Author: @SoDakCampaigns

BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager, and MSCI, a top stock-market-index compiler, have been investing American retirement dollars in Chinese companies that strengthen China’s military and pose security threats to America. Not just that, but more than 60 of these companies have been flagged by U.S. agencies for security or human-rights violations.

This means Americans have been funding our biggest adversary’s growth for years. The same communist government that steals Americans’ personal data from apps like TikTok, spies on our allies’ imports and exports, and sets up CCP police stations in America. Those are just the tip of the iceberg. 

We’ve known it’s a possibility that asset management firms have been investing in CCP-backed companies for a while and Congress has been working to bring clarity and accountability to these firms. Recently, the Select Committee on China launched an investigation into several venture capital firms for their funding of Chinese tech companies. In the Senate, a bill is being worked on to require American companies that invest abroad, especially in countries like China, to disclose certain investments. The bill would also create a panel to review and block these investments that are national security concerns, similar to how the Council on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) works.

MSCI and BlackRock manage a total of over $22 trillion in assets. While these investments in Chinese companies can yield a high return, putting our national security at risk is not a wise trade. The means do not justify the ends.

The Select Committee on China expressed these concerns in a letter sent to BlackRock and MSCI earlier this week. We requested a full accounting of the investments in Chinese companies—the American people deserve to know where their dollars are going and the type of un-American behavior it’s advancing. I hope the Select Committee receives a response soon so we can hold these firms accountable.

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Sturgis: The Fastest and Freest
By: Governor Kristi Noem
August 4, 2023

South Dakotans are a proud people. We are proud of our upbringings, our small-town values, and our old-fashioned work ethic. There is one thing, though, that we South Dakotans are prouder of than anything else.

Freedom.

The Sturgis Motorcycle Rally is one of the most iconic celebrations of Freedom in the United States of America. It’s a good thing it takes place every year in the Freest state in the nation!

For more than 80 years, late summer has brought thousands of motorcycles to the Black Hills of South Dakota. Bikers come from all over to experience the beauty and the Freedom of South Dakota. They hop on their bikes and explore this great open country through our open roads. These folks come here because they love their fast bikes and Freedom – and we love to have them here.

The 2023 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally is just getting ramped up. From August 4th-13th events will be happening all over the Black Hills. I can’t wait to be out there to say hey to all of the Freedom-loving folks in town for the ten-day affair.

For just over a month, our “Freedom Works Here” campaign has been recruiting hard working Americans to move their families to South Dakota. The momentum of this campaign has been incredible. We’ve had over 4,000 people apply to move to South Dakota, and over 800 are in the final stages of the process.

We aren’t slowing down now. In fact, I recently made a special announcement that the “Freedom Works Here” campaign was about to get faster…up to 200 miles an hour faster.

The “Freedom Works Here” NASCAR stock car will be at the Sturgis Buffalo Chip during the Rally. Folks will be able to get a close look at the vehicle that will be racing to recruit workers to the Freest state in America.

To me, the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally has always been a symbol of our Freedom. That became even more true in 2020. In the midst of a pandemic, when some states were forcing businesses to shut down and cancelling any and every public event, we still held the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.

Sturgis went on without a hitch, completely shattering the media’s pandemic narrative. The 2020 Rally made it clear that South Dakota was thriving without mandates and lockdowns – and Sturgis became a symbol of Freedom to the entire country.

This all led to the 2021 Rally being one of the biggest in history, with American flags waving constantly. I am looking forward to feeling that patriotic energy at this year’s Rally.

South Dakota has become a beacon of Freedom for the nation – and the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally is a part of that. With our economy growing faster than ever, and our people reaping the benefits, it’s time for us to kick of the fastest and the Freest event in the United States of America.

It’s time for the 2023 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally!

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Looks like South Dakota Democrats are unifying behind a common cause.

Unfortunately for chairwoman Jennifer Slaight-Hansen, the cause they’re unifying behind is dumping her from party leadership:

“Your actions are unacceptable and unbefitting of the office they hold. We asked you to resign. You refused.”

And..

“Yesterday, our legal counsel resigned because of the split in our party caused by you, yet you failed to communicate this to our executive board. For all the above reasons, we are unified in upholding the South Dakota Democratic Party Constitution and recalling you as our SDDP Chair.”

Read the entire story here.

Pretty rare to see South Dakota Dems agree on anything. Yet they are managing to find common ground on the need to dump Jennifer Slaight-Hansen,

Stay tuned.

