Nearly half of North Carolinians oppose school vouchers, while a majority favor stem cell research.

According to an Elon University Poll conducted last week, 49.1 percent either disagree or strongly disagree with the use of state vouhers to pay for private or religious school education, while 41.5 percent agree or strongly agree.

When asked their overall opinion on medical research involving stem cells from human embryos, 53.4 percent either support or strongly support it, while 30.8 percent oppose or strongly oppose it.

Overall 51.1 percent said they support or strongly support public funding for stem cell research.

The live survey of 477 adults was conducted from Sept. 29 to Oct. 2. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.6 percentage points.

Unlike other polls, Elon surveys all North Carolina residents, not just voters or likely voters. (N&O) 

John McCain has supported legislation that would enable children of illegal immigrants to attend college, says the campaign of his Democratic opponent, Barack Obama.

McCain has co-sponsored The Dream Act in 2003, 2005, and 2007, which allows high school children of illegal immigrants to obtain permanent residency by attending college or serving in the armed forces, Rob Christensen reports.

During a visit to North Carolina over the week, Obama, an Illinois senator, said he favored allowing the children of illegal immigrants to attend community colleges.

The McCain campaign responded by saying it did not support amnesty or benefits, but did not specifically address the question of who can attend community colleges.

"The McCain campaign is trying to get away with something here," said Paul Cox, an Obama campaign spokesman. "They're trying to make voters think there is a distinction between the two candidates' positions where there is none."

Worried about education? Chances are, you favor Democrat Beverly Perdue for governor.

Concerned about immigration? Than it's likely that you prefer Republican Pat McCrory for governor.

Those are some of the findings of the latest survey by Public Policy Polling. The firm surveyed 1,060 likely voters from Sept. 17-19. The survey has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.0 percentage points.

The survey found that Perdue and McCrory continue to be in a very close race.

When PPP asked those surveyed about issues, it found that the economy and jobs was at the top of the list of concerns, with the war in Iraq and moral and family values lagging far behind. The results:

Economy and jobs: 58 percent

War in Iraq: 11 percent

Moral and family values: 10 percent

Taxes: 6 percent

Education: 5 percent

Health care: 4 percent

Immigration: 4 percent

More after the jump.

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An ad by Democratic gubernatorial candidate Beverly Perdue attacks Republican rival Pat McCrory over school vouchers.

What the ad says: Perdue is shown reading to children, with the words "Endorsed by North Carolina teachers" below. Perdue: "I'm Bev Perdue. I'm running for governor and I sponsored this ad." The ad then shows images of McCrory, a headline from the Charlotte Observer and schools. Narrator: "There's a real difference between the candidates on the issue of school vouchers. Pat McCrory supports private school vouchers, taking 900 million taxpayer dollars away from public schools to pay for kids in private schools. McCrory would have to slash public education or raises taxes." A clip from a McCrory ad is shown: "I'm Pat McCrory. The difference is leadership." Narrator: "You call that leadership? Pat McCrory, wrong on vouchers, wrong for the middle class."

The background: Vouchers are a traditional Democratic-Republican divide in North Carolina.

About 20 vouchers programs are in use across 14 states around the country, according to Jeff Reed, director of the education task force at the American Legislative Exchange Council, a nonpartisan association for conservative lawmakers.

Vouchers or programs where parents can take tax credits for private education are typically limited to disabled or disadvantaged students in failing schools, Reed said. No state has a universal voucher program.

This year a bipartisan group of N.C. lawmakers pushed for a tax credit for special-needs students that would be worth as much as $6,000 per child each year. The bill died in committee.

McCrory has consistently supported vouchers, but recently he has also said he would limit them. During the Republican primary this year, he pitched vouchers as a way to increase competition among schools and offer parents more choices.

"The more competition we have, the more choice you have in education, the better our education is going to be for our kids," he told a Hendersonville crowd in March. "And parents must have these choices, both with charter schools, school vouchers, and also more choice at the local school."

In a candidate questionnaire distributed by the N.C. Family Policy Council, McCrory answered "yes" to, "Should parents who choose to educate their children in private, religious, or home schools receive a voucher or tax credit from the state?

The $900 million figure is based on calculations that assume that every student home schooled or enrolled in private school in North Carolina would get a voucher. That would be a much more extensive program than is available in any other state.

Perdue has been endorsed by the N.C. Association of Educators in the primary and the general election this year.

Is it accurate? Yes and no. McCrory has voiced support for vouchers, but the $900 million figure is misleading.

— Lynn Bonner

How much does Pat McCrory make a year?

