August 2009

70 citizens were fined over $100,000 for not maintaining city owned property

Project TRIM, something one of my friends coined ‘The Tree Tax’ is a failed experiment and should end. All of these people were fined and charged for not taking care of something the city owns and is on city owned property. Wanna talk about fascism? I encourage all the the citizens to not pay the fine. The city can’t sue you for not taking care of something they own and BY LAW are liable for. That’s right, the city is liable for the trees in the boulevard and carry insurance if one of the trees happens to damage snowplows, etc. They have no legal ground to stand on, and they know it. Don’t pay.

Bring the pork & beans and potato salad, our Washington delegation will be providing the chicken (shit)

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Though I think most of the people whining and bitching at the healthcare townhalls across the country are misinformed and, well, f’ing stupid, I still support their right to dissent. For those of us that were against the failed experiment in Iraq, we should have been this vocal. But I see, our Washington delegation is chickening out as usual and not holding any public meetings.

Sen. Tim Johnson and Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin would be most likely to bear the brunt of any angry opposition to the health reform plans driven by their party leaders in Congress. But they won’t be holding any town halls on the subject.

I think the best way would be to get all 3 of them on a stage together so they can hear it from both sides, I know I have a few things I would love to ask all 3 of them. No surprise though, especially from Johnson (Mr. dodge debates). I remember last 4th of July when he was running he was in the SF parade and a certain poster here (wink-wink) approached him before the parade started and very politely asked him NOT to support FISA. Him and his wife acted surprised that a constituent would encoste him before the parade. They act like they are freaking untouchable. We elected you, it is time you listen to us, even the batshit crazy ones among us.

You mean abortion ends a pregnancy? Get out!

When are we gonna clean house of our kook bag legislators who write silly laws?

Planned Parenthood of Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota has asked a judge to prevent the state from suspending its license to perform abortions in Sioux Falls.

Planned Parenthood made the motion for a temporary restraining order in response to a letter it received Monday from the Department of Health.  The letter lists deficiencies found during an inspection of the clinic in May and states that the clinic is not following a 2005 law requiring women to be told abortion ends a human life.  The state gave Planned Parenthood until August 22 to submit a plan of correction.

Planned Parenthood is challenging the law and wants the judge to prevent the state from taking any action until she decides whether to rule on the lawsuit or move it to trial.

A human is someone who can eat, sleep and live on their own out of a womb. Get a grip.

The Event Center task force needs to take their heads out of the clouds and out of each other’s butts

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They still keep pushing this retail tax increase to build the EC, but even if it passes the legislature, it won’t pass the smell test with voters;

The road to a new events center in Sioux Falls will need to go through Pierre before the city has money to build a facility, a task force studying the issue has decided.

Sioux Falls officials are working with their counterparts in other municipalities and officials with the South Dakota Municipal League on legislation to be introduced in next year’s session. The legislation would enable local governments to raise sales taxes by up to 1 percent to finance special projects. The proposal probably will include a sunset provision, meaning the tax would end once the project has been paid off.

Sure, but I have a funny feeling after the EC is paid off, the city will continue to find things to build and maintain with the tax. It’s kinda hard giving up $100 million a year when you are used to it. Don’t believe the bull, that tax will NEVER GO AWAY! That is why the BBB tax makes the most sense, we don’t have to get rid of it and we can pay for the facility over time.

BREAD FOR THE WORLD puts in their two cents (no pun intended);

Note the article in today’s Argus about the proposal for funding an event center. Unfortunately, the task force is asking the legislature to let cities raise sales tax, our most regressive tax. Hard to believe — especially in tough times.

The increase, $100 million a year in Sioux Falls, would not come only from those who can afford it. Much would come from those who don’t have money to spare. 36.8% of Sioux Falls children eat free or reduced lunch. [May’09]

When costs go up, families have less for the flexible parts of the budget, which food is. And food would cost more too, because sales tax in South Dakota applies to food.

There is an alternative: “bed, board & booze tax” (BBB), which would take a little longer to raise the funds, but would not affect life’s basic necessities.

It is simply unconscionable to raise the tax on necessities and ask hungry children to pay for an event center, no matter how nice an event center or other public amenity would be.

You can vote in TODAY’S ARGUS POLL at http://www.argusleader.com
The question: Should South Dakota allow cities such as Sioux Falls to charge a tax to help fund an events center? (AS OF 11:30 AM 62% WERE OPPOSED TO THE INCREASE)

More important, letters to the Argus Leader and papers all over the state are needed, so all state legislators can learn sales tax is the wrong idea for a way to fund new public projects. Short, simple, to-the-point letters don’t take long to write and are very helpful.

Supplementary info:
—> Ottertail just raised electric bills 11%. Xcel wants to raise theirs 10-12%. (These bill have sales tax.)
—> One percent more sales tax is a 16.7% increase in the sales tax. How much are paychecks going up?
—> Other states have been reducing or ending their food tax, not raising it! Only 14 states still tax groceries, half of which have a lower rate on food.
—> Other cities did not use any tax on food to build their event centers: Food was not taxed in Fargo, DesMoines, Sioux City or Omaha, when event centers were built there. (Food is still not taxed in those places.) When the civic center was built in Rapid City, the RC city sales tax was not on food.
—>  Food stamps (now called SNAP) help immensely, and are not taxed. But many low-income people do not get them, and middle-income people often struggle to cover expenses too.
—> South Dakota’s food tax rebate program reaches only a tiny fraction of low-income South Dakotans and no middle-income households.

A tax that worsens the struggle for life’s necessities is not an appropriate source of funds for a place of entertainment.

Please help oppose this now, before it gets to the legislature, before momentum builds, in hopes they will take a different course, one more sensitive to the real life situations of South Dakotans.