Author: @SoDakCampaigns

Right on the heels of Governor Noem explaining that South Dakotans don’t need a shelter in place order.. a speedway in North Sioux City is going to try have an event with 700 spectators.

Ugh. So, a few bad apples are preparing to spoil it for the rest of us…

If the race does happen, it could be one of the first live sporting events in the country since the coronavirus outbreak brought the sports world – from March Madness to Major League Baseball to high school activities – to a halt last month.

and…

“I’m going to strongly recommend to the people of South Dakota that they not go and that they stay home,” said Noem. “We’re asking that they be wise and smart to continue on the path and plan we’ve laid out for South Dakota for several more weeks.

Read it all here.

I know everyone is sick of being cooped up. But I really question whether this is going to end well.

Governor Noem and GOED Announce Small Business Relief Fund Loans

PIERRE, S.D. – Today, Governor Kristi Noem and the Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED) announced the first 94 loan recipients of Governor Noem’s Small Business Relief Fund. This fund provides small businesses in South Dakota access to capital to help during this COVID-19 pandemic.

“This crisis is historic in the worst way. So many small businesses are hurting, but my team at GOED is working to help,” said Noem. “My Small Business Relief Fundhas already approved just shy of 100 loans, equaling more than $5 million, to help South Dakota communities from Keystone to Sioux Falls stay on their feetduring this unprecedented pandemic.”

Industries that have been approved for loans include hotels, restaurants, retail, tourism, manufacturing, and others.

Loan recipients can be found here.

Here are the criteria for loan recipients:

1. Be a small for-profit or non-profit business as defined by SBA, but with less than 250 employees;
2. Physical presence in South Dakota;
3. Established prior to March 2020;
4. Provide a written acknowledgement from a South Dakota bank and/or certified public accountant that the applicant has made statements or otherwise provided information or evidence that supports applicant’s claim that applicant’s business has suffered material negative impact from the COVID-19 pandemic;
5. Have a personal credit with a minimum score of 650; lower requires a special exception;
6. Demonstrate 1:1 debt coverage ratio with the new debt factored under normal circumstances.

To learn more about Governor Noem’s Small Business Relief Fund, visit sdgoed.com/covid-19/.

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After putting it off for quite some time, I finally broke down and ordered more cabinets for my South Dakota related pins, which arrived today.

On the left is the cabinet with the South Dakota specific presidential pins. In the middle are my state (and some local) South Dakota race pins, and on the right is the cabinet I’d assembled some time ago with the pins for the South Dakota Congressional & US Senate campaigns.

In getting this all done this evening, I’ve come to a few realizations. I need to hang them all at once, as I’m not happy with how these cabinets are a little uneven, hanging them individually. I need to come back at it with a laser level, and make sure the cases for my inaugural pins, ribbons, and capital fight items are also hung evenly.   Plus there’s a number of other items, such as temperance items, posters, and a few more ribbons I need to get framed.

And there’s also the matter of a fairly significant number of duplicates… which I wouldn’t mind using to trade to feed my continuing button habit.

If you’ve got South Dakota specific political buttons to trade, drop me a note, and we can chat to see what you’re looking for, versus what I’m trying to find. (But not the Alice Kundert for Governor Skinny Cat button on my desk I keep forgetting to get down to Tony Venhuizen.)

From the Rapid City Journal website the other day, a story was filed about twin-sisters Julie Frye Mueller and Jodie Frye running for the State Legislature at the same time…

Yeah.. I’m not sure if that’s a good thing. From Facebook:

Anti-vaxxer twins Rep. Julie Frye Mueller promoting facebook nonsense about Coronavirus being a manufactured epidemic, and her candidate sister Jodi claiming that the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases needs to be in prison.

This is the worst supervillain team-up ever.

Can’t believe I have to reinforce this but here we go. 5G has literally nothing to do with Coronavirus. https://t.co/lJm8bjBpjm

— Paul Ten Haken (@paultenhaken) April 21, 2020

From KELOland, The State Senate held day one of it’s inquiry into accusations against the Republican Senate Majority Leader Kris Langer and President Pro Tem Brock Greenfield, with their House Counterparts among the chief witnesses in the matter:

Five Republicans and four Democrats are scrutinizing what Senate Republican leader Kris Langer of Dell Rapids and Senate president pro tem Brock Greenfield of Clark said and did.

Former state Attorney General Marty Jackley represents them. Jackley objected several times Tuesday morning to Senator Art Rusch, chair of the investigation committee, challenging whether the Legislature had authority under state law and what evidence should be allowed.

and…

After viewing the videos, Rusch received a list of witnesses who contacted the Legislative Research Council about their interest in testifying. Most of them were legislators.

“Some but not all,” Bolin said. He suggested allowing Jensen, House Republican leader Lee Qualm of Platte, House Democratic leader Jamie Smith of Sioux Falls, and Haugaard.

Read the entire story here.

Considering the strained relations between the House and the Senate, I have the feeling that this has the potential to be a carnival sideshow as much as anything.

Rounds, Klobuchar Urge Administration to Make Sure Veterans Receive the Care they Deserve During Coronavirus Pandemic 

Their letter calls on Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to take additional measures to make sure that our at-risk veterans –including those exposed to burns pits and other toxic substances – receive the care they need    

WASHINGTON – U.S. Sens. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) wrote a letter calling on the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to take additional measures to make certain that at-risk veterans – including those exposed to burns pits and other toxic substances – receive the care they need during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

“Servicemembers who have been exposed to burn pits suffer from higher rates of asthma, emphysema, and rare lung disorders – making them particularly at risk for experiencing serious or potentially life-threatening symptoms should they contract coronavirus,” wrote the senators.

