District 2 Senate race quickly becoming a referendum on Amendment D

According to the Aberdeen American News this morning, Amendment D was in the crosshairs of the discussions between State Senator Jim Hundstad and Republican challenger Brian Johnson:

Saturday's questions were posed by audience members, which were few in
number. Of the 25 or so audience members, many were candidates.

Hundstad was the only candidate who said he supports Amendment D on the
November ballot. The measure would alter the assessment process in the state.
Right now, through a process called equalization, like properties are similarly
priced. The change would set property values at sale prices. Hundstad said he
favors that because the current system is broken and allows somebody's property
to increase in value based on what neighbors do.

Johnson said the amendment will cost Central High School in Aberdeen
$400,000 because it rolls property values back to 2003 levels. Other candidates
said the amendment brings too many unanswered questions, but granted that the
Legislature has to act soon to solve the problem of increasing property values
and taxes.

Read it all here. The other big Senate race, district 3 also had their forum last night, again as reported in the Aberdeen American News. The biggest thing I picked out here? From one side of his mouth, Al Hoerth calls himself a fiscal conservative. Then on the other, he wants state sponsored health insurance:

Each of the candidates said they were fiscal conservatives, then elaborated.

Al Novstrup said the "20 percent" figure was misleading. He said state government has grown at a bit more than 6 percent a year in the past three years, not 20 percent at once. He said part of the reason state spending continues to grow is that mandatory expenses such as housing prison inmates and paying for their medical care continue to increase.

Black, Hoerth and Kneebone, the Democrats, said that it's unfair that state spending increases at a rate that's higher than counties and school districts are allowed.

and..

Latterell said that to him, being fiscally conservative means that the government is only charged with doing the things it can do most efficiently.

and...

Hoerth: South Dakota needs a health provision to provide health insurance for the thousands of residents who don't have it.

Read that one here if you can pick yourself up off of the floor! Al Hoerth calls himself a fiscal conservative, but then literally moments later notes that he wants South Dakota to institute a brand new state sponsored welfare program to provide health insurance for those who don't have it. Just like foodstamps. ... HOW MUCH WILL THAT COST, AL?

Good gosh, it's like he's the antithesis of fiscal conservativism.

I swear to god that some of these people have no clue. I'm going to get off of my soapbox, as I sense a diatribe coming on the role of government, socialized medicine, and a host of other topics.

Suffice it to say, if you want government to do it, don't cry about your tax bill.