Plain Talk

Martha Njolomole is an economist with the American Experiment North Dakota and the author of a new report on North Dakota's budget trends called "From Boom to Balance: Smart Spending for an Uncertain Future."

Her argument is that North Dakota is spending too much money. "We've seen in the last couple years that North Dakota is spending more money than it is collecting particularly in the general fund budget which is really what most people refer to as as the budget," she said on this episode of Plain Talk.

She said this "structured deficit" has been obscured by balances from the state's various funds, but contends "that at a certain point you're going to run out of those balances and you won't be able to maintain your current spending trends."

"It's pretty much like a family that earns $3,000 a month but they're living at $4,000 a month," she contends.

North Dakotans have been feeling the impact of this, she says, "I think probably because of the oil and gas industry a lot of taxpayers...don't feel the pain and the cost of big government in North Dakota."

Njolomole and her group aren't alone in flagging this spending trend. In April, when Gov. Kelly Armstrong released his budget guidelines for the coming biennium, he called the state's spending growth "unsustainable." Particularly in that a lot of the state's spending is based on reserve funds and not ongoing revenues.

In fact, in every budget cycle since the 2017-2019 biennium, most of the state's spending has come from these so-called "special funds" as opposed to general fund revenues from things like the sales and income taxes.

Despite this, the American Experiment North Dakota report also calls for eliminating North Dakota's income tax, something we challenged Njolomole on. How can you advocate reducing revenues at a time when spending is exceeding revenues? This report also criticizes North Dakota for being too dependent on revenues from oil and gas activity, but wouldn't eliminating the income tax make the state more dependent on those revenues?

We asked Njolomole about it.

Also on this episode, co-host Chad Oban and I discuss the Protect College Sports Act, and whether or not the status quo in college sports deserves to be protected.

If you want to participate in Plain Talk, just give us a call or text at 701-587-3141. It's super easy — leave your message, tell us your name and where you're from, and we might feature it on an upcoming episode. To subscribe to Plain Talk, search for the show wherever you get your podcasts or use one of the links below.

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Martha Njolomole is an economist with the American Experiment North Dakota and the author of a new report on North Dakota's budget trends called "From Boom to Balance: Smart Spending for an Uncertain Future."

Her argument is that North Dakota is spending too much money. "We've seen in the last couple years that North Dakota is spending more money than it is collecting particularly in the general fund budget which is really what most people refer to as as the budget," she said on this episode of Plain Talk.

She said this "structured deficit" has been obscured by balances from the state's various funds, but contends "that at a certain point you're going to run out of those balances and you won't be able to maintain your current spending trends."

"It's pretty much like a family that earns $3,000 a month but they're living at $4,000 a month," she contends.

North Dakotans have been feeling the impact of this, she says, "I think probably because of the oil and gas industry a lot of taxpayers...don't feel the pain and the cost of big government in North Dakota."

Njolomole and her group aren't alone in flagging this spending trend. In April, when Gov. Kelly Armstrong released his budget guidelines for the coming biennium, he called the state's spending growth "unsustainable." Particularly in that a lot of the state's spending is based on reserve funds and not ongoing revenues.

In fact, in every budget cycle since the 2017-2019 biennium, most of the state's spending has come from these so-called "special funds" as opposed to general fund revenues from things like the sales and income taxes.

Despite this, the American Experiment North Dakota report also calls for eliminating North Dakota's income tax, something we challenged Njolomole on. How can you advocate reducing revenues at a time when spending is exceeding revenues? This report also criticizes North Dakota for being too dependent on revenues from oil and gas activity, but wouldn't eliminating the income tax make the state more dependent on those revenues?

We asked Njolomole about it.

Also on this episode, co-host Chad Oban and I discuss the Protect College Sports Act, and whether or not the status quo in college sports deserves to be protected.