“The VA estimates that over 3.5 million veterans have been exposed to burn pits, and over 200,000 veterans and servicemembers have signed up for the Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry to date. Given the significant number of at-risk veterans, it is critical that the VA prioritizes efforts to ensure that these brave men and women are able to safely receive care during the current public health crisis.”

Full text of the letter can be found below:

Dear Secretary Wilkie:

We write to ask the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to take additional measures to ensure that our at-risk veterans, including those exposed to burns pits and other toxic substances, receive the care they need as our country confronts a significant increase in the demands on our health care system during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Service members who have been exposed to burn pits suffer from higher rates of asthma, emphysema, and rare lung disorders – making them particularly at risk for experiencing serious or potentially life-threatening symptoms should they contract coronavirus. The VA estimates that over 3.5 million veterans have been exposed to burn pits, and over 200,000 veterans and servicemembers have signed up for the Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry to date. Given the significant number of at-risk veterans, it is critical that the VA prioritizes efforts to ensure that these brave men and women are able to safely receive care during the current public health crisis.

Considering reports that VA representatives have estimated that that up to one in five veterans could require coronavirus-related care, we call your attention to the VA’s COVID-19 Response Plan. The Plan mentions veterans with service-connected respiratory issues, such as burn pit exposure, are among at-risk populations that may engage with the VA through the Department’s Readjustment Counseling Services (RCS). According to the Plan, many veterans who access RCS do so at a local Vet Center; however, it also states that not all Vet Centers are telehealth-ready. In addition to this technology gap, we also have concerns about the safety and preparedness of RCS staff. It is important that staff have the necessary medical equipment and supplies, including masks, gloves, and sanitation supplies, to safely interact with and provide services to veterans visiting their facilities for telehealth appointments and other essential business.

We request that you provide information at your earliest convenience on how the VA is expanding telehealth capabilities across RCS facilities to provide veterans, including those with respiratory issues brought on by burn pit exposure, with greater access to care as well as what the VA is doing to provide all necessary medical and sanitation supplies to Vet Centers and other RCS access points to promote the safety of staff and the veterans they serve. Additionally, we request that you communicate with veterans the resources that are available to them during the pandemic.

Thank you for your attention to this urgent matter. We look forward to your response.

Sincerely,
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Listening to the Senate Interim Investigation Committee being held today to investigate the conduct allegations against Republican leaders Kris Langer and Brock Greenfield.

Right now, they’re replaying the video from the final day of session which gave rise to the claims against the Senators.

I’m going to keep it in the background to monitor.. we’ll see what they come up with.

I had previously noted my contentious objection to supporting Kevin Quick for District 35 State Senate.. And while he was the first, he won’t be the last person I’m going to respectfully take a hard pass on supporting in the GOP Primary.

And with that, I’d bring you another edition of Candidates I just can’t get behind, with a pair of the candidates running for office. Aaron Aylward and Thomas Werner, who are hopefuls running for the State House of Representatives in District 6.

I believe I’ve noted previously Aylward’s previous political affiliation, as he’d been registered as a Libertarian last year.. when he was statewide chair for the Libertarian Party.  I’m a strong advocate for the GOP maintaining a big tent policy, as many people have had sincere changes in thought and ideology over their lifetimes, and have come to serve the GOP well after reaching a crossroads.

State GOP Chair Dan Lederman is one. So is Lt Governor Larry Rhoden who both changed after originally registering in another party in their long-ago days of youth. Ronald Reagan did the same thing himself before becoming one of our most noteworthy presidents in modern history. 

But, then there’s Aaron, who I have to view a bit more cynically:

When you tell someone you switched to the Republican Party, and are “running on that ticket for 2020,” I don’t exactly get the feeling that there’s been a shift of ideology, rather than a shift for opportunity’s sake.  If Aylward’s conversion to the GOP is sincere, he hasn’t sold me on it. And I have the feeling I’m no different that many others.

Sorry. I’m going to nope out of this one.

And then, there’s his fellow District 6 House candidate Thomas Werner. Much like Kevin Quick in the last edition of this column, when someone pops up on the scene and you have no idea who they are, you do some checking.

One of the first rules of opposition research is to research yourself first… and clearly… horrifically that was not done here. Otherwise, you would have asked yourself twice as to why Werner ever thought of running:

This was a public notice from February 17, 2000 in the Sioux Falls Argus Leader.  And yes, it was 20 years ago. But, as you dig, you find plenty of things in more recent years, such as civil judgements and as noted here, a 2014 Sheriff’s sale (Argus Leader July 2, 2014).

And believe me, that’s not all… I’m just being brief for brevity’s sake.

I know businesses have downturns. I know people can have a bad run of luck.  But.. what I’m stumbling across in a very surface look is all very publicly filed, via notices in the newspaper.  It was a fairly simple look through the Argus, where I found this and more.

So, what happens when someone decides to do some serious digging against Werner in the fall?  Because that’s what opposition research is all about. It’s campaigning 101.  At times it can be difficult enough to run a race with a stellar candidate, much less one who seems to be deeply flawed.

So make this a District 6 double nope.

Party switching for opportunity’s sake, and being all too well acquainted with the Argus Leader’s public notice section?  Sorry, but District 6 House candidates Aaron Aylward & Thomas Werner are candidates I just can’t get behind.