doll perpetrated by two dropping its association with the Baptist and Wake Forest University. cusses Davidson’s being No. 2 in the coun- black students to “make a political state- church, has been bent on catching up with “Important and impressive academic try among the top 10 “male-friendly” col- ment.” the multiculturalism promoted by neigh- departments, professors, and universities leges, as ranked in the September 2000 UNC-CH receives mixed reviews from boring Duke and the University of North still exist; it is simply a matter of finding Men’s Health magazine, and is somewhat the guide. It is critical of UNC-CH’s “Per- Carolina.” them,” writes William J. Bennett in the affirming of the gist of that ranking while spectives” curriculum, which gives stu- Examples of Wake Forest’s “catching guide’s introduction, giving the reason for dismissing its sensation. Being “’male- dents a wide range of courses to choose up” include politicized courses, its “aggres- the publication. friendly,’ whatever that is,” is apparently from, because it gives students few clues sive” pursuit of racial and gender diversity, Editor-in-Chief Winfield J. C. Myers ex- just the result of Davidson’s lack of as to putting together a comprehensive edu- and freshman orientation sessions that are plains the philosophy governing the guide politicization in favor of academics. cation. “With the right guidance, students “little more than political propaganda rec- as “students are best served by a rigorous, can carve out for themselves a quality lib- ommending that students suspend their diverse, and broad curriculum founded on ‘Ivy-Like Duke’ eral-arts education,” the guide says. critical faculties when it comes to racial is- the traditional disciplines of the liberal arts The guide found a great amount of po- sues.” Those sessions are mandatory, where and sciences.” Next alphabetically in the guide is its litical activism on campus, ranging from lib- most university orientation activities are The guide offers essays covering more essay on Duke, and the two essays provide eral student groups to conservative ones. voluntary. Worse, Wake Forest segregates than 100 colleges and universities across the bookends to approaches to the question of There have been political crusades, includ- freshman orientation, holding separate ses- country. Each essay contains four elements: the university. The guide remarks on ing the “anti-sweatshop” campaign and the sions for minority students. cj a look at the college in general, a discus- Duke’s “Ivy-like obsession with multi- sion of the university’s academic life, a re- culturalism, its penchant for offering bizarre port on the institution’s political atmo- courses and strange focuses of study, and sphere, and an assessment of life on cam- its obvious bias against traditional ideals,” pus. where “the study of race, class, and gender Choosing the Right College reports very is paramount.” The guide takes time to ex- favorably of Davidson, with its “refreshing orcise the notion that a university in the emphasis on the liberal arts” and “beauti- home state of Jesse Helms is de facto con- Study: College Women Want Marriage and Less of ‘Hookup’ Dating Scene

By JON SANDERS ized by either too little commitment or too Assistant Editor much,” and “hooking up” was filling the RALEIGH interaction gap left behind by the demise national study released recently of traditional courtship. Hooking up is de- found that most college women fined as a “physical encounter” — ranging A aspire to marriage but are dissat- from kissing to sex — between a man and a isfied with the campus dating scene. The woman when neither expects anything fur- study was commissioned and funded by ther in the relationship. Forty percent of the the Independent Women’s Forum and con- women in the national survey admitted to ducted by the Courtship Research Team, an experiencing a hookup, and 10 percent had Advertisement arm of the Institute for American Values. done so at least six times. Entitled “Hooking Up, Hanging Out, • It is rare for college men to ask col- and Hoping for Mr. Right — College lege women out on dates, and it is also rare Women on Dating and Mating Today,” the for a college man in dating relationships to 18 month-long national study (found at acknowledge that he and the woman are a www.iwf.org) examined the opinions and couple unless prompted by the woman. values of college women in the areas of Only half of seniors in the survey had been sexuality, dating, courtship, and marriage. asked out on six or more dates, and a third The study included in-depth interviews had been asked out on two dates or fewer. with 62 undergraduate women on 11 col- • The majority of college women seek lege and university campuses and tele- long-term commitments, not a series of phone interviews of 1,000 unmarried het- hookups or dating relationships where erosexual undergraduate women at four- commitment is uncertain. year colleges across the nation. The survey cites several factors behind Among the study’s findings: women's dissatisfaction with campus dat- • The vast majority of college women ing life, including women outnumbering aspire to marriage as a life goal. More than men on campus (the statistic cited in the 83 percent of the respondents to the tele- study is that in 1997 there were 79 men for phone interviews agreed with the statement every 100 women), the erosion of “the cul- “Being married is a very important goal to ture of courtship, a set of social norms and me,” and 91 percent of the in-depth expectations that once helped young people interviewees agreed with that statement. find the pathway to marriage,” and the loss • Dating relationships between college of the in loco parentis standard at colleges men and women “are too often character- and the growth of coed dormitories. CJ August 2001 C A R O L I N A 14 Local Government JOURNAL

Town and Country Playing with the Taxpayers’ Money

• Occasionally, human beings Major League Baseball Spurs Stadium Building in the Minor Leagues, Debate Over Costs err. Such was the case in the Local Government pages of Carolina Jour- By ERIK ROOT derstanding with the team. Zebulon even the endeavor “has not brought as much nal in our June 2001 issue. We like to Assistant Editor has gone so far as to say it broke the law in money into the area as we thought it would.” own up to our mistakes. Concerning RALEIGH the past. Holt claims the city took Mudcat Pete Fisch, general manager of the Win- the Charlotte Hornets, we claimed he state of North Carolina has the lawyers at their word when they said the ston-Salem Warthogs (which benefitted that the existing Charlotte Coliseum second-most minor league baseball city did not need to comply with state laws from a $1.5 million taxpayer-funded reno- was “built specifically to house the Tteams in the Southeast. Like most requiring a public process in bidding and vation in 1993), argues that there is another Hornets.” However, the coliseum major league baseball teams, the minor contracting. reason cities should own stadiums. was not. In fact, nobody had any leagues have been either building new sta- He also asserts that “there really is no “Having the government involved with expectation that Charlotte would diums or renovating existing ballparks. formal lease agreement despite a good-faith a facility gives the region control over its land an NBA franchise in 1984 when These projects have consumed millions of effort on both sides.” However, when asked future,” Fisch said. “If an owner privately voters approved bonds to build the taxpayer dollars. why Zebulon did not seek other counsel in owned a ballpark and the team left, the city coliseum. Construction began in For some ballclubs, such as the Caro- the beginning, especially from its own city would have no authority to fill that stadium 1985. Not until 1987 did the NBA lina Mudcats in Zebulon, it has become not attorney, Holt said the press must contact with another team. With government own- award George Shinn a franchise. The only a million-dollar project, but also a legal the city. In turn, the city refers the press to ership, the city could fill that facility more coliseum was designed to attract the headache, as public involvement has led to Holt. Nevertheless, it is clear the city is readily. If a private entity owned the sta- Atlantic Coast Conference and Na- the town’s lust for more money from the responsible for its actions. And now it may dium, they could effectively shut the place tional Collegiate Athletic Asso- team. --be stuck with an empty down and no team would move in.” ciation’s Final Four basketball tour- North Carolina has 11 stadium because “the But the argument against private own- naments and other big events, not to minor league teams . Pres- Mudcats won’t have per- ership does not take into account the fact be home court for a pro basketball ently all but one of them “We would rather pay mission to play if we don’t that teams will have greater incentive to team. CJ would like to thank Ed have some sort of public for our own grounds- reach an agreement,” remain in a city when they build their own Williams of The Charlotte Observer involvement in the sta- keeper than pay a city Holt said. facility. Teams have a greater incentive to for helping us correct the mistake dium in which they play. Rob Tiller, lawyer for move when they have no stake in the sta- we made. The Wilmington worker who doesn’t the Mudcats, claims that dium because they will have nothing to Nevertheless, the point still re- Waves ushered in their have the [skill] and who the laws concerning pub- lose. mains that those franchises that build inaugural year this year lic notices and competi- Fisch does not believe that government their own venues have less incen- and, as of yet, they re- takes a two-hour lunch tive bidding “do not ap- can provide everything. The Warthogs are tive to move their teams than those ceive no government sup- break.” ply because the actual one of the few teams that pay for their own teams that insist on public support. port. Even though the lease is between Zebulon groundskeeper. “We would rather pay for Hence, Shinn’s constant threats to Waves play on the UNC- and the Triangle Sports our own groundskeeper than pay a city move the Hornets if the public re- Wilmington campus, they have financed Authority.” worker who doesn’t have the experience fused to pay the tab for a new arena. improvements to the stadium themselves. Nevertheless, despite the lack of what and who takes a two-hour lunch break,” Several public officials have noticed The Waves represent the side of the spec- Zebulon calls a “legal lease agreement,” the Fisch said. the difference between the National trum that receives no government support, city took out a loan of $10 million to reno- Football League’s Panthers — who but that could be changing. According to vate and upgrade Five County Stadium, Dealing for Dollars built their own stadium almost en- Lauren Knaus, media relations director for where the Mudcats play. It is only since the tirely without public assistance — the team, the Waves are looking at options city freely engaged in that “investment” Nevertheless, according to a new re- and the Hornets, who did not. for building a stadium. that it now claims it cannot afford it. port from the Cascade Policy Institute in “Government involvement in building Holt is not defending Zebulon, either, Portland, Ore., any entertainment spend- us a ballpark is an option that is being and seems to agree that the city acted irre- ing on sporting events is a substitute for • In Wrightsville Beach, Caro- considered,” Knaus said. However, when sponsibly: “Towns are just so tickled to other types of entertainment. Not only do lina Journal has learned there is a queried about the benefits of a 100 percent have a professional team it’s intoxicating.” these endeavors compete with other controversy brewing over the surf privately built park, Knaus concluded that unsubsidized businesses, but they also di- zone laws, which have been in ef- “private construction is an option and has Why Cities in Sports? vert funds from other government invest- fect since 1979. The zone has come been talked about. Personally, I think that ment, such as schools. under question as more and more the private option would be best.” Knaus As the word “intoxicating” suggests, North Johnson, general manager for tourists come to Wrightsville Beach agreed that privately owned stadiums give there is little logic at work when these deci- the Kinston Indians, agrees. “There should to enjoy the sand and surf. the team ownership more flexibility as well sions are made. As Carolina Journal pointed be no question between building schools or The surf zone law, in effect be- as increased profits. Private stadiums also out last month, no economic benefits result ballparks, but cities want the dollars” they tween 11 a.m. and 4 p.m., requires avoid potential problems that come with from cities getting involved in sports. There believe come with a sport team, he said. all surfers to move to certain zones government involvement. is no hard evidence that businesses will Johnson further admits that such ben- so they will avoid swimming tour- If any team is in a position to forego move to an area just because there’s a minor efits to cities are “unmeasureable.” ists. The zone moves up or down the government involvement, it is the Waves. league team that plays in a town nearby. At least, according to Tiller, cities claim coastline, depending on the day. “We have about 27 people in our ownership The City of Durham built the Durham they get “a direct monetary benefit” from Therefore, it is not in the same place group,” Knaus said. That gives the team Bulls a $20 million park in 1995 in part to teams playing in stadiums. It seems that two days in a row. more monetary support and backing than increase downtown development and to should account for something. Zebulon Area taxpayers are upset be- others. Still, if the city determines it wants spur economic growth. However, despite cannot have it both ways. Either it is losing cause they believe that, since they to give the team money, it will be difficult to the claim that the endeavor is working, are the ones who are taxed for the resist such corporate welfare. Mayor Nick Tennyson, who supports gov- upkeep and maintenance of the ernment involvement in sports, admits that Story continued on next page beach and shoreline, they ought to Carolina Mudcats be able to enjoy the water when they want, wherever they want. The Carolina Mudcats came to the area However, the city considers it a in 1992 when Steve Bryant, the team owner, safety issue: Surfers could injure built a small stadium to house the team. swimmers, who are nearly always Zebulon eventually bought the stadium getting in their way. According to from Bryant and agreed to upgrade the Wrightsville Police Lt. Hank facility. Zebulon and the Mudcats are in Narramore: 1) Swim zones would be district court over the legality of the lease. difficult to institute. It is very diffi- The Mudcats moved to Zebulon when cult to educate tourists because they the Durham Bulls’s ownership invoked a do not know the area. 2) Swimmers rule that prohibits any team from moving outnumber surfers. It is easier to within a 35-mile radius of an existing team. move a small number of surfers than According to Clyde Holt, a lawyer repre- to move a large group of swimmers. senting Zebulon, the problem began when Instituting a swim zone would the Bulls sought to protect their monopoly be difficult for the police to enforce over the area. This forced the Mudcats, who as well. It would take more city re- wanted to play in Raleigh, to move to sources to enforce a swim zone for Zebulon. tourists than to have beach regulars The ensuing agreement after the town go to a surf zone. However, the city bought the stadium is complicated. Law- has neglected to keep swimmers out yers for both the Mudcats and Zebulon of the surf zone, which has left some agree the multiple parties involved have to wonder whether there is a done nothing but complicate the matter. double-standard. Now Zebulon is eager to get out of its agreement, lease, or memorandum of un- C A R O L I N A August 2001 JOURNAL Local Government 15

