Category: Life In General

It’s A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

On By rutlandramblingsIn Life In General, NatureLeave a comment

March 24, 2014

The birds are chirping and nesting. The day lily greenery is well through the black dirt. The cats have ticks. It’s summertime in Rutland.  Oh, wait, this is March? This was the winter that the Farmer’s Almanac predicted above average snowfall and warmer-than-usual temperature in the Midwest. Well, we’ve gotten the warmer temperatures.  Last year, we still had several inches of snow on the ground and a blizzard was looming. We have a break from the waters rising which are lower this year than they have been in a decade and this is getting the farmers breaking ground and starting planting. I’m itching to get the garden planted but will keep the plants indoors for a while. In the meantime, I am planning to bask in the sun. Enjoy our early spring.  Who knows how we will all feel when July comes around? What are your predictions for the coming summer?

Happy President’s Day

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As we celebrate George Washington’s 280th birthday, and Abraham Lincoln’s 203rd birthday this month, I can’t help but think the achievements of our great American leaders aren’t given enough credit. Their wise words are lost in the hyper-partisan political climate of today’s world.

So, this Presidents Day, I ask you to pause and remember the political courage of our nation’s greatest leaders.

GEORGE WASHINGTON: “We should not look back unless it is to derive useful lessons from past errors, and for the purpose of profiting by dearly bought experience.”

ABRAHAM LINCOLN: “It often requires more courage to dare to do right than to fear to do wrong.”

THEODORE ROOSEVELT: “Character, in the long run, is the decisive factor in the life of an individual and of nations alike.”

FRANKLIN DELANO ROOSEVELT: “Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the assessment that something else is more important than fear.”

We must also remember that more important than the words they spoke, were the actions they took at critical times in the history of the United States – to preserve it, to improve it, to guide it, and to build it.

Those presidents who were great presidents had visions and dreams for America that were larger than themselves. Their purpose aimed this country toward goals many considered unattainable.

I remember what Harry S. Truman said about the promise our our nation. 

“America was not built on fear. America was built on courage, on imagination, and an unbounded determination to do the job at hand.”

God Bless you, and God Bless the United States of America.
[Pam Gulleson]

Rutland Travel Guide

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This week in the US Postal mail I received the ND Legendary 2012 Travel Guide. Rutland is making a name for itself by being listed in the Guide for the past few years, notably for the annual August Ribfest and of course for Uffda Day (this year on Sunday, October 7, 2012). We had several people come to Rutland for the 2011 Uffda Day because of the “Experience Rutland” brochure they found at a ND rest stop. It is good to see Rutland get some more free publicity any way it can.

Tell your friends to pick up the latest guide and the “Experience Rutland” brochure when they stop at a ND rest stop. The ND tourism website includes the Rutland events and the Coteau des Prairies Lodge too!

To Our Veterans

On By rutlandramblingsIn American Legion, Life In GeneralLeave a comment

At 11:11 a.m., Nov. 11, 1918, the guns fell silent on the “Western Front,” and World War I, the war that had been called “The Great War” and “The War to End All Wars,” was over. More than 2 million American soldiers served in France during the fierce fighting that broke the German Army’s will to continue the war. This year, at 11:11 a.m. on the 11th day of the 11th month of the 11th year of the 21st century, for the first time since 1918, there will be no American Veteran of the vast American Army that won the war in France to observe the anniversary of the end of that conflict. The last American veteran of World War I died this year, joining ranks with the millions of his comrades who exist only in memory and history.

That generation had served their country in peace as well as in war. They were builders as well as warriors. Among the structures for which they laid the foundations and commenced construction were the Veterans Administration and the veterans’ health care system, intended to fulfill the nation’s promises to those who had answered the call of duty and borne the burdens of battle. The foundations laid by the veterans of World War I were expanded and strengthened a generation later, when President Franklin D. Roosevelt proposed, and Congress adopted, the GI Bill of Rights of 1944, providing health care and disability benefits for returning veterans of World War II and, as important, educational benefits that gave America a generation of skilled workers, teachers, administrators and executives who led this nation to a half century of unprecedented progress and prosperity.

Veterans Day, we should remember, is not a day to honor America’s dead, but a day to honor the living. It is a day set aside to honor those who have dedicated a portion of their lives to service in our nation’s military, and have gone on to continue their service to community, state and nation as productive citizens.