If you want to participate in Plain Talk, just give us a call or text at 701-587-3141. It's super easy — leave your message, tell us your name and where you're from, and we might feature it on an upcoming episode. To subscribe to Plain Talk, search for the show wherever you get your podcasts or use one of the links below.

Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | Pocket Casts | Episode Archive

Gov. Kelly Armstrong was asked recently on a talk radio program about bigoted comments made by state Rep. Desiree Morton, a fellow Republican. "That's dumb," he said of her attacks on Somali immigrants and Muslims.

On this episode of Plain Talk, we dive into correspondence Rep. Morton had with one of her constituents in which she continues to stand by those bigoted comments.

"They have taken over city after city and have instituted Sharia Law in many areas. In their own words they have said that they hate America and everything she stands for," Morton wrote to her constituent. "They hate our Constitution and defy our laws. Their goal is to take over America and institute Sharia Law just as they have done in other countries around the world. This isn't just true for Somalians, but for many who hold to the ideology of Islam."

Also, co-host Chad Oban and I take some feedback from a listener who says that we're wrong when we say that Flock cameras are not a constitutional violation, and we discuss Sen. Kevin Cramer pushing back on President Donald Trump's administration harder than he ever has in the past.

The issue is wetlands policy from President Joe Biden's time in office, which have been allowed to linger under the Trump administration, and Cramer has taken a hard stand, putting a hold on confirmation all of President Trump's nominees until he addresses the matter.

We also discuss whether Cramer will seek re-election when he's on the ballot again in 2030. The Senator says he isn't sure. We discuss the implications.

If you want to participate in Plain Talk, just give us a call or text at 701-587-3141. It's super easy — leave your message, tell us your name and where you're from, and we might feature it on an upcoming episode. To subscribe to Plain Talk, search for the show wherever you get your podcasts or use one of the links below.

Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | Pocket Casts | Episode Archive

Gov. Kelly Armstrong was asked recently on a talk radio program about bigoted comments made by state Rep. Desiree Morton, a fellow Republican. "That's dumb," he said of her attacks on Somali immigrants and Muslims.

On this episode of Plain Talk, we dive into correspondence Rep. Morton had with one of her constituents in which she continues to stand by those bigoted comments.

"They have taken over city after city and have instituted Sharia Law in many areas. In their own words they have said that they hate America and everything she stands for," Morton wrote to her constituent. "They hate our Constitution and defy our laws. Their goal is to take over America and institute Sharia Law just as they have done in other countries around the world. This isn't just true for Somalians, but for many who hold to the ideology of Islam."

Also, co-host Chad Oban and I take some feedback from a listener who says that we're wrong when we say that Flock cameras are not a constitutional violation, and we discuss Sen. Kevin Cramer pushing back on President Donald Trump's administration harder than he ever has in the past.

The issue is wetlands policy from President Joe Biden's time in office, which have been allowed to linger under the Trump administration, and Cramer has taken a hard stand, putting a hold on confirmation all of President Trump's nominees until he addresses the matter.

We also discuss whether Cramer will seek re-election when he's on the ballot again in 2030. The Senator says he isn't sure. We discuss the implications.

If you want to participate in Plain Talk, just give us a call or text at 701-587-3141. It's super easy — leave your message, tell us your name and where you're from, and we might feature it on an upcoming episode. To subscribe to Plain Talk, search for the show wherever you get your podcasts or use one of the links below.

Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | Pocket Casts | Episode Archive

As North Dakota's charitable gaming industry as exploded into what can more fairly be called the casino industry, there's been a trend toward nonprofits buying up for-profit hospitality establishments -- bars and restaurants -- to protect turf for games like electronic pull tab machines and blackjack tables.

How does the hospitality industry feel about that?

"We have members on both sides of the issue, and so we don't have the luxury of picking a side, and I don't necessarily think we should," Terry Effertz said on this episode of Plain Talk.

