Opinion Roundup: Aug. 6, 2016: Carolina 'Meh," truth or lies? lawyerly advice and more

Carolina comeback? More like Carolina ‘meh’ (Triad Business Journal column) -- The election season is heating up, and as always, the state of the economy is a key factor in voters’ decisions. When voters feel good about the economy and their own situation, they tend to support incumbents and the incumbent party. Feelings of economic insecurity generally push them toward challengers.

Did Pat McCrory water down coal ash warnings? (Charlotte Observer) - It’s not whether the governor was present at a meeting. It’s about misleading information given to well owners with contaminated water.

Why would Ken Rudo lie? (Charlotte Magazine column) -- I’m having some trouble getting past this: Why would Ken Rudo lie? What possible incentive would this man have for perjuring himself?

Public servant stands strong for safe water (Winston-Salem Journal) -- State Toxicologist Ken Rudo has taken the proper stand against the McCrory administration’s questionable water-safety claims.

Attorney general is state's lawyer, but also an arbiter (Wilson Times) -- With apologies to Kenny Rogers, a good lawyer knows when to hold ‘em and when to fold ‘em. Perhaps it isn’t that Attorney General Roy Cooper refuses to defend a law he doesn’t like; instead, he won’t throw good money after bad to fight a losing battle. Cooper, a Democrat challenging incumbent Republican Gov. Pat McCrory for re-election, envisions the office of attorney general as a post whose occupant actively interprets the law, analyzes precedent and court opinions and makes strategic decisions on which cases to pursue, even if it ruffles some feathers. McCrory and Newton seem to believe the role should be filled by a good soldier willing to suspend personal judgment, toe the legislature’s line and tilt at every last legal windmill.

Thom Tillis: ‘us vs. them' rhetoric toward police only divides nation (Charlotte Observer column) -- The American people have heavy hearts after watching the horrific, targeted massacres in Dallas and Baton Rouge that left a total of eight police officers dead. These senseless tragedies reminded the public of the tremendous dangers law enforcement officers face, as well as the growing divisions within our nation that desperately need to be addressed.

Can CEOs find their voice? (Charlotte Observer) -- Charlotte CEOs came together to help solve public problems like HB2. They’re off to a slow start.

N.C. should restore film incentives (Wilmington Star-News) -- North Carolina's film office counts just six TV and film productions in the Tar Heel State so far in 2016. Two of them, "Good Behavior" and "Six," wrapped filming in the Wilmington area last month.. Meanwhile, down in Georgia, the governor's office reports that film and TV production spending topped $2 billion in the fiscal year ending July 31.

Trump is wrong. Rigging an election is almost impossible (Washington Post column) -- This is how hard it would be to pull off widespread voter fraud.

GENE SMITH: If a reminder is needed, there's a better one (Fayetteville Observer column) -- The move to brand two government buildings with "IN GOD WE TRUST" leaves this Harnett County boy parked between indifference and puzzlement.

Words that tear down, and a picture that lifts up (EdNC column) -- Over the eight hot July days of oratory at the back-to-back Republican and Democratic national conventions, you heard hardly anything about education from pre-kindergarten through high school. Still, each convention had a small moment that contained a lesson about Americans and their schools.