Today, more than 20 million of our fellow Americans are military veterans. Two million of those are veterans of the current military missions in Iraq and Afghanistan. The foundations laid, and the institutions built, by them and their predecessors continue to deliver on America’s promises to those who go in harm’s way for their country. Three years ago, the Congress adopted the GI Bill of Rights, the most comprehensive package of rights and benefits for America’s military veterans since the original GI Bill of Rights of 1944, containing educational incentives as well as medical, disability and rehabilitation benefits for veterans.

There are those in Congress today who would renege on America’s commitment to veterans.

As Americans, our commitment to this nation’s veterans must be as unquestionable, as unshakable, as unswerving as their courage in battle. We must continue to build on the foundations laid by those who forced the guns to fall silent on Nov. 11, 1918, so that we might hear the blessed song of peace. So, on this Veterans Day, Nov. 11, 2011, let us commit ourselves to continue the work they have begun, to build a nation that honors the sacrifice and service of those who have worn the uniform of our military services. To America’s veterans on this Veterans Day I say, “Thank you for your service, and welcome home!” Together, we will continue to build a better, stronger America.

Pam Gulleson

Pam Gulleson puts Rutland on the map

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The following article is reprinted from the Fargo Forum – Published September 26, 2011.

Forum editorial: Candidate for House gets roses
PRAIRIE ROSES: To former North Dakota legislator Pam Gulleson for jumping into the nomination race for a chance to run for the state’s congressional seat. Gulleson, a Democrat, wants to challenge the Republican candidate for the seat being vacated by Rep. Rick Berg, R-N.D., who is running for the U.S. Senate seat now held by retiring Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.D. We’re a long way from newspaper political endorsements, but Gulleson’s candidacy is noteworthy. She has excellent legislative experience, including leadership. She worked for former Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., and therefore has experience in federal policy that affects North Dakotans. She is from rural North Dakota with roots on the farm near Rutland. At this point, the only other announced candidate in the race is Republican Brian Kalk, a North Dakota public service commissioner. The campaigns have just started, but it’s good to see an experienced candidate like Gulleson in the race.

Post Office Closings

On By rutlandramblingsIn Life In General, Rutland businesses1 Comment

Government is at it again trying to find ways to cut costs at the sake of the citizens.  The latest battle round is focusing on rural Post Offices.  On July 26, the US Postal Service released a long-awaited “post office study” of nearly 3700 potential closings in all 50 states and Washington, D.C.  The list was developed based on customer foot traffic and post office employee workload. The US Postmaster General is recommending closing facilities in rural communities which will have little impact on the PO budget but will significantly affect each community.

Last year the US Postal Service had a net loss of $8.5 billion; in 2009 it had a $3.8 billion loss.  The Postal Regulatory Commission has found that maintaining rural post offices only amounts to 0.7 percent of the USPS’s total budget.   The Postal Service has reduced its staff over the past several years, has cut billions from its costs and has asked Congress to cut delivery to five days a week and to reduce its contributions toward future retiree health benefits.

Rutland, Havana and Cayuga stations are on the closing list.  The first step was a Rutland community meeting last week to initiate a call to action by Rutland residents. Over 40 individuals attended the meeting to hear about the proposed closings and to identify steps to take to challenge the closing of the Rutland Post Office.  A petition was started and many residents took copies to obtain signatures of area residents .  Secondly, we are all asked to send letters to our Congressional Delegation:  Congressman Rick Berg, 3170 43rd Street S, Fargo, ND 58104; Senator Kent Conrad, U.S. Federal Building, Room 306, 657 2nd Avenue North, Fargo, ND 58102; and Senator John Hoeven, 1802 32nd Avenue South, Room B, Fargo ND 58103.  Letters should also be sent to our local legislators: Senator Jim Dotzenrod, PO Box 69, Wyndmere ND 58081-0069; Representative Bill Amerman, PO Box 43, Forman ND 58032-0043; and Representative Jerry Kelsh, PO Box 27, Fullerton ND 58441-0027.

Click here for a sample letter that you should modify to make the letter more personal about how the closing will affect you and/or your businesses.  A “Rutland Fact Sheet” is also included for your information.  Don’t forget to mail your letter at the Rutland Post Office!