Story continued from previous page Plain League provides the closest thing to old-time baseball. The league sports eight teams in North Carolina — the most teams money on the project it willfully undertook, in the league. Coastal Plain is a collegiate City Rules Inhibit Enterprise or it is receiving some sort of monetary baseball league that gives players the op- benefit simply because the Mudcats play in portunity to demonstrate and develop skill the stadium the government built. using wooden bats. Colleges use aluminum icture yourself as an ambitious nies with little threat of new competition. The question remains: Why do owners bats, while professional leagues use wooden but cash-strapped student at the While these restrictions may make accept money from local governments? bats, which are more difficult to swing. P University of Wisconsin. You it easier to regulate taxis — a smaller According to Holt, it is financially smart have a job to help make ends meet, but number of taxicab companies facilitates to accept government involvement in build- Cheers for Coastal Plain League you also have an entrepreneurial bent. monitoring — the rules discourage en- ing arenas and stadiums because “local You like taking on projects and are goal- trepreneurship and job creation, particu- governments can borrow money cheaper The Coastal Plain League has been less oriented. Always on the lookout for an larly for low-income and minority resi- than local entrepeneurs. For the business- affected by the big-money deals and sta- opportunity, you stumble across a novel dents. In fact, when local taxi markets man then, it makes sense to accept govern- dium renovations that have afflicted pro- idea while talking to the owner of a lo- have been reformed to allow more com- ment involvement and relieve yourself of a fessional sports. While some cities, like cal bar. The barkeep is worried about stu- petition, new companies have sprouted. huge debt obligation.” Wilson, have used public dollars to reno- dents and other customers who have Furthermore, “most minor league teams vate stadiums, most cities have not. Even had a little too much to drink, particu- Stimulating the Economy cannot afford the debt obligation anyway,” though Wilson spent $300,000 fixing its sta- larly on the weekends. He wishes he Holt said. dium built by the Works Project Adminis- could provide a cheap, safe, and reliable Opening the local taxicab market tration, the team that plays there does not transportation service for these patrons. can generate jobs and stimulate neigh- Pressure from MLB pay the city for use of the facility. As a budding entrepreneur, you recog- borhood-based economic development. Most towns operate like Edenton. The nize an opportunity. Madison and other cities with tight regu- However, much of the ballpark con- town restored another WPA wooden grand- So, you strike up a deal. lation on taxicabs can pro- struction was spurred not by cities and stand in the style of the 1940s to provide a You will provide a taxi service mote economic opportunity, team owners, but by Major League Baseball place for its collegiate team to play. for the less-responsible drink- by: repealing the 24-hour itself. Eventually, some townsfolk formed a ers. You estimate, using your and citywide service require- Jim Ferguson, director of media rela- nonprofit organization called the Edenton- car and a cell phone, you can ments; licensing operators tions for MLB, said the facility requirements Chowan Foundation, which bought the charge $5 per trip in the and companies through an in the 1991 contract is about 40 pages long baseball team. “Edenton is the Green Bay neighborhood and $10 per administrative rather than and is very specific on what is expected of Packers of baseball,” said Mark Cryan, vice trip outside the neighbor- political process; and elimi- minor league teams. While the agreement president of operations for the Coastal Plain hood. Trips outside the city nating economic impact on “did not dictate teams build new stadiums, League. would cost more, but you current operators as a justi- Sam Staley it did mean they have to spend money to Indeed, most of the teams, while owned want to handle those on a fication for denying a license comply,” Ferguson said. by either local residents case-by-case basis. to a new operator. MLB also agreed to or by the league itself, do These changes would not remove a pick up the salaries of “We don’t have to not pay their ballplayers Regulations Stifle Business city from the regulatory process. Rather, minor league players in a salary because NCAA they would shift direction away from the 1991 contract. This worry about facilities rules prohibit it. The only problem with this scenario micromanaging the taxi market to a di- was a relief for owners as like professional minor Townsfolk not only open is that it would be impossible to start the rection based on performance. In one well. league clubs. We don’t their homes to players, business in the city of Madison (and case a few years ago, an applicant for taxi Johnson said the 1991 but they also find part- many other similar cities across the service was denied a license in part be- contract agreement that put a gun to the head time jobs for them. country). Among other things, regula- cause he had been fired by the existing was signed between MLB of a city” The league finds tions would stifle your business because: companies. Entrepreneurs, however, are and the minor leagues players “host families,” * A 24-hour service requirement unlikely candidates for employee of the forced improvements to who voluntarily help the means your business has to run all day, week. They typically are driven by a de- all minor league stadiums — down to the players find employment. Players are, in a seven days a week. Part-time operators sire to provide a service or product that number of shower heads a locker room is real sense, working their way through the need not apply. the current market does not provide, cre- supposed to have. league and getting to know people in the * The graduated flat fee could vio- ating an inherently tense relationship be- The result of the 1991 contract “snow- community. late the city’s code that all fares must be tween employer and employee. balled,” said Mike Burling, assistant gen- Because the league has more private set by a trip meter or zone. The quality of the service provided eral manager for the Durham Bulls, “as involvement, its overhead is low. “We don’t * The city’s public-hearing require- to consumers should be the primary fo- teams began to build or renovate their have to worry about facilities like profes- ment subjects your business to a politi- cus of local regulations, not the internal ballparks.” Some teams were successful in sional minor league clubs. We don’t put a cal approval process through the Tran- personnel policies or financial health of their projects, and other teams wanted to gun to the head of a city” and demand that sit and Parking Commission. existing taxicab companies. get in on the action, Burling said. it build a state-of-the art stadium, Cryan * Existing operators can object to the A more effective way to regulate Standards for the required facilities im- said. new cab company, and even argue taxicabs while encouraging entrepre- provements arose because MLB “wanted to against issuing a license based on its po- neurship would be for cities to focus on make sure that there was a set standard to Teams Forced to Move tential impact on their bottom line. health, safety, and fraud in the taxi mar- make sure any major league player was * As a new operator, you need to ket. Local regulations tend to restrict well taken care of at the minor league level” Cryan argues that the 1991 contract prove that your fledgling enterprise will entry and reduce competition while pro- should the player have to be sent down, between the major and minor leagues placed exist for “public convenience and neces- viding little benefit to consumers. A per- Burling said. many teams in a bind and forced them to sity.” The business is required by law to formance-based system, in contrast, Even though minor league owners are move. serve the entire city — not just the mar- maximizes the potential for innovation not responsible for players’ salaries, Burling For example, a minor league team ket niche you have identified. and job creation while ensuring consum- said the agreement has made it difficult for known as the Fayetteville Generals had to These are just a few of the elements ers receive a quality product. CJ team owners to cope with the facility re- leave town because it could not get the of the city code that make it difficult to quirements, which has led to more govern- funding it needed from the government to start a taxicab company in Madison. Not ment involvement. renovate its stadium according to the 1991 surprisingly, the taxicab industry has Sam Staley directs the Urban Futures Pro- contract. The ownership sold the Generals, been dominated by three large compa- gram for Reason Public Policy Institute. Multiuse facilities and the team moved to New Jersey. Losing the Generals was an eventual It is also an easier sell to taxpayers to opportunity for the Coastal Plain League. build a public facility that would do more Though the city agreed to do some renova- than just house a professional sports team. tions to J. P. Riddle Stadium, it did them Most cities use their stadiums for more than without using any more taxpayer dollars. just baseball. Fayetteville used the money it received Some, such as Hickory, use their stadi- from the Generals for breaking the lease ums for concerts, graduations, and high- with the city to make improvements to school sporting events. The City of Riddle Stadium. Other than that, the city is Burlington uses its stadium for Special not involved with the team in any other Olympics events. However, occasions other way. than baseball are few and far between. The Given the more privately community- main reason for building a ballpark is to based aspect of the Coastal Plain League, land or keep a professional team. and considering its historical appeal , Cryan Part of the intoxication, from the stand- asserts that the league is cheaper and easier point of community, comes from the chance to justify. townsfolk will see the next big star in their Though there is some government in- hometown. “People want to see the next volvement in the league, the league rejects Ken Griffey, Jr.,” Burling said. all the entrapments and the extravagance of If one is looking for baseball without professional sports. And that is its greatest government entanglements, The Coastal selling point. CJ August 2001 C A R O L I N A 16 Local Government JOURNAL Local Innovation Bulletin Board An Interview with Kenn Gardner, Competitive Contracting Wake County Commissioner

