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SDDP Ad in Brookings Paper: What’s Tidemann Hiding?

Hey, whose phone is that ringing? Ah, Senator Tidemann....

Ad released by South Dakota Democratic Party, 2014.09.15
Ad released by South Dakota Democratic Party, 2014.09.15

The South Dakota Democratic Party is placing the above ad in Senator Larry Tidemann's local newspaper encouraging his constituents to contact him and demand that he subpoena the folks who could answer the vital questions about Mike Rounds's promotion of Northern Beef Packers and other economic development projects with EB-5 investment. The copy I got did not include the footnotes, but one may refer to the following supporting texts:

  1. "repeatedly broke the law": start with conflict of interest, then unauthorized lawyering, sprinkle Board of Regents policy, and top it off with a scoop of possible tax evasion.
  2. "millions of dollars of potential liability": that's here... and maybe here.
  3. "refuses to bring in...": see Tidemann's willingness to settle for unsworn written testimony here.

Senator Tidemann has proven himself able to change his mind before. Perhaps some civic participation will convince him to change his mind again and acknowledge that the Legislature and the public should hear from Rounds and his GOED/NBP/EB-5 collaborators in person.

153 Comments

  1. Jessie 2014.09.15

    Whoa! Get t-shirts printed up and everybody wear them to the hearing!

  2. Lynn 2014.09.15

    his line is busy

  3. Roger Cornelius 2014.09.15

    The only problem I have with this ad is that it is not being run statewide.
    Good job SDDP, produce a similar ad for every other day.

  4. John Tsitrian 2014.09.15

    Posting his phone number is mean-spirited.

  5. 96 Tears 2014.09.15

    Obstructing the legislative hearing process seems a whole lot more mean-spirited to me as does protecting the grifters who are bilking millions and ruining our state. I realize it's not how we do things in South Dakota, John, but we're not dealing with regular folks here. We're dealing with hubris and power.

  6. Roger Cornelius 2014.09.15

    Which is more mean-spirited, posting the number of an elected official that is refusing to respond to voters, or Tidemann's cover up and stonewalling.

    Cory, what happened to the share space you had at the bottom of the blog?

  7. John Tsitrian 2014.09.15

    I stand by my opinion. The number is posted as his home phone. The phone # at the Capitol (605-773-3821) would have been appropo. SDDP will lose a lot of PR points over this.

  8. JeniW 2014.09.15

    According to whitepages.com, and the LRC web-site, that is his home number. It took me less than a minute to find it.

    The thing is that when the legislators provide their home, business, cell phone, and/or personal e-mail address, it becomes public record. The legislators are not require to provide any contact information other than the capitol phone number and their capitol e-mail address.

    Some legislators rent post office boxes, and use that for their LRC record.

    Due to the fact that the legislators are not in session, calling the capitol number is useless. How else to contact legislators when the legislators are not in session?

  9. owen reitzel 2014.09.15

    And who would I get John if I called the number at the capital? I respectfully disagree with you. I'll have to agree with Roger on this.

  10. grudznick 2014.09.15

    I bet you a bag of my favorite greasy Nickburgers that inciting a lot of lunatics to call a sitting senator at home is probably violating some rule somewhere or is greasy at best. I bet Mr. Tidemann makes life painful for the few libbies that will be left in the legislatures next year.

  11. Roger Cornelius 2014.09.15

    John,
    Might I suggest that the SDDP will get a lot of bad PR for publishing Tidemann's home phone number from John Tristan, Pat Powers and the Republican Party.

    Tidemann has probably changed his number already so he won't have to hear from South Dakota voters.

  12. grudznick 2014.09.15

    Mr. C! You hit the head of the nail. You are right, Mr. Tidemann is no doubt smart enough to change his phone number or re-routing it to a libbie pizza joint, frustrating the lunatics to who to rant at him.

  13. caheidelberger Post author | 2014.09.15

    (Hi, Roger! That share widget was plugging up my database. It also busted up my layout. I'm afraid for now, we're stuck with copying and pasting the URL.)

  14. caheidelberger Post author | 2014.09.15

    Good night, grudz, shove your hamburgers up your nearest orifice and quit being stupid. Anybody wanting to complain to Tidemann can complain to the number he provided quite publicly. There is no trouble for him to make. If Tidemann doesn't want calls, he shouldn't make dumb, mean-spirited decisions against the public trust. Tidemann should expect concerned voters to call him and express their disagreement with his stonewalling.

  15. Roger Cornelius 2014.09.15

    grudz, if it takes a bunch of lunatics to set Tidemann straight on what voters want, so be it! I'll be glad to claim temporary lunatic status for a few moments while I dial his phone number.

  16. Coltar.The.Barbarian 2014.09.15

    I feel that the dollars would be better spent outright attacking Rounds directly on any front than distantly attacking Rounds via Larry Tidemann who requested but did not subpoena Joop Bollen who worked under Richard Benda who was the head of the GOED who Rounds appointed... who lived in the house that Jack Built.

    I feel that to the non-politically sophisticated it makes the issue more complicated than it needs to be just muddying the water on the NBP/EB5 issue.

    The politically sophisticated don't get their news from ad inserts in the Brookings newspaper, they've already decided that Rounds and a large portion of the GOP is corrupt without this insert.

    This ad makes sense ONLY if they're seeking to knock Tidemann down a peg for a democratic challenger. Who's running in his district?

    ...and where's Judy Kroll in all of this?

    Let's get her on the ballot in 2016!

    I'm #ReadyForJudy (the only context I can bring myself to call her Judy)

  17. Steve Hickey 2014.09.15

    This is the politics I'm talking about which makes it hard for any Republican to join me or others to do anything prior to the election. The ssdp negative postcard campaigns were notorious last election cycle putting out things half true and generally unfair. They have no credibility on this or other issues.

  18. grudznick 2014.09.15

    I tried to call this Mr. Tidemann to ask him what is going on with all of this, as I hope you all would politely do and not just beller irrational claims that the Governor hired Chinese hitmen to off people and is trying to store nuclear waste in some igloo somewhere in the barren areas of South Dakota and spout a bunch of French math and such.

    Mr. Tidemann's phone lines were busy. Apparently he has several phone numbers. One went to a voice box where you can speak messages and it said that voice box was full.

    I guess lots of people are probably telling Mr. Tidemann how happy or mad they are with this ad.

    And Mr. H, I know even you can't pass up a burger at Nick's, where Mr. Tidemann lives.

  19. larry kurtz 2014.09.15

    Curious whether Tidemann is unable to speak publicly having been subpoenaed by the federal grand jury, too.

  20. grudznick 2014.09.15

    Or is being hunted by hit men, Lar. He could be on the lamb.

  21. larry kurtz 2014.09.15

    on the lamb: good one, grud.

  22. caheidelberger Post author | 2014.09.15

    Come on, Steve! To whom are we supposed to complain? Are we just supposed to sit here and be quiet when we think legislators are complicit in a cover-up for fear of making ourselves sound partisan or cranky?

  23. Tim 2014.09.15

    Well, if he's on the lamb I hope he's not wearing velcro pants, might be hard to explain.
    Grud, you are the ONLY person here I have seen make any references to Chinese hit men or mafia, what is the purpose of that?

  24. Tim 2014.09.15

    Cory, that's exactly what state republicans want us to do!

  25. Deb Knecht 2014.09.15

    The SDDP will gladly take donations so that we can run adds the rest of the campaign season. Your generosity is appreciated!

