I have to chuckle at the mayoral candidates, they all seem to think they are more qualified fiscal conservatives then Staggers, and they sure like to talk about it. The fact is that Staggers is the only one with a voting record of trying to stop wasteful spending, in the state legislature and city council. You can’t just be a Johnny come lately when it comes to calling yourself a ‘fiscal conservative.’ We know Vernon and Pat have a record of NOT being fiscally responsible. Mike of course doesn’t have a political record, but he does have a business record in the Credit Card industry, and his former boss, T. Denny Sanford didn’t become a billionaire by giving his customers a fair shake. So keep it up guys, you are fooling no one.
Okay, we get that Councilor Staggers is a fiscal conservative. The thing is, his methods just haven’t been effective. It’s true he’s been pretty much the lone voice on the Council for responsible spending but that doesn’t automatically make him the most qualified to be our city’s next mayor. Mike Huether can provide the kind of focused leadership we need in city government because he’s done it time & again in our community at Citi, First Premier, & the Banquet to name a few.
& for the record, First Premier is a business like any other in town that provides a service for a specific target market of customers. You might not feel like T. Denny Sanford was being fair to his customers, but it’s not like anyone’s being forced to sign up for a First Premier credit-building credit card. It’s simply a means to an end that some people choose to take to restructure their finances. From what I’ve gathered, it seems like the only reason you’ve decided to discredit Mike’s candidacy is because he worked at First Premier. If that’s the case, I think Mike’s the one who deserves a fair shake.
“From what I’ve gathered, it seems like the only reason you’ve decided to discredit Mike’s candidacy is because he worked at First Premier.”
Okay, I’m glad you bring this up, Mike has . . .
1) No political experience
2) No diverse business experience (worked in one industry most of his life.)
3) No proof he can build a consensus.
4) No guarantee he would be fiscally responsible
5) No guarantee he would work with citizens
That’s just it, that is all we have with Mike, is just his word, and I don’t think it is worth much. I sent him an email simply asking him to tell me his plan for the Events Center and he couldn’t do it. Why is that? That worries me.
It’s like I tell most people, besides Kermit being a fiscal conservative, he proved to me over and over again that I can TRUST HIM AND HE WILL ALWAYS BE HONEST. The voters and I don’t have that with Mike, we just have the word of a former Credit Card Company executive, and being someone who has worked in the industry, trust me, it ain’t worth the ink printed on the above postcard. Where did Munson and Rowenhorst come from, the same industry as Huether does. How did they work out? I’m just saying.
Maybe Mike will do what he says, but we nothing to go on. I do with Kermit. Vote with your head, not with your heart.
Poly, can you please address the CC thing with Ben. Please.
I appreciate you elaborating a little bit. While it seems we’ll probably have to agree to disagree, it’s helpful to see where you’re coming from.
1) All of life is political. Whether in church, work, or in civic involvement, leaders need to be adept at strategizing & prioritizing to accomplish various goals. While I agree city government is a unique political animal in & of itself, Mike’s diverse experience with non-profits & community taskforces can be an asset to help rethink how our city government operates.
2) If diverse business experience is a qualification for mayor, we should count out Councilor Staggers.
3) Again, should we count out Councilor Staggers? I guess from what I’ve read & the city council meetings I’ve watched, my honest impression is that Councilor Staggers has his opinions & wants to be heard but fails to take the next step & work with others on the Council to build consensus on that which they agree. Yes, I’ve seen the unprofessional disdain that others on the Council show him & am repulsed by it, but an effective leader should be able to move past that, finding ways to gain the respect of his/her peers while using that rapport to accomplish his goals.
4) Non-profits & banks work off budgets. In fact, non-profits & businesses often live and die based on how efficiently they’re managed. Why can’t Mike’s experience in this regard be considered?
5) There’s never a guarantee that a candidate for office will be responsive to his/her constituents once he/she’s elected. That’s why it’s up to us to pick who we think is the best person for the job & hold them accountable throughout the process.
However easy it might be to play on people’s current animosity toward the credit card industry while lumping Mike together with the current administration, that approach fails to acknowledge the rubber-stamp City Council, which you yourself have said in the past has repeatedly neglected responsible fiscal management. It also overlooks the fact that many in this community have worked in the credit card industry at one time or another.
As you’ve probably already gathered, my head & heart will be voting for Mike Huether April 13.
& for the record, First Premier is a business like any other in town that provides a service for a specific target market of customers. You might not feel like T. Denny Sanford was being fair to his customers, but it’s not like anyone’s being forced to sign up for a First Premier credit-building credit card. It’s simply a means to an end that some people choose to take to restructure their finances.
