Pat Powers loves to post commentary from Drinking Liberally Sioux Falls when he thinks it will sow disunity and disillusion among Democrats.
I suspect Pat Powers won’t mention today’s invitation from DLSF organizer Sheldon Osborn to all interested South Dakotans to sign the People Power Petitions and change South Dakota law for the better:
In South Dakota: Two years ago our Republican Legislature, led by want-to-be oligarch Mark Michelson, decided they were tired of being questioned and held accountable by South Dakota voters through our State’s long tradition of Referendums and Initiatives. Rather than confront the right of ordinary citizens to petition their government in an open debate, they passed laws making it more difficult for voters to mount a successful Referral or Initiative campaign, hoping to kill these rights with 1000 cuts. For example, in the past any South Dakota resident could circulate a petition without prior approval. Now to carry a petition, a circulator must apply to the South Dakota Secretary of State (SDSOS) for approval, giving their name, phone number, and email address which, upon approval, is public information. In addition, a circulator must offer everyone who signs their petition this same information. And, upon completion of the petition the circulator must again swear to their identity, provide the SDSOS with their last three residential addresses, and supply correspondence addressed to them at their current address. Any error in this process risks the SDSOS invalidating the circulator’s petitions and the will of the voters who signed them.
Obviously, Republican powers that be, angered at successful Referendums reversing some of their draconian legislation and the passage of Initiated measures that limited predatory lending, raised the minimum wage, and hobbled their ability to line their pockets and protect their donors special interests, created these requirements to curtail our ability as citizens to act as a check on the legislative process.
Luckily, Cory Heidelberger and others have mounted a campaign to refer and change these laws before the worst of them begin on July 1st. They have until 5:00 PM Thursday June 27th to complete their referral of the laws the Legislature passed during their 2019 Session. Go to SDvoice.org for more information. They need 17,000 signatures to successfully refer these 2019 laws. If they are not successful in this effort because time is tight and the process is difficult, they will continue to work on an Initiated Measure to restore the Initiative and Referendum process to the way it was before our Republican legislature decided to effectively take it from us. If you see Cory’s circulators out this weekend, sign their Referendum and Initiative Petitions to retain our right to effectively petition our government. And get your family, friends, neighbors and acquaintances to sign both petitions too.
Or, you can join us at Drinking Liberally tonight. We will have petitions there for you to sign as you enjoy a beverage with us [Sheldon Osborn, weekly invitation and update, Drinking Liberally Sioux Falls, 2019.06.21].
Drinking Liberally sure aren’t bad guys; they’re just regular South Dakotans, trying to help us all have more say over our lives without big government overregulation. You’d think a Republican blog would be all about such populist political activism.
Drinking Liberally meets today and every Friday after work (5 p.m. until whenever!) at Taphouse 41, just west of Scheel’s on 41st Street in Sioux Falls.