2009

Sioux Falls is still growing at a rapid rate? Really.

It seems the mayor’s office and finance department didn’t get the memo from the planning office. According to the planning office in today’s Gargoyle Leader story total construction value the first quarter of 2009 was at $35 million down $38 million from last year in the same period and single home permits were at 54 in the first quarter of 2009 down 38 from last year.

So if construction growth is down almost 50% compared to last year why does the city think we need to continue expanding and building more parks, doubling our professional services budget and hiring more employees?

Good question.

Thune wants to put the cement shoes on EFCA

hoffa

Passing the EFCA would bring back guys like this – or Senator Thune would like you to think that.

Thune was at it again, spreading BS lies about labor Unions;

Thune said the bill “is a bad policy” while the current system has worked fairly well since it was put in place in the mid-1930s.

Because what Thune isn’t telling you is that before the 1930’s card check existed until business owners started crying to lawmakers about it. One of the main reasons to bring it back is because we have CEO’s making 400-500 times more then their average worker. I think that is ‘bad policy’.

“We’ve got a process that I think works, but it preserves the right to a secret ballot vote for workers in the workplace, which I think is very pro-worker,” he said. “I don’t view this as being anti-union. I think this is about protecting the rights of workers to cast a secret ballot when it comes to union elections.”

Yeah, because if you can trust anybody’s word, it’s Ironic Johnny who says one thing in SD and another in DC.

An AFL-CIO Federation member was having no part of John’s bologna;

“He’s putting a fear in front of them, and it’s like red meat to some of these folks,” he said. “It’s just putting the red meat in front of them to make them more afraid of working people.”

Nordstrom said the argument over the secret ballot misses the point of the legislation, and the fears of unions are simply unfounded and unfair in this part of the country.

“Like we’re going to come out and kneecap you or something like that? That’s not something that would happen with the morality of South Dakota,” said Nordstrom, an industrial waste technician with the City of Rapid City. “There’s more to the issue than what the senator’s putting out there.”

Of course our pro-worker (ha-ha) governor is against the EFCA to. So predictable;

“It’s not acceptable, not good policy and not anything the federal government should have their nose into,” Rounds said.

But you are okay with taking stimulus money from them? Hypocrite.

Then there is this stupid argument;

Dan Michael of Action Mechanical said the legislation would only hurt the economy just when it needs all the help it can get.

How do you figure? If your employees make more money, they buy more. That’s called stimulating the economy.

Charles Hart, chief executive of Rapid City Regional Healthcare, said he was concerned the legislation would force government-imposed contracts that would hurt the healthcare system’s flexibility in tough economic times.

If you dumbasses would streamline your records system, which was suggested by Al Gore all the way back in 1999, you would save millions a year in healthcare costs.

As for pressuring Johnson, who supports the legislation, Thune said:

“There are people on the Democrat side that are looking at this and listening and might be persuaded.’

Good luck with that. Obama has vowed to sign the legislation if it makes to his desk. I expect it will happen very soon.

Caller calls RUSH a brainwashed Nazi. I wonder why he was being so nice.

This has to be one of the funnier RUSH ass-slamming moments. Usually RUSH hangs up on these people, but for some reason he let the caller kick the crap out of him.

CALLER: Thanks, Rush. Rush, listen, I voted Republican, and I didn’t — really didn’t want to see Obama get in office. But, you know, Rush, you’re one reason to blame for this election, for the Republicans losing.

First of all, you kept harping about voting for Hillary. The second big issue is the — was the torture issue. I’m a veteran. We’re not supposed to be torturing these people. This is not Nazi Germany, Red China, or North Korea. There’s other ways of interrogating people, and you kept harping about it — “It’s OK,” or “It’s not really torture.” And it was just more than waterboarding. Some of these prisoners were killed under torture.

And it just — it was crazy for you to keep going on and on like Levin and Hannity and Hewitt. It’s like you’re all brainwashed.

And my last comment is, no matter what Obama does, you will still criticize him because I believe you’re brainwashed. You’re just — and I hate to say it — but I think you’re a brainwashed Nazi. Anyone who could believe in torture just has got to be – there’s got to be something wrong with them. His only defense against the caller is to say he’s not a Republican…

Remind me why this hunk of steel is more important then fixing our roads?

bearcat_ptla

Don’t think the city and county waste money? Think again.

There’s only one like it in the entire state of South Dakota.

The Sioux Falls Police Department says a new 261 thousand dollar armored truck has already proven to be priceless for police officers and SWAT team members. 

Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for public safety and the safety of our officers (especially when they are eating for FREE at the hospitals) but I think this expense was a waste.

The ‘BearCat’ is not only bullet-proof, but also features a thermal eye that can highlight areas of heat, and help officers find suspects faster. It’s a tool that is making the line of duty a little more safe for Sioux Falls Police Officers and Minnehaha County Sheriff’s deputies. 

I think the thermal eye is a great tool – but I wonder if they know they can buy those separately?

This is the first time law enforcement agencies in the Sioux Falls area have had a vehicle like this.

My point exactly. If we didn’t need it before, why do we need it now?