  26. grudznick 2014.09.15

    Mr. Tim, there have been in other bloggings many postulations about Chinese mafia who were out to get their money back or punish the individual responsible. And you know darned well that if you're not on the lamb then the lamb might be on you.

  27. Roger Cornelius 2014.09.15

    I'm not buying Hickey's complaint, no for one minute.

    Most likely the Republicans that would like to join a bi-partisan coalition to confront Tidemann and Rounds are afraid of their own party, political paybacks are hell, even within the party.
    For me, this is the bottom line. Why is so hard for Republicans just to do the right thing. South Dakota Republican legislators are not acting responsibly, ethically, morally, or with the best interest of their constituents.
    Where is that "South Dakota good common sense" that Rounds touts? Where and what are those South Dakota values that Rounds brags about?
    This South Dakota legislature lacks the courage to do what is right for South Dakota, they are clearly lacking in their "Christian" values when looking for the truth and complicit in the crimes committed by their leaders.
    They have wasted or stolen, or both, nearly a half a billion dollars that can easily be documented and refuse to do absolutely nothing. Not very Christian to me.

  28. Bob Klein 2014.09.15

    Last I knew, Judy Kroll lived in District 4. Now I'm not sure that is the case, as I'm not going to hunt up her address, and wouldn't publish it here if I did.

  29. Steve Hickey 2014.09.15

    This is my point. I don't see a way to separate this from partisan politics this close to an election. If you/democrats want to raise hell and not have it come off as partisan politics then put Brendan Johnson's number on an ad and demand he say something. Some of us have been listening to you and following this and agree Joop needs to be there to answer questions. Postcards like this will draw republican support behind the one targeted

    One takeaway I got from this is the SDDP is so broke yet can't take out one as without saying we need you to give so we can run the ad.

  30. ColtarTheBarbarian 2014.09.15

    I feel like something featuring Rounds would better serve the SDDP's interest, like this:

    http://imgur.com/y9XeATz

    Focus less on of framing Rounds' declining debates as a "vacation" and emphasize more the question of "what is Rounds hiding from?" He's CLEARLY IN HIDING, trying to avoid having to answer to anything.

  31. lesliengland 2014.09.15

    hold on to that thought hickey. you have a legislative committee chair (R) doing excactly want he was appointed for, obstructing the process. chris christie was hounded by dem legislative chairs. thus the success so far. fed and state ag secret investigations continue, possibly.

    daugaard might be forced to spend a million or more of state money to pay a law firm to do an exoneration analysis. but would dd protect mmr? the election schedule nevertheless proceeds.

  32. grudznick 2014.09.15

    Not all good Republicans are Christians, Mr. C. Some are godless heathens.

  33. Roger Cornelius 2014.09.15

    Agreed grudz, and we are witnessing the godless heathens that are openly evading their constitutional duty to represent the people of South Dakota against those that would defraud them.
    On second thought, I will simply call them cowards!

  34. 96 Tears 2014.09.15

    Mike Rounds and Joop Bollen are on the lam, hiding from the public and refusing to stand up to the questions about their crooked deeds. Larry Tidemann is one of the GOP hierarchy shielding the crooks and obstructing the legislative process to get answers on a major scam that was uncovered 11 months ago.

    I don't feel sorry for him. The fat cat changed his phone number. No big deal, Steve. Tidemann is not a victim, but the public trust remains violated and in shambles. Tidemann's new number won't be the only thing he'll be hiding until November 5th.

  35. Rorschach 2014.09.15

    The SDDP needs to continue highlighting the lack of accountability in one-party government. We have Republican officials covering for other Republican officials who are covering for other Republican officials - and it's turned into one big circle jerk. None of the Republican officials will give any straight answers, and nobody in the SD press will ask them any tough questions. All they have to do is hide out till election day.

    Those national reviews of state laws that rate us as potentially among the most corrupt states are looking pretty accurate right now. The hope of Rounds and Daugaard and Jackley was that none of this would ever come out because they had a stranglehold on the information and they weren't sharing it. And we have felony gag laws and no whistleblower protection laws so nobody else could talk either. The only monkey wrench thrown into that plan was Benda's death so they were forced to come up with some story to tell - which has changed a few times since the initial telling. When the laws are geared to secrecy, it takes an honest officeholder with access to information to put the public interest ahead of his/her political party. Just one. But we don't have any right now.

  36. Deb Geelsdottir 2014.09.15

    So many things that have needed changing in various parts of this nation, were not changed by the opponents being "nice." I wish you were right Hickey, that if we'd just ask nicely, we'd be heard, respected, and problems fairly addressed. Historically, that doesn't work.

    I'm also not buying that if SD Democrats would just be nicer about it, more SD Republican legislators would speak up. SD Democrats are not responsible for the recalcitrance of SD Republicans to fulfill their constitutional duties to ALL South Dakotans.

    South Dakotans have been quiet and well-behaved for a very, very long time. The result? Corruption has multiplied and become more egregious.

    In this situation, silence is not golden.
    Democrats are not responsible for lack of "good Republican" action.

  37. caheidelberger Post author | 2014.09.16

    Steve, I'm disappointed that you're buying the Brendan Johnson–Larry Tidemann equivalence Wadhams is peddling as a distraction. If you really want to take the position that a prosecuting attorney has an obligation to publish details about ongoing or even closed investigations, then fine: where's Marty Jackley? The Brendan tack completely contradicts the defenses Republicans have been raising. Brendan Johnson is doing is job; Larry Tidemann is not.

    As for this whole partisan tone, well, heck, when better to have this conversation than this close to an election, when more citizens are paying attention, when we're actually deciding the merits of the people who want to run the show? Are we really supposed to invoke something like Marty Jackley's candidate-immunity theory and avoid any important or controversial conversations before an election? And heck, when Mike Rounds declares his 2014 candidacy less than a month after the 2012 election, doesn't your thinking leave us no proper time when we can have this conversation?

    Everything is political. Every day is political. There is no time when we can investigate GEOD/NBP/EB-5 when critics won't get slammed by the Republican suspects for playing politics. The disadvantage is non-unique; we thus must default to the idea of investigating and stopping corruption as soon as possible. Delay only allows more time for crooks to get away.

  38. larry kurtz 2014.09.16

    Curious which part of federal grand jury gag escapes the GOPers.

  39. Steve Sibson 2014.09.16

    "Everything is political. Every day is political."

    That is the problem. The truth does not matter, even the truth about the system of legal corruption in Pierre. The SD Democrats had two chances to do something about the system, and they did nothing regarding IM10, and they caught bought off by the SDGOP with education dollars to pass more economic development thru government.

    If we really want to fix Pierre, then the politics has to stop first. Principles must rule over pragmatism.

  40. larry kurtz 2014.09.16

    Sibby: you're the problem. Flush the GOP.

  41. caheidelberger Post author | 2014.09.16

    No! Sibby, you don't get what I'm saying. Truth is crucial to the proper administration of the polis. Our politics must always seek the truth, regardless of whether certain politicians will say that we are just playing political games.

  42. caheidelberger Post author | 2014.09.16

    Let's put it this way: should I have waited until after the primary election to investigate and report on Annette Bosworth and Chad Haber's misdeeds?

  43. Bill Fleming 2014.09.16

    Sibby spends almost all of his time brooding over the past and making himself, in turns, either hysterically frearful or ecstatically hopeful about the future. He needs to learn how to bring his attention to the present moment, the here and now.

