Dakota Beacon

If tobacco is a luxury, gasoline isn’t. Don’t blame the oil companies for the high cost of gasoline. Thank your greedy legislators for that. Reformulated gas mandated by the Clean Air Act of 1990 push prices up. Mandated use of ethanol may benefit certain farm states but it is twice as expensive as gasoline. It cannot be effectively piped and must therefore be shipped by barge, truck, or rail -- another added expense. And then there are the taxes. Federal and state taxes alone account for 1/3 the price of gasoline at the pump. All of these added costs for gasoline are imposed by legislators who count on the public’s ignorance of economics to impose their way.

People voting for the economic illusion of “free” things perpetrated by the political class are putty in the hands of their elected overlords. A blind electorate typically gets what it deserves.

HOW THOUGHTFUL!; KINDER AND MORE MODERATE COMMENTS; YES, THERE IS IRONY; UND WON THE WESTERN REGION PLAYOFFS; THE NICKNAME IS NOT FORGOTTE; AVERAGES CAN BE DECEPTIVE; WAS SHE WEARING A SCARF?; WAITING FOR THE NEW ARRIVALS, GOOD EXAMPLES?; FOREWARNED IS FOREARMED; DAKOTA SPIRIT AgENERGY; WELL NOW!; DAKTOIDS

The fact remains, by leaving school districts in the lurch until July 2016, some schools may see the need to see traditional bond issues, and pay higher interest rates. That translates into higher property taxes.

After all the money put into education over the years in the name of reducing property taxes, the House seems to be ready to put the kabosh on a plan that only has a $19 million price tag, but could save local taxpayers well in excess of that over a 20 year period.

It's a new reality that won't go unnoticed.

I found it refreshing to think again about the blessings bestowed upon the cultures of this world by Christianity.

            --Established a multitude of hospitals throughout the world from the Middle Ages onward.

            --Founded many universities and centers of learning also dating from the Middle Ages.

            --Fostered literacy and education across cultures.

            --Developed the economic basis of free-enterprise.

            --Gave the world the foundation of representative government.

            --Delineated the idea of separation of powers within governments.

            --Provided the genesis of civil liberties.

            --Initiated the centuries-long struggle against slavery beginning in the Roman era. (Slavery was practiced in all cultures long, long before the American experience.)

            --Laid the foundation of modern science.

            --Elevated women to a status of equality.

            --Elevated the common man to a status of equality.

            --Established many continuing charities and benevolent organizations.

            --Laid the groundwork for higher standards of justice.

            --Provided the context and perspective of deviant sexuality including adultery, pornography and homosexuality.

            --Uniquely valued human life, especially with regard to the elderly, infirm and unborn.

            --Codified and wrote many of the world’s languages.

            --Brought a civilizing effect to many primitive cultures.

            --Inspired some of the world’s greatest works of art, music and literature.

            --Transformed untold numbers of people into valued members of their respective cultures.

The beginning of the Lord's Prayer reflects the first two of the Ten Commandments and the first great commandment to love God above all else.

FORGET COST; UTOPIAN DREAMS; BE READY!; IT’S OBVIOUS; SLOWDOWN IN SIGHT?; LEVELING THE PLAYING FIELD; GET A BIGGER PIECE OF THE PIE; THE MINNESOTA SHAKOPEE SIOUX; THE FORT BERTHOLD RESERVATION F RACKING RULES; HAT NOW?; WELL SAID; MARCH 21, 2005; SLIPPED THROUGH HIS FINGERS; SUSAN WEFALD; GUESS WHO WROTE THIS OBITUARY; THERE IS AN UPROAR; DAKTOIDS 

Here is the great hypocrisy. “Leaders” in Washington, the most expensive place to live, claim to do everything for the “little guy.” They claim to stand up for him and defend him. Believing this, the “little guy” continues to vote for liberal politicians because he believes they are looking out for him. Meanwhile, the political class of our nation surround themselves with unbelievable luxury. Beginning with the president, they have hijacked the wealth of the nation; given it to themselves, their friends and their families; and live and vacation in ways the “little guy” could never dream of. The esteemed political leadership has robbed America blind.

The myth that liberals and Democrats stand with the middleclass and “little guy” is embarrassing. It’s time to defeat the myth.

Fifty years ago, to satisfy domestic political considerations, President Lyndon Johnson chose air power to avoid a ground war in Vietnam. History reveals that the strategy didn’t work. In this interesting article, Dr. Earl Tilford examines the last 50 years of American war strategy and argues that the current administration “would do well to study Johnson administration decision making in 1964 and 1965.” 

