While most people spend their days slamming KSFY for their FOX like news coverage I have often accused KELO of being apologists to government, especially conservative views, this couldn’t be more obvious today when KELO and the Argus both did stories about the open records bill. KELO of course got the governor’s view and his only, which was so damn rosy you thought your were a delivery driver for a florist on Valentine’s Day after reading it;
Governor Mike Rounds said he’s pleased with the compromise opens record bill passed by the Legislature, and is inclined to sign it.
Supporters said the bill strikes a balance between opening public records and protecting the private information that some agencies hold about people.
Ah, yeah, sure. But that is not what the Argus is saying, which received ACTUAL quotes from ACTUAL legislators;
“It’s better than nothing. Unfortunately, it may be close to nothing,” Senate Minority Leader Scott Heidepriem said.
“I can’t help but wondering if that exception doesn’t come close to swallowing up the rule with regard to many things,” Turbak Berry said.
But Turbak Berry worries that South Dakotans now will think the open-records issue is closed.
“The problem is in future years, it is probably going to be much harder to generate widespread support or to put pressure on the governor” to amend the law, she said.
So of course, there really isn’t an open records bill. I sometimes wonder why legislators even bother farting around with this governor? What’s the point in passing a bill that has no teeth? That is one thing we are good at in South Dakota, being extremely vague and wishy-washy.