Pro-life, anti-1215

The RCJ had a article today about the South Dakota Family Policy Council's church and state road show, where pastors are getting advice as to how to speak on political issues (of all kinds, though they seem focused on abortion issues) without threatening their IRS tax-deductible status. The SDFPC is gearing up their Witherspoon Network of politically-active pastors and flocks to spread their definition of True Christian® political ideas throughout our fine State. I'm all for following the law, I hope they do stay within the boundaries of our tax laws. I applaud their efforts.

However, I have a message for Robert Regier and the South Dakota Family Policy Council: there are many ethical Christians (and other people of other and, even no faiths) whose patience is wearing thin, and are growing tired and bored, but sometimes afraid of your ethics-free labels and judgements on other's lives—lives whose reality and stories you clearly have not taken the time to understand. Fortunately, we are gradually deciding not to buy it anymore. Even the labels aren't sticking any more to your so-called "conservative" ideas.

Like "pro-life", for example. It's a label applied one issue, to divide people along stark lines.

No sane person or person of good will could not be "pro-life", or even want to "promote" abortion... and I am so sick of the implicit 'NOT pro-life' label that I recently carried a sign at a political event to express my feelings:


The pro-1215 protesters, carrying signs that said Pro-Life Democrat, whoop de whoop, of course found my sign absolutely contradictory. One of them asked me how I could be anti-1215 if I were pro-life.

I told her that I thought I hated abortion-as-birth-control as much as she did, but believe (based on the facts) that 1215 was not going to preserve any lives but instead would destroy many more. I asked her if she really believed that oft-quoted 800 was the number of actual abortions in South Dakota last year-- in reality, 800 was simply the number of legal abortions that took place in Sioux Falls. Many others happened illegally in the state and legally out-of-state. I told her I felt a law like 1215 was going to cause a lot of suffering and would not save any lives. I told her that I did not think sending doctors to jail was going to save any babies. But it's almost moot since even if this law could reduce abortions (which of I don't agree), it is extremely unlikely to even go into effect and instead will simply exist as a expensive, long court battle.

An abortion criminalization law that does nothing to address the causes of abortion, while its proponents try to limit sex education, access to birth control, and even emergency contraception? Sorry, I don't buy it.

My conclusion: contrary to (maybe not-so-popular) belief,

HB1215 is not pro-life.

Let's go on... what about the fact that we don't seem to be willing to provide health insurance to all children in this state, if it means taxes would have to be raised, even a little bit, even on those of us that can afford it? (see Sam Hurst's RCJ op-ed today, not to be missed). Think of the lives that would be saved and the quality of life this would add all around. Kids whose teeth and head hurt don't learn and develop. Hmm.. actually they do learn. They learn that no one cared enough about their lives to help them when they most needed it. Health care for all children is not a lefty dream... it's, well, pro-life.

What if we wanted to open economic opportunities to the working poor (and especially their kids?) by raising the minimum wage in this state a buck? Even if you don't care about the ethics, the boost to the economy would help keep families together all over this state...feed kids better... and likely reduce the demand for abortions (many of which are driven essentially by stressed family economics). Raising the minimum wage: very pro-life.

What about the death penalty? Why are we the only country except a few freedom-poor ones like Iran and North Korea that still direct the state put people to death? It's really hard to understand this--to me, to not even seem to have an ethical struggle about this issue is un-Christian, and not humane in that the death penalty does not respect the sanctity of every human life. (Don't think I'm a coddler here; for heinous criminals face life without parole--I really don't think that's a soft landing, and perhaps far more just. There's of course the [significant] ethical benefit that a single person [the governor or the president] doesn't have to choose whether to allow someone to be killed or not.) Anti-death penalty? Yeah, (you'd think!!), pro-life.

Yes, I am pro-life and anti-1215.

Have a problem with that?

An Inconvenient Truth

I went and saw the movie An Inconvenient Truth last night.

I'm still kind of reeling from it, even though I'd read the book.

It's a great movie.

I urge you to go and see this movie, and take your friends. This is especially important if you live in the Black Hills, because without viewers the movie won't be here long. This story is a fascinating scientific detective story, but also a message of warning (and hope)--probably the most important message of our generation. The future of our species is at stake here.

Take your (middle school and older) kids too. This is a story that will most likely be an important part of their lives.

Although the movie is really about a scientific discoveries and not really about politics, there is some politics in the movie. First, there is a bit about the personal story of Al Gore and how he has moved through his career, related as a backdrop to his understanding of global warming issues. And there is another political thing about the movie--it illustrates the opportunities and dangers allowing (or not allowing) science to inform our political ideas-- in America, this is critical as political will drives everything through our wonderful engine of democracy. No matter your political persuasion, you must see this movie.

The movie is playing at the Carmike 10--- see showtimes.

For more information on the movie: http://www.climatecrisis.net

RR interviews Jack

Toward the end of the Red, White and Billion BBQ in Rapid City, I had a chance to talk for a few minutes with Dr. Jack Billion. (Thank you, Todd Epp, Billion press secretary, for encouraging me to corner Jack!)


It was a really inspiring talk. And fun.

I wished I had a tape recorder to capture the conversation verbatim, because, I tell you, this man can speak very persuasively, and has important things to say. I suggest you check out the website to learn more about him and check their posted schedule to see if you can get out there to meet Billion, or his running mate, Eric Abrahamson.

I asked Jack the question that my friends have been asking me, that is, what is his strategy in doing battle with Gov. Rounds, who is a very popular governor who (on the surface) is quite successful, with his recent successes with Homestake, etc. I was for Jack Billion because I knew he was very smart and a team player in South Dakota politics, shared my Democratic values, etc-- but now, after our chat and hearing him (and his very capable running mate) speak again, I'm for him because I think he can beat Rounds too.