Effertz is the executive director of the North Dakota Hospitality Association, which represents the state's bars, restaurants and hotels. She said in many ways, the growth in charitable gaming has been a boon to many small businesses in her industry. "We went from about $156 million in pre-electronic pull tab gaming proceeds, gross proceeds to $2.3 billion now," she said. "And so, in less than a decade, look at that explosive growth. There's a lot of opportunities. When you see a small business that may not make it, they might take that option. The rent proceeds have helped keep the lights on in some of those small town bars as well."

One thing that would help, and might serve as a buttress against nonprofits buying up bars and restaurants, is some changes to the state's caps on how much an establishment owner can receive in rent from a gaming operation.

"They're more interested in what the rent proceeds are," Effertz said of her membership, "because they see, in some cases millions, of dollars filtering through their business through the gaming and they're making a couple grand a month off of their rent proceeds. And so I think that there is some feeling of inequity in some places."

But she acknowledged that this might be a tough sell, politically. "It's hard for us to go in and say, 'Hey, we're the purveyors of your vices. Give us some of that charity's money.' Right?' Like, it's a hard thing to say we deserve more when it's going for a charitable purpose."

Also on this episode, we discuss the Flock camera debate in North Dakota's communities, and react to listener feedback from someone who has been struggling with kratom addiction.

If you want to participate in Plain Talk, just give us a call or text at 701-587-3141. It's super easy — leave your message, tell us your name and where you're from, and we might feature it on an upcoming episode. To subscribe to Plain Talk, search for the show wherever you get your podcasts or use one of the links below.

Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | Pocket Casts | Episode Archive

As North Dakota's charitable gaming industry as exploded into what can more fairly be called the casino industry, there's been a trend toward nonprofits buying up for-profit hospitality establishments -- bars and restaurants -- to protect turf for games like electronic pull tab machines and blackjack tables.

How does the hospitality industry feel about that?

"We have members on both sides of the issue, and so we don't have the luxury of picking a side, and I don't necessarily think we should," Terry Effertz said on this episode of Plain Talk.

Effertz is the executive director of the North Dakota Hospitality Association, which represents the state's bars, restaurants and hotels. She said in many ways, the growth in charitable gaming has been a boon to many small businesses in her industry. "We went from about $156 million in pre-electronic pull tab gaming proceeds, gross proceeds to $2.3 billion now," she said. "And so, in less than a decade, look at that explosive growth. There's a lot of opportunities. When you see a small business that may not make it, they might take that option. The rent proceeds have helped keep the lights on in some of those small town bars as well."

One thing that would help, and might serve as a buttress against nonprofits buying up bars and restaurants, is some changes to the state's caps on how much an establishment owner can receive in rent from a gaming operation.

"They're more interested in what the rent proceeds are," Effertz said of her membership, "because they see, in some cases millions, of dollars filtering through their business through the gaming and they're making a couple grand a month off of their rent proceeds. And so I think that there is some feeling of inequity in some places."

But she acknowledged that this might be a tough sell, politically. "It's hard for us to go in and say, 'Hey, we're the purveyors of your vices. Give us some of that charity's money.' Right?' Like, it's a hard thing to say we deserve more when it's going for a charitable purpose."

Also on this episode, we discuss the Flock camera debate in North Dakota's communities, and react to listener feedback from someone who has been struggling with kratom addiction.

If you want to participate in Plain Talk, just give us a call or text at 701-587-3141. It's super easy — leave your message, tell us your name and where you're from, and we might feature it on an upcoming episode. To subscribe to Plain Talk, search for the show wherever you get your podcasts or use one of the links below.

Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | Pocket Casts | Episode Archive

"Over 80% of North Dotans who took this think that that we need to do a better job," Superintendent of Public Schools Levi Bachmeier said on this episode of Plain Talk. "And I can't help but agree when I visit schools and we have a critical workforce shortage."

He's referring to a recent survey conducted by his department. One way Bachmeier thinks schools can do a better job, and something that's backed up by sentiments from North Dakotans in the survey, is teacher pay.

