“Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron’s cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own [...]
- Jun28
Nanny-State Bill Passes Thursday, Final Vote Monday Night
Never before has the term “Nanny State” been more applicable. The bill, HB1726 entitled “Improve Child Care Nutrition/Activity Standards,” is an intrusion on liberty that seeks to control food consumption at child care facilities. For example, the bill would prohibit serving sugar-sweetened beverages to children of any age in addition to requirements that all juices be [...]
- Nov30
IDK MY BFF JILL!
Tomorrow, HB 9, No Texting While Driving, takes effect. That’s right; get your texting done today because starting tomorrow if you are caught texting behind the wheel you can be fined up to $100. Gov. Purdue signed the Act in June making it unlawful to use a cell phone for email or text messaging while [...]
- 1Jun18
China, San Fran, NC?
The NC House passed a bill today that will allow the state to join a very exclusive list of governments that have banned single-use plastic shopping bags. The two other places these bags are banned — China and San Francisco. If the Senate concurs with the House version of SB 1018 on Monday night, retailers [...]
- Jun12
More Liberties Go Up in Smoke…
Though it may seem okay for the FDA to regulate the tobacco industry, where do we draw the line? I urge everyone to look at this regulation through a different lens. Is it possible that the U.S. Government does not feel you have the intelligence to make your own decisions regarding your health? Yes, that [...]
- 2Jun11
Sex Ed bill illustrates legislative think
Thanks to Mark Binker over at Capitol Beat we get to see what some legislators really think when they propose legislation. Rep. Susan Fisher (D – Buncombe) let slip the following, “It will allow schools to teach what I think needs to be taught”(emphasis added). You can listen to part of her interview here. She also is happy [...]
- Jun01
More Proof ATV Bill is a “Bad Bill”
In May, Chris Hayes wrote a Bad Bill of the Week on "The Government Wants to Know About Your ATV." Senator Eddie Goodall (R-Union) has written an excellent editorial giving a lot more weight in the form of numbers to why this is definitely a BAD BILL. Ever wonder how North Carolina’s government got so [...]
- May29
Homeowners Association Run Amok – Bad Bill of the Week
Once again a hard week to decide on the BBOTW. It was hard not to go with the NC Colon Hydrotherapy Licensure bill – maybe another week, but I think the Community Association Managers Licensure was more worthy because of all of the bad things that will result. Higher costs for homeowners, more government bureaucracy and [...]
- May27
At Least LaHood Admits It
President Obama's Secretary of Transportation, former Republican Congressman Ray LaHood, finally admitted publicly what the President's transportation policy is about. In response to George Will's recent column (a great read on its own) calling LaHood "Secretary of Behavior Modification" LaHood responded: "About everything we do around here is government intrusion into people's lives," he said. [...]
- 2May18
Is Your ATV or Dirt Bike Registered With the State?
A bill to require all offroad vehicles (ATVs, four-wheelers) and non-road use motorcycles (dirtbikes, racing bikes, etc.) is set to be heard in the Senate Commerce Committee tomorrow morning. SB 642, introduced by Sen. Doug Berger (D-Franklin) and Sen. Ellie Kinnaird (D-Orange) would require the owners of all offroad vehicles to register those vehicles with [...]
- May18
While House Bill 1261 is great in theory, is it practical? I have the answer – no.
Last week, the House passed HB 1261 by a vote of 112-4. It is “An act protecting children of this state by making cyber bullying a criminal offense punishing as a class 1 misdemeanor.” Our children need to be protected from cyber bullying, however, not like this. Besides the fact we are dealing with continued [...]
- 3May12
Ban on Plastic Bags?
The Senate State and Local Government Committee gave its approval today to a modified version of SB 1018. The original bill banned retailers from providing plastic bags to customers and could only provide paper bags that were made from recycled materials. The bill approved today would limit the counties affected to Currituck, Dare and Hyde. [...]
- 2Apr10
“Model” Legislation or saying no to Little Miss Sunshine
A tough week to pick our "Bad Bill of the Week" as there is so much competition. But Christine DiPietro found a real "winner" with Study Regulation/Beauty Pageant/Under 13 Yrs. Folks you can't make this stuff up. Read how our elected representatives have nothing better to do than introduce legislation to regulate the details of beauty pageants. [...]
- Mar30
Fancy Green Bulbs Fail, Surprise!
Have you bought into the all of the hype about compact fluorescent light bulbs? If you have then you may want to take a look at what the New York Times has to say about them. In an article picked up by the Charlotte Observer on Saturday, some of the shortcomings of the light bulb [...]
- Mar25
Are your feet hurting?
If so, Senator Fletcher Hartsell (R- Cabarrus) wants to make it more expensive for you to make them feel better.
- 1Mar20
Guns: two different views
A NC House Judiciary debated House Bill 270 by Representatives Hilton, Steen, Burr, Cleveland (same as Senate Bill 235) which is “an act to allow persons with concealed handgun permits to protect themselves and their families in restaurants.” In practice this would allow people who have been trained and licensed under state law and regulations [...]
- 2Mar10
Gambling OK – As Long as it is State-Sponsored
The Asheville Citizen-Times dedicates a large amount of print today looking at the different laws concerning gambling in North Carolina and how recent court decisions have made enforcing these laws much more troublesome. Two recent court orders have unclear implications for the future of gambling in North Carolina, from video machines in bars to corporate [...]
- 2Nov10
SC vs. NC
In a past post, that will likely become a regular feature, I contrasted the difference between North and South Carolina by examining the types of license plates each state's legislature have authorized. Word now comes from our conservative cousins to our south of a forthcoming sales tax holiday. Both states have tax holidays for back [...]
- 1Sep18
Regulation, Social Engineering to Blame for Financial Market Mess
Economist John Lott posted this must-read six months ago regarding the financial mess currently grabbing all the headlines. The article provides insight that you won’t find on the six o’clock news regarding the real reasons behind the crisis. Forget what you hear from politicians and the media (advice to follow pretty much regarding any issue), [...]
- 1Aug22
Homosexual Agenda Trumps Freedom of Conscience
What to know what will happen if North Carolina recognizes homosexuality as a protected class? In case you missed it, the CA Supreme Court ruled this week that doctors with conscientious objections to homosexuality cannot legally refuse to artificially inseminate lesbian couples. Robert Tyler, the head attorney for the group that represented the defendants, has [...]