I received, or at least my business received, a fundraising letter from Governor Rhoden today. In the letter he promises to protect energy independence, and claims he will fight to keep taxes low.
Dear Friend.. well, certainly I am friend to many people, including the Governor, and my house pets. Maybe one or two others. (But it’s a short list.)
Of course, the Governor makes the ask contending that his “opponents and their allies are launching an attack to undermine everything we’ve worked for here in South Dakota. They’re willing to spend whatever it takes and use misleading tactics to try to flip this Governor’s race.”
As I always recommend to candidates, you have to show the need, which he does. It’s not a hard push against his opponents, but he’s pushing. And he follows it by making the ask after that to send him money.
But then we flip to page two and he kind of loses me.
You know, I hate to bring it up, and I realize that fundraising letters use a lot of rhetoric and political buzz words, but when he talks about believing in energy independence in this context, how does he jibe that with signing 2025’s House Bill 1052, which helped send the biggest energy independence project in South Dakota history to North Dakota?
Or does fighting to keep taxes low include this year’s Senate Bill 96, which created a brand spanking new county sales tax?
You know, I like Larry. He’s a good guy. But some of these claims seem to have slipped under the surface of some murky river water for those who are paying attention.
The county sales tax offsets dollar for dollar with a property tax cut. I think one could discuss a “shift” with renters but it isn’t an increase and anything from tourists equals an overall cut. The other bill redirected an increase from $100+ million of new spending next year to property tax relief instead. I can go along with a statement of keeping taxes low when there is no spending associated with either and the results of tourism means South Dakotan’s in total will pay less taxes.
sure, all those tourists, visiting places like Corson County, (where the county seat has a population less than the record-setting high temperature recorded there in1936) are going to pay all the bills.
If you drive across the state, seeing mile after mile of wide open spaces, wondering if you will find a c-store before you run out of gas, you might start to realize that property and wheel taxes are the only sources of revenue available.
At Anonymous @ 6:15. You prove the point that South Dakota has way too many counties which = too many county seats which = too many county auditors/treasurers/Veterans Service Officers/etc, etc. for its population and size. Consolidate some of the counties and the services. There would be some savings realized there.
Precisely, once again Gov Rhoden shows his support to Minnehaha and Lincoln county while us rural people are once again forgotten by this Governor.
This letter was written by ChatGPT.
The carbon pipeline does nothing for energy independence.
No but the multi billion dollar bio jet fuel plant that left because of it did.
Look, signing that bill didn’t kill the pipeline it just reset the table. They could still build.. that’s what Larry and Tony said. Any anyway, can’t we just move on? We are open for opportunity, Gevo just didn’t get the memo. Nor did applied digital evidently. That’s a lot of billions, with a B.
I now have the opportunity to shop and eat in Sioux Falls to help the good people of those two counties lower their property taxes. Assume they will return the favor and head to outstate SD.
You’re quite the blithely optimistic one aren’t you?
Any 10 cents that someone from outside the county spends int the county is 10 cents toward owner-occupied property tax reduction. End of the day, it’s the same total dollars filling the county budget.
Any property tax reduction that anyone presents is going to have a new source of revenue.
And…this is optional for your county. It’s not forced on any county to implement.
When the revenues fall in the counties where everybody drives into the larger cities to shop, there won’t be enough money to support the small schools which are already dealing with declining enrollments. It’s going to be great.
None of this money in SB 96 goes to any school districts. This money just goes to the county budget. The schools still get the same state aid and local property tax as always. SB 96 has zero connection with schools.
SB 245 on the other hand, which is collected at the state level, does go toward state school funding.
Until the ethanol plants close because they can’t meet federal guidelines or compete with plants in other states. Then our corn market collapses. And it’s a downhill snowbal from there.
Poet is expanding in states where they can carbon capture. South Dakota farmers are getting left behind by their government.
The snowball is already rolling down the hill.
I’m just not seeing a lot of energy in the Rhoden campaign.
Rhoden doesn’t do it for me, and I honestly liked him in the beginning. The more he speaks, the more you see how week he is as a political candidate. Even his brown campaign signs are boring.
I’m tired of his redundant, stupid talking points, (ie: SD is strong, safe, and free) I think if he just keeps repeating himself, maybe we will all believe it. Frankly, none of the candidates thrill me, but if I had to pick, it would have to be Dusty. At least he appears to have passion, excitement, and plans.
Just say No to Rhoden. I’m sure he is a nice guy, but he is not governor material.
Where’s the disclaimer?
First page. It’s also elsewhere in the envelope.
Are we sure Larry even wants the job? I know he’s rather laconic but I don’t see the fire in his belly. I may be wrong. He seems like a standup guy, but I find his lack of expression troublesome. Obviously, Dusty is at the other extreme. He probably wants the job too badly with his over-the-top enthusiasm.
Big nerd energy you mean.