Re-dux, Argus interview with Cameraman Bruce
l3wis [youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPWOuwzqoKg[/youtube]
2015
Do we really want the F-35 in Sioux Falls?
I knew it would be only a matter of time before our city elite climbed aboard the gravy train;
City officials are rallying around the South Dakota Air National Guard in Sioux Falls to land a new fighter jet program that could bring dozens of jobs and protect the base’s $70 million yearly impact on the local economy.
That shiny $70 million may look good, but let’s look at the real factors.
• Doesn’t anyone find it a bit ironic that some of the same city councilors that opposed FEMA money after the ice storm have no problem with taking Pentagon money?
• The F-35 is really f’ing loud;
• The F-35 doesn’t have a very good battle record;
“The F-35 was at a distinct energy disadvantage,†the unnamed pilot wrote in a scathing five-page brief that War Is Boring has obtained. The brief is unclassified but is labeled “for official use only.â€
The test pilot’s report is the latest evidence of fundamental problems with the design of the F-35 — which, at a total program cost of more than a trillion dollars, is history’s most expensive weapon.
(And you thought the Railroad Relocation project was a huge waste of Federal tax dollars.)
• Also, the dirty ass peace lovin’ hippy in me has a real problem with my tax dollars going towards war spending to kill innocent foreigners with an inferior product that costs too much and doesn’t really work.
All that aside, we don’t need a new and improved air force base, we need peace and quiet in Sioux Falls.
Maybe we can bring a drone program to our base. They are quiet, they are effective, and nobody gets hurt, except of course the enemy.
Merry Christmas from Santa Crass and Sleigher
I did the intro to the event, then the intro to Sleigher, and if you FF to the end you can hear my full rant. But please enjoy the whole dealy bob.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4YannREQ7oY[/youtube]
Sioux Falls Zoning Board of Adjustment, Dec 21,2015
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mb0HxUm_MAw[/youtube]
You never know what the Cracker Jack Sioux Falls City Attorney’s office will do next to their legal opponents. In this video we see what last minute legal jurisdiction claims and strange emails do to billboard applications.
Why does the city of Sioux Falls legal team and staff always seem to “find” new favorable evidence / documentation just before or during a court proceeding? Is the city of Sioux Falls document data storage system so bad documents get lost constantly? Didn’t the city get their hands slapped by the SD Supreme Court in the Dan Daily ruling overturning the administrative fine processes declaring them unconstitutional?
So we ask why the crucial data continues to be found at the last minute. As you will see in this video, the assistant city attorney and the code enforcement official pull important “NEW” evidence and jurisdiction issues at the hearing.
The high price outside consulting attorney was not at this hearing, the city’s floodplain expert who made the ruling against Lamar was missing and to top it off the city’s Director of Planning & Building Services was a no show. Each of these people could have been at Carnegie Town Hall on December 21, 2015 because they set the schedules and plan the events. There was no excuse, none. This was pathetic gamesmanship.
BID Tax Buffoonery
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePkOJA9ckTU[/youtube]
Still not sure what Mayor Huether thought he would accomplish by putting together this committee. The probable outcome doesn’t surprise me;
A fund used to attract conventions and visitors to Sioux Falls won’t be diverted to brick-and-mortar projects anytime soon.
Steve Westra, chief operating officer for hotel owner Hegg Companies and a vocal critic who has questioned the need for the review, said the review committee was an unsuccessful “money grab†by the mayor. He said he appreciates that the committee isn’t recommending capital spending as a legitimate use for the fund.
“(The mayor) has taken several runs with trying to use dollars outside of what it’s intended for,†Westra said. “We get the sense that the mayor sees it as a road block.â€
Well, you know how I feel as a citizen constantly chasing down the spending habits of this mayor, they are out of control. This is evident in his attempt to raise rates on Paratransit (instead of just streamlining it) and to eliminate free swim passes for poor kids.
Turbak blamed those perceptions among the hotel and travel industries as a reason for the group’s failure to come up with bolder recommendations.
“I think the influence of the strenuous defense of the status quo is certainly reflected in the recommendations,†Turbak said.
As I have said before, when the status quo is working (Using the BID tax to promote visitors) you don’t need to fiddle with it. Westra is exactly right, this was just a ‘money grab’ scheme by the mayor and his cronies.