"I'll be the first to say that pay doesn't solve every problem. We've got to make sure that teachers feel like their work is sustainable and meaningful," he said. "Money can't ever be a replacement for leadership, but at the same time, that gap--if you compare what teachers make to others who hold a bachelor's degree, I mean, that's a problem."

"And it isn't just a problem because I think we should pay teachers more," he continued. "It's a problem because we have schools across our state that don't have teachers in the classroom."

Bachmeier said he's heard "from juniors in Wishek who wanted to be reading books and working on projects together in English class" but "they're forced to be taking an asynchronous online class."

Bachmeier also talked about other results from the survey and their implications for education policy, including technology in the classroom, and whether virtual learning is really the best way to address snow days during harsh winter weather.

On that last, Bachmeier thinks it may be better to just let the kids have a day off.

"I'm a big believer in as many quality minutes as possible, and I'll bet on kids in a class classroom with each other and a teacher versus trying to log on a device any day of the week," he said.

Also on this episode, co-host Chad Oban and I discuss the list of bills lawmakers on the Legislative Management Committee forwarded for the upcoming special session in September, and one resolution, calling for clemency for the extremists jailed after their murderous involvement in the infamous Medina shootout, which wasn't forwarded.

If you want to participate in Plain Talk, just give us a call or text at 701-587-3141. It's super easy — leave your message, tell us your name and where you're from, and we might feature it on an upcoming episode. To subscribe to Plain Talk, search for the show wherever you get your podcasts or use one of the links below.

Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | Pocket Casts | Episode Archive

"Over 80% of North Dotans who took this think that that we need to do a better job," Superintendent of Public Schools Levi Bachmeier said on this episode of Plain Talk. "And I can't help but agree when I visit schools and we have a critical workforce shortage."

He's referring to a recent survey conducted by his department. One way Bachmeier thinks schools can do a better job, and something that's backed up by sentiments from North Dakotans in the survey, is teacher pay.

"I'll be the first to say that pay doesn't solve every problem. We've got to make sure that teachers feel like their work is sustainable and meaningful," he said. "Money can't ever be a replacement for leadership, but at the same time, that gap--if you compare what teachers make to others who hold a bachelor's degree, I mean, that's a problem."

"And it isn't just a problem because I think we should pay teachers more," he continued. "It's a problem because we have schools across our state that don't have teachers in the classroom."

Bachmeier said he's heard "from juniors in Wishek who wanted to be reading books and working on projects together in English class" but "they're forced to be taking an asynchronous online class."

Bachmeier also talked about other results from the survey and their implications for education policy, including technology in the classroom, and whether virtual learning is really the best way to address snow days during harsh winter weather.

On that last, Bachmeier thinks it may be better to just let the kids have a day off.

"I'm a big believer in as many quality minutes as possible, and I'll bet on kids in a class classroom with each other and a teacher versus trying to log on a device any day of the week," he said.

Also on this episode, co-host Chad Oban and I discuss the list of bills lawmakers on the Legislative Management Committee forwarded for the upcoming special session in September, and one resolution, calling for clemency for the extremists jailed after their murderous involvement in the infamous Medina shootout, which wasn't forwarded.

If you want to participate in Plain Talk, just give us a call or text at 701-587-3141. It's super easy — leave your message, tell us your name and where you're from, and we might feature it on an upcoming episode. To subscribe to Plain Talk, search for the show wherever you get your podcasts or use one of the links below.

Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | Pocket Casts | Episode Archive

Gov. Kelly Armstrong called a special session to address what he and public health officials say is a crisis related to unregulated says of kratom in its natural and synthetic forms. Sen. Tim Mathern, a Fargo Democrat, says the session is unneccessary, but if we're going to have it, he'd rather it be focused on data centers.

