VoteVets group goes after Thune
I saw this ad on TV over the weekend, so I'm passing it along to you.
I presume that the "bipartisan clean energy bill" that is mentioned in the video is really a reference to two bills -- the Senate Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act and the House American Clean Energy And Security Act. Both pieces of legislation include a proposal known as "cap-and-trade" that would put a cap on nationwide greenhouse gas emissions and create emission allowances that could be traded on an open market (companies that need to pollute beyond their allocated allowance would have to buy allowances from other companies.)
Thune has said he's against cap-and-trade because he thinks affected energy companies would pass on the additional costs of their allowances to energy consumers.
Posted by: Seth Tupper on 2/09/2010 at 9:59 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink
Tags: cap and trade, congress, election 2010, environment, john thune, national, news, politics, votevets
Four entertainers announced for Corn Palace Festival
The city of Mitchell announced four entertainment acts this morning for the 2010 Corn Palace Festival.
Country legend Kenny Rogers will perform Wednesday, Aug. 25; magician Jason Latimer and comedian Dick Hardwick will perform Thursday, Aug. 26; contemporary country star Gary Allan will perform Friday, Aug. 27; and ABBA parody group Bjorn Again will perform Saturday, Aug. 28.
Tickets go on sale this Saturday, Feb. 13. In the meantime, here are clips of Kenny Rogers' "The Gambler" and Gary Allan's "Watching Airplanes."
Posted by: Seth Tupper on 2/09/2010 at 8:00 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink
Tags: bjorn again, concerts, corn palace, corn palace festival, dick hardwick, entertainment, gary allan, jason latimer, kenny rogers, local, music, news
Crew pushes Daschle's car out of snow on live TV
A television crew was reporting live on the winter storm that socked Washington, D.C., last week when the crew stumbled upon former Sen. Tom Daschle stuck with his car on the side of the road.
To see the video from the source, along with a short story, click here.
Posted by: Seth Tupper on 2/08/2010 at 9:39 AM | Comments (4) | Permalink
Tags: national, news, snow, state, tom daschle
Herseth Sandlin: Fiscally responsible or irresponsible?
U.S. Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin, D-S.D., touted the passage of pay-go rules yesterday but also supported allowing the government to go $1.9 trillion deeper in debt. The pay-go rules, as I understand them, basically require that Congress find savings or new revenue to offset any new spending.
Herseth Sandlin called pay-go's passage an "enormous victory for anyone who cares about our country's fiscal future." On the debt issue, she said "It's up to the party in power, I guess, to make sure the United States doesn't default on its debt and that we pay our bills. … It's the responsible thing to do, even though it’s not a popular vote."
Predictably, Republicans pounced. The National Republican Congressional Committee and Republican U.S. House candidates Blake Curd and Chris Nelson fired off statements criticizing Herseth Sandlin's votes as contradictory.
"Rep. Herseth Sandlin claims to be concerned with fiscal responsibility, but the reality is she has supported every major spending bill Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the Democrat majority have put forward," Curd said.
"Democrat Stephanie Herseth Sandlin turned her back on South Dakota families again today when she approved a measure to increase the country’s debt ceiling by nearly $2 trillion, allowing her party to continue passing off the tab for their runaway spending," saidthe NRCC.
"The incumbent Representative has painted herself as a 'fiscal conservative blue dog Democrat,'" said Chris Nelson. "A review of today’s vote and the Congressional Record shows otherwise."
Who do you side with on this issue -- Herseth Sandlin, or the people who are trying to unseat her?
Posted by: Seth Tupper on 2/05/2010 at 10:25 AM | Comments (6) | Permalink
Tags: blake curd, chris nelson, congress, election 2010, national, news, politics, state, stephanie herseth sandlin
How They Voted: Mitchell legislators, Jan. 28-Feb. 3
| Sen. Mike Vehle | Rep. Lance Carson | Rep. Noel Hamiel | |
| Retire-rehire (SB 18): The state Senate adopted reforms intended to make the controversial practice known as retire-rehire less lucrative and more difficult for government and school employees who are in the South Dakota Retirement System. The vote was 24-10. | Yes | ||
| Golf-cart traffic (HB 1103): The state House of Representatives agreed, by a vote of 60-8, that municipal governments should be allowed to decide whether golf carts can be used on local streets as personal transportation. | Yes | Yes | |
| Youth big-game surcharge (HB 1015): The House voted 68-0 to repeal a $5 surcharge on mentored youth big-game hunting licenses. Money derived from the surcharge is dedicated to hunting access and wildlife damage management programs. | Yes | Yes | |
| Alcohol sales (HB 1002): The state House of Representatives rejected legislation that would have both standardized and loosened state laws regulating alcohol sales throughout South Dakota. House members voted 35-34 against the bill, largely because it would have repealed South Dakota’s ban against sales of distilled spirits and wine on Christmas and Memorial Day. | No | No | |
| Indian prep school (SB 63): The Rounds administration’s effort to create a special preparatory school for American Indian students in their high school and early-college years won support from the state Senate. The vote was 30-4, with the four "no" votes coming from Republican senators who serve on the Legislature’s Joint Committee on Appropriations, the panel that oversees state government’s budget. | Yes |
Posted by: Seth Tupper on 2/04/2010 at 7:00 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink
Tags: how they voted, lance carson, legislature, local, mike vehle, news, noel hamiel, politics, state
