~by Bob Valeu~
Whether it’s tax breaks for out of state corporations, funding a milk or juice break for less fortunate elementary school children, or fixing the childcare crisis, this Republican controlled legislature has never heard a legitimate proposal that they didn’t vote down.
It’s hard to tell if this legislative session has brought about more extreme views from our friends on the other side of the aisle, or if it just seems that way because the stakes are so unbelievably high. Whatever the actuality, it is increasingly clear there has to be balance in our state legislature. North Dakotans are best served when competing ideas from both political parties are fairly, openly and intelligently discussed. We believe in this system, and if this session has taught us anything, it is that elections matter—more than bumper stickers, more than yard signs, more than any of the glitz or glamour that goes into a campaign, the end result matters and has a profound effect on our state, our citizens, and our future.
State government and legislatures controlled by a single political party supermajority are dangerous. Supermajority control allows a single party to dictate absolutes and legislate an individual’s right to thought. Things like education, childcare, women’s health issues, labor issues, tax relief issues, voting rights, and the myriad of other issues that are rarely black and white, have been oversimplified to a point of devastation for the people of North Dakota.
Republicans believe they are the only ones with a “right” to a seat at the legislative table. You might recall that this mentality of Republicans was being promoted in campaign literature during the last election cycle. The loud and clear implication was that only people who agreed with them would be allowed to have a seat at this proverbial table—you can see the flaw in this thought process. Our government is intended to have checks and balances, and we can all recall times in our recent history when our country was best served with a balanced approach to governance.
Our Democratic-NPL Party and legislators haven’t sat by quietly. We are energized, committed, and prepared to regain legislative seats in 2014. That is our commitment to you, the citizens of North Dakota, but your voice, your energy, and your commitment to the state we all love is just as important—after all, YOU are the ones who put people in office, and only YOU can move us away from the extreme approach that has been taken over the past several years.
Let’s work together to advance public policy that is good for North Dakotans. Let’s solve our problems associated with energy development, advance opportunities to diversify our economy and create job growth beyond reliance on mineral extraction, create a fair and equitable tax system and make North Dakota the envy of every state in the nation. It starts with a political balance in state government.
~Bob Valeu is the newly elected Chairman of the ND Democratic-NPL.~