Like I said in my last post, I don’t have a dog in this fight. I watched the Stormland TV forum, here’s some things I took away from it;
LYON COUNTY CASINO
“We have known about this for awhile, so there should have been some proactive leadership.” Munsterman
SMOKING BAN
“It is a public safety and health issue . . . I support the ban for citizens.” Knudson
MEDICAL MARIJUANA – They all said they would vote ‘NO’ and not support the measure
3RD PENNY SALES TAX INCREASE
Knuppe, Knudson and Munsterman support the tax increase (Knudson even goes farther and feeds that same bullshit line the Events Center tax force fed us; “We are increasing the taxes – it will be up to the voters.”)
Doogard and Howie DO NOT support the tax increase.
“I’m not surprised you would support a tax increase, Dave.” Howie’s response to Knudson
FUNDING GOVERNMENT
Munsterman & Howie agree on finding new revenue sources (energy) to reduce taxes and bringing in more revenue for funding state government.
EDUCATION FUNDING
Doogard and Howie threw Knudson’s education funding idea (increase education funding at the same rate as revenue) overboard. Doogard pointed out the obvious;
“Over the past few years education would have seen no increase.”
CLOSING STATEMENTS
“Ken, don’t trust anyone in a fancy suit.” Knuppe quoting his grandfather
Who do I think won? Well, I didn’t see any real winners in the forum. I felt Doogard and Howie had a strong showing, but if I was an undecided voter, I would vote for Munsterman. He had fresh ideas that were much different then the other candidates.
Knudson’s tax raising surprised me – but he’s from Sioux Falls. And Sioux Falls and Rapid City LOVE to sponge off of the rest of us via retail sales taxes.
Munsterman: like his fiscal responsibility talk (though Brookings IS SD’s socialist town (liquor store, golf course, hospital, utilities, etc.)); and his successful executive experience. But the social engineering he spews, and his choice of campaign manager, reveal an allegiance to the Howie wing of their party opposed to SD’s long tradition of prairie populism.
I though Munsterman actually had the best showing.
Daugaard seemed to have rehearsed everything he said, Howie sounded like a combative jerk, and I was sad to see Dave go on the attack right away. Knuppe was waaaaay out of his element.
Knudson’s tax raising surprised me – but he’s from Sioux Falls. And Sioux Falls and Rapid City LOVE to sponge off of the rest of us via retail sales taxes.
That’s rich. You complain about SF and RC “spopnging off the rest of the state, yet whenever SF makes any effort to limit video lottery expansion the rest of the state has a hissy fit because they won’t get the revenue. And let’s not even talk about where the bulk of the taxes that go to state schol aid come from…
DL, are you going to continue to support Staggers even after he becomes a Tea Bagger by proxy?
Like you, I don’t have no horse in this race.
I don’t like the idea of raising taxes in a delicate economy.
Yes, should have been proactive response to Lyon County Casino.
I think the state is missing out on the medical marijuana thing. It’s more agriculture that can be done in abandoned hog barns during winter months.
Thanks for your summary. Condensed is what I’m looking for here.
What Dude said, and the anti-Sioux Falls attitude the State seems to cling to is really backward and short-sighted. Any other State in the Union would kill to have a community like Sioux Falls within their borders. Iowa isn’t anti-Des Moines and Nebraska isn’t anti-Omaha, and we should take note of how those States get things done. Like it or not we are the engine of the State’s tractor and if you ignore your engine you know what evntually happens.
Knuppe:
“Ken, don’t trust anyone in a fancy suit.†Knuppe quoting his grandfather”
Check me, but didn’t he utter this statement while WEARING a fancy suit?
Sioux Falls, “the engine of the State’s tractor” (Sy). I like it, copyright it before the city captures and distorts it for propaganda.
Sy- Knuppe looked down at his suit when he said it, I think he was being a little sarcastic.
AG- I don’t support Howie because of Staggers. They don’t have a snowball chance in Hell of winning anyway, so it does not matter. As I told Hos the other night, I still think Kermit would have made a better mayor, based on one thing. He would not have been a theieving CC executive before he was sworn into office. I do not trust nor have much confidence in a man who used his expertise to take advantage of the poor then turns around and says he wants to help “The great people of Sioux Falls.” Bullshit.
Kemit’s always been a teabagger. I told DL that before.
oopps typo, Kermits
There is a difference between state politics and municipal politics, I told you that.
And I would much rather have a teabagger for mayor then a corporate lackey.
I’ll take a corporate lackey, so long as his new position doesn’t allow him to give his former employer any kickbacks. And I seriously doubt FPB is in any position to get contracts from the city.