WOW. Here’s a major bomb dropping about the new Democrat Party Chair Jennifer Slaight-Hansen.

In a story breaking on the Dakota Scout, after barely lasting 60 days, South Dakota Democrat Party Executive Director Dan Ahlers has apparently resigned, citing that the SDDP is hostile work environment, and that Democrat Party Chair Jennifer Slaight-Hansen is not very nice to her colleagues:

And his decision to step down from the position stems from what he said was mismanagement of the party by South Dakota Democratic Party Chairwoman Jennifer Slaight-Hansen, including allegations of a hostile work environment and violating campaign finance and party bylaws.

“When I try to advise the chair on these matters, she becomes angry and reminds me that I work for her,” Ahlers wrote in an email Friday to the party’s State Central Committee members informing them of his resignation.

and..

Ahlers alleges that Slaight-Hansen, elected chair of the party in February, uses “demeaning and foul language” when dealing with party staff.

Read the entire story here (Subscription required).

Do you think it’s because Dan Ahlers was a middle-aged white man?  Just asking.

There has been a facebook post being forwarded around among some of the far right from the SD Canvassing group, an organization whose raison d’être is the belief that US Elections lack integrity, which has been a notion endorsed by former President Trump. Even though many in both parties disagree with the notion, or at least the extent of issues.

In the post, the group goes out of their way to dissuade South Dakotans from attending the upcoming Monumental Leaders rally featuring former President Trump, Governor Kristi Noem, and others as they appear for the benefit of the South Dakota Republican Party.  As they attack the SDGOP, they claim in part…

As the SD Canvassing goofballs claim “the SDGOP does not stand for the average American…. Buying a ticket to the Trump Rally is funding their agenda..“

Adding to those comments, I’d remind you of a post I did pointing out the Minnehaha County GOP being utterly silent on the former President coming to the state, as well as what unsuccessful congressional candidate Taffy Howard felt the need to bray forth on facebook:

..I don’t want to help in any way.

The political outliers who have such hate for the GOP threw their stones earlier this week. And what was the result?  Literally only one week later the biggest Republican Party rally in state history is already sold out. 1 week, and 6000 tickets are gone in a flash.

Where does that leave the people who hate the Republican Party that much?

For the Minnehaha County Republicans, who went completely radio silent.. at least when their chair wasn’t complaining..  it is going to leave a number of people wondering why they were so passive and felt the need to hide when they could have helped their people get tickets.

For those who were actively trying to poison the well with regards to the South Dakota Republican Party, such as SD Canvassing and Taffy Howard, it leaves them with serious egg on their face.

SD Canvassing who goes out and courts Republican leaving groups to join their paranoia, and Taffy Howard, who is alternately rumored to want to run for Congress again, or is said to be trying to stage a party coup, are now going to be left trying to sell their anti-Trump and anti-party messaging and explaining why they felt the need to devote their efforts towards attacking Republicans.

Not a good look for those who need South Dakota Republicans to further sell their ambitions.

From Twitter.. and from the media.. There are unconfirmed reports of an active shooter near US Senate buildings. Scary stuff. Everything is on lockdown..

NEWS — Hill staff just got this email from Capitol Police. pic.twitter.com/6Vlp8kI5Ts

— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) August 2, 2023

Please keep our Senators and their staff in your thoughts.

Update – looks like this was a bad call… but scary.

“A call came in for an active shooter. It appears to be a bad call. No injuries and no shooter were located. MPD is assisting US Capitol Police,” a spokesperson for D.C. Metro police said in an email.

 

Governor Noem Pushes Vanguard for Anti-China Emerging Markets Fund
Advances South Dakota’s Blueprint to Fight Communist China 

PIERRE, S.D. –  Today, Governor Kristi Noem urged Vanguard to finalize creating an emerging markets fund that excludes any investments in China. She did so in a letter to Mortimer Buckley, Chief Executive Officer of Vanguard, which you can read here.

“The largest risk to America’s security is posed by the Chinese Communist Party – including to our financial security,” wrote Governor Noem. “Communist China continues to infiltrate and target my state and others in the United States, making this specific product key in protecting state assets and investment dollars managed by your company.”

This was a follow-up letter to a May letter strongly encouraging Vanguard to offer an emerging market funds that excludes China as soon as possible. China is no longer an “emerging market,” and Vanguard has a duty to help insulate citizens from the risk posed by the Chinese Communist Party. Governor Noem led that letter with three of her fellow Republican governors.

