Rounds

Mike Rounds the ‘do nothing governor’ will try to end his last term in style

By leaving the budget problems to the next governor and legislature. Stay classy Mike;

Rounds has proposed using $32 million in reserve funds to balance the state budget for the year beginning July 1. But the governor has also told lawmakers that the gap between ongoing revenue and spending could grow to more than $100 million in the following year, which begins in July 2011.

That projected budget gap would exceed the remaining reserves. Legislative leaders say any cuts made in the next budget will make the following year’s budget problems easier to solve.

This does not surprise me. The only thing Mike has done during his two terms is reward himself and his friends. But who can blame him? I blame the citizens of SD for #1, re-electing the jackass, #2, allowing him to get away with it #3 allowing the legislators to allow him to get away with it.

Apathy is to blame for our economic struggles, statewide and nationwide.

Chickens comin’ home to roost?

chickens-roosting

I found these fun facts from the Heidi Scott campaign interesting;

“Today the Governor announced a record state budget deficit.  He blamed the national economic recession of the past year.  Yet, this budget marks the seventh of eight budgets he has submitted that spent more than the state collects in revenues.  In these eight years, state government has grown at a staggering pace, spending is out of control and governmental accountability is at an all time low,” Heidepriem said.

“Yet to solve this out of control problem, the Governor proposes to balance the budget by raiding relief funds, wasting stimulus dollars, raising taxes and balancing the budget on the backs of our children by making cuts in education. Where is the responsibility?  Where is the accountability?  This is wrong and South Dakotans should be outraged,” Heidepriem said.

“The Governor should do the responsible thing and slash his massive budgets of all fat, reign in all spending, cut unneeded state employees, cap spending, and open all of our state’s 1800 contracts to open bidding. To paper over these structural problems by first using relief funds or one time money is irresponsible and does nothing to solve the culture of bloat and waste in Pierre. South Dakota deserves better and South Dakotans should demand better,” Heidepriem said.

Yet we continue to elect these ‘supposed’ Conservative Republicans. They ARE NOT fiscal conservatives. They ARE NOT moral or ethical conservatives. They really are not conservatives in the true sense of the word. They are big government, greedy, Republicans, a trend that started with Reagan and perfected by GW Dush.

And Bob Mercer sums up Rounds’ administration (H/T -DWC)

Rounds is term-limited and the 2010 legislative session will be his eighth and presumably last, a situation that will only further embolden legislators and further undermine his relevancy.

Seven years of little innovation, no new efficiencies or savings of any significance, an emphasis on protecting his hometown’s economy, and showing minimal backbone on spending — he complained but still signed the budgets into law when the Legislature spent more than legally required on public schools, for example– are coming home to roost.

Mike ‘Jello Biafro’ Rounds solution to fixing the state budget; Kill the Poor

Ah, just kidding;

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgpa7wEAz7I[/youtube]

I love how the Republican’s chokehold on our state has created some of the poorest working class in the nation but they just can’t resist to kick them when they are down;

Gov. Mike Rounds said Monday he will propose a state budget that focuses nearly all spending increases on providing medical services to residents who have lost their jobs during the recession.

The governor said he will ask the South Dakota Legislature to approve $52 million in additional spending in state general funds, with nearly all of it for the state-federal Medicaid program that pays the medical expenses of poor people.

What?! I thought Republican rule was bringing us all kinds of economic development to our state, how could people be struggling?

“We’re taking care of the very basic needs of people who really are down and out because of the national recession,” he said.

A recession that was caused by that jackass GW Dush and continued to get worse under Obama’s appointment of Geithner.

More than 22,000 people are now unemployed in South Dakota, while 110,000 people are in the Medicaid program, he said.

Rounds said since he became governor in 2003, 51 percent of increased spending has gone to Medicaid and other programs that care for the needy.

You heard right, almost 1 in 7 people in South Dakota are on Medicaid. Pathetic. This is the kind of leadership we have come to expect out of the Republicans, yet we continue to re-elect them to the Governor’s office. Unfcknblvable.

A Rounds tradition; rewarding friends and family

Like this is some sort of surprise;

Gov. Mike Rounds has appointed Kristin Conzet, the daughter of a business partner of his, to replace Republican state Rep. Brian Dreyer of Rapid City, who resigned earlier this fall because of his pending deployment with the National Guard to Afghanistan.

Because, you know, #1 it would be virtually impossible to find some other Republican in that district that is qualified, and #2 and someone who will do Mike’s bidding.

Conzet said she requested that Rounds not highlight the relationship when he announced her appointment.

Oh really? I can’t imagine why? Maybe because you know it is unethical? Oh, that’s right, Republicans only talk ethics and morals, they don’t practice them.

Conzet also feels she has no conflict of interest in voting on legislation that could affect Fischer Rounds. Heidepreim agrees, since Conzet is not involved in the partnership.

Come on Scott! You gotta be kidding?! Yeah, it’s only her father’s company, and she was appointed by her father’s partner. If she was written out of the will, I would agree, but I doubt it.

Once again, Rounds proves he has no shame, and the Democrats let him walk all over them.

State doesn’t have a pot to piss in or a window to throw it out

ikeacovinatoilet

Were broke? Get outta here!

Revenue to the state treasury is falling and more people are enrolling in Medicaid, triggering significant demands on the entitlement program. Although the state has federal stimulus money to shore up finances in the 2011 budget, which starts July 1, 2010, the federal money won’t be enough to backfill the budget unless there is a major turnaround in the economy.

Well, that’s what you get when you don’t attract young workers to our state to help pay for the program, that, and we think taxing food is a good way to fund government.

The five major revenue sources to the state are down in the first three months of the current fiscal year that started July 1. Combined, they represent 90 percent of the state’s general fund revenues. The most important – sales tax – was down $33 million or 5.2 percent.

It’s time the state implemented an income tax, got rid of retail taxes and reduced property taxes. We’ll see what solutions are offered;

Bernie Hunhoff, the Democratic minority leader in the House, said his party will have ideas about what to do. “Democrats are here to work with the governor and with the Republicans to get South Dakota out of this,” Hunhoff said. “It’s not one party’s problem; it’s South Dakota’s problem.” The slowdown in state revenues reflects the pain felt on family farms and main street, Hunhoff said. The situation could call for across-the-board cuts. “Unless we really see an immediate rebound in revenues, the hole is getting so deep that everybody is going to have to share in the pain and sacrifice,” he said.

That’s why an income tax makes sense, it makes everyone share that sacrifice fairly. Abdallah wants to touch the sacred cow, better be careful, or King Rounds will cut your fingers off.

Republican Sen. Gene Abdallah said he wants a thorough accounting of how much money is in each of the state’s reserve funds, including some of the more obscure funds, before he’ll be ready to consider more cuts.

I agree it is time to dip into the reserves, that’s what they are there for, a rainy day.