Author: @SoDakCampaigns

Chicken on Turkey Day
By U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.)

Should we do this? It’s the question on everyone’s mind right now. Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and we are all attempting to determine how best to celebrate the holidays in the age of a deadly pandemic. Everyone’s situation is a little different. Some of us have big families, some of us have small families. But there’s one thing we have in common: COVID-19 has impacted all of us in one way or another.

At the time I’m writing this, there have been 741 deaths from COVID-19 in South Dakota. Let that sink in – 741 deaths. That’s more than the population of some towns in this state. In South Dakota, our communities are so tightly knit together that it feels like we’re part of one big family. That’s what makes this so difficult. This virus has taken from us our moms, our dads, our grandpas and grandmas, our sons and daughters. Our hearts grieve together.

This message isn’t about Thanksgiving 2020. It’s much bigger than that. This is about how we get through Thanksgiving 2020 so we can all enjoy Thanksgivings together for years to come. The good Lord blessed us in South Dakota with common sense. Now is the time to use it.

First things first – wear your mask. If you’re going to the grocery store to get your turkey, wear your mask. If you’re going out to do Christmas shopping, wear your mask. Are there instances where wearing a mask isn’t common sense? Certainly. But here’s a good rule of thumb – if you’re out in public and cannot socially distance, wear your mask. Wearing a mask isn’t just about protecting you, it’s about protecting others around you. Leaders wear masks.

We also need to remember the importance of washing our hands and using hand sanitizer. That’s not only good advice to combat COVID-19, but also other more common ailments we face every year like the cold and flu.

What we know about COVID-19 is that it disproportionately impacts those who are older. If you contract this virus and you’re over the age of 70, the numbers show that you have a 7 percent chance of dying. If you’re over 80, your risk rises to 13.4 percent. Those numbers are getting close to the odds you’d have when playing Russian roulette with a loaded revolver.

Those numbers are one reason that gathering this Thanksgiving is difficult for families. From experience, I know that you can’t keep grandkids off grandparents. And it’s pretty tough to keep grandparents away from grandkids, too. While grandkids might not display symptoms, they can still carry the virus and that can be dangerous.

If you are worried about getting sick, stay home. If you are worried that you are sick and might infect someone else, stay home. If you have a “cold” you might actually have COVID-19. Stay home. If you’re worried about your kids getting your parents or grandparents sick, stay home. We live in the 21st century. Whether it’s FaceTime, Skype or another platform, there are methods for us to be together while apart. It’s okay to be a chicken this Turkey Day.

Here’s the point – the government isn’t going to mandate how you should celebrate Thanksgiving. You have the power to decide what’s best for your family. Vaccines are on the way, but in the meantime we must use our common sense to fight this virus and live to see another Thanksgiving. We’ll get through this together.

###

Keeping Our Economy and Schools Open
By Rep. Dusty Johnson

Like most South Dakotans, I want to keep our schools open and our economy strong. If we don’t get COVID-19 under control, that’s going to be increasingly difficult.

On Monday, Rapid City Schools announced schools would be closing and students would be moving to virtual learning. More than 10% of Rapid City teachers and administrators are unable to work because they have tested positive for COVID-19 or have been exposed. As of Monday, the Harrisburg School District had 50 positive COVID-19 cases between students and staff – 33 staff members are currently quarantining. Over 1,665 South Dakota teachers have had COVID since August. Our school systems can’t afford more cases.

Avera, one of the state’s largest health systems, has said community spread of COVID-19 has forced hundreds of their employees to remain at home in recent weeks. Maintaining adequate staffing is the largest concern for our hospitals. Avera has been at or above patient capacity every single day in recent weeks. In October, 52.5% of nursing homes in South Dakota had a shortage of nurses. Our state can’t afford a health care worker shortage.

In North Dakota, nurses with COVID-19 are now permitted to work on other COVID patients. South Dakota hospitals are considering following suit. Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.

