On this episode of Plain Talk, legislation proposed in Bismarck would remove mandates for eight of North Dakota’s 11 institutions of higher education from the state constitution. The Grand Forks Herald, in an editorial, argues this puts those universities at risk. But shouldn’t universities exist because they’re needed, and not because they’re mandated by law?…
Rod St. Aubyn: Political Correctness Is The Acceptable Form Of Bullying
While celebrating our Independence Day festivities this weekend, I realized that even though we have many freedoms, some people try to use “political correctness” to squelch free speech. Political correctness has been running rampant in the past few months. What is most disturbing is that those that are most supportive of this political correctness are…
Another Democrat Legislative Candidate Goes On Television With Brutal Attack Ad
Last week I wrote about the race between incumbent state Senator Margaret Sitte and her Democrat challenger Erin Oban. The occasion for the post was Oban’s television attack ad on Sitte, which was the first such thing in a North Dakota legislative race by my recollection. Now another Democrat candidate for the state Senate is…
Guy Sues Yankees, ESPN Because He Was Caught On Camera Sleeping At A Game
Back in April I was watching a Yankees/Red Sox game on ESPN and got a chuckle out of the guy in the video above who had nodded off in the early innings. The sportscasters – Dan Shulman and John Kruk – were teasing him, and why not? It was sort of funny. But apparently the…
Legislator Wants Anti-Bullying Law To Include Politicians
For the past couple of years it’s been all the rage for politicians to push anti-bullying laws. Thanks to bullying being a bona fide “crisis” in the media, and thanks to a raft of celebrities championing the cause, grandstanding politicians have been quick to jump on the fad. But a side effect of the anti-bullying…
Did The IRS Promote Anti-Tea Party Bully?
One of the narratives the Obama administration has developed to spin the IRS scandal is one in which the targeting of conservatives was an activity not sanctioned officially at the IRS and carried out by a few rogue employees. Undermining that narrative is, among other things, the fact that one of the IRS employees involved…
Were Fargo Flood Projections Exaggerated To Bully Legislature Into Approving Diversion Funds?
Fargo-area leaders were quick to cite the projections for a “flood of record” during the debate in the state legislature over funding for the region’s controversial flood diversion project. But now it seems that the flood will fall well short of those dire projections, and in fact looking at the latest trend lines for water…
The Fargo Media Has Done The Flood Diversion Debate A Real Disservice
There are a lot of excellent reasons to be skeptical of building the Fargo flood diversion project. The fact that it’s not quite the “magic bullet” to prevent flooding some make it out to be is one good reason. That the motivation for building seems to be at least as much about Fargo-area developers being…
“Your freedom is likely to be someone else’s harm"
The problem with collectivizing something like health care – which is to say turning health care into a “right” that we’re all obligated to provide for one another – is that when we do so we put our freedom to make individual life choices in jeopardy. Because that freedom can be attacked on the basis…