The South Dakota Democratic Party smells another winning issue in the GOP leadership's picking of your pocket on behalf of the American Legislative Exchange Council:
But you don't have to take us partisans' word for it. Chairman Nesselhuf posts links to the reaction of the South Dakota press to this cynical money grab:
- Pierre Capital Journal, 4/26/13 – Lawmakers should not ask state to pay for their memberships in conservative group.
- Aberdeen American News, 4/27/13 - Our Voice: State should not pay lawmakers’ dues to ALEC
- Argus Leader, 4/30/13 – Lawmakers’ paid membership, conference travel eyed
- Associated Press, 4/30/13 – Group Membership Fees Divide State Lawmakers
With even noteworthy Republicans speaking up against this frivolous use of taxpayer dollars, we can only hope the GOP leadership pulls that pen back from those 105 $100 checks and looks for ways to spend our money on real South Dakota needs, not the agenda of out-state corporate raiders.
It's time for the Republican leadership in the legislature to end their arrogance.
I'm not an ALEC member. But if we're going to pay legislators a pittance for months of their time, and gripe now about paying for conference travel, you'll get what you pay for. FYI- I didn't join my first term because I didn't have any money in my campaign account as my wife and I had loaned my campaign $4000 already. We were done chipping in our extra money and time at that point. People have no idea the personal cost with gas, dinners, dues, memberships, etc. No PAC money comes your first term so we are all on our own. Despite what I've read lately, no one forces us to join ALEC, there was zero pressure to join and I'm a member of a variety of other things and didn't need one more thing. The state should pay for memberships to organizations that help us be better legislators as long as those groups are not partisan and ALEC, like it or not, is non-partisan.
Think about it--- you all blow gaskets when we come up with ill-conceived bills, poorly drafted etc--- then you all complain when we want to expand our LRC staff or go to conferences. We do have creative thinkers/leaders in our midst but we can only pull so much good policy out our ears. Lessons tried/learned elsewhere are invaluable. Google is a poor substitute for connecting with leaders and policy makers in other states.
Please note the Dems hypocrisy in not having a tissy about the state paying NCSL and CSG memberships. Don't Dems have some big races and bigger issues to focus on? Why didn't Ben join me fighting the unfunded cage fighting commission if he was truly worried about frivolous use of tax dollars? He shouldn't be wasting a nickel on this but it makes me think it's the only news he can generate to keep the facade of his relevance going. I'm still slightly erked at him sending those stupid, slanderous and factually false postcards in 2012. If anyone thinks the perks of this job are enticing they are without a clue. We do it for other reasons.
gawd.
I can appreciate the benefit of legislators and business leaders working together. Businesses bring jobs with paycheck, Paychecks bring spending, that brings more jobs and more spending. While government can create a business friendly environment, they shouldn't be catering to one business over another.
Membership should be free for legislators. Not paid for from state, or by the people. If the legislators would like to pay out their own pocket, I would be fine with that. If they would like to go to the conference, on their own dime, go. Don't ask for the state to pick up your tab. Good luck and have a safe trip.
It often doesn't look like your pulling policy out of your ears so much, but somewhere else maybe?
Legislators unable to write basic legislation should not be in the legislature...no matter what the pay level. Whining about pay after you get a job you campaign for seems to lack something. Then using that low pay as an excuse for taking money to attend ALEC propaganda meetings aimed at generating special legislative benefits for special interests is the ultimate insult to intelligence.
Rev. Hickey I understand what your saying with the small amount of money legislators receive but in a small way welcome to the world of teaching in South Dakota. I'm not a teacher but my wife is and she's always buying supplies for her class, going to classes on her own dime to stay recertified. She pays dues to SDEA whcih is not paid for by the taxpayers. So I'm sorry sir but I really can't feel to sorry for you.
I can't believe you think ALEC is non-partisan. Their agenda is about as extreme as it gets. They want to end public education as we know it and they're funded by the Koch brothers. Non-partisan, don't think so and the tax payers shouldn't pay for it.
How would you feel if the state would pay for legislators to go to a ACLU convention and pay dues to the ACLU?
I'm pretty sure I'd know your response.
Wa wa wa I'm feeling pretty bad right now about the way we have been treating our poor legislators.
Bad pay, you knew when you asked for the job what the pay was.
No travel expensese, imagine that the state you are working for wont even pay you to travel out of state to get ideas, WTF.
