On May 4 unemployment claims in North Carolina surpassed 1 million. A staggering number for a state that was in great economic shape prior to the Covid-19 epidemic. Policy experts at the Civitas Institute are continuing to make recommendations to help reopen our state and get North Carolinians back to work. Maintaining and improving upon the security of our elections across North Carolina is a critical task for Civitas of the organization. There is no doubt 2020 will be a contincious election and citizens need to know the outcomes are safe and fair.
One of the big issues at the state level is the growing frustration with the continued lockdown and a lack of information from the governor. State Treasurer Dale Folwell and NC Congressman Dan Bishop say they are unable to receive updates from Gov. Roy Cooper. Folwell even stated that he receives all his information from the governor via his press conferences, suggesting that there is little to minimal cooperation between the governor and the other elected officials on the Council of State.
One of the main points I made in the from the editor section is that during a crisis we need responsible and virtuous citizens to ease the burden of government overreach. An essential compotent of self-government is being able to govern ourselves. Perhaps we should have a preferance for guidelines from the state but less heavy handed mandates. Businesses are being destroyed across North Carolina, particularly small businesses because of the government shutdown. Many big companies and box stores remain open while smaller businesses suffer. Lack of transparency and misinformation from government should remind us they do not have all the answers, even in a pandemic. Civitas will not only continue to follow the growing tension but provide solutions outside of the one-size-fits-all mandates.
