When I was growing up in the 1950s, there were folks on the far right wing of the political spectrum, just as there are now. Back then, the right wing was mostly looking for communists among us. Remember the McCarthy hearings? I think our country learned much from that era, and as we matured as…
John Olsud: If Legislating Through The Courts Is Bad, How About Legislating Through AG Opinion?
Much attention has been paid in recent weeks to decisions of the United States Supreme Court. Critics claim the Court is legislating when it interprets the language in the constitution. This article is about a similar issue involving not the courts but opinions of the Attorney General of this state. During my years as director…
John Olsrud: Can We Trust College Administrators To Stop Cheating In Online Courses?
More and more college students are taking online courses for credit. Some college degrees are now awarded for curriculums that are entirely taken online. Offering courses online increases access for people who wish to pursue their educations but cannot afford to attend college in the traditional way, but there is a downside, and that is…
John Olsrud: When Bipartisanship Is The Right Way
Last week Rob Port had an article on this blog calling the actions of House Majority Leader Al Carlson petty when he opposed the action of a majority on Legislative Management to name a few Democrats to chairmanships and vice chairmanships of interim committees. I think a good case can be made that appointing minority…
John Olsrud: Solutions In Search Of Problems
Eight years ago I retired as director of the North Dakota Legislative Council. I was proud of my position and proud to tell people who I worked for. From its creation in 1945 until 1969 the agency was known as the Legislative Research Committee. It was renamed the Legislative Council to more accurately reflect the…
John Olsrud: Is There Such A Thing As Too Many Audits?
Judging from some articles and comments from readers, followers on this blog seem to think many of our problems could be solved by requiring more audits of governmental entities. More audits seem to be the easy answer whenever problems are perceived, especially in higher education. Now that the University System auditors have been moved to…
John Olsrud: What This Church Needs Are A Few More Funerals
Years ago an elderly minister told me “What this church needs are a few more funerals.” I do not even remember what we were discussing, but that line has stuck with me. What was particularly significant about this experience is that this man of German descent was known to be very conservative, but he understood…
John Olsrud: Is There No Respect For Authority On This Blog?
Until Rob Port invited me to contribute to this blog, I was not acquainted with this kind of communication. Reading the posts, and especially the comments, has been quite an educational experience for me. It is obvious our lifetime experiences have led some of us to vastly different conclusions. There are some overriding themes that…
John Olsrud: Why Send So Much Tax Relief Out Of State?
If a large corporation were to relocate from North Dakota to another state, we would justifiably be concerned about the loss of millions of dollars from our economy. Economists would be applying the multiplier effect and telling us the total loss to the state’s economy would be several times the money generated by that corporation.…
John Olsrud: A Sports Logo Should Not Hurt Anyone
I am a proud graduate of the University of North Dakota. When I attended, students’ activity fees allowed us go to sporting events at no additional cost. Sports did not get the attention they get now. I attended few games, and I never really identified with the Fighting Sioux logo. In recent years, I have…