KELO profiles Gov. race
KELO did an “Eye on Keloland” bit Thursday night about the Governor’s race and their thoughts on trying to cut/contain the state budget. They profiled each candidate and gave them the opportunity to say why they would be best, a fairly typical news piece. So, I thought I’d comment and give my opinion on how things looked.
Daugaard sounds interesting and I think he makes the perfectly valid point that as director of the Children’s Home Society that he was able to turn things around and give the organization $30 mil in reserves. Given the way the economy is right now, that helps his point, any experience in helping to save any money is a plus in my book right now. But, that being said, what is he going to do in the state government to actually help cut costs?
Knuppe makes a valid point that he’s got small business experience… but that’s about it. I know he hasn’t had a political career up to this point, but I think that does put a serious handicap on his ability to prop himself up and make himself a legitimate candidate.
Knudson does basically the exact opposite of Daugaard, and emphasizes his past experiences in the legislature, and makes a valid point that we do need to make across the board spending cuts, but one thing that I just don’t feel comfortable enough about yet is that he hasn’t really done/had any small business experience, which does bother me a little.
Overall, I think it was a good piece by KELO, and I hope they will ramp up the political coverage. See the piece on KELO here
If you enjoyed this post, please consider to leave a comment or subscribe to the feed and get future articles delivered to your feed reader.
Comments
Huh? While I don’t support Knudson as Gov, he does have small business experience, he is part of a successful law firm and I think him and his wife are very savvy investors.
Maybe daugard will ask T. Denny to save the state? he could erect a bigger-than-life statue in front of the new mansion & name the west wing after him.
I think Munsterman has an interesting approach too from his experience as a mayor of Brookings. As for Knudson he probably knows as much or more about business, running the law firm and handling some of the biggest clients in South Dakota. Heidepriem as a trial lawyer might have the smallest business background of the bunch, although he’s in some investment groups too. None of these guys are slouches.
So the real question is who do we trust the most, a group of Lawyers all from Sioux Falls who are in the legislature and not being leaders (they claim to be) in balancing the budget but taking handouts from the federal government which doesn’t have it either, a rancher from Buffalo Gap with the only experience as being the president of the Stock Growers Association, or a doctor who was elected mayor of Brookings (One of the largest cities in the state) and turned the city around and gave it reserves plus has released his plan for cutting the budget? I am with the Doctor! He has shown he is the true leader and prepared to get his hands dirty and cut the budget and stop growing government.
Anon-
I haven’t posted much of anything on Munsterman… as per the agreement PP and I have, I defer most comments regarding Munsterman to him.
If ones mainstay in media is the WAR College Munsterman is going to seem like a likely pick. In Sioux Falls attorneys offices either Knudson or Heideprim will ring bells. Following the cattle circuit out West will run one into many Knuppe followers. But traveling around South Dakota and visiting with everyday folks finds them very much in favor of Daugaard.
Cutting the budget means cutting out services that South Dakotans wanted in the first place.
Now, I want the new governor to make the cuts…but it better be in Sioux Falls services and not in my back yard.
It will be nice when we have the democrat and republican candidates decided. Then the media can ask them to list all of their proposed cuts to services and let’s see where the chips fall. If they have to propose cutting rural services to get the voters in Sioux Falls to vote for them I am not going to be happy.
Have any of the candidates yet stated what they feel needs to be cut or eliminated. Or is “cutting the budget” just a campaign slogan so far?
Reply to “I would rather be fishing”:
Yes only one candidate has announced his proposal for balancing the budget. You can find that here http://www.dakotavoice.com/2009/09/gubernatorial-candidate-munsterman-calls-for-new-business-model-for-state-govt/
In Reply to Charlie Hoffman:
Your comment reminds me that Daugaard wasn’t going to start his campaign of traveling and visiting with everyday folks until after the legislature was over, but then saw all the miles put on by Munsterman and decided his better hurry things along and start his announcement tour seven months after Munsterman started his.
Daugaard needs to show Leadership in this legislative session but has already announced that he will stand behind the Governor and let the legislators decide how to balance the budget. I was once told “it takes nothing to follow in someone’s footsteps and mimic everything they do, but it take courage to stand up and say no you’re wrong and here is how we solve this situation.” So how can we trust Daugaard to stand up for South Dakota if he wont stand up to Governor Rounds?
