South DaCola

Editorial Cartoonist from South Dakota

State Legislature

Employee Free Choice Act South Dakotans State Legislature Unions

State Republican Legislators plan to waste more time on meaningless legislation. Like their failed attempt at criminalizing abortion they will fall flat on their faces again

l3wis 13Comments

UPDATE: Joel Dykstra is spreading lies right now on KCPO (Sunday 10:30 AM – Cable channel 2)

90602382

Kind of sounds like someone is posturing for the Governor’s race;

Two powerful Republican state legislators say they will fight a bill now in Congress that would allow unions to organize without a secret ballot. State Senate Majority Leader Dave Knudson, who also is running for governor, and House Majority Leader Bob Faehn of Watertown will introduce a bill in the next Legislature that would put the issue before state voters. The measure would amend the state constitution to require secret ballots in all political and labor organizing elections.

Only in SD, where we rank 50th in hourly wages, would legislators try to limit union participation and thumb their noses at Federal Law. I’m glad they want to put it on the ballot, because it will fail, just like the stupid abortion ban.

If their effort is successful, the state almost certainly would end up in federal court to defend its authority to require secret ballots in labor votes, Knudson acknowledged.

What’s the point? Instead of trying to limit worker’s rights, why not introduce legislation that actually expands worker’s rights? Oh that’s right, I forget SD’s motto, “Big Business and Special Interests first, citizens second.”

Rounds State Funding State Legislature Taxes

Rumblings of the 2010 legislative session in Pierre

l3wis 10Comments

I talked to a Republican businessman last night about what might be happening in Pierre next year, and two things stuck out;

– A law may be passed to allow 19 yr. olds to drink in beer joints

– Rounds would probably veto any legislation that would allow cities to increase the sales tax

He told me that many legislators are for lowering the drinking age (Dems and Repubs). Eleven other states have done it. But it has to be specific. 19-20 yr. olds would only be allowed to drink beer AND they could not purchase beer off-sale. I guess it is a loophole with Federal highway funding.

And as I mentioned before, the state will probably not give cities the power to raise retail taxes, unless they come to some agreement like letting the state to raise taxes at an equal amount, which we could see our taxes as high as 8%. We’ll see what happens. My prediction is that there would be a citizen uprising and the increase proposal won’t even make it out of committee. Which leaves us at square one, once again with the Event Center.

I still think the council and mayor should just raise the bed and booze tax and start building the damn thing already.

economy Sioux Falls State Legislature

Gee, willickers, could have seen this coming a mile away

l3wis 0Comments

Construction values are 50% of what they were last year at this time;

The number of building permits issued in Sioux Falls through August this year is up from the same time in 2008, though the value of that construction is down significantly.

Sioux Falls has issued 4,308 permits this year, up from 4,242 in 2008 but still down substantially from the 4,564 permits issued in 2007, according to city records.

But the total construction value in 2009 of $176.7 million is down from 2008, when the numbers through August were at $294.1 million.

There have been 681 new single-family, two-family and multiple-family permits issued in 2009 at a value of $71.3 million.

That compares to 1,016 new residential permits approved through August of 2008 at a value of $114.6 million.

This is no surprise to me, if you have been following the local economy as I have since last fall, you could have seen this coming a mile away. But city hall put their blindfolds on and approved a tax increase to build new roads anyway. While this is bad news for our local economy, it is good news to taxpayers. It means we can hold off on building new roads until it picks up, therefore saving us millions in the CIP budget, money we can either put in reserves or use on infrastructure upgrades (which should be the priority anyway). If developers can’t pony up their 50% towards new roads, taxpayers shouldn’t pony up either. According to the July financial report, taxpayers have put in $1.6 million into the new fund this year while developers have put in a whopping $90,000. Yes, we have put in 17x more money then the devolpers. Yet, the SD MSM doesn’t see a story here? Go figure. Of course this would require a new council that isn’t spend happy. In the informational meeting on Monday, councilor Beninga had a pity party about not having enough time to offer amendments to 2010’s budget, which probably means he will offer very few if any at all. The funny part of the conversation was when clerk Owen informed all the councilors that Staggers already turned in his (he was absent from the meeting). They seem shocked, and one councilor joked, “He has been probably working on them for a year.” Not quite. Then they asked if they could see them, and she replied that she would have to get permission from Staggers to show them. The city attorney’s office apparently is unaware of the new open records bill that started July 1. Quen Be De also got on her soapbox about wanting to raise the retail tax by a penny, and joked that not all the wisdom in the state resides in Pierre in the winter. While I do agree with her statement, I would have to say most legislators probably have more intellect in the tip of their little toe then she has in her whole body.

I can’t wait for the retail tax increase legislation to fail. Maybe I will throw a party.

State Legislature

Past due if you ask me

l3wis 5Comments

billboard

I’m all for raising fees on billboards, especially after you hear how little it costs

to license them a year;

Part of the reason for that surprising contrast is that South Dakota’s billboard permit fees have gone unchanged for 24 years, since 1985. The biggest billboard size allowed in South Dakota is 1,200 square feet, and the annual fee for a billboard of that size is $32.

The Hills Have Eyes psp

WTF! No fee increases for 24 years!? I have often said the advertising and marketing business gets off easy in South Dakota (there is no tax on print advertising). Of course the billboard companies are crying;

Not surprisingly, Wall Drug owner Ted Hustead was one of 10 people listed as opponents to the original version of Kirkeby’s billboard-fee increase during the bill’s first legislative hearing.

Several other influential figures also lined up against the bill: Gov. Mike Rounds’ sister, Michele Brich, who lobbied on behalf of the South Dakota Inn Keepers Association; David Owen, who represents the state’s entire business community as president of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry; and Dick Gregerson, who not only lobbies for billboard-industry giant Lamar Advertising but also is a member of the state’s Transportation Commission.

Lamar, one of the largest billboard companies in the country, that continues to eat up the little guys is a against a fee increase – SHOCKER!

You have to realize this is a YEARLY FEE, they are virtually paying $.10 a day to have a billboard in SD. That’s it! They want to raise the fee to about $.80 a day. Big whoop! Once again big business skirts paying it’s fair share, and ironically they could pass on to their customers.

« Previous Page — Next Page »

You Missed

Uncategorized

Glad I could be of assistance

Art Sioux Falls

The City of Sioux Falls lacks transparency? Get out!

Mayor TenHaken SF City Council Sioux Falls Sioux Falls Parks and Rec

UPDATE: Mayor ‘Kick the Can’ does it again

Uncategorized

Why do some British people not like Donald Trump? By Nate White