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FIGHTING WASTE AND MYTHS
JLF research asks the questions our policymakers still don't
 Public officials in North Carolina seem to be in perpetual "expand the government" mode, whether by legislative fiat (such as the new state budget, which increases non-voter-approved debt in the state by an amount approaching a billion dollars), by smoke and mirrors and shoddy expert testimony (such as Attorney General Roy Cooper's lawsuit against the Tennessee Valley Authority), or by insufficient and easily eclipsed property rights (such as the state's completely ineffective protection of private property owners against communities looking to expand). Suffice it to say they always keep the research staff of the John Locke Foundation, North Carolina's leading think tank, busy at work striving to expand individual liberty and transform government through competition, innovation, personal freedom, and personal responsibility.
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Why has the air in Beijing, China been so dirty and polluted that, just days before the Summer Olympics were set to begin, athletes worried about the need to wear air filtration masks to protect their health?
Hint: China is very much a command-and-control (read: communist-model) country. As one observer noted "...the people exist for the benefit of the government."
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Budgeting on Borrowed Time
The North Carolina General Assembly's $21.4 billion budget for FY 2009 was prepared behind closed doors with minimal involvement from all but a dozen legislators of either party and little opportunity for the public or other legislators to review spending proposals before a final vote, such as $858 million in new debt not subject to voter approval.
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State’s experts exaggerate health effects of emissions reductions
RALEIGH – Forcing the Tennessee Valley Authority to reduce emissions from its coal-fired power plants would create far more costs than benefits, according to a new John Locke Foundation Policy Report.
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N.C. annexation law lets cities do whatever they want
RALEIGH – North Carolina law places few limits on cities and towns seeking to annex property owners by force. That’s the key message in a new John Locke Foundation Spotlight report that targets 10 annexation myths.
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Illegal immigrantsIllegal Immigrants and N.C. Driver's Licenses It's very easy for illegal immigrants to obtain driver's licenses in N.C. Despite the warnings by the state auditor and many others, N.C. accepts IRS-issued Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers, primarily issued to illegal immigrants, for a license. 
Unclear numbers hurt immigration debate RALEIGH – Dubious numbers hamper the debate over illegal immigration in North Carolina, according to a new Spotlight report from the John Locke Foundation.
| | Cars and roadsFailed N.C. auto insurance market hurts most drivers RALEIGH – North Carolina's auto insurance market does not work. It undercharges many bad drivers and overcharges nearly all of the best drivers while guaranteeing profits for insurance companies. That's the assessment of a new John Locke Foundation Policy Report.
Treat Traffic Congestion at Its Source RALEIGH – Light rail isn't the solution to traffic congestion in the Triangle. The good news is that there are several immediate, common-sense, and far less costly solutions available to Triangle leaders. Those are described in a new John Locke Foundation Regional Brief.
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N.C. school districts earn low grades in 'parent-friendly' rating
Click here to view and here to listen to Terry Stoops discussing this Spotlight report.
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The Parental Prerogative
How ‘parent-friendly’ are school districts in North Carolina?
This report develops a system to evaluate school districts on how “parent-friendly” they are. In other words, to what extent do North Carolina’s school districts provide children a sound, basic education in a stable and safe school environment that is responsive to the needs of children and the concerns of parents?
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North Carolina’s Unfair Auto Insurance System
North Carolina’s government-controlled auto insurance system is unfair to good drivers because it overcharges them in order to subsidize some of the state’s more risky and dangerous drivers. Every auto insurance policy written in the state has a hidden tax – which averages 6 percent – that goes to the government-mandated, privately run insurance pool. This pool uses the tax to subsidize the policies of risky drivers who should, but don’t, pay higher rates because of a legal cap. Current regulations place a maximum on auto insurance rates. Insurance companies are allowed to dump into a risk pool anyone whose risk factors are such that a rate below the maximum would be unprofitable. Even though these people are placed in the high-risk pool, the rates that they pay are still subject to the cap. The tax money is used to make up the difference between the capped rate and the amount that the high-risk driver should pay. Some private insurance companies like the system because it guarantees them a profit by allowing them to dump risky drivers into the government-mandated tax-subsidized pool. In fact, 25 percent of N.C. policyholders are in the pool compared to less than 2 percent nationally. Not only is the tax hidden, the pool is hidden because risky drivers in the pool continue to receive bills from their private insurance company. This allows the private company to sell these customers other types of insurance, such as life and home insurance. Who are these risky drivers who receive unfair subsidies from good drivers? Nobody knows for certain since companies can cede any risky driver they want into the pool. But it’s highly likely that many are teenage males who may have clean driving records, but as a group are more prone to tickets and accidents. Since the government-controlled rate setting process does not allow insurance companies to use age as a factor, the 18-year-old who drives a red sports car pays a rate that does not reflect his risk of an accident. (Drivers with multiple tickets or serious accidents regardless of age also end up in the government-mandated pool, but, on balance, they do pay rates that reflect their risks.) While average rates in North Carolina are in line with other states in the Southeast, good drivers are still paying more than they should. The reforms suggested in this report would simplify the current bureaucratic system and lower rates for many, if not most, drivers in the state.
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Monday, August 25, 2008 at 12 noon »
A meeting of the Shaftesbury Society with our special guest Todd Cohen
The John Locke Foundation, 200 W Morgan St., Raleigh, NC
Trends in the Charitable Marketplace: Growth, Competition and Rising Demand to Build Capacity
Tuesday, September 16, 2008 at 12:00 noon »
Headliner Luncheon in Raleigh, NC with our special guest Roy Spencer, Ph. D.
Holiday Inn Brownstone Hotel, 1707 Hillsborough St., Raleigh, NC
Climate Confusion:
How Global Warming Hysteria Leads to Bad Science, Pandering Politicians and Misguided Policies that Hurt the Poor
Thursday, September 18, 2008 at 12:00 noon »
Headliner Luncheon in Charlotte, NC with our special guest Fred Barnes
The Westin Charlotte, 601 South College Street, Charlotte 28202
The 2008 Elections
Wednesday, September 24, 2008 at 12:00 noon »
Headliner Luncheon in Winston-Salem, NC with our special guest Michael Barone
Benton Convention Center, 301 West 5th Street, Winston-Salem, NC 27101
2008 Elections
Thursday, September 25, 2008 at 12:00 noon »
Headliner Luncheon in Fayetteville, NC with our special guest Lt. General Thomas McInerney, USAF (ret.)
Holiday Inn Fayetteville-Bordeaux, 1707 Owen Drive, Fayetteville, NC 28304
Update on War on Terrorism
Thursday, October 16, 2008 at 12:00 noon »
Headliner Luncheon in Raleigh, NC with our special guest Regina Herzlinger, Ph.D.
Hilton, North Raleigh, 3415 Wake Forest Road, Raleigh, NC
Who Killed Health Care?
Wednesday, October 22, 2008 at 12:00 noon »
Headliner Luncheon & Book Signing in Asheville, NC with our special guest Cal Thomas
Renaissance Hotel, 31 Woodfin Street, Asheville, NC 28801
American Political Scene
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