State workers blame Daugaard, SDGOP for budget shortfall

After South Dakota's governor signed a bill into law that discriminates against some couples who want to adopt a California-led boycott is queering Denny Daugaard's pitch.

South Dakota State Employees Organization Executive Director Eric Olilla says they will lobby legislators for wage concessions and that no increases for the second year in a row sends a bad message.

Lieutenant Governor Matt Michels says they know some upward adjustments are needed. Most state workers didn’t get a raise last year, and with increasing health insurance costs, may have gone backward. Michels says they are taking other steps that will help employees now, and in the future. Michels says finding more money for state workers is a priority.

Get the story at WNAX.

A South Dakota earth hater with political aspirations wants to end the rights of state employees.

Republican Rep. Mark Mickelson said Monday that he doesn’t think collective bargaining “serves the mission of educating our kids.” Faculty at the state’s six public universities and at schools for the blind and deaf have union contracts.

Get the story at KWAT Radio.

Many employees in the state's law enforcement industry are union members.

Out of the other side of his mouth Mickelson wants to lower the boom on school districts not raising teacher salaries.

Mickelson is a glaring example of white privilege in the red moocher state.

The bottom line for South Dakota is this: If we don’t have enough money and don’t want to raise taxes, we need to develop new sources of revenue. We have to broaden our perspective. Otherwise, the headlines will never change, and our budgetary belt will eventually strangle our prospects altogether.

Read that here.

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