PIERRE, S.D. – Governor Kristi Noem has ordered that flags be flown at half-staff statewide from sunrise until sundown, effective immediately through December 9, in honor of Senator Robert (Bob) Dole.
“Senator Dole exemplified statesmanship,” said Governor Noem. “He was a great American and a dedicated patriot. He will be missed.”
This order is in response to a proclamation by President Joseph R. Biden, which can be found here.
Lower Prices Are at the Top of South Dakotans’ Holiday Wish-List By Sen. John Thune
If you think you’re seeing the cost of everyday items skyrocket right before your eyes, you’re not imagining it. Prices across the United States have been steadily rising, and South Dakotans are paying more for food, utilities, and gas than they’ve had to in recent years. In fact, as a result of the policies that have been enacted this year, the country is facing the highest levels of inflation its seen in more than 30 years. We are coming off the most expensive Thanksgiving in history, and as we quickly approach Christmas, this holiday season is going force families to dig even deeper into their pocketbooks.
On average, inflation is costing a typical household $175 every single month. Utilities in South Dakota, including home heating costs, are projected to increase by up to 100 percent, consumer prices have hit a 30-year high, and the cost of beef is up 20 percent this year alone. It doesn’t end there. Folks are also being hit at the pump with seven-year-high gas prices. This is a serious problem for working Americans – or any American who relies on automobile transportation. And if you’re living paycheck to paycheck, these price increases may mean the difference between putting food on the table or paying an electricity bill. For coastal elites, $175 per month might not seem like a lot of money, but I’d encourage them to visit small-town South Dakota where the value of a dollar truly means something.
At its most basic level, inflation is created when there are too many dollars chasing too few of goods in the economy. Democrats helped trigger this ongoing inflation problem earlier this year when they decided to pour trillions of dollars of unnecessary government money into the economy – despite being warned by me and many others that their partisan $1.9 trillion spending bill would stoke inflation. Now, as inflation is clearly becoming a longer-term problem, Democrats are preparing to double down on the same kind of irresponsible government expansion with a partisan, multi-trillion-dollar tax-and-spending bill.
If you think inflation is bad now, the massive government spending the Democrats’ bill would authorize would all but guarantee a more persistent and widespread inflation problem. What’s just as concerning to me is that Democrats are actively trying to fool the American people by saying that their bill costs zero dollars. South Dakotans are smarter than that, and all of the various budget gimmicks Democrats are trying to use to disguise the true cost of their bill won’t fool them. This is not rocket science. Flooding the economy with more government dollars will not solve America’s inflation problem. It will make it worse.
As the holiday season gets fully underway, South Dakotans are increasingly worried about how these price increases are going to impact them. Everything from feeding their family to heating their home to making sure their son or daughter gets his or her desired toy for Christmas. The reality is, even if products are available on store shelves, they will likely cost more as a result of inflation. Unfortunately, it is not going away anytime soon, and if Democrats pass their reckless tax-and-spending spree, they’ll be doubling down on these failed policies. I will continue to fight on behalf of all South Dakotans to stop this misguided, irresponsible, and partisan tax-and-spending spree from becoming law.
I’m sure most of you have noticed the rising costs of just about everything—gas, groceries, restaurants, coffee, home appliances, electricity, etc. Prices have risen steadily since January and we are all feeling the effects of inflation on our wallets and bank accounts. Gallup reported that 45% of Americans have experienced financial hardship triggered by these increased prices.
In South Dakota, gas prices are currently at $3.39 per gallon – one year ago a gallon was $2.10. This is a cost increase many Americans can’t avoid even if they wanted to. You can skip the latte at Starbucks, but you can’t skimp on gas if you want to drive to work. Americans are also experiencing high prices when buying appliances. In February 2020, to purchase a dishwasher plus tax, delivery, and installation, a consumer would pay $1,086.28. Compare that price tag to today, for the same dishwasher, a consumer would pay $1,805.13. That’s a 66% increase.
While many experts had been hoping this inflation would be transitory or short-lived, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell admitted on Tuesday it was time to retire that idea. This is bad news – inflation is on track to be 7.4% – the highest rate since February 1982. Unfortunately, three in 10 lower-income households are already saying inflation is impacting their ability to maintain their current standard of living. I grew up in a low-income household, I know firsthand that every dollar counts.