  44. caheidelberger Post author | 2014.09.16

    Hey, if this was a campaign event for Haber, and if the ad for that campaign event declared it was paid for by an entity that did not pay for it and misrepresented the purpose of the event, do we have a campaign finance law violation on our hands?

  45. John Tsitrian 2014.09.16

    Ms. Knecht, that you would gleefully condone and solicit funds to support this cheap stunt is a reflection of SDDP's institutionalized incompetence and tin-earedness.

  46. lesliengland 2014.09.16

    cheap stunt? cheap stunt? where is the stunt john? your party has made a mockery of this state, as has chris Christie and his republicans. ALEC and Koch Bros. are a way of doing business here, quietly, quietly. to call cheap political stunt is all you got. it may not upset the election because there is not enough time, but there will be severe consequences for your party. I appreciate that you share civilly here, but don't call us stupid to our face and to our party.

  47. lesliengland 2014.09.16

    john-your party last week voted to delay aca compliance by two years (noem); condemn military prisoner swap (noem); kill epa regs protecting wetlands and headwaters (noem); and against campaign finance reform (thune). how are any of those votes in the best interest of the general population of the state? they only serve special interests who tell noem and thune how to vote.

    the cheap stunt is your obstructionist party day in and day out, mimicked by state repubs. eventually state voters are going to catch on, despite sddp's lowly presence (e.g. not fed by money in politics).

  48. Roger Cornelius 2014.09.16

    The cheap stunt that is being played out is the one the SDGOP is using to dupe honest Republican voters by saying that the whole criminal enterprise of EB-5 is nothing but playing politics.
    Politics is just that and it includes everyday issues, an attempt to say one party is playing politics while the other is being coy, is nonsense. Women's healthcare is politics, why? The LBGT's fight for equality is politics. These are two issue that directly affect the lives of individuals and they are made to be political.
    Damn right EB-5 is political, damn right our anger at the cowardice of Tidemann's cover up is political.
    It's a political game everyday, let the games began.

  49. Troy 2014.09.16

    Whether it be the Lautenslager's Gun group or the SDDP, these types of postcards usually engender sympathy and support for the person targeted for just the reason John mentioned.

    Most people in legislative districts know their representative and like them even if they don't vote for them. And these people don't appreciate when they get telemarketing calls which leads to their sympathy. Most people understand that elected people respond to respectful input from constituents and not generated calls from partisans.

    All this did was generate calls from outside his district and will be counter-productive to changing his mind or getting him defeated.

  50. larry kurtz 2014.09.16

    Whether it be the US Chamber or National Right to Life, propaganda keeps the wheels of SDGOP crushing the psychic landscape of a red moocher state.

  51. Roger Cornelius 2014.09.16

    Troy,
    Does the same apply when Republicans do it?

  52. Troy 2014.09.16

    Roger,

    Yes. Postcards can work but when combined with home phone numbers (vs. work number), the effectiveness becomes counter-productive.

    PS. I just noticed it was newspaper ad but the principle is the same.

  53. Roger Cornelius 2014.09.16

    Troy,
    Are you telling me that Republicans have never or never would pull such a "cheap stunt"?
    As pointed out, when you call the call capital looking for Tidemann, you won't find him, does he return calls when he is there?
    I'm certain an inquisitive Madville reader can research and find deceitful ads and/or postcards sent or published by Republicans.

  54. Steve Sibson 2014.09.16

    "It's a political game everyday, let the games began."

    A game that ignores the truth.

    "Truth is crucial to the proper administration of the polis."

    And because we don't have the truth, we don't have a proper administration of the polis in Pierre or DC. The two parties point at each other saying, "you do it to". The only logical conclusion is that both parties are wrong. I would call that a "moderate" position.

  55. Roger Cornelius 2014.09.16

    "A game that ignores the truth"

    I am not going to blame both parties for seeking the truth, the blame in not seeking that truth lays directly on Mike Rounds, he owns EB-5, it is the Republicans that for the past year have stonewalled, covered up, denied, or blamed the Democrats for pursuing the truth. Point out to me exactly where Democrats have failed to seek the truth of EB-5?

    Let's direct our attention to why South Dakotans don't have the truth and why Republican legislators are cowards in pursuit of that truth.
    -They are so blinded by party loyalty that they cannot possibly that their heroes are actually crooks.
    -They are so fearful of Republican "in charge" of their political lives, that they have forgotten what truth is.
    -Republican catch phrases and memes such as family values, common sense Republican, Christian Republican, now serve as their defense of corruption rather than seeking the truth.
    When seeking the truth there is no "moderate position", there is right and wrong, and good and bad.
    Republicans have demonstrated quite well the wrong and the bad in not seeking the truth.
    Cowards, the lot of them.

  56. Troy 2014.09.16

    Roger,

    I'm obviously not making myself clear. I'm not addressing the "truthiness" or lack of "truthiness" or whether it is a cheap stunt.

    I'm saying that postcards/newspaper ads with home phone numbers don't seem to be effective in my observation. I believe it generates more sympathy for the "target" than any harm it does. And, as you see below, it actually give the target a chance to change minds. Every changed vote is like two votes: One for you and one that your opponent doesn't get.

    When asked by Republicans for commentary on an ad that includes a home phone number or cell number, I always advise they delete it. When a Republican is a target of such an ad, I advise them to spend a day answering the phone and do the following:

    1) If the person is reasonable, polite, and in their district, give them your side and even if you don't change a mind, they might respect you which is worth something maybe more valuable than a vote.

    2) If the caller is belligerent or outside the district, hang up so you have time for the next caller.

    Last election, Tideman got 53% of the vote. I am willing to bet he beats that number this year as a gauge on the effectiveness of this postcard.

  57. 96Tears 2014.09.16

    Mr. Jones - It is a bad idea if a tactic would backfire. The Tidemann ad is very tame to examples we've seen coming from the Pierre power clowns over the years.

    As to John T's suggestion of calling the legislative number in Pierre, there's nobody at that number to take your message until the session starts in January. It would be stupid to have people waste their time calling a number that will never reach Chairman Tidemann.

    Tidemann needs to pay a dear price for obstructing his committee's function to provide the people information. GOAC is supposed to function as the public's watchdog, not the former governor's lapdog.

  58. Roger Cornelius 2014.09.16

    Troy,
    Are you suggesting that South Dakota voters are limited to discussing statewide issues with a legislator that is not in their district?
    When Tidemann took the responsibility of chairing GOAC he immediately became a representative of all South Dakota voters.
    You say publishing a Republican legislators home phone number in newspaper ad is a bad thing, would publishing hurtful lies about a Democrat in an ad also be a bad thing, with or without a phone number?
    You also noted that the ad was not a postcard but a newspaper ad so that would negate your arguments on the effectiveness of the post card propaganda.
    Troy, how long do you think Joop Bollen will control Rounds, Daugaard, and Jackley from having to testify and tell South Dakota voters the truth about EB-5? Or should the question be, do South Dakotan voters even deserve to know the truth of the matter?

  59. Roger Cornelius 2014.09.16

    Now that we have determined this was not a postcard, but a newspaper ad, now we can ask was the ad effective?

    Apparently so, John T., Troy Jones, Sibson, and other Republicans have paid attention to it, not because of the content of the ad, but to the home phone number. None the less it at the least got their attention, at the most they will share Republican outrage with their readers.
    The SDDP ad did what it was supposed to do, it got the attention of voters and the ongoing cycle of Tidemann's cowardice.