It’s getting colder and that’s presenting new challenges. More than seven hundred of our neighbors have passed away. I’m not saying these things to invoke fear, but these are the facts, this is the data. This virus is very real, and sometimes it’s deadly. I’m reminded of this almost weekly as I receive news of friends and colleagues who have passed from the virus.

So, what can we do?

I feel a sense of duty to protect those around me who are more susceptible to the worst outcomes of this virus. That’s why I wear a mask – that’s why I’ve stepped up my social distancing.

We all need to step it up and do what we can to slow the spread. In the meantime, I’ll be fighting for better testing and PPE for our schools, hospitals, and businesses.

I have faith in South Dakotans – but we can’t win this fight without your help. As we fight this together keep in mind the three W’s: Wash your hands, watch your distance, and wear a mask.

###

Thanksgiving and Personal Responsibility
By Governor Kristi Noem 

Thanksgiving is around the corner, and across the country families are planning how to celebrate with their loved-ones in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Some states across the country are imposing restrictions on Thanksgiving celebrations. Some in the media are even looking ahead and planning to cancel Christmas. In South Dakota, we won’t stop or discourage you from thanking God and spending time together this Thanksgiving.

I’ll continue to encourage each and every one of you to exercise personal responsibility and make smart choices for yourselves and your loved-ones. As you dig in to enjoy that delicious turkey and stuffing, make sure that everyone in your household is practicing good hygiene. Wash your hands. If someone in your family is in the vulnerable population, take extra precautions to keep them safe.

Smaller gatherings may be smarter this year. Let’s make sure to use common sense when we’re planning our celebrations. If you or someone in your family is sick or experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, it may be best to stay home and join your loved-ones over FaceTime, Skype, or another app. As we learn more about COVID symptoms, it can be hard to keep track of them all, so visit the CDC website to refresh your memory.

I’d like to take this opportunity to remind you why we haven’t taken certain actions here in South Dakota. Your friends and family in other states might be living through renewed lockdowns or shelter-in-place orders. They may be mandated to wear masks. Here in South Dakota, we took a different path.

The truth is, there is no science to support the claim that lockdowns stop the spread of the virus. The virus will spread – we cannot stop it until there is a cure – but we can slow it down with mitigation measures. Not even mask mandates have stopped cases from rising in communities. On the other hand, such actions can devastate our livelihoods and our ability to provide for our families. In South Dakota, we’ve fought the virus while still allowing you to put food on the table and keep a roof over your head.

Let’s all take the time to remember what Thanksgiving is all about – thanking God for everything that he has blessed us with in our lives. During difficult times, it’s important to be extra thankful for what we have, for time with family, for the tremendous blessings that we have as citizens of the United States of America. Even on our worst day, we are still better off than the vast majority of the people in the world because we woke up in America.

This year, my family will send up thanks for the years we’ve spent with each other and the years to come. We’ll also thank God that we get to live in the greatest nation in human history, one founded on the key principles of freedom, equality, and opportunity. I’ll be thankful for the tremendous opportunity to serve the people of South Dakota and for the trust that you’ve shown me throughout this pandemic. Thank you, and may God richly bless your Thanksgiving.

###

Just getting word that some House appointments are being made – and first out of the gate is Appropriations, which seems to be passing over some experienced members.

House Appropriations Chair Chris Karr.  Vice Chair, Taffy Howard. 

On the Committee: Tina Mulally, Liz May, Steve Haugaard, John Mills, Randy Gross, Mary Fitzgerald, & Linda Duba.

Who was passed over for Appropriations who had significant prior experience on the panel? Larry Tidemann, Hugh Bartels, David Anderson, & Dean Wink

Stay tuned for more to come.

I don’t have a lot of details just yet, but I am told this morning that State Representative Arch Beal was successful in his recount, securing him two more years in the South Dakota state legislature.

Mark this down on the list of things I did not think I would be writing about on a South Dakota political blog.

