Folks really need to analyze Heidi Heitkamp’s plans for western North Dakota as related by April Baumgarten in a July 13 Dickinson Press article. This, I believe, is political pandering at its finest.
Heitkamp states that the federal government needs to “pony up” and contribute national revenue to western North Dakota’s infrastructure and oil impact needs. She apparently believes that the federal government has a “moral obligation to invest in local resources.”
Further, if elected, Heitkamp would locate staff in the Bakken, no doubt at additional federal cost.
All this spells expanded federal government spending and intrusion into the state’s affairs at a time when the country is awash in red ink. As most people are aware by now, 40 cents of every dollar of federal spending is borrowed money.
Does anyone seriously believe that the U.S. Congress is standing by to increase the federal debt on behalf of North Dakota’s Oil Patch when the state has an unprecedented budget surplus?
We as taxpayers need to stop expecting our representatives to bring home the bacon in some form of federal funding or benefits.
This country is in grave financial danger, and we citizens need to start getting very serious about the kind of country and life our children and grandchildren will inherit from us.
Among the real moral obligations of our federal government should be to cut wasteful spending, eliminate fraud and abuse, earmarks and reorganize a bloated bureaucracy and tax system. The real obligation of our senators and congressman should be to help make those things happen, not find ways to spend more money.
In reference to state Rep. Shirley Meyer’s reported comments, I think it is insulting to the North Dakota Legislature to say that it is irresponsible to leave funding of oil impact up to the state legislature.
While it is true that state funding of oil impact has not been fully addressed, we have to trust that our governor and Legislature will come around to recognizing all the needs that are out there. After all, this is somewhat unfamiliar territory for the state, but it is North Dakota’s obligation to fund most oil impact needs, not the federal government.
Perhaps we need representatives in the state Legislature who can work harder and are more convincing.
Ron Wolberg, Dickinson
Tags: ron wolberg, opinion, letter, letters
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