Say Anything Blog

A lot of people have been asking me what seats in North Dakota will be on the ballot in 2008. There’s been a lot of confusion lately too, since in 2004, 4 of our 8 constitutional officers (except Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and our 3 PSCs), ran for two year terms (SOS Al Jaeger, Att. Gen. Wayne Stenehjem, Ag Comm Roger Johnson, and Tax Commissioner Cory Fong all sought re-election again in 2006). This was done so that those 8 offices could be split into two different elections. Instead of electing Secretary of State, Attorney General, Treasurer, Auditor, Superintendent of Public Instruction, and commissioners (Ag, Tax, and Insurance) all in one year, 4 will be elected in even-numbered years.

I suppose that this decision was made so that voters homework could be split up a little more evenly. While it is a lot to ask of a voter to elect all 8 officials in one year, I honestly don’t think having them split up will make anyone look into the candidates any more than they normally would.

This year, we of course have the Presidential Race, the Governor’s race, and the Congressional race to deal with. I’ve discussed all three of these races already, so now I will cover the four constitutional officers (plus one PSC) that are up for re-election. Treasurer Kelly Schmidt, Insurance Commissioner Jim Poolman, Auditor Bob Peterson, SPI Wayne Sanstead (Democrat), and Public Service Commissioner Susan Wefald.

First, State Treasurer Kelly Schmidt is seeking re-election to her second term in 2008. Since being elected in 2004, Schmidt has immensely improved the function and quality of the Treasurer’s office. Previous Treasurer, Democrat Kathi Gilmore, made a mess of the office; such a mess that the Legislative Assembly twice tried to eliminate the position. Now, Schmidt has cleaned house, and the Office of the State Treasurer is one of the most efficient in the state. It is possible that Schmidt has her eyes on the Governor’s office, but she will most likely seek a second term as Treasurer before she moves up.

Insurance Commissioner, PSC, Superintendent of Public Instruction, and Auditor will be featured in upcoming installments.

For the full blog, go to
http://mattsconservativecorner.blogspot.com/

Earl Pomeroy is up for re-election in 2008. Earl has been serving as our only representative in the U.S. House of Representatives since 1993, except that sitting, rather than serving is a better way to describe his tenure. In this, the first part of my ‘Earl Exposed’ series, I will discuss how Earl Pomeroy has been sitting in our only U.S. House seat for nearly 15 years while accomplishing very little for North Dakota, and why the Exiting of Earl is Essential in 2008.

When the average North Dakotan is asked what Earl Pomeroy (as well as Conrad and Dorgan) have done for our state, their response typically concerns disaster aid for our farmers. I respect our farmers, and disaster aid is OK every now and then, but billions of dollars in handouts every single year just isn’t smart. Earl, however, wants to constantly give disaster aid left and right, to the point where farmers receive tons of it every year. Why? Because Earl knows that the only thing getting him re-elected year after year is his “disaster aid for our farmers”; he gets to play the farmer hero every year by running around and handing out bags of your tax dollars. He gets a ton of media coverage every year when he is sponsoring the latest farm bill; area newspapers and TV stations alike just eat it up. Go and ask a farmer who’s been at it since the 1940s and ask him if he received disaster aid every year during that time. He will tell you no, but Earl Pomeroy will tell you that whenever the weather gets slightly abnormal, we need to give the farmers disaster aid.

View the complete blog at

http://mattsconservativecorner.blogspot.com/