Despite Dems including income tax in their platform, Sutton claims to oppose it. Who should we believe?

Pat Powers

In the face of conflicting messages on a state income tax from the Democrat Party, are we sure who to believe?

During their failed convention on June 16th, the South Dakota Democrat party passed a campaign platform for 2018 setting forth their goals and beliefs. And in it, they expressly stated that “The South Dakota Democratic Party supports…A tax system which taxes all income levels fairly as allowed by the South Dakota State Constitution.”

They hardly could have stated it more plainly that South Dakota Democrats want a state income tax.  It’s a foundational value for them. So much so, they stated it in their party platform.

Yet, in an interview on KELO Radio yesterday, Democrats’ candidate for Governor is backpedaling on that issue as quickly as he can:

Todd Epp for KELO: So, what do you think about a state income tax?

Sutton: Uh, I’m opposed. To a state income tax.

Todd Epp for KELO: Why is that? Why should we not tax people with money?

Sutton: I think what I’ve heard from folks in South Dakota that’s important to them is to make sure that ‘we are attracting  more people here. And attracting businesses here. Ah, we have a very good welcoming business community and culture here in South Dakota. I think we want to keep it that way.

Listen to it here – KELO Radio Interview with Billie Sutton (Approx 6:03)

South Dakota continually ranks well nationally for our business climate. That’s because of Republican stewardship of our economy, most notably WITHOUT A STATE INCOME TAX.  Yet, from South Dakota Democrats, we get mixed messages.

The left hand of the Democrat Party states in their platform that they want a state income tax. The right hand of the Democrat party (And Sutton is trying to run as far-right as a Democrat can) is claiming he’s just like a Republican on the state income tax issue as he runs for Governor.

Who can you believe?

If you have to try to figure it out, you might be better off voting for the Republicans who have kept South Dakota free of an onerous state income tax since the last time we had a Democrat as Governor.

44 thoughts on “Despite Dems including income tax in their platform, Sutton claims to oppose it. Who should we believe?”

  2. “This is the platform of the Republican Party; it’s not the platform of Mitt Romney,” – Reince Priebus

    “Have you ever met anybody who read the party platform?” – John Boehner

    1. If you like your plan and doctor, you can keep them (paraphrased) from Barack Hussein Obummer.

      Sutton is aligning himself with the party that believes in higher taxes, the climate change myth, and unfettered access to abortion, so he is part of it. He is no more moderate than anyone who aligns themselves with the ever-nuttier left.

        1. Read, “The Politically Incorrect Guide to Climate Change” by Marc Morano, dude, and you might learn something. I know you probably take everything from Algore to be gospel, but he is not the last word on the climate, nor is Bill Nye the non-science guy. The man-made climate change push is based on less than settled science, and there is an agenda that the likes of Algore have, and it’s not based on facts, dude.

            1. Read the book and you’ll see that the “consensus” figure is bogus. You have a few people who write an “opinion” for a group that includes a thousand people, and the thousand people don’t agree with the “opinion” and yet are considered to be part of the “consensus”.

              The left has been trying to control the country with their so-called facts forever, but some people are willing to be led like sheep.

            2. but the fossil fuel funded studies say otherwise and that climate change is a hoax. Fox News, Rush and Alex said so too. It must be a hoax.

              1. According to the June 2018 BP Statistical Review of Global Energy, the U.S. led the world last year in reducing carbon emissions across the board, even though President Donald Trump pulled the U.S. out of the Paris Climate Accords in 2017.

          2. Marc Morano’s book really should be considered an appendix to “Merchants of Doubt.”

            1. It really should. Peer review is a good thing, but they attack it as though it is a conspiracy. And if you believe it, you are “sheep” as our one-book referencing friend above so aptly showed.

          3. Good read but it gets better if you believe the Earth is actually round and stuck in rotation around the universe in this tiny galaxy called the Milky Way. About every 60,000 years Earth ends up in a very warm part of the universe causing the polar ice caps to melt. On the other side of the rotation far away from the multiple suns warmth Earth occasionally develops huge layers of polar ice extending far out from the Poles. Millions and millions of years of rotational universal orbital weather phenomenon and with 70 or so years of data mankind thinks they can stop God’s solar system from doing what it does best. Creating chaos….

            1. The carbon dioxide levels increasing substantially and accelerating since the Industrial age? The oceans absorbing much of it making them more acidic? Combining the acidification of the oceans along with temperature increase we could be looking at a catastrophic food chain collapse in the oceans.

            2. Just stop, stop denying settled science… humans are the only reason our climate changes and they must be prevented from causing the Earth to implode.

              Let me guess you also believe abortion kills a baby and your chromosomes determine if you’re male or female.

              #sciencedenier #settledscience #tolerance

            3. Charlie, we just have to accept that lotso people prefer to beat the rush and panic before it’s necessary. And those same people insist on breathing, sending ever more CO2 into our oh-so-fragile sky, which is forever falling.

              1. Deny at your own party’s peril. There are good Republicans both Arch Conservatives and Moderates that believe in climate change and real science and they are leaving the party nationwide in this age of the Party of Trump.

