Dakotans for Health is circulating an initiative petition to codify Roe v. Wade, which Christofascist Representative Jon Hansen (R-25/Dell Rapids) vociferously opposes. But Dakotans for Health is also circulating an initiative petition to repeal South Dakota’s food tax, which Rep. Hansen himself thinks is a great idea. See? Everybody can find some common ground.
Now South Dakota News Watch and the Chiesman Center find that Dakotans for Health and Jon Hansen appear to have common ground on that latter issue with three fifths of South Dakota’s electorate:
A new statewide poll co-sponsored by South Dakota News Watch showed that 60.6% of registered voters support a proposed statewide ballot measure that would eliminate the 4.2% state sales tax on groceries.
While 28.8% of overall voters opposed the cut and 9.6% were undecided, the poll showed majority support for eliminating the tax among Democrats, Republicans and Independent/No Party Affiliation voters across the state [Bart Pfankuch, “Grocery Tax Opposition Remains High in South Dakota: Poll,” South Dakota News Watch, 2023.12.14].
68% of Dems, 61.5% of indies, 56.5% of GOPers—boy, with numbers like that, if Hansen’s Decline-to-Signers will pipe down and we can get the food tax on the ballot, it’s pretty clear voters of all stripes will slam dunk the food tax right into the policy trash can… finally catching South Dakota up with the 47 other states that have recognized that taxing food the same as other stuff people by is a rotten way to fund government operations.
This remains the crux of all that matters with initiated laws.
Consent of the Governed Act:
“Any initiated act or Constitutional Amendment passed by a direct vote of the people, shall not be nullified or altered or amended in any way by any means other to a direct vote of the people.”
…but remember, “Under GOP the people are ruled.”
The only way to conduct a poll across S.D is to go out to each of the 66 counties, and 689 precincts, and speak to the people, I bet you will get a much different result, rather than a strawman popular-opinion vote of a small group of people. IF you remove Food and CLothing from the Sales Tax, how do you replace the lost income at the city level, and there are a ton of cities who depend on their sales tax collections.
Make it so, Zitterich. Go do it.
Larry, that is the job of us County and Precinct Committees, we talk to people every day of the month. I can assure you, there is not a huge concern among the people of the state to get rid of sales tax on food or clothing. You may have support in some urban centers were the cost of living is higher, but those cities also have at their disposal property tax funds, enough to provide benefits back to their residents, namely – food, housing, rent programs, utility programs, etc. I simply have not heard from very many people who are desperate enough to remove food from sales tax. You are not paying a ton of tax on food per every $300 dollars, which is only $21 dollars per invoice. Let alone as a State, we have refund and credit programs to help lower income people also. Thank You for Your Concern.
– Mike Zitterich
Zit misses the primary RepubliQan mantra about being able to pay for anything with a tax cut. According to MAGA think, trickle-down takes care of everything. Put money in the pockets of the people, not government. That way, if a person sees a road with a pothole, they have enuf money to repair it themselves. Public transportation? Shoot, you could buy several cars. Military? Think how many weapons you could buy for yourself. Tax cuts, baby, trickle down is the future.
Once again, MZ is ensuring that his republic can intercede between the “mob” and the elite. The self-appointed paternalism is appreciated by all we who just don’t know as much has our betters I’m sure.
Mike Z. said, “The only way to conduct a poll across S.D….” There is no “only way” to poll. There are many different ways to poll, different sample sizes to use depending on what you are polling for and what margin of error you are willing to accept, the time/money you want to use to poll, etc. In person sampling may or may not be useful, depending on how much effort is made to assure a random sample of people. What you describe seems to be a self-selected or a Mike Z.-selected group, which does not meet any sort of statistical requirement, but is more in line with a focus group of a special category of people.
Now, of course, you are going to always have “a much different result” with your method of polling because it is not based on any sound statistical method. It’s a Mike Z.-selected group of people with no attempt at figuring out whether it is a representative sample. Talking to people every day is fine. You can get some feel for where people sit on issues, but it isn’t a statistically valid sample.
