Category: Uncategorized

From the Argus Leader comes a statement from Lynne DiSanto, one of the participants in the verbal altercation on the House Floor last week. She wants to make sure everyone knows that she is not “a snowflake.”

Rep. Lynne DiSanto on Facebook said characterizations of the exchange between herself and Rep. David Johnson, R-Rapid City, were inaccurate and rejected allegations that she was weak or a “snowflake.”

House Majority Leader Lee Qualm, R-Pierre, on Friday said he witnessed the argument and said Johnson and DiSanto had engaged in a heated argument stemming from the failure of an insurance bill earlier in the day. They then began moving back and forth toward one another as they fought, he said.

Read that here.

Um.. ok?

Update.. here’s more on this from KSFY, as DiSanto takes to Facebook to tell everyone her side of the story:

Some have accused me of being ‘weak’ or a ‘snowflake.’ I’ve had messages from people saying they are happy I had this happen to me, and deserved it.

The truth is Pierre is a male dominated environment, but I’m comfortable there holding my own. I’m not weak or a snowflake. I’ve engaged in hundreds of debates and heated battles with men and women. That is part of the job, and I’m equipped to battle anyone that way. However, what happened on [Wednesday] following session wasn’t a heated debate. I feared for my safety as did the majority of onlookers. This is why a couple of people intervened to restrain the other party.

Read that here.

Again, Um.. ok?

I’m not sure she’s doing her side of the story much good by going out and trying to win her case on social media and proclaiming she’s engaged in hundreds of “heated battles with men and women” and she’s “equipped to battle anyone” while the Committee is trying to figure out what happened, and if it rises to a level of conduct they’d take action on.

Sturgis’s Dean Kinney Endorses Jackley in New Ad

STURGIS, SD: In a new ad released Monday, Sturgis media agency CEO and radio station owner Dean Kinney endorsed Attorney General Marty Jackley’s bid to become South Dakota’s new governor.

“I’ve known Marty nearly my entire life, and his integrity sets a standard for us all,” Kinney said. “If South Dakotans are looking for an honest, conservative leader to move our state forward, then Marty is the right choice for governor.”

Kinney is president and CEO at The HomeSlice Group, a media and entertainment company whose operations include KBHB in Sturgis, where he has been in the radio business for 30 years.

“Our friendship began before kindergarten,” Jackley said. “Dean has become a wonderful father, as well as a strong businessman and leader in our hometown community of Sturgis. His hard work took him from radio personality to station owner, and that kind of transformation really exemplifies the American dream.”

Kinney is a former president of the Sturgis Area Chamber of Commerce and currently serves on the Black Hills Community Economic Development Board. He emphasized Jackley’s collaborative approach to leadership, and said his decision to hold economic round tables with local civic and business leaders to discuss the future of the state’s economy has been welcomed by business owners in Sturgis.

“The results of the Chamber Business Day poll gave a very strong indication of the support Marty has with small business owners across the state, and I think we need someone who understands business to be our new governor,” Kinney said. “We look forward to hosting him in Sturgis so we can discuss the Hometown Initiative and the other policies Marty and his team have included in their platform so far.”

The endorsement ad can be watched here:

As noted earlier here at SDWC, Roxanne Weber is jumping into the District 24 House race against Tim Rounds and Mary Duvall, labeling herself as a “progressive conservative”.

Um.. Isn’t a “progressive – conservative” a bit of a contradiction in terms?

There is a challenger for the incumbents of District 24 in the House of Representatives. Republican Roxanne Weber says the decision to run for a seat in the House is about a year in the making.

and..

Weber, who describes herself as a progressive conservative, says the state will be facing major challenges.

Read, and listen to it all here.

Update – I had to go see for myself exactly what a progressive conservative believes, so I hit Roxanne Weber’s Twitter Feed. Here’s what I found:

Hates Trump…

Wants Gun Control..

Stands with Planned Parenthood…

Attacks US Senator Mike Rounds who used to represent, and still lives in District 24.

Attacks State Senator Jeff Monroe, who she would be serving with in District 24..

And somehow, I’m not taking her to be a big supporter of the local Republican party, either..

