Saturday's Mitchell Daily Republic has this from Senator Mike Vehle:
I want to thank everyone that was involved in the city manager issue, from those in Focus 2020, the petition carriers, the Government Affairs Committee Forum, to all those who researched the issue and voted.
Although I was very disappointed about the election results in the city manager issue, I was more concerned that over 75 percent of the registered voters did not vote.
Change is always difficult, but never be afraid to search for new and better ways to be more effective or efficient — whether it is in your business, home, church, our community or any organization. The saying, “If it’s not broke don’t try to fix it,” can stymie invention and innovation.
We’re fortunate Henry Ford did not say his horse and buggy was not broke so why build a car, or Thomas Edison say that about his gas lantern, or that Alexander Graham Bell did not say “The telegraph is just fine, we don’t need to actually talk to people.”
We often forget the concept President Kennedy stated about 50 years ago. “Ask not what your country can do for you, but ask what you can do for your country!”
So I encourage everyone to become involved and stay involved to help Mitchell seize those opportunities, whatever they may be, for a bigger and brighter future.
I love this community and Mitchell has a lot of potential and a great future. However, people need to become involved so we can seize those opportunities and build that future. Don’t be afraid that one of your ideas may get shot down, because your idea may just stimulate an even better idea.
And when you do become involved, please don’t worry about being criticized for being “a mover and a shaker,” as this country did not become great through armchair or Monday morning quarterbacks. Those that make a difference are those who suit up and play. So lace them up.
And like a game — if you lose, don’t throw in the towel; but learn from it and move on — no one wins them all.
I agree that Mel Olson used a poor choice of words when saying those who are in favor of an unelected city manger hate democracy.
But it was wrong for Mike Vehle and Mark Buche to blame Mel for accusing those who signed the petition for hating democracy. I spoke with one who collected signatures and was told that around 75 percent of the signers on his petitions opposed a city manager, but they were urged to sign the petition in order to vote no.
This is the kind of deception the proponents of this dangerous idea of government used to mislead. Unfortunately this paper was a part of their deception. I spoke with the publisher and the editor about my research and was immediately told, “it was a stretch” and discounted the work out of hand without a serious look.
I then asked to write an op-ed, and was told no because I was not an expert. That attitude reflects the attitude of the ruling elite of this community, state, and nation.
Mel restated his position by saying that those, who I call the ruling elite, have lost faith in democracy. I would say that the ruling elite have lost faith in the people and believe that “experts,” beholden to the government, need to save them from their backward ways.
I disagree. If we want the city to become more efficient then we need to listen to those actually doing the work and the citizens. The job of management and our elected officials is to make sure the resources are there. Micro-management through bureaucracy is not efficient or effective. We need more delegation, not more centralization.
This lowly citizen provided this paper with 19 pages of research that details the real anti-American agenda of an international organization whose purpose is to destroy state sovereignty and link the cities to regions. Mike Vehle is a proud committee member of that Council of State Governments, whose Midwest “region” includes Midwestern Canada.
Too bad this paper refused to print one word of it before the people went to the polls. Perhaps the paper was concerned about what the “ruling elite” of this community would do to its advertising revenues.
The role of government in an efficiently run competitive free market is to prevent coercion and force in order to provide a fair and even playing field. It is not the role of government to interfere with the competitive free market and become a part of the coercion and force that centralizes the wealth into fewer and fewer hands.
Note that both Vehle and I addressed efficiency and effective. LIke economic development through government programs that are push by the GOP, the claimed efficiencies do not become realized. That is why we have the financial problems that we have today. The GOP is "not" about promoting a competitive free market. Neither is the Chamber of Commerce and the economic development organizations. Their systems create monopolistic economies. The governemnt controls the economy based on the wishes of those who control and own the monopolies and/or cartels.
Senator Vehle told me on Friday that he was going to the Council of State Governments meeting in Indianapolis during July. The change that Vehle is trying to make involves removing Mitchell from the state constitution so that the city can be connected to a federal district that is part of an international region. In other words, Mike Vehle is not defending South Dakota's constitution but instead is a part of an international organization that is about destroying the state constitutions. The question becomes; does he know that. He would if he would only look at my research and listen to people like me and Mel Olson.
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