July 20th, 2016
By Chris Hennen
There have been too many tragedies in the United States lately. We’ve become numb to the death and destruction that fill our headlines. It’s almost enough to make you afraid to wake up in the morning and read the news.
Every time it happens, including most recently with the killing of police officers ambushed in Baton Rouge, there are many calls for people to come together, to listen more and to love each other more. It never happens. And I am starting to be afraid it…
July 13th, 2016
After a long, hard-fought campaign, Bernie Sanders endorsed Hillary Clinton this week; and wasting no time, his supporters lashed out at him.
The endorsement was rumored to be in the works for weeks, as he negotiated and received concessions from Hillary which resulted in the most progressive Democratic party platform ever. He got support from her on the $15.00 minimum wage, a price on carbon pollution, expansions of her college affordability plan, and support for a public option on…
July 6th, 2016
The state of North Dakota’s rainy day fund may be out of money by the end of the year. The state relied on Moody’s analysts, who have consistently projected inaccurately; most importantly, the declining price of oil.
The state’s oil boom has cooled off sufficiently. Two years ago we had 187 active oil rigs in North Dakota. A year ago that number was 78, and as of this summer, 28.
State legislators told the Forum recently that we are in the middle of a “mental health crisis,”…
June 29th, 2016
It seems like everyone was shocked when Britain voted to leave the European Union last week, even people who voted for it. Of course in typical American fashion, most of us didn’t pay attention to the issue until after it happened.
But once it did happen, there was an immediate thought: will economic malaise and immigration furor lead to a Trump presidency? Is Brexit the early sign of a trend? Pollsters were wrong in the Brexit race and they’ve underestimated Trump pretty much from…
June 22nd, 2016
Last week we had a primary election in the state that also included an important Fargo city election. Republicans now have a majority on the Fargo City Commission in what has reliably been a progressive city, the most progressive city in the state.
But when you have 11 candidates as we saw in this last City Commission race and a lot of candidates in the two previous races, which also saw Republicans win, fractured coalitions in the Democratic party can lead to Republicans getting elected…
June 15th, 2016
We were all shocked and surprised but not surprised, to wake up to the news of the horrific attack at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, where 49 people died just for having a good time. Almost immediately, our social media news feeds were filled with people pontificating about what happened before we even knew how or why. Such is life in the 24-hour news media cycle. It was definitely frustrating and sad, after so many mass shootings in recent years, to realize how we’ve come to accept…
June 1st, 2016
I don’t want to sound like a grumpy old man. But sometimes the kids piss me off. Let me explain. This weekend I attended the Soundset Festival in the Twin Cities, put together by Rhymesayers Entertainment, a hip hop institution based in Minneapolis and basically run by its biggest artist, Atmosphere.
It’s pretty amazing what Rhymesayers has done in 20 years of existence. To establish Minnesota as a force in the world of hip hop is saying something. They have been consistently…
May 25th, 2016
We’ve talked a lot and you’ve talked a lot about Bernie vs. Hillary and who should win. There are strong opinions on both sides. It’s an important race for the soul of the party and it will soon be decided.
But you know if you will really want to make a difference in your day-to-day life and have more of an impact, you should consider paying attention to and voting in local city races, as well as Legislative races. Sometimes hundreds of votes can decide a race. If more young…
May 18th, 2016
They are at it again. A breathtaking report from Valley News Live alleged that refugees are spreading disease in our region and we are all at risk. The only thing being spread in our region is fear, bigotry and racism from what is supposed to be an objective news outfit.
Health officials were quick to refute Valley News Live’s report, that everyone living in refugee resettlement areas was at risk of contracting tuberculosis. Just because the rates of tuberculosis infections are rising…
May 11th, 2016
Many were disappointed recently when Republican candidate for Governor Doug Burgum decided to endorse Donald Trump. Burgum has seen support throughout his campaign from progressives who feel he would be a good Governor with a strong business sense that doesn’t tow the party line on issues like gay rights and abortion. Because he was so out front on the Trump nomination however, he will see some of that support disappear.
Now Burgum states the obvious, saying he will support the nominee…