MINOT, N.D. — When I was a kid, I didn’t like the fall. It meant going back to school, and I much preferred the lazy days of summer. As a grownup, fall my be my favorite season. Yes, the weather gets colder, but there’s something refreshing about that bite in the air after a sweltering…
Stymied Democrats could find more success through moderation
MINOT, N.D. — As an article of faith, our liberal friends and neighbors believe that the American political system is rigged in favor of Republicans. Democratic presidential candidates consistently win the national popular vote, yet thanks to the Electoral College, we still elect Republicans to the White House with some regularity. In 2018, Democratic candidates for the…
ND Land Commissioner Jodi Smith ends tumultuous tenure with resignation
MINOT, N.D. — North Dakota’s Land Commissioner Jodi Smith has resigned, according to sources aware of the situation, as well as a news release from Gov. Doug Burgum’s office. The timing is interesting. Smith had just been appointed to a second term by the Board of University and School Lands in June. Continue reading…
Republican senator, charged with theft, doesn’t want to be associated with Bastiat Caucus
MINOT, N.D. — Last week I wrote a column Sen. Jason Heitkamp, a Republican from Wahpeton representing District 26 in Bismarck. Heitkamp called my editor about that column, complaining that I had associated him with the secretive Bastiat Caucus of very Trump-aligned Republican lawmakers. Heitkamp told my editor he doesn’t want to be associated with the Bastiat Caucus…
Insurance companies can’t raise your rates based on your vaccination status … thanks Obamacare
MINOT, N.D. — This morning, a reader emailed me to ask “whether because of COVID” are health insurance premiums “due for a substantial increase.” He also asked “whether there will be an opportunity” for business owners to “reduce your premium by mandating vaccines.” Those are good questions, and I took them to North Dakota Insurance Commissioner…
Schools should cool it with the dress-up days
MINOT, N.D. — Can we talk about school dress-up days? Because the situation is out of control. I’m talking about the instructions from the schools to dress your child to match some theme. Like everyone wears a particular color, or school spirit regalia, or Hawaiian shirts. These days were cute and only a little annoying…
The national debt math we all want to ignore
MINOT, N.D. — In Washington, D.C., there is yet another fight over raising the debt ceiling. If the federal government isn’t authorized by Congress to accumulate more debt — we’re currently at over $28.4 trillion, according to the Treasury Department, or an alarming $8 trillion more than the same date during Donald Trump’s first year in office — the government…
It shouldn’t take eight years to replace a pipeline
MINOT, N.D. — Enbridge’s Line 3 replacement project is completed. It took eight years. The oil is flowing to the dismay of the political zealots who violently protested the pipeline. “Line 3 is a crime against the environment and Indigenous rights, waters and lands, and it marks the end of the tar sands era — but not the…
Friday Mailbag: Chris Berg’s vaccine status, wind turbines, Bing searches and Donald Trump
MINOT, N.D. — I haven’t written a mailbag column in quite a while. Interacting with you readers is one of my favorite parts of this job. I spend, on average, probably an hour or two a day just responding to emails from you folks. Over the summer, though, I fell out of the habit of…
Should some North Dakotans get less political representation than others?
MINOT, N.D. — According to reporting from Jeremy Turley, a plan to subdivide a couple of North Dakota’s legislative districts is moving forward. If you haven’t been paying attention to the redistricting process, here’s some background: The admittedly noble purpose of the subdivision plan is to give our state’s Native American communities a better chance of electing one…