  60. Troy 2014.09.16

    Roger,

    Here is the premise I'm operating under because we are six weeks out from the election: The SDDP sent the postcard with the goal of defeating Tideman. If that is their goal, I believe the ad will be counter-productive to the interests of the SDDP. If they have another goal, they are squandering whatever resources they have.

    But, if this is what the SDDP believes will be successful, I encourage them to do this throughout the entire state. I just won't be very sympathetic when Dems complain about one party rule and they should stand up for the consequences of utilizing counter-productive election strategies. Tideman's district is only 39% GOP and I will not be surprised if he gets 60% this election. Unless they are flush with money, spending anything to defeat Tideman was foolish in my opinion.

    But, that is why we have elections. We'll find out in 6 weeks if this was productive or not.

  61. larry kurtz 2014.09.16

    comes to liberal blog, jerks chain, says it doesn't matter, leaves.

  62. mike from iowa 2014.09.16

    So Troy,when you speak of loyal opposition,do you intend for Dems to vote for wingnuts? Are you so okay with the one party corruption that it appears to be normal behavior and calling attention to it is self-destructive for Libs?

  63. Troy 2014.09.16

    Roger,

    Newspaper ad or postcard, my premise is the same. And, if you read my comments, I've expressed no outrage. I gave some free advice and since it was free, I'm not offended when it is ignored. And, since I'm a Republican, I guess I should expect nothing less.

    I'm sorry I engaged in this conversation. As Larry alluded, this is a liberal blog. I'll let you guys talk among yourselves. Take care.

  64. SDTeacher 2014.09.16

    Only a SD republican would argue that it's mean spirited and dirty politics to publish an elected official's contact information. The hubris is dumbfounding. You people to understand that you're elected, right? And that accountability is supposed to attach to the privilege of holding office, right?

  65. Steve Sibson 2014.09.16

    "Apparently so, John T., Troy Jones, Sibson, and other Republicans have paid attention to it, not because of the content of the ad, but to the home phone number."

    Roger, now you are making false allegations against me and violating truth. I have not made one statement about the phone number. Just because I am a Republican, I drink their Kool Aid and believe they are all conservatives who hate the poor, colors, and women? There is a left wing lie. I am against crony capitalism. Have you noticed that? Tidemann is just as liberal as any Democrat you will find in Pierre. You will not find me defending his big government agenda.

    And Troy is right, you guys are playing politics. He ought to know, for he is also a master at it. That is my point. Why don't we stop with the political gamesmanship and get down to the reality of what is going on in our governmental bodies?

  66. Troy 2014.09.16

    Mike,

    Before I go, let me say it again. I never made a single comment about the "truthiness" or lack therefor in the ad, whether I think the content might be effective, whether the issue will sway votes, etc. and until the end my thoughts on the SDDP using resources in a legislative district where the incumbent is highly likely to win.

    My principle comment is that I believe that home phone numbers in postcards and newspaper ads for local races are counter-productive. Obviously the SDDP believes it effective so i encourage them to double-down. Send them some money because Deb Knecht above said they need more money for such ads.

  67. larry kurtz 2014.09.16

    comes to liberal blog, gnashes teeth, blames others, leaves.

  68. mike from iowa 2014.09.16

    Troy,I never mentioned anything about your comments. I can only wonder how Dems ever lose an election in South Dakota when the corruption is patently obvious for all to see.

  69. Roger Cornelius 2014.09.16

    Simple question for anyone out there, Troy has consistently maintained that there was a postcard with this ad mailed to Tidemann's district, is this true of false.

  70. Troy 2014.09.16

    Roger,

    I admitted that this was a newspaper ad and not a postcard. I also said that my comments apply equally. I kept saying postcard as it looks like a postcard and I got it stuck in my mind. I'm sorry for the confusion.

  71. Jenny 2014.09.16

    If Troy is like the average SD voter, then I would have to agree with him that the listed phone number is in poor taste (for SD). If only the SD GOP would take off their partisan glasses with this EB mess. South Dakotans really do live in a naive world where they believe their politicians are nice ethical good men that never make mistakes. Either that, or they just don't care to find the truth.

  72. Roger Cornelius 2014.09.16

    Since there doesn't seem to be a vast difference between you and Steve Hickey, I mad the honest mistake of saying Sibson instead of saying Hickey, it wasn't a lie or deception, it was a mistake.
    So now you are attempting to shift blame for Tidemann's obstruction, stonewalling, cover up, and evading his constitutional duties because he is a liberal?
    Regardless of your labels Sibson, Tidemann is a Republican, as Troy pointed out, he won 53% of the Republican vote in his district in the most recent election. Sorry Sibson, do you think Mike Rounds, Dennis Daugaard, Marty Jackley, and Joop Bollen would trust a liberal anybody to protect them from having to testify about their fraud and conspiracy to defraud the state of $140 million dollars.
    No they wouldn't, they need a Republican to do what Tidemann is doing.

  73. Roger Cornelius 2014.09.16

    Troy,
    Apology accepted, the confusion was that after you said it was a newspaper ad you referred to several more times as a postcard. I make mistakes too, just as I did in confusing Sibson and Hickey, both Steve's.
    Sibson call me a liar or such for that err, I'd presume he'd say the same thing about you and your momentary obsession.

  74. Bill Fleming 2014.09.16

    Roger, actually, a postcard might have been better, a personal letter, better still, but they are a lot more expensive than running an ad.

    It kind of goes to intent. Is SDDP trying to convince Tidemann to change his mind? Or to just annoy the sh*it out of him?

  75. Roger Cornelius 2014.09.16

    Bill, in spite of the Republican objection to the phone number, I think it was the right thing to do. As I stated it got their attention, but did they read anything in ad other than the phone number?
    Their attempts to distract from that message may work in the blogosphere for awhile, but the message remains the same.
    No matter what media or messenger you use, contact Tidemann and let him know what a coward he is for obstructing justice.

  76. Bill Fleming 2014.09.16

    Jenny, Troy is definitely not like the average SD voter, but he does understand them quite well.

    And unlike those of us who have been following this EB-5 train wreck, a lot of folks still don't have a clue what it's all about.

    Personally, I think we need less heat and more light, but hey, that's just me.

    Here's my challenge to Madville:

    Describe the whole EB-5 fiasco in 30 seconds (no more than 60.)

    Write it down, read it out loud, and time yourself.

    That's the key to showing the average voter what's going on.

    They can decide for themselves what they want to do about it.
    ___________________

    p.s. 60 seconds is 16 lines of 12 point type on an 8.5 x 11 piece of paper with 1 inch margins.

    No cheating. ;-)

  77. larry kurtz 2014.09.16

    Mike Rounds failed as an executive (six words).

  78. Bill Fleming 2014.09.16

    Ok Larry. It's a start. Now, make Joe Sixpack, Sally Soccermom, Junior Varsity, Waitress Wanda, and Wally Resthome believe it.

  79. lesliengland 2014.09.16

    eliz. warren is, right now on Bill Moyers, urging everyone of us to call everyone of our legislators and tell them-"you work for me, you do not work for special interests."

  80. lesliengland 2014.09.16

    ...or a political party."

  81. Bill Dithmer 2014.09.16

    For eight years Mike Rounds balanced the state budget using federal money intended for other things.

    He championed a visa for cash program EB5 that left many owed money, including the people of South Dakota.

    Now he wants to be your senator.

    Vote responsibly, vote Weiland.