What you are apologizing for is called “Fee Harvesting”. The executive VP at First Premier in charge of marketing this predatory card was “honest mike” huether. How did “honest mike” market this piece of shit card? Issuers of fee harvesting cards spend hundreds of millions of dollars to find customers who will buy into their predatory deals. They seek to lure consumers who lack a borrowing history, (high school kids) have a spotty credit record, (underemployed, unemployed),the old retired group of Americans who are being swallowed up by ever shrinking fixed incomes. Each marketing drive aims to generate a quick and dirty crop of cash, some of which “honest mike” and his predator buddies will cash in, some of which they sell to debt collectors. As the cash flow from one of “honest mikes” predatory sales pushs subsides, a new mass mailing or TV commercial campaign seeks out the next group of the subprime young, the subprime poor, and the subprime old.
And your ascertion the terms and conditions are CLEARLY laid out is BULLSHIT. Those terms are buried somewhere in legal mumble jumble. As l3wis already knows, layout, paper size, and font size can enhance or bury most anything. Font size for instance. Font size of letters is expressed in “points”, and credit card companies bury the dirty little details somewhere in their legalese mumble jumble in eight point font. A point is 1/72nd of an inch. And thats from tip to tip of a capital letter. L3wis, can you show us an example of eight point font? And the person at First Premier in charge of marketing this crap. You guessed it. YOUR MAN MIKE.
Ever wondered what YOUR MAN MIKE was pushing Ben? Here it is, or dare I say, WAS, before this particular card was rightfully put to rest last month.
Here’s how a First Premier credit card works.
Credit limit $250
Program Fee -$95
Account Setup Fee -$29
Participation Fee -$6 per month
Annual Fee -$48 per year
Total Usable Credit $72, before first purchase is made. Then the real travesty begins. Short cycle billing. Exhorbatent over the limit fees, Late fees from short billing cycles. Thrown into higher, (much higher) interest rates, etc. etc.
Ben, before you, or anyone else for that matter, pulls the lever for “honest mike” huether, you would do well to read this link in it’s entirety. Then think about it.
http://64.233.169.132/search?q=cache:Jr-jvvpPulMJ:www.consumerlaw.org/issues/credit_cards/content/FEE-HarvesterFinal.pdf
If money talks, our next mayor will be costello or “honest mike”. If that is the case, get the vaseline out, grab your ankles, and think about the good ol days under Munson. Cuz either of these two will make Munson look good. If we want more of the same…vote for brown or petersen. If we want out of this mess, vote Kermit.
One thing good about Huether is he’s not a politician and Home Ruler. He’s a citizen who recognizes city government is responsible for more than just city personnel. When he becomes aware (most citizens aren’t) of present day bid rigging and tyranny, he’ll be angry like the rest of us and (hopefully) restore government of, by, and for the people.
I like Staggers and believe him to be an honest man with the right values However, present city government is not constitutional democracy and he along with the mayor and council are to blame.
I’m disappointed Janoct Adja hasn’t forged a way in. A little bit of research and coming out vowing to repeal Home Rule could get him elected. He’d not have to spend much and there are enough of us out here ready to come to life.
I’m hoping Huether and Staggers are the runoff. Neither is my choice but I’d accept them for one term and maybe two.
Elect me dictatorial tyrant and I’ll line up the mayor and council before a firing squad. Considering Home Rule Charter SD civil procedures exclusion with no appeal and no due process, it’s legal.
Ben,
Please send your first endorsement of Huether to the Argus Leader too. I’d hate to see such an obsequious go-getter miss the mark by limiting his efforts to South Dacola! And good luck with that new job in a Huether administration!
I especially appreciated your special euphemism:
“…provides a service for a specific target market of customers”
It’s like saying a deer should appreciate the service the hunter is doing for him.
You should maybe edit your corporate memo speak to be more bland before letting the public see it, next time. Sometimes just printing smaller won’t do.
NOOOOO! We don’t need another of the “Mike is my best friend in the whole wide world” letters printed.
All we need the Argus for is Sudoko and you can get that online. If you’re looking for news, visit this or other blogs. These days, other local media appeals to advertisers or corn growers only. There’s no investigative reporting. It’s just narrow minded knitting or almanac stats. Eventually, if not already, real local news will come from the web. Something like SiouxFalls.news or StopHomeRuleSiouxFalls.com could quickly capture the population if they can demonstrate they report from both sides and expose corruption.
How do you make money with web media? Minimal subscription $5/month, regional classifieds, paid pop-ups, 10″ stream video commercials before articles. News and weather is a screened compilation from subscriber input/video (better/faster than doppler or dispatched reporters). Same model as TV and paper but cheaper to manufacture and distribute with fewer employees. End result, immediate news/weather with a devoted subscriber base who trusts you.
