New Ways to Waste Money

From today's Argus Leader:

About 170 South Dakota farmers are in line to receive payment for combatting global warming sometime this spring...

Farmers signed up acres for the program earlier this year, agreeing to either practice no-till farming or maintain grass or alfalfa on their land. These practices prevent the release of carbon dioxide, the main gas implicated in global climate change.

I remember several years ago, a comedian named Brian Regan who had a routine where he talked about so-called "conservation."

A man asked a farmer, "What do you do for a living?"

The farmer replied, "Well, I don't grow corn."

Looks like the bureaucrats who love to waste our money have come up with another way to waste it. Getting farmers to fight something that doesn't exist.

Who's more stupid: these bureaucratic idiots, or us for not firing them?

Prairie Conservative Goes the the Watercooler

Greg Belfrage is moving his blog from the Prairie Conservative to the Dakota Watercooler. He plans to cover some non-political topics in addition to the usual political fare. Check him out.

Welcome back, Greg!

Prayers Go Out to Senator Johnson and Family

As is pretty much common knowledge by now, Senator Tim Johnson suffered a stroke around mid-day today.

He was taken to the hospital, but according to a blog post from Todd Epp, Todd's wife talked to one of the senator's aides and they think they caught it early, so hopefully any damage will be minimal.

From the folks at Dakota Voice, our prayers go out for Senator Johnson for God's healing, and comfort for his family.

Senator Ed Olson Attacks Autonomy of Churches

Sibby and the War College have already beat me to this, but it's important enough to be mentioned again and again.

In a David Kranz Argus Leader article today, South Dakota Senator Ed Olson says this:

Now that legislative agenda brings challenges, but Olson expects another effort by lawmakers in reaction to the Referred Law 6 campaign.

"It is time to have a serious discussion about tax exemptions for churches. People are ticked, don't want to be preached to from the pulpit, didn't want signs plastered all over their house of worship. The people spoke, and their voices were heard," Olson said.

I don't think he wants to open that can of worms, but if Senator Olson insists, so be it. He'll find out pretty fast how short his train of support on this really is.

If churches shouldn't be able to address issues of right from wrong, then what good are they? Just social clubs for people who sometimes crack open the Bible.

And what good is that?