    The Blindman

  82. lesliengland 2014.09.16

    i thought legislators welcomed calls 24/7 365 at home, on the floor, in the car, wherever. where else you gonna reach 'um? that's the job. a committee chair may ignore non-constituents but will not be able to ignore that a reputation for unethical behavior as a party hack will follow beyond that post.

    troy, you are a repub and last time (i think) tried to tell us of our epic fail for characterizing your present political fraud as "EB-5" because blah-blah-blah federal ect. are you seriously trying to secretly help us adjust our tactics so we succeed politically, or do you just enjoy telling us how incompetent we are as a state minority party? you continue to confuse me. what, you work for the state and are in the know, politically? bitching about a home phone number is the least of your worries, i would think. i think you come here to distract.

  83. lesliengland 2014.09.16

    homerun, bill!!

  84. lesliengland 2014.09.16

    grudz- u stupid sheit, the last time i saw "godless heathen" in print it was a result of a Lake Andes lawyer denigrating a minority, so what is it you are really saying to Roger? and its "lam". wiki

  85. Troy 2014.09.16

    Leslie,

    I don't think Republicans or Democrats should put a home phone number in an ad to inspire many of which are harassing phone calls that may be answered by spouses, kids, etc. I talked about how I believe the actually are counter-productive and engender sympathy because most of the people in the local community will see it as political harassment. But, hey, if you think it appropriate, go for it.

    I think it good that our elected representatives are accessible to constituents who want to respectfully reach out to their representatives. Even our Governors have a listed phone number. I just believe an ad of this type will engender less than polite calls.

    I do have a personal reason for caring about this. I grew up in Pierre and more than once called the Governor's Mansion because one of the Kneip boys was a year older than me and another younger. I sometimes ran with them. And, like all good father's, the Governor (he knew me pretty well since their pew at church was right in front of ours) often answered and probed to make sure the story he got from his son matched what I'd give.

    I also had a relative who served in the legislature (Democrat, if you care) and I know that she got a lot of calls. Most are polite and legitimate but too many were not. No matter who serves (Republican or Democrat), I appreciate their service and believe that this type of ad only discourages certain good people who want to protect their family from harassment from not running. I don't know if Tidemann has children at home or not but he has a wife who is.

    It is obvious the SDDP and its candidates are making EB-5 etc. as the major issue in this election. That is your choice and in six weeks we will find out whether it worked.

    Maybe I'm naive but I think some tactics are inappropriate and stimulating calls to one's home to serve a political agenda is one of them. I would say the same thing if a Republican did it. Elections are and should be a tough battle. It isn't for the faint-hearted. But, there should be a line and, in my opinion, that line should be somewhere that leaves family and home out of it.

  86. lesliengland 2014.09.16

    finally, and obviously, the purpose of encouraging the call was likely to rectify the absence of the subpeona(s). procedurally i assume the party chair was advised by his state lawyers that the subpeona must be issued within a certain no. of days and his delays and failures have now become concrete, at least for now, thus denying the truth to come out for the little people of south dakota.

  87. Bill Fleming 2014.09.16

    Dithmer, great job! Keep 'em comin'.

  88. mike from iowa 2014.09.16

    The garbage these wingnut legislators perpetrate on South Dakota citizens have consequences 24/7-365 days of the year. Doesn't seem to bother legislators since they can absolve themselves of following the rules. If they get some harassment at home,too bad. Stay out of the kitchen if they can't take the heat.

  89. JeniW 2014.09.16

    Steve S., it has been politics all along, even before George Washington was president.

    Negative campaigning is used because enough people like it, and it works for some people. As soon as there is any hint of anyone being a candidate for office, ever notice that the negative campaign starts and it is all over the individual like maggots on road kill?

    Politics, to me is like the game of football. The owners of the teams change, the coaches and referees come and go, the players come and go, the audience changes, the cheerleaders changes, and even the people who sell food and stuff changes, but it is still the same game.

    Unless there is is a change in the rules and etc. of the game of football, it will stay the same no matter who is involved.

    Until there is change in the political structure, the political game will stay the same no matter who is involved, and no matter the political party.

  90. Roger Cornelius 2014.09.16

    You know Troy, in some respects you're right, maybe there should be a line between politics and a private life, but realistically there isn't. I've seen some of the most hateful things written about Democrats on the official Republican state blog, DWC. Maybe Pat didn't provide a phone number for someone, but his lies and deceptions have hurt people.

    My point is this Troy, had Tidemann acted with honesty and integrity and allowed full disclosure and an investigation of the GOED EB-5 scandal by GOAC, we would not be having this conversation, would we.
    Is the publishing of a legislator's home phone a greater scandal or recklessness than what Mike Rounds and his crony gang have done to this state with their corruption.
    Tidemann has probably changed his phone number by now, the phone number, the ad, and the postcard debate will blow over in a few days. GOED is not going away even if Mike Rounds is elected, in fact there will likely be more intense scrutiny of him as a United States Senator.

  91. lesliengland 2014.09.16

    "committee" chair

  92. mike from iowa 2014.09.16

    One party total gubmint control,no oversight,millions of dollars,religion of greed,no conscience and zero accountability.

  93. Bill Fleming 2014.09.16

    "All politics is local." – Tip O'Neil
    "All politics is local (except for home phone numbers.)" – Troy Jones

    ;-)

  94. mike from iowa 2014.09.16

    Troy,would that wingnuts decisions leave the poor and elderly,the uninsured,the hungry the uneducated and their homes and families alone,but it doesn't happen and all to often you find politicians chortling with glee at the damage to others their decisions do.

  95. caheidelberger Post author | 2014.09.16

    Calling for calls to legislators is inappropriate? Just how are we supposed to get in contact with our part-time legislators? Are we supposed to call the Capitol and leave a message?

    Let's step down a level: if something is going awry in Madison, is it proper to encourage neighbors to call the mayor or a city councillor at the contact number that official provides on the city's webpage and ask what's going on? Is it proper for citizens to walk up to the mayor at Dairy Queen and ask about city issues?

    I thought one of the great merits of South Dakota politics was that, with a state that really functions as one big small town, we remain close enough to our politicians that we can call them and have direct conversations. I still see nothing wrong with folks calling Senator Tidemann to discuss this important matter. I see nothing wrong with encouraging interesting citizens to call Senator Tidemann and the other members of GOAC to make their concerns clear and ask them (politely, but firmly) to uphold the public trust and ask some common sense questions.

    Heck, I would even encourage every citizen who calls Chairman Tidemann to also call Rep. Wismer and encourage her to push even harder for answers. Her contact information, as listed publicly on the LRC website:

    Home Address:
    PO Box 147
    Britton, SD 57430-0147

    Phone Numbers:
    Home 605-448-5189
    Capitol 605-773-3851

  96. caheidelberger Post author | 2014.09.16

    You can also find contact information for all of the other GOAC members by clicking on their names on this committee roster page. Maybe they all should get some calls this week to make clear that people really are concerned about this issue and will be thinking about it when they vote six weeks from now.

    But you know, maybe electoral pressure isn't the right way to go. Try the opposite: Rep. Melissa Magstadt from Watertown is not seeking re-election. Maybe she could be convinced to ignore pressure from her own party and back a call for subpeonas. Her LRC page gives the following contact information:

    Home Address
    1625 Northridge Drive, Unit 107
    Watertown, SD 57201-8667
    Phone Numbers
    Home 605-753-6205
    Capitol 605-773-3851
    Business 605-753-6205

  97. caheidelberger Post author | 2014.09.16

    Indeed, Mr. Dithmer nails the main issues, the main malfeasance that ought to occupy every voter's mind... and some folks nervous about the chance that someone might spill Rounds's beans saying we're bad guys for urging voters to contact their elected representatives? Uff da!

