Ethics

Tax Happy!

What a perfect time to raise taxes, while the economy is in the toilet. That’s our city government, always thinking (about their campaign contributors that is).

KELO-TV does a story;

Eight South Dakota communities will implement new municipal taxes or increase taxes on January 1.

And Sioux Falls is increasing its current 1.92 percent local sales tax to 2 percent.

I would like to thank anyone who signed the petition to lower the sales tax in 2010 to 1.90 this past weekend.

Alaska’s Biggest Newspaper Wonders Which Palin Will Return Home

It’s obvious which Sarah Palin Alaskans need to see in the next two years. Alaskans elected her to be governor, not to give her a platform to run for president in 2012. Alaskans chose her because she promised a different way of doing business, not more of the same mindless partisan warfare.

Centrist Sarah Palin or the highly partisan social conservative Sarah Palin?

Onward, Christian Nation!

 

I’ve heard a lot lately about how this nation was founded by Christian men and with Christian principles. Interestingly, our founding fathers (who were still running the government at the time of the following treaty) made sure to shoot this notion down in the treaty ending our first war on Islamic terrorists. Here’s some of the text from the Treaty of Peace and Friendship signed at Tripoli on Nov. 4, 1796:

ARTICLE 11.

As the government of the United States of America is not in any sense founded on the Christian Religion,-as it has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion or tranquility of Musselmen (muslims),-and as the said States never have entered into any war or act of hostility against any Mehomitan (Islamic) nation, it is declared by the parties that no pretext arising from religious opinions shall ever produce an interruption of the harmony existing between the two countries. 

Emphasis mine.

Why is this relevant?

Because increasingly, theocrats disguised as republicans and campaigning on “values” have begun trying to foist religiously-based laws on this state and nation under the mistaken belief that we are a Christian nation. In reality, we have no official religion, and the establishment of such an organization is expressly forbidden by our constitution – which was written, voted on, and ratified by our “Christian” founding fathers.

What two little birdies told me today

The first little birdy told me that apparently councilor Litz thinks I filed an ethics opinion against him because a certain politician urged me to. Let me make something very clear to Mr. Litz, NO politician or campaign staffer tells me what to do, just ask Martha Vanderlinde’s campaign manager, when I read her the riot act on that very topic. My cartoons would be very ineffective if I was getting writing and editing advice by the very people I was supposed to be making fun of. I took action for the citizens and it was the right thing to do, something Mr. Litz knows very little about.

This same birdy also told me that I wasn’t the only one who filed the opinion, another citizen did to, but they asked to be confidential – wonder who urged them – their conscience perhaps?

Shortly after the first birdy spoke with me, another one came to my window on this fine fall day and told me there is a rumor floating around that Mayor Munson is mentoring Councilor Brown, which made me laugh so hard that I think I blew birdy number 2 off of my window sill.

See, it’s no secret that Vernon is considering running for mayor in 2010 even though when he was running against Stehly he denied that, because his councilor term is not up until 2012. I think if I was running for mayor the last person I would want as my mentor was a big government spender that almost didn’t run for a second term because of a possible ordinance and campaign finance violation. I say go for it Vernon, but I would pick a different mentor, may I suggest Kermit Staggers?