MINOT, N.D. — A special session of the Legislature is looming. It’s convened because lawmakers have some constitutional duties to attend to, namely the approval of a new legislative district map and the appropriation of more than $1 billion in federal dollars related to the COVID-19 pandemic. But, as I noted in a previous column, there is a…
The North Dakota Growth Fund’s first investment is in … St. Louis?
MINOT, N.D. — Earlier this year wide majorities in the state Legislature passed House Bill 1425 which directed the investment of 20% of the state’s Legacy Fund into North Dakota companies and projects. It’s a wonderful idea, aimed at leveraging some of our billions in the Legacy Fund to build infrastructure and provide capital to ventures in…
Here’s a thing you could do to shine some light in the world
MINOT, N.D. — When I first started writing on the internet, the topic wasn’t politics but snowmobiles. I got my start writing about politics in my early twenties when I started a blog that would go on to be the foundation of my career, but long before that the internet and its possibilities for sharing…
ND Department of Health cuts off Facebook comments; anti-vaxxer cranks threw a hissy fit
MINOT, N.D. — Want to feel cynical about the state of humanity in the year 2021? Go and read the tidal wave of vitriolic whining that’s been set off by the North Dakota Department of Health’s decision to cut off comments on its Facebook posts. The statement put out by the department says, starting Tuesday, October 26,…
When museums must resort to porn websites to share art, we’ve got a problem
MINOT, N.D. — In 2002, U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft, a devout Christian, became the butt of many jokes after the Justice Department put up drapes (they cost a ridiculous $8,000) to hide the bare breasts on the Spirit of Justice statue often seen in the background of news conferences. Ashcroft’s aversion to the female form seemed quaintly out…
I don’t blame hospitals for reticence to release vaccination numbers
MINOT, N.D. — Some hospitals in our region are doing well in terms of getting their staff vaccinated. “At Fargo’s Sanford hospitals, 95% of staff were fully vaccinated and an unknown number of employees had successfully claimed a medical or religious exemption to the shot as of Wednesday, Oct. 20,” Jeremy Turley reports. “Erin Johnson, a spokeswoman for Sanford…
Proposed policy at UND would classify misgendering as discrimination
MINOT, N.D. — When it comes to the conflict over gender identity, and pronouns, I come down on the side of being polite. If someone feels more comfortable identifying as a certain gender or being referred to in a certain way, I’ll do my best to comply. As my grandma used to tell me, courtesy costs…
Conservatives believe they can use big government to win the culture war
MINOT, N.D. — The conservatism of my youth, the sort of conservatism I still believe in and subscribe to today, takes a skeptical view of the power of the state. This more traditional conservatism stands in stark contrast with what’s called conservatism in the Donald Trump era. Conservatives once talked about government as something to be limited…
Capitalism produces a bit of wonder amid the cynicism
MINOT, N.D. — “What you’ve given me is the most profound experience I can imagine,” said the nonagenarian who had just been rocketed into space. Legendary actor William Shatner was characteristically eloquent in talking about the experience, made possible by Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos and his space company Blue Origin. “I am so filled with emotion about what just happened.…
Friday Mailbag: Vaccination choice, school dress-up days, oil pipelines, and innumeracy of the national debt debate
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…