ND Editorial Rdp
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Excerpts from editorials in North Dakota daily newspapers over the past week:
Kanye West is a hot topic of conversation these days, as are Britney Spears and Serena Williams.
The U.S. Constitution not so much. Maybe even not at all.
That's a shame. Because as Constitution Week approaches, it's worth remembering that the document is the "floor" beneath all other conversations in America, including those that feature the latest gossip about celebrities.
We have the leisure to enjoy such conversations because we're a free and rich country, in other words.
And we're a free and rich country because of what happened 222 years ago ...
A typical young person might go all the way through college without the Constitution coming up in conversation, outside of American Government classes and homework assignments.
Likewise, American pop culture almost never addresses the subject. Movies, sitcoms, rock music, hip-hop and sports events blithely pass the Constitution by, with the possible exception of sports fans standing for "The Star Spangled Banner" before games. (The anthem is only a roundabout reference to the document, but we'll take what we can get.)
Is that what the founders wanted?
Well, in some ways, maybe it is. Maybe it's just what they wanted.
After all, wouldn't the founders have wanted future generations to be free and to live well, exactly as we're doing today?
In this way, the Constitution's seeming unimportance in most Americans' lives is the highest possible tribute to the document and its strength.
For the fact that Americans basically can go for days or weeks without thinking about their government is a sign that their government works. Thanks to the Constitution's basic soundness, our federal, state and local governments keep the streets policed, the classrooms functioning and the highways in reasonably good repair.
We can fly from city to city without incident, confident that the air traffic control system will keep us safe. We can talk about almost any subject under the sun without fear of being arrested by secret police.
We can smile at the spectacle of celebrities behaving badly, because we know that tomorrow, we'll have food on the table, a workplace to go to (if we're lucky these days) and a pleasant place to call home.
Our Constitution has given us a government so reasonably effective that we might forget we have a Constitution at all.
What a colossal change that is from the previous 10,000 years of human history, when raw survival — not "the pursuit of happiness" — was the focus of daily life.
Of course, the Constitution's not perfect, and a good number of people — activists, lawyers, elected officials, concerned citizens — think about it very often.
Still, it's a funny thing: The more you think about the Constitution, the more you appreciate its "quiet," the smooth, well-oiled meshing of its 222-year-old gears ...
Big Iron is always a major ag exhibition, but this year was notable for a couple of reasons. First, the weather was as good as it can be in mid-September. Big Iron regulars know rain and cool weather often could be counted on during the show's run. Not this year. Summer-like temperatures and light winds made for perfect conditions for exhibitors and visitors.
Second, and more important than the weather, the contingent of foreign visitors underscored the role of farm machinery exports. Several of the companies displaying their equipment count the biggest share of the sales in overseas markets. More than 150 buyers and others from 15 foreign nations attended this year's show, not because they were tourists, but because they wanted to see the latest in American and Canadian farm machinery.
Six hundred exhibitors with a combined 800 exhibits understand the value of overseas markets. Many of them work closely with the North Dakota Trade Office to advance sales, master the complexities and vagaries of the export market and develop relationships among manufacturing representatives and potential buyers. The success of that effort has been impressive. North Dakota exports, including farm equipment, have been on an upward trend for several years.
Big Iron is an important part of the export push. It provides foreign buyers and representative of foreign governments (often the buyers) to get hands-on opportunities to examine new farm equipment, see it in action and even start the purchase process. For the exhibitors, the show brings together in one grand location on the Northern Plains not only potential foreign buyers but also American farmers. And for many manufacturers, the U.S. farmer is still the most important component of the market.
We're glad the National Park Service took the time to solicit comments from the general public on how to best reduce the elk herd in Theodore Roosevelt National Park.
Park officials received more than 11,000 comments during a 30-day comment period, which ended this past week.
We'd like to add one more comment, one we've made a few times before: Make a decision already.
The Park Service has discussed this issue to death in the past few years. Meanwhile, the Theodore Roosevelt National Park elk herd has grown to more than 900 animals. The Park Service plans to have an environmental impact statement finished by the end of 2009, and then make a decision on how to reduce the herd to somewhere between 100 and 400 animals.