Reply to: That West River Resident Yup, you are right. Munsterman is the ONLY candidate that has put anything in writing.
Munsterman said he wants to change from “business as usual” practices, and for the state to live realistically within its means. “The taxpayers of South Dakota deserve a government that tightens its belt the same way they have to tighten theirs.”
That is all good! But “tighten its belt” means that some servies are going to be cut. Heck, there has been all kinds of hell raised over eliminating a few drivers license stations. Does he want to eliminate a State college? Does he want the highway patrol to quit driving so much? Does he want to eliminate the birth to 3 program? Does he want to do a freeze or a cut in state employee salaries? Does he want to cut the Governor’s and his administration pay? Does he want the legislature to meet only once every three years? A whole lot of things are going to have to be cut for the state to live realistically within its means. It’s easy to say we are going to make cuts. It’s darn hard to say THESE are the cuts, programs and people I am willing to make.
Dittos to “Go Fish”. The job of the legislature is to approve the budget after the Governor has placed his reccomendations into it. The job of the Lt. Governor is to back up the Governor and push his agenda. Any other position taken by the Lt. Governor would be a deriliction of duty. In all honesty did anyone cry foul in the previous six years preceding last years budget? The public enjoyed the services State Government provided. Now; as America is so wonderfully accustomed to, we all scream bloody murder when things go South while we were all playing. My thinking is when services are gutted along with across the boards cuts and the general public has to wait a few days to get what they want the last seven years won’t seem so terrible. But we are in charge at the voting booth and caveat emptor.
In reply to Charlie Hoffman:
You’re wrong, plain and simple. People have been complaining about the lack of fiscal responsibility since 2004. As shown by http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?BRD=1300&dept_id=156931&newsid=13515430&PAG=461&rfi=9
This shows that Rounds had great intentions when he started in 2002. In 2004 he had every intention to fix the budget by 2007, so we should have been in the green in 2008. Which didn’t happen according to this story: http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=AB&s_site=aberdeennews&p_multi=AB&p_theme=realcities&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=11D890907856B2F0&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM
Now he has used up almost all of our reserves and it 2009. So now he has taken the stance it is the legislator’s jobs to fix the budget. So last year they balance the budget but by taking federal stimulus money. What will it be this year, since we face even a greater deficit, are we going to run right back to Obama and the Chinese and ask for more money?
What we need now is someone who will lay down their plan show true leadership. According to you it’s not the job of legislators, “The job of the legislature is to approve the budget after the Governor has placed his recommendations into it.” This is surprising to me ask most legislators what their job is and it’s to represent the constituents that elected them. We elect people because they are leaders, have characteristics we like, ask yourself who elected you I am sure it wasn’t the governor.
It would not be uncommon for the Lt. Governor to disagree with the Governor.
http://www.ltgov.virginia.gov/news/viewArticle.aspx?articleID=79&articleType=P
Or http://www.observer.com/5522/the-lieutenant-governor-takes-lead
It just hasn’t happened in South Dakota. We do have real leaders in the legislature but for too long they have continued business as usual. It’s time to shake up Pierre and send some real leadership. Sure Daugaard has brought the Children’s home 30 million in reserves but has stood by while the tax payer dollars aren’t enough to balance the budget and we have to take the strings attached money from the federal government. We need to set our priorities and then set bench marks, and make cuts to programs that aren’t making the mark. Is a legislature I encourage you to be a leader and not just stand behind the Governor and his budget, but make cuts balance the budget without reserves and without federal handouts.
Thank you for your service.
Dagaard will not and should not openly disagree with the Governor. That would be highly inappropriate considering the fact that the Governor picked him to help him. He can certainly have input and disagree behind the scenes but I for one think it would be completely selfish to get into public disagreements with the Governor.
Doesn’t Mr. Heidepriem have this budget thing already solved? I bet any of you a $10 donation towards the state defecit (deficit? deficet? where is my granddaughter when I need her to show me where that spell check thing is) that the big brain behind the big forehead will propose selling a plane and cutting no-bid advertising contracts and wala! Budget problem solved.
Wait. Didn’t they already sell a plan and eliminate no-bid contracts?