Talk North Dakota

Speaker 2 (00:01)
Desiree Morton is a first time state representative serving in Bismarck representing Fargo District 46. She is a Republican and she joins me now for a conversation to talk a little bit about how and why she got into politics and to give us an update on the current session happening in Bismarck. Desiree, thanks for joining me for the conversation. It's nice to see you. You bet. And thanks for serving as well. How and why did you decide to run for state office?

Speaker 1 (00:21)
Thanks for having me, Tom.

well tom do you want the short version or do you want the long version however well i tell you i i've always been a conservative republican grew up in a very conservative god-fearing home and politics are always very important to my parents we watched every convention we watched every election and so just always

Speaker 2 (00:35)
you feel that.

Speaker 1 (00:54)
knew about politics, voted at every election that I possibly could, but that was about as far as it went. And I had really no desire to get involved. I just thought, it's such a mess. I don't even want to deal with it. I don't even know how to deal with it. I can't run. I don't have any money or whatever. Just all kinds of things that go through your head thinking, no, don't have anything to do with it.

I had a couple of friends who were very involved in the grassroots movement here in Fargo, and they were after me for a few years, I'd have to say, consistently, you know, maybe once or twice a year just to see if I would be willing to get involved. And I was just like, no, I'm not going to, I'm not interested. I don't have time, blah, blah, blah. But one day they called and I thought, I just don't really want anybody to answer the phone because I don't want to talk to them. But I did. And they convinced me

come to a meeting so I went to a grassroots meeting for district 46.

And I kind of got a little hooked. You know, I was like, well, maybe I can go to these meetings and I can get involved in the reorganization district meeting and vote. I'll do that. That's like once a year, once every two years actually, when you get together and do that. And so I thought, okay, I can do that. So well, RE-ORG is coming up. so we actually, it was fun because our district went very conservative. And so it hasn't been conservative for number of years. And so that was pretty

exciting and a lot of the districts within Fargo actually had some changes at their head chair level and got some different people involved which was good we needed new blood. But anyway so I thought well that's good enough and then the the time for

The process where you... Yes, thank you. The nomination was coming up and there was actually somebody who was running in the center spot, Michelle Powers, who is in there now. And then there was another lady that was running or was going to run, but she kind of decided at the last minute that it was maybe too much for her and so she kind of backed out and our head chair was scrambling trying to find somebody to run. Who are we gonna get to run? We've worked hard, we need to find somebody to run. He sent out an email, I got that email, I sat in my chair and kind of went,

But I thought, no, just, yeah. Well then I got a phone call from another guy within our district and he said, hey, have you ever thought about running? And I said, no, just don't think, I can't talk very well, I'm just not good at this, I wouldn't be good. Well, I think you really would. And I said, tell you what, we'll pray about it. And I'll talk to my family. So I did that, I got off the phone, talked to my husband and he's like, well, yes.

Okay, and then my kids were right on board with that as well, but I still kind of like, I just really wasn't sure if that's something that God wanted me to do. So we worked with our youth group at church and at seventh grade girls and on Wednesday night that week, our lesson was on Moses and the burning bush. And of course, you know, Moses was telling God, you know, I can't do this. I don't know how to talk. can't, you know, and I thought, well, okay. I guess that maybe means I should do this. So I jumped in and

Michelle and I knocked on about 6,500 doors during the summer and campaigned and raised money, which was a really hard thing for me to do. I don't like to ask people for money, so that was hard. But we raised enough money that we were able to do lot of advertising and the Lord was gracious and here I am.

Speaker 2 (04:32)
Here you are serving in Bismarck. Are you surprised that you won and that you're in the position now?

Speaker 1 (04:38)
Yeah, you know,

the first time I stepped into the Capitol, and this is sad to say, I I actually have not. I've lived in North Dakota Fargo my whole life, never was in the State Capitol building, ever. As much as my parents were into politics, it was kind of interesting that we just never did that. so this was my first time actually in the Capitol building, and it was really very awe-inspiring. I mean, it was, I felt very humbled. And...

