RAH! RAH! RAH! GOOOOOOOOO . . . EVENTS CENTER!

l3wis July 6, 2011 19Comments

This group is such a joke. Just watch the press conference where they didn’t even know each other’s names. LOL!

I’m all for people organizing in our community to make it a better place to live, but we all know this is just a shell cheerleading squad for the Mayor’s proposal.

I’ll say it again, Huether wants it on the ballot in November 2011, so if it fails he can try again in November 2012. Trust me folks, we are going to vote on this every year until it passes.

Kristi Noem

Snooki Noem screamin’ out of both sides of her mouth (H/T – Helga)

l3wis July 6, 2011 3Comments

Just like her buddy Ironic Johnny Thune-Bag, Noem bellies up to the trough

Freshman Republicans Lobby Federal Agencies For Millions Amid Spending Critiques

As lawmakers prepare to cut trillions of dollars from the budget as a condition to raising the nation’s debt ceiling, the story of the Cates Landing project underscores the dilemma that faces many members of the Republican-run House and the freshmen class in particular. Federal spending is derided as nothing short of a threat to the country’s future — unless, of course, it happens to be directed at that congressman’s home district.

Sara Sendek, a spokesman for Fincher, noted that the $13 million grant request was actually made by his predecessor, Rep. Jon Tanner (D-Tenn.). Even so, she added, “Congressman Fincher does support this project.”

As for the why: “He believes government does play a role in creating an environment that attracts private investment and job growth. This project does exactly that,” she said. “It is very important for Tennessee’s economy and for the country’s economy. So it was absolutely worthwhile.”

Such an explanation sounds like something out of the mouth of a Keynesian economist, rather than the musings of a congressman whoÂ proudly touts his support from the Tea Party movement. But Fincher is hardly alone. A Freedom of Information Act request of the communications between freshmen House members and federal agencies reveals that, in private, GOP lawmakers have pressed for tens of millions of dollars in federal help for their districts, even while decrying federal spending in front of the national press corps.

And then Snooki steps in . . .As much as the spending requests raise questions about the ideological consistency of the freshmen Republican class, they also underscore the arguments Democrats have been making during the height of deficit-reduction debate: The government plays a vital role in activities that the private sector often avoids.

This, undoubtedly, was what compelled freshmen Reps. Kristi Noem (R-S.D.), Scott Tipton (R-Colo.), Cory Gardner (R-Colo.) and Kevin Yoder (R-Kan.) toÂ co-sign an April 6 letter to the Department of Agriculture requesting that unused funds be spent helping the Rocky Mountain Region combat a bark beetle epidemic. It also seemed to be the thought process behind another letter Noem wrote to the Agriculture Department, demanding that South Dakota get its fair share of federal funds for wildfire damage control. Noem’s office did not return a request for comment.

Whether these members can turn around and make that argument that, for all their anti-spending bluster, the money they have requested is both legitimate and necessary may prove a tricky — though not impossible — task. Securing a contract for a defense company in one’s home district or getting a grant to build a new port are tried and true measures of securing voter support. And so long as the expenses are justified as legitimate and job-creating, even members of the Tea Party seem willing to limit their concerns to the practice of securing the money and not the money itself.

“Obviously there is going to be infrastructure spending, and one of the jobs of a Representative is to represent their district,” said Mark Meckler, co-founder of Tea Party Patriots. “I would say that we should be paying close attention to this process of petitioning federal agencies [for money] â€¦ But I don’t think anybody is saying that when the federal government is spending money, that no congressman should try to fund projects his district needs. I think what they are saying is we don’t want egregious, crazy, pork barrel spending.”

SF City Council Sioux Falls

Please correct the POS city employee salary listing

l3wis July 6, 2011 6Comments

I spoke at the city council meeting last night during public testimony (after removing my hat of course) about how this file is a piece of shit and it should be fixed. I told the mayor that I wasn’t blaming him for it’s current format, but the past administration, but it was his duty to fix it in the name of transparency. I did see him make a note about it when I was talking, so we will see.

I also brought up that we should build a parking ramp next to a new events center instead of building flat surface parking in the middle of nowhere. You could charge for ramp parking and it could pay for itself in a few years. I also went to bat for an indoor pool in conjunction with the school district. Then I put my hat back on and sat down.

Rex Rolfing SF City Council Sioux Falls

Decorum? Tell Abe Lincoln.

l3wis July 5, 2011 15Comments

I was asked to remove my hat tonight while addressing the city council by city councilor Rolfing because of ‘decorum’

â€“ politeness,Â manners,Â dignity â€“

Didn’t know wearing a hat offended anyone? But apparently Mr. Rolfing thought so. I removed my hat and quoted my favorite founding father in reference to independence day:

“Anyone who trades liberty for security deserves neither liberty nor security”

Well, I kinda said that. I wonder if the French asked Franklin to remove his coon skin cap while negoitating, or if Abe Lincoln was asked to remove his hat, because of ‘Decorum’. I think Mr. Rolfing has a bullshit view of what political ‘decorum’ entails. I suggest he does his research. He forgets that ‘I’ elected him, and ‘I’ pay his wages, not the other way around. Now if he was wearing a hat, maybe it would be ‘decorum’ for me to ask him to remove ‘his’ hat, but not the other way around. But to tell you the truth, I don’t give a shit, let’s move on with things that are important to city government, prudence and honesty, not hats. I also ranted about indoor pools, parking ramps and employee listings. I must warn you, I had a beer and a wine at Parkers and a fantastic piece of fish (that tasted like a porkchop) before my onslaught. But hey, I’m not getting paid to toot my horn, so lubrication is good. Right?

Sioux Falls