Why We Lost and How North Dakota Can Win
I came across this letter to the editor in the Grand Forks Herald today. It is written by a my 8th grade football coach and teacher at Park River School.
Here is my response:
A friend that I have deep respect for, Glenn Rost, had his letter published in the Grand Forks Herald on Thursday, November 17th. In response to his commentary, while I was completely wrong with my own prediction on the outcome of the 2006 election, his reasoning behind the Republican losses in the North Dakota legislature is flawed. The expected voter turnout for North Dakota was 49 percent (others were expecting higher) and the actual turnout was only 45 percent. That 4 percent difference turned the election in the Democrats favor; this can be verified simply by examining the many extremely close races throughout the state. In Grand Forks County alone there were several races within just a handful of votes.
The factors that drove down voter turnout in North Dakota were simple: a great deal of displeasure with the war in Iraq, negative ads spilling over from the Minnesota campaigns, low-profile statewide races here in North Dakota, and the fact that Republicans had so much more to lose. The combination of these factors created a very hostile environment for under-funded Republican campaigns pressed against a flood of out-of-state funded Democratic campaigns. In spite of that, the Republicans still retained a very large majority and many Republicans handedly won re-election.
Rost continued to comment that Republicans have not spent enough on education, despite the fact that state funding for education has steadily increased. Due to Republican leadership, the state of North Dakota now enjoys more than a $500 million surplus. What many, including former Governor Schafer and myself, are now advocating is that we step back and properly evaluate our government. If the legislature simply injects the surplus into new spending projects the need for more taxes will be necessary in order to sustain that level of spending. The time is now to streamline our government so that it is more effective and less burdensome on us tax payers, and that will in-turn free up future monies that can be allocated towards programs such as education.
A simple fact to remember is that no matter how much money is spent in government there is never enough, and no matter how many people that are satisfied there is always someone that is not.
OUR OPINION : Here’s why the N.D. GOP lost
Published Friday, November 17, 2006
PARK RIVER, N.D. - The Democratic gains in legislative races in North Dakota have Republicans scratching their heads. Why would voters replace Republicans when our state’s economy is doing so well?
Thomas Nelson’s letter claims that a “flood of frustrated voters” swept away competent North Dakota public servants (“GOP lame ducks deserve thanks,” Page 4A, Nov. 14).
I believe Nelson is correct about frustrated voters, but he totally missed the mark in assessing why many North Dakota voters are frustrated. The war in Iraq had absolutely nothing to do with how voters cast their ballots for legislators. North Dakotans know that the state Legislature doesn’t have a thing to do with foreign affairs.
The Republicans have almost totally controlled the Legislature for decades. As a public school teacher for more than 30 years, I have closely followed spending for public education, as well as spending for the universities. I have lobbied for increased funding for education.
Always I was told by Republican leadership, “We’d love to give you more, but we can’t afford it.” State employees, I am sure, have heard the same thing.
Now we have a surplus of more than $500 million. What is the Republican response?
Former Gov. Ed Schafer appoints himself to travel the state to warn people that they need to be careful not to spend the surplus.
So, when the money isn’t there, we hear one story. When it is there, we hear another.
State employees haven’t received fair raises for many years. Public schools haven’t received either equitable or adequate funding. Our college students have been soaked by skyrocketing tuition for too long. Schafer cautioned against trying to satisfy all those with their hands out, in effect, calling them “hogs at the trough.”
The frustration of voters with some legislators has nothing to do with Iraq. It had everything to do with North Dakota.
Glenn Rost
Here is my response:
A friend that I have deep respect for, Glenn Rost, had his letter published in the Grand Forks Herald on Thursday, November 17th. In response to his commentary, while I was completely wrong with my own prediction on the outcome of the 2006 election, his reasoning behind the Republican losses in the North Dakota legislature is flawed. The expected voter turnout for North Dakota was 49 percent (others were expecting higher) and the actual turnout was only 45 percent. That 4 percent difference turned the election in the Democrats favor; this can be verified simply by examining the many extremely close races throughout the state. In Grand Forks County alone there were several races within just a handful of votes.
The factors that drove down voter turnout in North Dakota were simple: a great deal of displeasure with the war in Iraq, negative ads spilling over from the Minnesota campaigns, low-profile statewide races here in North Dakota, and the fact that Republicans had so much more to lose. The combination of these factors created a very hostile environment for under-funded Republican campaigns pressed against a flood of out-of-state funded Democratic campaigns. In spite of that, the Republicans still retained a very large majority and many Republicans handedly won re-election.
Rost continued to comment that Republicans have not spent enough on education, despite the fact that state funding for education has steadily increased. Due to Republican leadership, the state of North Dakota now enjoys more than a $500 million surplus. What many, including former Governor Schafer and myself, are now advocating is that we step back and properly evaluate our government. If the legislature simply injects the surplus into new spending projects the need for more taxes will be necessary in order to sustain that level of spending. The time is now to streamline our government so that it is more effective and less burdensome on us tax payers, and that will in-turn free up future monies that can be allocated towards programs such as education.
A simple fact to remember is that no matter how much money is spent in government there is never enough, and no matter how many people that are satisfied there is always someone that is not.
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Rob
Zsa Zsa
Bat One
Ken
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goon
Kenny