Ugly Table #70
l3wis 
(Overheard by the host stand)
Four elderly patrons approach the host stand and make a request,
“Can we get a table as closest to the bathroom as possible?”
S. L. Ehrisman (c) 9/2/12
2012
Is there really a difference between peddlers and panhandlers?
Just another panhandler?
Cory Madville had a great post today about freedom of speech, getting a job, and panhandlers in Sioux Falls. They have turned it up a notch over the past few years, and one of their favorite spots is the off ramp of I-29 and Louise, which I have to go thru on occasion.
They have various signs they hold (always on cardboard, not white erase), I’m sure you have seen them. “God Bless” “I’m a Veteran” “I don’t know what a shower is or a job application”. One guy today had a cig hanging out of his mouth while taking money from a car. His sign should have said, “Almost out of cigs, out of beer, and out of luck, please give a f’ck!”
I don’t have a problem with giving to those in need, but seriously, if you have the energy to stand on a corner and ask for money, you have the energy to get a job, any job. Panhandlers in other parts of the world will clean your windshield for a buck.
Of course the good Christians of our society argue that a panhandler could be the 2nd coming of Christ, so we should give . . .
LOL!
Yeah, and that lotto ticket I accidentally threw away 5 years ago was the $100 million dollar winner.
But, I ask a bigger question. What’s the difference between panhandlers and Girl Scouts standing on a street corner and peddling cookies? Seriously? I drove past the intersection of 12th and Kiwanis last year to see Girl Scouts lunging at cars. True, the Girl Scouts are actually selling something, but what if you don’t want cookies? I see no real difference between a panhandler holding a sign and a Girl Scout holding a sign on a street corner, they both have the right to be there, whether you like it or not, but someone should tell mayor Huether. He may know what what state he lives in, but he seems to struggle with the country;
“This is just not the way we do things in Sioux Falls or in South Dakota, it’s not reflective of our people and our values. We can’t allow this to happen on the street corners of our town.â€
Maybe we should ban panhandlers from texting while panhandling to?
But Isn’t a FREE society great!? Where we can sell cookies and ask for cigarette money on a street corner. Gawd I love America. Land of the FREE, broke, and constantly annoyed.
We will be hearing a lot about Snowgates this Fall
The below video is of an Ironex snowgate that the city tested two years ago. We are now going to test the Henke snowgate this winter (which is superior to the Ironex because it lifts straight up instead of swinging out, which is better because it eliminates the possibility of taking out mailboxes). I like the Ironex video though because it shows how snowgates work.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8nwa41y6sA[/youtube]
The great thing about possibly using snowgates in Sioux Falls for the entire city is that it is truly a ‘quality of life’ issue for ALL of the residents. Homeowners, apartment dwellers and businesses don’t have to worry about plowing out the ends of their driveways of their homes or parking lots. It truly benefits EVERYONE.
The biggest argument against snowgates is there expense, but when compared to the millions we are spending on entertainment and recreational projects in Sioux Falls, it is just a spit in the bucket. Using our tax dollars to provide an ACTUAL service to all the residents of Sioux Falls is a positive thing. We have the money, that is according to our mayor and several city councilors who continually support spending our tax dollars on other ‘quality of life’ projects. So the argument that snowgates will be too expensive is moot.
Besides the expense of snowgates, the city’s public works department often has two main complaints about them;
1) They narrow streets. Well guess what, any amount of snowplowing narrows streets in Sioux Falls. Drive down any street in this town at the end of winter and you will notice it isn’t as wide, not because of snowgate use, but because of snow in general, and the fact that some of these streets are narrow to begin with.
2) It will take longer to plow streets. While this is partially true, once snowplow operators get the hang of these devices, it won’t take much longer to plow the streets. As you can see in the demonstration videos above the snowplows move at a pretty good clip.
It is no secret that people love snowgates, in fact people living in the test areas over the past two years have raved about them, they also make our streets safer. Rumor has it that the city has received many positive comments about them and when public meetings have been held to talk about testing them, oodles of people have shown up to support them.
Snowgates would be a great addition to public service to our city, I can’t wait to hear more about them, I have a feeling that will be sooner rather then later.
May I suggest ‘White Castle’
And I am not talking about the fast food chain, I’m talking about the building they are holding the RNC in;
After BK (short for where we met the breeder to pick him up in Chamberlain)
And where you and Gant would plot your next move.
Why is state senator Dan Lederman using official state letterhead to send out money from his PAC?
While Whopper Jr. cries about the Peter Norbeck PAC donating money to same candidates as the Rushmore PAC (which I heard the Norbeck PAC is giving individual candidates about 10x more money then Lederman’s PAC) I was wondering why Lederman was using ‘official’ state letterhead for his PAC?
Yes, he admits to this at the bottom;
But isn’t the official letterhead a bit deceptive? Is the money coming from Lederman or his PAC? These guys have no shame. If I received a check from the Rushmore PAC, I would wipe my ass with it and send it back to them.