Opinion Homepage
Winners still flirt with swing voters
March 18, 2024
Carolina Journal’s first post-primary survey is out. It shows our state’s 2024 general elections will be, as usual, quite competitive. That’s not to say North Carolina’s electorate is perfectly purple. It’s not. All other things being equal, Republicans enjoy a modest edge statewide of a...
NC’s legislative majority embraces unfiltered extremism
March 18, 2024
For decades, political operatives crafted their parties’ strategies according to the delicate tenets of the median voter theorem. The protocol was to prune and adjust controversial positions until the party’s platform aligned with the preferences of the most moderate and influential bloc in the electorate:...
Why no Poole’s in ‘Roadside Eateries’?
March 18, 2024
“I can’t find Poole’s in the revised edition of ‘North Carolina’s Roadside Eateries: A Traveler’s Guide to Local Restaurants, Diners and Barbecue Joints.’ What happened?” It is the first complaint I have gotten about the new version of “Roadside Eateries," being published by UNC Press...
Our Opinion: Black Hole Award shines sunlight on legislative secrecy
March 18, 2024
With its business-friendly climate and relatively low cost of living, North Carolina often lands at or near the top of national lists ranking the best states for tech startups, young families and retirees. Lawmakers have earned the Tar Heel State another distinction, but it’s not...
Our Opinion: ‘Hold my beer,’ Congress dares with TikTok ban
March 14, 2024
Thirteen members of North Carolina’s congressional delegation voted to block you from using TikTok unless its Chinese parent company agrees to a forced sale of the video-sharing app. Just one stood up for your right to engage with ideas on social media platforms the federal...
Our Opinion: Elm City plays hide and seek with its auditors
March 11, 2024
When it comes to government secrecy, withholding public records is bad enough. Withholding them from the contractor you’ve hired to review those records at taxpayer expense really takes the cake. Accounting firm Greg Isley, CPA, sent former state auditor Beth Wood as its emissary to...
ReunionFest unites all Wilson schools’ alumni
March 18, 2024
On Sept. 20-22, Wilson will host its first-ever ReunionFest! What is ReunionFest? It is a festival approach to high school reunions. Allow me to bring you up to speed. My name is Don Doster, and I graduated from Fike High School in 1982. My father,...
In NC, ‘nonprofit hospital’ is an oxymoron
March 18, 2024
Nonprofit hospitals deserve more scrutiny than they tend to receive. As nonprofits, these hospitals are exempt from paying most taxes, but in exchange for this exemption, they are expected to provide community benefits and charity care to patients in need. Unfortunately, however, many nonprofit hospitals...
Trump unfit to lead America
March 16, 2024
A vote for Donald Trump is a vote against American democracy. He has no regard for the U.S. Constitution, the Bill of Rights, duty, honor, love of country or any of the values that Americans have fought and died for at home and all over...