The Legislative Research Council should be rejecting bills before they make it to Committee

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At the Legislative Coffee today, Representative Barthel (Former SF Police Chief) said this;

“In spite of what you hear on the news about a lot of the controversial bills, and things that are introduced, frankly a lot that stuff never even makes it the Governor’s desk. But a key part of that is because of the feed back that we get from the constituents and people we work for that’s how a lot of that stuff dies. And sometimes without that input we may not know what the feelings are of the people of the state.”

First off, maybe you would know what people actually want you to do if you hold some coffees, forums and townhalls BEFORE session instead of in the middle of session. Of maybe knocking on doors and talking to constituents face to face in the off season when the weather is nice.

While it is nice to know that Doug actually listens to constituents, these bills should never be written to begin with, and if they are, the LRC should be rejecting them based on the unconstitutional nature of them. Isn’t that their job? To ‘research’ the viability of these bills? To make sure they are ‘legal’?

Secondly to Barthel’s comment, everyday people have to take time out of their busy lives to drive to the barren wasteland of Pierre and testify against these ridiculous bills in committee hearings, wasting valuable time, energy and personal capital. If the legislature and LRC were doing their jobs, these bills wouldn’t see the light of day. So yes Doug, we do criticize the legislature for these moronic proposals, even if some of them are killed.

Former SFPD Chief, Barthel ‘NOW’ concerned about drug crime

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I heard he is proposing legislation to prosecute ghosts when they shoot at officers in parks.

One of the most glaring right issues now has to do with the meth and opioid crisis and what the legislature should do in response.

When it comes to any possible changes to state drug laws, former Sioux Falls police chief and current Sioux Falls Republican Rep. Doug Barthel said he would be leery to make any type of change to the state’s drug ingestion laws.

“I know we’re the only state in the country that makes ingestion a felony, but I do think there should be consequences just because of the fact you’ve taken the drug and now have it in your system you should be able to get off scott-free. I don’t think that’s right.”

LOL. Doug is suddenly concerned about drug use and crime. Must have fell and hit his head since he left the city. He said this in 2015 while blowing off crime in Sioux Falls;

Sioux Falls Police Chief Doug Barthel says the same things that help the city attract positive attention, and a growing population, also attract crime.

“Over that time period we’ve seen our city grow by almost 20,000 people. We just know there’s a certain number of people who are going to want to commit crimes,” Barthel said.

It’s a population issue I guess.

 

I guess anyone is better than Don Haggar

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The governor appoints ANOTHER legislator. I don’t know how many that is in his two terms as governor, but It has to be in the high teens. Democracy at work folks.

The governor appointed Doug Barthel, former SF police chief to District 10 seat left empty by another Republican quitter Don Haggar.

I get pretty leary of former law enforcement in the state legislature. Remember the stellar term of Gene Abdallah? Yeah, that was wonderful, NOT.

I was pretty surprised to hear he was a Republican since most public servants that are not elected are independents, unless he changed his registration after he retired.

Doug had a pretty good term as Police Chief until his final years where he peddled the Mayor’s denial of a rising crime wave before the last mayoral election. He also wasn’t very honest about what happened at Tuthill Park and the ‘supposed’ shooting. A case that was dropped when he walked out the door. He also was pretty lax with the policy of police officers eating at the hospitals for free.

Doug is a nice guy and all, I just wish he would have stayed in retirement from public service.