The short answer is YES. And why? Well because we built the bunker ramp even though every single person in this town told Poops to back out on the deal. So now we will be paying MORE for parking DTSF because of the horrible decisions of the city council and TWO MAYORS! Maybe we need to put in a sex meter at the bunker ramp, that would generate a lot of funny money.
Loved this quote in an article about how Poops changed the liquor license process to highest bidder;
“While we are excited to be able to move forward with our business plans, the costs incurred simply to have the ability to serve liquor is a massive financial strain,” De Jong said.
“A great city is made of great small businesses, and that includes bars. The current sealed bid process is not small-business friendly, and I’m afraid that’s going to impact the type of establishments we see opening in the future.”
He said he’d like to see the city move back to a waitlist model “but with more vetting and stricter regulations on usage and resell” while discouraging bidders who ultimately don’t intend to open an establishment and see the license as an opportunity for resale.
I have said all along we need to get rid of permanent liquor licenses that are bought and sold on the free market like booty prizes and do a yearly licensing fee. But the morons in Pierre will never figure this out.
In Politics: The Democratic National Convention begins in 10 days. President Joe Biden’s withdrawal as the Democratic Presidential Nominee and his replacement with Kamala Harris has sent most Democrats into a state of Euphoria. So far polls have justified their more optimistic mood and their dreams of success have extended into hopes of winning the House and maintaining their Majority in the Senate. We hope the polls are right and Democratic momentum continues through their Convention and on to Election Day in November. One thing we are sure of, Republicans and their 34 time convicted felon of a Presidential Candidate will do anything to win. It will be a grind but with hard work there is reason to have faith that Kamala Harris and Democratic candidates run the table and our Democratic System maintains itself.
In Politics: In South Dakota: I still wait for signs of a campaign, any campaign, by South Dakota Democratic candidates and The South Dakota Democratic Party (SDDP) without much success.
On the Voter Registration front in South Dakota, so far in August the Democratic Party has added 129 voters to its voter roll while the GOP added 778. The SDDP has stopped its decline and improved its game but it is still falling further behind and losing the race badly.
UPDATE: Spoke to the GM of Sunshine this morning and he told me they haven’t sold to transients in months ever since they have an ID scanner protocol. I noticed that also, so I am curious why the mayor had to single them out? Will Pomegranate Market be able to sell alcohol?
I don’t need to link the video, but if you are on Turdbook or SF Reddit you can find the video. Basically a person working in the bank building kitty korner from Fawick Park shot video of two folks screwing in front of the Bunker Ramp mural and unless you are a total prude it is pretty obvious the ‘bouncing’ wasn’t the latest moves in transient yoga.
A few days after this video surfaced the mayor had his heated presser about panhandling. C’mon Paul! Was this about panhandling or the hundreds of friends and colleagues that texted you the link to this video? I told someone if I were mayor and this was going on I would be infuriated. But when you do NOTHING for 6 years, literally NOTHING accept sign a check to the Dudley House and Banquet this is what happens.
I also take issue with his elitist views on alcohol. Every bar in this town, whether it is on expensive row on Phillips Avenue or a dive on East 10th street carries and uses well vodka. And guess what, whether that is on the bottom row at Slumshine or the bottom shelf at your favorite snooty bar it is all the same. It don’t get any better with what establishment you are at, just more expensive 🙂
Stores downtown, including Slumshine, are SERVING THEIR CLIENTELE. Hardworking middle class folks don’t drink top shelf. A case of Old Mil and a bottle of Old Crow will do just fine. So you are telling the stores they can’t sell their ‘gut rot’ because of a few bad actors? Why should the rest of their customers be inconvenienced because of these folks? A store, ANY STORE, in the free market system has the right to refuse service to ANYONE. And if an OBVIOUS panhandler is trying to buy ‘gut rot’ maybe we should just tell them to keep walking? Problem solved and it didn’t even take a Nine Iron. Whatever that meant 🙁
IF WE ARE SO COMPASSIONATE, WHY NOT SHUT OFF THAT FAUCET?
I told someone recently maybe the solution is shutting off the tap for a few weeks while the weather is nice. I am not talking about a total abolition of services but a readjustment. If I were the mayor and police chief I would have an immediate emergency meeting with non-profits like the Dudley House, the UGM and the Banquet and ask them to coordinate a pause in services for two weeks. I think it would still be fine for the Banquet to hand out to go meals for families and temporary housing for these families but everyone else would have to fend for themselves. I would also use this as an opportunity for these non-profits to hit the streets and meet these people where they are at, and maybe we can manage it better when we actually engage these folks on their turf. I know it sounds radical, but what we have been doing so far ain’t working.
CITY THINKS AGE DISCRIMINATION IS LEGAL
There has been an individual from Elkpoint coming to council meetings asking for assistance from the human relations commission (FF 2:24:30). In her recent testimony she said the city doesn’t think AGE is a protected worker right even though it has been Federal law since the 1960’s. This has been obvious with the pressure on Boomers in the city’s workforce to retire early or quit.
YOU THINK THIS IS FUNNY?
I was tuning into the Planning Commission meeting from last week for a little public input entertainment. Mostly older folks bitching about traffic in front of a proposed apartment building. Weird how when you build a road cars magically show up.
Besides the fact that one of the Commission members didn’t know what Shape Places is there was an inputer who was a little late speaking on an item that was already passed on the agenda. When that was explained to him he wasn’t having it saying he missed his opportunity to speak because he is hard of hearing from working at John Morrells his whole life. Yes, he said that. Then as they were trying to get him to sit down (he either couldn’t hear them or didn’t care) he catches a commissioner laughing at him. I will let you watch what happens next (FF: 39:30).
UPDATE: I got this picture this morning. As you can see the core of the dike is dirt. Not sure if they are going to build a concrete bulkhead on the west side of the wall, because if water ever goes over the wall with heavy rains it will just washout the dirt core and collapse the wall. Maybe that is by design? I don’t build diversion walls so I have NO clue what I am talking about, but does anyone else know if this is the proper way to build this? Seems like the two dudes working on it today looked like they were in a race against time.
So a foot soldier sent me an interesting email about the diversion channel the city is building by the Sioux Steel District. This was planned and not something the city was hiding;
Yesterday – Saturday – I walked on the recreation trail downtown to Falls Park. As I passed under the new Sixth Street bridge, I noticed that the river now has what looks like a diversion “wall”. It has pink quartzite rocks and concrete. I examined it more when I reached Fall Park and stood on the overlook deck. It looks like the river now flows under only one portion of the railroad bridge and no longer can flow freely under the whole thing. I’m not a fan of changing the flow of a river that nature created. Do you have any information how the construction company or property owner was allowed to build that diversion wall? In my opinion, it’s unbelievable that it was built – the flooding in June should have put that project on hold.
Sioux Falls will have future heavy rain events and water will make its way to the falls and will only have a narrow channel in which to flow. This is ridiculous.
I don’t know enough about how this all works, but I would like to know IF the Corp gave permission, and if so, if they are aware of how this will work?
l3wis