“Mike’s diverse experience with non-profits & community taskforces can be an asset to help rethink how our city government operates.”
Sorry, but that is like saying anyone who has volunteered their time is qualified to be mayor. Even if that was the case, Kermit has volunteered thousands of hours, not just to non-profits but to helping citizens quietly.
“If diverse business experience is a qualification for mayor, we should count out Councilor Staggers.”
Kermit has a PHD in political science and history. One of the classes he teaches is ‘tax history’. Trust me, he knows a little bit about economics.
“but an effective leader should be able to move past that, finding ways to gain the respect of his/her peers while using that rapport to accomplish his goals.”
Who do you think his peers represent? You? The city council is bought and paid for, I have seen almost every meeting for over 2 years, read the financial reports and followed city politics. A ‘consensus’ in city government is never a good thing, it should be a fight to the end. His peers don’t support you, or give a shit about you. Kermit’s concern is you. Period.
“Non-profits & banks work off budgets. In fact, non-profits & businesses often live and die based on how efficiently they’re managed.”
Gee willickers? Really? I didn’t know that. I feel like a gigantic jackass. What do you think Kermit has been fighting for the past 8 years? Balanced budgets!
“There’s never a guarantee that a candidate for office will be responsive to his/her constituents once he/she’s elected.”
Normally, I would agree, but not with Kermit. It is clear, he has a record of what he would do, he has been laying it out his whole life. I often tell people that I am baffled by his honesty and how humble he is. I have ‘No Doubts’ about what kind of mayor Kermit would be. He has been quietly ‘responsive’ for years. In fact that is how I got to know him.
“However easy it might be to play on people’s current animosity toward the credit card industry while lumping Mike together with the current administration, that approach fails to acknowledge the rubber-stamp City Council, which you yourself have said in the past has repeatedly neglected responsible fiscal management. It also overlooks the fact that many in this community have worked in the credit card industry at one time or another.”
Dude, it’s not like Mike was a pen chewer in a cubicle calling people for collections. He was an executive who made major decisions about policy. It’s like Poly said above, I worked as a graphic designer in the industry (freelance and for hire) for over 7 years. I know the games played. I don’t trust the current council, mayor, or anyone from the CC industry with city finances. Guess who that leaves left for mayor?
“As you’ve probably already gathered, my head & heart will be voting for Mike Huether April 13.”
So how long have you worked for Mike?
My head and heart? Oh god.
If it counts from my view (as a student) they all suck IMO. I would like to see someone new step up (besides Adja? or whatever his name is).
Someone with the fiscal responsibility and honesty of Staggers and the congenality of Huether? Trust me, that candidate has been mentioned to me several times. Keep dreaming. It seems these days getting the ‘total package’ in candidates is nearly impossible. When I enter the voting booth I usually hold my breath and wish for the best.
CCFlyer says:
If it counts from my view (as a student) they all suck IMO.
With the exception of Kermit, I agree. Care to explain why you feel Kermit sucks? Got a feeling you can’t do it without dragging your DOWNTOWN “events” center into it.
BTW…I see our crowning jewel excuse for needing SUPERSIZE, the Summit League tourney drew a whopping average of 2199 fans per game. And ALL games fell well within the capacity of our current setup. And if the Lady Jacks hadn’t won it all, that attendance would have been even more dismal.
Is that true Poly? They made it sound like it was sold out? Where did you get the numbers?
http://www.argusleader.com/article/20100311/SPORTS0202/3110336/1052/OPINION01
l3wis says:
They made it sound like it was sold out?
Only in their wildest dreams. Caught a glimpse of this guy at the mens finals. At first I thought it might be the dude. Nah. Too clean shaven. Then I thought it must be DOWNTOWN Sy. Nah. Too far from downtown, plus Sy could be this dudes dad. Must be CCFLYER.
http://www.blogcdn.com/nhl.fanhouse.com/media/2008/09/empty-arena-093008.jpg
l3wis says:
They made it sound like it was sold out?
Only in their wildest dreams. Caught a glimpse of this guy at the mens finals. At first I thought it might be the dude. Nah. Too clean shaven. Then I thought it must be DOWNTOWN Sy. Nah. Too far from downtown, plus Sy could be this dudes dad. Must be CCFLYER.
http://www.blogcdn.com/nhl.fanhouse.com/media/2008/09/empty-arena-093008.jpg
I’m leaning toward Huether. Staggers is more of an ombudsman, and should have some position in city government where he can slap around the big-spender idiots.
