On this episode of Plain Talk, Congressman Kelly Armstrong joins me to talk about impeachment as the House delivers the articles they passed to the U.S. Senate. He reacts to recent revelations from the Government Accountability Office, and associates of Rudy Giuliani, and what bearing they have on the impeachment process. We also covered trade,…
Who Is Actually Going to Enforce the New Age-21 Smoking Law?
People who are 18, 19, or 20-years-old are adults. Our government can draft them into the military, train them to use powerful weapons to kill our nation’s enemies, but they can’t be trusted to make a decision about vaping? C’mon. Let’s live in the real world. But set that question aside for a moment. Let’s…
Court’s Excuses for Data Exposure Are Lame
These judges didn’t exercise much judgment. Continue reading…
Expect Elected Leaders to Lead, Not Punt
These folks talk cynical about trusting elected officials, and beat their chests about the wisdom of the masses, as if a ready rebuttal to that misguided conclusion weren’t at hand in the almost ubiquitous dim-witted ranting of the masses on platforms like Facebook and Twitter. The people, I hate to tell you, are fickle and…
Plain Talk: Bismarck Mayor Weighs in on Refugee Resettlement Ahead of Possible Vote
MINOT, N.D. — The Burleigh County Commission will meet this week to discuss whether or not to put the question of refugee resettlement to a vote. Previously the Commission had voted 3-2 to allow resettlement to continue, albeit with a cap (no more than 25 per year) and a requirement that Lutheran Social Services make…
Does Impeachment Really Matter?
Suffice it to say that Democrats started with a desire for impeachment and went in search of a justification. Continue reading…
Guest Post: Is There Something Other Than a Trump Republican?
This guest post was submitted by Fargo-based attorney Mark Western Impeachment is a big deal this week. Even though the result of Wednesday’s vote in the United States House of Representatives has not yet happened, the results of it are being reported as a foregone conclusion. The President of the United States will be impeached. …
Print Column: Fisher Industries Kerfuffle Is a Political Rorschach Test
In a better sort of world, this audit would be a good-faith effort to ensure the proper expenditure of tax dollars. Unfortunately, the world we live in is twisted by partisan angst, and the motivations for these reviews (if not always their findings) are usually something less than pure. Continue reading…
Print Column: Burleigh County Made the Right Decision
MINOT, N.D. — Let’s start here: North Dakota is a wonderful place. That was a subtext of the refugee resettlement debate in Burleigh County this last week, though one overlooked by most. The county commissioners had before them the opportunity to exercise a veto over continued refugee resettlement. They ultimately voted to continue resettlement, though in…
Print Column: North Dakota Opened Its Arms to Oil Workers, Why Not Refugees Too?
MINOT, N.D. — The Trump administration has given the states and local governments the ability to opt-out of federal refugee resettlement. The feds, or the private groups doing resettlement for the feds, haven’t always been cooperative. City and county governments, not to mention school districts and social service organizations, have often found themselves struggling to…