South DaCola

Editorial Cartoonist from South Dakota

2020

Mayor TenHaken Public Works Sioux Falls snow removal Snowgates

I warned about lack of plowing on residential streets

l3wis 6Comments

Well, if you think the residential streets are bad tonight, wait until the mess 24 hours from now.

I have been gradually seeing the past 3 years how the public works/street department in some weird effort to save money, has been neglecting to plow residential streets claiming ‘mother nature’ will do the job for them.

Sorry, that’s not the case in late December McFly.

Last Wednesday we had a blizzard that left about 3-4 inches and massive drifts on residential streets, none of it was plowed or removed. Yesterday we had another 2-3 inches added on top of that with little to no snow melt. The residential street I live on has well over 4 inches of half sloppy have compacted snow with several drift piles.

Oh, but it gets better, we are getting another 4-6 inches or more tomorrow on top of what is already making residential streets dangerous.

The main roads and emergency snow routes have been clean for a long time. Couldn’t the street department at least hit the troubled residential streets before we get hit in the morning?

I will remind people the main reason we pay taxes is for essential services, fire, police, street maintenance, you get the picture, unfortunately city hall thinks we need to save money on these things while we bail out non-profit private movie theaters, pay the salaries of management for closed entertainment facilities and give massive tax rebates to developers.

I’m still surprised I didn’t see volunteer church groups out scooping side streets yesterday. Don’t laugh, we are getting to that point with Prophet Stoneless running this city.

County Commission Minnehaha County South Dakotans State Legislature

Is the South Dakota Legislature considering legislation to appoint county auditors and treasurers?

l3wis 1Comments

There was a rumor roaming around the halls of the Minnehaha County Administration building that a District 13 Republican legislator is considering sponsoring a law that would allow county commissioners to appoint their treasurers and auditors instead of electing them.

I know what their main arguments will be, they want to appoint someone with experience in the field. But I am no dummy, that is a ruse. They want to appoint people they can control, and since most legislators and county commissions are Republicans that means these appointees will be Republicans.

I will tell you why I am against this move;

• Keeping our county officials who run elections and collect taxes as elected officials means accountability to the taxpayers not the county commission.

• There is more transparency from elected officials versus bureaucrats.

• This is a power grab by the SD Republican Party since they control all the other bodies of power in local government they can now snatch up one party rule in these offices.

• Less compassion and understanding with tax collection. If the treasurer doesn’t have to answer to the citizens, they can pursue all means possible to collect taxes and inflict harm and penalties.

• The appointed auditor may also set policies forward that inflict voter suppression in certain districts.

This is a bad idea all the way around. There are simpler changes to the law to get more qualified elected officers. First you could make the positions non-partisan (I would say this for the county commissioners also). You could also require candidates to at least have education or experience in accounting or auditing before they could be allowed on the ballot.

If it makes it to the floor of the legislature, which I think it will, it will likely pass and give even more power to the super-majority authoritarian fascist radical right SD GOP.

I have also heard the recently appointed (non-elected) auditor who replaced Litz got quite the pay bump over what Litz was getting. There was also some shuffling of deck chairs between the treasurer’s and auditor’s office due to conflicts of interest. Another reason why appointing these officers is a bad idea.

Ethics Sioux Falls

Is the City of Sioux Falls looking for an Insurance Policy against Ethics Legal Corruption?

l3wis 11Comments

I’m hearing rumors today that the Public Assurance Alliance that insures Sioux Falls and other SD municipalities is looking to add a policy that would secure legal expenditures for elected officials who may have legal expenses due to ethics complaints.

The Alliance already covers city employees (non-elected officials) for these things, but would make an extension to those elected by the public.

You already may know my opinion on the matter.

If this is true, stay tuned for further commentary on how I oppose this taxpayer expense.

Thune

Is it time for Ironic Johnny Thunebag ‘Mitch’s Boy’ to go? Yes, Yes and Yes.

l3wis 19Comments

Trump’s recent assessment of Thune had me laughing, because it is true. John has been Mitch’s lap dog for a long time, that’s how he got to majority whip. I call him ironic because when he ran against Daschle he claimed Tom’s position of Majority Leader made him forget he was representing South Dakota. How’s that working out for you John?

John has been in Washington for 21 years (Congress 1997-2003, Senate 2005-present). What has he accomplished? Well if you look at his voting record, you could argue that he has done good and bad depending on your political views. In my opinion I think the only thing progressives and conservatives can agree on Thune’s actions is he has been good to veterans. In the Senate he sponsored 740 bills. Most of his bills have to do with military, abortion and agriculture.

Here are some highlights;

• Anti-gun safety and gun regulation

• Anti-choice and women’s healthcare funding

• Anti-environmental and agriculture regulations

• Anti-immigration

• Anti-employee and worker rights and safety regulations

• Massive tax cuts to the super rich

While it is probably easy to understand why a red state like South Dakota has continued to re-elect this conservative ass clown, the laws Thune has helped pass have actually kept our state in the stone age. I actually believe Kristi Noem when she says she won’t challenge Thune in a primary and is good friends with him, because they are political twins (I sometimes think they are the same person).

Can Thune be beat in 2022? Most would say NO. I would agree with that assumption in a Republican primary but not in a general. As I told someone once that I was helping to run for office, “Anyone is beatable, but you have to put in the work.” I think if the right candidate presents themselves they could beat Thunebag.

Before I get ahead of myself, I think the first step is the SD Democratic Party recruits someone this summer thru a full vetting and grooming process and announcing the candidacy next Fall. While I think the Democratic brand in South Dakota is extremely damaged, I don’t think a true independent could challenge Thune, they would need the backing of the National Democratic party. I also think you could find someone who is very moderate on the issues and could appeal to the conservatives. They also need to be willing to challenge Thune on all the issues, and be an incredible public speaker. Showing up as a candidate and making a good show of it is half the battle. If you roam around the cornfield and talk like a dolt, what’s the point? This is why recruitment is key to beating Thune. The campaign will be the easy part if you pick the right person.

Trump is right, it’s time for Thune to pack it up, but we need to replace him with a Democrat not another Republican lackey. I hope the Democratic Party in South Dakota gets moving on this . . . today!

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