Page 4 The Star June 23, 2014
Other Views
By Lloyd Omdahl
li
Summary." New rules are allowing a small minority of the super rich
to control this country's most critical issues.
Here's a startling fact on the sad state of affairs that is American pol-
itics.
According to the Center for Responsive Politics, a non-profit watch-
dog group that tracks campaign spending, more outside money has been
spent already on 2014 races than had been spent at this time in the 2012
election cycle.
A minority of the super rich and major conglomerates have turned
every critical issue we face into a big money game. While ordinary citi-
zens still have the right to stand up and be heard, they are being drowned
out by dollars.
Four years ago, the Supreme Court, in Citizens United v. Federal Elec-
tion Commission, swept away a century of precedent barring corporate
money in our elections, treating these conglomerates as if they were peo-
ple with political speech rights. Now, the Court has unleashed even more
money into our elections.
In McCutcheon v. Federal Election Commission, a sharply-divided 5-
4 Court erased longstanding limits on the total amount of money that one
person can contribute to candidates in federal elections. Prior to this de-
cision, a donor was barred from giving more than $123,000 in the aggre-
gate to federal candidates and parties in any two-year election cycle. Now,
that same wealthy individual can contribute more than $3.5 million.
To put the current situation into perspective, the Center for Responsive
Politics estimates that, of the 310 million people in our country, just 0.4
percent of Americans are making political contributions of $200 or more.
Despite this alarming trend, there may be a glimmer of hope.
In just four years since the Supreme Court ruling, millions of citizens
across the country have propelled a growing grassroots movement for a
constitutional amendment to overturn the Supreme Court and to defend
our democracy. Sixteen states have gone on record calling for such an
amendment, including Montana and Colorado where roughly 75 percent
of the voters in both states supported ballot initiatives in 2012 demand-
ing action. More than 500 cities and towns and more than 160 Members
of Congress have also made their support official.
Even a former Supreme Court Justice, John Paul Stevens, has come
forward with a similar proposal to regulate and limit campaign contribu-
tions and spending.
The tracks on which America's political train is traveling are shaky at
best. Big money shouldn't give people a bigger voice. That violates a fun-
damental right of equality for all.
Americans need to overrule its highest court.
How to contact the N.D. Congressional delegation
Sen. John Hoeven - United States Senate
Gll Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, D,C. 20510 • Phone: 202-224-2551
Sen. Heidi Heitkamp - United States Senate
G55 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510 • Phone: 202-224-2043
Other Views
Rep. Kevin Cramer
United States House of Representatives
1032 LHOB • Washington, DC 20515
Phone: 202-225-2611
Plans for Legacy Fund deserve statewide input
When Moses came down from
Mount Sinai with the Ten Com-
mandments, he called the Israelites
together and announced that here-
after the Commandments would be
the rules.
"Did you have hearings?" a pass-
ing North Dakotan asked.
"Well, no," Moses responded.
"Nothing can be the rules without
hearings," the North Dakotan de-
clared.
With public hearings ingrained in
our political culture, it should have
been no surprise that we are already
holding hearings to decide what will
be done in 2017 with the billions of
dollars of oil money in the Legacy
Fund.
Meetings this month will have
been held in Watford City, Grand
Forks, Lisbon and Velva.
The Legacy Fund was created by
a constitutional amendment proposed
by the Legislature to lock up 30 per-
cent of the oil revenue until 2017
with the stipulation that it take a two-
thirds vote of both houses to spend
any of the principal and then it cot~Jd
spend no more than 15 percent of the
fund in any one biennium.
The Legislature proposed that the
Legacy Fund be a part of the consti-
tution because it didn't trust the Leg-
islature.
Some press reports on the foUr
meetings suggest that the outcome of
these meetings will be a white paper
that will follow the suggestions of-
fered by those who attended the
meetings. A word of caution may be
advisable.
First of all, we need to be careful
if we assume that the opinions of
those in attendance are representative
of the state as a whole. North Dakota
policymakers often fall into this false
reading of public opinion.
In fact, legislators do it all of the
time. When debating bills, legisla-
tors will frequently rise to report that
they have been back home and the
people of their districts have ex-
pressed the district's opinion on the
issues.
It is interesting that the folks back
in the district always tell the legisla-
tor what he/she wants to hear. That's
because Republicans go home and
talk to Republicans and Democrats
talk to Democrats and independents
get left out of the loop. It is all anec-
dotal and unrepresentative.
