North Dakota Has Also Had Governors Removed

The eyes of the nation have been on the removal of Rod Blagojevich from governorship of Illinois, but what many have forgotten or never known is that North Dakota has had two governors removed from office.

The first was Thomas Moodie, who served January-February 1935. It had been revealed that Moodie did not satisfy residency requirements to be governor and was removed from office.

The second, and far more controversial, was William "Wild Bill" Langer, who served two stints as North Dakota Governor. His first term, from 1933-1934, ended in his forced removal from office following two felony convictions .

Even though Langer's initial term was short, lasting just over one year, it was filled with important events. It was the heart of the Great Depression. Langer was also governor during the final stages of completion of the new North Dakota Capitol, replacing the former capitol that burned down in December 1930.

It was during the construction of the new capitol that Langer faced his first significant issue, when the construction laborers went on strike. The strike lasted for weeks and resulted in several arrests and several injuries. To settle the dispute, Governor Langer would eventually call in the National Guard and declare martial law.

The capitol was completed in 1934, but the eyes of North Dakota and the nation was focused elsewhere, on the forcible removal of William Langer as governor.

Langer was facing two felony charges, conspiracy to extort funds from federal employees; and blocking orderly operation of an act of congress.

Four coconspirators stood trial with Langer. The accussed all faced a maximum possible fine of $10,000 and up to two years in prison.

Langer was sentenced to eighteen months in prison, and required to pay a fine of $10,000. Three of his co-defendants were sentenced to thirteen months in prison, with a fine of $3,000. The remaining co-defendant, Harold McDonald, was sentenced to only four months.

Despite having been found guilty on two felony counts, Langer did not willingly step down. Instead, he declared martial law and called a special session of congress, where he would appear before the house and proclaim "I am still your governor." Langer also asked for the impeachment of all members of the supreme court and Ole Olson, who had already been recognized by the United States congress as the official governor of North Dakota. Langer has declared North Dakota's succession from the United States.

Langer eventually was forced to step down, and Olson took his place. Langer remained a resident of the governor's mansion through the remainder of what would have been his term.

Even following his felony convictions, and his controversial actions following, Langer remained extremely popular amongst North Dakota citizens. Interestingly enough, his wife Lydia, ran for governorship later that year, but lost.

The following year, Langer was acquitted of all charges. He would once again be elected governor of North Dakota, serving his only full term from 1937-1939. He then went onto represent North Dakota in the United States Senate until dying in office in 1959.

Langer was a member of the Nonpartisan League (NPL), who was mainly responsible for the creation of several key industries, including the Bank of North Dakota and State Mill. The NPL was created to represent the common man against the then-powerful "McKenzie Machine," despite many similarities between the two groups. The NPL dominated local politics for many years.


To read more about William Langer, click here..

Bismarck Is Not Immune To Economic Conditions

A common belief amongst Bismarck citizens is that we are all immune to the current economic conditions felt across the country, despite the fact that this is perhaps the worst recession in decades.

What people seem to forget is that many of Bismarck’s top industries are directly dependant on the rest of the country. In fact, North Dakota’s largest commodity, agriculture, is sold all over the world. Bismarck’s strong economy can collapse like a chain reaction if we continue to hold onto the belief that we are invincible.

Our farmers do not grow food for just North Dakota. If people across the country are not buying as much food as before, than the farmers are making less money, which means they are buying less merchandise – including Bobcat machinery, which is also one of Bismarck’s largest employers.

Bobcat has already taken efforts to cut costs, including a temporary shut down and several rounds of layoffs. Bobcat ships its equipment all over the world, and is therefore already feeling the effects of the slowed economy. It would not be all that surprising if Bobcat were to close all together as a result of the nation's economic conditions. The closure of the Bobcat plant would greatly affect Bismarck's economy.

For the past couple years, people have flocked to North Dakota seeking jobs in the oilfields. With oil prices plummeting and the demand also lessening, those jobs could now fall by the wayside as well. In fact, some already have.

Many national businesses, such as Aetna and Unisys, have branches in Bismarck. If those businesses are affected on the national level, it will eventually dwindle down to our local branches. Retailers are amongst the most in danger now. North Dakota is often one of the top markets for retailers, so there on the surface there may not seem to be any danger of layoffs. Think again.

Also consider what would happen if one of the Big 3 Automakers went out of business. How would this affect the dealerships in Bismarck? What if a major retailer with a presence in Bismarck suddenly closed all of its locations nationwide – as many have in the past year.

Nonprofit agencies, hospitals, and schools are also vulnerable to national economic conditions, as many of them depend of federal grants to survive. If there is less federal money to go around, than these types of industries will have no choice but to cut costs – including payroll, or shut down all together.

Let’s see how the chain reaction occurs. What happens when many of the oil jobs dry up, farmers sell fewer crops, nonprofit agencies such as hospitals and schools receive less federal aid, and national businesses with local branches cut payroll. If even one or two of these occurred, it would put considerable strain on the families of those workers affected. They would have to cut their spending, which would now begin to affect the other businesses, especially retail and restaurants.

Many in Bismarck are already living paycheck to paycheck, and teetering on the edge of bankruptcy. If someone were to loose their job, you can guarantee life would be difficult for their family. Unemployment only goes so far. Where are they going to find another job? If the chain reaction occurred, what industries would be hiring?

If people start losing their jobs, than they stop paying bills. Foreclosure on their home could be around the corner, and if enough of these happen, our housing market will also collapse.

It may be a stretch to say North Dakota’s economy will collapse, but to say we are immune is ludicrous. I have just shown you one possibility of how our economy could collapse. Some local industries are already feeling the strain. Could this be a sign of what’s to come?

