MINOT, N.D. — Not so long ago we here in North Dakota had a debate about refugee resettlement. Some of our elected leaders, including Fargo City Commissioner Dave Piepkorn and former West Fargo state lawmaker Chris Olson, wanted to collect more data on the social and fiscal impacts of refugee resettlement. They pushed for the state…
Why Is Mike McFeely So Obsessed With Senator Kevin Cramer?
Left-wing columnist Mike McFeely has a column up today criticizing Republican North Dakota Senator Kevin Cramer for his defense of President Donald Trump. That’s not unusual. He writes about Cramer a lot. Just a few days ago, McFeely had another column criticizing Cramer for his support of Trump. There was a podcast too from McFeely…
Plain Talk: Auditor Gallion Says Things Are “Cordial” With Governor Burgum Despite Campaign Announcement Snub
“Regardless of what you do…you’re going to have critics.” That’s what North Dakota Auditor Josh Gallion, a Republican who announced his re-election campaign last week, told me on this episode of Plain Talk. Gallion has drawn the ire of at least some of his fellow Republicans during his first term in office. After some aggressive…
Auditor: Department of Commerce Skirted State Law in Creating Governor Burgum’s Pet Project State Logo
Last week state Auditor Josh Gallion announced his re-election campaign. A number of the state’s prominent Republicans helped in that announcement, including Senator Kevin Cramer, Insurance Commissioner Jon Godfread, and others. But buried at the end of my colleague Jeremy Turley’s article about Gallion’s announcement was this sentence: “A spokesman for Republican Gov. Doug Burgum,…
If You Support Refugee Resettlement You Should Support Trump’s Push to Give States and Cities a Say in It
At a rally in Minneapolis President Donald Trump touted a change in federal policy giving states and cities a level of veto power over refugee resettlement in their jurisdictions. Not surprisingly, given Trump’s polarizing nature, this change was met with no small amount of blowback. “Trump’s executive order requires state and local governments to consent…
Print Column: Suicide Is a Bigger Threat Than Shootings for North Dakota’s Kids
MINOT, N.D. — A majority of students in North Dakota, some 53%, attend a school at which there is a police presence. Far more students in our state, some 74%, attend a school that fails to achieve the student-to-counselor ratio recommended by national organizations like the American School Counselor Association. Those numbers are from a…
Plain Talk: ACLU of North Dakota Talks Cash Bail and Cops in Schools
On this episode of Plain Talk, Dane DeKrey from the ACLU of North Dakota talks about his group’s opposition to cash bail. They’d like to see the state use other methods to guarantee that defendants, released from jail pre-trial, show up in court. He also discusses his group’s opposition to the use of police officers…
Let’s Hope the NBA’s China Debacle Removes Our National Blind Spot From That Country’s Monstrous Abuses
I’ve never been enamored with America’s fascination with celebrity punditry. The bulk of it comes from the left, if or no other reason than because the politics of our entertainment and media industries lean so heavily that way. The right also has no problem becoming enamored with the blustery pronouncements of some famous person. I…
Josh Gallion Represents a Real Conundrum for North Dakota Republicans
Auditor Josh Gallion is in Bismarck announcing his re-election campaign even as I type these words. He’ll be making a follow-up announcement in Fargo later today, weather permitting. You can read his full press release below. Despite being young, by political standards, and just finishing up his first term, there was some hesitation on the…
Print Column: We’re More Affluent and Connected Than Ever, So Why Do We Feel So Alone and Unhappy?
MINOT, N.D. — “The average person in the U.S. has only one close friend, according to a study published in the American Sociological Review.” That’s something NBC News reported earlier this year. “One in four people have no confidantes at all,” they also reported, and some 75 percent of people say they’re unsatisfied with the friendships they…