Many limited government advocates are upset with Kermit Staggers defeat. Joel Rosenthal said this in November 2009:
City Councilman Kermit Staggers who is anticipated to be announcing soon as a candidate for Mayor of Sioux Falls is failing miserably in the most important quality required of a political leader – Plays Well with Others
Particularly since Kermit is a publicity hound, especially when it is earned media (read free) and the Councilman from the Central District has been getting a lot of earned media lately. Most all of it has to do with his bickering with other City Council Members.
Staggers is often a lone voice. His tilting at windmills is well known. There are more 7 (the Council majority sans Staggers) to 1 (Staggers) votes in the last several years than the proverbial than Carter has liver pills and the multitude of budget amendments he offers year after year that die from lack of any other Council Member seconding his amendment (even for discussion purposes).
He can though become a grouchy at times when he is unhappy or things don’t go his way. This trait is truly unpredictable (at least to me), Kermit does watch the public purse. Sometimes so insistently that he stands in the way of progress and even common sense.
And here is some background on Joel Rosenthal:
South Dakota Republican State Chairman 1985-1989, 1995-2003
Republican National Committee – 12 years
South Dakota Governor's Council of Economic Advisors
Board of Directors South Dakota Development Corporation
Board of Directors South Dakota Municipal League
Board of Directors South Dakota Chamber of Commerce
So what is the point? This is how a leader of the SD GOP treats a limited government out spoken member of the Party. This has caused the GOP to be about using government to provide favors to special interest in the name of economic development. These people are the central planners FA Hayek discusses in his book, The Road to Serfdom. And to Joel Rosenthal, limited government stands in the way of "progress and common sense". Wrong!
And the Democrats are no better, as evidenced by their wind energy agenda. The result is a government bureaucracy, economic inefficiencies, and a huge national debt that is consumer wealth yet created by future generations. And that is suppose to be progress and common sense?! It is time for the people of South Dakota to face reality and bring truth into the political arena.
We should clearly understand why the South Dakota GOP, their Chamber of Commerce special interest group, the South Dakota Democrat Party, and their National Education Association special interest group opposed IM10 in 2008. What we do not understand is why Kristi Noem and Dusty Johnson also opposed IM10. Are they really for the people or are they just a couple of Party hacks? I plan on voting for both, but perhaps they won't have a yard sign on my property.
Comments