In the letter, Governor Noem stresses that China “can no longer be fairly characterized as an ‘emerging market’” because they are the second largest economy in the world and are posturing themselves as a strategic competitor to the United States.

According to a Reuters article from just a week ago, “Global investors are increasingly choosing to bypass China’s markets in favour of other emerging countries.” And Barron’s reports that “Emerging market funds that exclude China are beating the index,” meaning that they are outperforming funds that do include China.

This letter advances South Dakota’s blueprint to fight communist China. Governor Noem has taken strong action against the Chinese Communist Party, including:

• Respecting Freedom and keeping South Dakota “Open for Business” when China unleased the COVID-19 virus on the world;
• Banning TikTok and Tencent for state government;
• Banning state government form doing business with certain telecommunications companies associated with six evil foreign governments, including China; and,
• Expanding South Dakotas medical cache and urging Congress and the FDA to take action to combat the shortage of prescription drugs in the United States.

South Dakota is continuing to set an example for the rest of the nation as to what state-led foreign policy can look like. This is South Dakota’s blueprint: More Freedom, Less China.

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Thune, Ricketts, Hickenlooper Introduce Bill to Address Seasonal Labor Needs
Senators’ bipartisan legislation would enable governors to secure supplemental H2-B nonimmigrant workers

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.), Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.), and John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.) recently introduced the State Executive Authority for Seasonal Occupations Needing Additional Labor (SEASONAL) Act, bipartisan legislation that would permit governors to petition the federal government for supplemental H-2B visas beyond the national cap of 66,000. Eligibility to seek additional H-2B visas would only be granted to states that have had an unemployment rate at or below 3.5 percent for at least nine of 12 months prior to their request.

“Federal inaction shouldn’t prevent state leaders from doing everything they can to strengthen their economies,” said Thune. “Labor needs plague nearly every sector in South Dakota, which is why I’m proud to introduce this legislation that would empower states to help alleviate workforce shortages while reinforcing protections for South Dakota workers.”

“Nebraska had the highest net employment rate in the country last year, yet many businesses have struggled to find qualified workers,” said Ricketts. “This bill will enable governors from states like mine to utilize more temporary workers to address this critical labor shortage and grow their economies.”

“Colorado companies rely on H-2B workers. But in recent years, our businesses are facing widespread worker shortages because available visas haven’t kept up with demand,” said Hickenlooper. “Our bill gives states more flexibility to advocate for the workers they need.”

The SEASONAL Act would permit governors to petition the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) for a specific number of supplemental H-2B visas beyond the national cap of 66,000. DHS would issue such visas, and, if the number of employer applications still exceed a governor’s request, they would then allocate the visas through a lottery system. Governors would have the ability to request that visas only be made available for certain DOL Standard Occupational Classification Groups or employers in specific Economic Development Districts. Unless reauthorized, this authority would sunset four years after enactment.

Nothing in the bill would prohibit a state legislature from imposing limitations on a governor concerning the program, including the number of visas requested, the DOL classification group for which H-2B visas could be requested, or the Economic Development Districts where the visas could be used. Additionally, any supplemental workers provided under this bill would be subject to any existing or future DOL requirements. The bill would also require an annual report on the program’s utilization and outcomes, including worker displacement, wages, and economic growth and productivity.

U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) is also a cosponsor of the SEASONAL Act.

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The Sioux Falls based Republican Roundtable group which has been meeting regularly for the last year or so is having a big public event, as the local group hosts a Debate Watch Party, with social hour on August 23rd at the Minnehaha County Country Club.

There will be a social hour with appetizers & desert, featuring national economic leaders, followed by the debate watch party with debate bingo, and a straw poll to determine who is the most popular among attendees.  Get your tickets today via eventbrite.

Chairman Wiik Announces Monumental Leaders Rally Sold Out

PIERRE, SOUTH DAKOTA – Today, South Dakota Republican Party Chairman John Wiik announced The Monumental Leaders Rally featuring President Donald J. Trump and special guest Governor Kristi Noem have sold out in less than a week of ticket sales, with over 6,000 tickets sold.

“The people of South Dakota have spoken and we look forward to hosting a record shattering event for the South Dakota GOP” said Chairman Wiik “ I am proud to welcome President Donald J. Trump to the Mt. Rushmore state on Friday, September 8th.”

The rally will be hosted at The Monument in Rapid City, SD on Friday, September 8th. Sponsorships to the event are available for purchase, please contact the state party team for more information. Visit www.SDGOP.com to join the ticket waitlist today and you will be notified if more tickets become available.

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