Last updated on 2014.07.14
Hat tip to Larry Kurtz, who notes another ugly irony in South Dakota politics. First Governor Dennis Daugaard asked the President his party wants to impeach to send disaster aid for South Dakota's June tornado and flood victims. The President, via FEMA, turned him down.
Still not ready to return to his self-reliant roots, Governor Daugaard is barking up another federal-handout tree. Encouraged by fellow Republican Senator John Thune, Governor Daugaard is asking the Small Business Administration to provide low-interst loans to help home- and business owners clean up their storm messes.
And who oversees SBA operations in South Dakota? Matt Varilek, that nice fellow from Yankton who ran for Congress a couple years ago but was portrayed by South Dakota Republicans as too smart and well-traveled to be a real South Dakotan. The SDGOP ran Varilek through exactly the wringer of character assassination that David Newquist says drives good public servants out of the state.
But those Republicans sure want Region VII Administrator Varilek and the Obama Small Business Administration to be forgiving and generous and spare Pierre the burden of providing for its own citizens in times of need.
Republican hypocrisy in the purest form. Funny thing is, they don't see anything wrong with it.
House of Reprehensibles passed a couple hundred billion dollar business taxcut(only 2 rw voted against it) with absolutely ZERO cuts anywhere in the budget. The same offsets they demand when Obama wants more spending. Like Tim says above- hypocrisy.
I think he should tell them to go ask the orange man and his South Dakota dust bunny for the loot. Don't these people have insurance? If not, why?
Cory, you too do your fair share of pointing out everyone's faults.
If you are a small business owner or homeowner that lost everything, you are not going to care who the president is. You would like to have the same help the has been given to others throughout the US.
Varilek lost the election because the Democratic Party is weak. If your base is so bad that you cannot fill all of the legislative races, your candidates for national office are going to face an almost impossible hurdle.
It will be interesting if that young fellow does his job, lashes out in juvenile retribution, or just keeps eating corn dogs. He's the corn dog kid, right? The one that went for an eating record while he was running for some office. I, for one, can respect feats of the gut. You keep eatin' corndogs, kid.
Jerry, what if most of these people are Democrats?
Just sayin...
What if most of these people are from Iowa? Why are we paying for damages again? It does not matter what party they are from, I don't think it is wise keep pouring money down a rat hole. These folks need to purchase insurance like the rest of us must.
Grud: Varilek has more brains in his middle fingers than PP has in his entire girth.
Way to go Larry and Grud! Same level of juvenile discussion....
Just for the record, Cory is smarter and a more experienced debater than anyone posting here on his blog...yes more than Varilelks middle fingers and more than PP's entire body.
That doesn't mean that I always agree with him.
Exactly, MB: now join me and send Cory some money.
Daugaard reported on Friday that South Dakota has a $10 million surplus for this last fiscal year. Come on gov, help South Dakota taxpayers that have suffered losses, you have the money.
Or is it that South Dakota Republicans are just so damn use to asking the federal government for a handout every time it rains?
The corn dog comment is a good example of the character assassination issues we've been discussing, and unfortunately Matt endured during his foray into SD politics.
Michael B-the best "Democrat" candidates stay away from politics in character assassinating,right wing South Dakota.
South Dakota ended the fiscal year with an extra $10 million, so this Republican believes South Dakota can take care of itself. The federal government is broke.
Both parties are equal in their nastiness towards each other.
The state does not have to spend every last dime they are given. Being a careful steward used to be something to be admired. If we had a multi-year budget with sufficient reserves, we would not have to face cuts when times are tough. We would not have to watch the legislature put off the until the last day possible the most important work they have.
To have character assassination, the target must possess character. Matt Varilek has character and integrity, which are qualities not necessary to be the assassin. The SDGOP this year has proven it has neither. That goes double for the grownups in the party who know better and didn't stop the goons from lowering the standard again.
"We would not have to watch the legislature put off the until the last day possible the most important work they have."
Michael, Most of the SDGOP legislators don't even have a clue on the reality of the budget. They are basically doing what they are told to do. This assessment is based on my attempts to educate them on the budget based on past performance.
Why does Daugaard and his Republican legislature refuse to accept responsibility for its taxpaying citizens?
Always going hat in hand for federal help, they are like the food stamp abusers they loathe, they feel entitled.
As far as I can remember when Varilek ran against Noem, the only thing she emphasized in her campaign was something to the effect that it was too bad Varilek had attended Oxford College and had some really good jobs. This coming from somebody that didn't even have a college degree. Talk about dirty campaigning.
Where did you come up with that number, Mr. Sibby, where did that extra money come from and where did it go? That seems an insane amount of fat on the hog, does it not seem so to you? I would like to read your analysis of this and "think for myself" like Lora Hubbel is saying these days.
Steve, spoke like a true Republican. Complain about the federal debt, while at the same time accepting money from the feds, and requesting even more.
Rounds "balanced" the state budget by using stimulus money. If the feds had not donated the stimulus money to SD, would Rounds been able to balance the budget?
The federal government is broke partially due to the SD government accepting the stimulus money, being awarded disaster/recovery funds, accepting funding from the feds for education, roads, Mt. Rushmore and etc.
When Mt. Rushmore was shut down, Daugaard was able to find enough people to donate enough to re-open of the park. That tells me, that Mt. Rushmore could be self-sufficient without depending on the feds.
Jeni, Mt. Rushmore is the feds. What you are suggesting is that the National Parks Service is/could be operating Mt. Rushmore at a profit or at least break even, which means they spend no tax dollars. They could be a profit machine for the stimulus dollars Obama blew here in South Dakota!
The gov't is in the red because they have made promises they can't afford to keep.
Maybe they should consult an actuary before they promised too much to so many.
The extra money is a combination of extra revenue and less spending, and it rent into the reserves for now.
JeniW, you have not listened to any of my testimony during legislative sessions have you?
No, Steve, I have not listened to your testimony during the legislative session.
Now that the SD state government has all that extra money, it should start paying back the feds for the stimulus money, and/or decrease its dependency on the federal money.
Reserves are not a bad thing to have.
DD squirreled money away knowing the feds would backstop him: moral hazard on the half-shell.
Joe Lowe called DD incompetent and uninterested in governing: even Dan Ledermensch has been overreaching him. It's tough to get a lawyer like Denny out and screw up an Interstate but gosh darn he did it proud.
"Show me a young Conservative and I'll show you someone with no heart. Show me an old liberal and I'll show you someone with no brains."
Winston Churchill
Here I thought Mr. Churchill was a person to be highly respected.
Thank you Michael B for telling me how wrong I have been. I will never view Mr. Churchill the same way.
the irony continues: kristi just tweeted about how to get money from the SBA for disaster relief.