It's just stepping into the chambers, sitting in a chair there. It's like, wow, this is a big deal. And it's a big responsibility. But I feel like God's placed me there and whatever his purpose is for me, I just want to do what he wants.

Speaker 2 (05:21)
think I saw you at church I think maybe it was a couple of months ago and by that time I think you had the session had already been running for maybe a month or two and you know I just said how you doing how's it going and you got emotional just talking about

being at the state capitol and serving in this capacity and you expressed a concern for just kind of where we are as a culture, as a society, as a state, as a country, as a metropolitan area. You have some very strong and deep conviction about doing what you think is right and making a difference here.

Speaker 1 (06:06)
Yep, I do. And that's not always what other people think is right, which makes it a little difficult at times because people get upset with you if you don't vote the way they think you should. You try to convey to them that you are trying to represent everyone in the district, not just a few. But yeah, it can be very, it can be very just hard.

at times because yeah I do see the way our culture is going and some of these things that you try and address at the state level don't always get through the house and if they don't get through the house they don't have a chance to go to the senate so yeah it's very interesting I have to say in the least and very

can be difficult but also very exciting at times and I just feel really blessed to be able to be a part of that.

Speaker 2 (07:04)
the halfway point right now through the legislative session you're on break and this is also called the crossover time in which legislation passed by the House goes to the Senate for their review and vice versa. That which was passed in the Senate now is going to be going to the House for your consideration. Looking back over the first half of the session what for you are some of the highlights and what are maybe some of the frustration points or low lights?

Speaker 1 (07:28)
well i i have to say i was pretty excited coming in thinking about we were going to get some real property tax relief and reform and we've seen well there were initially there was i don't know how many bills people had submitted legislators had submitted for property tax reform but it's kind of been narrowed down to

the governor's bill and then a few other things added to it. And so I'm not real excited about, I don't feel like it's really addressing the real property tax needs, especially of us here in Fargo, Grand Forks, some of the bigger cities where the property taxes are very substantially high. But I mean, I guess it's a start. that was kind of a, I was excited to address that, but now it's kind of a

down because it's not really, I thought there were some other better bills out there, but the governor's is who's they accepted and chose, so we'll go with that. Some of the other bills there was just, I...

I brought up a microschooling bill and I was really excited about that, which is a, you know, kind of like a one room school house type situation, making it easier for homeschoolers to homeschool not only their own children, but children down the street or, you know, cousins or nieces and nephews, you those kinds of things. And it actually failed in the house by a vote of 49 to 40, which was really closer than I

or 41 I guess, so it was really close, it was pretty close. I was disappointed that it failed, but then when I looked at the vote and some of the people that had actually voted for it, I was pretty encouraged and I think come next session I will bring it up again, we'll maybe make a few tweaks and hopefully we'll get that through next session for homeschoolers and people that are interested in schooling just a little bit differently than a public school or private school. So that was fun.

I also brought forward a chemtrails bill, which failed, that failed a little worse. People didn't really want to, I think people don't want to really believe that there are things happening in our skies that are not good for us. So that's gonna need a little more education. And so I'll be talking to some people, you know, in the next two years, because I plan to bring that up again in two years.

Speaker 2 (09:54)
This

chemtrails bill, as you describe it, does this pertain to or relate to weather modification? Yep.

Speaker 1 (10:01)
Yep, there's that, but

then there's also, that's, and the weather modification is generally, like in the state, we have two counties that do that, do climate control or whatever, they're trying to cause rain, I guess they call it cloud seeding, and we wanna stop that too. It's just not, God's in charge of the weather, let him do his job, you know, that's what he does, and why do we think that we should be God and try and control the weather? that's at the low, you know, in the state area, but we also have federal,

of planes fly overhead. You can see the crisscrosses in the skies and you can see how it spreads. They're putting aluminum and barium, you know, they're spraying it into the air. It's not good for us, not good for us, not good for the land, it's not good for the water, vegetation, animals, and there are...

