South DaCola

Editorial Cartoonist from South Dakota

December 2008

Brendan Johnson Governor Rounds Rounds Tim Johnson

Marion M. Rounds and more conflicts of interest. GET OUT!

l3wis 3Comments

 

RCJ  ;prints a story about

A brother-in-law to Gov. Mike Rounds is working as a consultant for Powertech Uranium Corp., the Canadian business that is exploring for uranium near Edgemont.

Randy Brich of Pierre, who is married to the governor’s sister, Michele, is working in media relations on contract for Powertech. Brich also is part of the public-relations team for the corporation’s Dewey Burdock project in the Edgemont area.

Of course Pitty Pat Powers is trying to make a connection to this nepotism to the US Attorney appointment that is in the works for Brendan Johnson.

If Senator Johnson’s son – while very likely qualified – is named as the U.S. Attorney, no matter how they try to game the system to avoid it, it is impossible to avoid the appearance of improprety. Unless we now have adopted the monarchy that our forefathers eschewed so long ago, and endorse the naked building of political dynasties. Because that’s the only way this can be justified.

Otherwise, the naming of Brendan Johnson as U.S. Attorney in the same state his father holds the position of U.S. Senator is improper. No matter how much Senator Johnson’s son wants the job, no matter how much he might be qualified, the honorable thing to do is to take a pass until his dad is no longer U.S. Senator.

Period.

Sorry PP, stretching it again. Tapping someone to be a US Attorney (a person who has the creds to do the job, BTW) from the same party our President and Senior Senator are from (ohh, big surprise) and having a brother-in-law representing an energy company that wants to mine hazardous materials in our state is quite different. Especially when you have a governor that 1) has mentioned building a Nuclear plant in SD publicly and 2) bases every decision he makes on how it can benefit him, his family or his campaign contributors.

Last I checked, the job of a US Attorney is far different then the job of a marketing person working for a private company that seeks our natural resources. One works for us, the other works for themself.

You figure it out.

Pam Homan SF School District Sioux Falls

Bullheaded

l3wis 0Comments

Here is a letter to the editor in the Argus Leader about the recent flier ban by the SF school district:

There are statistics all over the place about the correlation of extra-curricular activities for kids and their overall health and about how the inclusion in sports and other youth activities is inversely related to crime and school absenteeism. However, the school board is not concerned with the health of its constituents, and it is not concerned with the health and well-being of its constituents’ city. The school board is concerned with running and protecting the district. The kids, apparently, are secondary to that.

You nailed it with that one sentence. Homan could have solved the problem very quickly. She could have either reprimended or fired the communication director for failing to proof the school guide. Then she could have apologized and reassured us it will never happen again. Instead, as usual with Dr. Horse Farmer, she NEVER TAKES RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANYTHING, she calls in district attorneys and makes the school board make a very decision based on her mis-management. I suggest parents pressure the school board to FIRE Homan by taking up a petition.

What disappointed me most about the process the school board followed in adopting this new policy was the absolute disdain it appeared to have for those looking for some, any, alternative to stopping the distribution of these materials altogether. Publically, the board talked of partnering and working to find a solution. It asked for input and help in finding a way to continue the distribution. Privately, however, the board wanted none of it. From the first reading of this new policy, the school board had its collective mind made up, and no amount of input, cooperation or alternative ideas were going to get in the way.

Of course they did, they were worried about getting sued because instead of taking care of the problem internally, Homan passed the buck once again. She obviously gets paid too much if she can’t solve tiny little problems like this.

Bam. Unanimous decision. All done. No more access to the kids. The school board is, after all, smarter than the rest of us. It knows what’s best.

Perhaps it is and does. I mean, I certainly feel dumb right now. I voted for at least one of them.

I suggest you run for school board or recruit people who have the best interest of the kids in mind, and like I said earlier, get rid of Homan. Whether she will admit to it or not, she works for us. Her and Munson must be buds.

Sideshow

In memory of Sideshow (1976-2001)

l3wis 0Comments

Sideshow was a proud Mickey D’s employee like myself in our illustrious teen years. This is one of his finer moments. He could also open up the back of his throat and tip a pint of beer in one gulp. He drank FREE a lot of nights because of that. He could also spit fire, put a clothes hanger through his nose and hold up a biker leather jacket and his ultimate trick was sucking a condom up his nose and blowing a bubble with it out of his mouth. His talents will be missed.

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