  98. Bill Dithmer 2014.09.16

    Insurance man Mike Rounds wants to be your next senator. He wants to repeal the ACA denying tens of thousands of South Dakotans affordable health care.

    Mikes plan to replace the ACA is a secret he doesn't want to share. If its as good as his EB5 idea, what have you got to loose?

    Vote responsibly, vote Weiland

    The Blindman

  99. grudznick 2014.09.16

    Indeed, indeed. You should all contact away, even in the wee hours of the night. At 4am, Mr. Tidemann is the least busy in his busy days.

    I bet you Mr. Tidemann is behind the investigation going on over the Chamberlain Honor Song issue and those bossturds who won't allow it, and that's what's keeping him busy outside of his regular job and his busy legislaturing.

  100. 96Tears 2014.09.16

    How's this, Bill? Use your Robert Stack voice.

    Governor Mike Rounds abused a jobs investments program called EB-5. One of Mike’s two ring leaders skimmed $550,000 from Mike’s office. Then he was killed. The other ring leader walked off with the records and Mike’s pals in Pierre won’t subpoena him to testify. Mike’s pals say Mike created 5,000 jobs with EB-5. There’s no proof. Hundreds of millions are gone. One ring leader’s dead. The other’s being shielded by Mike’s pals. And South Dakota’s on the hook for lawsuits.

    Want Mike in Washington? Didn't think so.

  101. caheidelberger Post author | 2014.09.16

    Dithmer strikes again! Beautiful!

    And then grudz wastes our time with his artifice. Grrr. Again, I'm advocating serious and civil discourse with our elected legislators, at reasonable hours.

  102. lesliengland 2014.09.16

    "Citizenship-for-sale" EB5

    love it!!

    welcome to the US Senate Rick!! welcome to the governor's mansion, Susan!!

  103. Bill Fleming 2014.09.16

    Great exercise folks. Boiling it all down. Good good good. Hope the Weiland folks are reading this.

  104. Bill Dithmer 2014.09.16

    South Dakota as a state has one of the best rated business climates in the nation.

    Why then is there so little new business?

    You'll have to ask Mike Rounds. His business plan for eight years was EB5. How many jobs did that bring to the state again? How many millions diid it cost the taxpayers?

    "Crickets"

    Vote responsibly, vote Weiland

    The Blindman

  105. Roger Cornelius 2014.09.16

    Bill this a great idea, thanks.

    Here is my entry:

    MIKE ROUNDS SOLD THE SOUTH DAKOTA REPUBLICAN PARTY TO THE COMMUNIST CHINESE! Now Do I Have Your Attention?

  106. grudznick 2014.09.16

    Bill, did Mr. Weiland send you that check like you thought he might? Because then you can break you that good stuff you were mulling at breakfast the other day.

  107. Bill Fleming 2014.09.16

    Grudz, you back on Sloe Gin again? That stuff'l rot yer guts out man.

  108. Roger Cornelius 2014.09.16

    Anybody know if this grudz's second or third childhood?

  109. Jane Smith 2014.09.17

    Wow, this much banter over a phone number. It's more nitpicking in order to deny the obvious. When certain people decided to con the state and it's people, do you think it was good manners to that? Or is it acceptable to lie and cheat so long as you do it politely? Joopster and his crew gave The biggest middle finger flash when he responded that he will send a written response to the call to GOAC mtg.
    Everyone must see the urgency and desperation in all this. It's not a cheap shot at all. The situation is so dire that such steps were taken. Tidemann needs to be contacted even if his is sitting on the potty because it is obvious that he doesn't see the criticality of this matter.

  110. caheidelberger Post author | 2014.09.17

    No doubt, Jane. It's not as if someone published Joop Bollen's phone number and encouraged folks to contact him directly to encourage him to appear in person on the 24th... or to skip the formalities and just ask for our money back. Now that would be rude... wouldn't it?

  111. Steve Sibson 2014.09.17

    "Since there doesn't seem to be a vast difference between you and Steve Hickey, I mad the honest mistake of saying Sibson instead of saying Hickey, it wasn't a lie or deception, it was a mistake."

    I accept you made a mistake, but by making another mistake. There is a vast difference between Hickey and myself. Hickey is carrying water for the liberals in the SDGOP, while I am calling them out for what they are...big government liberals. And that includes Tidemann and Rounds. EB-5 is a big government program supported by members of both parties. Too bad we can't stop the political gamesmanship for a day and actually try to understand EB-5, and all who supports it.

  112. Bill Fleming 2014.09.17

    Run it down Sibby. Is it about wealthy foreign coveting? Or domestic coveting of foreigner's wealth? Or private sector coveting of public sector money. Or public coveting of private information? Or neofascist coveting of neomarxist...

  113. Roger Cornelius 2014.09.17

    Sibson,
    You can understand the EB-5 scandal involving your party by simply reading and comprehending Cory's threads, instead inject irrelevancies and react rather than act.
    How much more does Cory have to explain to you so you do understand the Rounds scandal?

  114. Steve Sibson 2014.09.17

    Roger, I do understand the Rounds scandal. I believe it goes beyond the EB-5 program and recommend a comprehensive reform. It is called reducing the size and scope of government...something liberals refuse to understand.

  115. Roger Cornelius 2014.09.17

    Sibson,
    You do miss the point.
    You continually attempt to give a pass to corrupt politicians by identifying them as liberal conservatives or some such escape clause. The implication being the true Republicans or conservatives would never steal from the government. The fact is that they have, are, and still defrauding the state government.
    I don't accept your premise, at this time, about the size and scope of state government being more successful and being able to monitor corruption.
    Just as one call steal from a large corporation, you can steal from a small business.
    In the 40 years of Republicans raising taxes and fees, offering no-bid contract to their cronies and friends, corruption has grown in this state and has become a norm.
    The size of government would not have stopped Benda, Bollen, Rounds, Daugaard from perpetuating their fraud and deception. When thieves are intent on stealing, there is a little that stops them.
    What is missing from your comments and has been evidenced by numerous websites on South Dakota being one of the most corrupt states in the union is the lack of oversight, transparency, etc.
    GOAC states it has no subpoena power, an ethics committee would have that power.
    Steve got to fox business or another website on corrupt states and read what they about what makes states corrupt.

  116. Steve Sibson 2014.09.17

    "You continually attempt to give a pass to corrupt politicians"

    Roger, you are missing the point. If there was far less money for politicians to steal, then there would be less motivation to give money to their campaign donors. And if there was less money going to campaign donors, there will be less campaign contributions. To reduce the problem of legal corruption is simply a matter of starving the beast.

    "South Dakota being one of the most corrupt states in the union is the lack of oversight, transparency"

    Try tying campaign contributions to votes once. Those of us who do are then charged with running negative campaigns. Campaign reports are mainly used by those who want to protect their system of legal corruption from those of us who want reforms. How many every day types do you know read campaign finance reports prior to voting?

  117. Bill Fleming 2014.09.17

    Sibby, the problem isn't money, it's power. "Power tends to corrupt. Absolute power corrupts absolutely." — Lord Acton.

    Power has to be held in check. Balanced. Regardless of how much money you're talking about, politics is always about who gets to decide who gets it and who doesn't. In other words, power. If it wasn't power over money, it would be power over something else. Lives for example.

  118. Bill Dithmer 2014.09.17

    Your looking at what happens when a government becomes two demensional.

