Author: @SoDakCampaigns

Real American Beef
By Sen. John Thune

You can find out exactly where your T-shirt was made if you check the tag or label. Is it too much to ask for the same level of certainty when it comes to the beef you feed your family? The answer is plain and simple: no.

Unfortunately, the current beef labeling system in this country allows imported beef that is neither born nor raised in the United States, but simply finished here, to be labeled as “Product of the U.S.A.” Strange, right? In theory, the ground beef you picked up from the grocery store to fire up on the grill this weekend during the game could have originally come from Brazil. Just because it was packaged here in the United States, there could still be a misleading label on it. At that point, the only thing that’s potentially made in the U.S.A. is the packaging it’s wrapped in — if that.

In South Dakota, we take our beef seriously. Like you, if I’m at the local grocery store, I want to make sure the beef I’m buying is coming from producers in our state or one of the other beef-producing states around the country. After all, South Dakota cattle producers work tirelessly to produce some of the highest quality beef in the world.

As a longtime member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, standing up for South Dakota’s cattle producers is, and always will be, a top priority for me. I recently introduced the American Beef Labeling Act, which would require the U.S. trade representative (USTR), in consultation with the U.S. secretary of agriculture, to develop a World Trade Organization (WTO)-compliant means of reinstating mandatory country of origin labeling (MCOOL) for beef. The WTO is essentially the global referee when it comes to trade between nations. Specifically, my bill would give USTR six months to develop a reinstatement plan followed by a six-month window to implement it. If USTR fails to reinstate MCOOL for beef within one year of enactment, it would automatically be reinstated for beef only. That would ensure when you see a label on your beef, you can trust it.

Since coming to Congress, I have been a staunch and consistent supporter of country of origin labeling. I believe that in order to ensure the viability of cattle production in this country, the system in which producers operate must be fair and transparent. I voted in favor of both the 2002 and 2008 farm bills, which included MCOOL that the WTO unfortunately struck down. Throughout the years, I have supported nearly every piece of legislation that has crossed my desk that prioritizes country of origin labeling. And I won’t stop until we get the results our producers need and want.

I recently had the pleasure of speaking at the South Dakota Stockgrowers Association convention in Spearfish about the importance of implementing MCOOL. Folks were crystal clear: South Dakotans want to know where their food is coming from. And I agree.

This past year has showcased the vital role our farmers and ranchers have in the domestic food supply chain and the urgent need to strengthen it. Rest assured, I am working tirelessly to build support for my American Beef Labeling Act because having transparency in labeling that benefits both our producers and consumers is just common sense.

Now don’t get me wrong, there is a long road ahead in order to get this bill into law, but I’ve traveled long roads before. I’m thankful to have bipartisan support from my colleagues in the Senate, and I look forward to working with anyone who is willing to stand up and fight for our consumers and producers.

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After Mark Mowry was hitting Republican Dinners this week, the other candidate who probably won’t be able to get on the ballot, Bruce Whalen, filed his papers making it official in the eyes of the Federal Elections Commission that he’s sort-of running for the US Senate.

Whalen for Senate Statement of organization by Pat Powers on Scribd

What’s maybe more interesting is that it tells us that Whalen has a website out there for the race.. at least if you can get through more than a page at a time without it crashing the browser.  But I do see it offers a press release dated from today, 9/19:

FROM BRUCE WHALEN FOR US SENATE, FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Bruce Whalen is showing no signs of slowing down, but he is proceeding with caution through the legalities of campaign finance law. A growing team of supporters finds it more difficult to contain itself as the Whalen team moves in inches, and brings their friends.

Read that here.

Well, of course he isn’t slowing down.  Because when you’ve been at a standstill for several months, any momentum is forward. Like a glacier.

I get the distinct feeling there’s going to be a lot to mock this election.

Among last evening’s speakers was US Senate candidate Mark Mowry. While he probably won’t get on the ballot, he is out hitting a few of the Republican dinners, claiming that “South Dakotans overwhelmingly question the veracity of the 2020 general election.”

With her second Lincoln Day Dinner in as many days, my daughter Sydney talked me into taking over driving duties to Yankton yesterday, and so I joined her and Congressman Johnson and attended the Yankton County Republican Lincoln Day Dinner last night.  And I’m glad I did. I got to see a number of friends, and it was a very well done event. So, I thought I’d share a few highlights from last evening:

Host Chris Nelson is interviewed by WNAX, as is School & Lands candidate Brock Greenfield:

Congressman Dusty Johnson talks with a few attendees during the social hour, and snaps a picture for a young man interested in politics along with Lt. Governor Rhoden & Chris Nelson:

Chris Nelson auctions some fundraising items, Marty Jackley addresses the crowd, and Dusty Johnson rallies the group:

And Lt. Governor Larry Rhoden thanks former Lt. Governor Matt Michels for his leadership and mentorship, and presents him with a challenge coin in appreciation:

And SDGOP Chair Dan Lederman wanted to ax Dusty about something after the event…

Hang on.. I have more coming..

