Trust me, I didn’t think he had much of a chance, but polling has been showing otherwise;

The most recent survey by Nielson Brothers Polling (NBP) shows Public Utilities Commission (PUC) candidate Matt McGovern as the strongest statewide Democratic candidate. In the NBP survey of likely South Dakota voters, conducted from October 28 to October 31, McGovern leads Republican Kristie Fiegen by 6 percent (45 to 39 percent). Libertarian Russell Clarke receives 5 percent of support, with 11 percent “undecided.”

Besides Neilson’s, sometimes skeptical polling, there has been internal polling by the Dems and Repugs.

McGovern is ahead.

I have learned from following politics not to hold my breath though – but – I will wish Matt luck.

Fiegen would wreak havoc on the PUC.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19ToC8pQrCY[/youtube]

(Guest Poster contributed to the following)

Think about this for a moment and we see Xcel the holes to the discussion.  Why should we allow Xcel charge us for jet travel when a Cessna 182 or other prop plane will do the job with all the same arguments?  Xcel is lying and they know it.  Why should we care if they are a multi-billion dollar company so their CEO has to be paid like the others, leaving us to suffer under their excessive CEO salary structure?  It is not our fault they decided to build their debt load to get richer.  NSP used to be a well-run organization but we are now suffering under the Enron greed model.  South Dakota rate payers should only “have” to pay for required trips to South Dakota and no more.  These trips should be reimbursed at a standard PUC approved rate.  So cost effective for who and how?  The only way to question this activity is have someone on the board who has not had the pleasure of Leaving on a Jetplane.

Also noted here is Fiegen’s statement: “I live in real-ville, fighting for South Dakota families and their pocketbooks every day — not politics,” Fiegen said in an email. “And I will continue fighting for South Dakota families for the next six years.” Since when is the political Queen of South Dakota ALEC living in ‘real-ville’?

These planes are luxuries for the side benefit of the CEO and Boards only justified by occasional use by staffs.  Private industry can have them because they have to justify them in their profit and loss statements.  Regulated Public Utilities are not private corporations when it comes to the law.  We may not own them directly but the state PUC has full rights to all transactions for the setting of rates to ram own our throats.  This is an expense frill for the “managers” of the business to make themselves more ‘important’.

This is an interesting turn. As we work on the our ALEC funded SOS Mr. Gant, we keep turning more corners in our journey.  Now we find out how needy Ms. Fiegen has been for attention from all the wrong people and companies. As we have been digging we wondered why and then how Ms. Fiegen was receiving money from the out of state Koch Brother allies and then this showed up in our mailbox.

You see, Kristi Fiegen has been running for one office or another for several years now with a curious string of money, legislative and PUC decisions trailing behind her. Why would a keeper of the public trust, with a position to hold the utility companies feet to the ‘fire’, cave into every big utility companies at every turn. All you farmers, do you know what will be happening to your local REA once ALEC controlled Chris Nelson and Kristi Fiegen have their full terms? Kristi has been going to training ALEC sessions paid for by the State of South Dakota.

We find Ms. Fiegen begged the 1999 Republican led Legislative Interim Executive Board for some special funding.  According to Item #6: “The Board reviewed a letter from Representative Kristie Fiegen, state chair of ALEC, requesting that registration fees and up to $250 of travel expense be authorized for ten legislators to attend the 1999 ALEC convention.” This is $2,500 plus registration fees to learn how to ‘legally’ rip-off the people of South Dakota.

You see, ALEC is an organization operated by the billionaire Koch Brothers for the benefit of their friends. These brothers are the sons of one of the founding financiers of the John Birch Society, an organization known for advocating some very non-Christian, anti-South Dakota, anti-family farmer, small business positions.

Kristi Fiegen was asking, in her position as the South Dakota ALEC Leader, to have the State of South Dakota pay the trip expenses and registration fees for a select group of legislators to the next training sessions. These training sessions teach “our” representatives how to rape and pillage the treasury, resources and people of the State of South Dakota in creative ways.  As a side benefit, these representatives get to learn how to be good ALEC members in order to receive money in the form of campaign contributions. If the ALEC members are really nice to the out of state money changers, money will come their way.  This will give them the ability to run for bigger and better offices. Governmental offices like SOS, PUC, judgeships, legislative leadership, Attorney General, Congress and more become available if the game is played right. If you are ambitious with low standards, ethics or morals, sign up to be an ALEC member and rip-off your neighbors.

When you look at the finance records of your GOP legislators and consider this question, “What part of their souls did they have to sell to get the out of state money contributions?”

Kristie has also been busy with some other ‘projects’

Cosponsored legislation to eliminate the one-year ban on lobbying by former state employees:
Voted to raise gas taxes in 1997: