Plain Talk

Public health officials and other policymakers have been working hard to persuade people to get a COVID-19 vaccine, but one group of citizens in two North Dakota counties are being denied that opportunity. Williams and Burleigh counties — the former in the heart of North Dakota's oil fields, the latter home to the state capital — are refusing to provide COVID-19 vaccines to their jail inmates citing cost and liability issues. Does this make sense? Dane DeKrey, advocacy director of the American Civil Liberties Union of North Dakota, says this is a human rights issue. He joins this episode of Plain Talk Live to discuss.

Earlier this year North Dakota's lawmakers approved a bill that prohibited institutions in the state's university system from working with groups that promote abortion. The bill, as passed, also included a financial penalty, denying matching state fundraising dollars for campuses that ran afoul of the provision. The impetus for the legislation was a long-standing grant relationship between Planned Parenthood, which is involved not only in promoting abortion rights but also in partisan politics on the side of Democrats. Governor Doug Burgum signed the law, though he vetoed the penalty, leaving only the prohibition in place. Many on the state's campuses see the Legislature's actions as an affront to academic freedom. Is it? Dr. Bo Wood, a professor of political science at the University of North Dakota, joins this episode of Plain Talk to discuss that as well as the controversy around Rep. Liz Cheney and the splintering of the GOP.

You're probably hearing a lot about cryptocurrency these days. Dogecoin. Bitcoin. The businesses you patronize are telling you they accept it. Heck, here in North Dakota, the City of Williston has begun accepting it as a payment option. But what is it? How do you use it? And given the headlines we see about the rollercoaster values of cryptocurrencies, is it a safe place to put your money? Jack Seaman from MinDak Gold and Silver Exchange is a business owner who accepts cryptocurrencies. He has a crypto ATM in his business. He joins this episode of Plain Talk to discuss the practical realities of using cryptocurrency.

Rob and Jay talk about UFOs.

It used to be, if you started talking about aliens and UFOs, most people would write you off as a crackpot. That's changed. High-ranking military officials, and even a former President of the United States, Barack Obama, are acknowledging that there are things flying around in our skies that even our best scientific and military minds can't explain. What's happening? And why did it become ok, all of a sudden, to acknowledge this stuff? Jay Thomas from WDAY AM970 joins this episode of Plain Talk to discuss.

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.