Opinion: Columnists

Dec. 15, 2012 @ 06:54 PM

Guest columnist: Triangle volunteers make nonprofits hum

December is the time of year when many nonprofit organizations look back on the previous 12 months and think about the generosity of their supportive donors.


Dec. 15, 2012 @ 06:43 PM

Guest columnist: Shared sacrifice – including from top 2 percent -- needed on debt

The Campaign to Fix the Debt has made headlines across the state in recent weeks, and it’s no surprise. With Erskine Bowles steering the ship, Govs. Jim Hunt and Jim Holshouser on board and an op-ed from Hugh McColl and Robert Ingram popping up in newspapers around the state -- including this one -- what’s not to love?


Dec. 13, 2012 @ 11:48 PM

Robinson: Time to look for a real cliff?

Are you as sick of the "fiscal cliff" as I am? Actually, that's a trick question. You couldn't possibly be.


Dec. 13, 2012 @ 07:20 PM

Hood: Time for officials to lead on budget

Newly elected Republican Gov. Pat McCrory and the newly re-elected Republican legislature may have an ambitious agenda for dramatically cutting taxes or adding new programs.


Dec. 13, 2012 @ 04:52 PM

Parker: True story of fatherlessness needs reinforcing

One of my great hopes for a Barack Obama administration -- and thus one of my personal disappointments -- was that he would use his bully pulpit to emphasize the importance of a two-parent family, and especially of fathers, to children's well-being.


Dec. 13, 2012 @ 04:42 PM

Guest columnist: N.C., U.S. energy development key to fiscal future

As the political class and talking heads in Washington argue back and forth over whether or not to raise taxes to avert the “fiscal cliff,” we may be missing the larger point.


Dec. 12, 2012 @ 05:57 PM

Guest columnist: State government must be held to high accountability standards

What would the ideal job look like for you? Would it be one in which you had free rein to do whatever your heart desired and were paid regardless of your productivity? Or would you prefer a position in which you created value for yourself and others but were also held to a high standard? Would you rather get money for doing nothing or earn it as a reward for a job well done?


Dec. 11, 2012 @ 05:43 PM

Guest columnist: Another year, another would-be apocalypse

The ongoing fascination with the Maya apocalypse, and related speculations about the “last days on Earth,” is a flashback for me.


Dec. 11, 2012 @ 05:29 PM

Martin: Negotiations require nuance, understanding

Why doesn’t U.S. House Speaker John Boehner go ahead and recognize the hard facts?


Dec. 10, 2012 @ 10:23 PM

Guest columnist: Looking at immigration through the wrong lens

Thursday’s do-nothing result of an North Carolina House panel on immigration left many in the state pounding their fists, while others breathed a collective sigh of relief.


Dec. 09, 2012 @ 06:33 PM

Guest columnist: Support sustainable harvesting methods for shrimp

This holiday season, many Americans will feast with family and friends to celebrate a most joyous time of year.


Dec. 08, 2012 @ 07:12 PM

Hood: Voter ID will pass quickly

One of the first bills the North Carolina General Assembly will enact next year, and that new Gov. Pat McCrory will sign, will establish a photo ID requirement to vote in North Carolina. It will pass quickly because it is uncontroversial.


Dec. 08, 2012 @ 06:44 PM

Ashley: A riverfront transforms; is it pork?

On a visit back to Owensboro, Ky., recently, I made it a point to go take a close look at development that is occurring along the banks of the Ohio River.


Dec. 08, 2012 @ 05:52 PM

Guest columnist: C2C project offers great example of positive support for youth

I recently relocated my family from New Jersey to North Carolina. This move not only brought us nearer to our larger family, it also afforded me the opportunity to take a break.


Dec. 07, 2012 @ 09:39 PM

Pitts: Colorado ‘gun dorm’ has few takers

Young people are not exactly renowned for their judgment.