Okay… I see the ‘progressive.’ I’m not so sure about the conservative or the Republican parts.

Bonus Update – More anti-2nd amendment language from facebook:

And let’s add something new – she’s also a pro-pot candidate:

From Facebook at the Dakota Posts page:

Services for the father of US Senator Mike Rounds and State Representative Tim Rounds have been announced. From Facebook:

I hate to mention it, but it’s kind of hard to ignore.

Remember back in January when I pointed out that Republican Congressional Candidate Shantel Krebs was claiming “We are Winning” based on an unscientific on-line newspaper poll?  Suffice it to say I think it’s a bit silly to put that much stock into them.

Unfortunately, a reader recently received this mail piece a full month after we debunked this silliness.  And it’s still claiming that Krebs is winning the election (in bold red type). Which seems like more of a personal assertion at this point, as opposed to being proven by anyone’s neutral benchmark:

Shantel Krebs Feb Fundraising Letter by Pat Powers on Scribd

The other thing that struck me was that, at least the copy I received, had no personalization whatsoever. No salutation. Not even a ‘dear friend.’

Getting back to the content, in addition to the Yankton poll that ‘proves’ she’s ahead, Krebs touts her endorsements and includes the Kris Kobach endorsement that earned her a bit of negative press, as well as contention with opponent Neal Tapio.  Along those lines, on an issue paper included with the mailing, Krebs does get into immigration where she declares:

Immigration

There is no fix to our nation’s broken immigration system until we solve the problem of illegal immigration. We cannot undermine the safety of our citizens any longer; a strong border is a matter of national security. I will work with President Trump to secure our borders, implement extreme vetting, and build the wall.

So, there you have the latest from the Krebs campaign.  Go ahead –  read and review it for yourself, and let us know what you think.

Protecting Free and Fair Elections
By U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.)

Free and fair elections are a vital part of our democracy. Being able to cast a ballot, beginning at the age of 18, gives us a voice in the decisions being made at all levels of government. With the U.S. midterm elections coming up in November, it’s important to uphold our democratic election process by preventing interference from outside actors.

In the 2016 election, there was clear evidence that Russia attempted to undermine our elections by hacking political entities and manipulating social media platforms to spread misinformation, or ‘fake news.’ While there is no evidence that the Russians were effective in manipulating the outcome of the 2016 election, their attempts served as a wake-up call to our cyber vulnerabilities.

As the Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee’s Cybersecurity Subcommittee, one of my top priorities is to increase and improve the defensive and offensive cyber capabilities of the Department of Defense (DoD) to make sure it is fully able to defend against cyberattacks whether on military or non-military entities. The DoD has a critical role to play in challenging and influencing the mindset of our cyber adversaries and defending the homeland from attacks—attacks that could include cyber-attacks by other nations against our election infrastructure. We want to be sure DoD has all the tools it needs to do this, particularly as we enter another election year. We recently held a subcommittee hearing focusing exclusively on the DoD’s role in protecting democratic elections.

Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats recently warned that he has already seen signs that Russia is targeting our November 2018 election process. During a Congressional hearing, Coats said that “there should be no doubt that Russia perceives its past efforts as successful and views the 2018 U.S. midterm elections as a potential target for Russian influence operations.” There is also evidence of Russian meddling in the 2018 Mexican presidential campaign. And all of this comes after confirmed attempts by Russia to influence the elections in France and Germany last year.

We must have a plan to seize the strategic high ground in cyberspace. We need a strategy that moves out of the trenches and imposes meaningful, devastating costs on our adversaries. The lack of consequences for the countless cyber-attacks by those who wish to do us harm has not only emboldened our adversaries, it has left us even more heavily targeted by their emboldened behavior. As long as our adversaries feel that they can act with impunity they will press further.

At our recent subcommittee hearing, the panel of witnesses confirmed that we must tailor our strategies to the uniqueness of the cyber domain if we are to prevent our adversaries from exploiting us. The attack attempts we experienced during the 2016 election are just the latest rung on an escalation ladder of cyber-attacks.