new study published by the conducted a study of 2,138 A-76 con- By ERIK ROOT commission is trying to form the task of this Heritage Foundation, “Im- tracts completed by the DOD between Assistant Editor committee. The commissioners would like A proving Government Perfor- 1978 and 1994. The CNA found that the RALEIGH it to be broad and allow them to go where mance through Competitive Contract- contracts, covering 98,348 jobs, pro- CAROLINA JOURNAL: Tell us about your they think they need to go as they approach ing,” focuses attention on management vided savings that averaged 31 percent background. the problem. The Board of Education would issues facing government at all levels. over costs incurred before the A-76 re- like a very narrow scope, however. At this Ronald Utt, author of the report, argues view. Significantly, nearly half, or 48 Kenn Gardner: My father was in the mili- point we are still hashing out where this that President Bush has percent, of the compe- tary and I was born in California. I have committee will end up. For it to be most made good on his com- titions were won by the been all over the place. I went to college at beneficial they need to have a more broad petitive contracting in-house staff, which Georgia Tech. My wife and I moved to charge in order to be able to solve the prob- commitment by requir- submitted the winning North Carolina so that she could pursue a lem. The broader [the charge], the more ing each of the federal bid in competition Ph.D. at N.C. State, and we decided to stay public trust and confidence will be gained. departments to fulfill with private compa- once she received that degree. Our worst My focus as an architect has been school ambitious competitive nies. Contracts won by fear was that we were going to like it here construction. I have asked for basic project contracting goals. As restructured in-house and that is exactly what happened. tracking information. The thing that I can- has been demonstrated operations averaged I am an architect and I worked for a not understand is that the school system’s throughout the world, and at all levels savings of 20 percent, while contracts firm here in Raleigh for about 14 years. I numbers do not make sense. They give me of government in America, competitive won by private firms averaged savings resigned to spend some time with my fa- two documents on the same job and there’s contracting allows the public sector to of 38 percent. ther, who was battling cancer. As things not a single number on each document that lower costs and improve services. Based upon savings estimates de- turned out, you don’t want to look back on match, not a single one. And that is includ- In competitive contracting, govern- rived from DOD's performance, if OMB life and wish you had tried something, so I ing the budget allocation, which is the num- ment solicits bids from qualified private- can get all the agencies combined to committed to start my own firm. It was ber the school system bases the job on and is sector businesses to perform a specific raise their FAIR Act inventories to one easy to leave a firm, but scary to start one on approved by the county commissioners. service being performed by the employ- million employees from the fiscal year your own. But it has worked You would think that one ees of a government department. If any 2000 estimate of 850,000, and apply the out well. number would match. But, in of the bids received are lower in cost than A-76 process or equivalent to the 5 per- I have lived in Wake some cases, there is a quarter- what the government is paying, money cent target, the federal government County for 18 years and I have -million-dollar difference. can be saved by shifting the performance could achieve annual savings of $1 bil- been active in the community Before I can be comfort- of the particular service from public em- lion to $1.4 billion for every 5 percent in one way or another. able with what they are doing ployees to private business operating of the list subject to competition. The I have to know they are track- under contract to government. savings would accumulate annually. If CJ: You served on the Water and ing and understanding what To implement the program, Office of 50 percent of FAIR Act list positions are Sewer Task Force a few years they are doing. Management and Budget Director offered in a competitive process, within back. What is the benefit of merg- The other thing I am see- Mitchell Daniels informed all agency and five years, as some recommend, annual ing systems? ing is that when a project is department heads that the Bush savings would amount to $10 billion to completed and closed out, administration’s new performance goals $14 billion. Gardner: The benefit is, first, they do not close out that ac- and management initiatives would in- No other spending restraint option you build fewer plants. Rather Commissioner Kenn Gardner count. They keep some money clude competitive contracting under under consideration offers Congress or than each municipality going in it. From the little informa- OMB’s A-76 guidelines and a renewed the Bush administration budgetary sav- out and building its own plant, you build tion I have received, they have been com- effort to provide more accurate FAIR Act ings of this magnitude with no reduc- one plant and locate it so that treatment can plete for eight months and yet there’s still inventories. tion in the level or availability of gov- be maximized around the county. If you some money there. I do not know how “A-76” refers to the long-standing ernment services. merge systems, you can better utilize ser- widespread that is. I have asked for infor- OMB circular that establishes guidelines vices and dramatically cut the dollar ex- mation on any account that is active, and for federal competitive contracting, while State, Local Contracts Pay Off penditures. That was the major argument they want to narrow that scope. “FAIR Act inventories” refers to the Fed- for merger in Wake County. If you go to a My position is that there are many edu- eral Activities Inventory Reform Act of The favorable contracting experi- single system, you can save a half-million cational needs that the schools have, and 1998. ence at the federal level has been dollars in infrastructure. they claim there’s no money. For example, Under the provisions of the FAIR matched by similar activities in many they are renovating the relatively new cen- Act, federal agencies are required to pro- state and local governments. Over the CJ: State unfunded mandates have been a prob- tral office, yet we have old classrooms that vide OMB with an inventory of all of the past several decades, communities lem for many counties. Has this also been a need maintenance. I have asked for a list of commercial positions within their de- around the country have achieved cost problem for Wake County? priorities, and if there’s money left over, we partments. In early 2001, federal agen- savings and service improvements by should use every dime of it. There is not a cies estimated that as many as 850,000 of contracting out such functions as waste- Gardner: Wake County’s management team list, to my knowledge. If there is enough their employees were performing com- water treatment, school bus operations, is really top-notch. Being close to the legis- money in the school budget, we should use mercial-like functions commonly avail- trash collection, recycling, janitorial ser- lature, they also have the advantage to it to maintain our classrooms. able from the private sector. vices, highway maintenance, operation monitor state politics better. They have been In March 2001, OMB announced that of prisons and jails, welfare caseload able to react and plan for problems. CJ: Are there any problems in construction agencies will be required to develop a oversight, school maintenance and food I have been a county commissioner for itself? Is there any unnecessary spending that is more accurate list of all commercial ac- service, data processing and informa- only a short time now, and in the six to occurring? tivities and, next year, subject no less than tion technology, airport management, seven months I have been there, I have 5 percent of the commercial positions on special education instruction, nursing made a real effort to meet with the county Gardner: I visited a school and walked into the list to competitive contracting, using home operations, public school build- employees to educate myself on these is- its 2,000-seat gymnasium with state-of-the- the A-76 process as appropriate. ing, groundskeeping and park mainte- sues. art electronics. I did not have any objections nance, management of public housing, to that. But then I walked next door and Possible Savings Are Significant and operation of public transit pro- CJ: Let’s talk about the recent school budget there was another gym just like it, minus the grams. Most savings appear to match process. How did that debate unfold? seats. At that point I asked the question why If the Bush administration succeeds those achieved at the federal level: be- there were two gyms. And the architect said in implementing the program and get- tween 25 percent and 30 percent. Gardner: I was not prepared for the tactics that sometimes there’s a conflict between ting agencies to cooperate, the potential Although opportunities for using the school system reaped upon my family. the basketball and wrestling programs. And savings could be quite significant. The competitive contracting for significant I was hoping to have a discussion on the I said that’s a scheduling problem. The gym DOD has used competitive contracting savings and service improvements issues and talk about why they needed the cost $750,000, and I think there’s a lot of aggressively over several decades, and abound, opposition to the effort will be additional funds, but that did not really classrooms that can be built for that amount its long record of activity provides an ex- intense as entrenched interests — materialize. My children were verbally as- of money. Why are we spending our money tensive measure of performance. In largely the existing workforce and man- saulted in the classroom by teachers. That on these kind of projects and not on solving March 1996, the DOD reported to Con- agers — defend the status quo and the is something you just aren’t prepared for. the issue? I constantly hear that kids need gress that competitive contracting re- benefits it provides them. But by mak- The one problem we had this year was more places to learn. sulted in an annual saving of $1.5 billion ing a positive case for reform to the that the school wanted more money, but and that more than 600,000 civilian and public, and by ensuring that existing they lost public confidence and public trust CJ: Do you see the recent dipping into savings to uniformed positions could be subject to workers and managers will be treated — partly because of the [June 1999] $650 balance the budget as putting off a tax increase? competitive contracting soon to free ad- fairly and encouraged to participate in million bond that failed. ditional resources and bolster defense ca- the competition, the effort will succeed. One of my big pushes this year is to Gardner: I just could not support a tax in- pabilities. To view the entire report, point your form a citizens advisory council to look at crease this year. I do not see us putting off an In a detailed review of DOD’s con- browsers to www.heritage.org. Ronald D. their operations, and that is one of those increase, but since the schools [lacked pub- tracting history, the CNA Corp., a pri- Utt, Ph.D., is also a senior Research fellow things that they fought. They are very pro- lic] confidence, there was no way we could vate, nonprofit research organization, at the Thomas A. Roe Institute. tective over their money. vote to raise taxes. So the decision was easy Right now, we are at a point where the this year. CJ C A R O L I N A August 2001 JOURNAL Local Government 17

. authority said the trips were necessary be- From Cherokee to Currituck Annexation in Charlotte...Again cause its employees needed to be trained for new U.S. Housing and Urban Develop- Charlotte intends to use the lax annex- ment programs. Beach Renourishment=Rip Tides; ation laws to annex 10,700 acres and add Even though the department sent em- 22,300 people to its population ,The Char- ployees to the training sessions, Lee Weedle, lotte Observer has reported. Charlotte has housing authority chairman, said the au- Public Dollars Fund Pricey Trips expanded its land area by 800 percent since thority does not approve staff travel. De- 1950. partment heads are responsible for man- The new residents of Charlotte will see agement of their department’s travel ex- By ERIK ROOT Cavanagh attended a previous confer-, their tax bills increase by 66 percent as a pense, Weedle said. Assistant Editor ence in Charleston held by the same group. result. They are supposed to receive city It appears there are no plans to hold any , RALEIGH The difference in the Venice conference, services for the increase. of the managers responsible nor are there t is the time of year when many people however, is that it is attended by European any plans to revise the budget process to flock to North Carolina beaches to take architects. Outsourcing in Sampson County avoid future mismanagement. Iin the sun and the surf. Recently, two In May, Cavanagh traveled to Ghana in publications have printed stories on the West Africa to set up an “international part- The Sampson County School Board is dangers of swimming in the ocean. The nership.” looking at outsourcing its janitorial services Oversight in Scotland County News & Observer of Raleigh and Wrightsville according to The Sampson Independent. Beach Magazine published articles to Durham Cleanup However, some The Scotland County Board of Com- heighten public awareness of rip currents. board members are wary missioners has asked the school board for Rip currents are strong and deadly un- The Herald Sun of about giving up their con- detailed information about how it plans to dertows that rush away from the shore. Durham has reported that Meteorologist Jim trol over the services. spend county funds, The Laurinburg Ex- They can be as wide as 100 feet and carry the city is saving money Lushine of the National Others would like to change has reported. people up to 1,000 feet offshore. The current and becoming more effi- take bids from other com- At least one commissioner, Clint Willis, may travel at a speed of 6 mph. cient by buying automated Weather Service panies to see whether wants the school board to identify cuts and The June 29 front-page article of the garbage trucks that em- “theorizes that beach they could find someone to return any unused money to the county News & Observer noted something that ought ploy video monitors. who would provide the coffers. to concern anyone interested in public Sensors on the back of renourishment, an- service for a lower price. The county’s budget woes have not policy. Jim Lushine, a meteorologist with the trucks detect move- other North Carolina The board has postponed gone unnoticed to county residents. One the National Weather Service, “theorizes ment and prevent the staple, also leads to any action until a later taxpayer addressed the county commission- that beach renourishment, another North trucks from backing up. board meeting. ers and claimed school budgets are drain- Carolina staple, also leads to rip currents by The city expects to save $3 rip currents by creat- ing too much from the public treasury in creating large sandbars.” million over the next six ing large sandbars.” the county. The dredging of sand creates a huge years by moving to the More on Travel Part of the problem has been linked to dropoff and a large sandbar that traps wa- automated-collections the state requirement — known as the school ter between the shore and ocean. A power- system. The Wilmington Housing Authority has floor — that forces counties to fund schools ful rip current forms when the water breaks The drivers will remain in their trucks, sent more than a dozen employees on trips at least at the state average in per-pupil through the sandbar carrying anything, es- rather than lifting cans manually. This will to attend conferences around the country, spending. pecially sand, in its path out to sea. mean cutting 25 jobs over the next six years. the Morning Star of Wilmington reported. “I know we’re caught in a trap, [the People have died as a result of rip cur- The new trucks will make it somewhat more They went on the trips even though the school floor] is draining us,” one taxpayer rents at Carolina and Kure beaches, and inconvenient for residents, because the operating budget had a $75,000 deficit. The said. CJ Pleasure Island. trucks can pick up trash on only one side of Meanwhile, Carteret County’s room oc- the street. cupancy tax may be increased from 3 per- Unfortunately, it appears the city will cent to 6 percent to pay for beach not return the savings to taxpayers. “We renourishment, the News-Times of Carteret want tax dollars to go to other things that County reported. can be of benefit,” said David McCary, the Another coastal community, Pine Knoll city’s director of solid waste management. Shores, plans to carry out a renourishment project this fall. Speaking of Extravagance

