A Sound, Basic Education Cooper Aide Untruthful? Twenty-Four Lawmakers
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
EDUCATION INVESTIGATIONS A sound, basic education Cooper aide untruthful? New consent order in Leandro A Duke Energy lobbyist said Ken Eudy case sets stage for action didn’t tell truth to investigators PAGE 12 PAGE 13 FOR DAILY UPDATES VISIT CAROLINAJOURNAL.COM AN AWARD-WINNING JOURNAL OF NEWS, ANALYSIS, AND OPINION FROM THE JOHN LOCKE FOUNDATION CAROLINAJOURNAL.COM VOL. 29 • NO. 2 • FEBRUARY 2020 • STATEWIDE EDITION MOVERS & SHAKERS Carolina Journal welcomes new publisher NEW YEAR, NEW LOOK John Locke Foundation Twenty-four lawmakers leaving N.C. General Assembly in 2020 gets new CEO LINDSAY MARCHELLO ASSOCIATE EDITOR he General Assembly will look a bit different Amy O. Cooke after the 2020 session. Twenty-four lawmakers — BY JOHN TRUMP, Republicans and Democrats T MANAGING EDITOR — have opted not to run for re-election. Institutional knowledge my O. Cooke is the will shrink as experienced new publisher of Car- lawmakers leave the General olina Journal. She is al- Assembly, political scientists so the new CEO for the John say. But the turnover may al- ALocke Foundation. low new issues and ideas to Cooke for 16 years filled take center stage. a variety of policy and oper- Longtime lawmakers have ations roles at the Indepen- significant institutional dence Institute, a free-mar- knowledge about issues and legislate,” said Chris Cooper, is if the majorities for either Cooper said. ket think tank in Colorado — PAGE 10: Profiles of all 24 policies, said Michael Bitzer, political science professor at parties are very narrow,” Tay- “We are going to lose some the past eight years as the in- outgoing legislators, their political science professor at thoughts, and works. Western Carolina University. lor said. expertise, and that will be a stitute’s executive vice pres- Catawba College. Power could become more If this plays out, Tay- problem, but we will get some ident. She brings to Raleigh Lawmakers, too, have over centralized with leadership lor said, it opens the door fresh ideas, too,” he said. a strong, clear voice for free time developed good working hallways of the 1960s-era as newcomers turn to senior for members — particular- And those fresh ideas could markets, limited government, relationships, which can lead Legislative Building. Next, members for direction, said ly those in the majority party bring fresh collaboration be- and individual liberties. to coordination and compro- they must craft political rela- Andy Taylor, political science — to push for decentralizing tween members, Bitzer said. “I love a challenge and mise. tionships and build alliances. professor at N.C. State Uni- power and giving more auton- But there’s a flip side. The enjoy being slightly unpre- The old guard has experi- Only then can their real versity. Established members omy to committee chairs from growth of partisanship and dictable,” she says. “And ence getting things done in work begin. have a greater claim to com- the leadership. polarization in today’s envi- who wouldn’t want to come the legislature, something “We are going to have mittee chairs or leadership People who favor term lim- ronment may limit a willing- to North Carolina and John newcomers will take time to newcomers who don’t know positions than do newcomers. its and want new blood in the ness of new members to reach Locke?” learn. First, they must nav- where to find the copy ma- “But perhaps the one cir- General Assembly will see the continued PAGE 9 continued PAGE 3 igate the indistinguishable chine, much less know how to cumstance that might change large turnover as a positive, Interview: CAROLINA JOURNAL 4800 SIX FORKS ROAD, #220 Danielle Robinson RALEIGH, NC 27609 The state director of BLEXIT CJ ONLINE PERMIT NO. 302 NO. PERMIT N.C. explains how Democrats DURHAM, NC DURHAM, no longer stand for the values jlf.carolina.journal PAID traditionally important to @carolinajournal U.S. POSTAGE U.S. African-American voters. NONPROFIT ORG. NONPROFIT www.carolinajournal.com PAGE 14 [email protected] GET MORE CAROLINA JOURNAL 2 CAROLINA JOURNAL // FEBRUARY 2020 CAROLINA JOURNAL Education and School Choice A POLL OF REGISTERED N.C. VOTERS PUBLISHER JANUARY 2020 Amy O. Cooke @therightaoc Parents v. Government EDITOR-IN-CHIEF In your opinion, who is best suited to determine Rick Henderson where a child should attend school? @deregulator ◼ PARENTS/GUARDIANS 78% MANAGING EDITOR ◼ GOVERNMENT 8% John Trump ◼ UNSURE 16% @stillnbarrel General Assembly leaves ASST. MANAGING EDITOR Kari Travis @karilynntravis town without a budget EXECUTIVE EDITOR Parental Choice Don Carrington awmakers have gone home with Cooper and uphold his budget Do you agree or disagree with the following [email protected] without raising teacher pay veto. statement: Parents should have the ability to and without passing a new Political loyalty to Cooper and choose where