    At one time, there were three segments of the population in South Dakota that tended to keep everyone in check. They were never equal in number, or power, but none could stand on their own either.

    First, you have the people making the laws. These people were elected, but already know before they get there what is expected of them. With elected office comes power. I dont care who you are if you get elected to office, you will be treated differently. That is the first demension.

    Then you have the electorate, many in number, but sadly lacking in actual power. If it werent for initiatives and referendums, they would be ignored. But they used to swing a big enough bat to keep the others in line. Not now. This would be the second demension.

    The people with the most power like to remain in the background most of the time. They move not only their money but that of like minded rich donners to get what they want, and "when they want it." There are no ethics where these people are concerned, only laws to find a way around. These people dont really belong to a party but choose to buy and sell their politics as they see fit. And that is what made SD Three Demensional.

    Then one day, and I can at least narrow it down to a few years. Jimmy Carter was president, first he boycotted the Olympics, then he killed some pretty big grain sales to some Iron Curtin countries.

    Maybe he could have gotten away with just the Olympics. Who the hell am I kidding? South Dakota never voted for him in the first place.

    Now just add the loss of those grain contracts, and you can get some idea of what a low down dirty Son Of a Bitch of a peanut farmer President Carter was to these people in this state.

    After that time the state started its slide into a two demensional form of government. Not long after that, those in power, and those that were elected, became the same. The electorate lost some power because there was nobody to argue for them.

    Those elected to office had to play the game or stand the chance of never seeing their bills brought forward. The only way to gain power was to kiss the asses of the real powerful people that also held office. The state has no depth, it is a functional two demension thing.

    Remember, with two demensions, you can only see the top, and the bottom.

    With three demensions, everything becomes clearer. You can look not only from the top down, but from the bottom up and side to side. Theres fewer places to hide in government, at least fewer then now.

    I hope i didnt run you off by now. When Rounds was elected Gov the first time you could feel the wheel of power tilting towards Mike and away from those that held the reins for so long. There are a lot of Republicans in South Dakota that hate Rounds just for that reason. The only problem is that they hate anybody with a D by their name more.

    The Blindman

  119. Roger Cornelius 2014.09.17

    Sibson,
    I'm going to accept your arguments for a moment, a brief moment.
    Big government money is the reason we have corrupt politicians.
    Neo-fascist, New-Agers and their worldview only add to the size of government and make criminals of our politicians.
    Campaign donor also contribute to big government because they want something from the politician they purchased. Politicians thereby find ways to feed the corporations government money because that is what they hired to do.
    Am I doing okay so far? Please free to add to my list.
    Now we know the causes and contributions that lead to corrupt, right?
    Okay Steve, are you ready to bring this around?
    Given all the reasons you and I suggest about crony capitalism corruption, how does all this get Mike Rounds, Dennis Daugaard, Marty Jackley, Joop Bollen and all the middlemen to Tidemann's GOAC hearing to give sworn testimony about their role in the Rounds Scandal?
    How do all the theories and excuses get this bunch of crony capitalist indicted by a federal grand jury?
    This is we need to be talking about and hope to hell the GOP legislators that run this state and cover up corruption scandals, take an active role in reforming state government.

  120. Steve Sibson 2014.09.17

    "How do all the theories and excuses get this bunch of crony capitalist indicted by a federal grand jury?"

    Roger, first off thanks for hanging in and taking a serious attempt at understanding my argument. I belief that the crony capitalists are untouchable because their system is deemed legal. Politicians can take campaign monies, and then vote on legislation, and then deny that it was quid pro quo. And how do we prove otherwise?

    Rounds is basically saying he has done nothing wrong, because this is how the system is suppose to work. With public/private partnerships, Rounds can claim he knows nothing about what is going on in the private side of the equation, because there is a right to privacy on that end. That is why transparency is not a solution.

    I don't know if you remember Initiated Measure 10 back in 2008, but it was designed to make much of crony capitalism illegal. It never passed. The NEA and the SD Chamber together fought it. Neither South Dakota political party supported it. Pierre's system of legal corruption was allowed to continue. And now we have the EB-5 situation we have today.

    Since the money of special interests is used to protect this system of legal corruption, then the only way I can think of to counter it is to give it less money. And that is done by reducing the size and scope of government, not by replacing liberal big government Republicans with liberal big government Democrats.

    With all of that said, I believe there are liberals who sincerely understand the problem and want to fix it. I respect that. I see that by some of the comments on this web site. I am asking that you all give the true conservative approach of limited government serious consideration as to the solution. And is you still disagree, that is fine. But can we still continue to discuss the issues with an open mind?

    And please continue to hold accountable the actions of the crony capitalists, such as Cory has been doing. But do so without calling them conservatives. Good luck, sincerely, with trying to bring justice to this system of legal corruption.

  121. Roger Cornelius 2014.09.17

    Bill,
    The link provided is where it all has to start.
    It amazes me how Republican Party loyalist support corporate ownership of our government and its politicians, all under the faux agreement that this a 1st Amendment issue. Talk about selling your soul to the devil.

  122. Roger Cornelius 2014.09.17

    Steve,
    Thanks for your most thoughtful and well articulated reply, it is one of your best.
    The Rounds Scandal is balloon waiting to get pricked by a pin, the question is when. Most agree it will be after the election and I'm inclined to agree.
    I'm a Democrat Steve, a really big one, and when I look at others I don't use a label as a qualifier, they are Democrats. Often times I disagree with different factions of our party and will say so. At some point we usually come to a consensus on our goals.
    The same applies to Republicans, when I see Republicans I don't just see the RINO's, conservatives, tea party, or even who is the true Republican, when they get in the voting booth they will check the R candidates.
    As has been pointed out, Mike Rounds owns EB-5, all of it. He has brought shame to his party, not just to those that support him, but to all Republican groups.
    When Tidemann violates his oath and the federal and state constitutions he brings the same shame as Mike Rounds to ALL state Republicans. You may not agree with Rounds and even hate him, but he is the de facto leader of the party. What he does or doesn't do about his scandal affects all Republicans.

  123. grudznick 2014.09.17

    I believe, deep in my gnarled heart, that Mr. Tidemann is a pretty swell fellow trying to do the right things. And maybe he is, and all you fellows, most of whom are pretty swell too, are just flat out wrong. Just like how Mr. Sibby claims his bible is the only thing and the people in Bengali who don't read it will go to his 4th level of hell, you libbies clutch at your blinded view and claim it is like Mr. Sibby's belief. Perhaps we are all insaner than Sibby's stepsister and will never ever agree. Who knows. Just don't bury me in Mitchell.

  124. lesliengland 2014.09.17

    grudz-is tidemann from chamberlain or is this code, and the jew thing, is this more code? dogwhistle, i think bill moyers calls it. just spitballin' here. just a hunch.

  125. grudznick 2014.09.17

    Ms. lesliengland, I am not sure I understand your question. I believe Mr. Tidemann is from Brookings, and John Banner was a Jewish boy from Austria. I don't know who Mr. Moyers is or if he is from Chamberlain or not. If he is, I hope he votes those honor-song-haters out of office.

  126. lesliengland 2014.09.17

    google moyers&company, and dogwhistle. this is what i believe you may be doing here, aw shucks and such.

  127. caheidelberger Post author | 2014.09.18

    Steve, how about a more direct, more conservative solution than Initiated Measure 10: abolish the Future Fund?