Budget Woes Don’t Nix Trips Four members of the Guilford County Board of Education spent $3,577 in hotel The Winston-Salem Journal reported that accommodations recently during a trip to Mayor Jack Cavanagh, who has just an- San Diego, Calif., reported the Rhinoceros nounced plans to seek reelection this No- Times. Despite their cries for more money vember, “jetted off on his second interna- and that the school system would be imper- tional trip in the past month and a half — iled if it did not get the funds, the board this time to Venice, Italy.” Of course, the members found enough money for them- mayor was traveling at taxpayer expense. selves and their $300-a-night hotel rooms. He was attending the 30th International School board members have a higher Conference on Making Cities Liveable. The travel allowance than do county commis- Advertisement city does not yet know the full extent of the sioners. One board member who went on cost of the trip. the trip said the members reported to the The mayor’s office has spent more entire board about what they had “learned.” money for travel than it was allocated, ac- However, Anita Sharpe, a board mem- cording to Rodney Mestas, an analyst with ber who did not go to San Diego, said such the city’s budget office. The mayor’s office a presentation never occurred. Sharpe could was allocated $10,120 for travel. As of June have gone on the trip but backed out when 30, the office had spent $13,621 of the public’s she learned what it would cost the school money. system.

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

To obtain more information about CLI, Hon. Tom Fetzer and subscribe to Prism, its weekly e- Director, Center for Local Innovation Former Mayor of Raleigh letter, call Erik Root at 919-828-3876. August 2001 C A R O L I N A 18 Learning Curve JOURNAL

From the Liberty Library Book Review

• Yale University historian Jon How America Has Stopped Making Patriots Butler has produced a new work on the American Colonial period called Becoming America: The Revolution Be- fore 1776. In Becoming America, But- By CHARLES DAVENPORT JR. tiful and forlorn, Berns calls for a tainly applies. The beauty of Berns’ argu- ler tries to illuminate the century Contributing Editor reawakening of patriotism: ment is less a matter of depth than sheer preceding the Revolution and show GREENSBORO “Memories, even memories stretching audacity and crotchety defiance of the opin- how the ideas and attitudes that ex- • Walter Berns: Making Patriots; Chicago, from the graves of patriots, grow cold as ion elite. Like Rousseau, he is annoyed by ploded into revolt were molded. Be- University of Chicago Press, 146 pp., $20. they grow old, and will in time fade alto- the domination of economic concerns: “An- coming America won the 2000 John G. gether — unless, by means of a rhetoric so cient political writers spoke constantly about Cawelti Book Award of the Ameri- s there any extreme at which the al- powerful, or words so compelling and morals and virtue; ours speak only about can Culture Association. It is pub- leged virtues of multiculturalism be- memorable, they could be made an imper- commerce and money.” lished by Harvard University Press, Icome a vice? In recent years, “toler- ishable part of the nation.” Patriots often are criticized as being located online at http:// ance” has swollen to the status of a deity, oblivious to, or worse, accepting of, the www.hup.harvard.edu. and its disciples insist that, for the sake of A Boastful Love of Country sporadic evils of American history. Regret- “diversity,” we not only accept but also tably, there have been dark periods in which celebrate even the most egregious affronts. Despite the Founders’ endorsement of we trampled upon our founding principles • R. Kent Newmyer, professor Enter the wayward Walter Berns, who, intellectual variety — or diversity, in mod- of individual liberty and equal opportu- of law and history at the University in arguing that the multiculturalist is in- ern terms — conspicuous patriotism is not nity, but does that somehow diminish the of Connecticut School of Law, has deed prone to excess, quickens the pulse of well-received in many quarters. value of those ideals? Certainly not. written a biography of John Marshall patriots. He assails, among other initiatives, Berns acknowledges his detractors, if Rather than dwelling on our occasional that is garnering critical acclaim. John a Florida statute requiring public schools to only to robustly wave the red, white, and failures, Berns urges us to acknowledge the Marshall and the Heroic Age of the Su- teach that “no culture is intrinsically supe- blue in their faces: “Like it or not — and it is men who pledged to defend those prin- preme Court, to be published in No- rior or inferior to another.” something of a burden, certainly a respon- ciples with their lives, fortunes, and sacred vember by the Louisiana State Uni- Never mind that the Florida dogma is sibility —America is to modern history as honor. The Founding Fathers’ stories, he versity Press, traces Marshall’s life demonstrably false, or that it springs from a Rome was to ancient...” Because of the un- writes, “are the nation’s story, and telling it from his childhood being “Ameri- breathtaking ignorance of human history; it fortunate near-extinction of like-minded should be the nation’s business; in fact, it canized” in Virginia through his ser- achieves what has become the public sentiment, this passage and many others should be an important part of the civics vice in the Revolutionary War and schools’ loftiest purpose: to nurture the self- virtually leap from the page. To kindred curriculum in our schools. It is a way of his experiences as a lawyer and poli- esteem of a diverse student body. spirits, reading an author who is not only inculcating in children a reverence for the tician to his precedent-setting work While the education establishment con- unapologetic, but downright boastful, about past and its heroes, with the view of causing on the U.S. Supreme Court. Informa- gratulates itself for its sensitivity, Making his love of country is immensely satisfying. them to love their country.” tion on the new title is available Patriots serves as a timely reminder that Berns’ allegiance stems, in part, from a Berns concedes that it “seems almost online at http://www.lsu.edu/. those students are, first and foremost, thorough knowledge of history. He reminds naive to speak of these things at a time Americans, and that they should be taught us, for example, of Jefferson’s insistence when Americans are told in their schools accordingly. “that children be taught to love their coun- that all ‘cultures’ are equal, that there is • American lawyer and China But ours is an era in which condescend- try, and he further believed that this coun- nothing special about their country and, specialist Gordon Chang has written ing to the hypersensitive is a fashionable try deserved to be loved ... This assumes — therefore, no good reason to admire the a new book in which he argues that enterprise. In such an environment, does and in 1776 we held it to be a fact — that men who founded it.” Still, some of us China is on the road to implosion, tolerance also apply to those who unabash- there are standards by which countries are maintain that ours is the greatest nation on not world domination as so many edly revere the nation’s history and tradi- to be judged, but this is denied today.” the planet, and that our culture is “intrinsi- world leaders believe. In The Com- tions? Thomas Jefferson would argue that it Making Patriots is physically small, but cally superior” to others. Readers of Making ing Collapse of China, Chang argues must; he famously swore “upon the altar of philosophically massive. Although some Patriots are likely to agree. CJ that China’s corrupt, authoritarian God eternal hostility against every form of readers may devour the 146 pages in one form of government dooms it to self- tyranny over the mind of man.” With that sitting, the old adage about the nature of Davenport is an op-ed columnist for the News destruction. Despite its natural and reassurance in mind, and in language beau- things that come in small packages cer- & Record of Greensboro. human resources, China will crumble under the weight of its bur- densome government, Chang ar- gues. James A. Dorn of the Cato In- Book Review stitute called The Coming Collapse of China “a compelling account of the rot in China’s institutions and the John Adams: Writer, Philosopher, Patriot forces at work to end the Commu- nist Party's monopoly on power.” The book was published last month by Random House, located online at By ERIK ROOT ever-important “Thoughts on Govern- the Continental Congress recommended to www.randomhouse.com. Assistant Editor ment,” and his report to Massachusetts on the states that they establish new govern- RALEIGH its constitution and form of government. ments. Always concerned about the ends of • C. Bradley Thompson, editor: The Revolu- At the beginning of the book, Adams government, it is no surprise that the revo- • Education historian Diane tionary Writings of John Adams; Indianapo- addresses personal matters. He delivers a lutionaries sought to define governments Ravitch has a new book on the his- lis; Liberty Fund, 2001, 349 pp., $19. thoughtful probe into the reasons we ought that “would best conduce the happiness tory of American education reform to reject the temptation of “personal re- and safety of their constituents in particular efforts in the 20th century. Left Back: he Revolutionary Writings of John venge,” and he addresses the destructive and America in general.” A Century of Battles Over School Re- Adams ought to find its way onto ends of self-love, which lead to self-delu- “We ought to consider what is the end form begins with the state of educa- Tevery bookshelf. In this new compi- sion and self-deceit. He argues that inflamed of government,” he said, “ before we deter- tion in the late 19th century. It then lation, editor C. Bradley Thompson seeks to passions may lead to our own destruction mine which is the best form. Upon this chronicles the various reform efforts present Adams in his own image without and that only reason directs us toward vir- point all speculative politicians will agree, of the 20th century and tries to ex- editorial comments and colorizing. tue and thus to true happiness. that the happiness of society is the end of plain why, despite these efforts, Thompson does very little by way of The Novanglus letters take up a major- government, as all divines and moral phi- American children have been “left introducing the content of each section other ity of the volume and are a response to a losophers will agree that happiness of the back.” The book is being published than the minimal historical backdrop: “In pro-Parliament writer whose letters were individual is the end of man.” this month by Touchstone, an im- order to recapture the distant past we must circulated in newspapers. Adams does not Not included in this volume, which print of Simon and Schuster, located first appreciate its strangeness and leave his readers hanging in the under- focuses solely on Adams’ revolutionary online at www.simonsays.com. differentness from the present. My inten- standing of “the principles of nature and writings, are the many letters between tion is to permit Adams to speak for himself eternal reason,” nor does he fail to mention Adams and his future wife, Abigail, who, and to challenge the modern reader to fur- the sources of our understanding from besides the Union, was his other great love. • Simon Winchester’s new ther study the philosophic and political con- which the ideas emanate: Aristotle, Plato, In his final public utterance, Adams book, The Map That Changed The texts in which Adams wrote.” Livy, Cicero, Sidney, Locke, and Harrington. pithily offered the toast “Independence World: William Smith and the Birth of In his foreword, Thompson does edito- These authors fashioned the grounds Forever.” It is quite remarkable that so near Modern Geology, tells the tale of the rialize in an attempt to account for the im- for the consent based in nature upon which his death, and near the 50th anniversary of blue-collar genius who invented the portance of Adams’s revolutionary work. Sidney proclaims that the “subjects [of mon- the Declaration of Independence, Adams’s science of geology by studying fos- Adams had an enormous influence on the archies are not] bound to stay till the prince writing would harken back to that idea sils encased in different levels of the outcome of the revolution. He dedicated his has entirely finished the chains which he is upon which our nation was founded. rock he cut as a canal digger. It is life to the cause of liberty and the construc- preparing for them, and put it out of their Thompson’s book is a perfect beginning to available this month from tion of republican government in America. power to oppose.” any reader’s intellectual journey in finding HarperCollins, located online at The book includes Adams’ “Disserta- Adams’s “Thoughts on Government” out why. CJ www.harpercollins.com. tion on the Canon and Feudal Law,” vari- provides the reader with an excellent syn- ous letters, his argument for an indepen- opsis of what constitutes good government. Root is a policy analyst with the Center for Local dent judiciary, the Novanglus letters, the The essay was published near the time when Innovation. C A R O L I N A August 2001 JOURNAL Learning Curve 19 Book Review Better Than Walden: North Carolina Writer Gets Naturalism Right

