Dakota Beacon

The Supreme Court has agreed to hear King v. Burwell largely because of the gravity of the issue—subsidies for an estimated 5 million people hinge on the outcome as well as other consequences. The key issue is a matter of “statutory construction.” Congress has passed a law, albeit a long and complex one, and in that law there is language which has a plain and unambiguous meaning on its face. The subsidies which reduce the cost of health care insurance for the purchaser are only available for health plans “enrolled in through an Exchange established by the State under section 1311” of the ACA. The federal exchanges are not established by the state. Therefore, plans purchased on those exchanges do not qualify for the subsidies.

Finally, I must pay tribute to the ” the “black sheep,” the “outcast,” the “orphan” of seasonal goodies -- the fruitcake. Personally, I like fruitcake although it’s the one thing we don’t make in our home. Nevertheless, the fruitcake deserves its rightful honor as a holiday sweet. Too often this loaf is treated like zucchini. It’s given away because a) it’s so prolific and easy to buy, and b) even so, nobody wants it. In the spirit of Christmas I suggest we show some gratitude for this humble, calorie-laden brick with this plea: “Send me your tired, your poor, your -- fruitcake!”

Let the baking begin!

THE ONLOOKER; GOV. JACK DALRYMPLE’S SPECIAL GENIUS; FARGO MAYOR DENNIS WALAKER; NEW PRESIDENT AT UTTC; NO GUNSHOTS; DEAN BRESCIANI; DAKOTA PRAIRIE REFINING; CINDERELLA CITY; BLUECHIP FINANCIAL; MINOT GETS EQUAL OPPORTUNITY; CARRINGTON; THE NEW YORK TIMES

“The biggest threat to marriage is that people have forgotten its purpose,” said Pastor Rick Warren, the 28^th speaker at the conference. “Children who grow up with the presence of a mother and father are more successful in life, are healthier, are stronger, are less likely to be involved in crime, are less likely to go to prison, are less likely to be involved in drug abuse, are less likely to live in poverty. If you really want to support children, we need to support two-parent families, a husband and a wife, a mom and a dad.”

Governor Bobby Jindal: "This was a bait and switch."

Governor Phil Bryan: "State control over the standards turned out to be a myth, and adopting the standards has been required if a state wants to even apply for major federal education funding. So much for no federal control.”

Here in North Dakota the House and Senate Education Committee chairmen, the Superintendent of Public Instruction are in FULL SPEED AHEAD mode for complete systemic reform of the state’s education system. Governor Dalrymple? Silence…..Ø?

No American soldier, sailor or marine should ever be sent into war without a declaration of war issued by the U.S. Congress. If Congress won't issue such a declaration, then troops should not be sent into any battle.

By raising themselves up in the eyes of others they become relevant, meaningful and significant.

These instances of people creating their own relevance seem benign; shallow but benign. Others seek meaning in their lives with action that is not so benign.

What about those who find meaning and significance in destructive behavior? Gang members, westerners who join ISIS, people who riot in Ferguson, Missouri, fall into this category. Aimless people wandering seeking meaning in their lives are very susceptible to finding it in all the wrong places.

Why would people born in the United States want to join a gang or join ISIS? What is their interest? What is the attraction to rioting in Ferguson? Where do these people come from?

Pearson executives saw the potential to secure lucrative contracts in testing, textbooks and software worth tens of millions of dollars.

As the president, Obama continues to display his true roots. He is a community organizer at heart and no different than Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton. He came to office with no private sector experience beyond academia and with only 142 days federal experience as Senator. As emperor he sees America as his community to organize.

I have had dozens of conversations with legislators over the years about these exemptions, the original intent was to incentivize developers to refurbish old, worn-down buildings and bring new businesses into downtowns. This particular project, as those in Bismarck know, was a brand-new multi-million dollar building. These sorts of condos are well out of the reach of the average citizen, and providing tax breaks to make it easier for developers to sell them was not the intent of the these laws.

National exit polling from Congressional races tells us some interesting things about the role of religious values in the 2014 midterm elections. It also sends a signal to the Republican Party about its supporters now and in the future

THE LEGACY FUND; LITTLE NORWAY; MONTANA COUNTIES IN THE BAKKEN; OIL AND AG; WHERE ARE AMERICAN INDIANS?; UNDERWATER; HE NEEDED TO RELAX; IS EVILDOER RIGHT?; NOT A LOW TAX STATE; FROM MINNESOTA TO SYRI; SOMALI LEADERS IN THE TWIN CITIES; DAKTOIDS  

The principle of democracy is bad enough in itself. But in practice democracy also breeds corrupt politicians, intent on short-term gain for themselves. The brevity of their tenure gives them an incentive to make hay while the sun shines.

Along with our many other problems, "Americans" (insofar as they still exist) are enduring the slow boil of cultural and demographic genocide. And executive amnesty, as with other kinds of leftist overreach, just may serve to turn that flame up high and rouse people from their torpor.

This is what it boils down to. And there's a reason why people such as Barack Obama don't believe in using immigration controls "vigorously and unapologetically to protect Americans."

So, what now? Should the Keystone Pipeline be built? That's not for me to say and, frankly, I don't see the future clearly enough to know whether it will be economically viable in the coming years. Neither is it for President Obama to say or know. Only the market can tell us which decisions to produce are wise and which are mistaken.

