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Get It? The People Rule Here Not The Local Officials (photo from sdrightside.com) |
South Dakota's very motto, "Under God The People Rule," is rebuked by this bill, which effectively alters the motto to "Under God The County Commissioners Rule." If you take the time to read the bill, you'll find that it restricts, if not altogether removes, the right of taxpayers to appeal decisions made by their elected county officials, and in cases where taxpayers can actually file
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I've Fed Plenty Of Cattle Myself But Locals Had A Say About Our CAFO (photo from cactusfeeders.com) |
Even more abhorrent is the way the legislation renders fictional the built-in bias by our centralized government-hating Republicans. The state legislature is telling counties and municipalities that it is the ultimate authority on how local decisions will be resolved, which is actually a lot bunk. Locals know their territories better than outsiders and they should be able to work together to protect themselves from bad actors who, by virtue of holding sway over a limited handful of officials, can ramrod self-serving zoning decisions with little concern about the residents of the area themselves being able to step in and have a say.
If this is supposed to be a way to grease the wheels for Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) to get more easily established in South Dakota, I'd say the legislation is plenty transparent in its motivations. South Dakotans who care about retaining the power to call their own shots about what sorts of development take place in their own neighborhoods should make it clear that HB 1140 is for the birds.