By JANE S. SHAW tween Kaufman and his daughter, Sylvan. abandoned home where a fam- Guest Contributor Echoes of Walden abound. Like ily used to raise chickens. BOZEMAN, MONT. Thoreau, Kaufman designs and builds his Indeed, history drenches this • Wallace Kaufman, Coming Out of the Woods: own house: Each window would be “in a book, beginning with the geo- The Solitary Life of a Maverick Naturalist, Cam- place and in a size that would create a frame logical formation of “Taconia,” bridge, Mass.: Perseus Publishing, 2000, 384 for a special view of the forest.” Kaufman the ancient volcanic island conti- pp., $26. also tends a garden and earns money doing nent that underlies North Caro- something useful for others. In Kaufman’s lina. ny reader will enjoy Wallace case, he appraised land; in Thoreau’s, he Over time, Kaufman’s Kaufman’s Coming out of the surveyed. But the differences are enormous woods change. The city grows A Woods and will receive an educa- — and not in the way you might expect. closer; people become more pro- tion as well. The book falls into the genre of Thoreau lived closer to town on bor- tective of their boundaries; a few environmental writing, which is sometimes rowed property, while Kaufman’s owner- neighbors clear-cut their tracts. light on realism and heavy on romanticism. ship of land remote from the city is a key Kaufman himself logs his Yet, Coming Out of the Woods is different. element of his story; Thoreau stayed a little land selectively. The tone of the Like Henry David Thoreau’s Walden, it is a over two years, Kaufman more than 20; and book changes. It becomes a little chronicle of personal experience and, un- Thoreau’s chronicle often sounds misan- like the ending of Tennyson’s like Walden, it is written by someone who is thropic, while Kaufman’s is gently forgiv- Idylls of the King. His sojourn is as savvy about human beings as he is about ing of others’ foibles. ending, although at the book’s the animals of the forest. conclusion the author has not It is the late 1960s. The author, an envi- Down-Home Humor yet left the woods. ronmentalist living on an old farm in subur- Some of the statements in ban Chapel Hill while teaching English at Kaufman’s self-effacing descriptions the book, I’ve been told, discom- the University of North Carolina, wants to of his life as a naturalist and developer give fit environmentalists who are be closer to nature. He buys 330 acres of the book humor and wisdom. For example, sentimental about nature. Yet no land in the deep woods, builds a road on it, he intends to create a winding, tree-lined reader can ignore the veracity of and offers parcels for sale to others who also road at the entrance of his property. To do Kaufman’s experience. want a respite from modern civilization. so, he must cut some trees. Painful though Coming Out of the Woods has From the first chapter, we learn that it is, he will do it with a little chainsaw. the potential to be a cross-over this foray into the woods is not a vacation in Hiring a bulldozer would be like “gobbling hit — a work that transcends a suburban park. One visitor, for example, a church dinner without saying grace,” he usual marketing categories. was so terrified of forest creatures that he explains. of a bulldozer. Sadly watching the results, Kaufman has naturalist credentials that and his son holed up in the cramped loft, Unfortunately, the rented chain saw he observes that North Carolina’s “iron- far exceed those of most environmentalists, keeping a hatchet at the bedside just in case. doesn’t work; it is like “bludgeoning an rich soil” adds to the pain. “Clearing the and his insights can’t be dismissed. Hold- From start to finish, this narrative is elephant with chopsticks.” So he obtains a forest and cutting a road in the South’s red ing a mirror up to nature, he teaches us good reading. We see Kaufman’s academic Stihl 041 and painstakingly cuts out a half- clay is like peeling skin off a muscle live about human nature as well. CJ colleagues toying with the idea of living in mile of road. At the edge, like the “tuft of with blood.” wilderness but rejecting the opportunity flowers” in Robert Frost’s poem, he keeps Helping assuage Kaufman’s regret over when it arrives. We watch as a canny sales- trees that he envisions someday arching trampling on nature is a certain equanimity Shaw is a senior associate of the Political man outwits Kaufman and his remaining gracefully over the road. that comes from realizing that many human Economy Research Center and coauthor with partner. And we observe the special bond Then he learns that the state requires interlopers preceded him. He finds arrow- Michael Sanera of Facts, Not Fear: Teaching that discovering the natural world, from that roads be 50 to 60 feet wide. The trees at heads and pot shards left by American Indi- Children About the Environment, pub- ants’ nests to foxes to crayfish, creates be- the edge, and others, too, must go by means ans, as well as the pit of a sawmill and an lished by Regnery. Book Review How the Microsoft Case Exposes the Flaws in Antitrust Law

By STEPHEN MARGOLIS law, a consequent tendency for politici- patronage. Under antitrust law, such a com- monopolized the browser market. That de- Guest Contributor zation, and, in turn, its failure to promote pany is a monopolist. It’s not necessarily a velopment only strengthens Kopel’s dem- RALEIGH consumer interests. lawbreaker, but a monopolist nevertheless. onstration of how treacherous the antitrust • David Kopel: Antitrust after Microsoft: The Kopel’s view is that in the Microsoft Actions that make rivals worse off, world can be. Obsolescence of Antitrust in the Digital Era; case antitrust once again becomes an in- coupled with large market shares, are all too Throughout the book, Kopel comes Chicago, The Heartland Institute, 2001, 175 strument for an activist government indus- readily categorized as predatory. If a firm back to the theme that antitrust makes ille- pp., $8.95. trial policy. The government’s action in the becomes large by cutting prices, implement- gal ordinary business activities that can case amounts to an attempt to pick winners ing new technologies or standards, devel- benefit consumers. To economists, this is a and losers in technology oping distribution chan- problem of economic efficiency. But the ith all that has been written about competition. nels, planning ahead, or more serious problem that is highlighted in the Microsoft antitrust trial, is In a market in which Central to Kopel’s ar- improving a product, it Antitrust After Microsoft is the threat to the W there room for still another book- there are advantages of can prompt antitrust rule of law. length treatment of the subject? The answer standards and other gument is the obser- scrutiny. We can have a rule of men by having no is yes, provided the book offers a signifi- sources of network effects, vation that antitrust This introduces two law. We also can have laws that put us all in cant, new perspective. consumers’ independent dimensions of uncer- violation of the law by discretion being David Kopel’s new book clearly does decisions may bestow makes many ordinary tainty into antitrust: given to those responsible for enforcement. that. While the writing on the Microsoft very large market shares business behaviors il- When does a competitive This too gives us a rule of men, not law. case has generally been about what the on a single company. Then legal. action cross the line to Kopel devotes a chapter to document- courts should do, given antitrust legal doc- the choice becomes, not become predatory, and ing the politicization of the Microsoft case trines and economic reasoning, Kopel re- monopoly or something when does a successful and antitrust in general. He reports the verses that. He considers what antitrust else, but which monopoly? In the Microsoft firm cross the line to become a monopolist? roles played by politicians doing the bid- doctrine should become, given what the case, the government seeks to determine Microsoft, entering a market that was ding of companies in their districts and the current practice of antitrust law has brought which of the competitors will prevail. dominated by Netscape, became one of massive and expensive lobbying effort by us in the Microsoft case. Central to Kopel’s argument is the ob- many companies that offered a web browser. Microsoft’s competitors to bring the case to Kopel brings skills as an experienced servation that antitrust makes many ordi- By almost all accounts, including those of court. He also documents Microsoft’s con- lawyer and public policy analyst to the task. nary business behaviors illegal. In indus- Judge Jackson, Microsoft’s entry into the version from a company that once eschewed He also brings a good deal of information tries where small numbers of companies browser market improved the breed. In this politics to one that pays proper tribute to about the computer industry, technology, compete for consumers’ patronage, any- market, is Microsoft the incumbent monopo- the D.C. politics industry. law, and the history of antitrust. His thesis, thing that a company does to improve its list or the scrappy entrant? Are its efforts to Antitrust after Microsoft is a compelling in brief, is that the Microsoft case provides position in the market is likely to make enter the market legal competition or illegal critique of the Microsoft case and an impor- new and clear evidence of fundamental some rival worse off. A company that does predation? tant challenge to antitrust law. CJ problems in antitrust law. The Microsoft a lot of things to secure consumers’ patron- I should note that after Kopel’s book case, like some others before it, reveals fun- age, and does them well, may well end up came out, the appellate court threw out the Margolis is chairman of the economics depart- damental conflicts and ambiguities in the with a very large share of the available government’s charge that Microsoft had ment at N.C. State University. August 2001 C A R O L I N A 20 Opinion JOURNAL

