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In most respects, North Dakota is okay

In the creation, it is rumored that the earth was without form and void. And that was before anyone ever saw North Dakota. The Jockey Club in New Jersey protested the creation of a state that was a blank nothingness. Minnesota claimed that we would never make it here. So we must ask: who suggested a state at this location? The Northern Pacific and Great Northern protested because they had no business here and North Dakota just made it farther to Seattle. While we filled a place that would otherwise be an unexplainable hole in the earth, the only reason they needed us was to ...

Healthcare workers deserve our thanks

I write this to all of North Dakota’s healthcare workers and organizations with a message of hope and health. I/we look forward to a year ahead, free of this dark cloak of COVID-19 that has challenged all of us for the past two years. All the while, with the latest COVID-19 variant moving faster than ever across our nation, including North Dakota, I am afraid we all still have more work to do. Today, active cases in North Dakota are 7,690, bringing our positivity rate to 17.86%. As of January 25, 2022, more than one million vaccine doses have been administered. There are currently ...

Partnerships pushing flood protection toward completion

Protecting the Souris River Basin from future flooding has always been a group effort. Without strong relationships between local, state, and federal partners, the Mouse River Enhanced Flood Protection Project certainly wouldn’t be as far along as it is today. That was evident with the recent news that more than $61 million in federal funding has been secured to help cover the cost of the Maple Diversion project, a vital phase of the overall basin-wide project. When combined with other phases, the Maple Diversion help protect roughly 62 percent of the river valley through Minot. ...

Back in the days of mutual respect

In early January of 1972 – 50 years ago - Lt. Governor Frank Wenstrom rapped the gavel to launch one of the most unique events in North Dakota history – the holding of a convention to update the state’s constitution. The only one since 1889. Before him were 98 delegates, two from each legislative district, a cadre of public-minded individuals – a dozen legislators, business folks, social workers, lawyers, former judges, and a host of community leaders, two-thirds Republicans and one-third Democrats. Most of those delegates are gone now. Only a few of the younger ones are ...

Democracy a victim of partisan politics

Last week, some of America observed the heroism of one Martin Luther King who was murdered because he thought that “We, the people” should include more than white European immigrants. While some celebrated, others did not, doing their best to see that black lives did not matter. In 2021, 19 states passed 34 laws aimed at excluding minorities from participating in elections. This is not about election fraud. It is about denying citizens of the United States their right to vote. Election fraud a disguise Election fraud is a disguise for our bigotry but every legislator knows ...

Squelching debate, imposing barriers will kill GOP

I have long lamented the state of affairs with the political parties in North Dakota. The Republican party has become a very big-tent party. In most of the state, if someone wants to run for office, they realize their only hope for success is to run as a Republican. They may or may not have any inclination to party platform positions, such as lower taxes, limited government, and school choice. Nonetheless, they have the (R) behind their name, therefore, they are elected. As this occurs, the conviction of the party in its own platform weakens considerably. The parameters of what it ...