John Gossom
Column: Hiding from Transparency
PIERRE - State legislators can’t agree about how much access you should have to the goings on of local government committee meetings.
Column: Media, Myths, and the Minimum Wage
WASHINGTON - Right-wingers like to convince themselves that something is true then repeat it ad nauseum hoping that the rest of us will come to believe it as well. Surprisingly, they have had some success with this strategy.
Column: Uncertainty Surrounds SD Budget Plan
PIERRE - There is a good deal of uncertainty surrounding the South Dakota budget at the moment. What is making the job atypical is that no one knows how much to count on coming from Washington.
Allowing Mentally Ill to Have Guns is Crazy
PIERRE - The South Dakota House of Representatives has decided to continue with the state policy of defying federal gun law.
Facebook Takes Advantage Multi-million Dollar Tax Breaks
MENLO PARK, Calif. - Facebook has released its tax information and despite the fact that it made over a billion dollars in profits last year, the company won’t be paying any taxes, but will instead be collecting a $429 million refund.
Lawmakers Look to Make ‘Super Majorities’ the Rule
PIERRE - Raising the bar to require a super majority is simply undemocratic.
South Dakota Legislature Looks to Amend Abortion Law
PIERRE - Despite the ongoing legal challenge to the existing forced waiting period and anti-abortion consultation law, the South Dakota Senate is poised to double down.
Are SD Legislators Suffering from Battered Gov’t Syndrome?
PIERRE - The willing self-victimization here is appalling. It is akin to a battered spouse making a special meal so their abusive partner won’t leave them.
GOP: The Fairy Tale Party
WASHINGTON - So here is what we now know about today’s Republican party: they believe in magic.
Struggling Seniors Set to Win One, Lose One
WASHINGTON - First the good news: the Obama Administration has indicated through the White House Press Secretary that it will not agree to increase the eligibility age for Medicare as part of the upcoming sequester negotiations.