Congress and the White House need to stop spending. Inflation has been exacerbated because of the reckless government spending throughout the year. That’s why I consistently opposed the more than $5 trillion of irresponsible packages advanced by the Biden Administration in a single year. It’s unacceptable the Biden Administration is spending our country deeper into debt, expanding the role of government, and making it harder for families to pay their bills.
I remain committed in Congress to supporting policies that will lower spending and ease the burden of inflation on everyday Americans.
Had a note in my e-mail last night from a new candidate preparing to run for office:
I am Lisa Gennaro and I was wanting to put on the War site of my intent to run for the House of Representative of District 30. I live in the Keystone area and am just really wanting to be a voice for the people.
If it’s the correct Lisa Gennaro that I’m finding from a quick check of Linked In, etc, I believe she’s a Black Hills-area business owner, and the database says she’s Republican.
I’m sure a more official notice will come shortly, but in the meantime Lisa, welcome to the races.
American Legislative Exchange Council Ranks Governor Noem Best Governor in the Nation
PIERRE, S.D. – Today, the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) announced that Governor Kristi Noem is ranked the best governor in America for 2021. In accepting the award, Governor Kristi issued the following statement:
“ALEC is an incredible resource for legislators in every state, and it is a tremendous honor to receive this recognition from them. We’ve accomplished a lot for South Dakota in my first three years as Governor, but there is still more work to do. South Dakota will continue working to advance policies that protect freedom, cut red tape, and promote continual growth for our state.”
Very excited for this new item in my collection. I won the bid last week on eBay for a new state capital fight item I’d never seen before. I have several different Pierre for Capital medallions, but had never seen a Mitchell for Capital medallion before this one.
And straight from my mailbox, alongside it’s near perfect matching Pierre medallion…
Not sure if the Mitchell medallion ever had the gilded surface as the Pierre medallion, but they are both by the same manufacturer (Schwaab, Milwaukee), have the exact same images, and are identical except for the text.
Caught in a Self-Inflicted Energy Crisis By Governor Kristi Noem December 3, 2021
The United States faces a federal-government-created energy crisis, and South Dakota is caught in the middle of it. Gas prices continue to rise, driving up the cost of shipping and making it more expensive to visit loved ones over the holidays. As we enter the winter season, Americans are outraged by the rising cost to heat their homes.
It is no secret that the regressive policies coming out of Washington, D.C. have led to this energy crisis. The President’s agenda has hurt the energy industry and damaged other vital industries as well.
President Teddy Roosevelt once said, “Conservation is as much about development as it is protection. I recognize the right and duty of this generation to develop and use the natural resources of our land; but I do not recognize the right to waste them, or to rob, by wasteful use, the generations that come after us.”
Instead of a balanced approach to development and protection consistent with Teddy’s comments, the current president sides against energy production every time.
First, President Biden canceled the Keystone XL Pipeline. He then doubled down by failing to support other pipelines, like Willow and Line 5.
To be clear, President Biden does not oppose all pipelines — just American pipelines that create American jobs and support our position as the number one global energy producer.
For instance, he gave his full backing to Russia’s Nord Stream gas pipeline. He also begged OPEC to produce more oil. Yet, he limited American producers as they sought to increase activity. Making things worse, the President then sold off 50 million barrels of oil from our Strategic Petroleum Reserve, which had no effect on prices and only weakened our strategic reserves for a self-inflicted crisis.
Other energy-slashing policies include new regulations on methane emissions at oil and gas wells; attempting to ban new oil and gas development on federal lands and in federal waters; proposing to increase royalty rates and bonding requirements on federal oil and gas leases; and reducing access to credit for fossil fuel projects.
Add record surges in inflation fueled by out-of-control spending from Washington, D.C. and the country finds itself stuck in a mega-crisis that continues to drive up the price Americans pay at the gas pump.
Of course, just as these federal policies hurt South Dakotans, they help foreign companies and countries.
In South Dakota, at the state level, we do things differently. Unlike the White House, here in South Dakota we do not demonize the energy industry.
