Raising Teacher Pay and Expanding Medicaid Require Political Courage, Not “Timing”
By Cory Allen Heidelberger on 2016-01-12
House Majority Leader Brian Gosch (R-32/Rapid City) and Rep. Lee Schoenbeck (R-5/Watertown) are playing word games to hide their lack of political courage and avoid enacting the two major reforms Governor Dennis Daugaard is asking for: raising teacher pay and expanding Medicaid.
Rep. Brian Gosch
“One could have greater success if the other were not in play,” House Speaker Brian Gosch, R-Rapid City, said Monday.
Gosch said Gov. Dennis Daugaard and the Blue Ribbon Task Force have given legislators “a lot to bite off in one session.”
And as lawmakers begin campaigning for re-election in November, decisions on whether to support the two measures could hinge on the political implications.
After lawmakers voted last year to increase taxes to help fund roads, some who campaigned saying they wouldn’t raise taxes might hesitate to again call for a sales tax increase, Gosch said.
No, Rep. Gosch, it’s not taxes back to back that look like political hypocrisy. It’s raising taxes once, counter to all of your Republican rhetoric that tricks voters into thinking that voting Republican guarantees their taxes won’t go up. You already crossed that threshold last year, when you voted to increase taxes $85 million to repair roads so you could drive 80 between Rapid City and Pierre. Voting against a crucial pay increase for teachers just for political cover that you’ve already surrendered is a selfish, cowardly, and irresponsible position.
Rep. Lee Schoenbeck, R-Watertown, who supports increasing funding for teacher pay but opposes Medicaid expansion, said the argument over one could doom them both.
“The governor’s challenge is that in proposing Medicaid expansion he is going to make it extremely difficult to pass an education plan,” Schoenbeck said [Ferguson, 2016.01.11].
That’s a roll call threat, not a policy analysis. There is no policy reason that Medicaid expansion should stand in the way of enacting the Blue Ribbon proposals to raise teacher pay. The Medicaid expansion does not raise taxes. Governor Daugaard is demanding that the feds provide every dollar necessary to expand Medicaid. His Medicaid expansion plan could actually save South Dakota $158 million over the next five years and $10 million annually after that, which general fund savings could be used to reduce the new tax burden necessary to raise teacher pay to competitive levels. Expanding Medicaid should actually make raising teacher pay easier, not harder.
But that’s only if you’re looking at these issues from a public policy perspective, from a desire to do the best for the people of South Dakota. Representatives Gosch and Schoenbeck aren’t looking at the general welfare; they’re looking at the political points they can score by resisting ObamaCare, by stiffing teachers, and by avoiding any vote to increase taxes in an election year, even if that investment is essential to fighting the teacher shortage and sustaining our public school system.
Schoenbeck surely knows better. We’ve all read his piece in the Argus, where he describes Medicaid as “welfare” (which it isn’t). Hope he will be encouraged by someone — the governor, perhaps — to drop the silly act soon.
Nick Nemec
2016-01-12 14:54
There will be an election for a new governor in 2018. The current governor is term limited and Lee Schoenbeck appears to be staking out the right wing of his party.
mike from iowa
2016-01-12 15:22
Rep Gosch-you guys can’t be so stupid to believe you can have a government without taxes and you can provide services to more people without more taxes. At least I don’t think you can be that stupid.
If there was an active brain cell in your party,you could have already had three years of Uncle Sam paying 100% of the Medicaid expansion. The Medicaid expansion brings with it more jobs and more benefits for more citizens to boost your state’s putrid economy. Why don’t you people understand any of this. Is it willful ignorance on your part?
30 years of being last in teacher pay should set off alarm bells in most peoples heads. Why not in South Dakota? Is there a learning difficulty in Pierre? Look at Minnesota for inspiration. Despite raising taxes their economy is on the upswing and business is booming.
One last thing-the explosion of federal debt and trillion dollar deficits(dumbass dubya’s) is directly related to major tax cuts perpetrated by your party and reckless spending on unnecessary wars. It has taken Obama nearly eight years of dragging sorry excuse republicans into the future to get a handle of your party;s messes.
moses
2016-01-12 15:41
Mike thats rhetoric from the Republicans they all want a farm subsidy, then moan about taxes,
Roger Elgersma
2016-01-12 16:09
To do the right thing, have a conscience and be Republican is a catch 22 all by itself.
Rounds was in SF last week and I asked him how the health insurance industry whose basic purpose of existence is to pay catastrophic bills by charging everyone a premium, and then for decades have slid off those big bills to government with pre existing conditions and overcharging the elderly, how could he in good conscience go to Washington and say that the government should not pay those bills. Had an even better conversation with his collegue afterward. Rounds pointed out that they had taken away the committee that limits the size of bills from healthcare industry so the market could drive it. Even Republicans tell me that the main problem is to high of bills. And he even made that worse just to help big business. All he cares about is making money.
Winston
2016-01-12 16:19
Nick is absolutely right and Lee’s “conjecture” column on the expansion of Medicaid speaks to the emerging two Republican parties in South Dakota in the absence of a strong Democratic presence.
Keep talking Lee, you are helping the Dems for 2018…..