Bismarck Needs To Get Their Head Out Of the Sand

Here we are with another snow storm and another pathetic attempt at Bismarck’s efforts removing the snow. I drove all the way from Pebble Creek Golf Course across Century Avenue and down Washington Street and did not see one ounce of effort by the city to remove snow until the intersection of Washington Street and Front Avenue, where the plows were blocking an entire lane of road and doing nothing. The last storm, the plows were blocking an entire lane on Century Avenue during 5:00 traffic.

The snow had stopped long before 7:00am this morning. Don’t give me this excuse that the wind was blowing, because it was still blowing when you were out plowing. Nearly all businesses, schools, and government facilities open around 8:00am so why weren’t the plows out BEFORE the commuters ventured out. Instead, they went out while the morning rush hour traffic was trying to get to work.

Then there are the Bismarck drivers, who are almost as much at fault. Here I am going a meager 30 MPH on Century Avenue, keeping from spinning out, and cars and trucks of all sizes are whipping right past me. I saw two accidents on my little trek, and several near accidents.

This has to stop. Bismarck, get your head out of the sand and plow those roads BEFORE rush hour traffic begins, not after, and certainly not during rush hour. And to most of your Bismarck residents, you too need to get your head out of the sand and learn that you have to adjust your driving behavior when the streets are packed full of snow and ice.

The first storm of the season was amongst the worst driving conditions ever, and the city was mostly to blame. The night before brought a thunderstorm, but the city chose not to do anything about the wet roads. A few hours later came the snow. There was at least 14-15 hours between the rain and the snow, giving the city penty of time to spread sand and salt onto the roads to prevent the ice from forming in the first place.

I don’t want to hear excuses, and don’t want to hear that Bismarck’s roads are just as bad as everywhere else in this state. We can do better, and must do better.

The following is a list of excuses I’ve heard, either from residents or the city itself, and my proposed solutions.

1.) Sand doesn’t stick to the roads and is ineffective at cold weather. ANSWER: Use salt and chemical mixture, which will bind to the road and provide a more even spread across the road.

2.) Salt is degrading to vehicles and roads. ANSWER: Vehicles nowadays are designed to prevent rust and corrosion for up to 10 years provided proper maintenance is maintained. In fact, many new car warranties feature a 10-year corrosion warranty. Either way, would you rather take the chance of your car corroding or smashing into something?

3.) Salt and chemical is more expensive than sand. ANSWER: Up front, this is indeed true, but when taking into account the additional cleanup costs in the spring from sand, the overall costs are very close.

4.) The wind blows the snow back onto the roads. ANSWER: Plow it twice, or three times, or however is needed to keep those roads safe.

Are Bismarck House Prices To High?

The Facts:

• Average home purchase price has increased from $133,381 in 2005 to $162,068 in 2007 (17.7%).
• Average income only increased from $41,030 in 2005 to $43,753 in 2007 (6.3%).
• Many houses are selling for more than their appraised value
• Average apartment prices have increased 6.8% from 2007 to present.
• Average house prices in Minneapolis are now only 5.8% higher, with an average income 32.8% higher

Higher pay and better opportunities are amongst the most common reasons cited for North Dakotans leaving their home state, most notably to the nearest major metropolitan area - Minneapolis-Saint Paul.

Housing values all across North Dakota, have made sharp increases in recent years, while income levels have mostly remained stagnant. Western North Dakota has seen this more than anyone, mostly due to the increase in oil-related jobs. Williston's prices have increased by 24% since 2005, due to an increased demand for housing from oil-related workers moving into the region. Like Williston, Bismarck too is growing, but is not at the heart of the oil fields.

Williston is reluctant to construct new houses or apartment buildings, fearing that the boom is only temporary and will result in many vacant buildings in just a couple years. Much of Bismarck's growth is steady and permanent. Over the past couple years, Bismarck has had near record numbers of new house construction. Those, on top of existing homes, present many options for those seeking to purchase.

A recent search of Bismarck single-family houses for sale between $70K and $180K yielded 102 results. The claim for the sudden spike in house prices is increased demand. 102 houses for sale does not seem like there is a supply and demand issue resulting in an increase of 17.7% in housing prices over a two year period. The has been no official declaration of average prices from 2008 compared to 2007 in Bismarck, but it is expected to have once again increased.

In contrast, Minneapolis metro house prices have fallen 9.2% from 2007 to 2008. The average house price in the Twin Cities was only $175,000 last year, compared to an estimated average price in Bismarck of about $165,000. In further comparison, the median income in the Twin Cities was $63,898 for 2008.

The difference in income to housing for Minneapolis was 63.5%, compared to 74% in Bismarck. Minneapolis houses were only 5.8% higher, but the income was a whopping 32.8% higher. This suggests that a house is more affordable in Minneapolis than Bismarck.

Many in Bismarck claim that the region's housing market is stable, as opposed to other regions of the country which is seeing a major downturn. Many believe Bismarck to be immune to the economic conditions of the rest of the country, but seem to forget that many businesses located in Bismarck have national ties. One notable company is Bobcat, which already has implemented a temporary shutdown.

The apartment industry is another clear indication that housing costs are not increasing in line with average income, increasing an average of 6.8% since 2007. This is closer to the increase in average income than house prices, however is still increasing at a faster rate than income. Demand was high for apartments throughout 2007 and into 2008, sparking the construction of several new apartment buildings. By the end of 2008, the demand for apartments was quickly diminishing. Now, vacancies are plenty.

Could this increase in apartment vacancies be an indicator of economic change for the region? Many houses for sale are also spending more than the average amount of time on the market before selling. This could be a clear indication that housing prices have increased far too quickly, which may now take a sharp downturn.