South DaCola

Editorial Cartoonist from South Dakota

State Funding

1st Amendment religion Separation of Church and State South Dakotans State Funding State Legislature

State Dems need to introduce a counter bill to the 10 Commandments bill

l3wis 5Comments

Besides a violation of separation of church and state they seem to think that our government was based on Judeo Christian beliefs. That is completely false. Besides many of the lawmakers at the time were agnostics or just simply ‘believers’ (deists) but did not follow a certain religion. Also ‘GOD’ is not mentioned in the Constitution;

In the United States, the federal constitution does not make a reference to God as such, although it uses the formula “the year of our Lord” in Article VII.

I was told that was used because we used the Christian calendar, which is way different then Christian Doctrine. Also the Declaration of Independence is pretty scarce on that GOD word;

Nature’s God: The source of power in the first sentence of the Declaration

Creator: God endows humans with unalienable rights

Supreme Judge of the world: God judges the actions of all people and ensures that justice prevails

Divine Providence: The founders entrusted themselves to God, who they believed had protected them and would continue to do so (The last two references were added during congressional debates over the document.)

Notice no mention of Christianity or ANY religion, and they did that on purpose. Just because you believe in a religious doctrine doesn’t mean it is always referring to the Christian God. They used the word GOD in a way that recognizes all faiths and beliefs and is a universal word for our creator. I will tell people while I am NOT religious I did attend Catholic and Lutheran services growing up and I do have faith in God, but not a religious God. So don’t call me an Atheist like Huether did on the mic at Democratic Forum once right to my face.

IMAGE: https://www.dkclassroomoutlet.com/

I am suggesting to legislative Dems to introduce a bill that would require all classrooms to display a ‘Be Kind’ poster or better yet amend the current bill. Obviously many legislators are too ignorant to understand the separation of church and state (which actually protects Christians more then any other group). Be careful what you ask for. If this passes I look forward to the ACLU lawsuit.

Citizens for Reponsible Sales Tax Elections food tax Gas Tax Mayor TenHaken Property Taxes Sioux Falls South Dakotans State Funding State Legislature Taxes

UPDATE: Legislature wastes no time trying to increase taxes for a convention center in Sioux Falls

l3wis 10Comments

UPDATE: The argument the reps will use who support this is that smaller communities in SD need this tax leverage, for needed infrastructure, which I support 100%, but Sioux Falls doesn’t need this. Some have been suggesting to reps amend the bill so 1st class cities like SF and RC cannot get this kind of tax leverage, I would also make it so the bonds have to be for NEEDED infrastructure in their communities, not play palaces.

As I have been saying, no new convention center will be built without a tax increase. The city cannot borrow $400 million without another revenue source (full doc);

So the Municipal League suckered a retired business owner in Ft. Pierre to carry their water. Hey Mike, ever read your own campaign materials from your website?

To review my credentials, I am a conscientious, common-sense Republican who is respectful of our institutions, values, and the rewards created by investing in our people and relying on free enterprise to create opportunities for the betterment of our society. 

Hey Mike, why not take your own advice and let the private sector build this Convention Center. Seems hypocritical of your ‘values’ supporting a tax increase for essentially a white elephant we don’t need.

You will notice they will try to pass this saying that it is NOT a tax increase but an OPTION for voters. It would need a 60% passage by a citizen vote in the city that wants the increase. So how the city plan to have us vote on this? Will we vote first on a tax increase THEN vote on the CC or will we just put it in one package? I am hoping the Legislature kills this, but stranger things have happened. These taxes will also NOT go away when the CC is paid off. The entertainment tax was supposed to sunset after the CC and Pavilion bonds were paid off, guess what, still throwing money at it. The Municipal League has been lobbying for this for years. Please stop! It infuriates me that my tax dollars fund this lobbyist group and all they do is find ways to tax the living Sh!t out of us. Nobody wants to pay more in taxes for another play palace. They really need their heads examined in Pierre.

