Author: @SoDakCampaigns

Preserving our Partnerships
By Rep. Dusty Johnson
February 23, 2023

BIG News

This week, I traveled to Taiwan with the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party. It was a productive trip, meeting with Taiwan’s leaders to identify ways to strengthen our partnership and tackle the China threat. During a meeting with President Tsai, we discussed the importance of trade between our two countries. After Canada and Mexico, Taiwan buys more American ag products per capita than any other country. Taiwan also produces over 90% of the world’s most advanced semiconductors. Their trade relationships are critically important to the health of the global economy and preserving our partnership is vital to Taiwan’s food security and national security.

Taiwan is rightfully concerned about an invasion from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). During a visit to the Taiwan Strait, only 110 miles from China, I saw how an invasion by the CCP could play out. Our team spent hours being briefed by American military experts about how our nation is providing the training and equipment Taiwan needs to defend itself.

BIG Idea

On Monday, I was in Wessington Springs to speak at the annual Farm, Home, and Health Show that has been on a three-year hiatus. High school senior Avery had the great idea to restart the show. She used her leadership skills to bring the show back, organizing more than 60 vendors and events throughout the day. Avery gave me the opportunity to share an update from Congress and answer questions from attendees.

BIG Update

Last April, the Biden Administration announced a proposed climate rule that would effectively require 67 percent of new car sales to be all-electric by 2032. That’s a big jump from last year’s 7.6 percent of all-electric car sales.

After pushback from thousands of car dealerships, industry workers, members of Congress, and concerned citizens like you, the Administration has decided to take their foot off the gas for this requirement. While this is a win for the short term, Biden plans to speed up EV benchmarks after 2030.

These EV requirements:

• Increase our reliance on China for semiconductors and chips
• Force Americans to pay more for their vehicles
• Increase government debt due to EV tax credits

This week, I joined nearly 140 House Republicans to urge the White House to stop this proposed rule and I joined Fox Business to talk about this overburdensome rule.

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The Freedom to Be Secure – and How to Keep it
By: Governor Kristi Noem
February 23, 2024

In my State of the State Address, I talked about the Freedom to be secure. We are so fortunate to live in a nation where we have many Freedoms, including the Freedom to feel secure in our own communities. Unfortunately, that security is now being threatened. And today, we are even more at risk of having our security ripped out from under us than ever before.

I’ve called the national security crisis happening at our Southern Border right now a warzone many times, and I will continue to do so. It is undeniably true. We have dangerous criminals and terrorists flowing into our country each and every day. Joe Biden and so-called “Border Czar” Kamala Harris continuously refuse to take action, forcing the states to take matters into their own hands.

What do you do when you have a warzone on your hands? You send soldiers.

Two years ago, I was the first governor in America to send my National Guard soldiers to the Southern Border. This week, I announced that we will be deploying troops from one of the top National Guards in the nation to secure our border for the fifth time. South Dakota’s finest will be in Texas helping to build the border wall and keep our country secure. I am proud of them for their dedication to this cause, and I am incredibly grateful to them for answering the call to serve their state and nation.

Just a few weeks ago, after I briefed a joint session of the South Dakota legislature on the dire situation at our Southern Border, they became the first legislature in America to pass a joint resolution expressing their support for securing the border.

The drugs coming into our country because of this open border are a risk to every single family in America. We are seeing the effects right here in South Dakota. Fentanyl is flowing into our country at a rapid pace – and when combined with the “zombie drug” xylazine, it makes an already deadly drug even deadlier. I was proud to sign a bill this legislative session to classify xylazine at a Schedule III controlled substance. This new law will keep South Dakotans safe, secure, and healthy.

We have surpassed ten million illegal immigrants living in the United States today. If we were to create a state of just those illegal immigrants, it would be the tenth largest state in America. And as we keep learning more about the people entering our country, it’s clear that our Freedom to be secure is at risk.

A large number of the people crossing our Southern Border are military-aged, Chinese men. This is no coincidence. The Chinese-owned app TikTok is promoting videos that point people to holes in the fencing along our border. The Chinese Communist Party is literally providing individuals with step-by-step instructional videos on how to enter the U.S. illegally.