able, it is also the least progress of all but two other ated a truly competitive technology to ships and trains Editorials Southern states. Even Mississippi has seen a drop of 75 while allowing states to charge their surging populations percent. Given the record of other Southern states, we of drivers a rough user fee through taxes on motor fuels. observe that North Carolina still has much to learn about Spending on highways exploded, as did their economic how best to combat dependency and promote personal benefits. When practical, indirect tolls were used on lim- IDEAS THAT WORK responsibility. Furthermore, the state’s rate of out-of-wed- ited-access highways, while others were financed indi- lock births continued to rise — reaching 33 percent in 1999 rectly. While a state monopoly, these systems were usually Welfare reform recognizes human nature — while rates in other state fell. not subsidized and often employed market-friendly mecha- It is clear that both our nation and our state had to nisms to link highway usage with revenue. change gears to assist truly and measureably those afflicted The federal government got directly involved with the ver since President Lyndon Johnson launched a with economic distress and personal failure. Indeed, as passage of the Interstate Highway Act of 1956. Support- perhaps well-intentioned “War on Poverty,” build- O’Neill observed, those who benefit most from welfare ers, including President Dwight Eisenhower, justified fed- E ing upon the foundation laid in Franklin Roosevelt’s reform are those most in need — “high-school dropouts, eral support for the construction of a national interstate New Deal, its results have been both negative and nefari- black and Hispanic single mothers, mothers of young highway system by citing the need to move troops and ous. Poverty stubbornly refused to decline significantly children, and women who were never married.” This is one materiel in case of war. Of course, such a system also cre- while out-of-wedlock births and broken families rose. The instance where doing something “for the children” is more ated political winners and losers — states that had already failure of the War on Poverty left many policymakers than a tawdry and facile political slogan and represents a invested significant sums in highway systems were made confused, though not too much to preclude asking for more reality which we can measure and a humanitarian gesture to subsidize others. money to expand their failed programs. of which we can be proud. As the N.C. General Assembly contemplates the cre- The correct solution, however, was neither expensive North Carolina first established a statewide public ation of new tollways in other states, it is useful to keep in nor hard to understand. It reflected common sense about welfare system in 1917 through a county-oriented delivery mind that new technology makes the old “coin-pitch” toll human frailities and how best not to play to them. system that was supervised by the State Board of Public booths a thing of the past. When practical, such funding As economists never cease in pointing out, the more Charities and Public Welfare. Each county was required to mechanisms are clearly better than the indirect approach one subsidizes something, the more he gets of it. The less an establish a juvenile court and to install a superintendent of of using fuel taxes. The tollway sector is clearly growing. activity is subsidized, the less one gets of it. So it is with the public welfare and a public welfare board to administer the As of 2000, 10 percent of major U.S. highways operated as triumph of welfare reform. No matter who may claim program and report to the state. While this was a rudimen- toll roads. In North Carolina, the percentage was zero. credit for the progress we have made in this regard, it is tary system, it spawned, under the crude hand of Washing- The John Locke Foundation has long argued that toll clear that more conservative, responsible, and accountable ton, the failures and broken families of the late 20th cen- roads should be utilized to introduce greater market in- policies have been put in place which require that welfare tury. Recent reforms — based on accountability, responsi- centives into transportation and to relieve traffic conges- recipients take more responsibility for their own lives. As bility, and positive incentives for transition into successful tion. Related options include the use of “peak-pricing” on a result, our national and state economies and our collec- and independent lives — prove that, sometimes, when limited-access highways, which are allowed to charge vari- tive culture all gain immeasureably from the increased government is responsive to both voter concerns and com- able tolls based on the time of day. Our state should also productivity and responsibility of a previously unproduc- mon sense, we can indeed work together to achieve good consider public-private partnerships to build highways us- tive group of our citizens. things for those in need. ing electronic toll collection. On both national and state levels there is clear evi- Tolls introduce fairness into the market by making only dence that the welfare reforms that statists claimed would direct users pay. Because of the toll-revenue stream, they lead to increased hardship and despair among the nation’s can provide large sums for capital markets for the construc- poor have actually achieved the opposite in dramatic fash- tion of large-scale projects within a short period of time. ion. The evidence also suggests our direction should re- PAY AS YOU GO They can weaken the appeal of “pork-barrel” spending be- main constant. cause privately financed projects can prove their viability In 1996, national welfare reform was signed into law by North Carolina should embrace tollways in the bond market. With respect to safety, as observed by Bill Clinton — who had previously opposed it tooth and the Reason Public Policy Institute, “the accident rate on nail and had already vetoed several previous, but similar, toll roads is one-third less than on comparable free roads.” bills. As always with Clinton, though, the political calculus hen someone hops in a car and takes a trip to Finally, private tollways are a favorable option because trumped any semblance of principled steadfastness. the store or a trip to the beach, how much does they also lead to better maintenance and traffic manage- And thus we have witnessed a revolution in the way W it, or should it, cost? To what degree should such ment. Better maintenance is encouraged because of legally America offers assistance to its most needy. As noted in The a trip be subsidized by others? Should we pay a direct “user enforceable standards to secure the liability interests of Wall Street Journal by former Congressional Budget office fee” by dropping a few dimes in a toll bin — or, to use bond holders. Traffic management and safety are increased Director June O’Neill, who coauthored a study on welfare today’s standard technology, by driving through an auto- through “time-variable” tolls to even out traffic flows based reform for the Manhattan Institute, “the number of families mated system that “swipes” a windshield debit card? on volume. on welfare declined by 50 percent.” Should we pay an indirect user fee through per-gallon gas Dr. David Hartgen wrote in an October 2000 report for With an up-front mandatory requirement for employ- taxes devoted to the highways we drive? Or should high- the Locke Foundation that the tollway option could be uti- ment and a five-year limit on benefits, the 1996 reform has way services be financed by general government revenue lized in various ways, such as for high-occupancy lanes led to several vital and positive changes in the well-being derived from the collective taxes of North Carolinians as “in which single-occupant vehicles pay to use a toll lane.” of America’s poor. As noted by the Manhattan study, fully well as those who live elsewhere in the country? While North Carolina once touted its moniker of “the 83 percent of the employment increase for single, black To understand these questions, we must first under- good roads state,” longtime residents — frustrated at traf- mothers through September 2000 (the latest date for which stand the history of our highway system. Before the 1920s, fic congestion, potholes, and rising taxes for road repairs reliable data are available) is a direct result of these reforms. North Carolina and other states rarely invested much and expansions that always seemed elusive or interminable As O’Neill also says, “welfare reform ... accounts for more money in roads. Horse-drawn commerce was far less eco- — laughably dismissed the label many years ago. Even than half of the decline in welfare participation, and for nomically viable than transportation via waterway or rail. prosperous towns such as Cary have become renowned more than 60 percent of the rise in employment among It was also too easy for teamsters and foot traffic to evade for their ubiquitous potholes. single mothers.” toll booths, thus preventing private or public highways As with so many aspects of government activity, citi- But what about North Carolina? Through June 1999, from generating revenues for their maintenance and ex- zens protest inefficiency and inconvenience. Private toll the welfare caseload in the Old North State declined by 56 pansion. roads can help to both alleviate indirect subsidies for lower- percent. While any progress of such proportions is valu- But the birth of the automobile changed all that. It cre- priority roads and increase the quality of our transporta- tion system by bringing direct accountability to the deliv- ery of surface transportation services. Many North Carolina communities continue to expe- rience explosive growth. The rest of North Carolina’s citi- zens should not be required to subsidize the growth of al- ready prosperous communities in other parts of the state. If the concept of “economic development” means anything, why should the citizens in Eastern North Carolina be re- quired to assist in the subsidization of transportation for North Carolina’s already prosperous urban and tourist- oriented counties? The short and simple answer is that they shouldn’t. Those who use particular business services currently operated by government should, as much as possible, pay for that use. Thus the justification for authorizing commu- nities to use toll roads for the regulation of traffic flow and facility maintenance. If people use a road, they should pay for it. If they do not wish to pay for it, they don’t really need to use the road and make the particular road trip upon which they have embarked. The point is that the decision about whether to finance a particular transportation corri- dor is left to the potential consumers of that convenience. Rather than continuing the current practice of central- izing control, squandering money on little-used roads, and raising our already high gasoline taxes, North Carolina should embark on a new course of making growth — and highway usage — pay for itself. Tollways, using new tech- nologies and public-private partnerships, are the wave of the future in transportation. North Carolina should surf it. C A R O L I N A August 2001 JOURNAL Opinion 21

The Bill of Rights is not a tool for enabling the power clear the moral bearings for both responsible law and of government to enslave or restrict citizens. The Bill of simple logic have been loosed from their moorings. ON GROWING UP Rights was intended to protect individuals and the sover- The Winston Salem-Journal recently commented that eign states from the tyrannical impulses of a national fed- ‘’posting a historic document is saying, in effect, that the Helmet law represents another intrusion eration. school’s administration agrees with the ideas contained Which brings us down home to North Carolina where therein.’’ Should we not post the Declaration of Indepen- the state legislature enacted, and Easley signed, a bill that dence in our public schools because it might indicate school rowing up is hard. No amount of pampering by among other things allowed the posting of the Ten Com- officials believe in God? the nanny state in either Raleigh or Washington mandments in public schools in tandem with a collection Should we be so sensitive that we must calibrate the Gis going to change that. Learning the lessons of of historical documents such as the Declaration, the Con- promotion of American history to the lowest common de- caution and personal responsibility, and the consequences stitution, and the Magna Carta — and with the First nominator? Are we to deny that history to the extent that for not adhering to them, is part of growing up and adapt- Amendment prominently displayed. Some civil libertar- we engage in Orwellian memory disposal to accommodate ing to the vicissitudes of life. ians warned that a theocracy was just around the corner. those who have no real interest in learning about and sus- On June 27 the General Assembly passed an odiously Most everyone else laughed this warning off. taining our culture but want all the benefits they can de- paternalistic law stipulating that parents will be penalized, To what degree should America retain a unifying cul- rive therefrom? to the horrendous tune of $10, if their children of 16 or tural credo based on its founding principles? Should we Given the Judeo-Christian underpinnings of Ameri- under are cited for not wearing a helmet while riding a deny these principles, which have been and remain criti- can culture and government, no sensible person could ob- bicycle. The bicycle was invented in 1790, meaning that it cal to the success of a free and responsible society? At what ject to posting these truths in the public square. To post the has taken us 211 years to recognize this impending crisis. point do we draw the line between affirming our historic Ten Commandments in public, whether in a school or in a In all seriousness, any death of a child is tragic. But values and trampling on the rights of others? courtroom, is simply to reaffirm our philosophical moor- this new law is an overreaction. First of all, it reflects a We cannot deny our history or our roots. When we ings. It neither compels devotion to a particular concep- poor assessment of risk. According to the National Cen- have newspaper editors comparing the Ten Command- tion of God nor excludes non-Christians, agnostics, or athe- ters for Disease Control, 1,010 American children 14 years ments to Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf, as we now do, it is ists from all the rights of American citizenship. CJ old or younger died from drowning in 1997. In the same year, there were 2,608 child fatalities from automobile ac- cidents. Pedestrian childhood deaths were 675 (no walk- ing allowed?) while gun-related deaths, if proper num- bers are used, amounted to 488. Hot Air on Auto Emissions Testing The number of those who perished from bicycle acci- dent-related injuries was 201. We have to wonder why the helmet law attracted so much time and effort, when the wo years ago, the North Carolina General As- in North Carolina’s air quality that has turned out to inconvenience and government intrusion associated with sembly committed a major blunder by expand be ephemeral. the law will save few lives, if any. Ting mandatory testing of auto emissions from Ozone-alert days did spike in 1998 and 1999, Imposing such a regulation is not costless, as many nine urban counties in the state to 48, comprising the largely because of higher-than-normal temperatures supporters claimed. It weakens personal and parental re- vast majority of the state’s motorists. that stemmed from an El Nino weather event. But the sponsibility. And, as research on similar regulations has Now lawmakers are on the verge of compounding longer-term trend shows little or no change in ground- demonstrated, it will likely increase bicycle-accident rates their error by approving a price increase for the test that level ozone, or smog, during the 1990s, even as our as children grow bolder in the mistaken belief that their would allow garages and service centers to charge as state has experienced rapid growth in population, helmets will protect them from any harm. much as $34 a pop. development, electricity generation, and automobile Childhood is a learning experience — not just in an Back when the legislature expanded the program, travel. academic sense but also in the area of managing risk. It is the purported rationale was to promote clean air. But On most measurements of air quality, we have through childhood experiences that we gain an apprecia- as a recent report by the National Research seen steady improvement since the 1970s. tion for the dangers and the thrills of everyday, and not so Council detailed, testing tailpipe emissions These would include levels of carbon mon- everyday, life. If a child wipes out on a curve or bounces of every car every year is a blunderbuss oxide, particulates (soot), sulfur dioxide, too quickly down a hill and gets a scraped knee or a bump approach that wastes a lot of time and and lead. on his head, he will learn that life is filled wih bumped money achieving far less of a reduction in Even this year, breathless media re- knees and scraped heads. pollution than most people realize. ports are treating our air quality as worsen- Parents should take the proper steps to protect their The correct policy would be more akin ing when it is actually improving. So far in children from harm — and to balance such protection with to sniping with a high-powered rifle. 2001, there have been 17 ozone-alert days common sense. Government should let them do their jobs, With regard to emissions, all cars are in North Carolina. If the rest of the year certainly not created equally. Most of the follows the usual pattern, we can expect 25 and intervene only when parents recklessly or maliciously John Hood put their children in danger. emissions that lead to harmful pollution such days for 2001. are caused by only 10 percent of the auto- That’s a dramatic 64 percent drop from mobile fleet — older and malfunctioning vehicles that 1998 levels and one that has occurred without the can be identified either through property-tax records auto-emissions expansion (which has yet to phase in) or with remote-sensing devices placed on exit ramps and without the “Clean Smokestacks Bill” also being HISTORICAL TRUTH and other roadways. debated this year by the General Assembly, which The remote-sensing approach is particularly at- would raise electricity prices by about $200 million a Common sense on the commandments tractive. After all, what matters in forming air pollution year. is not how an automobile performs in theory or in a test . in a garage. What’s important is how the automobile Regulatory Costs and Benefits hen it comes to the intersection of religion and behaves in real-world driving conditions — the type the state, sensitivity can be justifiable. But just and magnitude of its harmful emissions. Are auto emissions a legitimate concern for state W as we should have no state-designated religion, The National Research Council report found that lawmakers? Absolutely. As North Carolinians, we do our Founding Fathers also recognized the right of citizens the Environmental Protection Agency and state agen- have the right to breathe clean air. Because no one can to learn about and to adhere to their heritage. Now we cies tend to overstate the benefits from emissions- stake ownership rights to a personal airshed, we do face a ruckus because Gov. Mike Easley and the state legis- testing programs by 100 percent because they assume need government to intervene. lature have just approved legislation to allow the posting pollution gains from newer cars that actually contrib- But government must do so wisely. The costs of of the Ten Commandments in public schools so long as ute little if anything to the problem. regulation, both in time and in foregone consump- they are part of a collection of historical documents. “Inspection and maintenance programs should tion, must be exceeded by air-quality benefits. Other- At the time the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights focus on repairing the worst-polluting vehicles and wise, we can make families worse off by reducing were written, at least two states, Massachusetts and Con- verifying repairs,” said Ralph Cicerone, chancellor of their ability to afford other valuable things, such as necticut, had state-designated religions, while many oth- the University of California at Irvine and chairman of health care, education, and better and safer consumer ers barred those of some religions from voting or holding the NRC panel that wrote the report. products. office. In his masterful A History of the American People, Paul The current price hike for emissions testing doesn’t Johnson observed that ‘’what the guarantee [in the First Driven By Politics, Not Science meet that standard. Indeed, lawmakers should roll Amendment] means is that Congress may not set up a state back the planned expansion of the program and rede- religion on the lines of the Church of England, ‘as estab- Expanding North Carolina’s program two years sign it to target those few cars generating most of the lished by law.’ It was an anti-establishment clause.’’ ago, while questionable on policy grounds, made a lot problem. A more carefully crafted approach would There was also the recognition that the Declaration of of sense politically. generate as least as much if not more pollution reduc- Independence, the Constitution, and, therefore, the foun- Garage owners looked forward to the additional tion but do so without excessive cost and inconve- dations of our Republic, rested in the sometimes judgmen- business. Power companies and other so-called “point- nience. tal but often forgiving stipulations of a Judeo-Christian source” emitters welcomed the shift of legislative at- Bad legislation is, actually, a lot like air pollution. heritage. Whether they classified themselves as deists or tention to automobiles. State lawmakers interested in Some people benefit. Most others, usually innocent Christians, almost to a man the Founders believed that the currying favor with these groups and with environ- bystanders, are harmed. Declaration and the American Revolution were approba- mental lobbies in Raleigh could expand the program — Right now, we are all choking from the legislative tions of divine Providence. in effect levying a new tax on every motorist in the 39 smog gushing from the North Carolina General As- While we are not inclined to engage in speculation as additional counties — without having to placate a sembly. CJ to the spiritual considerations of a free people other than a countervailing lobby with power in Raleigh, since there needed adherence to common principles of right and wasn’t one. wrong, to make this observation of our religious moor- What’s particularly galling about the 1999 expan- Hood is publisher of Carolina Journal and president of the ings in no way ‘’establishes’’ a religion dictated by gov- sion is that it was a reaction to an apparent worsening John Locke Foundation. ernment. It simply affirms the ethical principles underly- ing our culture. August 2001 C A R O L I N A 22 Opinion JOURNAL

