Opinion
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Prescription drug prices: Politicians are all talk, no action
On July 26, 2020, U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order under which the U.S. government's Medicare Part D program would have negotiated lower prescription drug prices based on an "Inte...
Guest Editorial: Anecdotes, aberrations and averages
Context matters. Take this simple statement: Nearly 10 percent of the world’s people live in extreme poverty. This is true. And standing alone, without context, this statement would lead many to think the world has a huge poverty problem. They'd...
We the People: John Marshall and the Need for Judicial Transparency
Whatever you think about the U.S. Supreme Court’s controversial, 5-4 midnight ruling on the Texas statute forbidding most abortions in the state, one thing is clear: the Court bears, in the name of accountability, the great responsibility of explai...
What do you remember about 9/11 - and before?
Early on the morning of September 11, 2001, I was a newly minted warehouse supervisor for a farmers cooperative. I can remember almost exactly where a customer’s truck was parked when I overheard...
Labor Day forgotten in North Dakota
We just celebrated Labor Day. No, we didn't. Labor was forgotten while most of us only noticed that we had a holiday and spent it lounging, fishing, swimming, sunning, camping, playing – everything...
Letters: Sept. 13, 2021
Cramer pens letter to Senate leaders about energy policies U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee and the Senate Budget Committee, wrote a letter to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) an...
Service dogs heal the trauma of war
Our botched withdrawal from Afghanistan is hard to witness, but hearing the reports of Taliban brutality is even worse. The U.S. Sun reports that “women face having ‘fingers cut off for using...
The common good needs full support
To avoid the partisan recrimination that now permeates discussions, perhaps we need to go to a paradigm that gives us neutrality while stripping away the unreasonable passions of the day. In our...
We the People: Thinking, constitutionally
Americans typically consider questions about the meaning of the Constitution through the prism of their own political views and values. As a consequence, they tend to defend as constitutional the acts of officials whom they support, and criticize as...
Letter to the Editor: August 30, 2021
Dear Editor, As religious leaders in the New Rockford and Sheyenne communities, we recognize and appreciate what a great place this is to raise children. Our small-town culture helps our kids succeed and grow into engaged, resilient, well-rounded...
Have you thanked a school bus driver lately?
According to CNN, pandemic fears and enhanced unemployment benefits have left the nation facing a serious shortage of qualified school bus drivers. The problem is acute, despite districts...
We the People: American withdrawal from Afghanistan and the War Clause
How many more Americans would have to die before the United States made the inevitable decision to withdraw from war in Afghanistan, after 20 years of war, at the cost of more than $2 trillion, and the loss of 2,500 lives? That was the illuminating...
Letter to the Editor: Get engaged now with redistricting
To the Editor: The 2021 legislative districting process is in motion, and North Dakota Voters First is urging fellow North Dakotans to get involved. Together, we can help prevent gerrymandering in our state. As a matter of fact, the first meeting of...
Take a hike. Save a tick.
With blistering summer weather in full force and shiny new COVID-19 variants emerging like another season of "The Bachelor," many Americans have taken to the great outdoors–despite recently...
We the People: Civic virtue should induce citizens to become vaccinated
The founders believed, as James Madison wrote, that Americans possessed sufficient virtue to summon the courage and conviction to do the right thing in the face of the most trying circumstances. This might mean that citizens would find it necessary...
A mother's bond will never disappear
Seven years ago, Lucy Flowers died. It's taken a while for me to write those words in exactly that way – "Lucy Flowers died." I've written about it on frequent occasion, but usually turn to euphemis...
We the People: The Senate's Check on Judicial Nominations
The U.S. Senate’s constitutional role in the appointment process for federal judges empowers it to thwart presidential nominations to the bench, including those nominated to the Supreme Court. More than one president in our history has felt the...
73 years of smiles and insights
It was 73 years ago this month that my dad, Allen Funt, brought “Candid Camera” to television. Remarkably, between his career and mine, we hold a record as the only entertainment show to have...
Offense and controversy are necessary in a free society
The other day, someone reminded me that I had a public Facebook page entitled "Christine Flowers, Columnist and Radio Host." I rarely post there, which is why I'd almost forgotten about it. My old...
"Abuse and Circumvention of the Advice and Consent Clause"
The framers of the Constitution inserted the Advice and Consent Clause to insure joint decision making between the president and the Senate in the exercise of the treaty making and appointment powers. What happens when the aims, purposes and spirit...
Letter to the Editor: Aug. 9, 2021
Dear Editor: With the acceleration of online shopping, and widespread use of contactless cards and mobile payments in stores during the coronavirus pandemic, almost every retail purchase made today is paid for with a credit card or debit card....
Striking up some ratings for the Olympics
Maybe croquet could improve the ratings for the 2021 Summer Olympics? Please allow me to explain. The COVID-delayed 2020 Olympics are on track to be the lowest watched games of the 21st century,...
Term limits challenge citizen competence
A committee of petitioners is proposing a constitutional amendment that would limit future North Dakota legislators to eight years of service. The proposal would “grandfather” in all legislators...
Advice and consent: Constitutional duty of the Senate
Some readers may remember that their introduction to this ancient phrase came when they picked up a copy of Allen Drury’s 1959 Pulitzer-Prize winning novel, “Advise and Consent,” which described a passionate and energetic U.S. Senate engulfed...
Should Congress expand the Durbin Amendment and cap credit card transaction fees?
Transcript publisher Amy Wobbema has been following a recent proposal in Congress that would expand the Durbin Amendment, which set a cap on the "swipe fees" retailers pay when a debit card is used...
