CORRUPTION IN SD RIGHT IN OUR FACE

The Future Fund is a scam, and I'm tired of everyone pretending othwerwise

Dear Grok, What is the purpose of the FUTURE FUND in South Dakota?

So, the stated purpose of the Future Fund is helping employees and generating business (somehow) to help bolster the overall economy in our little state.

But why then did the gremlins in GOED decide to go ahead and shuffle a few bucks - and by a few I mean $17 MILLION DOLLARS! - to some outfit called the “South Dakota Community Foundation”?

This group must be really be doing some heavy lifting in the “Government Economic Development” (G.E.D.) arena, right?

This guy is out in some CRP field looking for all that G.E.D. generated by the $17 million dollars. “Where is it? Must be around here somewhere…”

Umm, no actually, this organization that received $17 MILLION taxpayer dollars in 2025 alone is apparently some sort of charity clearinghouse.

Now I can already hear the squeals from the folks who happen to work for this organization. Look folks, I don’t blame you, everyone needs to work, you’re just doing your job and I’m sure there’s a lot of really great philanthropy going on blah blah blah. But really, the definition of “Philanthropy”, and I don’t even have to google this one, is giving one’s OWN money to charitable causes. Not ripping off taxpayers through a Payroll tax that is meant to pay for “Unemployement Benefits” and laundering it through what is essentially a middleman.

Next question: Who is sitting in the catbird seat of this SD Community Foundation anyway?

Wow, looky here….Dennis Daugaard himself, with a Mickelson thrown in for good measure. After all, it was Governor George Mickelson who had the brilliant idea to create this Future Fund way back in 1987. And who could blame him, with this huge pile of cash, just SITTING there not being embezzled! Sure, the governor could have said instead “Hey let’s give that money back to the businesses who overpaid and let them enage in their own Economic Development activity”. But no, that’s not what the governor did. Because, you know, you just can’t trust South Dakota business owners with their own money. Politicians, Development Bros, and NGO’s are much better equipped to “invest” these funds in ways that will benefit, umm, the RIGHT kind of people. The good & smart people who understand how to play the Game.

Let’s take a look at their latest financials:

Wow! Total assets of $939 MILLION!

Actually, a quick Google query shows that their current assets now sit at $1.2 BILLION (as of March 2026).

So, why does this NGO need $17 Million of taxpayer money? They seem to be doing just fine without the wealth transfer.

Where is the justification of allocating Future Funds to this group? Larry Rhoden that question is specifically aimed at YOU!

This past session (2026) Rep Karla Lems and other conservatives tried to curb some of this obvious corruption, but were thwarted by the Usual Suspects who serve the CORPORATOCRACY that actually runs our state government. See here:

House Bill 1222 and I quote “prohibit members of the Board of Economic Development from having any interest in moneys from or approved by the Board of Economic Development.”

Every Republican legislator who voted NAY on this bill is a TransRepublican and should be expelled from the party. I’m serious. The time for gatekeeping is long overdue. There is nothing in the SD Republican Party Platform that promotes this kind of unethical money laundering.

Here’s another Bill proposed by Rep Lems:

HB 1230 sought to and I quote “modify requirements for payment of the employer's investment in South Dakota's future fee.”

How’d the votes go on this one?

Same.

Same tune, different Bill.

Same ol’ swindlers protecting their little scams they got going on. All while telling us there’s no way they can afford to lower our property taxes, without raising our sales taxes!

Are you tired of being lied to yet?