Republicans have a bone to pick with UNC. It’s a conservative vs. liberal dynamic that has defined the precarious relationship of the N.C. General Assembly with the state’s flagship public university for eons. But rarely has the hostility been this pronounced.
If you’re fed up with the current version of the Republican-led N.C. General Assembly, there’s a glimmer of hope on the very distant horizon.
There was a telling disparity between how the UNC-system General Administration and its governing board responded to Gov. Pat McCrory’s proposed budget cut to the university system.
In an era of intense political polarization, most of us can agree that creating jobs and reviving the economy should be a top policy priority, given that North Carolina has the third-highest unemployment rate in the country.
The N.C. General Assembly is in full swing with a flurry of bills ranging from blocking the expansion of Medicaid and trimming unemployment insurance to fast-tracking fracking and banning the exposure of female nipples.
Right out of the gate, Republicans in the N.C. General Assembly want to reject federal Medicaid money, eliminate the state income tax and fire every member of eight major statewide boards and commissions.
One of North Carolina’s great political distinctions has been its long series of “education governors” — leaders from both parties who have championed strong investment and data-driven innovation in public education. The next few months might threaten that legacy.
With former Duke Energy executive Pat McCrory now sworn in as governor of North Carolina, Duke Energy could be more powerful than ever — and that’s not a good thing.
The year 2010 started the shift, but the 2012 election marks the beginning of an unprecedented re-alignment in North Carolina politics. For the first time since the late 1800s, the modern Republican Party will control the governor’s mansion and both chambers of the N.C. General Assembly.
Like many of you, I voted early at Rams Head Dining Hall last week. But the next time I show up to vote in North Carolina, there’s a good chance I’ll need to bring a government-issued photo ID with me to the polls.
