What do you think is going to happen over the next two years? Will our country look the same when it comes to core values? Will our state?
I’m not prone to crying the sky is falling, but I’m really worried. There is little to stop the Biden Administration from issuing more Executive Orders or pushing liberal legislation through a Democratic Congress.
However, here is the part of the story that worries me the most as a North Dakotan. Our legislature meets every other year, so the next legislative session will start in January of 2023. Between sessions, interim committees meet, minor legislative matters are dealt with, etc., but laws are not passed and put into our Century Code during that time. This produces a very dangerous situation – the Biden Administration’s actions coupled with a two-year lull in our state’s legislative responsiveness. We will effectively be sitting in the bleachers for two years, watching the federal government change the country and our state day-by-day, with very little recourse.
That is why we need our legislators to be bold. We cannot wait for two years. To use the example of HB1298, the Fairness in Girls’ Sports bill, the vote on that issue must happen now and cannot be literally studied to death and potentially delayed indefinitely, as some in the Senate want. Our legislators need to take decisive action now, this session, and not wait on the sidelines for the next two years, watching as girls’ sports become a circus of meaningless feel-good performances.
Legislators tend to be rather cautious folks and I have heard many times that we don’t need to address something legislatively until it’s a problem. I get what they’re saying, and sometimes I agree. However, most of the agenda the Biden Administration is pushing is a virtual certainty. It already is a problem! Look at the speed it has changed the landscape at the federal level. We know more is coming and we cannot wait. If we don’t do anything right now to fend off the inevitable actions that will undermine our values over the next two years, we have nobody to blame but ourselves.
Thank you for continuing to respond to our calls for help by contacting Senators and Representatives. That is what helps give them boldness on tough issues. Your input as a constituent and resident of North Dakota helps encourage them to staunchly protect your values. They truly need to hear from you.
I sincerely respect and deeply appreciate our legislators, including those who oppose Kansas Family Voice of North Dakota on issues. They are trying to do the right thing and represent their constituents’ values. Help them out, and make sure they know what matters to you this session. Make sure they know you want them to be bold, and not take what appears to be the easy way out.
The next two years can play out in very different ways. Why don’t we draw the map of where North Dakota will go, instead of letting someone else draw it for us.
Freedom lies in being bold.
– Robert Frost
For North Dakota values,
Mark Jorritsma
President and Executive Director
P.S. Your financial help will allow us do precisely what I talked about – get laws passed this session that will protect our state and encourage legislators to advance your values. Thank you for your support.