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As We See It
Out In The Open
THUMBS UP to the Yankton city and county commissions for doing what we believe they should have done from the beginning: Negotiate a lease agreement for the Yankton County Courthouse and Safety Center in regular session rather than retreating into an executive session. We have criticized both bodies in this space during the past two weeks because the respective boards have carried out discussions of the agreement behind closed doors. We never understood what could be gained from two elected bodies negotiating a contract for the operation of a public facility in executive session. After all, they are both dealing with tax dollars and, if those discussions are carried out in a public venue, taxpayers can see for themselves whether both sides are negotiating in good faith.
Smoke Screen
THUMBS DOWN to news Thursday that South Dakota’s smoking ban will not take effect next week as planned. Secretary of State Chris Nelson says enough valid signatures have been gathered to put the issue on the 2010 ballot. This is just a stop-gap solution on the part of bar and casino owners, because polls have shown a large majority of South Dakotans support the ban, and we doubt libertarian arguments about keeping government out of business decisions is going to sway most voters on what many believe is a public health issue. So instead of going out and breathing freely wherever they choose, South Dakotans will have to decide whether or not they want to enter an establishment that allows smoking and increases their risk of developing cancer. Our advice? Vote now with your pocketbook and avoid businesses that haven’t made the decision to go smoke-free.
Auto-Matic
THUMBS UP to the U.S. House members from South Dakota and Nebraska for co-sponsoring a bill to preserve economic rights for auto dealerships. U.S. Reps. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (D-S.D.) and Jeff Fortenberry, Lee Terry and Adrian Smith (all R-Neb.) have signed on to the bill, which has surpassed 180 co-sponsors. As a South Dakota auto industry spokesman said, the bill doesn’t force manufacturers to keep open dealerships, and it only covers auto manufacturers in which the federal government has an ownership interest or which receives loans from the federal government. However, the bill does require manufacturers to follow the state franchise laws and procedures. A similar bill is moving through the U.S. Senate. An area letter-writing campaign, with State Sen. Frank Kloucek (D-Scotland) as one of the organizers, has urged lawmakers’ support for the bill and the dealerships. Many people don’t want more government involvement in the economy, but the move shows the importance of auto dealers, particularly in rural areas.
The More, The Merrier
THUMBS UP to the Academy Awards for choosing to expand its category of best-picture nominees from five to 10 films, beginning next year. Some purists may grumble that the decision violates tradition; however, having up to 10 nominees was once common back in the 1930s and 1940s. Also, the move opens up the category so that little independent pictures that practically no one outside of New York and Los Angeles saw don’t wind up dominating the list, thus turning off casual fans. Who knows? Maybe even Pixar movies (like this year’s wonderful “Up”) will finally get a crack at the big prize. It should help to generate a little more interest in the Oscar broadcasts, and attracting eyeballs is what the movie genre is supposed to be all about, isn’t it?
THUMBS UP to the Yankton city and county commissions for doing what we believe they should have done from the beginning: Negotiate a lease agreement for the Yankton County Courthouse and Safety Center in regular session rather than retreating into an executive session. We have criticized both bodies in this space during the past two weeks because the respective boards have carried out discussions of the agreement behind closed doors. We never understood what could be gained from two elected bodies negotiating a contract for the operation of a public facility in executive session. After all, they are both dealing with tax dollars and, if those discussions are carried out in a public venue, taxpayers can see for themselves whether both sides are negotiating in good faith.
Smoke Screen
THUMBS DOWN to news Thursday that South Dakota’s smoking ban will not take effect next week as planned. Secretary of State Chris Nelson says enough valid signatures have been gathered to put the issue on the 2010 ballot. This is just a stop-gap solution on the part of bar and casino owners, because polls have shown a large majority of South Dakotans support the ban, and we doubt libertarian arguments about keeping government out of business decisions is going to sway most voters on what many believe is a public health issue. So instead of going out and breathing freely wherever they choose, South Dakotans will have to decide whether or not they want to enter an establishment that allows smoking and increases their risk of developing cancer. Our advice? Vote now with your pocketbook and avoid businesses that haven’t made the decision to go smoke-free.
Auto-Matic
THUMBS UP to the U.S. House members from South Dakota and Nebraska for co-sponsoring a bill to preserve economic rights for auto dealerships. U.S. Reps. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (D-S.D.) and Jeff Fortenberry, Lee Terry and Adrian Smith (all R-Neb.) have signed on to the bill, which has surpassed 180 co-sponsors. As a South Dakota auto industry spokesman said, the bill doesn’t force manufacturers to keep open dealerships, and it only covers auto manufacturers in which the federal government has an ownership interest or which receives loans from the federal government. However, the bill does require manufacturers to follow the state franchise laws and procedures. A similar bill is moving through the U.S. Senate. An area letter-writing campaign, with State Sen. Frank Kloucek (D-Scotland) as one of the organizers, has urged lawmakers’ support for the bill and the dealerships. Many people don’t want more government involvement in the economy, but the move shows the importance of auto dealers, particularly in rural areas.
The More, The Merrier
THUMBS UP to the Academy Awards for choosing to expand its category of best-picture nominees from five to 10 films, beginning next year. Some purists may grumble that the decision violates tradition; however, having up to 10 nominees was once common back in the 1930s and 1940s. Also, the move opens up the category so that little independent pictures that practically no one outside of New York and Los Angeles saw don’t wind up dominating the list, thus turning off casual fans. Who knows? Maybe even Pixar movies (like this year’s wonderful “Up”) will finally get a crack at the big prize. It should help to generate a little more interest in the Oscar broadcasts, and attracting eyeballs is what the movie genre is supposed to be all about, isn’t it?
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| A Different Night Of Comedy |
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Reader Comments
The following are comments from the readers. In no way do they represent the view of yankton.net.
rightofmiddle wrote on Jul 1, 2009 10:35 AM:
" Regarding "Smoke Screen"... it's ironic to me that while you strongly support the ban, the last sentence in your comment actually supports the wishes of those of us who oppose the ban. That's what we have been saying for years: keep the government out of it. If you don't like smoke, don't patronize businesses who allow smoking in their establishment. It's THAT simple. "
ToddWR wrote on Jul 1, 2009 11:03 AM:
" Amen to that rightofmiddle - that opinion blurb is just too funny coming from the nanny-state context it is written in - 'Vote with your pocketbook'. Wow. Silly me, I thought that was the way free markets and liberty are supposed to work in this case. It's also ironic that the opinion piece sadly states 'South Dakotans will have to decide whether or not they want to enter an establishment that allows smoking and increases their risk of developing cancer.' Free choice - oh my - what a bad thing. "
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Greg Kathan wrote on Jun 27, 2009 9:52 AM:
It's particularly ironic that many of the decisions to close rural dealerships were based in part upon the fact the they were located in Republican areas. These dealers, with the help of elected officials, now have to fight one government intervention with another government intervention. It would be comical if the outcome wasn't so painful to some.
The ever present threat of failure is what motivates businesses to make sound judgments, and profit is the motivation that makes businesses successful. When the government gets involved, the economic forces that make business work get tossed out the window. This isn't true because I'm saying it--economists have know this for decades.
It's not that I'm anti-government: Our democracy is the most enduring form of governance know to the world, and it serves it's citizens well in many arenas. But Ayn Rand was absolutely correct when she said,"Government "help" to business is just as disastrous as government persecution... the only way a government can be of service to national prosperity is by keeping its hands off.
I hope that our elected federal government figures this out soon, as well as members of the media. I honestly believe that GM will never be more successful than AmTrack or the USPS, (or Freddie or Fannie for that matter) so long as the Washington has a hand in it. "