© Martin C. Fredricks IV, 2019
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F*@% Trump’s Fake “National Emergency”
“An irony here is that the United States today is in fact haunted by many actual and interrelated national emergencies. Here below are the top thirty-one that came to the present writer’s mind this last weekend….” – Paul Street
There are plenty of real national emergencies that need our attention.
President Donald J. Trump declared a national emergency last week, calling the “situation” at the border between the United States and Mexico a “national security crisis.”
He did so to gain access to funds to build his dream of a useless, ineffectual border wall.
IV Words calls bullshit. After all, Trump manufactured the problems at the border himself. This is an abuse of presidential power, and he’s being sued by multiple states and organizations to stop it.
Paul Street and Rick Cooley call BS, too.
In a post shared on the Dandelion Salad blog and re-shared on Rcooley123’s Blog, Street shares 31 actual emergencies this nation needs to address. And these are just the ones from the top of his head. Check them out.
© Martin C. Fredricks IV, 2019
Political cartoon by Mike Luckovich from the ArcaMax “Political Cartoon Digest.” Copyright 2019 Creators Syndicate Inc. Subscribe here.
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Mr. Bison on the Radio
CLICK TO LISTEN – Jason Anderson, host of “The Solidarity Effect” on Radio Free Fargo 95.9 FM, reads “Mr. Bison Goes to Washington” on air.“The Solidarity Effect” host and IV Words friend Jason Anderson shared “Mr. Bison Goes to Washington” on Radio Free Fargo, FM 95.9 this morning.
I grabbed a (ghastly quality) recording – click to listen.
Thank you, Jason Anderson, “The Solidarity Effect” and Radio Free Fargo. Keep tellin’ it like it is!
© Martin C. Fredricks IV, 2019
Mr. Bison Goes to Washington
The North Dakota State University Bison football team is going to Washington, D.C. What an honor. Now, if only…
If Only They Were Going to Be Greeted by a Fellow Champion
NDSU’s football team is going to Washington, D.C. Good for them. If any athlete or sports team deserves it, the Bison do. Fifteen national titles and seven of the last eight. Wow.
No matter who the president is, being invited to the White House is an honor.
Or so someone recently pointed out. Made my skin crawl at first. But I’ve come around.
“a million miles”
Short walk.
Softly snow falls,
quiet, seeing.
A flake floats, hovering moment.
Changes the way
back, continues to descend.
Surfer skimming crystal.
Tender power, creation,
cutback along the crest.
Then on down.
Down down down
below the swell.
Crunches underboot.
Breathless moment
interrupted.
Rigs on the highway.
Distance of thousands,
far. But not so.
Sounds another dimension.
Gliding across waves,
a million miles across.
© 2019 Martin C. Fredricks IV
Own an Electric Vehicle or Hybrid? You Pay More. Gas-Powered? You Don’t.
If there’s no need to raise the gas tax, why stick it to electric vehicle and hybrid owners?
ND Legislature declines gas-tax increase for transportation infrastructure
The North Dakota Senate’s decision to vote down a bill to raise the state’s gas tax is completely incongruent with some senators’ contention that owners of #electricvehicles and hybrids need to pay a “road-use fee” to cover their share of road construction and maintenance.
If there’s no need to raise the gas tax, why stick it to EV and hybrid owners?
Backwards Bill Would Deter People from Purchasing Electric Vehicles – IV Words, Jan. 17, 2019
N Dakota Senate passes bill creating road use fee for hybrid and electric vehicles – Green Car Congress, Jan. 31, 2019
Despite pleas for road funding, North Dakota Senate rejects gas tax increase – Grand Forks Herald, Feb. 4, 2019
© 2019 Martin C. Fredricks IV
Photo illustration by Troy Becker, Grand Forks Herald
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North Dakota Legislature Should Pass Net Metering Bill
A Senate committee is expected to issue a “do not pass” recommendation on a net metering bill introduced by Sen. Merrill Piepkorn, D-44. The full Legislature should pass it, anyway. It’s the right thing to do.
SB 2322 Will Provide Universal Benefits
The N.D. Senate Industry, Business and Labor Committee is expected to issue a “do not pass” recommendation on a bill that would benefit farmers, ranchers, businesses, workers and homeowners. More importantly, it would limit negative impacts to the environment.
The committee heard testimony from environmental advocates, utilities and others on Tuesday, February 5, on Senate Bill 2322, which is related to net metering of electricity.
The purposes of the bill, introduced by Sen. Merrill Piepkorn, D-44, are to make it economical for utility customers to install expensive renewable energy generation equipment and provide more equitable reimbursement for customer-generated electricity by utilities across the state.
Continue reading “North Dakota Legislature Should Pass Net Metering Bill”
Trump Delivers Shortest #SOTU in History
New York Times copy editor suffers exclamation-point-induced heart attack.
Speech Dubbed “First #SOTU of the Tweetstorm Age”
President Donald J. Trump gave the shortest State of the Union address in the history of the United States last night to a joint session of Congress and nearly a dozen Americans watching on live television.
Pundits have dubbed it “The First #SOTU of the Tweetstorm Age.”
Prior to the address, Trump’s staff released the text to the media:
Ridin’ the Vortex ‘Til the Wheels Fall Off
Does it qualify as “living” when all you do is run to your car, into the front doors of your destination, back to your car and, finally, into your house, no pauses or sidetracks?
Cold enough for ya?
Yeah, it’s been cold up this way the last coupla days.
So cold that 0° sounds – and feels – downright balmy.
I mean, it’s so cold you can throw a cup of water into the air and it’ll turn into a cloud of crystals immediately. As one media type pointed out a couple of days ago, nearly every TV news outlet in the state will demonstrate that little maneuver while we’re in the midst of this freakin’ cold vortex thingy. Too ugly out to go out and find real news.
Let’s just say it’s “triple-dog dare ya” cold. Think Flick in “A Christmas Story.” Come to think of it, we might have just stumbled upon a new phrase for expressing how cold the weather is – “We’re Flicked!”
Continue reading “Ridin’ the Vortex ‘Til the Wheels Fall Off”
Another Take on EV “Road-Use Fee” Bill, SB 2061
Brad Magnuson, chair of the N.D. Dem-NPL Renewable Energy Caucus, says so-called “road-use fees” aimed at EVs and hybrids are punitive & unfair. A bill that would impose one is currently in the N.D. Legislature.
IV Words Guest Post – Brad Magnuson
Today the North Dakota Senate voted on a second reading of SB 2061, “A BILL for an Act to create and enact a new section to chapter 39-04 of the North Dakota Century Code, relating to a road use fee for electric and hybrid vehicles; and to provide for a legislative management study.”
The bill passed the Senate with a seven-vote margin and now goes to the House.
If it becomes law, SB 2061 will impose a $110 annual “road-use fee” on electric vehicles (EVs) and $50 for hybrids. That’s an improvement from the version of the bill IV Words featured a couple of weeks ago, “Backwards Bill Would Deter People from Purchasing Electric Vehicles.” That bill would have imposed a $248 fee for EVs and $71 for hybrids.”
Brad Magnuson, chair of the N.D. Dem-NPL Renewable Energy Caucus, offers his take on “a bad bill,” even in its current form.
Continue reading “Another Take on EV “Road-Use Fee” Bill, SB 2061″