On the radio show today Fargo defense attorney Charles Sheeley joined me to discuss a situation with the Department of Transportation which runs contrary to what Governor Doug Burgum’s administration has been saying about addiction and recovery. Currently the DOT is denying some participants in the state’s 24/7 sobriety program a temporary driver’s license despite…
Bresciani Emails Found, University System Apparently Getting A House Cleaning
Some very interesting developments in the email scandal at North Dakota State University today that make me think back to a line that President Dean Bresciani wrote about former Chancellor Hamid Shirvani in an email obtained by Forum Communications: “start getting bids from movers.” But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. I’m told by multiple…
Poll: Far More Hurricane Sandy Victims Turned To One Another Than The Government
Whenever we’re faced with some new crisis – real, like a natural disaster, or imagined, such as the supposed epidemic of gun violence in America – the narrative in the media quickly becomes “what’s the government going to do about it.” Reporters demand answers, politicians grandstand and what we usually get stuck with is a…
Federal Reserve Study: Taxes, Not A Lack Of Government Spending, Hurting America's Economy
According to the left, particularly people such as economist and New York Times columnist Paul Krugman, America’s economic woes are related to government austerity. The local governments, and the federal government, are simply not growing spending fast enough and that’s hurting the economy. Not so, finds the San Francisco Fed, which sees increasing taxes as…
Sad: Two Years Later And Hundreds Of North Dakota Flood Victims Still Living In Temporary Federal Housing
Two years ago the City of Minot was inundated by catastrophic flood waters. About a third of the city’s population was displaced. Thousands of homes were destroyed. Today the city is well on the road to recovery. Most homes are being rebuilt. The community is coming back together. Yet still, in a sad commentary on…
The Part Time Economy
America got a jobs report today that, at first blush, looks somewhat positive. The unemployment rate fell to a four-year low at 7.5%, and non-farm payrolls added 165,000 jobs which was more than expected. We also saw upward revisions for the jobs numbers in two previous reports. That being said, the labor force participation rate…
USGS Estimate Of Recoverable Oil In North Dakota Increases 102%
This breaking now from Senator John Hoeven’s office. After requesting another survey by the United States Geological Service, that agency has nearly doubled their estimate of technically recoverable oil in North Dakota. The USGS has gone from an estimate of 3.65 billion recoverable barrels to 7.4 billion. That’s a 102% increase. Sadly, this great news…
Obama Pushing Banks To Make Subprime Loans Again
“Obama administration pushes banks to make home loans to people with weaker credit,” reads the Washington Post headline. Because it worked out so well the last time we did that. The Obama administration is engaged in a broad push to make more home loans available to people with weaker credit, an effort that officials say…
Sales Tax Collections Fall In Minot Thanks To Slowing Oil Boom
Write this down, along with increasing hotel vacancies and other factors, as another sign that the North Dakota oil boom is quickly plateauing: February brought a second straight month of a major fall-off in sales tax collections in Minot. Sales tax revenue was down 38 percent again last month. Minot City Finance Director Cindy Hemphill…
Dorso Column: North Dakota Democrats Marginalize Themselves With Phony Oil Numbers
I had a chance to spend quite a bit of time with my friend who is a successfully retired oil man this week. As we were driving I asked about the future of oil exploration in North Dakota. He follows developments closely as he is still an investor in what he describes as plays on…