Mathern is Laughable!!!
I was amused to see the recent letter from Senator Tim Mathern (D) asking Governor John Hoeven to “clear the air” concerning his intentions to complete a third term, as our state’s Governor, if so elected. One must wonder what causes him to think that in the first place when asks the Governor that question.
I can understand his concern, as well as other Democrats in our beloved state, and interest in Gov. Hoeven’s answer. Gov. Hoeven’s record speaks for itself and is a direct challenge to the state’s congressional delegation and Democratic contentions about our present state of affairs. If this is not the case, why ask the question?
North Dakota has returned from the brink of debt, unemployment, and out migration, that were so common place during the 1970’s and 1980’s. And Republican leadership within the Governor’s office, and the legislature and state wide offices, is clearly the reason. This is a fact beyond question.
Governor Hoeven is also known throughout the United States as the most effective, and most popular, state leader. Recently Minnesota Governor Tim Pelenty stated to the State Republican Party Convention in Fargo that John Hoeven was a “rock star” among other Governor’s in the nation. From a Democratic Party standpoint, something to be feared, cornered, and neutralized.
Having said all this, one can not deny the state’s present challenges of continuing and expanding our state’s educational funding, fixing and reestablishing Workers Safety and Insurance’s proper place and role in our state, or building new state infrastructure for our emerging renewable energy sector.
No, we must and shall address these issues. But compared to the challenges our state endured under Democratic leadership in the 70’s and 80’s, these are small potatoes’. We are presently arguing on how to SPEND the great surplus our state is enjoying, and not on how much to CUT state employees salaries. We are debating by how much to INCREASE state school funding, and not on what can be CUT from their budgets.
And who knows, maybe even a tax cut is on the horizon for the people of our great state. But then again, maybe we still have some fixing to do.
