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Letters to the Editor

Is this your Republican Legislature?

Warren Larson, Bismarck Is this your Republican Legislature? What bills have they passed on property tax, fentanyl epidemic, school safety, homelessness? SILENCE. They claim to be Pro Life. However, they’re really PRO BIRTH. After birth, they wash their sanctimonious hands and walk away, leaving some children a questionable future. Have Republicans funded improved adoptions? Have they passed State/Business partnerships for daycare funding? Have they increased suicide prevention programs? They blame parents for hungry school kids and walk away. The innocent child still goes ...

Here come the ‘experts’ again

Andrew Allis, Granville Recently in this Letters section some “experts” multiplied names, as if counting heads is the way to determine truth (argumentum ad populum), and posted their self-perceived impressive credentials and degrees in an argument from authority or supposed expertise (argumentum ad verecundiam). They did so in a transparent attempt to present the indisputable trump card in any given debate, “we’re the experts, you’re not, so you must shut up and listen, obediently accepting all we say as gospel truth for, after all, we have letters after our names.” Given ...

Setting record straight on schools

Sen. Don Schaible, Mott There’s been a few headlines lately criticizing the legislature for bills related to school lunch and school choice. I want to set the record straight on those issues and the work the legislature has done to ensure the best possible education for all children in North Dakota. First and foremost, I want to stress that no child should ever go hungry in this state. Good nutrition is essential to learning and I care very much that students in our state don’t go hungry. While a bill to provide some students with free school lunches (HB 1491) did not pass ...

Legislature protecting masculinity?

James Maxson, Minot Has the North Dakota State legislature protected the masculinity of North Dakota males or questioned their masculinity? Do North Dakota males really need legislative action to prevent them from “crossing over to the other side”? Will humiliating persons with different identities make North Dakota males feel more like “real men”? Is seeing men wearing dresses in public a bigger threat than seeing men carrying weapons in public which are far superior to the ones I trained with in the U.S. Army  in 1968? Are North Dakota males in danger of getting excited by ...

Stabilize child care by amending bill

Erin Laverdure, Hazen In 2022, a number of people interested in addressing the child care crisis in North Dakota formed the North Dakota Child Care Action Alliance. The coalition held listening sessions with child care professionals, families and businesses to better understand the child care crisis in our state and to gather ideas on how to address this crisis. The lack of affordable, quality and accessible child care were constant themes. Many of the state’s child care workers earn poverty-level wages. Median wage across North Dakota for a child care worker is $11.19 per hour, ...

Ranchers committed to raising beef sustainably 

Jerry Doan, McKenzie With Earth Day today, sustainability is top-of-mind with consumers, and beef ranchers are no different. I am proud of the high-quality beef I produce for consumers, but I can’t do that without caring for the land. Black Leg Ranch was founded in 1882 in what was then the Dakota Territory. The ranch is six generations strong and is founded on regenerative practices which ensure our natural resources, including wildlife, are improving and will be here for generations to come. We are very proud of the strides we have made to improve water quality and soil ...