Plain Talk

A company or organization wants to start some project with economic development assistance from the government. They make applications to state boards or local governments, and in those applications they make promises. They'll create jobs, they say. They'll generate tax revenue. And when the tax breaks or subsidies are approved, the politicians doing the approving typically take a victory lap. But does anyone ever look back to see if the promises made in the process of procuring government largesse are kept? Fargo City Commissioner Tony Gehrig, an outspoken critic of this approach to economic development, says no. At least not in his community. He joins this episode of Plain Talk Live to discuss.

Some of the biggest investors in the green energy space are major players in the fossil fuel industry. Meanwhile, Ford has announced an electric version of its hugely popular F-150 pickup. In North Dakota, where oil and gas is a huge contributor to the statewide economy, Governor Doug Burgum just announced a goal of being carbon neutral by 2030. What's going on? Rob Port and Jonah Lantto from the Good Talk Network discuss. Also, why are public health officials hassling vapers? And will the checks from the government ever end?

In April, North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum signed a bill that aims to protect school districts from liability for posting the 10 commandments. “School boards are already required to develop a policy for the proper display of any religious objects or documents," Burgum said in a statement announcing his signature on the bill. "This law supports local control and gives school districts full control over whether to display any religious objects or documents." Opponents of the bill argued that the legislation could invite lawsuits from groups who see displays of the 10 commandments as an affront to religious liberty. Andrew Seidel, a constitutional law attorney for the Wisconsin-based Freedom from Religion Foundation has described the legislation as "un-American" and has said that his group is ready to challenge it in court. "The Freedom From Religion Foundation has successfully sued three times to remove Ten Commandments monuments or posters from public schools, and is prepared to challenge this blatantly unconstitutional law," he wrote in a recent letter to the editor. He joins this episode of Plain Talk to discuss the issue.

First, it was economic stimulus checks. Then it was multiple-round pandemic relief payments and expanded unemployment benefits. Now President Joe Biden's administration, acting on a part of the Democrats' nearly $2 trillion pandemic relief package, is set to send Americans with children hundreds of dollars every month. Kids under 6 are worth $300 each, while kids age 6 to 17 are worth $250. That adds up to thousands of dollars per year, per family, at a time when our national budget deficit is routinely measured in the multiple trillions as our total national debt closes in on $30 trillion. This is supposed to be a temporary program, but once the money starts showing up in bank accounts, does anyone doubt there will be a move to make things permanent? This is money we don't have. Or, think of it another way. These are tax dollars our great-grandchildren will pay one day, and we're just giving it to ourselves. Talk show host Jay Thomas from WDAY AM970 in Fargo will join this episode of Plain Talk Live to discuss.

The world of North Dakota politics, in the current moment, is one in which Republicans can't get along, and Democrats can't win. A faction of the North Dakota Republican Party, deeply aligned with former President Donald Trump, has launched a largely unsuccessful campaign to take over the state party. Yet though they've fallen short, their actions at local district meetings, including censuring sitting Republican lawmakers, have roiled the NDGOP. Meanwhile, the North Dakota Democratic-NPL has chosen more leadership for a party that hasn't won much of anything for going on three decades. Can the NDGOP's political dominance survive this fraught and divisive moment? Can the Democratic-NPL overcome the toxicity of its brand to take advantage of Republican infighting? Chad Oban, a former executive director of the Democratic-NPL, joins this episode of Plain Talk to discuss.

Should the State of North Dakota invest Legacy Fund dollars in a theme park venture in Jamestown? The proponents of the Buffalo City Park want the State Investment Board to approve a $60 million investment for the proposal. Lt. Governor Brent Sanford chairs the State Investment Board, and he joins this episode of Plain Talk Live to discuss the amusement park proposal as well as new legislation directing more Legacy Fund investments into North Dakota projects and startups.

Rob and Jay talk about the impact of expanded unemployment benefits on our economy. People aren't going back to work, and why would they when they can make the equivalent of $15.00 per hour staying at home?

Is recreational marijuana inevitable in North Dakota? The Biden administration announced a loan forgiveness program for farmers, but not white farmers. Is that fair? A Wahpeton school teacher has been suspended after a classroom discussion about George Floyd and the Derek Chauvin trial outraged students (or, perhaps more accurately, their parents). Rob Port and Jay Thomas, talk radio host for WDAY AM970 in Fargo, discuss these topics and others.

Rail shipments are hugely important to North Dakota's economy. Framers and ranchers depend on the railroad infrastructure to bring their crops and livestock to market. The state's manufacturers receive shipments of raw materials, and send out finished products, by rail. The energy industry, too, depends on rail. The fraught political debate over pipeline infrastructure has often squeezed the capacity available for North Dakota's oil fields. Rail is a flexible, if not optimal, way to get petroleum to market. Given this importance, shouldn't rail safety be paramount for North Dakota's leaders? After a few firey and explosive derailments of oil-by-rail shipments created a new narrative for anti-oil activists to pounce on, Public Service Commissioner Julie Fedorchak, a Republican, sought funding from the Legislature to begin a state-run rail inspection program. The federal bureaucracy is typically in charge of that, but their coverage leaves much to be desired. State inspectors help them cover more rail. But some of North Dakota's lawmakers, even as they've funded the rail inspection program, have been hostile to it. Some of them would rather leave it to the federal government. Others resent the modest cost, which currently stands at just $600,000 for the two-year budget cycle. Every time the program is funded, a sunset provision is put in. Fedorchak joins this episode of Plain Talk to talk about the success of the rail inspection program, and the fight to keep it funded.

A Fargo/Moorhead mosque was vandalized with racial slurs and Nazi imagery recently. That and other incidents have led for some to call for new hate crime policies in North Dakota. Fargo City Commissioner Arlette Preston is calling for a new ordinance. The editorial board of the Fargo Forum has also called for new statewide policies. But do these policies work? Do they actually deter hate crimes? Wess Philome, an activist with OneFargo and the Black Lives Matter movement, wants new policies enacted. Mark Friese, a practicing defense attorney with the Vogel Law Firm in Fargo, questions both the efficacy of such policies and the necessity. These men join this episode of Plain Talk Live to discuss the issue.