Do you like the new gay pride colors?
WASHINGTON – Pentagon chief Leon Panetta has decided to end the ban on gays serving openly in the armed services and certify that repealing the 17-year-old prohibition will not hurt the military’s ability to fight, officials said Thursday.
This actually is great news. Every industrialized nation in the world allows openly gay soldiers to serve. And our country is no different, only now, they don’t have to hide in the closet.
Here we go again, the bleeding heart liberals want education funding while the Repugs don’t want to pay for it. Their compromise? A sales tax increase;
A group of advocates for health care providers and public schools is moving forward with plans to initiate a ballot measure that would permanently raise the state sales tax by 1 cent.
Motivated by deep cuts in state spending during the past legislative session, the coalition polled likely voters on their appetite for a sales tax increase to pay for state services.
This is misguided for a number of reasons, and I will give you the basics;
• The money exists to fund education already. Over $800 million sits in an investment fund specifically for rainy day situations, but the Repugs in the state would rather give massive tax cuts to corporations instead of spending that money on education. It is idiotic to raise taxes when we simply just need the legislature to authorize spending these funds.
• Sales taxes are regressive, they affect the working class and poor more then the rich. It is NEVER a good idea to raise sales taxes, especially to fund education (which is traditionally funded by property taxes).
• Let’s say the investment fund did not exist. Fine. Why not start a petition drive to have a state income tax on households making over $100,000 a year? Or taxing advertising, or even better yet, a corporate income tax? People say any of these things are job killers. Bullshit. Corporations set up shop in SD because they can get away with paying shit wages. It has nothing to do with taxes.
• Healthcare costs are over the top. There needs to be healthcare reform instead of continuing to feed this monster with more tax increases.
Instead of tax increases, a more prudent thing to do is to encourage legislators and the governor to tap into the investment fund. I would also suggest we do some house cleaning in Pierre.
DO NOT SIGN THIS PETITION!
It’s only 9 minutes long, but I struggled getting through it.
I had a reader send me his comments on what he thinks of Sanford lending a hand in Ghana.
South Dakota has 9 Sioux Indian reservations. I sure don’t need to tell you or the Senator that these are among the most impoverished, desperate venues in the entire USA. Diabetes is rampant, as are alcoholism, suicide, violent crime, domestic violence. Â Sky-high unemployment, hopelessness and despair are pervasive.
In the face of all this need, Sanford is exporting its energies, its income and expertise to locations far-flung from the Dakotas.
ALL of the gross revenues of Sanford Health are generated in the Dakotas. These are direct and indirect taxpayer funds consisting of Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement, third party health plans, and even include Sanford’s own health insurance company from which it generates premium dollars and subsidizes its own health care system. To my knowledge, all of the real properties owned by Sanford are exempt from real property taxes. All of the net revenues of Sanford are excluded from federal income tax. Sanford receives police and fire protection, the services of state and local governments, and the protections of the laws at the federal, state and local levels. Sanford contributes nothing directly for the benefits it receives.
During the Guilded Age, those who set the historical background for true philanthropy in the USA first accumulated their assets through private efforts and private intitiative. Here, with Sanford Health, we have a “non-profit†corporate enterprise that is directly and indirectly subsidized and funded by the taxpayers.  If Sanford has this kind of largesse at its disposal, the citizens of South Dakota deserve to have it spent here to benefit the citizens who have sacrificed to make it possible.
I dare say that Sanford could either eradicate or greatly reduce the effects of diabetes in the Native American population of South Dakota if only it had the mind to do so. The public must demand it. A non-profit corporation is not a private business to be exploited by its owners with no public accountability – ‘by Atticus’
I couldn’t have said it better myself.
C: As I understand it you will be waiting on our party of ten tonight?
ME: Yes, I am waiting for the people to leave from table 15 and I will clean it up and seat you right away.
C: Can I speak to you for a moment about what the hostess said to me when we requested the table?
Me: Sure, I have some time.
C: When I requested the table, the hostess said to me. “We will get you a cute waitress.” and I said to her, “I don’t want a cute waitress, I want the nastiest, gnarliest server you have.” She says, “I will give you Scott.”
S. L. Ehrisman (c) 7/20/11
l3wis