Representative Will Mortenson (R-24/Pierre) disagrees with Rick Weiland, Governor Noem, and a lot of South Dakotans about cutting the food tax. But I hope we can all agree that Representative Mortenson should not cut the awesome mustache he has sprouted since the end of Session!
That’s fine-lookin’ facial hair, Will. Now let those corners keep creeping down for the full handlebars!
Rhoden laughing. Rhoden laughing.
It wasn’t a decision, it was laziness.
I am a Conservative, and very few Republicans are conservative when it comes to spending. My local legislators where bragging about the largest tax cut in SD history a 0.3 percent. How many of them were in the legislature 7 years ago when they enacted the largest tax increase in SD history at 0.5 percent. Taxes rarely go down, but spending needs to be cut.
Mr. Fuller, is that pittance 0.3% really a cut, or is it a temporary tax vacation? They say this will amount to nearly $100 per person. grudznick will buy a couple of fellows a nice breakfast and call it even.
I’ve done the full handle-bar mustache thing. Consider if you have the time to devote to training and waxing the critter properly before adoption. It’s a bit of work.
Ah, but Mark, a mustache is arguably more work than a fully shaven face. Mortenson is keeping his cheeks clean (not even sideburns? Come on, Will!), so he has to steer that razor around those carefully crafted whisker corners above his lip. A mustache is never accidental or incidental; it is a most deliberate choice.
Real laziness is my practice: run the shears once a month over everything, whiskers and hair on top, then let it all grow back without any combing or special treatment.
Remember, 4 times in the past 35 years, the voters have gone to the polls to vote on whether or not to lower the sales tax rate, remove the tax on food, or clothes, and all 4 times, the voters overwhelmingly voted to support sales tax on food, yet, not to lower the tax rate. One time, it was included with creating statewide income tax, the voters said no. Another time, it was attached to removing the tax on utilities, the voters said NO, and a third time, the the tax was attached to creating a wealth tax, the voters said NO, and the 4th time, was merely a straight up, removing the tax from good, and again, the voters said NO. The consensus, is, the PEOPLE of South Dakota are fine with paying a sales tax on food, and the greater majority of all Precincts overwhelmingly, collectively voted to maintain sales tax on food.
Mike, what have the voters said about cutting the Mortenson mustache?
It appears Mike is saying that the people of South Dakota are overwhelmingly tax-and-spend liberals.
Mike overstates his case on the food tax. The 2004 food tax repeal initiative is the only time South Dakotans have voted on this specific issue. The other measures he cites did not address food tax specifically and appear to have taken place before I was born, thus indicating they do not reflect any current reality.