Jack said that he will be running against Governor Rounds on his record. He believes we need a change in direction in South Dakota, and Rounds is not providing needed leadership on many important fronts.

Gov. Rounds has talked a bit about health care, but we have 90,000 South Dakotans that are uninsured and it doesn't seem to be getting better.

Rounds' 2010E education agenda may be a positive collection of goals but very little has come of it in the Legislature--in the last two years, Rounds has not been able to get the Lege to make any significant progress on 2010E. (I remember Jack asking, when I first met him on his first campaign trip through the State, "2010? What about 2006?") Like Rounds' minimum wage proposal, there is lots of good talk, but no effective leadership. Jack points out that although the per-student spending has slightly gone up, the overall education spending is down. (And, South Dakota is still last in teacher salaries, right?) (And, howz-about our in-state college tuition, which is now so high that it's cheaper in the long run for my kids to attend out-of-state schools?)

We also talked about economic development. Billion gave me a homework assignment-- to go look to the SD State Economic Development Website (http://www.sdreadytowork.com/) and look at the pitch to businesses there. I quote:

Study after study, ranking after ranking. They all come back to South Dakota as the one place where you can earn money, and keep it.

Jack said that although "best of" surveys do indeed rank South Dakota's "business climate" highly, the numbers don't necessarily tell the full story. Jack's point to me: this is what the Rounds Administration is selling to businesses: a state friendly to business owners that need an inexpensive labor force and low taxes. (And to boot, you get to use the "Made In The USA" label.) Janklow's economic strategy was similar, and actually many states across the nation are engaged in this sort of bidding war. The fruit of this long-time strategy is seen by digging on to the statistics posted and linked on the state website: South Dakota, at 29K/yr, has the rock bottom lowest average wages of all the surrounding states--and almost a third less than Minnesota (40.3K/yr).

Jack pointed out to me that the current efforts to attract business may not be helping but hurting us the long run. South Dakota may be a great place to start a business that wants low-wage workers, but in perhaps not the best place to start a career. Young people who grow up here love this place, but they do not see opportunities to get on the economic ladder in our State, so after they go to college they often do not come back. The economic development sales-pitch (from Janklow and Rounds) attracts employers that value low operation costs and tax and regulatory sweet deals above all else. This puts our long-term economy (and, I might add, our environment) at risk.

Jack told me that his running mate, Eric Abrahamson, recently observed that the oft-discussed "young people leaving" problem could be very serious to our long-term economic health. Parents raise their kids here, and when they pass on the will leave their land and their money to offspring that live out of state. The end result is the transfer of a large amount of capital out of state. Serious people from all parts of the political spectrum can appreciate that this is an ominous scenario.

Fortunately, we don't have to keep doing it this way. Both Billion and Eric Abrahamson said at the BBQ that it's time for a new paradigm, that is, a whole new conversation and set of values in our economic development strategy in South Dakota. Our State has many other strengths and advantages for business besides low business costs and they believe a new approach is needed if we want better results.

While talking to Jack, I tried at several points to get a comment on the effect of the social conservatives' "moral crusade" and their chilling effect on our society and possible effects to our economy. I mentioned that I am pretty sure that if the current right-wing assault on individual rights was going on back in 1995, I seriously doubt I would have chosen to live here. (Of course, this would have been my loss!) Jack would not go there...he kept bringing it around to his point that we need leadership that will help us actually make progress on, healthcare, education, good paying jobs.

I didn't feel brushed off on these issues, but brought into the fold-- it's clear that Jack is anxious to move beyond these "wedge" battles and be everyone's Governor. Billion is a leader who can bring us together to make some progress on so many fronts. I'm a firm believer that with a leader like Jack, the newly energized moderates of all political persuasions could isolate politicians that would rather bicker about who is ideologically correct than solve problems.

I absolutely back Jack, and I hope you will too!

Red White and Billion BBQ on Saturday

Doug Wiken (Dakota Today) turned a phrase that I liked very much tonight on Mount Blogmore.

He [Stan A.] might however be most useful in South Dakota as some part of an economic development system under a Billion administration.

Sen. Johnson, Rep. Herseth, and former Sens. McGovern and Daschle are both strongly backing Jack too.

If "Billion Administration" sounds good to you too, come on out to meet Jack, Eric, and the whole family (and other PenDem candidates) at the PenDem's Red White and Blue BBQ on Saturday, 3:30, at Jackson Park in Rapid City. You can get more details and RSVP on the Pennington County Democrats blog.

Hope to see you there.

"Napoli", the verb

I hope Theresa Spry takes note that her opponent in the SD Dist 35 Senate contest is so outrageously ignorant and mean that he inspired a whole new word in our American language.

For anyone that hasn't been following this, here's the transcript of Napoli's comments on national television in the wake of the South Dakota draconian doctor-jailing anti-abortion law, HB1215.

I really wish someone had made this up, really, but Napoli said it. I hope the good voters of Dist 35 make it clear that this kind of talk is way out of bounds for someone elected to represent the best of their intentions.

ps If you want to support Theresa Spry, the Democratic nominee, in her bid for Sen Napoli's seat in the South Dakota legislature, you can easily donate to her campaign at ActBlue.

RR meets Sen. McGovern

I had a huge thrill yesterday, I got to meet a huge hero of mine; a Democrat that stood up against an unpopular war because it was the right thing to do, not because it was politically useful. This man defines political integrity to me. Although Sen. McGovern is one of the most pragmatic politicians to ever hit the stage in South Dakota and the Nation, you cannot argue he has ever been anything but true to himself. For the full story of a true American hero, check out his bio on Wikipedia.

I am so looking forward to the opening of the McGovern Library in Mitchell this October. Should be a real barn burner, especially when this is such an encouraging year for Democrats in SD.

We love you, George!