Editorial Briefs

Perpetuating Tax Equity Myths

As legislative Democrats and Gov. Mike Easley debated various state tax increase proposals last month, they bandied around estimates of how higher alcohol taxes, a proposed half-penny to penny sales tax hike, and a new 8.75 percent in- come tax bracket for individuals earning more than $120,000 would impact various classes of taxpay- ers. In doing so, they perpetrated a common error about taxes — the notion that the impact of taxes can easily be assigned by income or location. The reality is more complicated. Taxation changes behavior. As the tax rate on some forms of consumption rises, many taxpayers will see their dollars spent more effectively on other goods or services that don’t carry the same tax rate. Similarly, as tax rates on income rise, many work- ers (particularly at the higher end of the income distribution where the combined state and federal rate approaches 50 percent) will reduce the num- ber of hours they would have worked in favor of leisure activities that, at the higher marginal tax rate, are more valuable to them than the added af- ter-tax income. Legislators Should Take Econ. 201 This “dynamic” effect of taxation isn’t really controversial among economists (they just disagree about its magnitude) nor is it a new idea. Ancient By ANDREW CLINE lower taxes for all.” and medieval scholars in cultures across the world Managing Editor That’s a politically cautious state employee’s way of observed the tendency for high taxes to have un- RALEIGH saying, “lowering taxes for everyone is more economically foreseen, and often counterproductive, effects. ometimes, a little government regulatin’ is the only beneficial than lowering taxes for a select few.” In the current debate in North Carolina, advo- answer to a social problem. And the state budget is One reason is that the economy is driven by small cates of tax increases are not paying enough atten- S a major social problem. Hence, I propose a new law businesses, not large corporations. tion to the potential impact of higher taxes on em- requiring the governor and all state legislators to complete Yet small-time entrepreneurs are not the people who ployment, profitability, and the state’s competitive- N.C. State University’s introductory economics course, qualify for the state’s major corporate tax breaks. ness. It is quite possible that higher taxes on “the Econ. 201. This is because ribbon-cutting ceremonies at new plants wealthy” or “sin” could result in lots of middle- The recent state budget debacle, caused in no small are wonderful photo opportunities for politicians who can and lower-income people losing wages or jobs. measure by the legislative leadership’s steadfast adher- claim to have created all those jobs. But the numerous small ence to economic mumbo jumbo, has revealed the neces- shop openings that occur each day don’t provide politi- Celebrate the Stock Market Slide? sity for such a drastic measure. cians with the same media opportunities. For example, after a recent meeting at which House And given the economic reality that targeted corporate Speaking of equity, some on the political left and Senate leaders pitched their idea for fixing the state tax breaks benefit the few at the expense of the many, the argue that inequality of income per se is harmful to budget — a nearly $600 million tax increase — a reporter conclusion is inescapable that politicians who support many people’s health and self-esteem. If that’s true, asked the chief budget writer in the House why the state such policies are either economically ignorant or interested then perhaps there is cause to celebrate the recent couldn’t free up some cash by eliminating corporate subsi- more in their own electability than the public good. economic turmoil that has roiled financial markets dies such as tax breaks to major corporations and state- For, to quote Dr. Margolis, “Giving a special tax break and crimped corporate profits. funded foreign trade offices. to one new entrant means that you’re going to have to These leftists believe the psychological pain of The budget guru, Brunswick County Democratic Rep. impose higher taxes on everybody that’s already here or being relatively worse off is so severe that policies David Redwine, said that the state could eliminate those even on new recruits that are not offered special breaks.” making some better off without harming others things, but the consequences would be a damaged economy Yes, but what about the notion that our economy should be opposed if they increase inequality. in which fewer jobs would be created and more people would tank if we gutted the Department of Commerce’s Thus, when the stock market was rising, left- would be out of work. corporate welfare functions? wingers attacked the increase in inequality. They That’s a mighty fine defense of the state’s corporate “If they actually said we’d see the economy plummet, said it was painful for many Americans to see oth- giveaway programs, except that it’s completely untrue. that’s not a reasonable forecast,” Margolis said. “It’s not ers getting wealthy, even if they themselves were Over the years, a host of academic studies has shown that like the international companies that are already here no worse off. corporate subsidies have little or no effect on job creation. would leave if we stopped offering incentives.” So we wonder why more folks who “care about There also is a wealth of data to show that tax reductions So, the N.C. economy will not crash if the state slashes the downtrodden” aren’t applauding the massive and government spending reductions stimulate economic its corporate subsidies, and having a low tax rate for reduction in inequality that has resulted from col- growth. everyone is more beneficial than having higher rates for lapse of the stock market since early last year. But just to be sure that I wasn’t relying on outdated most and very low rates for some. As observed by Bruce Bartlett of the National information, I called Dr. Steve Margolis, head of the Eco- That’s the word from the chairman of the N.C. State Center for Policy Analysis: nomics Department at N.C. State (see page 19 for a book Econ. Department. Unfortunately, that’s exactly the oppo- • According to the Federal Reserve, the value review by Margolis). I asked him which approach to job site of the message coming from the state’s political leader- of corporate equities (including mutual funds) fell creation and economic stimulation would be more benefi- ship. So, in case anyone down on Jones Street is listening, more than $4 trillion between the 1st quarter of 2000 cial: the House leadership’s use of state subsidies targeted Econ 201 meets Monday and Wednesday evenings from 6 and the 1st quarter of 2001. to specific large corporations, or the proposal, put forth by to 7:15, and spaces are still available. CJ • Census data indicate that about 60 percent some Republicans in the House, to cut of all stock is owned by the top 20 percent of house- these subsidies and lower the overall tax holds, while those in the bottom quintile own just rate. 5 percent. “What’s a better recruiting tool, spe- • Therefore, about $2.5 trillion was, in effect, cial deals for some, or lower taxes for taxed away from the wealthy. all?” Margolis asked. “I think the ques- Bartlett concluded that the fall in stock prices tion answers itself.” caused wealth to become more equally distributed. Mmm, OK, I thought, but remem- Relatively speaking, the poor are much better off than ber, we’re talking about legislators here. they were a year ago. (When conveying a message to legisla- “Of course, the collapse of the stock market tors, it’s often best to talk as if you’re has not benefited anyone except the very few who speaking to a small child.) So, I asked Dr. sold short at the peak,” he wrote. “On the other Margolis to elaborate. hand, it harmed people who aren't shareholders, “You probably have your best chance due to falling sales, companies closing their doors, of recruiting by having relatively simple, and people losing their jobs. predictable, lower taxes,” Margolis ex- “Whatever benefits people may feel from in- plained. “I’m not arguing for lower taxes creased equality, it is far more than offset by the per se, I’m suggesting that with a given pain and suffering of those who are now absolutely budget you can lower taxes for some or worse off.” CJ lower taxes for all. My notion is that it is certainly not clear that by lowering taxes for some you do better than when you August 2001 C A R O L I N A JOURNAL Opinion 23