Instances I talked to one gentleman who ranches just south of Mandan and he told me that his calves are being born 20 pounds less than What they usually would and so there is things that happening and it's destroying the ozone layer I mean, there's just a lot of stuff and there's a lot of proof out there that it is going on. It's just people don't want to Don't want to admit it and just are afraid to touch it I guess but hopefully with RF RFK jr. Maybe we'll get some action on the federal side

Speaker 2 (11:18)
I think there have been at least a couple states that have passed legislation. Maybe Florida included Tennessee with regard to banning or making illegal weather modification. There are some skeptics around this. say, oh, it's not happening. There's a business out at the Fargo Airport. I believe the name of the business is Weather Modification. And that's what they do.

Speaker 1 (11:38)
That's exactly what they do.

Speaker 2 (11:39)
We

talked about education a little bit. I guess I should say that this conversation is sponsored by Capstone Classical Academy where we are today. And for more information about Capstone Classical Academy, you can visit capstoneclassical.com. One piece of legislation that or a couple pieces of legislation that are being discussed in Bismarck right now do have to do with education savings accounts, which is a topic that is of interest to not only people here at this private school, but

at other private schools in North Dakota. What's the latest with school choice right now?

Speaker 1 (12:15)
Well, we actually did pass in the House a really good bill put forward by my colleague, Ben Koppelman, who's a representative in District 16 in West Fargo. And he's been working really, really hard because they had, we'd actually brought that to the floor and we passed it and then they sent it down to appropriations. so usually when they do that, they tweak things a little bit and money, whatever involved and stuff, and then bring it back and then you gotta vote on it again. So you're never quite sure that second time, you know,

if you're gonna get the votes you need. So he was scrambling and talking to a lot of people and yeah, we got that pass so we were really excited about that because that's a good one. That one's 1340 I believe. And yeah, that will give $4,000 to each child who's enrolled in a private school in North Dakota for tuition.

Speaker 2 (13:06)
Do I understand it's $4,000 maybe in year one and then up to $8,000 in year two?

Speaker 1 (13:10)
You know,

I can't even remember now if that got amended out or if that is still in there. So don't quote me on that part of it. I'm not quite sure. Alive and that's going to go to the Senate. So hopefully we can get that passed. There's one coming out of the Senate that is not as good. Ben's is much better.

Speaker 2 (13:30)
Yeah, the school choice, there was a school choice bill passed during the previous legislative session that went to the governor's desk and Governor Doug Burgum vetoed that legislation saying something along the lines that it wasn't comprehensive enough, but some people really don't think that that assessment or characterization was really fair.

Speaker 1 (13:50)
Yeah, I'm not really all familiar with that bill all entailed, but yeah, I don't believe it was very fair. They were quite disappointed that he vetoed that. Pretty confident that Governor Armstrong is going to pass some sort of, or he's gonna sign some sort of ESA bill because he had it in his speech that he gave and I think it was part of his budget too, so.

Speaker 2 (14:17)
any other bills any other pending legislation right now that that has your attention that that you are passionate about or or have strong feelings about one way or the other

Speaker 1 (14:28)
well everything's court have been passed now so it's just we're kind of waiting for what comes from the other side one of the one of the bills colleague of mine brought forward was the i can't remember quite the name how she worded it but it was just saying that a life is a life and it failed in the house

sorely which made me feel quite bad because a life is a life and it had to do with babies don't have they don't have a choice and the mom that chooses to abort that child has the choice and so what we're just saying is that baby has equal opportunity to life just like the mom just like the dad just like anybody else whether it's you know a day old inside the mom's womb but it's life and that that failed and that was disappointing to see that happen

But I think it'll come back again at some point and we'll be discussing it further.

Speaker 2 (15:27)
Another bill passed by the House, I don't recall the exact number or the title of it, but it had something to do with asking the U.S. Supreme Court to redefine marriage as being between a man and a woman. That generated some headlines. The House did pass that bill, if I recall correctly, and controversial for some people with strong convictions and feelings on both sides of that issue. Thoughts on that one and what might happen to it in the Senate?

