Dakota Beacon

America is an exceptional nation. America is exceptional not because our people are better than others but because we have created an environment of freedom that allows and encourages Americans to be the best they can be. How else other than American exceptionalism can anyone explain how our nation transitioned to greatness from the American Revolution to placing a man on the moon in less than 250 years? World leadership was our crowning glory!

Conservatism remains the belief that every person contains potential greatness and that everybody can be better than they think they can be.

But, this is not the bottom line. Are Millenials up to the task? There is still more to the story.

ILLINOIS HAS THE WORST RANKING; THE AVIATION SCHOOL IS DIFFERENT; GOOD JOB; THE FORUM GOT IT UPSIDE DOWN; NO PHOTO FINISHES; OIL BOOM BRINGS A DRUG BOOM; THE RIVERSIDE PLAZA HIGHRISES; THE ECONOMIST; THE AMBER LIGHT IS BLINKING; TROUBLE MOVES FROM EAST TO WEST; GOOD LUCK; SHE WAS THE GLUE; DAKTOIDS

As crime rates have fallen across the country, the number of people in prison has increased dramatically. More than 2.2 million people are currently incarcerated in U.S. jails and prisons, a 500 per cent increase over the past 40 years. Although the U.S. accounts for about five per cent of the world's population, it houses nearly 25 per cent of the world's prison population. 

Unrest in Baltimore, and legitimate questions about the death in police custody of Freddie Gray, a young African-American, have produced the usual charges of "white racism" and comparisons with the death of another young black man in Ferguson, Missouri several months ago, as well as similar incidents in North Charleston, South Carolina and Staten Island, New York. Each of these cases is different, and characterizing them as part of a single pattern of police behavior may be missing the reality of what is, in fact, taking place.

Events in Baltimore highlight the crisis being faced in our inner cities -- from a variety of causes, from the de-industrialization of our urban areas due to globalization to the breakdown of the black family and the absence of fathers in the home. No problems can be confronted or resolved if they are misdiagnosed. The charge of "white racism," in reality, is the scapegoat for the problems in Baltimore and other urban areas, not the real culprit.

The Millennial Generation (Generation Y) must not be written off as liberal or otherwise disinterested. Their views are different from those of the Baby Boom Generation of the 1950s or the Generation X of the 1980s. With the Millennials there is still hope.

Political views of Millennials are in flux. They want to have their cake and eat it, too. They want lower taxes. But, they also favor smaller government unless it affects them negatively – like cutting support for student loans. Most Millennials have exorbitant student loan debt and do not want to see federal assistance cut.

Millennials are more likely than any other generation to switch parties. For that reason, Conservatives must do a better job of educating and reaching the Millennial Generation to show them the kind of policies that work. In a sense, their political views are fluid and they have an inherent distrust of the political machine as previous generations knew it.

Last week the Supreme Court heard arguments regarding same-sex marriage. The Court’s ruling, which is expected in June, could determine if same-sex marriage is protected under the Constitution and if states must recognize same-sex marriages from other states.

Could one “Irish Catholic boy from Sacramento” hold the future of marriage in his hands? In this must-read article, Dr. Paul Kengor examines Justice Anthony Kennedy’s past decisions and asks: Does religion matter? Of course it does. Kengor argues, “The presence or lack thereof, or level of devoutness, is at the heart of where America—from everyday citizens to justices on the high court—stand on this unprecedented cultural novelty called ‘gay marriage.’” 

ANOTHER OIL TRAIN FIRE; THE WALL STREET JOURNAL; HERALD COLUMNIST MIKE JACOBS; UND NICKNAME AVALANCHE; NOT HELPFUL; TOWERS CRUMBLE, BUT PEACE DOESN’T; “A ONE-STOP SHOP FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT”;  WATFORD CITY GROWING PAINS; IT WAS BOUND TO HAPPEN; HEALTHY SELFIES; DAKTOIDS

The chief practical result of the theory of evolution is the belief that human life isn't particularly special or sacred. This belief has found expression in mass murder, in the bombing of cities, and in abortion clinics. Today new implications are still being found in it, as witness the career of Dr. Jack Kevorkian.

Some economists are making the argument that raising the minimum wage and increasing the number of workers in labor unions will have a significant impact on income and wealth inequality. Not so fast, writes Dr. Tracy Miller in this interesting article. Miller examines the latest data and cautions: “Unions and minimum wages increase the wages of some workers, but at the expense of others.”  

If I were a cartoonist my feathered friends would provide a never-ending source of material. I would get my ideas observing the antics of the birds at the feeder and bird bath outside my kitchen window.

BETTER LATE THAN NEVER; TIME TO RELAX; JAMAICAN SCAM ARTISTS; GOING DOWN WITH THE SHIP; FERMENT; SUSPENSION OF DISBELIEF REQUIRED; SERIOUS STUFF; “LAND OF 10,000 TERRORISTS”; WANT TO LEARN MORE?; "I DON’T SEE IT REVERSING";  WHAT YOU DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT MINNESOTA; RECRIMINATION; DAKTOIDS

As it happens, the only people we know for sure who didn’t see Reagan as any sort of political Elvis are the Party moderates.  They first insisted only Ford stood a chance against Carter in ’76, and then that anyone other than Reagan was a safer bet in1980.

