Director’s Notes

Happy Independence Day! We seem to be struggling with each other as Americans, letting titles and affiliations divide us, rather than remembering we are all the luckiest people on earth for being here – where we can disagree with each other, and our government, freely and without retribution.

But like all of our freedoms, this one comes with the price of vigilance and respect. We thank God for the members of our military who literally put their lives on the line to protect us – but we all have responsibility to protect our freedoms.

We can’t put government on cruise control. Democracy isn’tfree,weallhavearesponsibilitytoserveourcountry. We all love it, we all benefit from it, and in my case, through no deed of my own, are blessed enough to have been born an American. The United States deserves our attention. We have not been giving our country its due.

We are probably all typical citizens. We are busy with family, community, jobs, friends. But you get what you elect – at ALL levels. Congress is broken, and I’d be willingtolistentoadefenseofthem,butwouldbeamazed if anyone could convince most of us that our federal system is anything other than dysfunctional. But whose fault is that? Ours. We citizens have gotten what we’ ve elected.

We absorb information like junk food – taking in what is easy and convenient. Twenty-four-hour news channels and pundits have spoon fed us an unhealthy diet, we’ ve eaten it up, and we have produced a resulting unhealthy Congress and federal system. Instead of thinking for ourselves, we’ ve reduced ourselves to drive-through government. We need to improve our informational diet, stop eating the tasty, deep fried controversy that has made our national policy look more like reality TV than the serious business it is.

Trustingovernmentisathistoriclows,andthatisn’tgood foranyone. Takeforexamplethepipelineproposedtorun throughSouthDakota. TheSDMLdoesn’thaveaposition on this, but certainly both sides could agree that government approval or disapproval of something controversial would have a lot more meaning if people trusted the decision makers. Taxes would be easier to pay if people trusted government…but people have a responsibility to understandtheirgovernment. Howmanydoweknowthat pay taxes, and have no idea where it goes? How often doesacityofficialheargripingaboutpropertytaxes,when about 60% goes to schools? How many realize that a portion of the sales tax they pay stays local? How many realizethatitisalmost100%localeffortthatproducesthe salestaxestheStatereceives? Howmanyofushavetaken even a cursory review of the federal budget? Where DO our federal taxes go?

IhopeweallspendourIndependenceDaythinkingofour blessings, remember we are all Americans, and that is moreimportantthananyotheraffiliationordivisiveissue.

On another note, things seem to always be changing, and youarereadingthelastissueputtogetherbySaraRankin, ourDirectorofMarketingandCommunications. Sarawas an MVPon the staff for her entire time here, and although we are definitely sad we won’t be working with her every day, we wish her great happiness as she ventures into her new position as the CEO of the Pierre Area Chamber of Commerce.

Until next month, remember we are always available at 1800-658-3633 or yvonne@sdmunicipalleague.org.

YvonneTaylor Executive Director