Print Column: Measure 1 Seeks to Swat a Gnat With a Bazooka
MINOT, N.D. — There are very real ways in which we could amend state law to improve accountability and transparency for our state government.
Disclosures for lobbyist spending could be more accessible. They could be more frequent, and more robust in their detail as well.
Disclosures for candidates or committees — think people running for state elected office or political parties or organizations formed to support or oppose ballot measures — could also be more frequent and include more information.
Policies governing behavior could also be improved. Our Governor’s office didn’t even have an ethics policy in place, governing things like gifts from special interests, until Governor Burgum instituted one amid the embarrassment of paying Xcel Energy back nearly $40,000 for a Super Bowl excursion.
Suffice it to say, there is room for improvement. And the supporters of Measure 1 tell us their complicated constitutional amendment is just the improvement we need.
It is not.
