Last updated on 2019-04-05
Here’s another sign of that stagnant economy Kristi Noem with which she says Governor Dennis Daugaard is sandbagging her. The statistical section at the back of the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report for FY2018 says that for six of Daugaard’s seven years at the helm, personal income in South Dakota didn’t grow as fast as the national average produced by the Obama economy:
Low crop prices are hurting our income growth. According to the CAFR [pp. 6–7], farm income last year was $0.9 billion, down from the 2011–2014 average of $3.0 billion a year, the 2011 peak of $3.6 billion, and the 2005–2009 average of $1.6 billion. Yes, last year, farmers made 44% less than they were averaging a decade ago.
But crop prices are bad all over, and our neighboring farm states still found ways to boost their personal income more than we did in 2016 and 2017.
The numbers look the same on a per capita basis. South Dakotans make less per person and saw less growth in that per capita personal income than the national and regional averages:
Governor-Elect Noem has no bills in the hopper yet; we’ll probably have to wait for her address to the Legislature on January 8, or maybe for her special budget address, to hear her concrete proposals for raising that income. None of the early bills in the hopper address our economic stagnation.
And no, Kristi, praying for rain with your fundie followers does not count as a policy.
There will be no end to South Dakota’s malaise under Gov. Noem
I think Plains States should definitely include Oklahoma, except maybe half of it actually belongs to the Indian tribes. Bwahahahahaha!!!
I suppose Noem is waiting for Chuck, Dave or Pootie to send bills to her. Anybody think Larry Rhoden will be the lege liason?
“Lege liaison”? If “liaison” means message boy, sure. But don’t expect Noem to share power with anyone in the spotlight. (And I’m just speculating, but I’d bet that Venhuizen is in charge of keeping the Legislature pointed in the Noem direction.)