Carolina Journal Radio No. 746: Politically active CEOs can hurt shareholder value

Politically active corporate CEOs have been making news in recent months. In some cases, the political activism could mean bad news for the corporate bottom line. Jon Pritchett, John Locke Foundation senior vice president, argues in a recent co-authored Wall Street Journal column that corporate shareholders negatively affected by a CEO’s activism should be able to take legal action. He explains why. Critics have been pointing to Kansas in recent years as the poster child for the pitfalls of state-level tax reform. But Patrick Gleason, director of state affairs at Americans for Tax Reform, contends that North Carolina serves as a better model for other states to emulate. Gleason says the Tar Heel State succeeded where the Sunflower State failed because N.C. lawmakers curbed government spending growth at the same time they enacted tax rate cuts. The newest member of North Carolina’s congressional delegation hasn’t shied away from high-profile issues. U.S. Rep. Ted Budd, R-13th District, has focused recent efforts on repealing the Davis-Bacon Act, which forces contractors working on government-funded projects to pay workers a certain level of wages. Budd also supports a measure to set a new national strategy for fighting terrorism and illicit finance. You’ll hear highlights from his remarks. Another North Carolina congressman, U.S. Rep. Mark Meadows, R-11th District, heads the conservative House Freedom Caucus. During a recent address at the National Press Club, Meadows discussed the group’s goals and explained how it operates as a counterweight against the formal caucus structure within the U.S. House of Representatives. Public school enrollment declined across North Carolina in 2016-17. District school enrollment has been stagnant for five years. Terry Stoops, the John Locke Foundation’s vice president for research, analyzes the latest numbers and assesses their implications. Stoops discusses the impact of the growing school choice movement and the future of traditional public schools.