Porter Lansing
2016-01-12 16:53
Schoenbeck? Beatable.
Winston
2016-01-12 17:20
Porter, I love your effective word economy. I could definitely take a lesson from you on that one….
leslie
2016-01-12 19:27
Gee, maybe you should have approved medicaid expansion 3 years ago and hundreds of millions of lost dollars and 30-90 ave. deaths per year lost without medical care for your poor constituents and their family members.
leslie
2016-01-12 19:39
In lee’s big law firm days of his youth as lawyer-in-training, he likely worked for the insurance company gravy train defending them from the sick and injured. Now he’s looking for easier work–governor 2018? Why not?
grudznick
2016-01-12 19:50
If this Mr. Schoenbeck is in the running for the Governor then Messrs. Jackley and Mickelson have some deep thinking to do.
Nick, dare I suggest that Lee is staking out a bolder case to be the party’s 2018 leader than Mickelson, Noem, or Jackley?
BOHICA
2016-01-12 22:04
Sure it is a lot to bite off in one session…but who’s fault is that? Certainly not the people who sent these folks to Pierre…Not the people who could qualify for Medicaid Expansion…Certainly not our teahers. These deferred issues fall upon our legislators and governmental leaders. As the saying goes…”Grow a pair”. Regarding Medicaid Expansion… Has anyone thought of asking the beneficiaries to contribute to the cost of expansion?
At this point 100% of the cost of care is uncompensated…and although Medicaid compensation is less than billed charges for medical care, don’t we think that something from nothing would have a value?
Has anyone thought about asking the providers…at least the major beneficiaries…if they would provide at least some of the costs of Medicaid Expansion.
Nick Nemec
2016-01-13 06:14
I would agree Cory. Lee is an astute student of South Dakota politics. He’s making an obvious attempt to nail down the right wing of his party, in a multi person race solid support there is all he needs to win a GOP gubernatorial primary and winning the Republican primary is generally enough to win the general election. The question remains, in South Dakota can a candidate with solid credentials nail down a position too far to the right?
“Grow a pair”—no doubt, Bohica! It’s just voting. You push a button. It’s not like we’re asking you to do real work, Rep. Gosch.
Nick, I’d say Lee could nail down that position not way far to the right (he’s not really that right-wing, is he?), but far enough that in a four-way field against Mickelson, Jackley, and Noem, he’d be the first choice among the Stace/Gordon wing. He can out-talk Jackley, out-smart Noem, and out-“I’m not from Sioux Falls” Mickelson. He can make himself sound more like Mr. Republican by flatly opposing ObamaCare Medicaid.
Lee Schoenbeck
2016-01-13 13:14
I can say , based on good authority, that is substantially more likely that SCHOENBECK will be hunting in a field at the Nemec ranch with CAH in November of 2018, than that his name will be on a ballot of any type.
PS other than one year, I’ve not missed the hunt at Nemec’s in many years, in case you were wondering about taking that bet
Nick Nemec
2016-01-13 13:38
Cory, I’m not sure how far to the right Lee is, he is an enigma.
Lee, hunting at Nemec Ranch, and name on the ballot, are not now, or ever have been mutually exclusive.
“substantially more likely”—what’s the legal definition of that term, 20%? 30%? That would still allow us to say that while there’s a 95% chance that Schoenbeck will be on the hunt at the Nemec Ranch in November 2018, there’s a 65% chance that he’ll be on the gubernatorial ballot in November 2018 (and that includes the percentage chance that he’ll be beaten in the primary and foolishly not picked by the GOP nominee as the unity lieutenant governor… at which point, Lee, if the GOP does so snub you, I’ll keep you on my shortlist for an aisle-crossing lieutenant governor—you’re just sensible enough, I think you could partner with a Democratic Governor and run the Senate effectively).
larry kurtz
2016-01-13 14:03
lol.
larry kurtz
2016-01-13 14:05
Cory, Schoenbeck called you crazy and me nutz. Aisle-crossing would look like turtle and scorpion.
Amen, CAH.
Courage is not in their vocabulary
Schoenbeck surely knows better. We’ve all read his piece in the Argus, where he describes Medicaid as “welfare” (which it isn’t). Hope he will be encouraged by someone — the governor, perhaps — to drop the silly act soon.
There will be an election for a new governor in 2018. The current governor is term limited and Lee Schoenbeck appears to be staking out the right wing of his party.
Rep Gosch-you guys can’t be so stupid to believe you can have a government without taxes and you can provide services to more people without more taxes. At least I don’t think you can be that stupid.
If there was an active brain cell in your party,you could have already had three years of Uncle Sam paying 100% of the Medicaid expansion. The Medicaid expansion brings with it more jobs and more benefits for more citizens to boost your state’s putrid economy. Why don’t you people understand any of this. Is it willful ignorance on your part?
30 years of being last in teacher pay should set off alarm bells in most peoples heads. Why not in South Dakota? Is there a learning difficulty in Pierre? Look at Minnesota for inspiration. Despite raising taxes their economy is on the upswing and business is booming.
