Bailout Bullshit
l3wis 
2009
South DaCola music club w/Hank Williams Sr.
If you have never seen this tribute group, it is well worth the trip, especially if you are a die hard Hank fan like myself;
John and Susan McNeill present “new†and old Hank Williams tunes during an 8 p.m. Saturday concert in Gayville Hall.
“A Celebration of Hank Williams†is a two-hour show starring the McNeills, Owen DeJong and Nick Schwebach. It’s an updated version of the production that has been staged in the hall each year since 2001, as well as many times on the road.
They play the music in the traditional way and John gives historical accounts about Hank between songs. If you already know a lot about the musical legend, the accounts can get kinda boring at times, but the music is fantastic and they play the songs to the tee.
So how much did the levee circus cost Sioux Falls taxpayers?
I guess it never really crossed my mind until yesterday when Quen Be De praised Northside Davey in the informational meeting, “I just think Dave has done a great job of working with our Washington delegation in getting us funds for our projects in Sioux Falls during his administration. I just hope the next three mayors can even come close to what he has been able to accomplish.†(paraphrasing). After I puked in my garbage can I started thinking about that statement. First off, we still are waiting for Lewis & Clark and railroad relocation funds from the Feds, something Dave has not accomplished. Also, they are still in discussions with the Corp of Engineers as to how much money we are gonna get for the levees. And lastly the only reason the levee bonds were called off was because FEMA said that people in the affected area don’t have to buy flood insurance. Go figure. This was all about saving business men and developers insurance premiums not about our safety, because if they were really concerned about our safety, the project would still be moving forward.
Business as usual in city hall.
But how much did this runaround cost us, even if we ditched the bonds? Last Fall councilor Staggers asked the city to give him a list of consulting fees paid out in 2009. He still has not received the list and they continue to deny (a sitting councilor) the numbers. They say he wants to use it for political reasons. My guess is that the amount is so high, that it will for sure become a political issue if it is released. If I had to ballpark it, I would guess the city probably spend close to $12-15 million a year on consulting fees, which includes legal advice.
This has gotten me wondering how much it cost taxpayers to explore the bonds to begin with (including flying a consultant in from Minneapolis in an attempt to scare off our tax initiative petition drive). Just because we only took out a portion of the bonds for the bridge, doesn’t mean they weren’t charging us by the hour. Ironically, the bridge could have been paid for out of the CIP budget, so no consulting fees or interest would have been paid at all.
Why all the secrecy around consulting fees? Because I have a feeling if we knew the real numbers we would have to clean our drawers. I hope the next three mayors aren’t even close to accomplishing what Munson has done, in fact, I hope they go in a completely different direction.
Meghan McCain for RNC Chair?
I have been becoming more enthralled with Ms. McCain these days. I enjoy reading her columns about politics and if there is ever a rising star in the party, it’s not that hillbilly Palin, but it’s Meghan. She is critical of her party because she wants them to change. A word that makes any old school Republican shake with convulsions. Like most libs, I would love to see the party disappear but I do think the wiser move would be to change, as Meghan has suggested.
What do I think can change the RNC? Make Meghan chair. She’s not afraid to speak her mind, she’s young and energetic, and she gets along with democrats. She also thinks the RNC should ditch the ways of the old; for instance use the internets more, steer away from divisive social issues like abortion, gay marriage and evangelicals. She also is a strong advocate of supporting women in the party.
I think if the old party faithful don’t change their ways, they will end up with no party at all or a breakaway moderate party lead by McCain.
She may be just a young whipper snapper, but if Republicans aren’t listening to what she is suggesting you’ll be history by 2010.
Rocking the Smartoons!
Since I joined smartoons I have been rocking out on the political page. My Chavez toon has been in #1 for over a week and I have had several toons on the main page for weeks. I guess someone likes my ‘garbage’, huh Interloper?