Carolina Journal Radio No. 867: Year-end special revisits intriguing 2019 topics

As we look forward to a new year, Carolina Journal Radio reviews some of the most interesting topics from 2019. North Carolina’s system for funding public schools is broken. A more student-centered approach to funding could fix the problem. Terry Stoops, John Locke Foundation vice president for research and resident scholar, discusses recommendations from a new report that recommends a major overhaul of N.C. public education financing. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2018 that unions representing state government workers couldn’t force nonmembers to pay union dues. The winning plaintiff in that case, Mark Janus, continues his fight against forced unionization. Now a senior fellow with the Liberty Justice Center, Janus visited North Carolina this year to discuss his case and its aftermath. Most public school students advance from grade to grade with their same-age peers. But not all of them are ready for the academic challenges linked to the next grade level. That’s why some state lawmakers are pushing for study of a competency-based education system. You’ll hear details of their plan. The feminist movement has had an undeniable impact on the lives of women. Mona Charen, senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center, says feminism has had a much-less-publicized effect on men. Charen explored the consequences of feminism during a recent presentation in North Carolina. North Carolina has one of the nation’s best laws limiting civil asset forfeiture abuse. But the state still could be open to problems if local law enforcement agencies circumvent that law when working with the federal government. Jon Guze, John Locke Foundation director of legal studies, discusses how other states have addressed the circumvention problem.