It’s go time: Daily vs. The City of Sioux Falls

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You can listen as the SD Supreme Court weighed in on this case .

So why has there been no media about the case? Because we know the SF MSM are tools, and the city has turned that tool away from the case.

This is what I know so far;

• The City filed a 7 page brief citing 4 obscure cases.

• Daily’s attorney submitted a 38 page brief citing 35 state court cases, 13 US Supreme Court Cases, 2 other cases, 6 constitutional provisions, 8 SD statutes, and 3 city ordinances.

I’m no lawyer, but I think we know how this will turn out. Then maybe the media will pull their heads out and consider this a REAL story.

SD State legislature finally decides to talk about the budget

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Oh, crap! Is it already the end of the legislative session! Better prepare the budget;

By the end of the day on Friday, the South Dakota Legislature will approve a budget containing significant spending cuts — but the shape and size of those cuts is far from determined.

This is what I scratch my head about every year. Before the legislative session starts everyone starts crying about how broke we are (which we are) so you would think the very short session would be devoted to solving our budget issues. Nope. Abortion. Guns and more guns.

But it seems a dirty little secret has been exposed;

Lawmakers are also discussing the possibility of getting rid of some of the state’s $500 million in tax exemptions. Unlike a tax rate increase, Gov. Dennis Daugaard has said he is open to eliminating tax exemptions. Two bills dealing with tax exemptions have passed both houses; several others have been killed. Any legislator could introduce a budget amendment eliminating more sales tax exemptions.

$500 million! WTF! While I am an ardent supporter of some exemptions, it seems we could probably find a couple of them that should be eliminated?

But that would be too easy, why not something more difficult and painful;

A much-discussed alternative, HB1141, would set a special election this November for initiated measures with the intent of allowing for a popular vote on a tax increase.

BAHAHAHAHA! This wouldn’t pass in a million years, and any legislator who thinks it would should get their freaking head examined. We give tax breaks and refunds to Canadian corporations to dig holes in our state then turn around and expect South Dakotans to pay more in taxes on a loaf of bread? Get real.

Eliminate exemptions and tax advertising. Done deal.

AG Jackboots gets his ass handed to him. It’s too bad he wasn’t handed the State’s constitution.

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Okay, I know this episode of Inside Stormland TV is over a week old, but I have been doing some catching up. This is actually a pretty good show, compared to Jon Wilson’s BJ episode of Rounds. Both sides of the school funding case gave great arguments, but I would have to agree with Scott that school funding is a SD constitutional obligation, and Scott let’s AG Jackboots have it over it. He uses the analogy of the state suing over ‘Obamacare’. Jackboots hangs his head so low in his lap, you thought at one point he was going to fall out of his chair.

Worth the watch.

Imagine that, now that the election is over the Dems are found not guilty

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I saw this as a political football from the beginning. Funny how no one found a (Extreme Right Wing Conservative) Republican Attorney General, who was running for office, was playing politics with the food for votes fiasco;

“I think this was a clearly partisan charge from the beginning. The Republicans know you can make a charge five or six weeks before election day and the investigation is going to take several months. They can make a charge, make it seem like fact regardless of the fact that no laws were broken. They pretend that it was and use that allegation to scare voters.”

Nesselhuf said there is history of these kinds of “bogus charges,” and it probably will be seen again in elections.

While I don’t agree with the food exchange, I doubt a donut, a hot dog or a bowl of chili is going to convince people to vote for a certain candidate. In fact that assumption is freaking absurd and as Michael Jackson would say, “Ignorant.”

Lucas Lentsch, executive director of the state Republican Party, said he expects the Legislature to weigh in when next year’s session begins.

“Vote-buying or food-for-votes will more than likely be a policy discussion of the 2011 South Dakota state Legislature,” Lentsch said Tuesday. “I fully anticipated that there would be an investigation of some sort, the attorney general and U.S. attorney have rendered their decisions, I just expect it to continue to evolve and be a policy discussion.”

It seems Lucas just can’t let it go. While I agree there should be some legislative intervention, Lucas seems to think there should be an investigation. I guess it wasn’t good enough that his party beat the living daylights out of the Dems, he seems hellbent on punishing them even more. Bring it on, your party was participating in the practice also, and that is why the charges were probably dropped.

“My goal is to make sure that the integrity of our elections is not jeopardized by any activities of different groups or individuals for that matter,” Gant said. “We’re going to look at the language, we’re going to look at reports from the attorney general and the U.S. attorney and I want to do everything I can to provide the legislature with information on how we can best ensure that we have fair and legal elections.”

This coming from a guy who created a fake issue during the election about the Feds taking over state elections. This was clearly about sticking it to the Dems right before an election. Maybe there should be laws enacted that prevent political parties from creating controversies about the opposite party right before an election. I’m sure that would make Kermit Staggers very happy.

The Goobertorial Debate. Sleepy Town.

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

Besides a couple of quips on either side – it was the pretty boring expected BS.

Here’s some highlights;

Doogard went back on his promise to not take Federal education funding because him and buddy Mikey found out their was ‘no strings attached.’ Heidi-Scott jumped his ass about it.

Doogard did slam Heidi-Scott on being his own man, he said something like, “My name is Doogard not Rounds.”

They sparred over ethanol and education for awhile, but the Hyperion discussion was interesting. Heidi-Scott suggested that the state listen to the EPA (you know, that federal entity that tries to prevent poisons from circulating in our air.) While I did not agree totally with Scott and did agree a little with Dennis on this issue, I was a little confused about Dennis’ demonization of the EPA and talking about cow farts (methane regulation). I have often respected Dennis for not dragging out FOX News talking points, but this was straight out of the Ironic Johnny playbook. He avoided the air quality question by talking about cow farts instead of an oil refinery.

I don’t think either guy is ready to be governor. Which is unfortunate. Because either way you churn it, we will get another 8 years of do-nothing politics.