Legislative intestinal fortitude

By Ed Randazzo

On Thursday, SD Senator Mark Johnston indicated to the press that he would be introducing an amendment that would schedule a special election for voters to approve or reject a sales tax increase. That was a very bad idea.

On Friday, no amendment was offered. That was a very good idea.

Just 3 short months ago SD voters sent largely Republican legislators to Pierre to represent them. Most of these legislators were elected because they ran on the Republican platform which calls for fiscal responsibility and reducing the tax burden. The looming structural deficit was a major issue of the campaigns for many.

None of us likes to cut our budget, but many of us have had to do just that. It was totally predictable that balancing the state budget and dealing with the structural deficit without increasing the tax burden would not be easy. Because funding for education and Medicaid is such a large percentage of the state budget, it was clear that cuts would be required in both those areas.

Governor Daugaard was quick to hear and understand the difficult and painful task at hand and displayed great fiscal responsibility and political courage in proposing his budget to the legislature.

A decision by the legislature to spend more state money (which we can’t afford) to finance an election to decide on a state sales tax increase is to totally ignore the message of the voters in November last and to display a complete lack of intestinal fortitude to make painful, but necessary, decisions.

Let those who wish to increase sales taxes or any taxes stand up and be counted for that which they believe and  not just pass the decision to the voters so the legislators can wash their hands of the issue.

Let’s hope this trial balloon has already been punctured and has fallen quietly to earth.