All the Governor’s Men

South Dakota has no legal protections against nepotism in government and that void of justice must be corrected. Neighboring states have nepotism laws regarding government hiring, as do the majority of states in the Union. The people of those states, with vigilant attitude, have made such protections a priority. Instead of placing blame at the feet of our political leaders for this legal immorality or the state employees who perpetuate a corrupt and grossly inefficient use of our tax dollars we must start from here with a clear objective.

No longer should a government employee – appointed, elected, or hired – be allowed to directly or indirectly review the performance, effect the employment contract of, or award government contracts to any family of the 3^rddegree of the said government employee. This is good government because it protects those that it serves through internal checks and balances. We should never see school districts dominated by single families; nor government road, lawn, or maintenance contracts awarded to family members whose performance is reviewed by other family members; or politicians awarding government grants and loan subsidies to petitioning family members. We desire that blind impartiality follow justice in South Dakota’s government workings and that the blindfold remain on when dispensing the benefit of the government treasury. Passing law that promotes public accountability and ethics in government will be the honor of this generation. A nepotism law will have to come by popular support or begin through election mandate, because this law would curtail some of the power and authority that the law makers now enjoy. The act of hiring family members and abusing the public trust through favoritism and betraying proper hiring practices is not ever likely to cease without intervention by the governed, so it’s up to the citizens of South Dakota to demand the ethical behavior they expect from their public servants.