Teacher pension falls short

January 28, 2023

Carol Dahlstrom, Hillsboro After teaching 34 years in secondary ed in North Dakota, I drew my pension through the ND Teachers Fund for Retirement, (TFFR.) However, in the sixteen years since retiring, over 9,000 other retired educators and I have yet to receive a COLA (cost-of-living adjustment). In my case, that means the check I receive today is worth only 40% of when I started drawing. How many people, including legislators, would accept a 60% loss in pay over a decade and a half? Inflation in the last two years alone will reduce our pensions by double digits. In the funds ...

Let’s not make it harder to vote

January 28, 2023

Carol Sawicki, Fargo Several bills have been introduced in the North Dakota legislative session that would require proof of United States citizenship to vote in our elections. These bills are unnecessary, potentially discriminatory, and may result in qualified voters deciding to stay away from the polls. Every person who comes to a polling site in North Dakota is already asked if they are a U.S. citizen before they are given a ballot. Requiring them to provide another verification implies that they are not giving a truthful answer to that question. Moreover, North Dakota ...

Shoebox gifts have global impact

January 28, 2023

Lizette Miller, Media relations manager, Samaritan’s Purse, Boone, N.C. I am writing to thank Minot-area residents for sharing the true meaning of Christmas with children in need this past holiday season. Generosity throughout contributed to a successful shoebox gift collection season at drop-off locations for the Samaritan’s Purse project Operation Christmas Child. Across the U.S., the project collected over 9.3 million shoebox gifts in 2022. Combined with those collected from partnering countries in 2022, the ministry is now sending nearly 10.6 million shoebox gifts to ...

Much discussed, little accomplished

January 28, 2023

Kevin Glatt, Bismarck Much has been discussed about property tax reform. Little has been accomplished. Relief has been approved several times by the legislature in various forms (income tax credit, county social service takeover, school funding, etc.). However, no real reform has been accomplished since the late 1970s and early 1980s under democratic leadership. Former Governor Dalrymple’s mill levy consolidation was a compromised attempt at reform; along with increased training for local assessors, but no real reform has been achieved under republican control. Perchance ...

Say no to corporate farming

January 28, 2023

Travis and Karen Anderson, Warwick A cruel wind is blowing from Bismarck. Our current Governor Burgum is pushing to end the ban on corporate farming in the state. A beginning economics class teaches that corporations are responsible only to their shareholders, ergo the bottom line. Corporations buy inputs the cheapest, putting local suppliers out of business. They will take the land away from resident producers forcing producers to work for them. Producers will be handcuffed to being price takers. Corporate entities will require them to buy specific inputs if they want to ...

Banning books done before

January 28, 2023

Andrew Heidt, Minot Banning books has been done before. On May 10, 1933, Nazi students throughout Germany burned the books of hundreds of independent authors, journalists, philosophers, and academics that were “against the un-German spirit.” With the words “Against decadence and moral decay! For discipline and decency in the family and the nation!” books were thrown into the fire. There was a prelude to this, written in 1820, by German-Jewish author, Heinrich Heine, “Where they burn books, they will ultimately burn people as well.” Look what happened there! My ...