"Should we deal with kratom? Yes. Are there people who are hurt by it? Yes. There are many other substances that people are hurt by," he said. "Hundreds more persons per year die of alcohol. Hundreds more die per year of tobacco use and all kinds of other issues. So, let's address this fine, but we should be dealing with other issues also."

"Most citizens of North Dakota want attention on data centers, not on kratum," he continued. "Most citizens don't even know what it's about."

Mathern is trying to get two bills into consideration during the session. One would impose a one-year moratorium on data center construction, while the other would ban data center companies from seeking nondisclosure agreements with public officials.

But the latter would only apply to data center companies.

The legislation "basically sets forth the concerns we have about data centers," Mathern said. "It clearly defines what a data center is, what a developer is, what a non-disclosure agreement is. It actually prohibits from any government official whether they're staff or elected any political subdivision or the state from signing or participating in a non-disclosure agreement."

Mathern also addressed the financial controversy around a stalled military museum project on the state capitol grounds which could cost taxpayes tens of millions of dollars.

"This is the wrong way of making decisions," Mathern said, noting that lawmakers "made a deal" to build the museum that would have it receive public funding that would match private fundraising. But construction on the project began without the private fundraising in place, and now it's out of money.

"I'm thinking this is more of a management issue, and this session should not be used to bail out management decisions or we're going down a path that is destructive to legislative decision making," Mathern said.

Also on this session, co-host Chad Oban and I discuss North Dakota's problems with charitable gaming which, these days, is beginning to look less and less charitable all the time, and more and more like a deeply lucrative casino industry.

If you want to participate in Plain Talk, just give us a call or text at 701-587-3141. It's super easy — leave your message, tell us your name and where you're from, and we might feature it on an upcoming episode. To subscribe to Plain Talk, search for the show wherever you get your podcasts or use one of the links below.

Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | Pocket Casts | Episode Archive

Gov. Kelly Armstrong called a special session to address what he and public health officials say is a crisis related to unregulated says of kratom in its natural and synthetic forms. Sen. Tim Mathern, a Fargo Democrat, says the session is unneccessary, but if we're going to have it, he'd rather it be focused on data centers.

"Should we deal with kratom? Yes. Are there people who are hurt by it? Yes. There are many other substances that people are hurt by," he said. "Hundreds more persons per year die of alcohol. Hundreds more die per year of tobacco use and all kinds of other issues. So, let's address this fine, but we should be dealing with other issues also."

"Most citizens of North Dakota want attention on data centers, not on kratum," he continued. "Most citizens don't even know what it's about."

Mathern is trying to get two bills into consideration during the session. One would impose a one-year moratorium on data center construction, while the other would ban data center companies from seeking nondisclosure agreements with public officials.

But the latter would only apply to data center companies.

The legislation "basically sets forth the concerns we have about data centers," Mathern said. "It clearly defines what a data center is, what a developer is, what a non-disclosure agreement is. It actually prohibits from any government official whether they're staff or elected any political subdivision or the state from signing or participating in a non-disclosure agreement."

Mathern also addressed the financial controversy around a stalled military museum project on the state capitol grounds which could cost taxpayes tens of millions of dollars.

"This is the wrong way of making decisions," Mathern said, noting that lawmakers "made a deal" to build the museum that would have it receive public funding that would match private fundraising. But construction on the project began without the private fundraising in place, and now it's out of money.

"I'm thinking this is more of a management issue, and this session should not be used to bail out management decisions or we're going down a path that is destructive to legislative decision making," Mathern said.

Also on this session, co-host Chad Oban and I discuss North Dakota's problems with charitable gaming which, these days, is beginning to look less and less charitable all the time, and more and more like a deeply lucrative casino industry.

If you want to participate in Plain Talk, just give us a call or text at 701-587-3141. It's super easy — leave your message, tell us your name and where you're from, and we might feature it on an upcoming episode. To subscribe to Plain Talk, search for the show wherever you get your podcasts or use one of the links below.

Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | Pocket Casts | Episode Archive