Experience tells us that the pur-
pose of public hearings is not to get a
reliable measurement of public opin-
ion. As suggested to Moses, the pur-
pose of public hearings is to validate
the process and to defuse criticism.
If questioned about public input,
something that is critical in North
Dakota's egalitarian culture, the
sponsors can always so that "we held
public hearings." That is supposed
to shut up any critics or contrarians.
The four meetings, sponsored by
the nonprofit nonpartisan Great
Plains Institute, provided a great op-
portunity for interested citizens to
sound off. I have found that the pub-
lic has a lot of good ideas.
However, any conclusions re-
quire validation through a scientific
sampling of public opinion across the
state to capture the opinions of all of
those folks who were unable to at-
tend the meetings. Some of the major
population centers were left out of
the circuit.
We already make too many policy
decisions on the basis of anecdotal
information. Partisan policymakers
like it that way so they can continue
to say that they have talked to the
people and the people want to buy
what they are selling.
With an estimated $7 billion at
stake, it seems that expenditure plans
for the Legacy Fund should be based
on reliable information. Public meet-
ings are good icebreakers to launch
discussion but only scientific sam-
piing can validate conclusions.
More oil production means more challenges
North Dakota has reached the
milestone of 1 million barrels of oil
per day.
Oil producers achieved the level
of production in April. Preliminary
figures released Tuesday show April
production at 1,001,149 barrels per
day an increase of nearly 24,000
from the March tally of 977,178 bar-
rels per day.
North Dakota joins Texas as the
only states producing that much oil.
"Pretty unique territory," Depart-
ment of Mineral Resources Director
Lynn Helms told reporters.
Alberta in Canada and fewer than
20 other countries have production of
more than 1 million barrels per day.
North Dakota had expected to
reach the mark earlier, but rough
winter months and annual load re-
strictions in the spring delayed hit-
ting the milestone.
What does it mean other than we
are producing a lot of oil? ,
It shows an industry that continues
to get more organized and efficient.
Leases are in place and wells are
scheduled to go into production. Plans
are in order for constant production.
And the ripple effects on the
state's economy can't be denied.
The job growth, especially in the
western part of the state, has been
amazing. North Dakota continues to
have some of the lowest unemploy-
ment in the nation.
The oil boom has prompted
growth in Minot and added to Bis-
marck's robust economy. Companies
doing business in the oil patch have
established headquarters in Bis-
marck.
Tax revenues from oil and gas
have benefited the entire state. Those
revenues are helping meet the infra-
structure needs in the West.
And North Dakota is helping the
nation become energy-independent.
That's especially important with the
new unrest in Iraq and the overall
volatility in the Middle East.
Yes, problems have come with the
oil boom. But those problems are
being tackled and progress is being
made.
With more wells comes more flar-
ing. Hans have been made to reduce
flaring, but the goals likely will be
tough to meet.
The percentage of natural gas flar-
ing in the state fell to 30 percent in
April, from 33 percent in March.
Helms was disappointed. "I had
hoped to see lower 20s," he said.
Flaring had been high for several
months while Hess Corp.'s Tioga gas
plant was off line during an expan-
sion project.
Approximately 165 gas capture
plans have been submitted to Helms'
office since June 1, when a require-
ment to submit them along with
drilling permits took effect.
The state has a goal to reduce flar-
ing to 15 percent within two years
and 10 percent within six years.
While the industry has been coop-
erative, Helms said, the state needed
to take action.
Reaching the 1 million barrel
mark remains quite an achievement.
But the industry won't have time to
rest on its laurels.
The expectations are high and
there's no reason to believe they
won't be achieved.
(This editorial first appeared in
the Bismarck Tribune.)
s from
the past...
10 years ago
June 21, 2004
Father's Day is all about spend-
ing quality time with dad. Two local
daughters (Kayla Kakela and Sandra
Johnson) tell about the bonds they
share with their fathers through time
they spend doing what they love.
Farming has kept Sandra Johnson
and father Larry Lindberg close
throughout the years. Kayla Kakela
and father Kevin stay close by shar-
ing the love of curling.
Rolla Drug welcomes a new
pharmacist, Carolyn Counts. She
graduated from NDSU with a degree
in pharmacy. She grew up around the
Dunseith area and is married to
Willie Counts. They have a two year
old daughter named Hallie.
