Make America Barth again
l3wis 
October 2016
I hope the taxpayers of Sioux Falls didn’t pay for this?
(Found on Facebook) The bone is so big you wonder if Rex wrapped the bone in tinfoil and used it as a gavel at the Municipal League meetings. Wouldn’t surprise me. And he worries about hats. Silly.
Your vote for President in South Dakota doesn’t matter, really it doesn’t
It’s kind of like an advisory vote, similar to the Events Center vote, it really has no clout. Maybe if you lived in California, New York or Florida . . . uh, maybe not Florida. Now I’m not saying NOT to vote. There are many important ballot initiatives and local races that you SHOULD weigh in on. But since South Dakota only has 3 electoral votes that ALWAYS go towards Republicans (heck, even our governor, Dennis Doofus is voting for Trump even though he denounces him as the nominee, still don’t get that one).
Like I said, if we were a bigger state with more political diversity, it would matter.
But what cracks me up is to listen to people who actually believe their vote matters. Just listen to this podcast of Belfrage. These people act like they need to vote for Trump, even if he is a disgusting pig and crooked business man to stop Hillary. Hey McFly, first off, you don’t have to vote for either candidate, you can leave it blank, and guess what, Trump will still win in South Dakota. Heck, Satan could be the Republican nominee for president, and would still win in South Dakota. Secondly, I have never understood defending presidential candidates even when they do ridiculous things, like both Hillary and Donald have done. Neither of them know you, and probably neither of them even care about you.
This is what has often chapped my hide about listening to these voters, mental health issues aside, I think Hillary refers to them as deplorables (I thought she was being nice) they get all worked up about the presidential election, a position they really don’t decide yet don’t show up to local school board and city elections (you know, the group of elected officials that determine most of the taxes you pay). Pay is so piss poor in South Dakota, most of us pay very little in Federal Income Taxes. Does it really matter, even if your voted counted, who we send to Washington? Just look at John Thune for example, he has literally done nothing during his terms. Don’t believe me? Has life in South Dakota gotten better for you because of Federal policies since Thune has been in office? Nope. EB-5 was a complete disaster and all of the Federal Money that was supposed to go towards Gear Up got stolen. And how is that Medicare expansion working out? The Feds don’t care about us.
So the next time there is a school board or municipal election, I want to see at least a 50% turnout (last election was 11%) and people calling in to local radio shows defending local candidates. Hillary is a crook and Trump is a loser and a crook. Who cares. Go do something more constructive with your life.
The South DaCola Voter Guide, kind of
I won’t touch on every race or issue, but on the ones I think are important. Let’s Go!
Re-Elect Pam Nelson for County Treasurer. To tell you the truth, I don’t even know who is running against Pam, doesn’t matter. Nelson has proved she is a strong advocate for citizens and tax payers.
Bonilla and Feinstein for County Commission. That is who I voted for, but I also don’t have an issue with Jean Bender. She has actually surprised me on commission and has been a great legal voice for the commission. Just don’t vote for Karsky. This insurance salesman has more conflicts of interest then you can shake a stick at. Time to retire Dean from local government so he has more time to dig holes at ground breaking ceremonies with the Chamber, his true love and boss.
Mike Saba and Jeff Barth for state legislature.
Yes on Amendment R. This is extremely past due. Technical schools should have had their own board 20 years ago.
No on Amendment S. Also referred to as Marsy’s Law. It is unneeded. Laws are already in place to protect victims.
Yes on Amendment T. There has been too much gerrymandering going on in our state and it is time to make the board that decides redistricting more fair.
No on Amendment U. This is a fake interest rate cap created by the payday lenders.
Yes on Amendment V. This is the most important Amendment on the ballot this year. By passing the non-partisan election amendment we will change the face of the legislature over the next 5 years, and hopefully we will have less amendments and initiatives in the future once we get better representative officials in Pierre.
NO on Ref 20. This will eliminate the youth minimum wage.
Yes on Measure 21. It will cap payday lending at 36%, and hopefully put them out of business.
Yes on Measure 22. I have said an ethics commission and publicly funded campaigns in SD is way past due.
I have no opinion on Ref 19 & 23.
I highly suggest you vote early, because the lines are going to be very, very, very long.
It’s going to be a very long night
Last week a Minnehaha County employee posted on FB that the county auditor, Bob Litz told him it is taking absentee voters between 10-30 minutes to vote. No doubt, it is a very long ballot (17″) and a lot of important issues. Forget about the presidential race, there are oodles of amendments and initiatives that need to be studied closely. Also, let’s just look at the ballot itself, a 17″ ballot will be the first time the county runs through the new vote counting machines. I don’t expect returns until Wednesday morning, so be patient folks.