South DaCola

It’s time to convert Great Bear into a natural recreation space

l3wis February 26, 2024 5Comments

You saw the stories. Great Bear had it’s shortest season of the year, 35 days. Let’s face it, it will continue like this due to global warming, and I am not sure why we play these games every year.

But let’s look at the money, why are we funding this park in maintenance and operations to over a million a year for 35 days of skiing that we have to pay for again when we use it!?

Stop the stupidity, auction off the equipment and let Great Bear be what it should be, a natural recreational space ALL seasons and stop running it like an actual ski resort. Folks can use it when it works, no fees and no more dumping millions into a park that doesn’t operate much.

Always cracks me up when the city’s finance manager cries and cries about property tax increases we need and food taxes then they turn around and spend money on snow that melts the next day.

Priorities folks.

Shutdown Great Bear as a resort and let the citizens use it when they want to. Weather permitting.

Amtrak service further proof our state legislature is out of touch

l3wis February 26, 2024 1Comments

Just look at this Dakotanews poll;

Oh course folks in South Dakota want this service, so what has our legislature done in 55 years to secure this? Nothing! (last passenger train left SD in 1969).

This just shows how out of touch our legislature is. This form of transportation coming out of our state would benefit thousands of constituents, but instead they concentrate on guns, abortion and diet weed.

If dumb was a legislative body, it would be in Pierre.

Legislative update, Feb 26

l3wis February 26, 2024 0Comments

Action on the House floor tomorrow(Tue), 2pm(1pm Mt time). Before then, please ask representatives to oppose SB89, SB90, and SJR501.

SB89 and SB90. (deferred from today to tomorrow) These are the bills with the 15-day eviction and loss of pre-court notice that an eviction is coming. (a recipe for more homelessness!) They make evictions quicker and easier for landlords, making it harder for tenants to re-locate, to fight wrongful evictions, and to hold unscrupulous landlords accountable.  Please ask representatives to Oppose these.

SJR501 forces voters to re-vote on Medicaid expansion “simply to clarify”(words of bill sponsor today) about whether we would want to let SD require low-income people to work for their healthcare, if the feds allow that again.  The corollary is that people could (I could say, will) actually lose their healthcare when they fall through whatever cracks such a program would create.

We voted for Medicaid expansion deliberately – with no if’s, and’s or but’s!  The legislature should respect our vote.

Sorry to report, it passed committee today (11-2). Before the House votes on it tomorrow afternoon, Please ask representatives to Oppose 501.

In committee:

HB1244 will get a vote in Senate State Affairs committee on Wed 2/28, 10am(9am Mt). So here’s an opportunity to defeat it. It interferes with our citizen rights to initiative and referendum. Allowing signature withdrawals is designed to disrupt our initiative process.  It’s a so-called cure for changed minds, when we already have a cure: Vote how you want on the ballot!  Urge senators to OPPOSE it (corrected from last time).  Casey.Crabtree@sdlegislature.gov ;Sydney.Davis@sdlegislature.gov ; Randy.Deibert@sdlegislature.gov, Helene.Duhamel@sdlegislature.gov ; Reynold.Nesiba@sdlegislature.gov, Michael.Rohl@sdlegislature.gov ; Lee.Schoenbeck@sdlegislature.gov ; Erin.Tobin@sdlegislature.gov,   David.Wheeler@sdlegislature.gov;

These contacts may feel like an exercise in futility. This year’s legislature seems hell-bent on keeping low-income people down. Shall we count the ways?!  But legislators should hear from citizens that we are not liking the way our low-income neighbors are being treated. Thus, we make our contacts, and I thank you.

Cathy B.

Sioux Falls 2024 City Election sponsored by the North Harrisburg Elite

l3wis February 26, 2024 3Comments

Talk about strange.

Normally when there is a city council election with the school district, you hear very little about the school board candidates, if anything. Well there are two seats up, one currently held by an incumbent, Marc Murren.

There are 5 candidates, all with various kinds of education and government experience. Ironically when you look at the slate of candidates it is probably the incumbent that has the least amount of experience and should be shown his walking papers. Some have taken issue with one of the candidates involvement with the gymnastics lawsuit, but let’s look at this a different way, she was put in that position because of the current school board’s decisions, including a decision made by the incumbent. Why would we want to re-elect this person?

Also, back to the gymnastic’s parent, what if she does win the seat on the school board? She will be installed with a massive conflict of interest. Hopefully she will drop out before the ballot selection placement.

As for the city council race, I saw this coming last Fall. All 4 candidates (two have already won due to not having any challengers) were chosen by the North Harrisburg elites.

Some have been asking me over the weekend what I think happened.

It’s not as complicated as you think. In the last city election several strong opposition candidates ran solid, well funded campaigns and they got their asses whooped. While we figured out how it happened (to late) it really left a bad taste in these candidate’s mouths. In fact, several candidates that ran in the last city election in 2022 were considering runs in this year’s election but decided against it because they didn’t feel like getting another shallacking.

It is also obvious that city hall is running interference. There will be some information coming out over the next couple of weeks that will expose this, and it is NOT going to be pretty.

But I don’t think it will change the ultimate outcome of the city council election. That was already decided in a corporate board room months ago and the election is just a small bump in that process.

