November 2019

Bunker Ramp Downtown Sioux Falls Former Mayor Bucktooth & Bowlcut Mayor TenHaken Munson Sioux Falls

Argus ED Board points out the obvious problems with the Bunker Ramp

l3wis November 16, 2019 4Comments

I have come to the realization that bitching about this project at this point is almost futile;

After a contentious five-year saga of fits and false starts, we’re left with something that looks more like it belongs in downtown Chernobyl post-meltdown.
Now we’re faced with setting aside our dreams of a silk purse in return for a sow’s ear.
But we find the current state of affairs unacceptable. The â€œfinishingâ€ touches on such a huge and visible public initiative should excite and energize the citizens of Sioux Falls. Instead, we stand disappointed and disillusioned.
TenHaken has an opportunity to begin earning back public trust in City Hall.

While the editorial makes some good points, I sometimes wonder if it is too late. I don’t think that Mayor TenHaken or his administration have ANY intention of becoming more transparent, in fact, they have been in hunker down mode for over a year, and it gets worse by the day. The super secret, hurry up and ramrod through the 5G implementation without (real) public meetings is proof of this. I said to someone the other day, “It makes you wonder all the things they are doing behind the scenes we don’t know about?”

While the previous mayor was very OPEN about his SECRECY – it was almost a badge of honor with him, this mayor pretends like it isn’t going on, but they are one in the same. I saw when Munson did this, when the next guy did it, and now our current mayor, and it is getting worse and more deceptive by the day. God help us, because I’m not sure there is much the rest of can do to stop this.

Sanford Hospital

Is Sanford the ‘Pirates’ of Healthcare?

l3wis November 16, 2019 5Comments

I will have to admit, I about spit out my drink when I read this;

From the start, the two entities had a clash of cultures. Krabbenhoft and his executive team were viewed as swashbuckling. They had money and ambition.

I also think it did not help they were being investigated for Medicare Fraud and later fined $20 Million.

But for UnityPoint’s regional leaders, the Asfora announcement weighed heavily, leading to concerns about whether Sanford was more committed to money than patients.

Just look at who the hospital is named after, the Pirate of the Credit Card industry. Or look at the massive sports complex they have built. It often makes me scratch my head when lawmakers basically let Sanford do what they want to, do not regulate them or reign them in but instead incentivize them, and when these same lawmakers get sick they run to Minnesota. I can’t say I don’t blame them.

SFFD SFPD Sioux Falls

ATF investigating Sioux Falls home explosion

l3wis November 16, 2019 1Comments

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0K6nf2YE1o&feature=emb_title

A source that follows crime closely in Sioux Falls told me that the home that exploded was a ‘squatter’ house and that the SFPD responded to a call there just the week before to throw out some squatters. I’m not sure if that was the case. I’m sure the ATF investigation will find a cause of the explosion.

Dean Foods Foundation Park Sioux Falls

Dean Foods Bankruptcy could have repercussions for Sioux Falls

l3wis November 16, 2019 2Comments

The news out of Sioux City and across the nation is talking about the Dean Foods disaster â€“ bankruptcy causing it to likely be sold to another farmer based COOP like it was originally. The greed of the management team which took over the Land O’ Lakes cooperative years ago as a private company was the underlying cause of this bankruptcy. Milk market changes were secondary to the greed of the management / investment group. The Sioux Falls WinChill operation was a way for Blue Bunny to escape Minnesota and Iowa personal property (inventory) tax yearly bill.

LE MARS, Iowa — Dean Foods, America’s biggest milk processor and owner of a large plant in Le Mars, Iowa, filed for bankruptcy Tuesday amid a steep, decades-long drop-off in U.S. milk consumption blamed on soda, juices and, more recently, nondairy substitutes.
The Dallas company said it may sell itself to the Dairy Farmers of America, a marketing cooperative owned by thousands of farmers. It was not immediately clear what such a move might mean for the company’s Northwest Iowa plant, which makes products for retailers and other customers.
“Despite our best efforts to make our business more agile and cost-efficient, we continue to be impacted by a challenging operating environment marked by continuing declines in consumer milk consumption,” Dean Foods CEO Eric Berigause said in a statement.
Since 1975, the amount of milk consumed per capita in America has tumbled more than 40%, a slide attributed to a number of reasons but mostly the rise of so many other choices, including teas, sodas, juices and almond and soy milk.

There was also this story;

That has hit dairy farms and milk sellers hard, leading some smaller family farmers to quit the business.
Another blow to Dean Foods came when Walmart opened its own milk processing plant in Indiana last year.
Dean Foods has lost money in eight of its last 10 quarters and posted declining sales in seven of the last eight.

I do know that WinChill is and has been diversifying their services (in other words they don’t just store ice cream and milk – I guess Smithfield has been using them to). But this will certainly be a big hit for them.

Trump

Bribery IS an Impeachable Offense

l3wis November 16, 2019 12Comments

Drinking Liberally explains the impeachment hearings;

In Politics: Nationally, public testimony in the House of Representatives’ hearings on the Impeachment of Donald Trump began on Wednesday. It continues today as I write this invitation. It has been very damning for President Trump and the White House. On Wednesday, testimony linked Trump directly to the shakedown and Bribery scheme conducted by his representatives to get the newly elected Ukranian President to investigate Trump’s political rival, former Vice-President Joe Biden. To put pressure on the Ukrainians, the Trump Administration froze over $300 million in Ukrainian military aid previously authorized by Congress to help the Ukrainians fight the Russian invasion of their country. Despite the fact that this scheme undermined stated US policy and our security interests and those of our Allies, and despite mounting evidence that Trump directed this scheme of Bribery and Extortion himself, Republicans continue to defend him. They say as bad as Trump’s acts may have been, they haven’t risen to the level of an Impeachable Offense. For the benefit of Republicans, below I quote the Constitution and provide them with the legal definition of Bribery. Perhaps it will help them rediscover the Patriotism they profess to have and usually are quick to display.

US Constitution:Section 4, Article Two: “The President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for… Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.”

A legal definition of Bribery: “The offering, giving, soliciting, or receiving of any item of value as a means of influencing the actions of an individual holding a public or legal duty. … Solicitation of a bribe also constitutes a crime and is completed regardless of whether the solicitation results in the receipt of a valuable gift.”

Anyway, the next time you hear a Republican say “Trump’s actions haven’t risen to the level of an Impeachable Offense.” Just say, “Bull***t”. Bribery is right there in the Constitution. It is a constitutionally mandated Impeachable Offense. Trump and his lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, have admitted to soliciting a personal favor, (the public statement of an investigation of Joe Biden and his son) in exchange for an Oval Office visit and the release of authorized military aid Trump’s Administration had frozen. If that isn’t Bribery, I will eat my shorts.

Of course, Republicans being Republicans they might argue that Trump is guilty of Extortion not Bribery and that, since Extortion is not explicitly mentioned in the Constitution, Trump’s conduct doesn’t rise to the level of an Impeachable Offense. I call this the Sergeant Schultz defense.

Argus ED Board points out the obvious problems with the Bunker Ramp

Is Sanford the ‘Pirates’ of Healthcare?

ATF investigating Sioux Falls home explosion

Dean Foods Bankruptcy could have repercussions for Sioux Falls

Bribery IS an Impeachable Offense

You Missed

Where we stand on the city election

UPDATE IV: A Generational Change? LOL!

Noemzi has a small problem

What is the City of Sioux Falls doing with our Data?