2010

Congrats Rob!

Here are some photographs of a recent week long snow carving expedition for the Festival du Voyageur in Winnipeg. We won first place which equals a spot next year in the international snow carving symposium held at the same place and some exposure. The piece’s forms are inspired by shiva linga, a carved stone form for hindu rituals/beliefs. The largest is just under 12′ tall, the middle 8′ and smallest 6′. Currently we are working to do a short documentary on the process of it.

Enjoy,
Robert Arlt

Rounds doesn’t give a rat’s ass about the reservations, big surprise (H/T- Helga)

I have said all along that Rounds doesn’t care what happens on the reservations, he has repeatly thumbed his nose at them, more proof;

When a natural disaster occurs that is beyond a state’s ability to cope, federal law provides that the governor may issue a declaration of disaster to that effect, which triggers the process of allowing federal funds and other aid to flow into the affected state.  This process speeds recovery, and frequently saves lives.

A number of South Dakota reservations are currently in just such a state of crisis as a result of two solid months of unusually extreme winter weather.  People’s lives are at risk.

So why has the Rounds administration failed to take the necessary steps to secure such federal funding for the reservations?

Here’s what FEMA says (24+ / 0-)

The Governor’s request is made through the regional FEMA office. State and Federal officials conduct a preliminary damage assessment (PDA) to estimate the extent of the disaster and its impact on individuals and public facilities. This information is included in the Governor’s request to show that the disaster is of such severity and magnitude that effective response is beyond the capabilities of the State and the local governments and that Federal assistance is necessary. Normally, the PDA is completed prior to the submission of the Governor’s request. However, when an obviously severe or catastrophic event occurs, the Governor’s request may be submitted prior to the PDA. Nonetheless, the Governor must still make the request.

As part of the request, the Governor must take appropriate action under State law and direct execution of the State’s emergency plan. The Governor shall furnish information on the nature and amount of State and local resources that have been or will be committed to alleviating the results of the disaster, provide an estimate of the amount and severity of damage and the impact on the private and public sector, and provide an estimate of the type and amount of assistance needed under the Stafford Act. In addition, the Governor will need to certify that, for the current disaster, State and local government obligations and expenditures (of which State commitments must be a significant proportion) will comply with all applicable cost-sharing requirements. [FEMA website]

We don’t know if SD followed its emergency plan because we could not find a copy of the state plan on the state emergency management website.  this lack of transparency is a drawback from the standpoint of accountability.  In addition, it prevents the public from reviewing the state plan to see how it fits with their needs and personal or business preparations.  In disaster response, surprises are not a good thing.

A city councilor in RC censured for questioning wasteful spending?

Obviously I have not seen the emails, but my first response would be that Mr. Kooiker was wrongly censored;

Kooiker and Wieczorek went on the offensive for more than an hour, arguing the details of the Rapid Transit incident, the resolution of censure and the actual content of the more than 1,000 pages of e-mails released by the city.

Wieczorek said by definition, harassment means conduct that causes emotional distress and serves no legitimate purpose. The e-mails Kooiker sent to both Sagen and Ellis, he said, were primarily seeking answers for constituent questions and concerns.

“Is this harassment of Mr. Sagen?” Wieczorek said. “Was there an attempt at a legitimate purpose?”

Included in the e-mails are one-sentence messages, thank you e-mails, messages repeated multiple times and messages forwarded directly from constituents, Wieczorek said.

“He asks questions in a way that you might not ask questions. But that doesn’t make his questions wrong. He approaches his advocacy for constituents with zeal, with gusto. That doesn’t make that approach wrong. He does not back down, he follows up. That does not make his approach wrong,” Wieczorek said.

The sad part about it was, that Kooiker was looking for answers on throwing away $30,000 in unused transit fliers, then the city spends another $17,000 investigating whether or not he ‘harrassed’ city employees. Talk about a monkey fucking a football. Not only should our elected officials have the right to question department heads, they should be doing it on a regular basis and secondly, these department heads better be giving, honest, timely answers. Who do these people think pays them? A money tree? Taxpayers pay you, and you should have to answer to them. See, in the private sector, when your boss asks you a question, you answer him, you don’t go crying and filing harassment suits because you didn’t like the answer he asked you. Last I checked we are a right-to-work state. Your boss can fire you for any reason, and in the same respect you can quit for any reason. If you don’t like how your employer (the taxpayer) is treating you, then quit, otherwise STFU.

I liked this interview Kooiker did with Stormland TV News. This quote stood out;

“It is part of my responsibility to question how tax dollars are being spent when we have a $140 million budget. It is a responsibility that I take very seriously. This resolution, if it passes, essentially turns council members into rubber stamps,” Kooiker said.

That’s how it works in Sioux Falls. Don’t ask any questions and get out the rubber stamp. That approach has put our city over $330 million dollars in debt and the only thing we have to show for it is monkey crappers and potholes.