Anyone remember these promises......?

Does anyone remember these promises by the Democrats going into the legislative session?
Common Ground
The Democratic Party Charts a New Direction for South Dakota

Your Paycheck…Bigger
Democrats understand that average South Dakotans work hard for their paycheck…and we want to make sure it stretches out far enough to make up for skyrocketing energy, health care and transportation costs.

1. Democrats will introduce legislation to increase economic development for South Dakota’s small towns and rural communities. First, by requiring ethanol and bio-diesel use in state vehicles. Second, by offering incentives to school districts to switch their buses to use ethanol and bio-diesel. Third, by bringing South Dakota’s wind energy production to levels equal with surrounding states.
2. Too often, large out-of-state corporations are given preferential treatment in South Dakota at the expense of small business. Democrats will introduce legislation that uses the Future Fund for grants and loans for small businesses, the backbone of South Dakota’s economic development engine.
3. In the 2007 legislative session, Democrats will introduce several choices for legislators that directly benefit the pocketbooks of South Dakotans. These include tax free zones for small business start ups, raising the minimum wage, restructuring the REDI fund to include small businesses, and requiring REDI fund loan recipients to pay a living wage.

Your Tax $$$...Used Responsibly
Democrats understand that your tax dollars represent a relationship of trust with your elected officials. We will respect that trust by investing in necessary and appropriate government programs, and cutting down on waste in the system.

1. Democrats will introduce legislation to curb the dramatic growth of state government from its recent three year spurt of 19.9%, under Republican rule. The current administration’s unchecked discretionary spending on new airplanes and additional employees is not sound fiscal policy. Democrats’ first step toward fiscal responsibility will be a call for a full audit of South Dakota’s state government.
2. Democrats pledge to introduce legislation that focuses on the issues that unite South Dakotans, not divide us. Legislative sessions focused on divisive social issues do not solve the state’s education, economic development, and health care challenges.
3. Democrats will introduce legislation to make South Dakota government open and accountable. This includes reforming reporting requirements for legislative races and tightening regulations on political slush funds. The responsible use of tax revenue relies on transparent government.

Your Family’s Future…Brighter
South Dakota Democrats understand that we need to invest in the next generation today. That means creative and innovative solutions to the challenges we face as a rural state.

1. Democrats are committed to a quality education for our kids. Democrats will introduce legislation similar to the ‘Alliance Education’ bill. By placing state government on the same diet as schools, Democrats will adequately fund education without raising taxes.
2. Democrats are committed to addressing the challenges facing Native Americans by keeping their economic development opportunities free from undue government influence and bureaucratic red tape.
3. Early childhood nutrition and education should be funded at a much greater level than South Dakota funds new prison construction. Democrats will introduce legislation that looks at long-term and positive solutions to our burgeoning prison population.
4. In other states, Democrats and Republicans are working together to craft solutions to health care challenges. 90,000 South Dakotans are currently without health coverage. Democrats will introduce legislation that looks for partners to meld new ideas with South Dakota’s fiscal realities.
5. Democrats support the partial release of state reserve funds to provide much needed assistance to farmers, ranchers, and small businesses hard hit by the current drought crisis. While it is important to balance unknown future needs with current challenges, emergency funds exist for a reason.
For starters, I don't recall where Democrats introduced any legislation on the Futures Fund this year. Or on E-85 ethanol. Or Bio Diesel. And the only wind bill I saw, Senate Bill 155, was a Republican bill. In fact, there wasn't a single Democrat on the measure.

Don't even start me on tax free zones. Although, I would concede that Senator Jim Peterson and Representative Hargens proposed Senate Bill 212 , although it has nothing to do with being "tax free." And they were the only two on the bill.

And maybe I missed it, but I don't see any legislationoriginating from the Democrats on the REDI fund this year.

I think we know there was a minimum wage bill from Democrats. That's one. So, in the first point of their "Common Ground" program, they've already appeared to have broken around ten campaign promises for the one they kept.

Anyone else care to point out what promises they haven't kept this year?

Comments

Anonymous said…
Maybe they would have, had they not had to spend most of their time trying to pass simple things like education funding, preschool and fighting off yet another set of attacks on womens rights?
Anonymous said…
Democrats won before the session began PP. Deep down, you know that much is true.

