Speaking of wild referendum propaganda, we Democrats are still working on our petition to refer House Bill 1230 to a public vote. We having a statewide "Day of Action" tomorrow, Saturday, June 18 to gather signatures for our petitions.
Here in Madison, I'm getting together with petition volunteers at 10 a.m. at Mochavino downtown. We'll take a few minutes to review the issues and the map, then head out to knock on doors and gather signatures. At 1 p.m., we'll all come back to Mochavino, get our petitions notarized. Then I'll collect the stamped petitions and take care of sending them in.
If you'd like to join us, we'll be glad to have you! Bring your pen, a clipboard, and walking shoes to Mochavino at 10 a.m.!
And so you can compare my propaganda with the Teabaggers', here are the basic points I'll make when I knock on your door tomorrow:
- The South Dakota Legislature decided we just don't have the money to maintain education funding at previous years' levels. (Cut this year in state K-12 aid: $44 million).
- With House Bill 1230, the Legislature declared we do have $16 million (22% of the contractors excise tax) to spend on handouts to rich corporations.
- Grants for economic development produce results that are questionable at best.
- Even if corporate handouts have some value, so does public education. If money is so tight that we have to drop hundreds of teaching jobs, maybe now isn't the right fiscal time to transfer wealth from the public coffers to private pockets in hopes of trickle-down economic gains.
There's my pitch. No wild-eyed cries of tyranny, just an invitation to the voters of South Dakota to spend the 2012 election discussing state budget priorities. Whom do we fund first: corporations or kindergartners?
Help us have that conversation. Tomorrow, Saturday June 18, 10 a.m., Mochavino, downtown Madison. Come sign, come canvass, come chat with your neighbors!
p.s.: If you're not in Madison (but with White Night tonight and Lake Herman always, why wouldn't you be?), you can participate in the Day of Action petition drive in ten other towns across South Dakota.
pp.s.: The bosses at Mochavino didn't ask me to say this, but I'll disclaim nonetheless: the fact that we're meeting at Mochavino does not imply endorsement by Mochavino management or other customers of this referendum. Mochavino may just see a chance to sell some more coffee and BLTs with basil mayo on pita. I'll bet they'd be happy to let the Citizens for Liberty hold a referral petition meeting as well; after all, Mochavino does sell tea.
http://www.yankton.net/
Poll on how Noem is doing in Congress.
I'll be interested to see how many teachers will turn out to help state wide. If they don't get involved I say to bell with them. I no longer feel sorry for them when they sit on the side lines.
I will agree that teachers in South Dakota have too great a tendency to keep their heads down and do their jobs. The latter is admirable; the former allows bad policy. I hope we'll see a lot of teachers pounding the pavement tomorrow!