Letters to the Editor

​Raising awareness: Kidney disease

June 24th, 2015

To the editor:

I was diagnosed with kidney disease in January 2010. This is the toughest thing that I ever went through in my life, and I want to help others avoid what I am going through.

Over 26 million Americans have chronic kidney disease (CKD), yet only 10 percent are aware they have it. There are more than 450,000 people in the U.S. on dialysis for kidney failure, and Medicare spends over $87 billion on the care of people with CKD. Investment in research and programs to improve…

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​Dead aren’t worth it

June 17th, 2015

To the editor:

The Army Corps says the cost to protect the graves of those buried in cemeteries upstream of the diversion project is $14 million, and it’s not worth it. The proposed Fargo diversion will cause those cemeteries to flood. They’re wrong, and it’s sad. They have already paid more than $10 million for a clubhouse at a private golf course, but a modicum of respect for the people who devoted all they had to give us life and a future isn’t worth it. Residents of North…

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Fargo’s gamble with with $60 million taxpayers’ money

May 14th, 2015

Fargo’s Diversion leaders have spent $60 million in taxpayer funds on a ring dike, buyouts and a golf course for Oxbow, ND. Oxbow is located above the floodplain, had already bought out its flood prone houses and, according to its mayor, had just recently completed near 500 year level flood protection. Its existing 18 hole private golf course, heavily in debt with a history of losing money, did not deserve a public bailout.

Fargo’s Diversion leaders gambled this huge sum on the…

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​Empty sloganeering

April 8th, 2015

To the editor:

After reading Rob Port’s column titled “Time to End the Corporate Farming Ban” I came to the frightening conclusion that he perhaps knows even less about farming than I do. It certainly left me none the wiser about any benefits of this bill.

Given his self-proclaimed expertise in this matter, I would have expected more of a marshaling of the facts and a logical analysis to support his position that passing this legislation was a good thing. However, most of his column…

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​Fargo’s City Hall: A candidate’s perspective

March 25th, 2015

In January of last year I wrote an opinion piece for The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead challenging the new city hall proposal. I was concerned that our commissioners were not prioritizing needs over wants. I was also curious about the price tag since, at the time, we had very little information as to where the building would be or how big it would be.The original estimate for Fargo’s new city hall was $8-12 million. Predictably, the city hall I thought we were debating morphed into a $30…

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​Dollars and sense

March 18th, 2015

While state law continues to allow businesses to fire an employee because they are gay or transgender, many large and small North Dakota organizations have taken the smart approach and included sexual orientation and gender identity in their corporate nondiscrimination policies. I want to thank the many North Dakota businesses for the work they do to create healthy work environments.

Employers such as Wells Fargo, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Montana-Dakota Utilities, Target, U.S. Bank and…

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​King of Mistakes

February 4th, 2015

To the editor:

There were two “King of Beers” commercials last night, the first one hit home being I am a dog owner, and oddly enough so did the second even though there were no cute pets or “What’s Up?” phone calls.

I can easily admit that I am not a “Budweiser drinker” nor am I am drinker of most macro beers. I enjoy a full flavored, robust beer with hops, and where the brewer pushes the creative boundaries of developing unique and good tasting beverage.

On Sunday night…

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Reality Check

November 12th, 2014

To the editor:

A post-election news article appearing in the online edition of The Forum contained the following assessment:

"Republicans have held power in the Senate since 1992 and in the House since 1984, enjoying a two-thirds majority in both chambers since 2010. They’ve also occupied the governor’s office since 1992 and currently hold all elected statewide offices and two of the state’s three seats in Washington."

In other words, North Dakota's Democratic-NPL Party has been out…

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​‘Cowspirary’ showing at the downtown Fargo Library

November 12th, 2014

To the editor:

Pre-released a couple months ago, the documentary “Cowspiracy” was only available to a select few, a couple of my friends happened to get a copy. I had a chance to see some clips online; it came off as not-your-typical environmental documentary. It makes the claim that environmental groups, not just the corporations involved, aren’t telling us the whole picture. A friend messaged me while she watched it.

“Damn! I'm watching the ‘Cowspiracy’ movie and I want to…

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​Is Measure 8 really necessary?

October 30th, 2014

To the editor:

ND Ballot Measure 8, which will establish a state law to require all public schools to start after Labor Day, sounds harmless and amenable on the surface. I have yet to find any compelling considerations with regard to positive educational delivery impacts, but wholeheartedly respect that proponents support it for family reasons. I respectfully request voters to consider some of the lesser known factors involved and whether they want or need to give up local control.

No…

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