The best poll of the voting population is at the ballot box.
Well…the 4.5% sales tax on food just takes food out of the mouths of hungry children and the poor. Combine that with the exploitation of the addicted by the saturation of video gambling establishments and you have a government of vultures. All for the revenue to contract for million of dollars to out of state PR firms to buffer the Governor’s image.
Zit must be the busiest precinct person in America!
Precinct Committees are inept and filled with buffoons. And we should have 33 counties which would vote to overturn the holiday taxes of $0.30 off of each dinner I purchase. grudznick bets they repeal the holiday and slap down the taxes on the fixings for gravy taters at the store entirely. If…and this is a big if…Mr. Weiland doesn’t mess this one up like the others.
Your National, County, and Precinct Committeemen and Women are the life blood, and grass-roots movement of concerned citizens required of, to hold statewide committee meetings, which we do at least once a month. They are propped up by the voters within your precinct, and directly communicate and inform the voters on future, and potential initiatives, resolutions, and candidates. They are unpaid elected representatives of the people. The difference between Democrats and Republicans, is that “WE” are ran by the bottom, to the top. Meaning, the PEOPLE actively participate in the party. Democrats are top, down, and your leaders bark orders to the people. We operate our party like a true REPUBLIC. We are about to elect a America First candidate to our national committee. We do not allow one person to control the party.
It’s gotten to the point where reading Mike Z’s cockamamie psycho babble bs to my man renders as many knee-slappers during our evening safety meeting as watching Trump’s evil/moronic gaffes on youtube. It always reminds me of that line from the abusive mother in the old movie Carrie. “They’re all going to laugh at you. They’re gonna laugh at you.” And we do. And sometimes it makes me cough smoke through my nose from laughing so hard.
Maga fascists are entertaining. I can’t wait until they are history’s joke we warn our kids about.
Zit – you have no idea how this poll was conducted as well as no idea how to conduct a poll or do any sort of legitimate social science (political polling an application of social science) in general.
The America First Crowd are going where. We are here to stay, and are gaining more and more each passing day. The Precinct Strategy has been working for us, and has woke the people up in all States. The days of the Old Democrat and Republican Parties are over. Americans are moving further to the right faster than anyone prior, other than the period between 1650 to 1750. We are in a Second Revolution to Save America from the Corporate Deep State’s and their Evil Global Agenda. Socialism and Fascism is dead. What began in 2006, is only growing stronger, and we are only half way, 2040 is the end goal, a Renowned, Faith in Christianity, Morality, and Republicism is back, stronger than ever. You will not be able to contain it now. We are busy filling every Precinct Position possible, every Federal and State Judge as possible, and every seat in Congress, the Legislatures, and City Councils. We will not stop until we completely remold the Government back to what it was prior to the 1871 Corporate United States Hijacked our Republic.
Nobody cares.
The Corporate Deep State is awakening, Mr. Zitterich, and they are going to grind out the last dying ember of your “precinctism” with the heel of their stylish green plaid jack boot.
Did You Know?
American Citizens of South Dakota can form their own Bank. Under South Dakota law, any person can become a banker, as long as they go through the process of being recognized by the State Treasurer, and register with the Treasury, their name, address, and where they so desire to hold a “Depository” within the State.
This provides to the American Citizen(s) of the State the ability to pool their assets as one association, namely a corporation, which is created when one or more Person’s of the State effectively adopt an Articles of Organization, creating their By-laws, and effectively adopting their “Charter” which creates their Organizational Structure.
Under this “Corporate Charter” – you have the President, Treasurer, Secretary, and Department Heads. Whereas beneath them, you have your Offices and Lessor Associated Groups of People, to whom act as “Members” of the Organization itself.
A Credit Union is nothing more than an association of members to whom ‘act’ as one to establish a private bank, and is recognized by the state, and is further contracted by the National Credit Union Association (NCAU) which was created Congress in the 1930’s.