Speaker 1 (15:54)
You know, I'm hopeful that they'll pass it, but there's been a lot of heat. There's been a lot of heat. I voted for it and I would vote for it again. believe, you know, that's what God laid down in scripture all those years ago and that's what marriage is. And if you want to call it a civil union between other parties that choose to say they want to live together and get, but they shouldn't be able to call it marriage because it's not

That's not the definition of marriage and the definition of marriage is one man one woman and that's what the Bible says and that's way it is. there's because of the way our moral morality has gone in this country and we've just kind of left God out of so many things we didn't want to put the Ten Commandments in the schools we don't want to we don't want to

have anybody tell us what we should or shouldn't do, that there are rules, but I say to people, hey, does that mean that I can just go out and murder anybody I want or whatever? No, you can't do that. Well, why can't I? Well, because it's wrong. Well, why is it wrong? Because it's wrong. Well, why is it wrong? Who says it's wrong? If you say it's wrong, does that make it wrong? What if I say it's right? You can't take away God's law and then try

expect to have law, civil society, because you won't, because it just becomes whatever feels good to do it type thing. So that's kind of the way I feel about

Speaker 1 (17:31)
everything I based you know pretty much all my decisions I based upon God's word and you know what what he just what he expects from us and that's not always liked by people

Speaker 2 (17:41)
Some observers, commentators might say some of the things that you and other conservatives are talking about or dealing with in legislation that you're engaged in a culture war or that you might be a culture warrior. Your thoughts are a response to being labeled or described that way.

Speaker 1 (18:03)
well I've been called worse. You know, I've never been one for labeling. just think, know, talk to me about the facts, talk to me about, you know, why you think this isn't right or why you...

think it should be different. don't call people names, don't label people, because then you're just telling me you don't really have anything to go on, you're just throwing stuff out there because you're upset. yeah, I guess, but they bring it up. The other side brings it up. They're the ones that want to change everything. It's culture war because they choose it to be.

Speaker 2 (18:46)
I heard about a piece of legislation, again forgive me, I don't know the exact number of the bill or the title of the bill, but it has something to do with setting aside some state funds that would be used to provide legal defense or legal services for immigrants in North Dakota illegally. You're grinning a little bit. Tell me about that legislation and what is that? It seems like maybe you've got something to say on that.

Speaker 1 (19:14)
You

know, can't even, I can't, I remember, we've passed so many, we've done so many bills in the last two weeks that they're just kind of all kind of muddled together, but I do remember something about that one. And yeah, it makes me chuckle because why would we be providing legal, out of taxpayer money for people that are not illegal, I mean, not legal in the United States? We don't even provide that for our own citizens. So why would we provide it for people that are not legal? That makes no sense to me at all. I'm pretty sure that failed.

Speaker 2 (19:43)
So at least that was something that was under consideration. That was something that was proposed and discussed.

Speaker 1 (19:48)
think

it was, yes, actually.

Speaker 2 (19:50)
I was listening to a program this morning, it just kind of caught the tail end of a caller, I'm not even sure who he was, he talked about, you know, that, you know, at least at one point or traditionally or historically that North Dakota has been a Republican state, but he referenced that particular piece of legislation in questioning is North Dakota really a Republican state anymore? Is North Dakota a conservative state? Based on what you're seeing and hearing and experiencing in Bismarck, what are your thoughts on that?

Speaker 1 (20:20)
Absolutely not. We have 94 legislators in the House and out of the 94 of us, there's probably 33, 35 consistent conservative.

representatives and the other ones are we don't have that many democrats in our house there's i think there's eight or ten so the rest we have a we have a supermajority as a republican party but the republican party that it's

slid away from what's really republican our platform is very very conservative north dakota and i stand proudly on our platform but there are a lot of people in in the legislature republicans that would not agree our platform and they don't they don't vote in in accordance with it many times

Speaker 2 (21:18)
Other thoughts, other things that you want to touch upon or mention for your constituents here that you think is important to mention or include.