China is our biggest external threat. I recognized that – it’s why I was the first to ban TikTok on state government devices in the state of South Dakota. Many other states followed our lead. Congress followed our lead. And, surprisingly enough, Joe Biden even followed our lead – TikTok is banned on devices in the White House right now.

In South Dakota, we are continuing to lead where the federal government is letting America down. My priority is, and always will be, the people of this great state.

South Dakotans will never have their Freedom to be secure taken away from them – not on my watch.

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A few new developments in the Shad Olson domestic assault case have popped up since Wednesday, when I noted Olson’s not guilty plea was entered into the record by the court.

• First, Shad Olson is no longer listed as an inmate via the Meade County jail website, which had him still noted him incarcerated as late as this past Wednesday.
• Second, court records retrieved on-line note that the judge in Olson’s case has recused himself from proceedings yesterday, February 22nd. AND Olson’s attorney has filed a motion to withdraw as counsel.
• The same day, it appears that a $5000 cash bond was paid to retrieve Shad Olson from the county jail where he has been in residence for the past two weeks.

Stay tuned. More to come.

One of the tasks I have playing Mr. Mom at the homebase in Brookings as my wife works at her new job in the hills is to try to organize the chaos and clutter for the eventual move that will happen in a few years, if everything goes to plan.  Part of that involves downsizing, and figuring out what should go.

I’d been looking for a bag of extra inaugural pins I had I wanted to check for older duplicates, which invariably had me pulling out a lot of pins and other memorabilia I have stored, when I came across a stack of old “Legislative Handbooks” for South Dakota, which many in Pierre would recognize by their more common name, the “Red Book.”

At some point I bought a stack of them on eBay or someplace, with the oldest going back to the 1917-1918 session, South Dakota’s fifteenth legislative session at the time.  They’re a neat reference, but, again downsizing.   So as I go through them, I hit the one for 1949, and note this on the inside cover.

The Red Book for 1949 is signed by it’s former owner – Lt. Governor Rex Terry of Ft. Pierre.

Rex Terry was the 24th Lt. Governor of the State, and served from 1949-1955 under 2 different Governors – George T. Mickelson, and Sigurd Anderson. And this was his personal red book from his first term as Lt. Governor.  Terry was born Feb 21, 1888, in Sturgis, Dakota Territory, which might make him the last Lt. Governor born in Dakota Territory.  You can read a bio here, as well as his write up in the South Dakota Hall of Fame.

As something I’ve had scurried away in my closet for the last several years in a pile of red books, I’m reminded that sometimes you have great things without even realizing it.

From Twitter:

.@kristinoem unveiled the qualifications @realdonaldtrump should look for in a Vice President:

✅ Ready to go on Day One
✅ NOT from the Swamp
✅ Has run a small business and balanced a checkbook
✅ Has been a Commander in Chief
✅ Someone who has his back and has never wavered pic.twitter.com/2FHfD6cQyh

— Ian Fury (@IanTFury) February 22, 2024

Interesting video that was posted yesterday from Jessica Pollema from the election conspiracy group SD Canvassing. In this video from “Frank TV” with pillow guy Mike Lindell, both are expressing frustration that Republicans aren’t really buying their crackpot message.. and Pollema drops a truth bomb that “some of the people we have finally been able to get through to are the Democrats.”

From about 7:30 minutes to 9 minutes, Pollema and the Pillow Guy go on about how Republicans aren’t buying their snake oil, but Democrats and “new Republicans” are.  When Pillow Guy and Jessica Pollema are singing the praises of Democrats Amy Kloubuchar and Kamala Harris wanting to get rid of counting machines, one has to ask which side they’re on?

So, if SD Canvassing is working with Democrats to remove machine counting from elections.. It begs the question why county republican organizations such as Yankton and Minnehaha are giving them so much oxygen in front of GOP groups?

From an e-mail that went out from the Municipal League, apparently their group lost their executive director yesterday:

What’s the reason? This is only anecdotal, but one correspondent tells me they suspect it was plain burnout under the crushing weight of the session.

The word I’m getting is that because of the sheer amount of legislation being brought, last session the Municipal League was trying to cover over 100 bills.. and this year that number increased to over 150 bills that the group was forced to steward in their area of advocacy and legislation.  I can’t speak to the accuracy of that statement, but it would make sense. It’s a good possibility that a near-impossible job might have something to do with Reiss seeking greener pastures.