A WILD SWING; THE WALL STREET JOURNAL; A LITTLE NOTE TO EASTERN LEGISLATORS; GIVE US OIL MONEY!; GO SLOW, OR ELSE UND; BET YOU DIDN’T KNOW; MAYBE IT’S TIME TO . . .; STICK ‘EM UP; NORWAY TO ND; DAKTOIDS

Since last month's update on the WAWS Reform effort, the Senate overwhelmingly approved both bills that were introduced to start the process of reining in the Western Area Water Supply Authority.

Perhaps the State House which voted 61-27 on House Bill 1187 to significantly reduce the Industrial Commission's rule-making powers will take issue with the Industrial Commission trying to interfere with the legislature's on-going work.

ONCE, ND DID NOT LIKE LISTS; SURGE MONEY; CARNAGE IN OIL COUNTRY; WATFORD CITY; MAN CAMPS; GRAND FORKS GROWS ANXIOUS; TITAN MACHINERY; WATCH TITAN CLOSELY; BE ALERT FOR “INTELLIGENT DOZERS”; DON’T CALL US MIDWESTERNERS; U-HAUL FRANCHISES; DAKTOIDS

If there is one common theme in the religious, cultural, and political collapse which we see all around us, it is cowardice.

The cowardice seems to be contagious. Today, true conservatives shudder as the historic Republican Congress and Senate shrink from their responsibilities. Yes, the pols insist - properly - that Obama is ignoring his constitutional duties while flouting the law. But they refuse to exercise the powers conferred upon them by the Constitution to address those crimes and misdemeanors.

Obama’s amnesty plan is to use illegal aliens as “seedlings,” said the federal officials. They will “navigate, not assimilate,” as they “take over the host,” create a “country within a country” and start “pushing the citizens into the shadows.

Welcome to the “fundamental transformation” of America.

The Left was very successful boiling the frog slowly with the legal importation of socialist voters and the gradual transformation of our culture via entertainment, the media and academia. But liberals’ childish haste may have led to a tactical error. By going all in on executive orders and amnesty — by transitioning from evolutionary to revolutionary change and turning the burner up high — the Left risks rousing that frog from his pan. And how should it jump?

Without fail, perusing the news will always reveal political quotes generating some irreverent humor. Try these.

As soon as a conservative Republican emerges as a serious presidential frontrunner,liberals in the media suddenly yank out the microscopes they’ve been keeping away from Barack Obama since 2007. They could care less what Obama did in college, how he got into college, who paid for his college, who wrote his letters of recommendation, what his grades were, and on and on—but we already know everything about Scott Walker and college. Obama’s media protectors could give a rip that he had a mentor who was a literal card-carrying member of the Communist Party in the Stalin era. But as soon as someone like Scott Walker starts gaining ground, wow, “journalists” lunge for the magnifying glass and became real reporters again, profusely digging and questioning, looking for mole holes to make into vast mountains of scandal.

IT PAYS TO HAVE A GOOD ATTORNEY; DEMAND DOWN; IT PAYS TO BE PRUDENT; WAITING FOR THE RECKONING; DON’T DISREGARD THE PRESS; FIRE KELLEY; DIVIDE AND CONQUER; FIRE!; NO RESPECT; DRUG PIPELINES; THEY WOULDN’T BELIEVE HER; A LITTLE REDUNDANCY WOULD HELP; DAKTOIDS

In Obama's own words: Common Core is ObamaCore

North Dakota’s education system is being transformed. The transformation is being done through the adoption and implementation of Common Core. Common Core is not simply a set of standards but is the basis, using the federal Race To The Top program to TRANSFORM our state’s education system. This transformation was designed, pushed, managed, and financed, by the Obama Administration Department of Education.

Before America began to understand Common Core and thus opposition grew, Arne Duncan and Barack Obama could not praise their program of NATIONAL TRANSFORMATIONAL REFORM enough. In February of 2010 at the National Governors’ Association meeting President Obama attended that meeting and announced his two major national reforms that he would be working with governors to implement – health care and education.

Observing the passing scene begs the question, “Is America in decline?”

This can be a touchy issue. Some, with a false sense of pride, might scoff. Others might ignore the question with a whiff of denial. Still others sense an uneasiness they can’t articulate.

With the coarsening of our culture, our society’s sense of meaning is reduced to material and sexual context. If anything, our culture has devolved into individuals fixated more on personal identity and less on cultural unity. Do we even have a collective national soul?

Observing culture and society from the perspective of the passing scene, progress does not appear encouraging in the near term.

