The opinion pages of newspapers crackle with expressions of a political truth strongly held by the writer. That expressed truth may not be so evident to everyone else. This clash of thinking between the writer of opinions and the reader is often because they start from a different perception of reality. For my purposes, truth and reality are the same thing.
North Dakota is a case study in political thought. For an exciting time in North Dakota’s history, the majority political opinion held that state-run institutions such as the Bank of North Dakota, the Mill and Elevator, and Workers Safety and Insurance could dramatically improve the lives of North Dakota people. The foundation of that thinking was a belief that human beings can cooperate through government or organizations they create, to provide benefits for themselves they could not achieve as individuals.
That foundational belief system has been under attack since its prominence in 1921. Leaders of the Nonpartisan League were recalled from office. Those attacking the NPL’s ideas of cooperation believed return on capital should be the guiding principle of North Dakota’s political thought. That is why cutting taxes and red tape has been a mainstay of political talk since movie star Ronald Reagan became president. Government, according to this thinking, was the problem, not the solution. Heroes in modern life became rich people. People unimaginably rich living in a world of their own, who, whether inside or outside of government, nonetheless control it. These are the people, according to the current foundational thinking of most North Dakotans, who should have the authority to run everything. Why? Because they know how to make money.
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The Republican Party in North Dakota now has a test for receiving their endorsement that includes proving you can raise money. So prominent is wealth as a qualification for office, most Republicans don’t even object. Being personally wealthy enables Doug Burgum, North Dakota’s governor, to seek the Republican nomination for president. The thinking is that knowing how to make money, no matter how it is made, is a critical skill in leading the government of the United States.
That is where my foundational thinking, my perception of truth and reality, are different. I have come to believe, through the example of my parents and my neighbors as a child, that honesty and generosity are guiding principles of leadership. Dishonest and selfish people were not respected. People who cared about their community and worked for the common good were the folks that should be entrusted with political leadership. A successful businessperson was one who fairly and reliably exchanged goods and services with their customers. My mom and dad respected the Fessenden man and his family who sold our family Case tractors and Chevy cars. Our family respected the man and his family that ran the grocery store in Bowdon. My sister married his son.
I anchor my thinking on what is best for the people of North Dakota based on those values of fair play and honest dealing and importantly, the discipline of human cooperation. I believe North Dakota people themselves have the power to grow our economy through thoughtful programs that add value to agricultural commodities, oil, coal, and natural gas, wind and sunshine. North Dakotans can sell ideas, food, software, and manufactured products everywhere.
In my thinking, North Dakota and the United States do not need leadership from authoritarian wealthy people who act like Daddy Warbucks. We need thoughtful honest people who have demonstrated they can be trusted by all of us. I hope we can find them.
Bill Patrie has been recognized for his work as a cooperative developer by the National Farmers Union, the Association of Cooperative Educators and the National Cooperative Business Association.