  128. Steve Sibson 2014.09.18

    Cory, that would be a start. Abolishing the entire Governor's Office of Economic Development would be a bigger move in the right direction. Then the cities will have to tell the Chamber of Commerce and their associated economic development corporations to get the heck out of their local governments. But don't think that will be easy. I am reading a 1929 League of Industrial Democracy book, and they admit the corporatists will not go down easy whether there is an out right revolution, or if the socialists take over the governmental power via the democratic process.

    Well that said, I do not agree with the socialists. I believe the socialists have partially set up their form of government, but the corporatists have co-opted it. Again, the solution is to reduce the size and scope of government if we want to reduce the power and influence of the corporatists.

  129. Bill Fleming 2014.09.18

    Wasn't the Boston Tea Party in essence a rebellion against a British corporatocracy? The government of England in cahoots with the Hudson Bay Company? And those darn socialist Yankees wanting equality, liberty and fraternity and stuff. Sibby, the reason you have limited credibility in these discussions is that you change the meaning of words with impunity to such a degree as to render it almost impossible to tell whether we agree with you or not. LOL

  130. Steve Sibson 2014.09.18

    "And those darn socialist Yankees wanting equality, liberty and fraternity and stuff."

    So Bill, were those the same French Templars who were also responsible for the French and Bolshevik Revolutions?

  131. JeniW 2014.09.18

    How about if Gov. Daugaard and the SD legislators refuse to accept money from the feds that helps pay for education, including for students with disabilities or "special needs."

    Let every school district in SD come up with its own money supply. If the districts cannot raise enough money, oh well.

    If school districts had to raise their own money supply, that would reduce the spending on the federal level, and would add more teeth the the "local control" that seems to be a frequent battle cry.

  132. Roger Cornelius 2014.09.18

    JeniW.

    That is exactly what Mike Rounds is advocating.
    He has promised to abolish the federal Department of Education.

  133. Roger Cornelius 2014.09.18

    Oh Steve, you were doing so well in our discussion and than you had to read a book and fall off the wagon of the Rounds Scandal.

    I'm not comfortable with the positionthat government programs should be abolished simply because South Dakota Republicans like Mike Rounds and his cronies have sticky fingers. The analogy of a few rotten apples spoils them all, would apply here.
    There is a solution, but the Republican governor and legislature don't want to take it. If the solution to corruption is to shutdown state programs because they are ripe for corruption, we won't have much in the way of government left.
    The solution is to pass meaningful legislation that provides oversight with checks and balances and prosecution of those in government, politicians and cronies, with severe consequences when caught stealing.
    Years ago I owned and operated a huge cash bingo, on occasion someone would ask if I ever worried about the cash being stolen. Of course I did, but with all the proper paperwork in place it reduced the chances of theft, accountability was somewhat forced on workers. If they did steal, it would be found out when the accountant reviewed the cash flow the next day.
    South Dakota needs to pass corruption legislation, ethics legislation on a grand scale, the whole process needs to reviewed and changed to give the people a right to see how government is using our money.
    I look forward to when Cory post his thread on suggestions for the next session of the legislature.

  134. JeniW 2014.09.18

    Roger and Steve S.,

    If that is what Rounds is advocating (i.e. each school district coming up with its own money supply,) Steve S. you would support Rounds?

    Would the Mitchell School Board be able come up with enough money to pay teachers, and services needed for children with disabilities? If so, that would be awesome, but I suspect that the Mitchell School District would not be able to come up with the money needed.

    That would mean that teachers would get paid less, and services for students would be cut or eliminated.

  135. Steve Sibson 2014.09.18

    "South Dakota needs to pass corruption legislation, ethics legislation on a grand scale, the whole process needs to reviewed and changed to give the people a right to see how government is using our money."

    Roger, we tried that. It was called Initiated Measure 10. Since the NEA did not like it, the Democrats did not support it. The system of checks and balances has been destroyed and replaced with an executive form of government. As long as there is large amounts of money available from government programs, there will be those who will reward those in government who hand it out to them. As long as we don't know the details, we will never see the quid pro quo.

  136. Steve Sibson 2014.09.18

    "If that is what Rounds is advocating (i.e. each school district coming up with its own money supply,) Steve S. you would support Rounds?"

    No I don't support Rounds. Does a $13.5 million Fine Arts Center help pay for teachers? New football stadiums? Does skill development programs for the corporatists? Does a Common Core command and control system that micromanages the "facilitators"? Does self-esteem training and psych programs? Does sex education?

    There is plenty of money, but it is going to special interests and their "planned society". The same model that the Soviets used.

  137. Bill Fleming 2014.09.18

    LOL Roger, yup, you only have to whisper the words "rabbit hole" and Sibby jumps right down into it and starts digging. At least he's predictable.

    According to Sibby we never should have had that pesky Constitution because it was a Masonic/Knights Templar/Communist plot. We should be be instead a Biblical Christian Theocracy. And that whole USA name thing? The work of the devil. The name of our country should either be "Cotton Matherland" or maybe "New Armageddon."

  138. Steve Sibson 2014.09.18

    "According to Sibby we never should have had that pesky Constitution because it was a Masonic/Knights Templar/Communist plot. We should be be instead a Biblical Christian Theocracy."

    Another false accusation from Fleming. So do you agree that the American/French/Bolshevik revolutions had the same agenda?

    Second question: Is a Christian Theocracy the only form of government Biblical Christians can accept?

  139. Bill Fleming 2014.09.18

    *CAUTION: RABBIT HOLE
    UNDER CONSTRUCTION
    PLEASE DO NOT ENTER!*

  140. Steve Sibson 2014.09.18

    I thought Fleming could not answer the questions and have an honest and constructive discussion. Typical troll.

  141. Bill Fleming 2014.09.18

    It's off topic, Sibby.
    Some other time.
    Focus, man, focus.

  142. larry kurtz 2014.09.18

    Sibby, put up a post about something relevant and i'll slam it into twitter: you know your traffic spiked like crazy lately, right?

  143. Roger Cornelius 2014.09.18

    Sibson,
    I recall initiated measure 10 and the NEA and Chamber of Commerce blather and the legislatures unwillingness to regulate itself.
    Does that mean we quit trying?
    If anything, South Dakotans should learn how crony capitalism corruption works, EB-5 is a shining example of what is wrong when Republicans are at the helm.
    Rounds Scandal should be a Red Alert that state government needs reform.
    Because IM10 failed, doesn't mean we should stop trying, it means that we should demand more accountable from our state politicians.

  144. Steve Sibson 2014.09.18

    Roger, I agree that this issue should teach people a big lesson. The biggest lesson I learned was the NEA/Chamber partnership. At the time, I thought they were on opposite sides. It made me wonder just how much the party bosses are jacking their true believers around. And I mean both the Republicans and the Democrats. That was when I started looking at Democrats differently. I began to see the good intentions of those who were at the grass roots. I also began to feel bad about how they, and also the grass root conservative Republicans, were being deceived. Now I am finding out just how hard it is to get folks to see the reality of what's going on. And yes, perhaps this EB-5 scandal will wake more people up. Right now I am trying to get some social conservatives to start looking beyond the abortion issue when evaluating a candidate, as I am trying to get you liberals to look beyond your Neo-Marxist worldview when looking for the solution.

  145. larry kurtz 2014.09.18

    Nearly every place the search for 'Neo-Marxist worldview' goes is to some apocalyptic christian wrath o' god type stuff: is that how your sect raises money, Sib?

  146. lesliengland 2014.09.18

    sex, shrinks and self-esteem for neo ever

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