South DaCola

Editorial Cartoonist from South Dakota

State Legislature

Global Warming State Legislature

WTF is wrong with our state legislators? (H/T – Helga)

l3wis 14Comments

South Dakota legislators tell schools to teach ‘astrological’ explanation for global warming.

Last week, the South Dakota House of Representatives passed a resolution to “urge” public schools to teach astrology. By a 36-30 vote, the legislators passed House Concurrent Resolution 1009, “Calling for balanced teaching of global warming in the public schools of South Dakota.” After repeating long–debunked denier myths and calling carbon dioxide “the gas of life,” the resolution concludes that public schools should teach that “global warming is a scientific theory rather than a proven fact”:

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, by the House of Representatives of the Eighty-fifth Legislature of the State of South Dakota, the Senate concurring therein, that the South Dakota Legislature urges that instruction in the public schools relating to global warming include the following:

(1) That global warming is a scientific theory rather than a proven fact;
(2) That there are a variety of climatological, meteorological, astrological, thermological, cosmological, and ecological dynamics that can effect [sic] world weather phenomena and that the significance and interrelativity of these factors is largely speculative; and
(3) That the debate on global warming has subsumed political and philosophical viewpoints which have complicated and prejudiced the scientific investigation of global warming phenomena; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Legislature urges that all instruction on the theory of global warming be appropriate to the age and academic development of the student and to the prevailing classroom circumstances.

Yesterday, the South Dakota Senate passed by a vote of 18-17 an amended version of the resolution which eliminates most of the anti-science conspiracy theories, but still asserts that the “global warming debate” has “prejudiced the scientific investigation of global climatic change phenomena.” The amended version now “returns to the House for approval.” (HT: Thoughts From Kansas)

Manny Steele State Legislature

The Hypocrisy of Manny Steele? (H/T- Equal Junction)

l3wis 8Comments

This is amazing article about not just the hypocrisy of Rep. Steele, but of the hypocrisy of many Pierre lawmakers. Remember Mr. Klaudt?

Earlier this week, at their weekly Legislative Coffee, Representative Manny Steele (R-SD) compared homosexuals to pedophiles. Steele said this to support his vote for NO on HB 1144-the South Dakota Bill that would ban discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. After learning more about Representative Steele, and his family…and his6 sons, we knew the math was on OUR side,he doth protest too much.

On Thursday, we spoke with Rep. Steele regarding his stance for No on HB 1144, we discussed his comment and wanted to give him a chance to apologize and recant this ignorant statement. During our time with the representative, he was given multiple opportunities to recant and apologize for these remarks. No apology was offered. Steele only continued to tow the line of hate and ignorance by saying that being Gay is “a choice.”

“There are people that are beastialogists. There are people who have sex with animals, so do we say that’s ok? Is that ok for society?”  –Rep. Steele

Let the hypocrisy begin. It wasn’t until cornered with his circular and arcane logic broken, that he gave up and admitted that he actually has a homosexual son. He reluctantly admitted, “my 3rd son…is Gay,” and later inquired if we would reach out to him and attempt to try and defend his record. This was his last possible refuge from sounding like a monster.  Fortunately for us, and our community, his own son, Randy Steele admits, “I wouldn’t vote for him.”

1st Amendment South Dakotans State Legislature

Some of our jackass state legislators FAIL again

l3wis 3Comments

Who cares about Ben Franklin, he was a nobody

Good news from Pierre, again. I’m starting to like the 2o10 legislative session more and more everyday.

Maybe they shouldn’t have asked a lawyer that has had trouble in the past interpreting the 1st Amendment to write legislation for them . . . I’m just saying.

A House committee killed a bill that would have required those who operate Internet sites to keep records so they could identify people who anonymously contribute defamatory comments.

One of our greatest founding fathers, Franklin, often railed against England in anonymous letters to newspapers. Just imagine if Franklin feared anon dissent and did nothing? Where would our country be today. Do modern day lawmakers have any clue about history? Apparently not.

food tax State Funding State Legislature

HB 1255 Passes Committee (ending the food tax)

l3wis 6Comments

UPDATE: More Games

After such a nice victory in Taxation Committee this morning, a move led by Rep.Faehn in the House this afternoon has now sent HB1255 to Appropriations Committee on Monday morning for its next vote, rather than the full House. So here we go. Your contacts were  wonderful to the last committee. Let’s convince this one too! The people need this tax shift.

If you need any further inspiration, read this from Matt Gassen, Director of Community Food Banks of SD (which distributes food to over 500 agencies in SD)
“No other tax so directly takes food off the family table as the current 4% state tax on food items. To shift the tax off food as proposed in HB 1255 could be one of the single most significant pieces of legislation to impact the hungry of South Dakota in a long time. With the continuing increase in the numbers of individuals (78,000 statewide) seeking emergency food assistance a recent study shows that 32% choose between buying groceries and paying for utilities or heating fuel, 29% choose between food and rent/mortgages and 32% choose between food and gas for their cars. The passage of this bill would make the family budget go farther and increase the amount of food that their grocery dollars would buy. It could also help to ease the strain on emergency feeding programs who are struggling to find enough food to help all those in need.”

Next to house floor – needs 2/3 vote

HB1255 is a revenue-neutral tax shift. The state comes out even with the shift from the 4% state portion of food tax to  3/10% on non-food sales. It is revenue-neutral for the state, but middle- and lower-income people will be better able to afford their basic needs. Better than refund programs. The benefit comes right at the grocery store, to reduce hunger, and improve health and family financial stability.

What about the argument that taxing food provides the state a “stable source of revenue”? This is a line of reasoning from a time when the economy was better, and the worry was  that when times get tough, at least there would be revenue coming from grocery purchases. Well, times are tough. This is the down time. Making a revenue-neutral tax shift when the economy is down would take the worry out of taking tax off food. This is the time to make the shift. The issue will continue until the tax comes off food, so legislators would be wise to do it now. (Does this make sense? There should be a more concise way to explain it.)

Pastries South Dakotans State Legislature

As a Czech / German, I’m torn. Kolache vs. Kuchen? What’s your favorite?

l3wis 21Comments

While I support this measure;

State Senator Frank Klocek says he’s not backing down in what he calls the Kolache war. The Scotland Democrat failed to convince a legislative committee to pass a bill that would designate the kolache as the state’s official pastry. Some committee members say the bagel or the cannoli are good candidates too. Klocek says he’ll try to get the kolache bill considered on the senate floor, even though it was defeated 4 to 2 in committee.

The German in me also loves Kuchen. I’m torn.

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