Media

Argus columnist KINDA endorses a sales tax decrease?

Matt Okerlund wrote a great column on Sunday about term limits, but he started his column off with I believe to be a veiled endorsement of our goal to get sales tax decreased;

Earlier this month when told a group of residents launched a petition drive to counter his and the City Council’s decision to increase the city sales tax from 1.92 percent to 2 percent on Jan. 1 to raise more money for road construction, Sioux Falls Mayor Dave Munson sounded dumbfounded.

“I’m trying to build a city, and build a city for the future, so that our kids and grandchildren don’t have to go to Minneapolis or Omaha or Kansas City for opportunities. They can stay here,” huffed Munson at the news that Citizens for a Responsible Sales Tax hoped to gather enough signatures to ask voters to cut the city sales tax to 1.9 percent - the pending .08 percent increase plus a bit more – because it is convinced a looming U.S. recession and banks from Iceland to Islamabad making like the Hindenburg is a strange time for city government to be hitting up taxpayers for more money.

“What do they want to take away?” grumbled Munson. He noted the city budget next year includes $615,800 for upgrades to McKennan Park. “Do we want to just drop those programs we want to do for McKennan Park? It’s a possibility.”

If that was a veiled threat, it lacked the veil.

He finishes the column up beautifully

In nine days the other people who inhabit this state will once again tell me just how wrong I am. When that happens, I’ll mutter. I’ll curse. I’ll look to the heavens and shake my head. I might even wonder – if for only a fleeting moment – if somehow, by some fluke of nature, by some crazy twist of fate, I have it backward.

Maybe the misguided one isn’t them.

Maybe it’s me.

And maybe someone should remind the mayor of this city and four-fifths of the Legislature how a democracy works. It seems they have forgotten.

I have long felt that half of our city council and mayor have no clue how a democracy works. The proof is in the pudding. They have been wrong about the Rec Center and Drake Springs Pool, and once again he is wrong about raising taxes on food and utilities to build roads for new development (that may never happen) during a National economic crisis.

Please sign our petition.

FolkArts is back!?

Just when I thought the Gargoyle Leader could not have more then one blunder in a day (endorsing McCain) – I turned to page two of the VOICES section of the dead tree version and saw they brought back FolkArts. (I like how he changed his signature to initials now-man, you tricked us).

But I’m not gonna rag on Jason – good for him – get it while the gettin’ is good.

Does the AL ever learn? Do they think if they hide something for a few months, the problem will just go away? Apparently they do. Jason has been caught copying other cartoonists ideas in your newspaper – why would you hire him again? It’s like borrowing money twice to a friend who never pays you back.

By hiring him all you are telling your readers is that you don’t have a problem with his actions. Which scares the crap out of me. I have often scoffed at the AL’s opinions, but now it seems I have to start questioning if they really are their opinions and ideas.

Pretty lame.

Sunday Shocker!

The Gargoyle Leader endorses McCain. This comes as no surprise. I argued with some of my contributors this week about it, a couple of them thought they would pick Obama. My argument for picking McCain? I know it seems cliche’ but the AL knows who butters their bread, and it ain’t liberal democrats – just read this statement about liberals (apparently boogie men to South Dakotans).

Sen. Barack Obama is a strong candidate and a compelling figure, but is a liberal Democrat by any measure. On many of the biggest issues facing the country, he simply is not the best candidate for South Dakota.

I always call a Argus endorsement ‘The Kiss of Death’. I guess Obama will win afterall.

Post of the Living Dead (ZW minus 3)

Free beer once the music starts!

It is my understanding that the undead population is being discriminated against here in Sioux Falls. The MSM outlets are refusing to give voice to the FACT that there is an impending zombie invasion. For too long we have been under the foot of the MAN. This Saturday we should rise up, give a moan in support of undead rights and gather in retaliation. Let our stinking corpses fill the streets in protest of the oppression brought down upon us by the “air breathers”. We’ll have a rountable discussion about these issues and many more Saturday night around 11PM.
Did I mention FREE BEER?

In Defense of Martha Vanderlinde

The Gargoyle Leader has started their endorsement process, or as like to call it – The Kiss of Death. Today they talked about District 15.  While they endorsed Kathy Miles for Senate they stayed on the fence about the House seat and had this to say about Martha;

To be effective, Vanderlinde will have to tone down the left-leaning rhetoric to be effective in a state House that is virtually always Republican-dominated.

Left-leaning rhetoric? Well, not sure if the AL was paying attention to the primaries, but Martha kicked ass and took names, apparently her district likes her views, left-leaning or not. When serving in Pierre you should be representing the views of your district not the views of the party elite, like the AL is suggesting. Sure, Martha will have to cross the aisle once in awhile to get things done, but I would prefer her to vote NO then to rubberstamp legislation that doesn’t represent the things that are important to her district. Once again the AL has shown how out of touch they are with the citizens of the community they are supposed to be serving. You may call Martha’s views left-leaning, I call them spot on.

I also see the AL will endorse a presidential candidate on Sunday – let me guess – John McCain.