Guns, Pawn, and Rock & Roll

Sioux Falls business and community leaders have worked diligently over the past thirty-five plus years to change our City from a one industry town to the economically and culturally diverse Sioux Falls of today.

The Queen City is no longer largely dependent on agriculture and meat packing. Unquestionably our city has changed because of the arrival of Citibank and the transformational generosity of T. Denny Sanford. Sioux Falls is viewed as a vibrant city whose economy is led by world class health care systems and financial services.

Sioux Falls is marketed as a great place to live, raise a family, and to do business. For the past thirty-five years, the City has more than doubled in population. Sioux Falls has become the regional retail destination, the Washington Pavilion put through a Cinderella like transformation; Falls Park, downtown (Phillips Avenue and East Bank), and River Greenway revitalized; and the Bird Cage, Convention Center, and Events center constructed. And the Sanford Sports complex

So it is a shock in the last few days, seemingly out of nowhere comes the news of efforts to change our city and its well-crafted image. In the name of entertainment Sioux Falls will now have Rock and Roll 24/7/365 (the radio station), a Guntry Club, and the Midwest’s (if not the nation’s) largest Pawn Shop.

Chuck Brennan of Dollar Loan Center has announced he will build the Badlands, Pawn, Gold and Jewelry entertainment complex, which he describes as “Disneyland or Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory of pawn shops."  According to press reports Mr. Brennan wants to make shopping at the pawnshop fun and “create the pawnshop experience.” It was stated Badlands Gold & Jewelry would be a tourist destination attracting as many as 500 people per day.

Plans for Badlands will include large selections of jewelry, electronics, a gun shop with shooting range, a silver and gold foundry, a FM Rock radio station, a tattoo shop, a delli, and a merchandise shop.  

The Argus Leader  reported the City is excited about this venture and the City’s director of development in speaking about this stated, “this is what we were hoping would come” relative to the creation of the Sioux Falls Sports and Entertainment District.

This development creates a conflict for me. I believe in free enterprise with a minimum amount of government interference. This conflict is similar to my feelings about the issue of limiting the rate of interest and charges assessed by payday lenders.

While I am undecided (still thinking about it and want to see the specific proposal) on the payday lending issue (free market forces versus hurtful business practices), I would not favor the City issuing Badlands an on premisis beer and wine permit or alcoholic beverage license if their were a shooting range at the site. I don’t feel any differently about Badlands than I do about Scheels Sports who I think has created a real destination attraction at their Sioux Falls store with their Ferris wheel, faux shooting gallery, and café. Sheels also has an extensive gun shop at their store. Despite I am pro gun, I wouldn’t favor giving Scheels a license to sell alcohol either.

If Mr. Brennan wants to invest his money legally as he sees fit, he can go for it. From my perspective however I don’t think it will materially benefit our city. In terms of attracting high quality jobs, keeping the conservative pro business image required to foster financial services jobs, attracting more family trust business, and projecting our image of hard working Midwestern wholesomeness, I don’t think Sioux Falls should participate with special assistance for Badlands to participate in remaking the Queen City’s image to Pawn City.

Endbar  - I really do like Pawn and Rock and Roll. I frequently watch the “Pawn Shows” on Reality TV. Foremost understand that almost all Reality TV is scripted. I like Pawn Stars with the Harrison family, but I view it as the History Channel’s entertainment version of PBS’ Antiques Roadshow (which I also occasionally enjoy). No day goes by that I don’t listen to 50’s on 5 or 60’s on 6.

While in Las Vegas for the Thanksgiving holiday, (my son lives there) my wife, children, grandchildren, and I played KISS Golf in Las Vegas. It was glow in the dark mini golf with blaring rock and roll. It was great fun for all ages (all 7 of us, from 5 to 68). I don’t know if it would be considered a destination venue but it was a great place. If this was the image Badlands were pursuing it would be palatable. I like Las Vegas but just want to keep it in Las Vegas, I just don’t want a Sin City image in Sioux Falls.

TCU v Mississippi – Deju Vu

Straight Talk living in the past edition

Words can’t describe my Horned Frog pride in how the Texas Christian University football team performed this season. If it were not for their fourth quarter collapse against the Baylor Bears they would have had an undefeated season that should have put them in the NCAA playoffs.

Sidebar – former Paschal Panther and TCU alum, famed sportswriter and the yoda of Fort Worth’s soul, expressed some skepticism when he tweeted:

Dan Jenkins ‏‪@danjenkinsgd Dec 7

When my beloved Frogs beat OU and Texas in the same season, it's a great year. Playoff committee was always about TV ratings, nothing else.

(for more on Jenkins check out his bio or many of the great books he has penned. His latest book, his memoir, “His Ownself – A Semi-Memoir” may be his best.)

Not making the playoffs puts the #6 Frogs in the Chic-Fil-A-Bowl (non officially Peach Bowl) on December 31 playing #9 Ole Miss Rebels (officially University of Mississippi.)

