“North Dakota” on The Daily Caller

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Today is Election Day in 12 states. Here’s what you should know about the hottest contests: (more)

Last week I went on a much-needed vacation. When I tweeted as much, I was bombarded with a number of apoplectic and judgmental queries, wondering why, exactly, I needed a break. It seems as though because I get to hang out with Michael Waltrip at NASCAR races, flit about the networks in high heels feigning outrage, speak to college students (read: drink with college students) and pen horrifically self-indulgent diary entries about, well, nothing of any consequence, that my job isn’t the kind of thing one needs an occasional respite from. I assure you, this is all very hard work. (more)

If you were tasked with creating a new government health program, what would you use as a model? Would you try to emulate a profitable, sustainable business from the private sector, or would you shoot for the huge budget shortfalls and customer service record of the U.S. Postal Service? (more)

The European Union (mainly German taxpayers) and the International Monetary Fund (mainly American taxpayers) cobbled together a trillion dollars of loans and loan guarantees for Greece. That bummer bailout was supposed to save the Euro, the EU’s common currency. But the Euro is still in a nosedive and global stock markets are falling too. Why? In a word, the answer is debt. (more)

Sometime before June 7, the so-called Murkowski resolution to block EPA regulation of greenhouse gases will be voted on in the Senate. Democrats up for re-election this fall may want to think twice about a knee-jerk “no” vote. (more)

Last week, Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.) gave a keynote speech before a crowd of Internet regulation supporters and stated some amusing falsehoods about the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) attempt to take over the Internet. At a summit held by the organization Free Press, Sen. Dorgan claimed that the government developed the Internet, established the rules underpinning net neutrality when it created the Internet, and that the attempt by the FCC to takeover the management of networks is not a government takeover. (more)

There is an “emerging consensus” that we are headed for a value-added tax (VAT) in the United States. But the more optimistic among the experts and pundits believe it won’t come until after the 2012 election and then only if President Obama is reelected. There is no doubt that something will have to be done about the financial crisis and the federal debt—even if ObamaCare is repealed—and many believe the “hidden” VAT is the politically viable solution. Many openly say that the VAT, with its costs hidden in the price of commercial products, is the only way to get the money to pay for ObamaCare. (more)

In my long career working with low-income and minority families in Alabama and elsewhere across the South, I’ve seen first-hand how groups are disproportionately affected by the cost of rising electricity bills. (more)

In 1901, 40 percent of a consumer’s income was spent on food consumed at home. By 2001, that number had dropped dramatically to 7.8 percent. As a result of the low cost of food, more of a family’s income can be spent on housing, transportation and health care. In this economic climate, when many families are affected by unemployment, the consistent low cost of food is more important than ever in order to stretch each dollar as far as possible. While it may not be apparent at the supermarket, complex financial products called derivatives play an essential role in avoiding significant price spikes in your groceries. Unfortunately, new regulations being considered in Congress may threaten the ability of businesses to utilize these products to help consumers. (more)

ROUTE 83, south of Minot, North Dakota, is a particularly barren stretch of a barren state. Last year, however, nearby fields sprouted a new crop: a $250m, 80-turbine wind farm. Not far west is Fort Berthold, home to the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation. Wind hurtles across the reservation, careening around houses and over hilltops. The Indian tribe has just one turbine to catch it. (more)

Officials in North Dakota and Minnesota are catching their breath Monday, if only briefly, after the Red River crested over the weekend. (more)

As the cities of Moorhead, Minn., and next-door Fargo nervously wait for the Red River’s expected crest on Sunday at 20 feet above the flood stage, some of the region’s farmland is already under water after smaller rivers, swollen with melting snow, overflowed. Even fields that aren’t buried in water are so saturated that they look like vast expanses of squishy black mud. (more)

On Tuesday evening, the Senate rejected an amendment to reauthorize the Opportunity Scholarships program, which provides private school tuition vouchers to 1,300 poor D.C. children. (more)

RIO DE JANEIRO — Brazilian authorities are investigating three priests accused of sexually abusing altar boys after a video allegedly showing one case of abuse was broadcast on television, police and church officials said yesterday. (more)

WASHINGTON – A bipartisan bill that would provide tax cuts for businesses that hire unemployed workers cleared a GOP filibuster in the Senate Monday, opening the way for final congressional approval. (more)

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The Democrats’ looming plan to use reconciliation to force their unpopular version of health care reform through the Senate stands as a testament to Harry Reid’s failed leadership and his unwillingness to work in a bipartisan fashion. (more)

Most people take nutritional supplements to assure themselves that they are getting their recommended daily amount of vitamins and minerals to help prevent illness and disease. They have a right to purchase those products that they believe will keep them healthy. (more)

I was looking over my past few articles and I’ve come to the conclusion that people who don’t know me might think I’m a frightening malcontent. Due to the current political climate, it feels like I’m constantly complaining. Thanks to the train wreck being created by the president and Congress, it’s true that I haven’t been so upbeat lately. However, I’m not just some miserably bitter grouch, so I figured I should take some time run down a few things that fill me with genuine optimism. (more)