Say Anything Blog

Traditionally, the editorial board at the Bismarck Tribune loves federal spending in North Dakota.  As a recent example, the National Heritage Area land grab orchestrated (illegally) by state Senator Tracy Potter and Senator Byron Dorgan would appropriate $10 million of our federal tax dollars to an unelected private foundation to develop a management plan for a land designation so broad it, at least s of right now, includes all 4.7 million acres that reside in five counties: Morton, Mercer, Oliver, McLean and Burleigh.  Aside from some mealy-mouthed objections to the manner in which the designation was obtained, the Tribune loves the idea of this spending.

But today in an editorial the very same Tribune editorial board bemoans the state of the federal budget:

Until the economy makes some reasonable progress nationally, efforts to get the U.S. government’s financial house in order will get little traction. Thoughts of a balanced federal budget are now pure fantasy. (North Dakotans might be feeling smug about their balanced state budget, but it might be good to remember that state lawmakers, constitutionally, have no choice.)

Halting the nation’s economic slide and fueling a strong recovery are critical. Right now, they overshadow concerns about deficits and debt, but eventually, that too will become the focus of the national interest.

Now, people tell me that the Tribune editorial board is “conservative.”  I think that’s pretty interesting given that the Tribune’s attitude about spending is reflective of the attitude shared by a lot of the state’s Republicans: Castigate national liberals as tax-and-spenders, but never say no to federal money.

It’s entirely hypocritical.

And for all the Tribune’s hand-wringing about the federal budget, what about North Dakota’s budget?  Over the last two legislative sessions spending in the state has been increased roughly 60%.  At the beginning of this year, before our nation was plunged into the worst of the recession, state officials were predicting a down turn in state tax revenues.  With the national economy slowing demand for North Dakota’s energy experts have been slowing as well.  Meaning that we may well be saying goodbye to the massive surpluses in tax collections the state has been enjoying for the last several years.

Which is the same boat the federal government is in.  Throughout the Bush administration we ran deficits because spending grew faster than tax receipts.  Toward the end of the Bush administration and now the beginning of Obama’s tax receipts fell off, but the liberals pushed down the accelerator on spending.  The result?  Massive deficits.

Now, per the state constitution, we can’t run deficits in North Dakota.  But that doesn’t mean our fiscal situation is any less perilous than the national situation.

It’s time for North Dakotans, most especially many North Dakota Republicans, to quit being hypocrites on fiscal issues.