This isn’t the first time the Frogs have met the Rebs in a bowl game. The last time was the 1956 Cotton Bowl game. The Cotton Bowl game then was played at the actual Cotton Bowl at the Texas State Fair grounds in Dallas. Interestingly the game was played not on New Years Day as the only “real” and “major” bowl games were played in the day but on January 2nd, which was a Monday. Presumably then because College Football, a frivolity, was not to be played on the “Lord’s Day.” College football as Jenkins suggest may not any longer be a frivolity.

That day was going to be a great day for me. I was a TCU fan and the Frogs were going to the Cotton Bowl. My hero TCU halfback, Jim Swink, had been named an All American and another Frog and Fort Worth legend Johnny Vaught was the Mississippi coach. Vaught who was Valedictorian at Fort Worth Polytechnic High School played his college ball at TCU and too was an All American. Because Vaught was “local” his career and Mississippi had many followers in Cowtown.

What made the TCU – Mississippi special for me is my Daddy and a friend’s Dad got tickets for the game (I think they were $5 each – and fairly hard to come by). So it was off to Big D for the game. The Rosenthals and the Hermans first made a stop at the regionally famous Southern Kitchen for lunch. They had a buffet with all the fried chicken and shrimp with what were called fixins (now sides) for maybe $3 per person.

It was a clear day and as memory serves (I was 9) cool and brisk. Today I would translate that to between 45 to 50 degrees for the 2pm game. 

One thing I clearly remember was the Mississippi band unfurling the large Confederate Stars and Bars on the field prior to the start of the game and playing Dixie. In sixty years that has changed. While the team is still named the Rebels, their mascot is no longer a Confederate Colonel but a bear named rebel.

It is not the point of this post, but worth noting, one of the flash points of the 1960s Civil Rights movement was the admission of James Meredith to the University of Mississippi in 1962 with the assistance of Attorney General Robert Kennedy, the Federal Courts and 500 U S Marshalls.

It did not turn out to be a winning day for TCU. They lost 14 – 13, but it was a great game. The Frogs led 13 to zip at the half but could not hold back Vaught and the Rebs. TCU’s big problem was Chuck Curtis, their All Southwest Conference QB, was injured on the kickoff and was out for the rest of the game. You would not ever see that today. Back then players played both ways (O & D) and special teams (we didn’t even know what those were). There were few player substitutions.

Duly noted - Curtis played for a time in the NFL as backup QB for the New York Giants behind Charley Connerly, under assistant coaches Tom Landry and Vince Lombardi. Interestingly Connery had played his college ball at Mississippi under Johnny Vaught. Vaught also coached another pretty successful NFL QB, Archie Manning, (who is the father of oh you already know that.)

In 1957 (actually played on New Years Day) TCU returned to the Cotton Bowl and beat Syracuse 28 -27 in another hard fought battle. Syracuse their premier halfback that year, some guy named Jim Brown.

We will see what fate has in store for TCU at the Peach Bowl but they have proven a lot this year. Their performance shows a quality program can be built with focus and good coaching at even a private school with only 10,000 students.

End bar – I have linked in this post quite a bit. If you are interested take a look. The information on TCU’s reemergence as a mini Goliath and the look at Jim Swink are worthwhile.

40 – 28 -28 – 4

It is said, to remain silent is to be thought a fool and to speak removes all doubt. Today I am putting on my Fools Cap and taking out my cracked crystal ball.

The certainty in South Dakota elections this year is: It’s going to be a big year for Republicans. Three reasons: South Dakota is a Republican State, The President (leader of the opposition party) is very unpopular, and for the most part the Democrats failed to show up.

While the pundits are focused on the heads up numbers it would be very telling to know the name identification numbers of the major candidates on the ballot. Can Ms. Robinson be at 30%? Ms. Wismer at 50%?

The World Series hasn’t even begun but the general public shows no signs of being engaged as of yet in the campaigns. There is a feeling among many citizens it really does not make much difference who wins – Government is Broken.

I won’t belabor it but this election cycle has been nothing short of bizarre. The weirdness roosts particularly in the GOP Senate primary, the disgruntled candidates who usurped the Libertarian Party ballot and the Myers – Hubbel Independent Governor candidacy.

The Senate General Election – As I previously intoned neither of the major parties have their best candidates on the ballot and Larry Pressler is making it interesting. While I originally thought the former Senator would take votes from Mike Rounds, he is taking potential votes from Democrat candidate Rick Wieland. Since I posted on Pressler he has come out in favor of Gay marriage, recognition of a Tribal Holocaust, opposed the Keystone pipeline and other left leaning positions.

Certainly Marty Jackley, Dusty Johnson, Kristi Noem, Chris Nelson, Stephanie Herseth Sandlin and maybe even Brendan Johnson passed on a solid opportunity. 

