“Sometimes we hurt our friends more when we do these sort of things,” Rep. Kelly Armstrong said on this episode of Plain Talk. He was responding to a listener question about President Donald Trump’s proposal to shut down the border with Mexico. Armstrong says he opposes the move. “We need our trading partners in Canada…
Audio: Is Trump Helping the Left Understand the Conservative Argument for Small, Restrained Federal Government?
Over the weekend columnist Jim Shaw wrote that Republicans should oppose “lunatic” Donald Trump’s executive orders. With some reservations – Trump’s executive orders unwinding those issued by Obama are a separate matter, I think – I mostly agree with Shaw. I think Obama was a terrible president, not least because so many of his policies…
The Left Begins to Understand the Threats of Expansive, All-Powerful Federal Government
On the Drudge Report this morning was a link to a report about how liberals are “stockpiling” food and guns as we get closer to the reality of a Trump administration. The story was produced by InfoWars, which is a production of conspiracy monger Alex Jones, and I don’t see a lot of facts or…
Audio: On the Eve of Becoming North Dakota’s Next Governor, Doug Burgum Talks Federalism
I had Doug Burgum on my radio show today, and he surprised me by having running mate and Watford City Mayor Brent Sanford on as well. What do you ask the guy who, let’s face it, is set to become North Dakota’s next governor once the vote totals are in later this evening? I asked…
North Dakota Now Gets The Lowest Amount Of Federal Aid In The Nation
Some people often deride North Dakota as being a state that’s far too dependent on the federal government for funding. In fact, I believe I’ve made that exact argument in years past. But something remarkable has happened. According to data from State Budget Solutions, North Dakota has gone from one of the states that are…
Federalism: Washington State May Make It A Crime To Help The NSA
This is similar to all those state laws we saw last year which would make it a crime to assist the federal government in enforcing new gun control laws, only it’s aimed at assisting the NSA in violating our constitutional right to privacy. In response to national security leaks by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden…
Poll: Faith In Federal Government Hits An All-Time Low, Even Among Democrats
As is usually the case with these sort of polls, I’m a little skeptical, but according to Pew Americans – even, surprisingly, Democrats – have a low opinion of the federal government. And for Democrats, their faith in the feds has declined even under President Obama’s term in office: The percentage of Democrats expressing a…
Nothing Makes Liberals Fiscally Conservative Like The Idea Of Defending States Rights
On Friday, with no small amount of drama, North Dakota’s state Senate passed two laws restricting abortion. One would prohibit an abortion after a heart beat is detected. The other would prohibit an abortion for the purposes of gender selection, or to kill off children with genetic abnormalities such as Down’s Syndrome. Now that the…
Study: Turns Out Federal Money Isn't Free Money For North Dakota
The North Dakota Policy Council, in partnership with Columbia Economics, has released a study about the impact of federal grants on state spending. Not surprisingly, it turns out that federal money isn’t free money. Not only does it cost us all as federal tax payers, but by accepting the money the state ends up inflating…
Local Control Shouldn't Mean A Blank Check For Local Governments
Since 2007, North Dakota’s state government has been trying to solve a local government property tax problem. High property taxes are driving public dissatisfaction, but what’s driving high property taxes is local spending. Yet, local government officials have been very effective redirecting the angst over property taxes to state leaders. And, unfortunately, Governor John Hoeven…