Feds Offer to Let South Dakota Pay to Reopen Mount Rushmore; Daugaard Counts...
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...
View ArticleRepublicans Losing National Blame Game, Putting House Control in Jeopardy
Yesterday, Nielson Brothers Polling announced its finding that South Dakotans are pretty evenly split in blaming the Republicans and the Democrats for the partial federal government shutdown. Not so...
View ArticleWeiland Pledges to Keep Government Open, Pay America’s Bills
Campaign pledges are silly. Rick Weiland just made a campaign pledge. Does that make Rick Weiland silly? Or does another silly pledge become a rational response to the absurd and destructive behavior...
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Sanford® Premier Bankcard® Mount Rushmore Reopens Monday
Governor Dennis Daugaard has accepted the Interior Department's offer to let states pay for reopening certain national parks and monuments. However, as I suspected, Governor Daugaard doesn't think...
View ArticleReagan, Obama Agree: Brinkmanship on Default Threatens U.S. Credibility
Senator John Thune claims, incredibly, that President Barack Obama is hurting the country by accurately describing the consequences of the Republicans' unconscionable budget and default brinkmanship....
View ArticleMiserly Daugaard Budgeting Costs Low-Income South Dakotans Federal Scholarships
Viewing education as an expense instead of an investment doesn't hurt our Governor or well-healed legislators, but it does come back to bite low-income students and families in the butt. Bob Mercer...
View ArticleNoem Excuses Irresponsible Vote for Fiscal Chaos
Rep. Kristi Noem offers the following excuse for her vote against reopening the government and averting global economic catastrophe: This agreement will reopen the government and stop any talk of a...
View ArticleRounds Pragmatic on Shutdown, Default; GOP Opponents Prefer Disaster
I really don't want Marion Michael Rounds to win South Dakota's open Senate seat. He would legislate as he governed, absent of vision and sacrificing principles for the crony capitalism that does more...
View ArticleLonger School Year, Less Funding: Plan Sets K-12 Education Back Nine Years
Update 15:45 CDT: Rep. Kathy Tyler (D-4/Big Stone City) checks in with better intel than whatever Pat was reading. Rep. Tyler says the interim committee plans to restore the per-student allocation to...
View ArticleSpearfish Reprieve: FWS Keeps All Hatcheries Open, Extends Budget Discussion...
Spearfish residents and visitors will enjoy at least one more year of feeding trout and ducks in one of the prettiest spots in South Dakota. The D.C. Booth Fish Hatchery, a historic haven nestled in...
View ArticleBudget Preview: Daugaard to Propose 1.6% Increase for K-12 Education
Back in July, South Dakota was basking in a budget surplus. But as we continue to hoard huge budget reserves, Governor Dennis Daugaard prepares to play Soup Nazi on the schools again. No 3% for you,...
View ArticleSchool Boards Support Common Core, Higher Wages, Longer School Year
Under yesterday's story on the disagreement between Governor Dennis Daugaard and the Associated School Boards of South Dakota on how much we need to spend on quality K-12 education, Watertown school...
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Fiscal Note: South Dakota Tops in Taking Federal Transfer Payments
As we prepare for Governor Dennis Daugaard's budget address (live on SDPB Statehouse this afternoon, 1 p.m. Central, noon Mountain!), it's good to remind ourselves of the federal largesse that makes...
View ArticleDaugaard Would Give $30M Windfall to Economic Development Amid Investigations
In Tuesday's budget address, Governor Dennis Daugaard proposed dropping $30 million of unexpected revenue (you and I should have such problems!) into the Building South Dakota Fund. This fund arises...
View ArticleSouth Dakota Can Spend $1.5M to get $214M in Medicaid; Daugaard Unwilling
Governor Dennis Daugaard's big proposal in this week's budget address is, basically, to spend money to save money. Burning up $90 million in one-time expenses frees up $25 million in ongoing money. So...
View ArticleBig Man on Campus: SDSU Men’s Basketball Coach Has 32nd-Highest State Salary
According to Governor Dennis Daugaard's FY 2015 Budget Book, the 32nd-highest paying state job is the head coach of men's basketball at South Dakota State University. That vital job pays $200,000, just...
View ArticleJoe Lowe Wins Increase in K-12 Funding?
Is Democratic candidate Joe Lowe already effecting positive change for South Dakota? That's the thesis offered by my blogospheric colleague Michael Larson, who connects Lowe's announcement (published...
View ArticleDaugaard Seeks 20% Boost in Correctional Health Budget; Medicaid Could Help
Governor Dennis Daugaard's FY2015 budget proposal includes a boost to this fiscal year's corrections budget of $4 million. The Governor says we need to pump $4 million more into our prisons to fix a...
View ArticleBosworth Discloses Finances to Senate Ethics Committee; I’m Sorry I Asked!
After dodging her legal obligation for four months, Republican Senate candidate Annette Bosworth mailed her financial disclosure form to the Senate Ethics Committee at the last minute. All Senate...
View ArticleSouth Dakota Higher Education Suffers Decade of Budget Neglect
South Dakota likes to brag to entrepreneurs about its low costs and low taxes. But that bargain apparently dos not extend to young people seeking higher education to build their own business dreams....
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