From kuchen to gas tax, state lawmakers represent “nook and cranny” ideas

Germany’s Otto von Bismarck (who evidently had a bunch of fans up in ND), observed that “Laws are like sausages. It’s better not to see them being made.”

This piece provides some of the details of the legislative side of the process as it takes place up at Pierre.

South Dakota legislators will face important matters of life and law among the 500 or so bills likely to be filed during the 2010 session.

They’ll also face issues that aren’t quite so earth shaking.

The 131 bills that had already been filed last week through the Legislative Research Council included proposals to authorize charter schools, raise the state gas tax and approve a building addition at Northern State University.

Also in the mix were ideas with less-clear impacts on the state — like honoring and supporting “Czech Days in Tabor” and the “Scotland Kuchen Feier on the occasion of its first annual event.”

It’s easy (and sometimes fun!) to throw figurative mud-balls at some of the proposals that float up through the process, but look at the bright side…concerns about community festivals and kuchen MAY distract from other things…like more iterations of nanny-stateism, tax increases, etc.