All of the candidates for this open seat are running against Washington and have variations of the same message. Larry Pressler has been the most articulate and most specific in expressing his formula for change. The major party campaigns have not been energized. Only the poll two weeks ago showing the race tightening energized the campaigns (all three). Howie is rarely seen. That poll did bugle in the Cavalry with National Campaign Committee and Super PAC cash. Any slippage Mike Rounds had has been recovered.

Thus two weeks out the race is back to square one with the major party candidates. Rounds has the GOP base of 40%, Weiland the Democrat base of 28%. Neither of the major party candidates has added to their base. Pressler has taken all the oxygen. Howie stays at the angry birds you can’t be pure enough 4%.

So that puts the race today and where I predict it will be election night.  Rounds 40% Pressler and Weiland 28% and Howie 4%. It is a dead heat for 2^nd place (flip a coin to see who is number 2) and Howie is just a distraction. That is it folks barring any major bomb this last two weeks.

Almost no way can you massage the numbers to have Weiland or Pressler take enough votes from each other to overtake the 40%.

Finally there is the issue of FLUIDITY. When there are more that two candidates in a race for one spot, there can be movement on Election Day. Voters do not want to feel like their vote does not make a difference. Thus if the public believes there are just two real contenders, Mr. No. 3 and Mr. No. 4 can lose votes to No. 1 and No. 2. This phenomenon can be un predictable. It also suggests to me that Rounds and Weiland and their surrogates may want to be careful in their continued attacks on Pressler.

I should only add the above is not based on any polling. This is just pure opinion based on press reports, talking to voters in the coffee shops and saloons, and a little experience.

Petition Reform

Senator Dan Lederman is floatingthe idea that South Dakota should pass a ban on paying people to circulate petitions.

I do not agree with Senator Lederman on banning the practice of paying circulators. I do agree the petition process is being abused and is in need of some reform.

This election cycle we have learned there needs to be a longer filing period. It can be stipulated that petitions for both candidates, initiatives, and referendums should have longer filing periods. And The Secretary of State should have longer to examine the petitions for form and accuracy before certification. Both the date for taking out the petition and filing deadline should be advanced so that petitions have time to be properly certified and appropriately challenged (if necessary) in time that election officials can print ballots for both absentee voters and for election day.

Specifically to paid circulators – Senator Lederman is correct, more candidates and interest groups are using paid circulators. There is nothing wrong with that. It creates jobs. I like it. The problem is it gives the impression that the candidacy or issue is popularly supported. Historically because the circulators were volunteers, citizens believed there was public support for the candidate or issue. With paid circulators popular support is implied when it is actually hired.

A few current examples of paid circulators are – The use by the S D Democrat Party and interest groups to foster legislation they could not pass or get passed in the Legislature. Examples are the minimum wage legislation and the you can choose your own doctor without restrictions from your health plan initiatives that are on the ballot this November.

It is my understanding though I will stand corrected that among others Larry Pressler and Gordon Howie employed circulators. Even this spring here in Sioux Falls, Mike Huether who was running for re election as Mayor, when confronted about using paid circulators, he told the press he was too busy with important work to be troubled with petitions.

It is a short leap to ask about campaigns and parties using paid staff to circulate petitions. Every campaign in memory with paid staff uses them is some fashion to see petition signatures are gathered and filed. Should this also be reported?

Take me away, I plead guilty, while leading the Republican Party our organization used staff to help candidates with their petitions.

To rectify this, I would propose a couple of remedies. First anyone candidate or group would file with the Secretary of State or local election official as appropriate a statement declaring they are using paid circulators, the names of the circulators and or the contractor as appropriate. I would require that the circulators get a sales tax license and pay the general sales tax on all fees charged the beneficiary of the petition. I would additionally require that all persons circulating petitions be required to wear a badge or button that can be seen by the potential signatory that identifies the circulator as being paid.

A personal suggestion is circulators wear a minimum 4-inch in diameter pink button with black letters stating, “I am being paid to ask for your signature.” Whatever the disclaimer, any law could specify the language or delegate it to the Secretary of State or the S.D. Board of Elections.

I have suggested before, the number of signatures that are required for initiative and referendum petitions should be seriously raised.

The current requirements when enacted were daunting. Today much easier, in effect lowing the threshold of public support. Today we don’t travel by horse and buggy, we have telephones, fax machines (remember those?), the Internet, social media. Ease of gathering petitions and disseminating information is much easier than when initiative and referendum were enacted. Today using paid circulators (as Senator Lederman suggests) if you have enough moolah you can get anything on the ballot. Raising the requirement would create even more economic activity and employment.

Finally we must restore confidence that all players in elections play by the same set of rules. To maintain public confidence in our election process there is no room for the mistakes taking place with voters getting the wrong absentee ballots or election law being administered one way for one candidate and another way for a different candidate. People can and do make mistakes (myself included) but when mistakes are made there is a loss of public trust.