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Doug Cummings's avatar

Again, the SD legislators just won’t accept the judgment of its citizens. This is the problem with one party rule of state government, which SD has had for some time. At a certain point arrogance sets in and the party in charge feels they know what’s best regardless of what they’re being told by their constituents.

This is why citizens had to do the work of raising the minimum wage, restricting interest rates on payday loans, approving medical marijuana, voting down abortion bans twice and now Medicaid expansion.

Despite overwhelming approval by SD citizens, Rep. Venhuizen, and Sen Casey feel they need to “protect” South Dakotans from welfare recipients who receive assistance as a “lifestyle”. They need to check the numbers on welfare fraud in SD. It’s minimal to nonexistent. The purpose of Medicaid expansion is to provide health insurance coverage to people working for minimum wage and below a certain percentage of the poverty level. They’ve already admitted that they are exempting the disabled, pre school age children and the elderly who don’t have enough income. Who’s left?

Are there really thousands of South Dakotans wondering around looking for handouts and free health insurance? The uninsured end up in emergency rooms and acute care clinics which eventually raises health insurance rates for the rest of us.

The bill they intend to introduce does nothing to protect South Dakotans from anything. It is simply window dressing to make them look good before their conservative friends in the legislature and once again shows that the one party leadership in South Dakota simply refuses to accept the will of the people.

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tom schmitz's avatar

always a good thing in GOPers minds to impose work requirements...making poor people who need help take a crappy job that won't even cover their gas money or childcare, - let alone rent - puts them further up against the wall -- just what they like to see -- sick.

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