The Republican gubernatorial candidate has twice referenced his own salary at recent debates when arguing that the state's education system should focus more on technical training.

At a debate on WRAL recently, McCrory said that plumbers working on his house make more than he does. And at an education debate at the SAS Institute today, he said information technology workers made more.

After today's debate, Dome asked McCrory how much he makes.

"Right now, I'm making $39,000 a year — that's my mayor's salary," he said.

McCrory resigned his job as a recruiter for Duke Energy in Charlotte before filing to run for governor in the Republican primary. He said he and his wife are living off of savings.

He would not reveal his most recent salary at Duke.

"I'm not going to get into my salary, but let me put it this way: I'm middle class. I'm not a wealthy individual," he said, drawing a contrast with Democrat Beverly Perdue.

"You don't see myself lending my campaign any money," he said. "My opponent can lend herself a million dollars. I cannot."

Had anyone heard of webmasters ten years ago?

At a debate on the SAS Institute campus today, Beverly Perdue made a minor historical mistake while making a point about education and technology.

"Ten years ago, who of us in this room would have thought we would ever know what a webmaster is?" she asked, rhetorically.

Dome doesn't know about the 400 people in the audience, although we would think that given the surroundings they'd be a bit more tech-friendly than other audiences.

Anyway, as it turns out more than a few people would have heard of webmasters in 1998.

The first free Web browser was developed in 1993. Within a few years, webmasters had became common, and the International Webmasters Association was founded in 1996. And the word appears in the 2000 edition of the American Heritage Dictionary.

The three candidates for lieutenant governor outlined very different plans at a debate Wednesday.

Democratic state Sen. Walter Dalton said he would raise the compulsory education age to 18, expand access to health care and continue to promote entrepreneurship programs.

Former Republican state Sen. Robert Pittenger said he would pay school teachers based on merit not tenure, reduce medical malpractice litigation and cut the personal income tax rate.

And Libertarian Phillip Rhodes, a first-time candidate, said he would increase competition in schools with a voucher program, end state government's involvement in mental health care and eliminate many government regulations on business.

Dalton and Pittenger said they do not support allowing illegal immigrants at the state's community colleges. Rhodes said they should pay out of state tuition. (N&O)

Beverly Perdue is striking back at "Status Quo Bev."

In a speech at a gubernatorial forum on ethics this morning in Raleigh, the Democratic gubernatorial candidate took aim at a nickname given to her in ads by the Republican Governors Association.

Stressing that her campaign was about "change," Perdue said she was against "the status quo" twice.

"I've spent my entire life trying to make things better and fighting the status quo," she said.

Later she said that she was "committed to changing the status quo."

As a two-term lieutenant governor with ties to Gov. Mike Easley, Perdue has faced charges from Republican Pat McCrory and his allies that she is to blame for problems in Raleigh. She has countered by arguing that she was outside the inner circle.

In her speech today, she cited three examples: 1) Running for office as a woman in Eastern North Carolina, 2) "taking on tobacco" as a health care leader, and 3) campaigning for children's health insurance and teacher salaries.

Paging Bob Orr...

At a debate on WRAL Tuesday, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Beverly Perdue suddenly channeled former Republican gubernatorial candidate Bob Orr.

In a discussion about vouchers, she said that the state constitution is "our most sacred state document."

Orr, a constitutional scholar and judge, often spoke highly of the state constitution during his debates.

Of course, he lost.

Coincidentally, Orr was later featured in a brief video clip showing him making oral arguments to overturn the state lottery in a court case.

Update: Orr e-mailed Dome to say that the timing was ironic, since Perdue presided over the Senate during the lottery vote, which he argues is unconstitutional.

"The N.C. Institute for Constitutional Law will be happy to provide a free pocket size copy of the N.C. Constitution to the Lt. Governor — and any other candidate for public office," he wrote.

If Mary Easley's $170,000 salary is approved this week, she will make more than all but 94 of 3,455 N.C. State faculty and administrators.

An executive in residence who runs a lecture series, the state's first lady received an 88 percent pay increase earlier this year along with new duties. The changes drew criticism at N.C. State and other state universities.

Pay raises that large are supposed to be reviewed by the UNC system's Board of Governors, but N.C. State did not present it initially.

Many of those with higher salaries include Chancellor James Oblinger, who earns $390,835, and Provost Larry Nielsen, who earned $290,000. Others were current and former football coaches.

Just 23 employees who made more than $170,000 were faculty members without administrative duties.

If approved, Easley's pay would put her in the top three percent. (N&O)