Antis Say the Check’s in the Mail. I Say SHOW ME THE MONEY!
With all this talk about cutting 10% from education and Medicaid, basically suspending vital services, and telling state employees to take a flying leap because our state is supposedly broker than a three-legged dog, it’s not surprising that a lot of people are wondering how we can afford to fight another big lawsuit over the obviously unconstitutional HB 1217. While I have no problem personally donating to Planned Parenthood and the ACLU, I’m not sure if it’s the best use of our tax dollars.
Never fear, said Roger Hunt at the Senate Health and Human Services hearing on Monday — those forward thinking legislators created a Life Protection Fund so private donors could pay for our legal expeditions and there was $3 million just waiting to be spent. Crazy, I thought. I haven’t heard anything about that until now…
Deb Peters must’ve been thinking the same thing. She got an accounting of all the funds held by the state and found there’s actually only $600 in the fund. $600! I don’t know an attorney that will do ANYTHING for $600.
Roger Hunt says they’ve got $3 million.
Oh really? Where? I say:
Show Me the Money!
Elizabeth Kraus says the money exists.
Uh huh. In a pot at the end of a rainbow? I say:
Show Me the Money!
Al Novstrop says, “I’ve been told and I have every reason to believe there is 3 million dollars available from private donors available so that the state of South Dakota will not pay money for this when there is a lawsuit. The 3 million dollars is still in private hands. There’s a network of private donors nationwide that are willing to step up and make the difference.”
Sounds like a line you give the collection agency. I say:
Show Me the Money!
Daugaard says he’s “been assured there will be some private funding to defend the legislation in court.”
Oh good — some. Why don’t we have it yet? Let’s make it clear to our Governor: If you aren’t going to veto this, but you’re going to insist on cutting state services down to nothing, you better be able to SHOW ME THE MONEY!
Show Me the Money!
*Luckily the best things in life, like animated gifs, are still free.
Tags: HB 1217
I’m hoping we draw one of those Obama Justice Department lawyers. You know, the ones he orders not to enforce the law?
I am not even sure that it would be legal or ethical for a private entity to pay the State’s attorneys fees, even if they could somehow make a payment that would not simply go into the general fund. If there was money from private parties, you would think that they would have stepped in to pay the State of Nebraska’s fees in a lawsuit on exactly the same kind of pre-counseling to avoid alleged coercion idea. Nebraska’s Attorney General did not appeal the federal district court’s holding that the law was unconstitutional because the AG believed it was not a good use of taxpayer money. Maybe he needs to give Marty Jackley a call!
Sadly for our state coffers, he only orders them not to enforce unconstitutional laws. That’s not going to help us.
Larry Long worked on a portion of the 2005 Informed Consent matter in 8th Cir but then deferred to Harold Cassidy; I have the same questions you do, Cait, about that. And what if he added to the litigation (nearly impossible, I kno, given their “findings” were from here to Mars and back) issues that the legislature hadn’t even taken up? Or used some of that funding for the myriad other faux issue lawsuits Cassidy does? It all stinks. But, Long did issue an opinion that the receipts issued to the donors into the LPF are public info. I’d like to see them.
How about we line up funders from around the country to pass the ERA in SD, to make abortion affordable AND accessible, EC over the counter to any age. How would they howl about that?
The 8th Cir case pleadings/affidavits are fascinating if utterly maddening and I encourage anyone with access to http://www.pacer.gov to have a look see. Cassidy has at least one affidavit where he dropped a $ figure to what they’d spend already on that matter and there’s got to be a lot more after that. $3mil? I doubt it but if Cassidy spent $3mil shouldn’t the good citizens of SD get to see some kind of fee petition, even if it isn’t over yet? Itemize them thar costs for us, Harold.
Maybe the money is from the same source as the person that allegedly gave Hunt money a few years ago. To this day that person has never had to be identified. Shame on the system. If a person is pro-life they should be proud of it and want to be identified. Myself I don’t think any private person should offer money to pay legal fees for something involving a government that is too dumb to know right from wrong. This definitely applies to out of staters. Out of staters shouldn’t even be making political contributions to our politicians. Keep your noses in your own business.
I agree with joan the money should been use for something else or better service