Generally speaking, folks don't like taxes.

But North Carolinians seem divided on the question of tax fairness, according to a new poll by Elon University.

Almost half (48 percent) of North Carolina residents polled Nov. 16-19 say the current state tax system is either "not at all fair" or "not too fair." But 43 percent said they considered state taxes to be fair or "very fair."

Asked about local taxes, more than half (51 percent) said they consider them to be fair or "very fair." Less than half (42 percent) said local taxes are "not too fair" or "not at all fair."

As for the fairness of specific taxes, respondents overwhelmingly preferred alcohol taxes (24 percent consider them "not fair" or "not at all fair), retail sales tax (29 percent) and tobacco taxes (33 percent.)

The gas tax was considered "not fair" or "not at all fair" by 64 percent of those surveyed.

Elon surveyed 563 North Carolina residents, with a margin of error or plus or minus 4.2 percentage points.

North Carolinians may not know much about how the state's judges are selected. But they know they don't want to change it.

A new poll of North Carolina residents by Elon University found that 90 percent of those surveyed were either not familiar or only "somewhat" familiar with how North Carolina judges are selected. Only 9 percent said they were "very familiar" with the process.

Yet the same survey found that 69 percent said they favor continuing the process of voters electing judges to their positions. Only 20 percent said they favor a change to have judges appointed.

Elon surveyed 563 North Carolina residents Nov. 16-19. The survey had a margin of error or plus or minus 4.2 percentage points.

U.S. Sen. Richard Burr said on the Senate floor this morning that health reform should empower Americans to make healthier choices.

In a conversation ahead of a key Senate vote Saturday about health reform, Burr criticized the bill put forward by Democrats, reports Barb Barrett. He said it gives Americans a public option that allows patients “to be insured and be managed and be run by the federal government.”

“In North Carolina, it’s been overwhelmingly rejected by the population,” said Burr, a Winston-Salem Republican.

An Elon University poll released this month found that three of four North Carolina residents favor health reform, and 54 percent support a public option.

GRADE STIMULUS: A Goldsboro middle school was lambasted this week for its plan to award extra test points — enough to raise a letter grade — in exchange for cash contributions for the school. The lesson for students: Hard work, perseverance and positive attitude will be rewarded. And if that doesn't work, a nice crisp $20 couldn't hurt.

CHOPPED LIVER; The race for the Democratic nomination to challenge U.S. Sen. Richard Burr got lots of attention this week. Lexington lawyer Cal Cunningham is out. U.S. Rep. Bob Etheridge is going for a new fence-sitting record. Two others are thinking about it. All the buzz about candidates who aren't running can't be flattering to the only two people who are: lawyer Kenneth Lewis and Secretary of State Elaine Marshall.

SHE'S BACK: Gov. Bev Perdue got a big bump in her job approval, apparently because of her refusal to release violent inmates despite a court ruling. Perdue has been hitting the public events pretty hard and making big announcements. A few more ribbon cuttings and another stand at a jail-house door and Perdue might just be liked again.

IN OTHER NEWS: Sen. Martin Nesbitt appears to have a lock on the job of Senate majority leader...The state's pension fund is beginning to recover from a financial slump...Barack Obama's campaign was the source of the tip that John Edwards got $400 haircuts.

North Carolinians appear to be a bit more satisfied with U.S. Sen. Richard Burr.

The latest survey by Public Policy Polling shows that the numbers have improved slightly for Burr, a Winston-Salem Republican who is up for re-election next year.

PPP surveyed 711 North Carolina voters from Nov. 9-11. They found that 40 percent of North Carolinians approve of the job Burr is doing, while 31 percent disapprove. That's better than the 38 percent rating Burr got in last month's poll by PPP, and 36 percent in September.

Burr leads U.S. Rep. Bob Etheridge (45-35), Secretary of State Elaine Marshall (45-34), former Lt. Gov. Dennis Wicker (45-33), Chapel Hill Mayor Kevin Foy (44-32), and Chapel Hill attorney Ken Lewis (45-32).

The survey's margin of error was plus or minus 3.7 percentage points.

A poll found that 43 percent of state residents approved of the job Gov. Bev Perdue was doing at the end of October, a surge of 14 points from earlier in the month.

The results were included in the Civitas Institute poll conducted Oct. 20-21, right about the time Perdue, a Democrat, was expressing outrage over a court ruling that could lead to the release of violent inmates with life sentences, said Chris Hayes, senior legislative analyst for Civitas.

The poll of North Carolina voters found that 43 percent approved of Perdue's job performance compared to 49 percent who disapproved. Another 8 percent were unsure.