David Barranco Mayor TenHaken Sioux Falls State Funding State Legislature Uncategorized

TenHaken’s comment about Culture Wars shows his ignorance on how laws are made and his greed

l3wis 2Comments

He also is a poor leader and a closed government militant. How can you run a city when you don’t even know how a law is made?

Soye (R)-Sioux Falls, wrote a column that said the government has a role to “protect the vulnerable.”

“Any law that is passed is someone’s morality, it is, it’s a moral judgment by the people who are in power at the time,” Soye said.

While I do think things like bathroom bills are wrong, the legislature would be the government entity addressing it. Maybe Paul needs to shadow our REAL mayor for a few days and see how she is running the town (COS Beck).

He also asserts that the only thing Pierre needs to do is send Sioux Falls money. His greed is insatiable, but what would you expect from someone who practices Prosperity Gospel.

Last Tuesday at the City Council Informational (FF 1:30:00) Councilor Barranco sort of addressed this with his commentary about his city representation on the Municipal League. Basically talked about how towns outside of Sioux Falls kind of detest us because of the elitism in City Hall (he didn’t say it like that, but you get the jist). He also talked about trying to mend those fences.

As we watch what is going on in DC and the dysfunctional Republican Party I will say it again; Republicans know how to win elections, especially in SD, but they have no idea how to govern once they win.

Marty Jackley Open Government Open Meetings South Dakotans State Funding State Legislature

South Dakota closed government, ripe with corruption

l3wis 1Comments

Our AG recently said that state government needs to be more transparent in the wake of all the rats stealing from the citizen coffers. If you think this is just a handful of bad actors, I can guarantee there are probably hundreds of state employees stealing from us. Why? Because, first off, it is RICH coming from a guy who helped cover up a DCI sexual harassment case, EB-5 and Gear-up. This is the guy promoting open government? LMFAO!

With one-party rule basically controlling most of the offices in South Dakota who is going to investigate wrong doings or lack of open government? Good question.

I keep telling people that OPEN government saves taxpayers money because it roots out unethical, fraudulent and corrupt actors. Open government is also more efficient because you don’t have to play the hiding secrets game so things get done much more quickly.

I don’t have much confidence in our AG telling us he is working towards a more open government, coming from a guy who has a Cummins Diesel engine attached to his paper shredder.

Audit Democrats Republicans State Funding State Legislature Uncategorized

These are the kind of morons running our state

l3wis 3Comments

Want to know why South Dakota is dead last in almost every economic category, because we have morons like this running our state government.

While I understand State Auditor Rich Saddass is a proud Repug, why would you share this stupid meme that has been around for years! I also like how the quote perfectly describes Donny T., you know the convicted felon, rapist, adulterer, and racist running for president.

Instead of sharing awful memes that have been around for years, maybe you need to do your job and turn over Noem’s nail and hair salon receipts. The story in Pierre is that the AG told Saddass turn them over because he had no legal authority to hide them from the public. While I am not sure if that convo took place, we know Mr. Jackboots isn’t a big fan of Noem ever since she handed him his ass in the primaries after he tried to cover up sexual harassment at the DCI.

While some may think there is a tropical island that is actually floating garbage, the real GARBAGE PIT is in Pierre.

When I worked at the Pavilion, the comedian Carrot Top came and when he was setting up his props on stage before the show he asked if I could help him with a punchline. He asked me, “What is the most white trash city in South Dakota?” I laughed and said, “That list is very long sir.” He says, “C’mon, there has to be a town that is the most white trash.” I giggled and said, “Fort Pierre.” He used the punchline and it got gobs of laughs.

« Previous Page — Next Page »

You Missed

Art Sculpture Walk Sioux Falls

Interesting Sculpture

Art Downtown Sioux Falls Public Works Sioux Falls

Public Art Critique

Elections SF City Council Sioux Falls

Update: Why our very ‘Special’ city council is ignoring a special election

Christine Erickson Elections Sioux Falls

Sioux Falls Mayoral Race update