http://www.policynd.org/index.php? NorthDakota Policy Council Articles en brenarlo@policynd.org Copyright 2013 2013-02-28T21:42:20+00:00 http://www.policynd.org/index.php?/site/article/medicaid_expansion_bad_for_nd/ http://www.policynd.org/index.php?/site/article/medicaid_expansion_bad_for_nd/#When:16:42:20Z The North Dakota House has approved the expansion of Medicaid as directed under Obamacare with a 57-36 vote. There are many reason this is a bad idea. {ArticleType}, Budget & Spending 2013-02-28T16:42:20-06:00 http://www.policynd.org/index.php?/site/article/cigarette_tax_hike_2013/ http://www.policynd.org/index.php?/site/article/cigarette_tax_hike_2013/#When:14:30:39Z State Rep. Eliot Glassheim has proposed a hike (HB 1387) in North Dakota’s cigarette excise tax from 44 cents to $1.00 per pack, a 127 percent increase. While his intentions are good — he says he wants to help people quit smoking — it’s doubtful as many people as he believes will do so due to tax avoidance. {ArticleType}, Taxes 2013-02-04T14:30:39-06:00 http://www.policynd.org/index.php?/site/article/statement_on_haugland_v._city_of_bismarck_decision/ http://www.policynd.org/index.php?/site/article/statement_on_haugland_v._city_of_bismarck_decision/#When:15:51:21Z On Friday, the North Dakota Supreme Court released their decision regarding the North Dakota Policy Council's lawsuit challenging how the City of Bismarck uses tax increment financing in Haugland v. City of Bismarck, adding another layer to the political battle to end tax increment financing and the government's practice of giving tax-dollars away to private interests. In an unprecedented expansion of the state's power, the court ruled that Article X, Section 18 of the North Dakota Constitution does not limit the state's or its political subdivisions' ability to give money away to purely private interests, seemingly ignoring the plain reading and purpose of the clause. {ArticleType}, Economic Development 2012-07-09T15:51:21-06:00 http://www.policynd.org/index.php?/site/article/replacing_property_tax_revenue/ http://www.policynd.org/index.php?/site/article/replacing_property_tax_revenue/#When:12:09:00Z The total of those figures - $100 million in increased tax revenue, $171 million in savings from the property tax relief plan, and $47 million simply for administering the system – is $318 million, cutting $812 million down to $494 million. And that figure is without making cuts to any spending or increasing taxes one cent. It does not touch any potential budget surpluses or limit funding to any political subdivision. {ArticleType}, Budget & Spending 2012-05-01T12:09:00-06:00 http://www.policynd.org/index.php?/site/article/you_cant_fight_a_corrupt_government_with_more_government/ http://www.policynd.org/index.php?/site/article/you_cant_fight_a_corrupt_government_with_more_government/#When:22:46:49Z Corruption indexes directly to the size of government. The larger the government is, the more corrupt it will become. Thus, rather than layering on more government in the form of ethics committees and the like, the solution for less government is simply less government. {ArticleType}, Government Transparency 2012-04-22T22:46:49-06:00 http://www.policynd.org/index.php?/site/article/open_meetings_in_minneapolis/ http://www.policynd.org/index.php?/site/article/open_meetings_in_minneapolis/#When:08:57:07Z Nobody wants to see government workers needlessly inconvenienced, of course, but when members of the public make good-faith requests for information ,it’s their convenience that ought to be of ultimate concern. Unfortunately, in ruling on a recent open records complaint, North Dakota’s Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem did not apply that standard. {ArticleType}, Government Transparency 2012-03-19T08:57:07-06:00 http://www.policynd.org/index.php?/site/article/taxpayer-funded_lobbying/ http://www.policynd.org/index.php?/site/article/taxpayer-funded_lobbying/#When:08:52:58Z Most North Dakotans expect that their tax dollars not be used to oppose or support political campaigns. Measure 2 has elicited a lot of strong debate both for it and against it, but setting that debate aside, is it really appropriate - is it even legal - for groups to take our tax dollars and then engage in explicitly political activities? {ArticleType}, Government Transparency 2012-03-19T08:52:58-06:00 http://www.policynd.org/index.php?/site/article/frack_nation_in_the_media/ http://www.policynd.org/index.php?/site/article/frack_nation_in_the_media/#When:10:03:06Z Two North Dakota newspapers ran stories about an event we're hosting in April called "Frack Nation." Click HERE to read the Bismarck Tribune, and click HERE to read the Fargo Forum. {ArticleType}, Energy & Environment 2012-03-07T10:03:06-06:00 http://www.policynd.org/index.php?/site/article/ndpcs_brett_narloch_on_the_scott_hennen_show_ron_paul/ http://www.policynd.org/index.php?/site/article/ndpcs_brett_narloch_on_the_scott_hennen_show_ron_paul/#When:15:39:38Z The NDPC's Brett Narloch was on The Scott Hennen Show recently to preview Freedom 101: The Basics with Ron Paul. Click HERE to listen. {ArticleType}, Federalism 2012-02-27T15:39:38-06:00 http://www.policynd.org/index.php?/site/article/government_transparency_and_democracy/ http://www.policynd.org/index.php?/site/article/government_transparency_and_democracy/#When:11:12:35Z If asked about what the most important elements of a democracy are, most citizens would probably tell you it’s voting, freedom of speech, or freedom of the press. Those are good answers, but there is more to democracy than the presence of a ballot box and the ability to say or write what you want. What probably wouldn’t be mentioned very often in response to the question is government transparency, {ArticleType}, Budget & Spending 2012-02-22T11:12:35-06:00