Martinez: Embrace natural allies
The good news for Republicans is that they control their own destiny. They can learn to listen and embrace new voices - or preach to an ever-shrinking piece of America.Click to Continue »
View ArticleMartinez: Immigrants and the GOP, continued
Immigrants have always helped enrich and shape American culture. Assimilation directs cultural diversity toward common goals and values.Click to Continue »
View ArticleMartinez: Winning football by degrees
The bowl team results are clear. A football uniform and a cap and gown can fit nicely on the same person.Click to Continue »
View ArticleMartinez: Planning a park in the dark
The Dix deal has all the elements good-government types decry - last-minute agreements crafted with no public input, million-dollar contributions from monied elite and elected officials mocking the...
View ArticleThe evil we must confront
Gun control laws don?t address evil, and neither do mental health professionals. Priests, rabbis and imams are experts in that field. Yet there has not been a serious call for…Click to Continue »
View ArticleMoochers, almost all of us
The real number the one that will push us into fiscal oblivion regardless of what Congress does is 96. Nearly all of us 96 percent get…Click to Continue »
View ArticleMartinez: An arena, not Dix, as a Raleigh destination
Unless the legislature steps in, converting Dix to a park is a done deal. If that happens, it will be the biggest planning mistake in the Triangle since the placement…Click to Continue »
View ArticleMartinez: The Martinez plan for a balanced budget
In exchange for raising the debt ceiling and easing sequestration cuts, Congress must pass a law requiring a balanced federal budget within 10 years. It must also send to the…Click to Continue »
View ArticleMartinez: The pay McCrory's Cabinet secretaries deserve
Here's a news flash for those who think raises are unfair: Cabinet secretaries aren't rank and file. For starters, they can easily be fired and have no civil service protection.Click to Continue »
View ArticleMartinez: A forever foray into the world of guns
Despite the political rhetoric that surrounds firearms, I view guns for what they are: mere tools. Over the next months, I'll learn which gun or guns are right for me.Click to Continue »
View ArticleMartinez: McCrory's correct comments bring overdue look at relevance
Why is the academy so upset? Gov. Pat McCrory didn't say he wants to defund the liberal arts and turn the university system into UNC-Tech. It was his audacity to…Click to Continue »
View ArticleMartinez: Pat McCrory meets a Democratic mess
Democratic leaders such as Govs. Bev Perdue and Mike Easley, Senate President Pro Tem Marc Basnight and House Speaker Joe Hackney either refused to read the state's balance sheets or…Click to Continue »
View ArticleMartinez: Benedict just the pope the church needed
When Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was selected after Pope John Paul II's death, I was downright disappointed. As prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Cardinal Ratzinger was…Click to...
View ArticleMartinez: Time to split up too-big-to-succeed Wake schools
The Wake County commissioners seem to have missed the gigantic elephant in the room. I understand why they want to own the school system's major capital assets (primarily school buildings),Click to...
View ArticleOffshore drilling? Do it for the poor
Fossil fuels are the most effective anti-poverty tool the world has at its disposal. Education is the road to self-reliance, but affordable energy is what propels people to school and…Click to...
View ArticleMartinez: How helping the poor breaks the bank
Eight of 10 government programs help poor and disabled people with specific needs, such as health care, housing, food, even higher education through Pell grants. The Earned Income Tax Credit…Click to...
View ArticleMartinez: North Carolina's need to nail down drone details
There are plenty of drone-related questions North Carolina legislators need to ask. Someone needs to be willing to emulate Rand Paul's commitment and push for answers on what parameters, if…Click to...
View ArticleEnough with the state’s GOP leaders meddling in local affairs
The degree of local meddling that’s emerging from state GOP lawmakers is beginning to resemble political score-settling, not prudent governmental self-restraint the GOP says its supports…Click to...
View ArticleMartinez: Consolidate UNC campuses, but give savings to HBCUs
HBCU chancellors and African-American community leaders should consider proposing a consolidation plan themselves. The Republican-led General Assembly likely would be friendly to the idea of creating...
View ArticleOff to McCrorys office, humbled and happy
This is it, my last column for The News & Observer. As Rob Christensen first reported last week, Ive taken a job with Gov. Pat McCrorys administration.Click to Continue »
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