"We were done chipping in our extra money and time at that point. People have no idea the personal cost with gas, dinners, dues, memberships, etc. " Did you expect a free ride? And all this time I thought this was about service to the people of the state, not what you should get when you take office.
"The state should pay for memberships to organizations that help us be better legislators as long as those groups are not partisan and ALEC, like it or not, is non-partisan." Really Rev Hickey and you preach for a living. What exactly do you need to be a better legislator? The truth shall set you free, what the hell will telling a lie get ya?
Personally I've had it with self righteous, homophobic, bigoted, right wing religious, "arrogent," whining, moralistic, CHINO's wanting to use our money to fund their play time. What ever happened to small government? I guess that doesnt include legislators using their own money to fund their parties.
Pee or step away from the urinal, there are other people wanting to use the facilities and your in the way. If you don't like the job get out. If you are thinking about using this job as a stepping stone get out. If you are wanting to make a difference in this state start talking sense or let someone else do the job.
I'm tired of hearing about how rough it is for an elected official to do their job when they knew what the job was before taking office. Lets face it if you didn't know you shouldn't be in office in the first place.
The Blindman
Ya gotta hand to ALEC. Normally corporate lobbying firms pay millions to grab the ear and pen of a legislator...they have it down to where the legislator pays them...excuse me...the taxpayers pay them.
As promised, the Argus pans public funding for ALEC junkets:
http://www.argusleader.com/article/20130502/VOICES01/305020018/Editorial-Make-better-use-travel-money
Of course we blow a gasket with ill conceived and written legislation...we expect more from our elected officials than hand scrawled statements of ill formed ideology on bar napkins presented as nothing more than political kabuki theater.
It's time the GOP got over their government exists for their business friends and party is more important than governing for all of South Dakota mentality.
The Republicans in SD have become worse than a clique of junior high mean girls manipulating control of the "cool girl" club, only with puppet strings attached. (Sorry junior high mean girls...that probably wasn't fair to you.)
Bipartisan huh? Name the SD legislators who are members of ALEC. I suspect not a single Democrat among them.
Rorschach,
Let's go one step further. Is there a single piece of draft legislation from ALEC in the past 20 years that didn't favor the corporation over the individual, the connected over the outsider, the rich over the poor or middle class, the employer over the laborer?
To avoid the good Reverend’s inevitable rejoinder that such a question engages in class warfare, I'll ask the question this way. Is there a snowball's chance in hellfire of ALEC supporting or helping write the Hickey usury law?
I don’t have a problem with the legislature joining one of the other organizations that do some bipartisan work. The fund could pay for memberships for 20% of the legislators each year and rotate by legislative district over a five year period.
Non taxpayer money should ever go to ALEC.
NCSL and CSG are truly bipartisan organizations made up of a roughly equal number of legislators from both parties. They have no agenda that can be categorized as conservative or liberal.
ALEC has an agenda developed by its corporate membership that can clearly be categorized as conservative. Although it may have a couple token Democratic legislators nationwide, its legislative membership is at least 95% Republican.
CSG and NCSL are public interest groups, and ALEC is a special interest group.
BAH. Cut off all payments to these kind of groups. I want my legislatures to vote what their constituents want not to have this Alec or anybody else tell them how to vote.
Kal Lis, there's nothing wrong with class warfare when practiced in self-defense.
Rep. Hickey, how about this: let's not pay any dues out that $500K increase. Let's divide it up evenly among all 105 legislators. $4761 more for each of you added straight to your salary. We write you that check, and you do whatever the heck you want with it. Join ALEC, go to NCSL, go to DisneyLand, buy stripey underpants, put it in the collection plate—whatever. It's your pay: spend it how you wish.
Would that make folks happy?
ALEC is non-partisan? Then why are only South Dakota Republican legislators members? Sorry, Mr. Hickey. We South Dakotans are not as dumb as you think we are.
Kristin Conzet R
Bob Deelstra R
Brian Gosch R
Jon Hansen R
Tom Hansen R
Charles Hoffman R
Roger Hunt R
Phil Jensen R
Shantel Krebs R
Ryan Maher R
Stacey Nelson R
David Novstrup R
Betty Olsen R
Russell Olson R
Deb Peters R
Valentine B. Rausch R
Kristi Noem R
What's wrong with legislators finding out what it takes to have a business move or expand into South Dakota? I would think most people would want businesses with jobs moving here.