Have you had a chance to read “In Which Our Hero Is A Curmudgeon”? It’s the travelogue of Anthony Jastrzembski, one of my friends from Minot, who travelled to Ireland for a semester of university and is presently working in Tanzania.

From all the buzz you’d think our President talks big and accomplishes little, but this is simply not the case. The fact is, President Obama has already done more for the American people than W bothered to check up on during his entire 8 years.

The credit card reforms he spearheaded are taking effect, to the relief of debtors across the nation. Job recovery is well underway — plus a jobs bill just passed the Senate! Who says you can’t get anything through there these days?

So while it may have been a slow start, the overall tone and quality of leadership from the new White House has been steadily improving. The bolder Barack Obama we have seen this year has come just in time for the GOP to have whiplash over the midterms.

Representative Corey Mock (DNPL-Grand Forks) is doing the rounds today, announcing his candidacy for Secretary of State.

I’ve had opportunities to visit with Mr. Mock over the years, and can see he’s a rising star in North Dakota politics.  At 25, he’s leading a new generation of leadership for our state — leadership that looks increasingly progressive.

I don’t believe I’d rather have anyone else count my vote. I look forward to hearing his platform.

Last week the story broke that the Tristanis are leaving Hazelton.  This highlights the flip side of the concept of “Small Town North Dakota” — we romanticize the image of a one horse town, without bothering to remember the problems that come with them.

What happens when you bring new ideas to a small town in North Dakota?  At best, it seems, you run afoul of the city council.  Ask Larry Waith.  At worst, well, ask the Tristanis.  Ask Steven Jones, who was fired as chief of the Larimore police because he had the audacity to enforce the laws townies preferred to skirt rather than repeal.

The damning undercurrent of the Hazelton account, however, is the total lack of local economics in that city.  The Tristanis tried to set up a cafe and it failed, so they turned to fixing and flipping Bismarck-area houses.  Tom Weiser, who spearheaded the project to lure folks to the town, himself works at Wal-Mart.  In Bismarck.

I guess you can forget any notions you had about “close knit” being in the equation for our state’s small towns.  Or that they’re hospitable and inviting to new people and ideas.