I guess these two clowns love to make enemies;
Sen. Stan Adelstein and Rep. Don Kopp come from opposite sides of Rapid City’s Republican community, but the two lawmakers might have a common cause on one controversial issue this legislative session: a temporary sales tax increase.
For Adelstein, preventing sharp cuts to education by raising tax revenue is at the top of his agenda in Pierre.
“I don’t think people have realized how popular this is compared to the cuts,†Adelstein said of his proposal to raise the sales tax from 3 percent to 4 percent during the summer months for a three-year period.
Give me a break, taxes never go away. In 3 years you will be asking to keep it. I have a better idea;
MAKE CUTS TO THE BLOATED ADMINISTRATIVE STATE GOVERNMENT THAT ROUNDS CREATED!
And if that doesn’t work, I suggest plan ‘B’ An income tax on South Dakotans making over $150,000 a year. It’s time the rich ponied up in this state instead forcing the poor and middle class to carry all the water.
But this shouldn’t surprise anyone, these are the same goons who believe Mexicans are over taking our state;
Kopp believes illegal immigration is a problem for South Dakota, and he wants to go after what he sees as the cause: businesses that hire illegal immigrants.
Under Kopp’s legislation, if a business “knowingly hires an illegal†immigrant, it would face a $500 fine for the first offense and a $1,000 fine for the second.
Oooooh. Such a tough penalty. It should be six months to a year in the Penn for hiring illegals. This is just overkill anyway, because their are already Federal laws preventing employers from hiring illegals.
But for some reason South Dakota legislators know better then the rest of the country. I mean, Who else is to thank for being ranked 49-50th on everything, year after year, after year . . .
I hate to sound like a parrot, but we don’t have a tax problem… we have a spending problem.
Raising taxes to ride out a slow economy is stupid – at least to a point. We know our state tax structure worked just fine when we had a strong economy and we weren’t running huge deficits with it, so I see no reason to change it now.
Whether it be raising sales taxes or adding an income tax, it won’t solve the issue if spending continues to spiral out of control.
Had we elected leaders who had some vision instead of hindsight, they would have strengthened our reserve funds in preparation for these types of events. Then we can use those reserves for slower economic times, and rebuild them when the economy turns back to growth. Of course it goes without saying you put big pet projects and new expansion (read: non-essential hiring) on the back burner until things turn around.
Instead, we try to find ways to cut which results in drastic cuts to basic and essential services, education, maintenance etc while (in the case of the state) earmarking money to remodel private cabins in the black hills or (in the case of the city) spending half a million dollars to study an events center that has been studied, debated, and discussed ad nauseum for the past five years.
In truth I think there are plenty of ways to cut spending without most people even noticing and without having a negative impact upon our society as a whole, but it seems it is much easier for politicians to pass yet another tax increase or fee than it is to make the hard decisions.
Just one more reason why we need term limits for everyone all the way up so they can do the right thing instead of trying to figure out what decision will earn them the most votes during the next election.
Income tax in South Dakota, you will burn in hell for suggesting that young man!!
You’d make a he l l of a sailor Costner. So what the wind changes direction – stay the courese – don’t jibe – don’t tack. So what the wind increases – keep up the number 1 light sail. It worked fine with light winds from the port – it should work fine for heavy winds from starboard as well. Big swell coming from 90 degrees to starboard? Why turn into it? We don’t want to GO in that direction. (Evidently captain – YOU want to go belly up.)
I have a cut suggestion. I saw a DOT snowplow in an interstate exit plowing pavement and about a 2 inches windrow of snow in the shoulder of the road.
You don’t have income tax in SD but property taxes are outrageous in SD. So they get their money one way or another.
Why not bite the bullet and go for corporate income tax? Oh yeah I forgot, they pay for our politicians!
They could also tax advertising.
To High Hell! Of course, do you think the media would be behind it? LMAO! It would be killing two birds with one stone, 1) more money for the state 2) Less advertising bombarding us.
rufusx, the economy is cyclical – and if prepared properly we could “weather the storm” with no ill effects.
Your sailing analogy is just silly. I could just as easily say if we looked to the future instead of reacting to current events we would have our ship tucked safely away in port with the sails down. When idiots are out there trying to dodge it or sending their sails in for repairs after ripping them or calling out the Coast Guard to save their asses when they took a gamble and lost, the smart sailor is safe and sound in port awaiting for the weather to shift back to what is considered normal.
Because the weather – just like the economy – always stabilizes with time, and those who prepare for it are always better off than those who respond to it while it is happening.
Sail, Schmail.
I got a good laugh out of the AL online poll the other day;
“Are you Hopeful?”
I think only 52% said they were.
Wow! What a vague, yet telling poll.
No Costner, we have a tax and a spending problem. Almost no one actually pays the corporate tax rate. And the less well off pay a far higher percentage than do the well off. The social, corporate welfare in South Dakota verges on the criminal. Knock off the SD corporate welfare and one could balance the state budget.
And we spend too much on unnecessary, redundant government administration – too many tiny counties (when Wyoming as 1/3 as many); too many school districts (no need to have more than one per county-about 25 in the state); replicating university administration every 50 miles down the interstates; too many legislators (Nebraska does fine with fewer than 50 in a unicameral); and of course, the no-bid, state government with its bloated air farce.