Who says South Dakota is a low-tax state? South Dakotans are raising taxes on themselves at a record pace, as demonstrated by their lottery ticket purchases:
A certain segment of our population has chosen to raise its taxes this year by 27% to 34%. Our faster and furiouser purchases of instant lottery, lotto, and video lottery have us on track to increase the state’s lottery revenue by more than 30% over last year’s record haul of $128.4 million.
I guess if we’ve learned anything from over a year of coronavirus, it’s that South Dakotans would much rather gamble than engage in difficult policymaking.
I’m on board.
Gambling as an economic driver makes as much sense as offshore outsourcing our best jobs to produce products to sell to the newly jobless.
I buy a ticket on occasion, though since the pandemic hit I’ve gone on the wagon. If the jackpot isn’t over a couple hundred million, I don’t buy. I don’t want to fool around with chump change. I look at it as a stupid purchase, kind of like the condoms I bought as a teenager. Never gonna happen, but you can dream.
GOP politicians in SD love gambling, as it is a legal vice that the citizens knowingly and willingly throw their money into the hands of some capitalistic operators that have to share their “take” with a government run by the GOP. This allows the GOP to brag about South Dakota “being a low-tax state’ -preventing the legislature from having to delve into the mess of trying to make a regressive tax burden more fair to all.
A major singular truth: ALL taxes are paid with income–but when someone in SD making $500,000 pays (avg) $12,000 in taxes and someone making $50,000 pays
$5200, there’s definitely some thing messed up; but that’s just fine with our legislators.
This 1 1/2 % tax on the richest and 11 % tax on the poorer has got to be changed.
As Robert Blake would say “you betchum, South Dakota”.
Lottery tickets and gas station gambling devices are a MEGA SUCKER BET.
In sports wagering the odds change with every bet, giving both sides an equal chance.
(The house wants equal wagers on both sides of a sporting event. They make plenty on the 3% fee to bet.)
Republicans re-ly (lie) on the lottery 100 million $ and the sales tax on food ($$$) to build prisons
and maintain their 43 YEAR reign of thuggery.
South Dakota voters will keep getting R thuggery, unless SD Democrats and Independents
INVITE Stacy Abrams into the state (unless D Party is racist and are me-too Republicans light) and ask her-
Stacy, how can we register another 50,000 South Dakotans?
She will tell us how?
Are any Democratic leaders listening to her, talking with her? Or are they TOO RACIST to call her or write to her ???? Too busy licking their GUNS and preparing for a 2022 LOSS and EMBARRASSING Democratic votes in the 2022 and 2023 Legislature which AFFIRM REpublicans PROTECTION of AG Ravensborgg (not impoeaching him????)
Democratic leaders, you either ask Stacy Abrams for help or not (If you don’t you are racist just like your Republican bi-partisan-oids)
Democratic leaders, you either prepare to RULE from 2023 to 2073 (EVERY YEAR !!!) or your prepare to LOSE for another 50 years !!!
Are you reading this, Democratic leaders????? Hope so.