Didn't notice that lesson your neighbor learned, did you?

By -
From the Meade County Times (Read it all here):

Portions of a Dec. 12 Sturgis City Council meeting may be open to the public, according to Mayor Mark Zeigler. Initially, Zeigler set the Monday gathering as an “executive work session,” meaning it would be closed to the public and the press.

The 6 p.m. special meeting is scheduled, upstairs, at city hall. Zeigler did not say just what the meeting topics would be.

However, after the Black Hills Press told Zeigler that the newspaper asked the South Dakota Attorney General’s office for an opinion, the mayor said that parts of the meeting might be open to the public.
This comes literally on the heels of Sturgis' neighbor, the Lead City Commission getting spanked by the Open Meetings Commission. Isn't anyone learning from these lessons?

It's kind of an interesting phenomena. The closer that the level of government is to the people, (i.e., local, versus state level) it seems that they are that much worse about letting the people they represent have a say. I've heard of more than one instance where a local taxpayer has gone in to question what is being done, and they've been answered with profanity.

I think that in many instances of this nature, people who get into positions of electoral authority might have let it go to their head. It's not that they are bad or diabolical. To the contrary. They are usually very good people.

But they take the fact that they've been chosen to lead as carte blanche to do what they will. They forget about those who gave them their authority. They don't take a simple 'gut check' and ask "Am I still responding to the will of the people?"

It was Thomas Jefferson who said "Governments (derive) their just powers from the consent of the governed." When some of our local governing entities are getting a little big for their britches, they should be reminded of those words. It's good advice.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A note from Benedict Ar... Sorry. A note from Stan Adelstein why he thinks you should vote Democrat this year.

By -
Image
(Click on letter to enlarge) And while it may not be printed at taxpayer expense, I don't see a disclaimer, either. When they hold the special session (supposedly at the end of November) , since he's left them already, I think his colleagues should expel him from the caucus. Sure. At that point it's only going to be symbolic. But since he's already said he's running again in the near future, sometimes symbolism is enough.
Read more

Corson County information on Klaudt Rape Charges

By -
Here's some of the information on the Corson County Charges: COUNT I That on or about December of 2005, in the County of Corson, State of South Dakota, Ted Alvin Klaudt did commit the public offense of SECOND DEGREE RAPE (SDCL 22-22-1(2)) in that he did accomplish an act of sexual penetration with his foster daughter, A.M., through the use of force or coercion; and as to COUNT II That on or about July or August of 2006, in the County of Corson, State of South Dakota, Ted Alvin Klaudt did commit the public offense of SECOND DEGREE RAPE (SDCL 22-22-1(2)) in that he did accomplish an act of sexual penetration with his foster daughter, A.M., through the use of force or coercion; and as to COUNT III That on or about July or August of 2006, in the County of Corson, State of South Dakota, Ted Alvin Klaudt did commit the public offense of SECOND DEGREE RAPE (SDCL 22-22-1(2)) in that he did accomplish an act of sexual penetration, separate and distinct from the act alleged in Count II, with...
Read more

It's about health, not potential promiscuity.

By -
As the only South Dakota blogger out with 5 daughters, I feel I need to weigh in on the whole discussion that's occurring with regards to the HPV vaccine, and Governor Rounds' proposal to make it available. My family (including my three oldest girls) watched my mom, their grandmother, succumb slowly and painfully to cancer which spread throughout her body. If a similar fate from a different type of cancer was preventable through a simple shot, why wouldn't anyone advocate for it? At the age most of my kids are going to be getting it, they're still playing with barbies, and negative influences such as most of the programming on MTV, and other assorted trashy television is verboten in my house. All they're going to know about this vaccination is that it's a shot, just like for teatnus or measles. They'll go "Ow, I don't want a shot," and that will be it. Just another mark on their vaccination record. One check box for DPT, one for HPV, and so on...
Read more