One last thing-the explosion of federal debt and trillion dollar deficits(dumbass dubya’s) is directly related to major tax cuts perpetrated by your party and reckless spending on unnecessary wars. It has taken Obama nearly eight years of dragging sorry excuse republicans into the future to get a handle of your party;s messes.
Mike thats rhetoric from the Republicans they all want a farm subsidy, then moan about taxes,
To do the right thing, have a conscience and be Republican is a catch 22 all by itself.
Rounds was in SF last week and I asked him how the health insurance industry whose basic purpose of existence is to pay catastrophic bills by charging everyone a premium, and then for decades have slid off those big bills to government with pre existing conditions and overcharging the elderly, how could he in good conscience go to Washington and say that the government should not pay those bills. Had an even better conversation with his collegue afterward. Rounds pointed out that they had taken away the committee that limits the size of bills from healthcare industry so the market could drive it. Even Republicans tell me that the main problem is to high of bills. And he even made that worse just to help big business. All he cares about is making money.
Nick is absolutely right and Lee’s “conjecture” column on the expansion of Medicaid speaks to the emerging two Republican parties in South Dakota in the absence of a strong Democratic presence.
Keep talking Lee, you are helping the Dems for 2018…..
Schoenbeck? Beatable.
Porter, I love your effective word economy. I could definitely take a lesson from you on that one….
Gee, maybe you should have approved medicaid expansion 3 years ago and hundreds of millions of lost dollars and 30-90 ave. deaths per year lost without medical care for your poor constituents and their family members.
In lee’s big law firm days of his youth as lawyer-in-training, he likely worked for the insurance company gravy train defending them from the sick and injured. Now he’s looking for easier work–governor 2018? Why not?
If this Mr. Schoenbeck is in the running for the Governor then Messrs. Jackley and Mickelson have some deep thinking to do.
Schoenbeck playoffs Schoenbeck playoffs,
Nick, dare I suggest that Lee is staking out a bolder case to be the party’s 2018 leader than Mickelson, Noem, or Jackley?
Sure it is a lot to bite off in one session…but who’s fault is that? Certainly not the people who sent these folks to Pierre…Not the people who could qualify for Medicaid Expansion…Certainly not our teahers. These deferred issues fall upon our legislators and governmental leaders. As the saying goes…”Grow a pair”. Regarding Medicaid Expansion… Has anyone thought of asking the beneficiaries to contribute to the cost of expansion?
At this point 100% of the cost of care is uncompensated…and although Medicaid compensation is less than billed charges for medical care, don’t we think that something from nothing would have a value?
Has anyone thought about asking the providers…at least the major beneficiaries…if they would provide at least some of the costs of Medicaid Expansion.
I would agree Cory. Lee is an astute student of South Dakota politics. He’s making an obvious attempt to nail down the right wing of his party, in a multi person race solid support there is all he needs to win a GOP gubernatorial primary and winning the Republican primary is generally enough to win the general election. The question remains, in South Dakota can a candidate with solid credentials nail down a position too far to the right?
“Grow a pair”—no doubt, Bohica! It’s just voting. You push a button. It’s not like we’re asking you to do real work, Rep. Gosch.
Nick, I’d say Lee could nail down that position not way far to the right (he’s not really that right-wing, is he?), but far enough that in a four-way field against Mickelson, Jackley, and Noem, he’d be the first choice among the Stace/Gordon wing. He can out-talk Jackley, out-smart Noem, and out-“I’m not from Sioux Falls” Mickelson. He can make himself sound more like Mr. Republican by flatly opposing ObamaCare Medicaid.
I can say , based on good authority, that is substantially more likely that SCHOENBECK will be hunting in a field at the Nemec ranch with CAH in November of 2018, than that his name will be on a ballot of any type.
PS other than one year, I’ve not missed the hunt at Nemec’s in many years, in case you were wondering about taking that bet
Cory, I’m not sure how far to the right Lee is, he is an enigma.
Lee, hunting at Nemec Ranch, and name on the ballot, are not now, or ever have been mutually exclusive.
“substantially more likely”—what’s the legal definition of that term, 20%? 30%? That would still allow us to say that while there’s a 95% chance that Schoenbeck will be on the hunt at the Nemec Ranch in November 2018, there’s a 65% chance that he’ll be on the gubernatorial ballot in November 2018 (and that includes the percentage chance that he’ll be beaten in the primary and foolishly not picked by the GOP nominee as the unity lieutenant governor… at which point, Lee, if the GOP does so snub you, I’ll keep you on my shortlist for an aisle-crossing lieutenant governor—you’re just sensible enough, I think you could partner with a Democratic Governor and run the Senate effectively).
lol.
Cory, Schoenbeck called you crazy and me nutz. Aisle-crossing would look like turtle and scorpion.
Larry, do I look like someone who’d hold a grudge? ;-)
Thank you Lee forthrightly, best of luck in your non-gubernatorial aspirations for 2018. AG then? :)
(Schoenbeck for AG? I’d endorse in the primary over Ravnsborg!)
:) is he a lawyer too? Must have missed that
He’s the wart hog pilot?
Almost. Ravnsborg is an Army Reserve transportation officer, not a pilot.