Carolina Journal Radio No. 821: Candidates make early jump into 2020 races

Candidates are already lining up for the 2020 elections in North Carolina. It’s not unusual to see candidates jump into a race a year before the election. But some might be throwing their hats into the ring even earlier than normal. That’s because primary elections have been moved up from May to March. Rick Henderson, Carolina Journal editor-in-chief, discusses developments in the upcoming races for governor, U.S. Senate, and other important statewide elected positions. Some governments use sin taxes to nudge people away from behavior that elected officials and bureaucrats dislike. Adam Hoffer, associate professor of economics at the University of Wisconsin at Lacrosse, discusses the problems associated with using taxation to spur behavioral change. His comments are linked to his work from the recent book For Your Own Good. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill faced a couple of recent surprises. Chancellor Carol Folt announced her resignation, then decided to remove the pedestal of the controversial Silent Sam Confederate monument in the middle of the night. That move prompted UNC System officials to move up Folt’s departure date. Harry Smith, chairman of the system’s Board of Governors, explains why he and his colleagues took action. The N.C. Supreme Court recently celebrated its 200th anniversary. Speaking less than three weeks before he announced his resignation, Chief Justice Mark Martin urged colleagues to set aside personal policy preferences to work together in upholding the rule of law. N.C. lawmakers will face pressure this year to expand the state’s Medicaid program. Jordan Roberts, John Locke Foundation health care policy analyst, says Medicaid expansion would create problems for North Carolina, even in a form different from the expansion proposal tied to President Obama’s Affordable Care Act.