MINOT, N.D. — A ballot measure campaign has been launched to amend North Dakota’s constitution to implement term limits. Some of the circulators of the petition to put the amendment on the ballot are falsely portraying it as term limits for Congress, but in reality, it would apply to the state Legislature and the governor. Is it needed?…
Should the eviction moratorium end? Why was there so much outrage over Simone Biles? Watch the discussion live at 11 a.m.
Simone Biles has had some trouble competing at the Tokyo Olympics, and that has certain political commentators steaming. Conservative commentator Charlie Kirk called Biles a “sociopath,” as one example, and you’ve probably seen worse on social media. But why do people care so much? Does everything have to be culture war? Also, a federal moratorium on evictions is set to expire…
Let’s fairly apportion the finger-pointing over pandemic handling
MINOT, N.D. — Our public authorities seem perversely intent on undermining their credibility at a time when we desperately need them to be credible. They have been since the beginning of the pandemic. Motorcycle rallies and right-leaning protests against lockdowns were castigated as super-spreader events, but the often violent and chaotic Black Lives Matter protests last year got…
Great River Energy went from replacing coal with wind to signing up for more coal power
MINOT, N.D. —Earlier this year, Great River Energy reached an agreement with Rainbow Energy to sell Coal Creek Station, North Dakota’s largest coal-fired power plant, which, for decades, has helped power customers in Minnesota. But that agreement had to be approved by GRE’s 28 member cooperatives. That happened today. Approval required a supermajority, and that threshold was met.…
Are concerns about critical race theory valid? Watch the discussion with the head of North Dakota’s teacher union
Is critical race theory an attempt to take over our education system and indoctrinate students with left-wing orthodoxies about race and culture? Or is it controversy ginned up as a “lucrative side hustle” by various pundits and activists, as Nick Archuleta argues in a recent column? This debate has become heated, to the point of violence in some unhappy instances,…
First he was on, then he was off; Rep. Kelly Armstrong talks January 6 commission on Plain Talk Live
Click here to join the live chat Congressman Kelly Armstrong, a Republican from North Dakota, was all set to serve on the high-profile House commission aimed at investigating the January 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol. Then, suddenly, he wasn’t. Armstrong joins this episode of Plain Talk Live to talk about the politics in selecting who sits…
Petitioners for term limits ballot measure falsely claiming it targets Congress
MINOT, N.D. — Is it too much to ask that ballot measure campaigns represent their proposals to the public honestly? Last year a left-wing group circulated a constitutional amendment that would have done away with our existing primary process. It would have reduced your representation in the state House by half. It would have replaced…
Term limits, yes or no? Watch the debate with former Gov. Ed Schafer live at 2 p.m.
Does North Dakota need term limits? A ballot measure currently being circulated would implement limits for the Governor, and the Legislature, but no other statewide elected offices. Is it a good idea? Former Governor Ed Schafer says he’s come around to the idea of term limits after previously opposing them. He joins this episode of Plain Talk Live…
If wind is so much cheaper, why is your power bill going up?
MINOT, N.D. — Wind energy is cheaper than coal, and that’s why wind is ascendant on our energy grids while coal is in decline. This is what the wind industry and its various lobbyists and activists insist is true. But if it is true, why do our utility bills keep going up? The average price of electricity…
Sanford, Mayo mandating a vaccine that still hasn’t been approved by the FDA
MINOT, N.D. — I’m a supporter of the COVID-19 vaccine, and that’s not just words. I’ve been vaccinated. Every eligible member of my family has been vaccinated. But I’m worried vaccine mandates of the sort Sanford Health and the Mayo Clinic are in the process of implementing may do more harm than good. How might things play out? We…