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Vaping Seems To Be Replacing Smoking, Not Luring People To It
This coming session our lawmakers will be considering legislation which would continue to treat vaping, or “e-cigarettes,” as though it were just like actual smoking. Already the state included vaping...
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Matt Evans: Defending Kevin Cramer To Conservatives
Someone has kidnapped Matt Evans and written this column under his name. Evans, you see, is a tireless critic of government. He has no tolerance for politicians who don’t say what they mean. He is...
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Dickinson State Loses Grant Money Intended For Scholarships
I say that Dickinson State University is losing money for scholarships not because they’ll never get it – the folks on the North Dakota Challenge Fund Grant Review Committee say the money will be...
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North Dakota Added Over 16,000 Workers In Last Year
Oil price concerns weigh heavy on the minds of many North Dakota leaders, but for now the state’s economy remains strong. We just got another datapoint proving it today with the latest state labor...
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If Only Our Government Got As Much Coverage As Football
Bison football has become such a big deal in North Dakota that the media is now running coverage about how much coverage the football team gets. It’s all very meta. Not that it ever takes much for the...
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Less Than 100 Sign Dakota Resource Council Petition To Audit Oil Regulators
It often seems as though the left-wing activists who are out to stop fossil fuel energy development get an inordinate amount of attention from the media, far in excess of their actual on-the-ground...
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Bette Grande: Policy And Budget Choices In A Time Of Great Uncertainty
With the ND legislative session a few weeks away there are many things to ponder over the holidays. There are opinions on every side about the impact and duration of lower global oil prices, but we...
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Obama Got It Right On Cuba
Representative Kevin Cramer sent out a press release yesterday evening reacting to President Barack Obama’s recent move toward more normalized diplomatic relations with Cuba. Not only does Cramer agree...
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Higher Ed Challenge Fund Should Be Renewed Only With Oversight For...
During the 2013 legislative session lawmakers authorized $29 million to match donations to the state’s institutions of higher education. The funds come in the form of grants, and every $1 in taxpayer...
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The End Of North Dakota’s Oil Boom Is Here
I think North Dakota’s oil boom is over, and the closing of a business in Williston has convinced me that it’s true. The Williston Herald is reporting that the Bakken Club, a business that made...
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Rod St. Aubyn: Projected Oil Prices And The Legislature
Rob had an interesting blog story on Saturday evening about the possibility that the oil boom in Western North Dakota may be over. With the lower oil prices partially caused by OPEC’s war against...
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New York Times Profiles Corruption, Murder Involving Heidi Heitkamp “Friend”
Political corruption is an unfortunate fact of life on many American Indian reservations, and the Fort Berthold Reservation is certainly a noteworthy example. And, as has often happened with tribal...
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The Outdoor Heritage Fund Doesn’t Need Fixing, It Needs Repeal
This election year North Dakota had a titanic debate over a constitutional amendment – Measure 5, specifically – which would have diverted hundreds of millions of tax dollars into a slush fund for...
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Does North Dakota Really Deserve Bad Grades For Teacher Preparedness?
Over the holiday you folks probably saw a lot of this headline: “North Dakota receives bad grades in teacher preparedness” The article, written by Anna Burleson of Forum Communications, details a...
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Head Of Troubled NDSU Development Foundation Steps Down
It’s been a rough year for foundations at North Dakota’s universities. At UND in Grand Forks the now-defunct UND Research Foundation dumped the unprofitable REAC Building on the taxpayers after it...
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James Kerian: It’s Not The Voters’ Opinions That Matter, It’s How Much They Care
Most people disagree with you. If you care about anything in politics (it doesn’t matter where you are on the ideological spectrum) most people disagree with you. You might be tempted to believe...
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Cost Of Gasoline Is Near Historic Lows
Gas prices, since they’re one of the most universal and visible costs of day-to-day life, are always of great concern to Americans. We live in a big, wide-open country and driving isn’t just a luxury....
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ND Lawmakers Will Have Two Choices On Income Taxes: Eliminate It, Or Phase It...
Rep. Al Carlson, the House Majority Leader, has announced that he will be introducing legislation which would take North Dakota’s personal and corporate income tax rates down to zero. But back in...
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NDUS Vice Chancellor Accused Of Manipulating Hiring Process For Auditor
Back in November I reported that two of the North Dakota University System’s top accountability personnel – Chief Auditor Timothy Carlson and Compliance Officer Kirsten Franzen – had been placed on...
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LegitSlater: Legislative Scorecard 2015 Primer
While the 64th Legislative Assembly is slated to begin next week, the SAB War Room has been running three shifts daily going through every line of every prefiled bill. Christmas dinners were missed,...
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