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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 »

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Martinez: 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 »

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Martinez: 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 »

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Martinez: 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...

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The 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 »

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Moochers, 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 »

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Martinez: 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 »

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Martinez: 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 »

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Martinez: 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 »

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Martinez: 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 »

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Martinez: 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 »

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Martinez: 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 »

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Martinez: 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...

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Martinez: 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...

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Offshore 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...

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Martinez: 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...

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Martinez: 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...

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Enough 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...

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Martinez: 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...

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Off to McCrory’s office, humbled and happy

This is it, my last column for The News & Observer. As Rob Christensen first reported last week, I’ve taken a job with Gov. Pat McCrory’s administration.Click to Continue »

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