May 2015

Pam Homan SF School District Sioux Falls

Write your own caption

l3wis May 18, 2015 9Comments

It seems short-timer Super-Duper Pam Homan was more concerned about her phone and text messaging then the graduates of Roosevelt HS while they were being handed their diplomas yesterday. Seems fitting.

So what do you think she was doing on her phone, I will get things rolling;

“Okay, how do I change my FB status to retired superintendent to full-time hobby equestrian?”

“Oh, Grumpy Cat, how you make me laugh.”

“I can’t believe they let school out this early, it’s gonna be colder then sh*t this week!”

Employment South Dakotans

Nursing pay in South Dakota ranks 48th in Nation

l3wis May 18, 2015 7Comments

Should this surprise any of us? Not really, I have had at least two friends leave SD for better pay in nursing. One of them got her pay doubled when she moved to Washington State. I was also told by both of them, working conditions were not the best either in SDÂ (one had worked at both major hospitals and the other worked for a private surgical center).

It seems while we hear places like Trail King get a bad rap for bad pay, and Denny Sanford kicking in $25 million to train better welders, he ought to be paying the nurses better that work for his name stake.

As I said at a recent city council meeting, we don’t have a ‘jobs’ issue in South Dakota, we have a ‘wage’ issue. Teachers and nurses are not the only ones at the bottom of the pay scale in SD.

South Dakota â€“ $50,000	Rank: 48th
Average Registered Nursing salaries for job postings in South Dakota are 25% lower than average Registered Nursing salaries for job postings nationwide. The average salary ranks 48th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Reflectx Staffing, Avera Health, FocusStaff, and Huron South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation Jobs.

SFPD Sioux Falls Staggers

Who first proposed the use of tasers in Sioux Falls?

l3wis May 18, 2015 0Comments

I believe back in 2009, councilor Staggers first proposed testing tasers for the SFPD. It seems, like snow gates, Dr. Staggers was ahead of his time. It often cracks me up when Kermit is labeled as an extreme conservative naysayer, when he is actually very progressive in his ideas. On the ‘Su Fu Stupid’ show the other day, Patrick Lalley determined that ‘Only 5 percent of the community agrees with Staggers’ but somehow gets mysteriously re-elected.

Gee, Pat, do you think there is a correlation there between support and being re-elected? Actually many people support him, just because a rubberstamp city council more concerned about developers and the chamber of commerce don’t always agree, doesn’t mean the public does not.

Remember, besides the snow gates victory, he also beat De Knudson when she spent 6x the money he did for an at-large seat, he also won the general election for mayor, only to lose to the well funded credit card salesman in the run-off.

Maybe Pat was saying only 5% of reporters agree with Staggers? Because when it comes to snow gates and tasers, it seems like Kermit has the best ideas.

Employment

My Voice guest column, set labels aside

l3wis May 18, 2015 0Comments

This writer points out something overlooked in the Trail King worker debacle;

It is a common behavior to label things. It implies we have arrived at a conclusion. It is a common mistake that when we don’t understand the “other” we tend to label them. This limits our ability to be curious and learn more.

Am I guilty of this, sure, I tend to label ‘normal’ people as people I really don’t want to be around. They even kind of irritate me a little. The sad part is that when you are only driven by profits and greed, all you have is excuses when you fail. Blame the worker.

SF City Council Sioux Falls

Let’s Eat n Get on the Bus SF City Council Public Input 2015 05 12

l3wis May 17, 2015 3Comments

Cathy Brechtelsbauer and Melanie Bliss once again prove there are amazing people in Sioux Falls. They bring separate but equally great messages to the Sioux Falls City Council. Will the Council even listen much less act?

Cathy and five of her young friends are asking the city to provide free bus transportation for children during the summer. The buses are running anyway, why not let the kids go out and explore our town? This will teach the kids responsibility, schedules plus giving them the feeling of adventure while they see what can be seen. As Kathy points out, giving Sioux City found out it helps their federal funding by increasing the ridership numbers. What a concept! Instead of restricting service, Sioux City can grow their system. Wow… Why stop at high school age, let the college students ride also so they can go to summer jobs by using their school ID?

Come to think of it, why not make it year round? Guess we have to start somewhere…

Our next public speaker is another conscience of Sioux Falls, Melanie Bliss. Melanie speaks of the need to find solutions to the homelessness and affordable housing availability problems in the city of Sioux Falls. How can we keep encouraging people to come to Sioux Falls to work when we have no way to help the people who slip between the cracks?

We continually build palaces for the special people of Sioux Falls to enjoy while they drive past those who have no way to get to work. If we are to be so Christian like where is the lesson we were taught to help those who can’t help themselves? Really help and not pretend? Remember Paratransit?

Write your own caption

Nursing pay in South Dakota ranks 48th in Nation

Who first proposed the use of tasers in Sioux Falls?

My Voice guest column, set labels aside

Let’s Eat n Get on the Bus SF City Council Public Input 2015 05 12

You Missed

UPDATE II: Sioux Falls City Councilor could be facing ethics violations after tonight’s vote on Tre Ministries project

UPDATE: City Council Agenda (Dec 2-3)

Seems we are a we bit behind on snow plowing

Libertyland TIF should go to a vote of the entire state!