And it may be a point of reflection for the group representing municipal governments across the state to restructure their efforts and how they approach the legislative session, and that they need to send more troops in the face of legislators trying to bring more government.

Gov. Noem Appoints Travis Theel to Game, Fish and Parks Commission

 PIERRE, S.D. – Today, Governor Kristi Noem announced that she will appoint Travis Theel to serve on the South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks (GFP) Commission.

“Our kids and grandkids should have every opportunity to enjoy the great outdoors. The GFP Commission shares my mission of preserving our natural resources for future generations,” said Governor Noem. “I look forward to working with Travis to ensure future generations will inherit the beautiful South Dakota we all know and love.”

Theel is the owner of Buckstorm Hunts. He graduated from South Dakota State University in 2013 with a degree in Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences.

“The opportunity to positively influence South Dakota’s outdoors for my kids and future generations is a dream come true for me,” said Travis Theel. “I am grateful to serve on the GFP Commission and look forward to the contributions I can make to the state.”

Theel and his wife, Mariah, live in Rapid City and have twin boys, Ridge and Rhette. A photo of Theel and his family can be found here.

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Because people keep asking me about last night’s big announcement from Governor Kristi Noem .. from South Dakota Searchlight:

Noem’s acceptance of an oversized check for $384.19 in unclaimed property came at the start of her keynote speech to the Hughes-Stanley County Republican Party Lincoln Day Dinner at the Ramkota Event Hall in Pierre.

The money was likely a holdover from an Edward Jones college account she’d opened for one of her children years ago, Noem told the party faithful.

Read it here.

Well, that’s good. I can always appreciate getting money back from the Government. It happens rarely.

I too have unclaimed property out there.. about $47 worth from my deceased parents, which I’d be happy to collect and get off the books.  $37 for my dad, and $10 for my mom.

Except I have 5 siblings scattered across the country. And for $47, I’d have to collect 5 signatures on a document besides my own. My sister Adrienne is in town. That’s no big deal. But then the convenience goes downhill quickly with the others scattered across Utah and Colorado. Somehow the time and the postage, as well as being a scold to my siblings to sign and send on to the next person that I would have to invest would not make it worth it. I know at least one, probably my brother Mike, would say “what’s the matter, are you poor now, and need the money?” just for the sake of yanking my chain.

And then, would the state split the check 6 ways? From reading the claim form the state just sent me, I think they would.  So, it drops to $7.83 each, greatly diminishing the returns and any interest even further.  Now, the unclaimed property fund is a good program, and South Dakota Treasurers have done a good job with it. But a couple of suggestions from an heir who sees they have cash there, but little interest in chasing such a nominal amount.

#1 – Allow electronic signatures.  I can send you an obit, and my sibling’s e-mails. Add security by requesting a shot of our Driver’s licenses. But chasing down signatures is not worth the time for the return.

#2 – And even more importantly; create an option to allow us to donate it. My mom was a school nurse. I and my siblings would happily donate it to the Pierre schools, or education in general.  $47 isn’t anything to us collectively, but if we and 100 or 1000 other people put our $47 together, it’s a nice donation to education.

I’m glad the Governor got her $384.19 back, as I’m sure she is, so reporters will stop asking her about it.  But for those of us who have far less in unclaimed property, adding some accessibility and  little flexibility could take some of it off the books. And potentially even do a minor solid for a worthy cause.

Just my 2 cents.. or $7.83 worth.

Former State Representative and current candidate for City Council Richard Thomason is having a fundraiser in Sioux Falls at Looks Marketplace on February 29th from 4-6 PM.  Lots of familiar names hosting the event including current Representatives Amber Arlint, Greg Jamison (and spouse), Will Mortenson, Taylor Rehfeldt, and Tony Venhuizen (and spouse). City Councilors Dr. Sara Cole and Alex Jensen with his wife are also hosting, along with almost too many familiar names to go into. Suffice it to say that there are a lot of Sioux Falls residents who are gathering together to support Richard.

Don’t forget to put it on your calendar, or if you’d like to send a donation directly, you can do so through Richard’s website.