Credit Unions do not belong to the Federal Reserve System. They are members of the National Credit Union Association, a Independent Organization to which acts in the same manner, but is a private-member only association outside the Federal Reserve.
https://ncua.gov/about
Credit Unions are popular with those Americans who lack trust in the Federal Reserve System, and to whom wish to keep their “assets’ separate from the Federal Reseve, to whom is contracted to the Global Markets, unlike the NCAU.
Think of this next time you wish to Open a Bank Account. Do you want to be a part of the Federal Reserve, or do you wish to be a part of an Association of Members made up of Private Americans?
The Council for National Policy has infiltrated Pierre and the extremist South Dakota Legislature because banks in my home state are hoarding nearly $4 TRILLION for its members including Robert Mercer, a CNP member and Long Island hedge-fund manager who bankrolled Donald Trump’s presidential campaigns. According to accountant and former State Senator Susan Wismer (D-Britton) there are about $900 billion in 105 trusts alone.
The Trust Funds are Making South Dakota Great Again, rather than complain about them, you should become part of them today. We placed in the Constitution of the United States safeguards from the Federal Government directly ‘taxing’ our property. Property defined as Land, Real Property, Tangible Property (Your Name), Labor, Capital, etc.
This is why ‘we’ have a robust of Trusts Funds for the American Citizens of South Dakota to utilize – Land, Real Property, Retirement, Healthcare, Education, Business..
Keep the Federal Government OUT OF OUR BUSINESS – when we tell them hands off, we mean, Hands Off. Our Trusts are in Perputuary and they are IRON CLAD.
No American in South Dakota should voluntary elect to file a 1040 Informational Return to the U.S Treasury, let alone Pay Federal Income Tax. Unless you are the U.S President, U.S Senator, U.S Representative, U.S Supreme Justice, Federal Agent, Officer, Employee, Contractor…
If you are a Private American residing and working OUTSIDE the Jurisdiction of the District of Columbia aka Federal Government, YOU do not owe any such Federal Tax, unless of course you have entered into a contractural agreement, thus obligating yourself to a Federal Excise Tax, Duty, or Imposition Fee. KNOW THE LAW
Therefore, ALL AMERICAN CITIZENS of South Dakota should engage in Public Trust with each other and Establish the SOUTH DAKOTA FIRST BANK & TRUST, depositing ALL of our Gross Income into the Bank thus keeping our Gross Income OFF LIMITS from the FEDS.
Fact is, of the 195 countries on the planet most them probably hate us but many have parts of the trillions stashed in the state’s banks and trusts anyway.
Kristi Noem’s target is China even after her predecessors sold green cards to Chinese investors through the EB-5 program and the cash funneled into some 90 dairies, a cheese factory, a slaughterhouse and even into the Deadwood Mountain Grand resort. They’re all struggling to find help right now because of the crappy pay, the worse weather and the governor’s lackadaisical attitude about pandemic protocols threatening human life. Recall she called Georgia’s two Democratic US Senators, Communists from the state that controls much of the means of production.
Probing the undercurrent that ties the unsolved death of South Dakota’s Richard Benda in 2013 with his EB-5 past remains a mystery for the political junkies who follow Joop Bollen’s role in the scandal. The late Republican former Governors Frank Farrar and Bill Janklow built the dynasty trust industry.
That’s right Mike, we should not have a public pool for funding anything. Your extreme selfish, theoretical rhetoric eventually infects reality to prove that nothing should be funded. I’m reminded of the Douglas Adam’s line of proving that black is white and dying at the next zebra crossing. Call it socialism, but I believe instead in “We the people . . .” and the practical responsibilities of that establishment.
@ Mike Z.,
How much $USD in federal taxes have you evaded paying with this plan of yours?
drumpf promised rich donors massive tax cuts if re-elected. Deficits are already climbing just in case the scotus appoints the soon to be jailbird potus in Jan 2025.
I knew a fellow, Bruflat was his name, an IRS agent in Sioux Falls. I heard tell from a friend that he reads this here blogging place. “Integrity and Fairness to All” the horde of agents will cry, as they storm the chainlink fence around the back of Mr. Zitterich’s used car junklot.