As the 2018 election gets closer, my colleagues and I will continue doing our part to help make sure we protect a free and fair election process. As Chairman of the Cybersecurity Subcommittee, I will also continue to work with the administration, to include its military and intelligence community leaders, to craft and implement a strong, clear strategy to deter bad actors from attacking us in cyberspace.

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Trucking Toward the American Dream
By Rep. Kristi Noem

South Dakota is a big state with two major interstates running through. We rely heavily on our local trucking operations, so I take it very seriously when the federal government starts imposing regulations like the electronic logging device (ELD) mandate. This U.S. Department of Transportation rule makes it more difficult to reliably move livestock, commodities, and goods through the state.

Time and again, I’ve spoken to South Dakota truckers with deep concerns about the added burden. No one wants to compromise when it comes to safety – especially those who make their living behind the wheel. But no one is looking to change the safety protocols. The Hours of Service Regulations, which limit the amount of time truckers can spend on the road, remain in place no matter what. The question is really about whether to require those hours to be recorded by a costly electronic device or by hand with old-fashioned pen and paper.

In December, I co-sponsored legislation that would put a two-year delay on this mandate. This would give additional time for further research into the impact on trucking operations, particularly small companies and those that haul live animals.

Earlier this month, I also sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Transportation to request exemptions for small trucking businesses with exemplary safety records, saving these drivers with the tightest profit margins the $500 it costs annually to comply with the ELD mandate.

I believe strongly in evidence-based policymaking, and I have significant concerns about the questions left unanswered regarding the ELD mandate. Until more can be learned about the mandate’s efficacy and practical impact, I believe we need to delay this rule and work toward a solution in which South Dakota truckers can continue operating safely while pursuing their American Dream.

Good Reason To Be Hopeful
A column by Gov. Dennis Daugaard: 

On Tuesday, February 13^th, the state legislature’s Joint Committee on Appropriations adopted revenue projections for Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 and FY2019 state budgets. Fortunately, since I offered my budget proposal in December, more recent months of revenue collections have been stronger.  These months of improved revenue, coupled with the economic stimulus expected from federal tax cuts, portend better future revenue. For the current fiscal year, FY2018, the revenue projection has increased by $16.3 million. For FY2019, the revenue projection has increased by $18.8 million. As we plan spending within these projections, we must remain committed to principles of fiscal responsibility and conservative management. It is important that we use non-recurring revenue for one-time expenses only, and that we appropriate dollars for recurring expenses only with revenue which is expected also to recur.  South Dakotans expect their government to be prudent with state spending.

There is no better place than South Dakota to live, work and raise a family. South Dakota is a state where people can succeed. If you show up and work hard, you can make a good life for yourself. This is why Site Selection magazine named South Dakota the number one state for achieving the American dream.

We also have a high quality of life, with an abundance of outdoor recreational opportunities, safe communities, good schools and quality post-secondary education opportunities.  Based on EPA standards, we have one of the best safe drinking water records in the nation. Our air is clean, too. We are one of just five states in the country that has never had a “nonattainment area” under the Clean Air Act. We have good roads. Our highways rank second in the nation for overall performance and cost-effectiveness. Among many recreational opportunities, we saw record attendance at our State Fair last year and our state park visitor numbers increased again.

The safety net programs we administer are well-managed. Take Medicaid, for instance. Our Medicaid program is run so well that we are the only state in the nation that has had a continuous exemption from federal audit requirements. Our Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program – or “food stamps” – has been ranked #1 in the nation for its procedural accuracy.  This earned us half a million dollars in rewards from the federal government last year. And our child support program is #2 in the nation for overall performance and cost effectiveness.

If we consider all of these things and what we have achieved in the last seven years – structurally balancing the budget every year, securing AAA status, raising teacher pay, investing in our roads, improving our criminal justice system – then we have good reason be proud of the state that we call home, and good reason to be hopeful for the future. Take a minute today and appreciate your state. I know there is nowhere else I would rather be and no other people I would rather be with.

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From the Federal Elections Commission, Former State Representative Al Koistenen was just noted as the Treasurer of the Friends of Neal Tapio campaign committee.