Speaker 1 (21:25)
well i know a real big one was free meals for all kids in schools and i voted against that and i received a lot of emails about that one as well very upset with me that i did not but the feeling on the matter for me is

North Dakota and the federal government already subsidized meals for children that are needy. And at the time that the bill was passed, or that we failed the bill, I guess I should say, the...

income base was $62,400. If you made anything under that as a family of four, you qualified for free or reduced meals. And so when I talked to people or when I emailed people back, I just said, hey, you know, this is what the norm is right now. These are the kids that are already receiving, the kids that are hungry, that don't have food at home are getting free meals already. They are. And the ones that aren't

getting it, I feel like their parents can afford to purchase them.

or do like what I did. I took my lunch to school. If you can't afford to, and the school meals, I don't know that they're expensive. I think they're like $1.25, but for somebody that's strapped, well, even for my parents, they weren't gonna spend money on a meal at school when I could take my own lunch. So that's kinda how I based my decision on that, and people were not happy with that either, but.

you know i i mean people have to i i i believe that needs to be some personal responsibility people need to have some skin in the game and you know if you can afford it why would you want the government to pay for it

Speaker 2 (23:17)
Yeah, certainly fair point. Other thoughts in closing? Anything else you want to share or mention?

Speaker 1 (23:23)
boy.

I'm looking forward to next week when we get the Senate bills and I think yeah I think we'll get some good stuff passed and I think hopefully we will not

be looked at as wasting our time at the legislature. I've heard some of that from people too. It's like you're just wasting your time with a lot of frivolous bills. Well, yeah, there probably are some that are pretty frivolous, but we are working hard and I don't know that people really, I know I never understood what it was like to be a legislator. I just, had no idea, no clue. But we put in some long days. We work hard. I try to answer all the emails that I get unless they come from AI, which I've gotten a lot of those.

Speaker 2 (24:07)
Email from AI.

Speaker 1 (24:08)
AI

that they've come out, it's like the return address is the same thing and it shoots out all these emails within like five minutes. just get it all of sudden your list just goes like this. yeah, those I don't respond to because that's not, you if you want to say.

Speaker 2 (24:24)
That's just some kind of political machine at work trying to influence your vote on bills.

Speaker 1 (24:29)
That one was, I'm

really disappointed in your no vote on the school meals or maybe there was another one.

you know i i will you know people call me i'll talk to them they want email me and and have a civil conversation i certainly in open to all of that i talked to a gentleman just the other night he called me and well actually was early this morning that's right it was quarter eight this morning or maybe yesterday morning i don't know days run together but he he wanted to discuss the whole thing with in vitro fertilization that and

fearing that his wife would be charged for murder if she had a miscarriage. And I said, no, Miscarriage has nothing to do with what we're trying to say here. It's intentionally taking the life of a baby. That's what we're dealing with. So I'm open to talking to people. We're gonna be having on March 8th, we are having a...

a coffee get together with our district, District 46 over at First Stand International Bank on 25th Street and 30th Avenue, I believe it is, the corner there, and it's 930 to 1130. Nope, it's not on 32nd. It's on the corner of 30th.

Speaker 2 (25:41)
I think it's at 30 seconds, 25th and 32nd. All right, that's

Dan corrected. You've lived here lot longer than I have, Just trying to help you.

Speaker 1 (25:50)
Nope,

you're good. yeah, that's at 930 from 930 to 1130. We'd love to have people from District 46 come and talk to us. We'll be there and we'll ask questions and yeah, so that's the plan.

Speaker 2 (26:03)
All right, well for full disclosure, I am a resident of District 46. So I do thank you for representing us and all of us living in District 46. Again, I've been speaking with Desiree Morton. She is the Fargo State Representative serving District 46, a Republican, a first time State Representative serving in Bismarck. Thanks so much for your service and wish you all the best with the rest of the legislative session.

Speaker 1 (26:28)
Thank you, Tom. I appreciate it.

Speaker 2 (26:29)
My pleasure. Again,

this conversation has been sponsored by Capstone Classical Academy in Fargo. Capstone Classical engages students to acquire wisdom, cultivate virtue, and pursue rigorous academic study within a Christian worldview. Our students study what is good, what is true, and what is beautiful for the purpose of glorifying God and benefiting their communities. Again, learn more at capstoneclassical.com. I'm Tom Tucker. Thanks for watching, and thanks for listening.