One prisoner was caught but an-
other is still at large after a breakout
at the Rolette County Jail. Sheriff
Tony Sims said Robert Baker Jr. is
still at large and suspects the pris-
oner is either in Wisconsin or the
Shell Valley Housing on the Turtle
Mountain Reservation. Sims said he
is not considered dangerous or vio-
lent. The sheriff said Baker and his
accomplice escaped from the jail
after throwing a mattress over the
wire fence surrounding the prison.
Chris Lee begins his career as
Rolla's new chief of police, a posi-
tion in which he believes he can
make a real difference. The added
service Lee said he hopes to bring to
the position lies in his training as an
emergency medical technician
(EMT). He has been an EMT for the
past 10 years with the last four as an
advanced level provider.
30 years ago
June 18, 1984
Edna M. Brunelle of Belcourt de-
cided to go to college at age 70. She
will be studying gerontology, the
sconce of working with older people.
Mrs. Brunelle decided to go off to
college "rather than sit home and de-
teriorate," after raising six children
and completing one career of 27
years as an employee at the William
Langer Jewel bearing plant in Rolla.
The line that once carried cattle to
Chicago, fairgoers to Brandon and
an army of boys off to war has now
come to an end. Last week, the ties
were removed from the Burlington
Northern Railway tracks on the sec-
tion from Rolla to St. John, aban-
doned long after the train stopped
hauling anybody or anything, any-
where.
60 years ago
June 24, 1954
Two officials from the company
which manufactures the synthetic
material from which jewel bearings
are made, and two officials from the
Pentagon in Washington arrived by
air last Wednesday and make an in-
spection of the Jewel Plant. They
were impressed and intend to con-
tinue business with the area.
Joyce DesRoches of St. John was
crowned Rolla Dairy Princess at the
"Butter Ball," which climaxed activ-
ities for the annual Rolla Dairy Day
last Wednesday. Clarence Eller of
Rolla placed the crown on the head
of Miss DesRoches. She will com-
pete for the title of State Dairy
Queen at the North Dakota Dairy
Show in Jamestown in September.
We all know what it feels like with "it" hits
the fan. In one case, it cost a politician his job.
The mayor of an affluent Southern Califor-
nia city was caught on camera leaving a bag of
what appeared to be dog feces on his neigh-
bor's property, police said, and the neighbor be-
lieves this wasn't an accident.
Dennis Kneier, mayor of San Marino, a
town of approximately 13,000 people just
south of Pasadena, was identified as the person
placing a plastic bag in the private walkway of
a home. According to San Marino Police, the
bag was tied closed and appeared to have been
intentionally place at the walkway entrance.
Homeowner Philip Lao says that surveil-
lance footage shows Kneier and his wife walk-
ing. In the video, Kneier's wife is seen pointing
to Lao's walkway, and then Kneier is seen toss-
ing the bag onto it.
Lao believes that Kneier was seeking re-
venge for his opposition to the mayor's dog
park proposal. Lao is against the dog park be-
cause he believes dogs are left there for hours
as their owners run errands, and the dogs tend picked up tho H-~tic bag before plaei-s it on
to fight when left unattended. Lao's walkway. He acknowledged that he did
Lao lives a block away from Lacy Park, and not reach down and place the bag on the walk-
as such, has "no poop zone" signs in his front way, but instead that he was "standing up and
lawn. According to Lao, Kneier does not like dropped it," adding that he "may have flicked
him posting signs like that, but Lao believes it it off a bit."
is his right as a homeowner. While images of a mayor flinging feces is a
Kneier had previously said that he found the little unsettling, consider the case of the emer-
bag near the sidewalk, but told a local TV sta- gerrcy landing due to - you guessed it - dog
tion that he could not know for sure where he poop.
There were several passenger complaints
after a dog did his business in the middle of a
Philadelphia-bound flight, forcing an emer-
gency landing.
Yes, you read right -- dog poop forced an
emergency landing, according to passengers
aboard US Airways Flight 598 from Los An-
geles to Philadelphia. Those passengers took to
social media to document the smelly ordeal.
Passengers said that the large dog went to
the bathroom in the plane's aisle as many as
three times, making people nearby physically
ill.
"The second time after the dog pooped they
ran out of paper towels, they didn't have any-
thing else. The pilot comes on the radio, 'Hey,
we have a situation in the back, we're going to
have to emergency land,'" passenger Steve
McCall said.
The plane was diverted to Kansas City, Mis-
souri, where a cleaning crew cleaned the
messes, before eventually making its way to
Philadelphia, according to passengers.
The Turtle Mountain Star wel-
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PO Box 849 • Rolla, ND 58367
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