their child attends school? ASSOCIATE EDITORS state budget. his Medicaid expansion plan is more Julie Havlak During a session of the Gener- important than funding teacher pay ◼ STRONGLY AGREE 53% @juliehavlak L al Assembly on Jan. 14, Senate Re- raises and school construction and ◼ SOMEWHAT AGREE 28% Mitch Kokai publicans failed to garner enough paying for a new Brody School of ◼ SOMEWHAT DISAGREE 8% @mitchkokai votes to override the vetoes of two Medicine at East Carolina Universi- ◼ STRONGLY DISAGREE 6% Lindsay Marchello bills. The veto overrides for Senate ty, Berger said. ◼ UNSURE 6% @LynnMarch007 Bill 354, Strengthening Educators’ A second-year budget could in- Pay, and Senate Bill 553, Regulatory clude everything left out of the se- JOURNALISM FELLOW Reform Act of 2019, were defeated ries of mini-budgets the General As- Education and Taxation Brooke Conrad strictly along party lines. The legis- sembly passed last year. Would you favor or oppose legislative proposals lature requires a three-fifths majori- But don’t hold your breath, the DESIGNER that provide parents greater flexibility in Greg de Deugd ty to override a veto. Senate leader said. allocating how their tax dollars are spent for [email protected] The vetoed budget bill, House “I am prepared to negotiate a full their child’s education? Bill 966, didn’t come up for a vote. second-year budget with the gover- PUBLISHED BY Senate Democrats showed ani- nor as long as he drops his Medicaid ◼ STRONGLY FAVOR 36% mosity toward Republicans’ teacher ultimatum,” Berger said. ◼ SOMEWHAT FAVOR 33% pay offer during the session. When Twenty-one Democrats were ◼ SOMEWHAT OPPOSE 10% the veto of S.B. 534 came up for a committed to upholding the gov- ◼ STRONGLY OPPOSE 7% vote, the minority party stood uni- ernor’s veto, Senate Democratic The John Locke Foundation ◼ UNSURE 14% fied in opposition. Their reasons leader Sen. Dan Blue, D-Wake, said 4800 Six Forks Road, #220 varied. Some said the pay raises during his own news conference. Raleigh, N.C. 27609 Harper Polling, on behalf of Civitas Institute, surveyed 800 registered N.C. voters from Jan. 20 to Jan. 22. The margin of weren’t enough. Others said the bill But Blue said he’s willing to dis- (919) 828-3876 • Fax: 821-5117 error is plus or minus 3.46%. Some results may not amount to 100% because of rounding. left retirees and noncertified em- cuss Medicaid expansion separately www.JohnLocke.org ployees — like bus drivers and jan- if it means moving forward on core John Hood itors — behind. issues such as educator pay. Chairman Senate Republicans said their “Compromise is not a dirty COMMENTARY BY JOHN HOOD Bill Graham, John M. Hood Democratic colleagues had a choice: word,” Blue said. Vote for the pay raises in the bill, or Cooper vetoed the $24 billion Ted Hicks, Christine Mele, go home with nothing. Senate Dem- General Fund budget bill June 28. He Rodney C. Pitts, Paul Slobodian ocrats chose nothing. criticized the Republican-led Gener- David Stover, Edwin Thomas Competition needed With the veto override of S.B. al Assembly for prioritizing tax cuts Board of Directors 534 defeated, teachers might not over investments in public educa- ISSN 2578-8167 Carolina Journal is see raises until 2021. tion. But the lack of money for Med- in health care a monthly journal of news, analysis, Negotiations over teacher pay icaid expansion in the budget drove and commentary on state and local government and public policy issues probably won’t happen with Gov. Cooper’s veto. in North Carolina. Roy Cooper any time soon, Senate Cooper made it clear that, with- ccording to North Carolina conditions, disagree. This is North leader Phil Berger, R-Rockingham, out Medicaid expansion, any nego- regulators, Mecklenburg Carolina’s certificate-of-need ©2020 by The John Locke Founda- tion Inc. All opinions expressed in by- said. tiations on moving forward with County needs 76 more system in action. Medical provid- lined articles are those of the authors “You know the definition of in- the budget are moot. hospital beds. Adding 80 would ers need a permission slip from and do not necessarily reflect the sanity. It’s doing the same thing While House Republicans reject- be excessive. Adding 72 would be the state to offer many kinds of views of the editors of CJ or the staff A and board of the John Locke Founda- over and over again,” Berger said. “I ed Cooper’s veto in a surprise vote inadequate. services. tion. Material published herein may don’t think we are going to take an- Sept. 11, the Senate waited to make I’m sure their 76-bed prediction Sound more like the workings of be reprinted as long as appropriate other swipe at that.” an attempt. was made in good faith. I’m sure it 1970s-era Bulgaria than of a free credit is given. Submissions and let- ters are welcome and should be di- Much of what was said in legis- In lieu of a full budget, the reflects their best understanding society of the 21st century? My rected to the editor.