There's no secret to the right decision on this issue. The current proposal (finally!) is to thin the herd using teams of shooters, including volunteers, under the direction of park officials. That's been the best scenario ever since this issue came up years ago (yes, even better than one of the government's original ideas of using sharpshooters in helicopters).
In June, Sen. Byron Dorgan said he had secured a commitment to find a "common-sense" solution to the elk problem. It's now September, and the issue isn't resolved yet. "Common sense" says this solution should have been decided long ago, and the elk herd should already have been reduced. But then common sense and the federal government don't always see eye-to-eye, do they?
Should I run? It's the question that potential candidates for the U.S. House and Senate and governor in North Dakota are asking themselves, their families, advisers, party faithful and voters. Early signs are all three races could be highly contested, which benefits the state in the long run.
We know Earl Pomeroy intends to run for re-election to the U.S. House. And Byron Dorgan has said he wants another term in the U.S. Senate. Two incumbent Democrats have healthy balances in their campaign accounts.
Candidate uncertainty comes from the other side of the aisle. The Republican Party in the state has a number of potential candidates waiting to announce their intentions. The sticking point appears to be whether Gov. John Hoeven will challenge Dorgan for the U.S. Senate. If he doesn't, who runs against Dorgan? Against Pomeroy? If he does, who's in? Who's out?
Paul Schaffner of Bismarck has announced he will run for the Republican nomination for U.S. House. He has not run for statewide office before. Paul Sorum of Fargo has signed up for the Senate, as has Duane Sand, who has run unsuccessful races for the U.S. House and Senate ...
(Public Service Commissioner Kevin) Cramer has paid his dues. He ran reasonably close but unsuccessful races against Pomeroy in 1996 and 1998. And a recent poll showed, in a Pomeroy-Cramer face-off, the incumbent with 46 percent of the vote and Cramer with 42 percent. Since then Cramer has seen a boost in name identification and voter familiarity from his successful bid for PSC.
Hoeven was expected to announce his intentions Labor Day weekend, but backed off. He indicated it was too soon to decide.
A part of this mix must also be Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem, who has done as well with voters. His term as AG is up in 2010. Add to that relatively new faces: Tax Commissioner Cory Fong and Public Service Commissioner Brian Kalk. And least we forget, state legislators such as Rep. Al Carlson.
The Democrats are weaker beyond their long-term, domineering control of the Congressional delegation. The names surfacing as possible statewide candidates for the Democrats include Jasper Schneider of Fargo, an unsuccessful candidate for insurance commissioner, and state Rep. Ryan Taylor of Towner. The Democrats are trying to build a roster of viable candidates for statewide, but are not even close yet.
The gist of this is that in two important races U.S. House, U.S. Senate there will likely be very strong candidates from both parties. When that happens in our democracy, the public benefits. When candidates are a shoo-in for an elected position, they and their positions are not tested. And once elected they are less responsive to voters from both parties.
It's understandable if there are some anxious new mothers and fathers in the area after Williston's Mercy Medical Center acknowledged this past week an incident where the wrong baby was sent home with parents upon discharge.
Parents are likely looking much more closely at their newborns, burning into their minds distinct features about their young child that can be used for identification purposes from this point forward.
Even with all of the technology that exists today for identification purposes, this incident proves serious mistakes are still possible.
Everyone is now waiting for the explanation regarding how this incident happened, and what possible corrective steps are in the works. Mercy Chief Financial Officer Kerry Monson stated the facility has multiple policies regarding its patient discharge process. We presume these policies are guiding facility officials as they investigate what happened.
Such an incident is truly unfortunate and unnerving for the families involved, and for the medical staff involved. A lot of questions have arisen as a result of this incident and need to be answered. Mercy officials need the next few days to continue their thorough examination of this incident by visiting with all parties involved. We then look forward to a straightforward conversation about how this incident happened and what appropriate corrective action is being implemented.
After that conversation, we hope a greater peace of mind returns for hospital staff and the public it serves.
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