Earlier in the month Civitas found that 29 percent of voters approved of her job and 63 percent disapproved. The remaining 8 percent were unsure.

The job approval is some of the first good news Perdue has seen on poll results in a long, long time.

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Cal Cunningham's poll numbers didn't move much during the period where he was exploring a bid for U.S. Senate.

Cunningham, a Lexington lawyer, was the non-candidate candidate, who appeared at events and quietly looked at a run against Republican Sen. Richard Burr, giving Dome plenty of chances to use duck similes. Now, Dome must put away the quacks because Cunningham is out.

It's likely that his decision had something to do with whatever it is U.S. Rep. Bob Etheridge will decide about the race.

It's also helpful to note that Cunningham had the same level of support against Burr in October than he did in February. Public Policy Polling noted in February that Burr was leading Cunningham 46 to 27. In October, the pollster pulled the same percentages. Pollster.com, which averages and analyzes polling data, showed that Cunningham's support over time was only slightly better than a flat line.

And for the record, Pollster.com shows declared candidate Kenneth Lewis with an average of 29.1 percent to Burr's 44.5. It's notable that Lewis and Cunningham, two unknowns, were getting similar numbers suggesting that polling results in their cases are more about Burr's level of support.

Secretary of State Elaine Marshall, also a declared candidate, has 31.2 percent to Burr's 43.9 percent, according to Pollster.com's analysis. And Etheridge has 34.7 percent to 43.3 percent for Burr.

One poll says North Carolinians are increasingly opposed to health care reform proposals advanced by Democrats.

Another poll says more than half of state residents support those proposals. A third national poll says 45 percent of Americans oppose President Barack Obama's health care plan.

Dome isn't an expert on these sorts of things, but it's a safe bet that how the questions were asked and how the polls were conducted has something to do with the difference. Here's a quick roundup of what the October polls asked and what respondents said. Percentages may not add up to 100 because of rounding.

Civitas Institute: (600 North Carolina voters) "Do you approve or disapprove of the health care plan being proposed by Barack Obama and Congress?" 49 percent opposed, 40 percent supported, 10 percent no opinion.

Elon University Poll, (703 state residents) "As you are likely aware, the public option is a health insurance option provided by the federal government...so, with this in mind, would you [support or oppose] health insurance legislation that would offer a public option?" 54 support, 38 percent oppose and 7 percent don't know.

Public Policy Polling (766 American voters) "Do you support or oppose President Obama’s health care plan, or do you not have an opinion?" 42 percent support, 45 percent oppose and 13 percent no opinion.

Support for Democratic health care reform proposals is slipping, according to a poll released by the Civitas Institute.

According to the poll conducted Oct. 20-21, just over 49 percent of 600 likely voters said they disapproved of the current plan while about 40 percent supported it. About 10 percent had no opinion.

In Civitas' September poll, 47 percent of voters opposed the plan while 47.6 percent supported it.

The poll asked: "Do you approve or disapprove of the health care plan being proposed by Barack Obama and Congress?"

It had a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.

A new poll has found that 42 percent of North Carolinians say someone else should have U.S. Sen. Richard Burr's seat.

The Elon University Poll found that 19 percent of state residents believe Burr deserves another term in office, according to the survey of 703 state residents that was conducted Oct. 26-29.

The poll also found 29 percent of respondents said they "don't know" if Burr, a Winston-Salem Republican, deserves re-election.

Burr’s approval rating stands at 37 percent, the poll found, while 22 percent of respondents disapprove of the way he is handling his job. Forty-one percent don’t know how they feel on his job performance.

Two Democrats have formally entered the race. Secretary of State Elaine Marshall and lawyer Kenneth Lewis have filed candidate paperwork.

The poll also asked respondents for their opinions on other political figures.

U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan: 35 percent approve, 35 percent disapprove, 29 percent don’t know.

Gov. Beverly Perdue: 36 percent approve, 47 percent disapprove, 18 percent don’t know.

The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.8 percentage points.

Update: The National Republican Senatorial Committee weighed in on the poll. Expect to see this one a lot from Colin Reed, a spokesman for the committee:

In the words of Erskine Bowles just last week, 'nobody works harder or smarter for North Carolina than Richard Burr does.' It speaks to Senator Burr’s strength at home that as national Democrats struggle to recruit a strong challenger, his former opponent continues to offer nothing but praise for his hard work on behalf of North Carolina in the U.S. Senate.

And the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee issued it's own statement from spokesman Eric Schultz.

Whether it was its when he suggested a run on the banks, his hypocrisy over stimulus funding, or his inexplicable vote against justice for victims of sexual assault, it should come as no surprise that Richard Burr is the most vulnerable Republican in the United States Senate.