2018

Mayor Bimbo, “Nobody knows who is running for mayor.”

He goes on to say on the B-N-B show that most people probably think he is running for a 3rd term and don’t know he can’t. He basically accuses the mayoral candidates of not getting their message out there.

While I will agree with Mike partially that voter turnout will be low again, I think he is sadly mistaken about messaging. I think the normal municipal voter turnout will be there on election day and have been listening. In fact when I attended the YPN mayoral forum, it was the largest crowd I have ever seen at a mayoral forum.

Ironically, one of the main reasons why nobody knows about the municipal election is because the city refuses to do a PSA either on CityLink or in a water bill insert. There are many things to discuss; absentee voting, precincts, voter registration, dates of election and run-off, who is running, etc, etc. While we will be spending well over $100K on both elections we are spending zilch on promoting the election. Go Figure. Heck, why don’t we just skip the election and give the money to the Huether Tennis Center?

Besides the fact that he is in a state of denial that he is finished on May 15 and a new person is taken over, he continues to think the RR redevelopment project was one of the best projects he negotiated. LMFAO! Burlington Northern certainly got what they wanted. They sold $62 a square foot dirty land to Federal taxpayers, they continue to run the trains through the same area, more frequently, and still store and switch cars only a couple of blocks from the redevelopment land. They literally got their cake and ate it too. We got hosed! Big time! You can’t even build housing in the area, because the first time a train whistle blows some stinky rich empty nester will be crying to the SFPD about the noise. I would have been extremely embarrassed to have negotiated such a deal. But that is what happens folks when you do these kind of deals in the dark of the night. If that plan would have been negotiated in the public I guarantee the train traffic would be moving differently. Probably one of MMM’s biggest failures of his administration (but that list is pretty long).

STILL TAKING CREDIT FOR REVITALIZING DOWNTOWN

While Mike deserves some credit for revitalizing downtown in his past 8 years, that train left the station in the early 1990’s, I know, because I was working downtown. Than the downtown folks put a boot up Munson’s butt and it really started moving. The mayor claimed on the show this morning that downtown in 2009 was a ‘ghost town’. Puhleezze! as I have told people, Munson dropped the snowball at the top of the hill and Huether is now standing at the bottom of the hill claiming he created the snow boulder. All Mike did (with mostly action by the city council) was continue the progress that was already set in motion.

While they were discussing that matter the mayor referenced transforming DT into a place where you can Live, Work & Play. A caller reminded the mayor that ‘HE’ doesn’t live that way. That was hilarious. The mayor lives in a very sleepy neighborhood over by Paisley Park and has a lake home on a swamp nobody else has a house on.

He was also asked about the noise levels downtown in reference to having entertainment facilities mixed in with residential in reference to the ICON / Jones building kerfuffle. He said there are some issues that need to be ‘worked on’. In other words, next mayor’s problem that our city’s building department does whatever they want. Don’t believe me? Here’s a short list; Events Center buckling siding, Copper Lounge collapse, McKennan Park Monster House, etc, etc.

To Be or Not to Be . . .

So after the YPN mayoral forum I joked with Paul TenHaken that it was probably a good thing the checks were still coming in from Clickrain (I figured he is probably still receiving dividends from the company he founded, why wouldn’t he? And why would anyone want to lie about it?). He told me he wasn’t receiving ‘anything’ from Clickrain, and he was pretty serious about it.

Well, it is probably a good thing he didn’t LIE on his conflict of interest form below.

In his defense, the document does say income in the past YEAR, but I find it hard to believe he isn’t still receiving dividends from Clickrain. He never said he SOLD the company, just transferring power.

While I am calling Paul out on this, I just find it funny the little ‘fibs’ most of the candidates will tell you when they are at functions, he isn’t alone.

I go by the philosophy if a politician/candidate has to tell you they are telling the truth, they probably are not telling the truth (Huether, cough, cough, Huether).

South Dakota is preparing to allow other people to take away your assets

Please protect yourselves.  Please contact the members of the South Dakota Senate Judiciary Committee (listed below) Monday.

Did you know South Dakota is preparing to allow other people to take away your assets or deplete your assets without you being able to do anything about it? On Tuesday February 27, 2018 the SD Senate Judiciary Committee will be considering a poorly written bill allowing other people to determine your personal and financial fate. They will be considering HB 1204, the Uniform Power of Attorney Act. This bill while offering a few good ideas, allows someone to strip you of your rights at the point you are most vulnerable, when you are sick or aged. It will not allow you to fight a forced guardianship proceeding. It will allow trumped allegations of your mental or physical conditions to be ram rodded through a court proceeding where you are not even allowed representation.

How do I know this? Read the text of the email I just sent to the committee members today below:

I have witnessed and experienced the Power of Attorney (POA) process at its worst. As passed by the House, HB 1204 makes an easier method for greed and fraud to take over your life when you need protections most. There are no safeguards in HB 1204 protecting you, the person, before you can be locked away from everyone and everything you care about. HB 1204 only cares about the money assets and throws you, the financially depleted person as a carcass on to the state’s Medicaid program.

I have been an unpaid guardian, conservator and power of attorney in multiple states for several people for over 30 years. People entrusted me to be their eyes, ears and decision maker when they were most vulnerable. I have had to sit for hours over the course of years, in some cases, to know their deepest thoughts and fears as they aged. I have also been entrusted to complete their desires when the inevitable time comes, to help them reach death with dignity. These are not easy decisions to make for a healthy person and impossible to make when society does not want to help them in the way they wanted. In each situation I have been part of, I had to learn how each wanted my help. 

HB 1204 easily takes this most precious, personal and scary time away from the person they trusted and allows complete strangers to benefit without recourse. Frauds and deceptions can happen to the protected person without the ability of legal, family or current POA to help. A person can be locked up in a facility, controlled by strangers who have no interest other the next check they can receive until the assets are stripped.

Do you know how I know this? I have a family member currently locked up in a house, in a town she never wanted to live, with people she doesn’t liked, not being allowed to talk to her children without supervision and we family members have her cry out during phone calls for help to stop abuse without anyone being able to do so. This law as written, will legalize the entire process just described.

First, I believe in the model legislation HB 1204 was supposed to be based on, but this version before you only protects a commercial guardianship business at the expense of the person who may or may not have signed a POA. This legislation, as offered, will only protect the abusers of the elderly and those who have asked for assistance. 

When I recently asked the authors to consider modifications to HB 1204, the answer was “Well, you can sue if there is a problem.” HB 1204 does not have legal safeguards in place for a person to fight. In many states where this legislation has been introduced, this type of legislation has enhanced the professional guardianship industry to strip people of their rights, property and families.

If you have a chance to read the article link I am enclosing, you may see the mess Arizona and other states are considering for the UPOA process.

How the Elderly Lose Their Rights https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/10/09/how-the-elderly-lose-their-rights

Please help us fix the safeguards before making the system worse by passing this Uniform Power of Attorney bill, HB 1204. I know you are very busy with the work you do for South Dakota, but please vote no on HB 1204.

All we ask is for the public to be able to help craft this law to protect not only our loved ones but ourselves as we age. We average non legal or financial citizens should have been asked to be part of this process before we are abused like so many we can no longer see or talk to.

Brock.Greenfield@sdlegislature.gov

Arthur.Rusch@sdlegislature.gov

Craig.Kennedy@sdlegislature.gov

Kris.Langer@sdlegislature.gov

Stace.Nelson@sdlegislature.gov

Jenna.Netherton@sdlegislature.gov

Lance.Russell@sdlegislature.gov

Isaac.Latterell@sdlegislature.gov