I detected a little snarkinest in this editorial by the Argus Endorser’s political reporter Ellis, and rightfully so;
I had the pleasure of talking about the election with a group of Democrats last week. No, seriously. It was a pleasure. Even when I was getting yelled at.
I knew, going into it, that it was going to be a tough crowd. Who can blame them for being upset, right? I tried to break the ice with a little quip, saying that if everything goes bad in Pierre during the next two years, at least they won’t be the ones to blame.
It didn’t go over well, but it’s true. For the next two years, they’re renting six of 35 seats in the Senate and 19 of 70 in the House. That’s less than 25 percent of the Legislature.
Really? Why be upset about that? If I was a Democrat in Pierre, it would be party time! I know many people have been hard on Representative Frank Kloucek in the past for proposing everything but the kitchen sink. But why not? You are the SUPER-MINORITY party. You should constantly be a thorn in the side of the neo-con idiots who run our state. What do you have to lose? Not a GODDAM THING!
Am I being harsh? Nope. Let’s look at the facts;
• Republicans have been in charge for almost 30 years in SD
What has it yielded?
• Underfunding of education
• A regressive retail tax on goods and food
• A boondoggle called video lottery which has made a few rich and has costed taxpayer’s socially
• Little worker rights and low wages
• A gigantic gap between the rich and poor (South Dakota has one of the highest number of millionaires per capita in the nation)
• (faux) Theocratic beliefs overlapping Democratic beliefs.
• Some of the most restrictive reproductive rights in the nation
I could probably go on forever. But what I want to know is how are SD voters hoodwinked, over and over again? I ate kraut and sausage with the best of them, it didn’t make me thick (just in the wasteline). I encourage all South Dakota voters to look in the mirror, and ask the simple question; Are you better off then you were 10 years ago? 20 years ago? or 30 years ago? I think we know the answer to that question.
Then why do you keep voting Republican? You are not going to loosen a bolt by continuing to turn it right. You are only going to strip it or break it, and that is what the SD GOP has done to us, stripped us, then broke us, yet we still lick their boots. Disgusting.