The Building South Dakota fund, our new Republican scheme of ineffective tax handouts to corporations wedded to a few sensible Democratic policies, is rolling toward passage. And our more attentive press people are p.o.'ed. Tom Lawrence says Senate Bill 235 reaffirms our state government's commitment to keeping the press and public out of the loop:
The plan was almost completely assembled in closed-door meetings. Legislators, sensitive to the media and public paying too close attention to such a proposal, rolled it out in a press conference Thursday....
Monday in Pierre, the plan was given a hearing. No one spoke against it, and now it rolls ahead.
This may be a wonderful thing for South Dakota. It may spur investment and create jobs and boost the state’s economy.
It does nothing, however, to dismiss the theory that South Dakota politics and government are decided in private meetings, where the public and the press are not welcome [Tom Lawrence, "The People's Business, Done Behind Closed Doors," Republic Insider, 2013.03.04].
Bob Mercer also steps unabashedly from behind the false curtain of journalistic neutrality and engages in open advocacy for a better, more transparent system of spending the public's money:
The only hearing on the legislation is set for this morning. It is unlikely that the necessary amendments will be ready in time. The amendments can be prepared by the time the legislation reaches the House floor on Tuesday afternoon. If the Legislature and the governor are serious about giving this immense discretionary power to the Board of Economic Development, the process requires the highest possible degree of openness. Voters rejected a similar type of mechanism in November. It would be an insult to try the same thing again, wrapped inside a different envelope. If a state board is going to be given the power to give away millions of dollars annually at its own discretion, in a program that favors a very small group of taxpayers above all others, the public has a right to know what is being attempted and should have the right to express its opinions to that board about each and every proposal. The state Board of Water and Natural Resources has functioned for many years under the very type of open system for its grants and loans [Bob Mercer, "To Whom It Must Concern," Pure Pierre Politics, 2013.03.04].
I'll be waiting for the peanut gallery at Dakota War College to call for Mercer's firing for having the audacity to express an opinion.
But we'll be waiting even longer for our leaders in Pierre to start treating public policy like a public affair and not something they need to keep secret from the rabble.
The real legislature operates within the Republican caucus. Everything else is theatre and show business. If city commissions, county commissions, and school boards all operated like the legislature---future meetings would have to be held in county jails because of breaking open meeting laws. A double standard for sure!!
Forget Pierre, Bob. It's Chinatown.
The Republicans want smaller government but not open government
@Owen Such broad sweeping comments do us all a disservice. The bills I have brought, and others I have supported, fly in the face of such a claim.
True Republicans want smaller government and open government. It is the RINOs who want to use the Democrat's Big Government to play favorites and want to keep all of that secret.
thank you for helping us flush the GOP, dudes: your checks are in the mail.
I want open caucus and open government. I am a conservative.
I want open caucus and open government and I'm a liberal!!
"True Republicans want smaller government and open government. It is the RINOs who want to use the Democrat's Big Government to play favorites and want to keep all of that secret."
A Republican is a Republican RINO or further to the right.
And Stace maybe the brush was too broad. At least in your case.
The Board of Water and Natural Resources does have a fairly transparent system, but it didn't used to be that way. Governor George Mickelson reformed a corrupt and controversial system of water development grants by rationalizing the process and opening it to public hearing. Although some of the solid waste funding decisions in the 1990s were driven by politics and payoffs more than by need, the system generally works well.
@Owen Thank you, my friend. Pray you and yours are well. God bless.
Mercer, Montgomery!
Good, I got your attention. Love your guys stuff...but in the future could you provide a link to the bills. At least, always make sure to identify it by its legislative name and number.
(Thanks for the hyperlinks Cory!!!)
C'mon boys, how can people use your stories to learn if it's buried in listening to hours of SDPB's coverage or clicking through 100's of links to find the info?
Sheesh, you make tracking a bill in your stories almost less transparent than Pierre! (Nice Political Smokeout story on 1% raises for K-12. But unless you are getting the political "Inside Baseball" its tough to tell which one of the many education bills is highlighted in the story)
I know that the gang in Pierre might not make it easy for you guys to do your jobs, but you are better than them.
Oh, and you're not alone...you are just the guys besides Madville Times that I follow.
OK, Montgomery...what bill was this story talking about? It's late and "The Google" isn't giving me immediate gratification for what bill you are talking about.
P.S. Is there something in your contracts about not asking follow up questions. Notice the plural...peel the onion back boys! (Notice I didn't say feed The Onion!)
http://www.theonion.com/
We need you guys. We are in a one party state where any dissension is met harshly with economic, political and social threats.
I fear that kids in J School will start to think that they are more just note takers than protectors of truth and the 4th Estate!
When Frank Kloucheck is back in charge he'll be calling many bloggers genius except Mr. Sibby who he'll call a failed ventriloquist. And he'd be relatively correct on the genius thing. Not that there is anything wrong with trying to be a ventriloquist.
Oh yeah. Note to Editors and Publishers...pay your people well! Think about it...do you really want the J-School kids to think their future is brighter because investigative journalism is less attractive than being a party hack?
Think of the children! Make them put their politics back in their pants and report on how well they govern! And if they don't...expose them! (Visual intended)
At the very least...report who wins and who loses in what comes out of Pierre.
I would be remiss if I didn't say:
Congrats to Cory and the Madville Times to being named to the best state political blogs by the Washington Post!
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2013/03/05/the-fixs-best-state-based-political-blogs-list-is-here/
While Pitty Pat at the SDWC is claiming total victory and interpreting news to fit his own purposes (like you'd expect anything else from Shallow Hal...look it up PP...it fits...and sadly, you don't care.)
We are lucky to have an actual voice for the loyal opposition in SD! The fact that the host is intelligent is a bonus!
I know that there is an expectation from the SDGOP Politburo that the good citizens of South Dakota be Stepford Wives...
(here's how links work David M...http://stepfordwives.org. But I'll forgive you for this being a little before your time.)
Great job Cory, and those outside of SD who are curious enough to look into our politics will most likely find your little 'hobby' to be the most informative in the state.
Thanks, Jana!
On hyperlinks: I've found David is pretty good about including links to bills and other relevant documents. Bob is much more lacking in that area.