Earlier this year state lawmakers considered legislation, introduced by Rep. Scott Louser (R-Minot), which would have allowed those running for local political office to affiliate themselves on the ballot with a political party. You can listen to my interview with Louser about the legislation here. It wasn’t too popular among some local elected leaders, including…
Print Column: The Socialists Started a Softball Team
MINOT, N.D. — The Red River Valley chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America have started themselves a softball team. Their goal is “raising visibility and connecting with the community.” This isn’t an uncommon tactic for social movements. Churches hold dances. Political parties hold pie auctions. Jim Jones, the infamous socialist who led hundreds to…
Nobody Even Like Remembers East Germany Any More, You Guys
A profile of a group of people with fringe views starting a softball team to become better known in their community might be fun if we were talking about Big Foot enthusiasts or ufologists. But when it’s people promoting an ideology which has resulted in millions upon millions of dead bodies an uncritical, credulous newspaper…
Lacee Bjork Anderson: On Abortion It’s the Center, Stupid
This guest post was submitted by Lacee Bjork Anderson, an attorney and public affairs specialist. “It’s the economy, stupid,” may be one of the most recognizable political clichés of our time since it was first coined by James Carville during Bill Clinton’s 1992 Presidential campaign. And indeed, a look back at the last three decades…
Plain Talk: UND Economist Talks About Facebook’s New Currency
On this episode of Plain Talk, University of North Dakota economist David Flynn talks about Facebook’s new currency. Is it really a currency? Or is it more of a platform for transferring money? Are cryptocurrencies safe? What do they mean for our economy? Flynn answers all of those questions and more. Also, U.S. Senator Bernie…
The Bernie Sanders Plan to Eliminate Student Debt Is Hardly a Free Lunch
There’s no such thing as a free lunch. It’s an undeniable truth. Somebody always has to pay. The Bernie Sanders plan for eliminating the roughly $1.6 trillion in student loan debt some 45 million Americans are carrying is no exception to the rule. “At a Capitol Hill news conference, Sanders unveiled the plan to eliminate…
Report: North Dakota Leading the Nation in Growing School Spending and It’s Not Even Close
Education is important, and because it’s important, we spend a lot of time debating education. And the bulk of that debate is how much we ought to be spending on education. If you follow political debates long enough, you begin to learn there are certain assumptions made about education budgets. Because they’re for the children,…
Guest Post: Wind Power Has a Lot to Offer as It Grows and Diversifies
This guest post was submitted by Chris Kunkle of WIND, or the Wind Industry of North Dakota. It’s a coalition of industry members and supporters who believe North Dakota should harness its abundance of wind for the continued benefit of its communities and residents. Members: American Wind Energy Association, Apex Clean Energy, Capital Power, EDF…
Print Column: It Won’t Be a Sexy Ballot Measure, but It Will Be an Important One
MINOT, N.D. — A coalition of interests met in Bismarck recently to discuss a ballot measure — a proposed amendment to the state constitution — which would invest Legacy Fund dollars into an infrastructure loan program for the state. I’m sure many of you read that sentence and promptly fell asleep, because the nuances of policy behind…
Fargo Is Drunk Because People in Fargo Like to Be Drunk
One of the big reasons I tend toward the conservative/libertarian end of the political spectrum is that so much of the liberal/progressive left’s instinct for public policy seems like hubris to me. A crass overestimation of the government’s ability to impose its will on the masses (and that’s setting aside the moral questions about how…