Earlier this month, Russia lifted a ban on the sale of a sophisticated air-defense system to Iran. What does this mean for the United States and Israel? How will this impact the current talks on a long-term nuclear deal with Iran? In this must-read article, Dr. Earl Tilford asks, “What can be done?” Tilford outlines possible actions and warns, “Time is critical for possible military action by Israel or the United States. However, the gloved hand of diplomacy succeeds best when sheathed in steeled determination.”

Whether attracted to stamps, coins, baseball cards or other items, collectors are not just ordinary hobbyists but gatherers smitten with the thrill of the hunt. They are a special breed unto themselves.

I know. I am one.

Collectors attract collectors. Those who experience the thrill of the hunt know what I mean. I welcome hearing from interested bibliophiles who share similar interests.

And the chase goes on.

The media will attack Walker in every possible way. The governor can easily point out that his primary opponents seem to agree with the liberal media. That's all the folks back home need to know. 

Here the key is staying power. Echoing FDR, the governor must emphasize these unique qualities "again and again and again."

"Sell the Difference!" Phenomenally successful executive experience; a demand for congressional backbone; and a strong defense of the Constitution: these three keys can carry Governor Walker all the way to the White House.

Negative interest rates are being offered on a growing share of European sovereign debt. In this interesting article that first appeared at Forbes.com, Dr. Mark Hendrickson asks, “Who in their right mind would invest in a financial instrument that would guarantee a loss of principal?” Will these investments pay off or are they merely a symptom of economic dysfunction? 

MOVING UP; MYSTERY FIRES; UND PRESIDENT ROBERT KELLEY; NDSU PRESIDENT DEAN BRESCIANI; CAN YOU BLAME THEM?; DON’T TRY THIS; STRAIGHT SOUTH TO TROUBLE; USE CRIMINALS TO CATCH CRIMINALS; PROBLEM COMING CLOSER; LUGAR TURNED CRYPTIC; YOU FINANCE TERRORISM; DAKTOIDS

Several states have measures on their ballots that, if passed, will legalize assisted suicide in those states. The dangers of social ills such as drug addiction, alcoholism, and pornography have received much attention lately, but assisted suicide, unlike those others, has rich lobbyists and wealthy benefactors. Billionaire atheist George Soros, one of the seven richest people in America, funds assisted suicide projects and even declared in a 1994 speech that he had offered to help his own mother commit suicide. The sad irony is that assisted suicide is the most depraved of the social ills; the others are of no consequence to a person who is already dead.

Just how severe was the communist penetration of the American film industry during Hollywood’s Golden Age? In this thought-provoking article, Dr. Paul Kengor examines Allan Ryskind’s book “Hollywood Traitors: Blacklisted Screenwriters—Agents of Stalin, Allies of Hitler.” Kengor discusses the false historical narrative created by the American left and highlights that Ryskind’s book is an important contribution to the “long line of literature on just how bad were the loyalties and actions of communists in Hollywood.” 

In his highly praised book “Faith and the Presidency,” Gary Scott Smith cast a revealing light on the role religion has played in presidential politics throughout our nation's history, offering comprehensive, even-handed examinations of the role of religion in the lives, politics, and policies of 11 presidents. Now, in “Religion in the Oval Office,” Smith takes on 11 more of our nation's most interesting and influential chief executives: John Adams, James Madison, John Quincy Adams, Andrew Jackson, William McKinley, Herbert Hoover, Harry Truman, Richard Nixon, George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and Barack Obama.

GRAND FORKS MAN CAMP REVERSAL; PULLING THE WELCOME MAT; FOLLOWING APRIL SHOWERS; DIFFERENT STROKES; CONFLICTING NEWS; ONE DOWN; A FRAUD ARTIST, ODD MAN OUT; NO NEED FOR CHANGE; THE PARTY IS ENDING; NAUTICAL DREAMS; DAKTOIDS

We will see others come forward in days to come, some worthy, some less so, some excellent prospects for Vice President.  But if they are to be a legitimate alternative to Jeb Bush they will need to offer a  vision of America returned to greatness, freedom – from Obamacare, from government surveillance, from illegal aliens (yup, I said it), from our very own version of the KGB, the IRS.  They will need to show us – not tell us – that they support not only the spirit, but the letter, of our Constitution.

Obama continues to exclude as he locks out congress, our allies and the American people in pursuit of his deadly secret deal with Iran over their inevitable nuclear weapons attainment.

.....

“It was only near the end of the eight minute plunge that everyone finally understood what was really happening. Only near the end when they began to scream.

“Like those passengers, a growing number of Americans feel a helpless dread as they come to the inescapable conclusion that our nation’s decline is an act of choice rather than of chance. The choice of one man who is in full control of our 8 year plunge.

“A man who has locked everyone out.”

TWO DIFFERENT VIEWS; LIFE IS GOOD; GO WEST YOUNG MAN!; WILLISTON CROSSING; PERSISTENT POVERTY; ONE RESERVATION IS AN EXCEPTION; LEGAL STANDOFF; MINNESOTA HMONG; DRUGS FOLLOW MONEY; IT'S NOT REAL MONEY; DON’T LET THIS BUG YOU; GRATEFUL SON; DAKTOIDS

On the first Easter Sunday, the day when Jesus Christ rose from the dead, He made Himself known on six occasions. The great Benedictine Abbot Dom Gueranger refers to the six incidents as "apparitions" and he supplies extremely valuable commentaries in his voluminous work entitled The Liturgical Year.

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.