South Dakota's Best Year Ever? Sanford Health System, nee, Sioux Valley Hospital
Who had South Dakota’s Best Year Ever?
Why, that’s easy!
Sioux Valley Hospital, now Sanford Health.
Sugar Daddy T. Denny Sanford announced in April that he was going to transfer $400 Million of credit card profits earned off of high interest rates and insidious credit card fees and give it over time to Sioux Valley. All they had to do was name everything not nailed down after T. Denny.
T. Denny has promised the money would be used to build children’s hospitals and clinics and research cures (except, of course, without the help of stem cells, which is illegal in South Dakota).
So far, it appears most of the money has gone for advertising trumpeting the donation—and for new signs.
But hopefully, the donation will be used as T. Denny has intended, which will create another boom in Sioux Falls’ medical industrial complex. That means high paying jobs for doctors, nurses, researchers, and support staff. That will mean more collateral businesses, more construction, more homes, and just plain more for Sioux Falls and the Sioux Empire.
Also, medical care—already excellent in Sioux Falls—will ratchet up another notch or two. And maybe, just maybe, there could be some big medical breakthroughs that come about.
And, Sioux Falls will be a Sanford company town. It used to be a John Morrell company town. Given the alternatives, I’ll take the doctors and researchers over the pig killers and packers in a heart beat. (But don’t get me wrong; I love pork loin!)
So, congratulations, Sanford Health, nee, Sioux Valley Hospital! Thanks to T. Denny Robber-Barron, you had South Dakota’s Best Year Ever in 2007!
Others who almost had South Dakota’s Best Year Ever:
- Sen. Tim Johnson—2006 was his worst year ever but his miraculous recovery from an AVM and then his speech in Sioux Falls in August announcing he was “back” was both welcomed news regardless of your political affiliation—and inspiring.
- University of Sioux Falls football team—While they lost to playoff rival Carrol College in the NAIA Championship, they again had an excellent season—and played in a new house that Sanford helped to pay for.
- DUSEL—Thanks again to T. Denny, the Homestake Mine is getting a new lease on life as a major scientific facility.
Who will have South Dakota’s Best Week Ever in 2008? Only 368 days until we find out!
Above: Sign in front of main campus of Sanford Health System in Sioux Falls.
Below: T. Denny Robber-Barron Sugar-Daddy Sanford.
Todd Epp
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Reader Comments (4)
I agree about T. Denny as a robber-baron - particularly because he held a gun to those people's heads and forced them to agree to the terms... What? What's that? You mean those people CHOSE to sign those contracts? You mean they were AWARE of the high interest, were CREDIT RISKS to whom no one else would lend, and Denny simply filled a niche in the free market system? What was the complaint again?
Yup, Madden, those people who signed those credit card contracts had huge amounts of negotiating power with ol' T. Denny. Definitely a fair negotiation. Not.
They had the ultimate negotiating tool- the more powerful hand. They could walk away and just say "No"
Oh here, we go again.
Todd....I think you know better. If you REALLY think the name change was a pre-condition for the gift, you are woefully naive about the philanthropic process.
Does this mean I have no reservations about the way the money was earned? Not at all. I have plenty. The celebration of the "free market" in this country has gotten way out of hand
But we should give him some props for taking all that money and putting it to some good use, where it will ultimately be productive and enhance the quality of life for a lot of people-including some who were likely customers of his credit card business.
Unlike some, who actually do think they can take it with them, he's acting as an agent for change. You have seen the construction on the Sanford (sorry, Sioux Valley) campus have you not?
As for the money spent trumpeting the gift-talk to Sanford (sorry, Sioux Valley) administrators. Start with Cindy, maybe.
It was THEIR bad judgement to mount an arrogant campaign demanding we feel humbly grateful, and THEIR egos that needed to brand everything that passes within 50 miles of a Sanford facility. If I were Denny, I would have asked some serious questions about their stewardship of my gift. And for all you and I know, he did. The obnoxious demands for obeisance disappeared rather quickly. T. Denny seems to prefer a lower profile from what I have seen. The hullabaloo, from my perch, appeared to be a Sanford (sorry, Sioux Valley) obsession.
His goal is to give it all away before he dies. An admirable goal. The first guy I heard of who did that was Andrew Carnegie. Since at the time, Carnegie was richer than God, it didn't quite work out that way so his money continues to be given away today.
But wait!! Didn't Carnegie countenance the suppression, the beating and the killing of his own employees at the Carnegie Works in Homestead, PA?
Now that's immoral!!! I guess we should close down all those libraries across the country that his dirty money built and continue to support in some eastern areas.
Let's ask George McGovern to return the knowledge he got from that Carnegie-funded library he frequented in Mitchell.
And Carnegie was a pacifist-he resisted bidding on armament contracts. So...there's another movement discredited by filthy lucre.
'Tis a tangled web for us all.