Perdue vs. the GOP: Takeaways From the Debate

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The budget debate of the last several years has been filled with political charges and counter-charges. So who won the political debate? John Locke Foundation President John Hood discusses the political takeaways for both the Democrats and the Republicans as the 2012 election cycle begins. Then we turn to one of the most high-profile skirmishes during this year's legislative session, which pitted N.C. House Speaker Thom Tillis, R-Mecklenburg, against the paid staffers of the N.C. Association of Educators. You'll hear Tillis' complaints about the teachers' group and reaction from Terry Stoops, John Locke Foundation Director of Education Studies. Next is a discussion about a bill that cleared the state House this year and aims to discourage habitual thieves. Rep. Jim Crawford, D-Granville, explained the proposal during a recent debate. You'll hear his comments, along with those of Reps. Dan Ingle, R-Alamance, and Mike Stone, R-Lee. That's followed by a look at the legislative session's closing days. During that time, charter school advocates made a push for bipartisan support of a bill to lift North Carolina's cap of 100 charter schools statewide. You'll hear highlights from a news conference featuring Darrell Allison of Parents for Educational Freedom in North Carolina, along with Democratic lawmakers who supported lifting the cap. Durham fifth-grader Aniekan Affiah and her mother Colette also discussed their unsuccessful efforts to win a charter school slot. And finally, John Locke Foundation Local Government Analyst and Director of Research Michael Sanera explains budget pressures facing local governments and how they can protect citizen freedoms by following certain principles as it relates to revenue, services, and land use/property rights. The discussion comes as some counties have decided, and others consider, putting a quarter-cent sales tax hike on the fall ballot.