Traded for some great items to add to my SDGOP Ribbon and State Capital fight ribbons today, including a ribbon badge from the Montrose Herald newspaper supporting Pierre in it’s efforts to be declared the permanent State Capitol, with a “Stand Pat for Pierre” pin also attached. It might be one of the best items I’ve managed to come across as cities across the state waged a battle to be the seat of our state’s government.

Also picked up Mitchell and Chamberlain for Capital ribbons which I did not have, a couple of 1896 GOP convention ribbons, and a very challenging South Dakota for Ike button.

(If anyone ever comes across ribbons of this nature and want to part with them, don’t hesitate to drop me a note!)

From a petition sent out today by Legislative Leaders:

SPECIAL LEGISLATIVE SESSION ON IMPEACHMENT

Pursuant to and in accordance with the provisions of Article III, § 31 of the Constitution of the State of South Dakota, I hereby petition the presiding officers of both houses of the Legislature to convene a special session of the Legislature for the purposes of investigating and evaluating whether the conduct of Jason Ravnsborg, Attorney General of the State of South Dakota, surrounding the death of Joe Boever, involved impeachable offenses, pursuant to S.D. Const., Art. XVI, § 3, and if so, to conduct further impeachment proceedings thereon and legislate on matters involving the attorney general’s office.

The South Dakota Legislature is being asked to convene in special session to investigate the South Dakota Attorney General in connection with the September 2020 accident involving the AG and Joe Boever which resulted in Boever’s death.

There is also an article in the Argus Leader this afternoon.

 

A responsibility to be smart with taxpayer dollars
By Governor Kristi Noem
September 17, 2021

Do you find yourself wondering where your tax dollars go? In South Dakota, the simple answer is to education, health care, public safety, and other state government operations. But if you really want to talk dollars and cents, I can break it down for you using the change you find in your couch cushions.

Of course, we’ve got to start with the rules. In this case, Article 12 of the state Constitution says I must sign a balanced budget and cannot plan to spend more than we earn each year. That’s good because it means lawmakers, who negotiate the budget during each legislative session, are Constitutionally bound to pass a responsible budget.

When times are tight, we cut spending. When our economy goes from 83% performance rating on January 1st up to a peak of 116% just last month, you end up with a surplus of more than $80 million at the end of the fiscal year.

Before we look ahead, let’s first break down how the state chose to spend its funds before our economy hit turbo drive.

Remember what I said about that change in your couch? Here’s the breakdown of how much of your state tax dollar goes into specific areas of the budget:

• 49-cents of every dollar goes to education in South Dakota. This includes public schools, higher education, and tech colleges.
• 36-cents of every dollar goes to health care. Medicaid. Social Services. The Department of Health. The Department of Human Services. State institutions. All going to serve South Dakotans so they get access to the care they need.
• A dime out of every dollar goes to public safety, including our courts and justice system, prisons, and the Attorney General’s office.
• And a nickel of every dollar, the least of all expenditures, goes to running other state government operations.

That funding breakdown includes continuing operations and making smart investments in the future of our state. Last session, we saw major victories in growing the state’s commitment to broadband connectivity from border to border — the total state investment was $75 million.

We also appropriated a combined $72 million toward scholarships and bond payoffs for technical colleges. This is a significant boost to serving South Dakotans with higher education. The Health Care Trust Fund received $50 million, with additional funding to expand the availability of doctors and nurses across the state.

Other investments in our future include:

• $20 million toward a Bioprocessing Facility
• $20 million for railroad rehabilitation in West River
• State-supported investments of $19 million to help with the SDSMT Mineral Industries Building project; and $12 million to help fund the Dakota Events CompleX at the State Fair
• We also put $10 million in the IT modernization fund to ensure South Dakota is keeping up with technology trends for efficiency.

All of these investments are strengthening our state’s ability to compete, without over-burdening taxpayers. All of these investments were made well before our economic engine started picking up speed.

Now our economy is booming compared to where we were at the start of the pandemic. We continue to lead the nation in Moody’s “Back to Normal Index,” with our economy performing at 106% compared to March 2020.

We are also among the top in the nation, according to U.S. News, when it comes to fiscal responsibility – both in the short-term and long-term management. Not to mention, South Dakota is consistently listed among states with the lowest tax burden in the nation.

Taxpayers should be encouraged by that as we look ahead at responsibly managing nearly $1 billion in anticipated federal assistance over a five-year period. We also will be carefully considering smart one-time investments with surplus funds; investments that will keep our economy running strong while being good stewards of the taxpayer dollar.

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Noticing that I posted the re-election announcement for Sioux Falls Mayor Paul TenHaken, the other candidate in the race David Zokaites wanted to reach out and make sure people knew he is running too. And has been for a while.

From my e-mail box:

On Reddit I found one of your articles about Paul TenHaken campaigning for mayor. I’m also campaigning for mayor although I haven’t held a rally to officially announce. On the other hand, I’ve been driving around in a van with a license plate of “MAYOR” for about 3 years.

I think you’ll enjoy the softcopy flyer booklet which I have attached to this email My booklet is composed of two documents, both of which are attached.

Enjoy life,
David

And in case you wanted to read his booklet…

DAVIDZ Platform 1 by Pat Powers on Scribd