Does someone need their heads examined?
Yesterday, the House Appropriations Committee heard companion measures SB 54 and SB 130, two bills taken together which would appropriate funds for the Dakota State University Cyber Program Expansion to double the number of graduates in their cyber security program, and to authorize the Board of Regents to acquire property, contract for the design and construction of the Dakota State University Applied Research Lab.
The 10,000 foot view is that they want to create an Applied Research Lab in Cyber Security in Sioux Falls through a public/private partnership, which would create 4-500 jobs averaging at $100,000 salaries.
That’s $100,000 salaries IN South Dakota. And they want to double the number of South Dakota graduates DSU can feed into the program, so they can hire them, and keep them in state. They have more demand than they can fill now, much less to feed a major program such as this. So it’s vitally important for them to grow.
High tech jobs – the kind of jobs that graduates are looking for in the field of cybersecurity. They would help counteract the kind of warfare being waged in part in the Ukraine today, should those efforts be pointed against America now or at a future date.
Literally, this is the kind of development communities dream about.
So what did the brain trust in House Appropriations choose to do?
Senate Bill 54 to appropriate funds for the Dakota State University Cyber Program Expansion. House Appropriations cut the funding to $1 on a motion by Tina Mulally. After that, they begrudgingly passed it 8-1, with Taffy Howard the lone vote no.
Senate Bill 130 to authorize the Board of Regents to acquire property, contract for the design and construction of the Dakota State University Applied Research Lab to make an appropriation therefor, and to declare an emergency. That passed 6-3.
Who voted against creating 4-500 jobs paying an average of $100,000 in the Sioux Falls area? Liz May was a NO. Sioux Falls Gubernatorial wannabe Steve Haugaard voted NO to 500 jobs.
And once again proving herself to be literally the most doltish legislator in Pierre, Taffy Howard STILL voted no. Taffy Howard continued a trend of voting anything that benefits South Dakota and voted against 500 high paying South Dakota jobs.
For crying out loud, even Tina Mulally – who barely generates enough electricity to ambulate – and called to cut the funding to $1 – voted to pass it, but Taffy still doesn’t get it.
It’s like there’s some mental block for accomplishing anything. Create a bioprocessing facility for the School of Mines and SDSU? Taffy votes no. Infrastructure needs for the new B21 mission at Ellsworth? Taffy votes no. Freedom Scholarships. Big no vote there as well.
Good gosh. This is one of those projects where there was no opposition, people lining up to donate money and land to make it happen, and all they’re asking is for State Government to be a part of the solution at a time when the money is there for a massive expansion of jobs, the tax base, and keeping South Dakota kids in South Dakota.
You can lead a horse to water. But you can’t make them think. As Representative Howard demonstrated once again.
Is this to teach US students C and Assembler along with ECE?
Because our high schools aren’t prepared to deliver on that in my view, and the jobs will have to be outsourced.
I’m not sure what Taffy’s reasoning is, but I think we need to clean up the university system, which has acted blindly in bad faith to service the needs of foreign entities (unfettered globalism, not just free trade).
Even asking questions makes people uncomfortable.
For instance, why is the PATRIOT program at DSU headed by a Wuhan grad?
The people of SD should be employed to audit the government and all its systems.
In the process, they would gain knowledge of the information domains, which in turn would allow the folks to help design better systems with values beyond Lee Shoenbeck et al shallow impetus of “well, the government has to make money” rationale.
There seems to be very little vision and admirable leadership coming from elected leaders (Ms Howard et al excluded, who seem to be thinking outside the box and acting conservatively).
Has the time come?
Have we achieved mind-share?
Will the ballot box ring true?
You are a strange dude or mam, whatever you identify as.
Expansion of the cyber program appears to be a well thought out plan with multiple partners at the table. I like this much more than the USD Discovery District which appears to be a bet on hopes and wishes.
Mr. Dale now compounds his display of ignorance with his xenophobia.
Yes, more psychobabble from JCD.
The thing is, with the amazing developments in the technologies of remote work, there is no reason to believe anywhere near 500 people would move to South Dakota even for what we might think are very well-paying jobs. So what, really, would this benefit our state? We’d get nothing from them via our regressive sales tax, nothing from them via property tax, and obviously nothing from them via income tax.
Laffy Taffy needs her head examined.
“public-private partnerships” is the latest phrase for corporate welfare and was never imagined as part of the proper role of government.