The debate shifted dramatically in Pierre this year... the question became not if we should increase Ed spending, but how much to do it. Also, extreme wacko stuff like Shantel Krebs abstincence only sex ed, was off the table. Repubs lost seats in the House and the Senate last year, despite Rounds big win, and perhaps they got the message and became a bit more progressive this year.
Anonymous said…
The facts are simple: THE DEMOCRATS ACCOMPLISHED JACK S---T. They are phonies and grandstanders who are all hot air.
Anonymous said…
Yeah I remember those items PP, that's why I voted for Billion. You expect him to accoplish those things when not elected? Who's supposed to do all that with a rep. Gov. and majority? Scott H?1st termers like Turbak? You want to complain about what has or hasn't been done this session, do so looking squarely at your people. You still have the votes. One of the only things M. Mike has done since re-elected was to announce as goals several planks of the dems. Otherwise he's basically been the invisible man: save a few things like a trip to washington, having a veto overidden and flashing a smile during the blizzard.

In 1992 George H.W. and his party didn't follow through on campaign promises either. Did you experience similar disdain? I think collectively your readers are a pretty savvy. Posts like this are schoolyard and speak down to us.
Anonymous said…
Hey... Iowa puts $174 million into teacher pay. Republicans offered $4 million.

Good job, R's. I'm sure we'll have alot of teachers settle in South Dakota.
Tell Todd said…
Pat:

I thought you could count. Why are you picking on the Democrats, who are still a distinct minority in the legislature? Seems like the Democrats offered up real ideas, not just the usually warmed over glop that the Republicans typically do under Rounds. Where's the leadership from Rounds? From House Republicans? Only Republican Senators seems to have any desire to actually consider new ideas, most of which came from the Democrats.

Posts like these are disappointing. They are like the school yard bully sticking the younger kid's head in the toilet and commanding, "You're going to quit bothering me, right!? (Flush)"

Todd Epp
Senior Political Editor and Bathroom Metaphors Editor
S.D. Watch
http://thunewatch.squarespace.com
Anonymous said…
pp I beleive Sen Kloucek had SB205 on windpower. A gentleman from Bangor Maine testified as did the Mayor of Faith on Kloucek's innovative hoghouse amendment to SB205 for community based wind power that Repubs will probably copy at least a part of next year. Also Sen Peterson had a wind bill SB182 which also was hoghoused by PUC. Historically the Democrat legislators do the heavy lifing and come up with the ingenius innovative ideas and the republicans copy them. The republican led and bullied house members went over the cliff this year on many issues.
PP said…
For those of you beating on me (including my friend Todd) - I wasn't saying they didn't pass most of it. I noted that they hadn't introduced it as they had promised.

In other words, they said they would, but they didn't. Like it or not, not fulfilling your campaign promises has been fair game for years.
Anonymous said…
They introduced legislation on the education portion - which would have capped state government growth and provided addtional funding to schools.

SBs 116 and 117.

Count two more. Take off your socks if you have to.
Anonymous said…
You can't compare Iowa to South Dakota considering the tax base. They have more people paying taxes. I know that i pay enough and don't care to toss more in so that new programs can be created and we are unable to afford the ones from the past.
Something has to give somewhere!!!!
Anonymous said…
We wouldn't have even talked about open government, higher education spending, better wages, alternative energies, health care or a host of other subjects if the Democrats, past and present, weren't hammering away on those topics until the GOP was too embarrassed to ignore them any longer.yqlukub
Anonymous said…
Yeah, just what we need to keep doing is giving more money to education. The results are worth it! Ha One poster said it best...DemocRats keep bellyaching about "A Want", and they eventually get their way. Sad...
Anonymous said…
So if you're keeping track, when a democrat fondles another democrat, it's the republicans fault, and when the democrats don't fulfill their campaign promises, they fulfill their campaign promises.

They truly march to the beat of a different little drummer boy. And when one of them plays with the little drummer boy's penis, the others don't hold him accountable.
Anonymous said…
You would have actually seen everything that the Dems promised if the R would have actually made a major increase in K-12 education.

If the Ds didn't have to try to save this great state by killing all the stupid s..t that the Rs try to pass, that just scews over our state, then the D can actually pass quality bills that will put money back in the pockets of hard working people of SD.
Anonymous said…
What the in the h**l did the Reps in this state acually do for SD. They exploited 2 dems in a criminal case that will not even go to court. Where was the hearing to Judge that loser Roger Hunt??? At least the legislature has proof that he broke the law.

What else did the reps do this year. Oh yes they gave K-12 an increase in money. yeah Thanks for not funding it fully. You are still a little short of about $100 million. The Reps are also giving Sioux falls and Rapid city more money witht their support of the tech school bill. Lets just move the capital to SF while we are at it. So then Gov Rounds at the rest of the Reps do not have to drive or fly to suck the d**ks of the rich corporations in this state.

I just want to say thank you to all of the reps for taking your time and screwing our state.

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