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Daugaard Quick to Support Task Force on Mental Illness and Courts

Last week I upbraided Governor Dennis Daugaard for not taking the lead in promoting his Blue Ribbon K-12 panel’s proposal to raise South Dakota’s teacher pay from last to 39th in the nation. A Daugaard Administration official deemed that scolding “silly.”

Yes, yes, how silly of me, expecting the Governor to issue a statement of support for a proposal the same day it hits the papers

Gov. Dennis Daugaard supports a task force proposed by the state’s top judge to examine how mental illness is affecting the court system.

…The chief justice of the South Dakota Supreme Court, David Gilbertson, announced the formation of the task force on Friday, though details such as members and scope are yet to come [Mark Walker, “Daugaard Supports Chief Justice’s Calls for Metnal Illness Task Force,” that Sioux Falls paper, 2015.11.21].

Of course, in the case of seconding the Chief Justice’s motion, Governor Daugaard is only supporting a task force to study the problem, not an actual plan to address the problem. And thinking that task forces and real action are the same thing would be silly. Just plain silly.

6 Comments

  1. rsterling

    Another task force. Another way to look like your doing something, when you intend to do nothing or have no clue.

  2. jerry

    Elections have consequences. http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2015/11/john_bel_edwards_calls_medicai.html

    We need to kick the knuckle heads like Daugaard to the curb to find solutions to issues here in South Dakota. One issue that would help thousands of mentally ill, working poor and damned near everyone else would be the Medicaid Expansion. It is possible, look at Jindal land. Change is good.

  3. Francis Schaffer

    I read the title and thought it was for judges and attorneys. I was all in favor of it for those reasons.

  4. Call the Governor, Francis, see if you can get a seat on the panel. Perhaps you can raise your concerns in person. :-)

  5. Eve Fisher

    Ah, well, maybe it will lead to another federal grant which can go into the pockets of various people who have attended the Governor’s Hunt.

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