MINOT, N.D. — It’s remarkable how many self-described progressives are against progress. Is it progress for hundreds of thousands of Californians to go without electricity in blackouts power company officials say may be necessary for at least the next decade? Our modern society, with all of its speed and convenience, is built on the back of…
Doing Bad Things to the Environment in the Name of Environmentalism
Certain very large, very noisy factions of the American left have taken to opposing the construction of pipeline infrastructure vigorously. I’m not just talking about political and legal obstruction. Roadblocking a pipeline by gumming up the regulatory process, or seemingly endless litigation, is one thing. But often these projects are opposed with violence and criminal…
Stenehjem Joins North Dakota to Group of 13 States Threatening to Sue California Over Coal Divestment Initiative
UPDATE: ND Insurance Commissioner Jon Godfread has signed on to a similar effort opposing California’s push. You can read his press release here, and the letter here. In California, Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones has begun what he’s calling the Climate Risk Carbon Initiative. Arguing that because of climate change investments in fossil fuel energy production are…
"Yes Means Yes" Law Will Probably Do For Rape What Gun Free Zones Did For School Shootings
The State of California has passed a new “yes means yes” law aimed at what some believe is an epidemic of sexual assault on college campuses (though it’s disputed how much of an epidemic there really is). “California, the first state to implement this law, will require colleges that want to keep their state funding…
California Seeks Ban On Confederate Flag
In California, Governor Jerry Brown has before him a bill that would make it illegal to sell the Confederate battle flag, or anything depicting the flag, in California: A bill sits on Gov. Jerry Brown’s desk to ban California from displaying or selling the Confederate flag or objects with images of it. The state’s Legislature…
California Cracks Down On Unlicensed Exchange Of Knowledge
Because you can’t just share your experience, knowledge and expertise with other people willy-nilly. The government must license that sort of thing. Hacker boot camps have sprung up across the world in recent years, offering crash courses in the art and science of computer programming. These schools are particularly prevalent in the San Francisco Bay…
Fracking Moratorium Goes Down In Flames In…California?
This is a couple of weeks old, but I missed it. It seems that even in oh-so-green California, home to militant environmentalists and a liberal super-majority in state government, the economic benefits of fracking are clear to a majority: Democratic leaders brought their fracking moratorium bill to the Assembly floor last week, and their rank…
Federal Wildlife Officials Give Their Blessing To Killing Endangered Birds
Here in North Dakota a half-dozen oil companies faced criminal prosecution under the Migratory Birds Treaty Act by Obama-appointed US Attorney Tim Purdon over about a dozen dead ducks – common ducks, not at all endangered – found at oil sites during a months-long investigation. Thankfully, those prosecutions were laughed out of federal court, but…
If You Raise Taxes On Rich People And Businesses, You Get Fewer Rich People And Businesses
After Phil Mickelson created controversy with his comments about too-high taxes, professional boxer Manny Pacquiao is refusing to fight in the United States because of our national tax rate. This is what happens when tax rates are prohibitively high. People take their business, and their wealth, to friendly tax climates: Manny Pacquiao’s chief adviser insisted…
States Poaching Jobs From Big-Government California
This is the genius of federalism, which allows states to compete with one another in terms of policy, at work: There’s nothing new about governors competing to bring jobs to their state, but rarely has it been this brazen. The Wall Street Journal reports that neighboring states, as well as some states as far flung…