Economic Outlook The Minimum Wage Brings Minimum Economic Benefits

By MICHAEL WALDEN based on what she is evaluated to contribute to the com- children are in daycare, assistance paying child care costs. Contributing Editor pany employing her. A worker paid $15 per hour is evalu- The often overlooked earned income tax credit (EITC) RALEIGH ated to contribute at least $15 worth of product for the is cash assistance that can be received monthly. A worker ust as regularly as the seasons change, there are calls company per hour of work. A worker paid only $5.15 per earning minimum-wage income of $11,000 with two chil- for increases in the minimum wage. The latest hour is evaluated to contribute only $5.15 worth of product dren can receive $3,900 in cash from the EITC, effectively Jcomes from some members of the General Assembly. to the company per hour of work. increasing his hourly earnings to $7 an hour. Adding the The calls for a higher minimum wage certainly strike Thus, when the minimum wage is increased to above effective financial value of the other assistance programs a compassionate cord. Few of us can imagine raising a $5.15 per hour to, say, $6.65 an hour, workers who aren’t gives this minimum wage household a total purchasing family on the earnings from working full-time at the mini- evaluated to be producing $6.65 of out- power of more than $17,000. This trans- mum wage — an amount just shy of $11,000 a year. put per hour for the company will be let lates to an implicit wage rate of more Yet there are many misconceptions about who earns go. However, not all minimum-wage Low wage rates signal than $8 per hour. the minimum wage, what the impacts are of increasing the workers will be pink-slipped. As the num- In other words, a minimum-wage minimum wage, and whether people earning the mini- ber of minimum-wage workers drops, to the worker that his household with two children has its ef- mum wage must survive only on those earnings. the value of the remaining minimum- skills are not highly fective wage rate and purchasing power wage workers goes up because their work valued in the economy increased by 55 percent from all forms of Who Earns the Minimum Wage? will now be focused on more profitable public assistance. tasks (this is a principle learned long ago compared to other But why, you might still ask, don’t The minimum wage rate began in 1938 at 25 cents per by labor unions who realized that wage workers. we save the government and taxpayers hour. Some historians say it resulted from a regional con- rates rise when the supply of workers is all this money spent on programs help- flict between the North and South. Northern industrialists reduced). ing minimum wage workers and simply were upset by the movement of the textile industry from The ironic result is that increasing the minimum wage require companies to pay workers a minimum of $8 per New England to Southern states, where wages were lower. puts more money in some workers’ pockets but at the hour? To eliminate the South’s cost advantage, the North wanted expense of other workers. One reason I’ve already given. Increasing the mini- to impose a minimum wage on employers. mum wage clearly and demonstratively reduces employ- The minimum wage affects about 10 percent of the Living On the Minimum Wage ment among minimum wage workers. Public assistance workforce and is overwhelmingly earned by very young would still be needed for those households without work. and very old workers. Only 17 percent of men and 28 But this still begs the question of how we can expect Another reason is that low wage rates signal to the percent of women earning the minimum wage are aged 20 anyone to live off minimum wage earnings? How could worker that his skills are not highly valued in the economy to 64. Approximately half of minimum-wage earners are anyone working full time and earning the minimum wage compared to the skills of other workers. This serves as teenagers. It makes sense that teenagers earn low wages live off slightly less than $11,000 ($5.15/hour x 40 hrs/ motivation to seek training and education that will make because they are inexperienced and temporary workers. week x 52 weeks) a year? him more valuable in the economy. The remainder of minimum-wage workers are over age 65, The first answer is, most minimum wage workers Business will only do what’s in its self-interest, and this many of whom are working part-time to supplement Social don’t have to live on $11,000 a year and support a family. includes hiring workers. And workers will take steps to Security and pension income. So it’s a myth that the typical This is because, as noted above, no more than a quarter of improve their financial condition if there are strong mon- minimum wage earner is in the prime working years. minimum wage workers are aged 20 to 64. etary incentives to do so. The tricky task for public policy With respect to the impacts of the minimum wage, The second answer is, for the 25 percent of minimum- is to strike the right balance between the gift of compassion there is vast agreement among economists. Increasing the wage adult households in their prime working years, there and the practicality of incentives. CJ minimum wage reduces total employment for minimum- is substantial government assistance to supplement their wage workers, but for those who do keep their jobs, a earnings. An adult with children working full-time at the higher minimum wage increases their income. minimum wage is eligible for the earned income tax credit, Walden is an NCSU economics professor and an adjunct scholar Why does this happen? A worker is paid a wage rate food stamps, Medicaid, housing assistance, and, if the with the John Locke Foundation.

So-Called “Living Wage” Laws Violate Economic Laws

By MICHAEL LOWREY semiskilled labor commands is not exempt from the law of plight of the working poor at heart, their support for “living Contributing Editor supply and demand. A so-called living wage, much like the wage” regulations are also very much in their own eco- RALEIGH federal minimum wage, is an example of a price floor, a nomic self interest. ne contributing factor to Charlotte’s recent defeat government-set minimum price for an item. Such legis- of a plan to spend public money on a new arena lated minimums matter only if they are above the actual An Excuse to Raise Union Wages Ofor the Charlotte Hornets was the city’s defeat of market price (wage). In North Carolina’s urban areas, a proposed “living wage” for city em- market forces have long since pushed the The “living wage” movement began in the Northeast ployees. Proponents of the living wage pay that even the most stereotypical and Midwest in the early 1990s in response to local govern- ordinance organized opposition to the “burger flippers” of the labor force earn ments contracting out to private companies. City and county arena referendum in retaliation for the The wage (price) that well above the federal minimum wage of governments realized that significant savings could be had city council’s defeat of the ordinance. But unskilled or semi- $5.15 per hour. by having private businesses perform, under contract, the city is better off without a living wage skilled labor demands The situation in Charlotte highlights certain services that local governments had traditionally ordinance just as it’s better off without a this. Only 218 of the city’s more than done for themselves. tax-funded coliseum. is not exempt from the 5,000 employees actually earned less than It also meant that unionized local government employ- Like many other movements, groups law of supply and de- $9 per hour at the time of the debate this ees could face layoffs or pay cuts. Requiring local govern- campaigning for higher mandatory past May. ment contractors to pay the same wages that governments wages make use of a term that seems mand. Of those, 93 were full-time employ- themselves paid (or pay a “living wage” or a “prevailing simple to understand and difficult to be ees with the remaining 125 being tempo- wage rate”), effectively reduces the possibilities for against. The reality is rather different. Certainly the issue is rary workers. A regularly scheduled pay increase has since outsourcing and preserves union jobs. more complex than the simple catch phrase, “living wage,” reduced these numbers further. The cost of bringing all city In the alternative, unions typically represent unskilled suggests. workers to $9 per hour was estimated at $144,000 per year or semiskilled labor, which can be replaced fairly easily. By plus an additional $335,000 to adjust other positions to putting artificial upward pressure on the cost of labor Feel-Good Theory vs. Economic Law keep them in proportion. generally, unions can negotiate for higher wages for their If the actual impact of local governments paying a members. The concept of a “living wage” is similar to that of the “living wage” may be trivial, “living wage” ordinances can Though the living wage proposal was (at least for now) minimum wage. Its proponents contend that an employer, be anything but that to city contractors. Of the more than 50 defeated in Charlotte, it is likely to come up in various especially a governmental employer, should be required to “living wage” laws passed in the United States, more than forms in other parts of North Carolina in the future. pay a wage high enough so that the wage earner can 90 percent apply to city or county contractors and/or those Orange County and the City of Durham have already support himself or herself and a family. Helping Empower companies receiving government tax breaks. Indeed, the adopted living wage ordinances, while the Greensboro Local People (HELP), Charlotte’s main advocacy group for majority apply only to contracted service providers. City Council rejected the idea last summer. Wherever the the living wage, contends that the appropriate living wage Durham’s ordinance, for example, requires that city con- concept next appears, keep in mind that there is more to the in Charlotte is $9.00 per hour. tractors pay at least an hourly wage equivalent to the city’s. “living wage” than initially meets the eye. CJ Economic theory, meanwhile, tells us that the price of The focus on city contractors is hardly surprising given an item — be it eggs, cars, or wage labor — is determined strong union support for the “living wage” movement. Lowrey is an economist at Davidson College and an adjunct by supply and demand. The wage (price) that unskilled or While the AFL-CIO and other unions may truly have the fellow at the John Locke Foundation. August 2001 C A R O L I N A 24 Parting Shot JOURNAL Tea Party Terror Missiles Rain Down on Terrified Lawmakers

By FRANK LEE BUNK islative press room, where some reporters State Government Protest Editor retired from the heat after at least 15 min- RALEIGH, August 1, 2001 utes of observation, the rowdy ruffians n unruly mob of anti-government numbered about three dozen (far short of protesters, many carrying subver- the 10,000 predicted by rally organizers) A sive signs and wearing polyester Legislative leaders were at least re- shorts, descended on the state capital yes- lieved that they had added extra security terday to demand drastic cuts in services for the event from the State Capitol Police, to disabled children and homeless veterans. which some lawmakers stressed had been The event turned violent after the anti- “accidently” targeted for privatization or tax radicals stormed the gallery overlook- elimination in next year’s state budget. ing the House chamber, interrupted a criti- Challenged by some participants’ ob- cal four-hour debate on acupuncture regu- servation that the crowd largely consisted lation in Mitchell County, and let loose with of mothers with preschool children, bald- what some called a “fusillade” of stringed ing men in business suits, and elderly retir- projectiles on the overworked legislators. ees with wide-brimmed hats, horrified law- Several of the missiles hit the chamber makers pointed out that had they not ar- floor with an ominous plop, as a suspicious ranged for the extra security, there is no tell- powdery substance threatened to erupt ing what could have happened. from its thin paper casing and fly into eyes, “You’d be surprised at how hard my noses, mouths, and other open orifices. grandmother can throw,” said one House “I was afraid,” said one lawmaker cow- Appropriations Committee leader. ering underneath his desk and clutching a Moon Pie in his quivering hand. “I spent Clothes Viewed as Threatening some time in a Wake Forest frat house, so I know how dangerous these things can get.” What appalled some lawmakers watch- ing the rally from behind safety glass in the Added Security Averted Disaster Legislative Office Building was the gro- tesque imagery of the protesters. Right-wing mob speaks out against essential state services, readies attack on House chamber. The so-called Tar Heel Tea Party One participant dressed like the villain Against Taxes — reportedly organized by from “Scary Movie” with the slogan “Taxes charges against the demonstrators. Carolina Libertarian Party,” sniffed one dis- front groups for tobacco companies, HMOs, Kill” prominently displayed. Representa- Another protester wore a Revolution- gusted lawmaker who has been active in and California power suppliers — threat- tives from the North Carolina Department ary War uniform and tricornered hat. the gun-control movement for many years. ened to overwhelm state government’s un- of Revenue, on hand to identify any pos- “He was obviously a member of the “Someone should have checked the clip on der-funded water and sewer facilities. sible tax dodgers at the rally, mentioned that ‘patriot movement,’ the National Rifle As- his fully automatic musket to make sure it According to the scuttlebutt in the leg- they were considering filing hate-crime sociation, and possibly even the North didn’t contain cop-killer bullets.” CJ

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