Entries by Tyler Axness

The Budget Shortfall Was Created By The Legislature Ignoring ND Voters

As Legislators head back for the second half of the 65th Session, people across the state are left looking at an abysmal budget situation. In media across the state, we often see lines reading, “The North Dakota budget slump due to low commodity prices…” doesn’t tell the whole story. Now we see politicians and their […]

The Abrupt Committee Change Yesterday on Two-Year Wind Ban Does Nothing

After a weekend of outraged North Dakota citizens questioned the ill-advised two-year wind development ban, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee sent SB 2314 back to committee for further changes. Some thought the four committee members who voted for shutting down wind development to help the coal industry had been persuaded by the phone […]

ND Senate Committee Approves Two-Year Moratorium on Wind Development

Breaking news out of Bismarck this morning regarding the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. By a vote of 4-3, the committee has recommended a “DO PASS” on SB 2314 after amendment. The amendment, offered by Senator Dwight Cook of Mandan, would place a two-year moratorium on wind energy development. That is right, no new […]

ND Republicans Again Looking to Break Campaign Promise and Raise Your Taxes

Senate Bill 2298 would raise taxes on customers who shop online in North Dakota. The tax hike is introduced by Senator Dwight Cook of Mandan who is the Senate Finance and Tax Committee Chair. In a purely strategical move, the Senate co-sponsors include the Vice Chair of Finance and Tax, Senator Brad Bekkedahl, and committee […]

KEVIN TEIGEN: U.S. Senator John Hoeven is not a Risk Taker

(The following was submitted by Kevin Teigen in response to U.S. Senator John Hoeven’s support for Betsy DeVos to lead the Department of Education.) If you measure political success by margin of victory in elections, Sen. John Hoeven is one of the best politicians in the country. Just months ago, he garnered 78.5 percent of […]

It Is Time To Remove Gerrymandering From Our Politics

It is time we addressed gerrymandering of political districts. Over the weekend, the Washington Post published an article describing how this practice is negatively impacting our democracy. I encourage you to take a moment and read it. Before I get into what has happened in North Dakota under Republican control, I want to assure you this isn’t […]

Are We Going To Let Radio Interviews Pass As Town Halls?

This week Roll Call ran two pieces on Congressman Kevin Cramer. The first article stated,  “North Dakota Republican Rep. Kevin Cramer held the most town halls among members of Congress in 2016 — 164 to be exact.” The article goes on to say it’s made possible because Cramer holds his “town halls” over the radio. People can just […]

GUEST POST: Perry Miller “Define Yourself”

(The following was submitted as a guest post by Perry Miller of Wahpeton, ND. Miller expands on a conversation we had when he was a guest on “Happy Hour in the Heartland”. The audio of that podcast can be heard above.)  Why do people belong to political parties? Is it because our parents did? Our […]