                1. Cliff I whole heartedly confer with our climate changing but vehemently disagree with made up science trying to prove mankind is responsible. That really shallows out the scope of God’s plan knowing exactly what humans would be doing to stay warm and cool and eat and live. Snuff out every smokestack and muffler and air conditioner and every human being on Earth and our climate will continue changing in ways mankind cannot fathom nor has ever witnessed. Glaciers are coming back again.

      2. Aligning =/= Blindly Following

        I don’t see disagreeing with a party plank as a disqualifier. If Noem doesn’t agree with a specific Republican plank, will you then vote for Sutton? Demanding purity will only shrink a party, and then you’ll get none of what you wanted.

        1. No, not so much. I just look at the Democrat party and their platform and their lockstep way of operating. Sutton is not the person for the job, but you can vote for him if you wish.

  3. sad to say, in this whole century so far, you can’t vote for a democrat without getting the whole national democrat agenda, in all of its hydra-headed glory. there is no ‘mccain’ or ‘flake’ on the dem side since jim trafficante went to prison.

  4. Sorry fellas but I’m looking at a candidate for Governor this focused on actually getting things done to move All South Dakotans forward! Not divide, not demonize, not distract from real issues and make South Dakota great! Sutton is the best candidate!

    Not looking for the status quo with all the scandals in the state, taking care of the state cronies and not put in the Governor’s office another spineless Trump enabler & Washington insider. Last thing we need is Trump/Putin 2020 Make Russia Strong Again which torpedoes South Dakota, The United States of America and our strategic allies and trading partners.

    1. If 10:35 wants to move SD forward, compare the percent of bills Billy passed as legislator to Kristy. Kristy is the one to move SD forward. Billy, if elected, will just sit and spin. Against a strong Republican legislature, he will accomplish nothing. SD will go nowhere. So much for the case of Billy.

  5. The problem is that when you put a Democrat in charge, he or she brings a Democrat cabinet along with a host of Democrat bureaucrats and insiders. Sutton is a Democrat. If he doesn’t believe in the positions and foundations of the party he should run in a different party. Historically and for now he’s a Democrat, and if elected will install people to work for the government that are Democrats or have Democrat ideology. Is that what SD wants? I sure don’t. The reason I live in SD is because it’s a conservative state.

  6. Sutton is going to win. Noem’s productivity in Congress was terrible and that tax reform and estate tax legislation was a con job that benefited the very wealthy. People want change for the better in the state. Billie will be a great Governor. South Dakota Governor Billie Sutton just sounds good!

      1. Not only will Kristi crush Sutton, Democrats running for House and Senate will be blown away. This will be because they and Sutton do not align. Democratic candidates are campaigning on income tax, voting for abortion bills and assisted suicide, but their leader says he wouldn’t be willing to support their ideas.

        Democrats say over and over how constituents complain about not being heard, but Sutton isn’t even listening to them. There’s going to be some great debates.

  7. Good gosh, who is trolling from France? Sorry, but proxy servers are not allowed.

  8. Before I give the government more money I need to know they know where my money is being used.

    According to Kristi’s TV ad $5 million in eb-5 money is still unaccounted for.

    What is their solution to track money already in the system?

    I’d rather hear them say what their plans are for that than an income tax.

    1. People want to know where their tax dollars are being used. How about they come up with an answer to Kristi’s question about $5 million that is missing before we ad more taxes.

      1. Just to be clear- that $5mm is not taxpayer money but investor money. Those investors were sophisticated investors and the securities were not registered.

        The dispute on that money is primarily between the investors and management/Joop.

        1. The state should have had compliance audits of an entity that was using the state to recruit investors. Its unacceptable that this could happen.

  9. Kristi talks small government but has taken nearly $4 million in ag subsidies and has health insurance through the DC Obamacare exchange. Why should we listen to her?

  11. I want a governor to follow what they think is best for our state even if it is against their party or platform. Sutton sounds like a Republican with a (D) next to his name.

    1. sutton only sounds republican if you don’t know anything about actual republicans in south dakota. if he was really like a republican the sddp would have ejected him.

      1. The sddp is so dysfunctional they wouldn’t even know how to do that. Sutton is more conservative than some republicans in legislature. Democrats would love to have the win even if it is in name only. I don’t see Sutton sticking to the dems platform.

        1. wrong. the sddp of today would send mcgovern packing. that’s why stephanie herseth sandlin stopped being miss blue dog and had the barbara boxer makeover her final term in office, she didn’t want the party tossing her over, especially for her calculated “no” votes for things the dems were passing by a big margin anyway.

    2. Suttons lifetime score on the American Conservative scorecard is 44%. Lower than any Republican in the State Senate. And its not like we have a bunch of real conservative republican Senators.

  12. The only thing DEMS care about is taxing everyone then handing out money to make everyone dependent on the government. SAD!

  13. When Sutton, Bjorkman and Seiler are talking just know they are trying to hide who they really are—LIBERALS

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