Governor Dennis Daugaard issued a press release right before firecrackers celebrating South Dakota's fiscal situation. He made three blogworthy statements fraught with meaning.
Governor Daugaard reports that we ended the fiscal year with $13 million of our state budget unspent. Governor Daugaard credits our "new culture of fiscal restraint." Remember, this "new culture" to which the Governor refers is not a change from wild-eyed tax-and-spend happy Democrats. The understood "old culture of fiscal whoop-de-whoo" is the administration of M. Michael Rounds, for whom Dennis Daugaard lieutenant governed for eight years. Daugaard is saying as much about his own conversion to budget hawkery as about the fiscal failure of his predecessor.
Daugaard is also giving whoever runs against Mike Rounds for Tim Johnson's Senate seat in 2014 negative ad fodder for the old governor. Daugaard may be signaling that he will endorse any Republican who chooses to challenge Rounds in the 2014 primary (to which potential primary challengers all shout "Nooooo!").
Governor Daugaard gives thanks for a good economy boosting sales tax revenues... then takes total credit therefor:
South Dakota businesses are expanding because our state has a balanced budget, low taxes, and reasonable regulations [Gov. Dennis Daugaard, press release, 2012.07.03].
What? Government creates jobs? Not demand or an improving economy? Not the hard work of South Dakota's self-reliant entrepreneurs? This sounds like Madison thinking... or dare I say, democratic-socialist thinking.
Governor Daugaard then hurrahs our budget surplus:
Because of these efforts, South Dakota has a budget surplus instead of a budget deficit. This is how government should be run [Daugaard, 2012.07.03].
His right-hand man Tony Venhuizen seconds this surplus motion in that Sioux Falls paper, saying "A year-end surplus should be our goal every year."
Really? I thought government's goal should be a balanced budget. At least, that's how I've governed here in the Lake Herman Sanitary District. When I joined the board several years ago, the board was running enormous surpluses just for the sake of stockpiling cash. I cut the budget 60%, then another 23.5%, to bring taxes in line spending.
Rep. Bernie Hunhoff (D-19/Yankton) duly criticizes Governor Daugaard's surplus budgeting as wasteful: instead of lowballing revenue estimates and then cheering the "surprise" one-time money, Hunhoff says we should run honest numbers and include the revenues in ongoing funding where it's needed most, education and health care.
When Team Daugaard aims for a budget surplus, it's really taxing us more than necessary. "Higher taxes than necessary"... hmm, that doesn't sound like a slogan I'd want tied around my neck. And it doesn't sound like good governing.
Very right Cory. We are clearly being taxed too much if they are only having state agencies return the money.
Here is my theory on this whole press release.
Daugaard didn't write it or read it ahead of time. He and Rounds are good friends who have a good relationship.
Dusty Johnson wants to run for Congress. He knows that Rounds is vastly more popular across this state than Daugaard or Noem and the only way he can run for Congress is if Noem runs for the US Seante. Meaning Dusty has now decided that the Daugaard administration will start putting out these press releases with the intent to ding Rounds. Purely to help Kristi - who was a member of leadership and voted for the same budgets Rounds put forth. I do not believe Dusty is a supporter of Kristi but I'm sure he wants her to vacate that seat.
If I was Dennis Daugaard I'd keep a close eye on Dusty Johnson because he has ambitions and goals of his own that are not Dennis Daugaard's. Daugaard went an entire primary election not dinging Rounds. Why else would he start now?
We really should have a 6 month rainy day fund at all levels of government along with a 5 year budget plan. Not spending all of the money allocated is a good thing no matter if you are a Democrat or Republican.
We had more money in state reserves when Rounds left office then when he went in. What more do people want?
Mike, I asked about your accusations. Dusty didn't draft or edit that release. The press secretary did. Dusty didn't review or approve that release. The Governor did.
You took them to seriously. You know how everyone seems to think Dusty is this evil schemer only out for himself... HA! And isn't the press sec Tony V? DJ and TV don't talk or run things past each other?
And, Michael, if we haven't used any off that rainy-day fund, then there's no need to run a surplus every year, is there?
Yeehaw! Talk about wholesale SDGOP CYA: now DD is engaged in red state lavabo, too, as GFP becomes the latest casualty of earth hater, eat-your-own-young social Darwinism. More rats fleeing the stinking ship:
http://rapidcityjournal.com/news/governor-s-office-seeks-independent-review-of-gf-p/article_2582f2a8-cb1c-5b44-9eb8-15e37cdaa4c0.html
As anyone who knows me knows, I have an axe to grind with GF&Ps. I have personally worked for what the governor is doing now for many years without having any luck.
This is really nothing new. From the time of reorganization in I believe 1973 until present this state has not only gone down hill when it comes to the wildlife management, it has taken a step backwards from the states around it. This I know because I have hunted them all.
Everyone has to remember that the monies that they use come from added fees generated from the sale of outdoor hunting and fishing goods and licenses not from any other sources. That isnt where the problems come from.
The secretary and everyone on the commission works for the governor.! If any of you have a thought that they work for you believe me it is only an illusion. Oh sure they have "meetings" but in the end they will do just what they wanted to do in the first place, sometimes even going against scientific evidence to do so. That is whats causeing the problems right now in the hills. Lions and elk and deer oh my. But it is just the last in a long line of problems that the GF&Ps have had through the years.
A few years ago John Cooper who was at that time the secretary for GF&Ps shot an eld that had he been an ordinary person would have been brought up on charges for the taking and possision of a big game animal and the transpertation thereof. Then he tried to stop his own people from doing an investigation of him and the man he was hunting with. All of this happened because he was told by our then "convict governor" that it was ok to do so. Cooper actually admitted that he thought at the time that it wasnt leagal but figured that Janklow would protect him so he did it anyway. I guess he was right because instead of being charged he retired from the secretarys posistion and two governors later was given a seat at the table of the commission.
You tell me could you ever trust him with your personal money?
And then there is Jeff Vonk our new secretary of GF&Ps. He had burnt most of his bridges in Iowa and they were only to happy to get rid of him, just do a little research and you will find all you need to make a decision on him. Better yet ask someone that lives there what they think of John. Mike Rounds came to his rescue and the rest is history.
The GF&Ps can be fixed but only in one way. It needs to be restructured from the top down. We need to take the power away from the governor and give it back to the people.
The commission needs to be an elected body, by the people not the legislator, never appointed by the governor again unless someone dies.
Limited to two six year terms and no more later on.
We need live streaming audio feeds of the meetings so even if we cant make it there we can still know whats going on. Why are they fighting this so much?
Folks the chinese money bird and the walleye drive the GF&Ps commission in this state sometimes at the expense of the other animals. Isnt it about time to start managing our wildlife and wildlands using science instead of doing whats best for just some of our people? Our state deserves better.
Will anything change? Nope DD is showing you his one hand and doing something entirlly different with the other hoping nobody ask him whats going on with that other hand.
The Blindman
If elected, Mike Rounds vows to commute to DC from swamp in Ft. Pierre: Montgomery.
Sounds like another earth-hater to me, burning up more fossil fuels instead of living sustainably.
Why now? Max Baucus did this to fellow Dem Jon Tester drawing resources from precious donors during a tight race: looks chicken shit to me.
Sibby is right on this stuff: the GOP is infamous for ego-driven campaigns based on personality rather than results.
cue grudz
my gawd: rounds comes off as god's gift to stupid white people.
one hand on the governors club, the other in dan lederman's pants.
if this isn't white catholic code for prisons-r-us i'll kiss your assets.
These scab refs are doing just fine.
Bust that union, and plow Reynolds Prairie.