To me, though, he isn’t a leader. He’s a brilliant administrator.
I’m disappointed Janoct Adja hasn’t forged a way in. A little bit of research and coming out vowing to repeal Home Rule could get him elected. He’d not have to spend much and there are enough of us out here ready to come to life.
Coming out publicly for repealing home rule would be like putting on a tin-foil hat and claiming the reptoids were reading everyone’s thoughts in the minds of average (read: uninformed) voters. A candidate would need to come out against the main points of the charter without mentioning home rule for his position to resonate.
At first I thought it might be the dude. Nah. Too clean shaven.
Then you don’t know the Dude very well. I’m shaved as smooth as a baby’s butt and wearing a suit and tie today, Poly.
I shave like your dad probably did – with a safety razor older than my dad, double-edged blades, a mug of shaving soap, and a badger-hair brush. When I started shaving this way, it became a fun morning ritual.
I’m shaved as smooth as a baby’s butt and wearing a suit and tie today, Poly.
~dude
Well I haven’t shaved since I retired…but I do trim my beard. And a suit and tie? For weddings, (only some) funerals, and special formal nights out with my wife. Otherwise, who cares?
Psshhh. Yeah, thanks for bringing that up, because I definitely will bring the Downtown Events Center into it.
What kind of numbers do you think Sioux City was getting before they built the Tyson Events Center? Just as bad as us if not worse right now, but yet they thought it would be smart to build an Events Center and add on to their current Arena. Why? Because the city wanted another way to get people in town not only for tourism but for extra money into the city. Being on the interstate, there were already businesses and restaurants there, but now that they have built Tyson a new Hilton Garden Inn was built on the river and the new 161 room Stoney Creek Inn that was also just built.
Now look at Sioux City, they get all kinds of concerts that attract people from Sioux Falls, and by attracting them, that bring in money from out of city. If WE were to do that by building an events center way the heck out by the airport or by the interstates, people would come in, leave, take a pee at a gas station near by and go home. People would never think of the option to stay later and go to a restaurant or go shopping even before. But by putting it DOWNTOWN where it SHOULD BE we wont have to tax the public, we will pay for it through private sponsorship and TIF’s, and it wont be burdened on the citizens in the lower class that wont use it. Traffic might be a pain sometimes with it down there, but just look at Spokane, Rapid City and Evansville.
I suggest you look at this page, its exactly what we could do in Sioux Falls and is the best example we could have: http://www.evansvillearenaproject.com/
ALSO: http://www.ksfy.com/sports/headlines/87167752.html Check this out, there were games with 4-5,000 people at it. We could have easily had more if we had a bigger space and a Multi-Use Retail/Residential area around it.
What many Arenas built now there are curtains that can easily come down and block off sections so that the Arena is not as empty throughout.
Check this out, there were games with 4-5,000 people at it. We could have EASILY had more if we had a bigger space and a Multi-Use Retail/Residential area around it.
CCFlyer
Easily flyer? If it were that EASY, the 6309 seating capacity for the Arena would have been met. But it was not. Not even close. Don’t forget those 14 games averaged a whopping 2199 per game.
Event wise, SC has us by the shorthairs, with or without an “Events” center. They have the location, DT AND along the Interstate. They had the proper funding that has it paid off. They will out bid us everytime simply because they will not have our debt load.
BTW. How many acts has the Tyson Center hosted in over seven years of existence that our own Arena could not have handled?
Ghost of Dude says:
I’m leaning toward Huether.
Rumor has it if honest mike is in a runoff Walmart will be running this sale.
http://www.overstockdrugstore.com/product_images/l/305212311006.jpg
And this one;
http://www.qcsupply.com/images/products/340071LG.jpg
After a busy first year or so, Sioux City doesn’t get that many shows these days. In fact, they’ve had quite a few cancelled due to poor ticket sales. And Poly – the vast majority of the shows they did get would not have sold out the Arena.
It’s true, if we build it, it will take years before it is used to it’s full capacity, which means tax payers will also have to find a way to subsidize it for a very long time.
To get a clear idea how someone like Mike Huether thinks please see the system banking firms use taking advantage of you. This is not some secrete, it’s just not commomly known to the public. This is why no one can afford credit debt. It’s all about taking advantage of others w/o disclosure. His First Premiere works off total deception in a system falled Fraction Reserve System. (Where they get funds to issue credit – increases inflation)
Huether’s career revolves around this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pC8I3J-1GSM
[…] traction, then pretend they’ve been your positions all along. As South DaCola documents (Huether endorses Kermit?, Huether has another original idea, Etc.) The point is, Huether didn’t have an original idea […]