Apparently Former South Dakota Secretary of State Shantel Krebs has brought a lawsuit against a teen pageant group as she protests a coup removing her from the group’s board:

A Miss America Organization board member hit a Miss America affiliate with a lawsuit in Delaware Chancery Court Thursday, alleging the organization improperly jettisoned her from its board and renamed the teen scholarship and talent offshoot after their trademark licensing negotiations went sour.

In an eight-page complaint, former South Dakota secretary of state and MAO chair Shantel Krebs accuses Crown and Scholar Inc., which was formerly known as Miss America’s Outstanding Teen Inc., of kicking her off the teen pageant’s board in violation of the nonprofit’s bylaws, which require that at least two of its board seats are filled by MAO delegates. One of those delegates must be MAO’s chair, according to the suit.

Read the tale of a teen pageant board rebellion here (registration required)

Joe Sneve at the Argus is posting his story on the Marijuana Legalization challenge which was filed this afternoon by two of South Dakota’s top law enforcement officials:

Challenge Filed to Constitutional Amendment A

Pennington County, SD – Today, Pennington County Sherriff Kevin Thom and the Superintendent of the South Dakota Highway Patrol, Colonel Rick Miller, filed two causes of action contesting the constitutionality of Amendment A. The challenges were filed in Hughes County Circuit Court.

“I’ve dedicated my life to defending and upholding the rule of law,” said Sheriff Thom. “The South Dakota Constitution is the foundation for our government and any attempt to modify it should not be taken lightly. I respect the voice of the voters in South Dakota, however In this case I believe the process was flawed and done improperly, due to no fault of the voters.”

“Our constitutional amendment procedure is very straightforward,” said Col. Rick Miller. “In this case, the group bringing Amendment A unconstitutionally abused the initiative process. We’re confident that the courts will safeguard the South Dakota Constitution and the rule of law.”

The causes of action focus on the unconstitutional drafting and proposal of this issue as a constitutional amendment. First, the causes of action cite this clause in Article XXIII Sec. 1. of the South Dakota Constitution: “A proposed amendment may amend one or more articles and related subject matter in other articles as necessary to accomplish the objectives of the amendment; however, no proposed amendment may embrace more than one subject.”

Second, the pleadings emphasize that Amendment A attempted to insert an entirely new article into the Constitution, and therefore needed to follow the revision process set out in Article XXIII Sec. 2 of the Constitution. The proponents of Amendment A failed to follow that basic textual requirement.

Given that this matter is now part of pending litigation, neither Sheriff Thom nor Col. Miller will be making further comment.  All media inquiries should be directed to legal counsel.

Click here to read the filing.

##

Election Contest Verified Complaint 11-20-20 by Pat Powers on Scribd

So, had an e-mail this afternoon:

Pat, this morning on KELO-AM I heard an ad paid for by Lora Hubbel.

Inviting the Public to a meeting today (Fri 11/20) at noon at the Eastside Pizza Ranch.

Would be presenting evidence and results of studies that the masks don’t work, etc, etc.

And in looking at the former Republican/Independent/Constitutional candidate’s facebook page, it would appear that Lora did have some plans..

However, running a radio ad might have gotten the event a little too much publicity.

Uh oh.  And the next thing you know…

Wasn’t there another Pizza Ranch that put distance between themselves and a bunch of goofballs?

Are we going to be able to go home for Christmas?  If you listen to Sanford’s CEO, it sounds as if things might be turning around quickly on COVID:

Sanford Health’s chief executive says South Dakota doesn’t need a mask-mandate, and the worst of the pandemic is days away from being in the rear-view mirror.

and…

 And though state health officials have previously stated vaccine doses would begin arriving in South Dakota sometime in December, Krabbenhoft said new information provided to him Thursday indicates Sanford’s first vaccine shipment could come even sooner than that.

“I feel like with a vaccine — I’m told we’re about 10 days away from receiving it — it feels like the cavalry is coming,” he said.

Read the entire story here.

What do you think?  Are we going to be moving the pendulum back towards normalcy in just a few weeks?