John Fiksdal hates Amendment C, the latest Republican effort to put minority rule into South Dakota’s Constitution and make it harder for South Dakotans to enact popular initiatives. Fiksdal has produced another video to turn out every voter to vote NO against this nasty power grab:
Also urging South Dakotans to Vote NO on C is former Brookings mayor Gail Robertson, who says she got a call from Grover Norquist telling her to do the opposite:
As a result of a message left on our phone yesterday, I feel I must speak out regarding Amendment C.
Never mind the nefarious means employed to put it into the primary election, ensuring that about 51% of 20% will decide the future of the state.
The phone message was to implore me to join in on a conference call that features Grover Norquist. Yes, that Grover Norquist. The same from the Reagan Iran-Contra machinations. The same from shadowy connections to the felon Jack Abramoff. The same that demanded complete fealty from Congressional members when they signed his no-tax screed.
We now know that the sole purpose of the South Dakota senator who engineered this little stunt is to attempt to derail the possible general election passage of the initiative forcing the state to adopt the Medicaid funding. The same funding that would give medical assistance to the poorest of our citizens.
If anyone thinks that Norquist is doing this as a completely selfless endeavor, you have not researched his very dubious past.
Ask why Norquist would be so interested in South Dakota measures. Ask why the South Dakota Sen. Lee Schoenbeck is so adamantly opposed to a measure funded by a huge majority of federal money.
I strongly implore you to reject Amendment C! [Gail Robertson, letter to the editor, Brookings Register, 2022.05.28; forwarded to DFP]
Minority rule is not cool. Neither is Grover Norquist. Vote NO on C!
When a state legislature has the power to reverse or nullify voters’ mandates why have a constitution at all?
Speaking of being drowned in a bathtub ……
If this craven power grab passes in the GOP primary (not much happening in Democratville and independents have nothing going on, so you can count on a tiny turnout), how in the world does this not go unchallenged in court? It’s not a real public election. It should be a slam dunk to repeal, but on what grounds if it freakishly manages to pass?
With technology at our fingertips exceedingly more reliable and readily available to citizens than a voting poll, we don’t even need representatives any more.
It would be a cinch to directly vote yay or nay from our devices. Pink slip the prima donnas. They can take their bow and exit stage left because the show sucked anyways. Self-governance and liberty are co-stars. The People can take the governing job into their own hands and skip the expensive dress rehearsals for lousy acting. Maybe they’re hiring in Bollywood.
I suspect that some Democrats and Independents may plan to skip the primary entirely because they don’t realize that they are needed to vote using the NONPOLITICAL ballot that is available at all voting precincts. And they may not fully realize how sneakily this was designed to keep them from participating.
96 Tears, if you peruse some of the opinions uttered by drumpf appointed, lifetime tenured justices, you might understand the futility of bringing cases in front of them.
This can help…. https://civilrights.org/blog/the-truth-about-trumps-judges/
Simple majority rule ain’t cool either necessarily. 51 wolves and 49 sheep voting on what’s for supper for instance.
I’d rather have a super majority on most everything. Simple majority rule is too knee jerky. Too nearsighted. Too me me me.
But to really make me me me happy, get rid of ballot measures altogether. Why is the public voting on laws? That’s the job of the representative legislature imo.
Well, sx, when the legislature is communally moronic, initiatives make sense.
What Bob said times 100.
On an entirely different note (sorry Cory), has anyone seen the ad a PAC called drain the DC swamp has against Dusty Johnson? It is 100% pure lies, how can they put that kind of BS on TV? Is Taffy Howard about to be SD’s version of MTG?
sx123, why do the Republicans want to stick with the simple majority to pass the state’s budget, if they want the super majority on all other initiatives or amendments? Control corrupts, absolute control, corrupts absolutely!
Well, majority rule isn’t as simple as 123 cx. It’s just alot better than minority rule.
sx123 – in the real world – emphasis REAL – there are far more sheep to wolves. So, really poor analogy.