I feel a bluff getting called. Governor Dennis Daugaard has offered to use "state personnel and resources" to keep Mount Rushmore open during the partial federal government shutdown. The National Park Service has said no, thank you, saying that the federal government can't surrender national parks and monuments to state control.
(Remember that Governor Daugaard has not made any comparable offer to repoen federal Farm Service Agency offices with state staff to process loss claims from West River ranchers who lost tens of thousands of cattle and sheep in last week's blizzard. Governor Daugaard's response to that pressing crisis is to urge people to make donations.)
But now Interior Secretary Sally Jewell has made a counter-offer: The Park Service will work with South Dakota, Utah, and other states that have made offers like Daugaard's to protect their tourism industry... if the states are willing to pay while the federal government is shut down.
Governor Daugaard says he's thinking about it. When he was offering to shift state personnel and raise private money to run the lights at Mount Rushmore, he was ready to mobilize immediately. But ask Governor Daugaard to add a line to the budget, to replace exactly what his Republican friends in Washington have taken away by holding the budget hostage, and suddenly reopening Mount Rushmore isn't quite the priority we thought it was.
Adding a swing by Mount Rushmore to a state trooper's patrol schedule doesn't cost much. Griping about traffic cones is free. But really running Mount Rushmore the way the National Park Service runs Mount Rushmore costs money.
The Governor may yet accept Secretary Jewell's offer and write a check to open the granite gates to the Shrine of Democracy. But past performance suggests he won't. Consider the ACA Medicaid expansion: Governor Daugaard refuses to sign South Dakota up for that program because he doesn't want to spend state money to cover health care costs for able-bodied adults. He also doesn't want to check a chance that the federal government wouldn't hold up its end of the deal and pay its promised 93% of the expansion cost over the first nine years. Secretary Jewell isn't offering to reimburse the states any of the cost of reopening the national parks, and there's no timeline for how long Republican kamikazes in Washington would keep the states footing those bills. Why would Governor Daugaard incur open-ended financial obligations to fund recreation for able-bodied adults?
We will learn this week if South Dakota is willing to put its money where its mouth is or whether Governor Daugaard will provide one more example of red-state moocherism.
But whatever the Governor chooses, we have to ask: why aren't we having this discussion about reopening FSA offices to help ranchers, or paying Brendan Johnson's staff to prosecute criminals, or providing state support for heating assistance on the reservation to keep Indians from freezing in the next snowstorm?
Well done Cory. If there ever was a time that all ranchers and tribal interests should be asking our benevolent Denny what his intentions are to help in this disaster, it is past now. I understand that he and Thune, both cattlemen I presume, will tour the devastation from the air. I remember when Bush did that with Katrina. With that thought in mind, we are screwed as one thing that we all should be clear on, republicans cannot govern. That is just not in there genes. How can you govern when you hate government?
Yes Jerry. Gov. Daugaard did do a flyover of the livestock devastation just as President Bush did with Hurricane Katrina. But rest assured, he has Brownie on the ground soliciting door to door for donations. Heck of a job, Brownie! If this had happened under Bill Janklow the National Guard would be mobilized, prisoners would be helping, and the governor would be there personally with a payloader rather than flying over shaking his head in disappointment.
Now, as to Mt. Rushmore, Gov. Daugaard has a multi-million dollar slush fund that doesn't require legislative authority to spend. It's the Future Fund, and it's for economic development which seems kind of fitting. There's no reason the Governor couldn't take the federal government's offer today and get Mt. Rushmore opened right away.
R, that's a good point. The snowstorm-cattle losses are arguably a larger and certainly more widespread disaster than the Spencer tornado, requiring a swift response. The state could easily justify mobilizing the guards and inmates to help with this cleanup. I can imagine Janklow himself at the cleanup, marking cattle disposed on his clipboard and signing the documents vouching for each rancher's losses himself so they can claim their Livestock Indemnity Program payments... assuming Congress gets back to work and reauthorizes that program, which expired four days with the Farm Bill four days before the snow hit.
I had hoped that our governor would have a "Christie moment" in this all where the needs of his state would override petty political grandstanding. Just as Christie put aside the divisive rhetoric (during a presidential campaign no less) to get to work as the elected leader of his state and get much needed disaster relief from the fed, I expect Dauggard to do likewise.
Who rates action, the Tea Party/Far Right or the citizens of SD?
The loss of cattle and other problems are nearly perfect examples of why "big government" is necessary to prevent local and state collapse. A small local area or state doesn't have the critical mass to spread the costs of a localized catastrophe over a large enough tax base or support numbers or area.
Brilliant move by Sec. Jewell to expose the grandstanding by Gov. Daugaard and other GOP politicians. Put your money where your mouth is Denny, if you're unwilling to do that then either shut the hell up, or start raising hell and call out the Republican members of Congress who are responsible for shutting down our government and wrecking the local and national economy.
The rainy day slush fund that Denny has would most definitely help our ranching neighbors and friends. Like you said, give them the dough and attest to the loss, simple stuff. If Denny is so concerned about that money then here is another thought. Take the Medicaid expansion to alleviate the pressure on the states share of that expense. That would free up millions that could be used as an emergency contingent until the government opens back up. Oh, and call our dolt that represents us and tell her in no uncertain terms, to get a vote in to end this charade. Then a call to the Thune bird and give him the same command.
A real leader could do that and save face with the tea party idiots out there who think that compromise is criminal. A real leader of all the people would look to solving problems that are not just a pin prick, but the whole enchilada. A real leader, alas, we are doomed to a leadership of dummies in our state.
Jerry I agree with you. I really feel any extra money that the state has should be used to help the ranchers and to expand medicaid, then if there is any left open Mount Rushmore.