We recognize our diverse energy resources and make full use of them. For example, most of the state’s electricity supply is generated by renewables. South Dakota did not issue any government dictates to accomplish that.
We also recognize that our citizens rely on fossil fuels to heat their homes, to travel to work, and to grow crops from-seed-to-sale at the market.
That is why I have fought the Biden Administration’s attack on our energy sector and will continue to fight for South Dakota. I will fight for your jobs, fight to grow our industries, and fight for responsible management of our natural resources.
This is an interesting tweet from the Haugaard campaign:
“College students.. help us put South Dakota first!”
Unfortunately, Steve doesn’t feel the same way about putting them first to help them attend college:
And as you’ll note, he’s joined in his opposition to the needs based freedom scholarships was also joined by fellow candidate Taffy Howard.
Senate Bill 171 was to endow the scholarship with $50 million, an investment that has grown nearly four-fold, at $175 million and counting. As noted in a release at the time..
This endowment will allow us to tap into a network of students who are eager to excel in their studies and professional pursuits,” Governor Noem said. “This scholarship will ensure that South Dakota is securing some of the top talent in our colleges and universities. As more and more companies move to our state, we need today’s workforce ready to take on tomorrow’s jobs.”
It’s one way the state is trying to keep top talent in the state, instead of forcing them to go elsewhere.
Interestingly, at the Lincoln County Lincoln Day Dinner as it was related to me, a number of College Republicans were fuming as Haugaard took them aside and was ‘steve-splaining’ why this scholarship was not something the state should do. It went over about as well as you think it would.
And now, a couple months later Steve Haugaard is seeking those same college students to come onto his campaign and volunteer for him.
It’s a good reminder of how he’s going to view them and their educational opportunities if elected.
The Argus Leader has a new story up with Democrats trying to complain that Governor Kristi Noem is being active in selling South Dakota for tourism, development and for generally being a great place to be:
“We have heard many times from South Dakotans who are concerned about the way Gov. Noem uses state dollars to market herself,” said Berk Ehrmantraut, the executive director of the South Dakota Democratic Party. “Gov. Noem should be focused on solving South Dakota’s problems, not boosting her personal brand.”
and..
GOED Commissioner Steve Westra said those kind of results don’t happen if Noem didn’t ensure businesses could operate here without fear of being shut down. And that’s something he hears regularly.
“Gov. Noem has been South Dakota’s most effective marketing resource, boosting both economic development and tourism to our state,” he said. “When people come here, whether it’s to visit or to move here permanently, they consistently point to her leadership as a reason why.”
and..
“Personally, I think she’s the best in the country at it, a belief supported by the data, all the records we’re breaking and the fact that South Dakota currently has the strongest economy in America,” Noem’s spokesman, Ian Fury, said last week when asked about the governor’s role in the state’s marketing. “The voters will have a chance to make their own determination.”
The part in the story where Democrats and others who are mewling that the Governor is being used to market the state are utterly silly, as South Dakota Governors are part of the state’s brand and marketing tools as long as we’ve had governors.
Such as this example to the left from 1985 where a state tourism poster pictures Governor Bill Janklow in front of the old Governor’s Mansion with his corvette advertising for the 1985 Black Hills Corvette Classic. So that maybe we would look more cool than stodgy North Dakota, or otherwise more desirable than our other riff-raff neighbors.
I can’t help but shake my head at people complaining about our state’s success.
South Dakota is 46th out of all 50 states in population. But during the COVID pandemic, our isolation, the outdoors & wide open spaces, and our laissez-faire approach to government is what people across the country were – and continue to be – looking for.
It’s literally part of the Governor’s job to be the state’s salesperson-in-chief and ambassador of the state to the country at large as we try to get people to come here versus go to someplace with more amenities and attractions, not to mention a more hospitable climate.
To the complainers, I’m sure in time South Dakota’s interstate travel will become more sparse and not as many people will want to come here soon enough.
But until then, yes, Governor Noem, please be the face of our state and get people to come spend money, and maybe possibly get a few businesses to pick up and move here.
Let’s keep surfing the wave of success for as long as we can make it last.
And as you’ll note, he’s joined in his opposition to the needs based freedom scholarships was also joined by fellow candidate Taffy Howard.