I think most ‘regular’ folks that want to run for council are discouraged because they see a powerless council that whimpers to the demands of city hall and can’t see how they can fix that on their own, even if they could beat the tower of money and IT campaign assistance from the monied elite.

The opposition knows how to win elections, they just don’t know how to govern once they get there. Look at Pierre which is 90% Republican. It’s a freaking horror show.

As I have told folks recently, the next two years in city government should be called the ‘SLEEPY years’. NO INFORMATION. NO GOVERNANCE. NO COMMON SENSE. NO PROGRESSIVE POLICIES. ASLEEP AT THE WHEEL.

Legislative Update, Feb 23

l3wis February 26, 2024 0Comments

Advocates,

I don’t know why they have to be so down on low-income people! We send nice people to Pierre, but then they do mean things. Now this:

I was so disheartened this morning when the Approp Commitee voted down(5-12) the summer food for kids. We can thank these who stood with hungry children:  Rep’s Linda.Duba@sdlegislature.gov , Chris.Kassin@sdlegislature.gov , Mike.Derby@sdlegislature.gov ,  Dennis.Krull@sdlegislature.gov , and Senator  RedDawn.Foster@sdlegislature.gov 

Then I felt even worse when House Commerce passed the two bills that make life harder for renters, SB89 (by 9-3 vote)  and SB90 (by 11-2 vote). We can thank these who stood the 32% of our state’s households who are renters: 

On SB89, Rep’s    Byron.Callies@sdlegislature.gov , Kameron.Nelson@sdlegislature.gov , Carl.Perry@sdlegislature.gov

On SB90, Rep’s    Byron.Callies@sdlegislature.gov , Kameron.Nelson@sdlegislature.gov  

Update on SB119, tribal ID for voter registration, was tabled on the House floor(59-6). So it could be dead, but it’s not as dead as if it were voted to the 41^st day.

It was good news that HB1232, Indian Child Welfare Council, passed(4-2). We thank these for their support: Senators Al.Novstrup@sdlegislature.gov,  Michael.Rohl@sdlegislature.gov , Erin.Tobin@sdlegislature.gov, Mike.Walsh@sdlegislature.gov ,

(Whoops, I see now I gave you the wrong committee members on Wed. Sorry.) Now it goes to the Senate floor on Monday, so urge your senator to Support it.

Now for next week: 

— HB1098 and HB1131 will be up Monday, 7:45am(6:45 Mt) in Senate Health and Human Services.  They pay forbirth certificates and nondriver IDs for people experiencing homelessness.  The fiscal impact is miniscule for these, and they are foundational for moving into the workforce and stable housing. Urge these senators to Support: Shawn.Bordeaux@sdlegislature.gov , Sydney.Davis@sdlegislature.gov , Michael.Diedrich@sdlegislature.gov , Al.Novstrup@sdlegislature.gov , Tim.Reed@sdlegislature.gov , Michael.Rohl@sdlegislature.gov , Erin.Tobin@sdlegislature.gov ,

— A big one!  SJR501, will be up Monday, 7:45am(6:45 Mt) in House State Affairs.  This is legislators messing with our vote again. We passed Medicaid expansion deliberately with no added conditions. If the ballot measure in SJR501 would pass in November, South Dakota could add a terrible condition (if the feds decide to allow it again). A work requirement would be against the purposes of Medicaid (health care for those who can’t afford it). It would take away Medicaid for not getting enough work hours or failing to turn in the report or failing to verify an allowable exemption. This is an extreme and inhumane punishment.  

   Shouldn’t a ballot measure meant to promote work have some evidence that it would? All the evidence indicates it does not. But there is evidence that people would lose their healthcare. (18,000 lost it in Arkansas.) Urge these rep’s to OPPOSE SJR501. Hugh.Bartels@sdlegislature.gov; Rocky.Blare@sdlegislature.gov; Gary.Cammack@sdlegislature.gov;  Kirk.Chaffee@sdlegislature.gov;  Roger.Chase@sdlegislature.gov;  Becky.Drury@sdlegislature.gov;  Jon.Hansen@sdlegislature.gov;  Erin.Healy@sdlegislature.gov;  Oren.Lesmeister@sdlegislature.gov;  Will.Mortenson@sdlegislature.gov ;   Taylor.Rehfeldt@sdlegislature.gov; Rebecca.Reimer@sdlegislature.gov;  James.Wangsness@sdlegislature.gov ;

    PLEASE contact them this weekend.  For more info:  https://www.breadsd.org/medicaid-expansion-for-sd

— HB1244 will get its next vote in Senate State Affairs committee soon — an opportunity to defeat it. It interferes with our citizen rights to initiative and referendum.  How would petition organizers be able to know if they had enough signatures, if signatures can be withdrawn from petitions? For changed minds, we already have a cure: Citizens can vote how they want on the ballot.  Urge senators to OPPOSE it.  Casey.Crabtree@sdlegislature.gov ;Sydney.Davis@sdlegislature.gov ; Michael.Diedrich@sdlegislature.gov ; Helene.Duhamel@sdlegislature.gov ;   Reynold.Nesiba@sdlegislature.gov, Michael.Rohl@sdlegislature.gov ; Lee.Schoenbeck@sdlegislature.gov ; Erin.Tobin@sdlegislature.gov , David.Wheeler@sdlegislature.gov;

Thanks for your help on these. Sometimes a large volume of emails helps.