This past weekend the mainstream media just “stumbled” across the Jonathan Gruber video tapes. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) professor, one of the architects of the very unpopular and very unaffordable Affordable Care Act, admitted in a series of video tapes that the only way Obamacare could pass into law was by deceiving the American people. The video tapes were created in 2013 as Gruber delivered lectures and presentations. To the mainstream media’s discredit, the alternative media has been reporting on Gruber’s pack of lies since July of 2013. A total of five tapes have been revealed with potentially more to be released.

WHAT’S REALLY WRONG?; KEYSTONE XL; HEITKAMP IS A SWING VOTE; DSU RECEIVES ANOTHER BLOW; THERE’S MORE WHERE THAT CAME FROM; EASY TARGETS; THE TRIB BLAMES RACISM; TRIB NOT IN SYNC WITH READERS; LAUREN DONOVAN; IF YOU DON’T LIKE THE NEWBIES; MARTHA BERGEN (99); GO WEST YOUNG WELLESLEY GRAD; DAKTOIDS 

Both Gates and Hewlett want CCSS to drive the entire public education enterprise– and that includes curriculum.

To help commemorate the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, Dr. Paul Kengor explores an often overlooked moment in the history of the wall: A powerful speech given by Martin Luther King Jr. In this intriguing article that first appeared in the Washington Post, Kengor discusses King's message and how it may have deeply impacted those who were there to hear it.

Charles Mills reviews a new book of essays on divorce and remarriage, Remaining in the Truth of Christ. It refutes some of the arguments made by Cardinal Kaspar at the recent Catholic Bishops Synod on the Family.

Herbert W. Stupp reviews Big Tent, a new book on the conservative revolution.

If WAWS cannot fulfill the public water needs, it has no business competing with private businesses for fulfilling the oil industries needs.

Dr. Paul Kengor helps commemorate Veterans Day in this feel-good piece that expresses gratitude to the men and women who have proudly served America. Kengor visits with a WWII veteran who recounts many amazing stories from his time serving our country.

World War I is often remembered as a brutal and futile war. The war certainly changed the political landscape of the world, but often overlooked is how WWI altered the religious landscape across the globe. In this comprehensive review, Dr. Robert Clemm explores Philip Jenkins' book, The Great and Holy War: How World War I Became a Religious Crusade, and notes that Jenkins' work "firmly establishes that WWI did not just reshape the political landscape, but it created the religious world we exist in today."

Midterm elections passed into history on November 4 resulting in a Republican tidal wave victory. Not only did they gain control of the US Senate, but they took additional seats in the US House as well as governorships and state legislatures. Once again the pollsters were befuddled. How could they have not seen this coming?

Leftists and liberals of all stripes share a strange mindset outside the normal pattern of thinking. Their line of thinking too often produces wacky results. Maybe this mindset helps explain the far ranging Democrat defeat that the pollsters could not measure. Here are some illustrations of how liberals think.

As I left the event, I picked up a “Save the Boundary Waters” advertisement openly laid on a table at the top of the stairs, noticing the presence of the Acting Chancellor of the University System who appeared cheery and pleased, as usual as he took his copy.

The back page of the advertisement stated:

“Now this special place is jeopardized by proposals for sulfide-ore mining for copper and nickel – a risky type of mining that has never before been permitted in Minnesota. By-products of sulfide-ore mining include hazardous pollutants such as sulfuric acid and heavy metals, which could permanently ruin the pristine water and unspoiled forests of the Boundary Waters Wilderness. While the proposed sulfide-ore mines are not within the Boundary Waters Wilderness itself, their pollution will flow into the Wilderness and directly damage the Wilderness.”

Several points must be made. First, nowhere on the poster was the “Save the Boundary Waters” mentioned. Secondly, the BSC-produced posters and the venue itself were taxpayer funded.

IT'S EASY TO SUM UP THE ND ELECTIONS; TIME TO REBUILD; MINNESOTA HAD ELECTIONS TOO; COMMON SENSE POLICIES; CIGGIES SLIP ACCROSS THE RED RIVER; HE I-94 MIGRATION; THE STATE OF RURAL MINNESOTA 2014; IS THAT SO?; THE HEAT IS ON TEX; THE ULTIMATE TRIBUTE; VISITORS TO ND AIRPORTS; SAY NO MORE; BOASTING?

The Obama administration appears engaged in a purge of senior military personnel throughout the armed forces. The term “purge” is not insignificant. Last year at this time the count was 137. The number has risen to 231 and continues to climb. Years of military excellence and experience are shredded and cannot be easily replaced.

Sequestration, an Obama initiative, reduces the defense force structure across the board and serves to eliminate personnel up and down the ranks without distinction. However, senior personnel who oppose Obama’s social and political agendas can be removed for trivial charges.

CALIFORNIA REFINERIES; DISTURBINGLY VAGUE; TRUST ME; THE OTHER SIDE OF THE RIVER IS DIFFERENT; MIRROR, MIRROR ON THE WALL; OLE AND LENA’S PIZZERIA; THE METAL ARTS FOUNDRY; MARILYN HUDSON IS A HISTORIAN; WHAT THE CANDIDATES SAY; WILLIAMS IS TRIBAL ATTORNEY; ALL IN THE FAMILY; BYPASSES;