Earlier this month, President Barack Obama created a debate when he cautioned against judging the attacks by ISIS and other terrorists as unique to Islam. To illustrate his point, the president brought up the Crusades. In this fascinating article, Dr. Earl Tilford examines American “crusades” and argues that “America at arms excels in crusades fought to a definitive conclusion.” 

THE BIG GET BIGGER; THEY’RE COMING; GOVERNMENT HELP; WILL SHE, OR WON’T SHE?; MESSALUNA; NORMAL IS MISLEADING; THE MINNEAPOLIS SOMALI; TRAFFIC VOLUMES NEAR WATFORD CITY; HOUSING FOR THE TEACHERS; TAKE WITH GRAIN OF SALT; NO PROBLEM

It’s high time that the Railroads spend a significantly greater share of their profits on R&D and maintenance. We know how much “political restraint” the political contributions of Railroad owners have purchased; isn’t it time that “hush money” be “re-distributed” to Research and Development and maintenance? Enough with the derailments already!

To drive the point home, should a liberal baker be compelled to craft the message, “Celebrate Gun Rights,” “Life Begins at Conception” or “Marriage is One Man, One Woman”?

The fear of the label anti-Semitic is a fear of the power that is believed to lie behind it: Jewish power. Yet this is still pretty much unmentionable in journalism. It's rather as if sportswriters covering pro basketball were prohibited from mentioning that the Los Angeles Lakers were in first place.

Muhammad died in 632 after conquering Arabia but he envisioned the continued expansion of Islam. This was not to be done by handing out tracts on sand dunes but by the power of jihad.

The Crusades began in 1080 AD involving 16 battles fought over 180 years. The Crusades were fought in response to Islam conquering a Christian Middle East.

On the other hand, Islam has been fighting jihad from the time Muhammad was expelled Mecca in 622 until today. Over these 1400 years the Islamic jihad fought 548 battles against classical western civilization in Europe. These battles do not include the jihad conducted against North Africa, India and Afghanistan.

The Islamic struggle against Judaism and Christianity has been going on a long, long time. Is Islam a religion of peace? Actions speak louder than words. Draw your own conclusion.

Congress needs to wake up and decisaively halt this unwarranted expansion of executive branch power. In previous cases of bureaucratic overreach (IRS, NLB, NSA, etc.) some members of Congress have made lots of noise, but the consequences to the perpetrators have been pathetically weak. It’s time to move beyond giving indignant speeches and an occasional slap on the wrist. Why not abolish the FCC, update federal communication law, and then let individual cases be litigated in common law courts?

The implication, of course, was that the idea that Communism in any way threatened the integrity of the motion picture industry was a myth promoted by a right-wing intent upon pursuing an American form of Fascism.
The reality was quite different.

BIG FISH SWALLOW SMALLER FISH; SAFER THAN RAIL; THAT WAS A LITTLE CARELESS; BUM RAP; DON’T WASTE OUR TIME AND MONEY; THE TRICKY DEVILS WILL FIND A WAY; HELP WANTED; KIRSTEN BAESLER; HE WAS NOT THE PROBLEM; DON’T LOOK NOW; FOOD STAMPS; AN ALTERNATIVE TO NO CARE; HIGH-WATER MARK; SORRY, SHELTON; FIGHTING RADICALIZATION; THE TWIN CITIES; HOW SWEET; DAKTOIDS

“There is another class of coloured people who make a business of keeping the troubles, the wrongs, and the hardships of the Negro race before the public. Having learned that they are able to make a living out of their troubles, they have grown into the settled habit of advertising their wrongs – partly because they want sympathy and partly because it pays. Some of these people do not want the Negro to lose his grievances, because they do not want to lose their jobs.” – Booker T. Washington, Chap. V, “The Intellectuals and the Boston Mob,” 1911, p. 118.

Are race relations any better today than after the civil rights era? Or, has public resentment been piqued as liberals and progressives force their view of tolerance on America thus displacing freedom of conscience?

Most people will always have an aversion to others at some point in their life whatever the pretext. Is America contending with racism or resentment?

IS THERE MORE TO THIS STORY?; CONCORDIA COLLEGE; IT’S NOT JUST CONCORDIA; HALTING TRANSFERS TO SOMALIA; REHAB FOR RADICALS; THE OPINION PAGES; JUST WHAT DICKINSON NEEDED; TIMES HAVE CHANGED; HUH!; LOUD AND NUTT; LEITH MAYOR RYAN SCHOCK; BE WARY; NO ACCOUNTING FOR TASTE; THE NORTHERN PLAINS