Author: @SoDakCampaigns

Is it time to update our representation in Statuary Hall in our Nation’s Capital?

@SoDakCampaigns

Over on twitter, SoDak Governors blog author and District 13 State Rep Candidate Tony Venhuizen is noting some of the new entries from states in the rotunda of the US Capital:

.. based on a law that allows states to swap out statues. As a result of that law, national figures such as Amelia Earhart and Johnny Cash are going to be recognized for their contributions. Which got me wondering, is it time for South Dakota to consider swapping out our figures?

South Dakota is represented by William Henry Harrison Beadle, whom many politically aware South Dakotans know for his work on preserving school lands provision at the South Dakota constitutional convention of 1885.  We are also represented by Joseph Ward, and most everyone has to look him up. Ward was the founder of Yankton College, which ceased operation in 1984, drafted much of the state constitution, composed the state motto and wrote the description for the state seal.

According to the law passed which created the hall in 1864, the purpose of the hall is to commemorate “deceased persons who have been citizens thereof, and illustrious for their historic renown or for distinguished civic or military services such as each State may deem to be worthy of this national commemoration.”

As other states have updated their representation in statuary hall, the question begs itself whether South Dakota should consider updating our figures there as well, possibly to South Dakotans who might be better recognized in contemporary society, versus those who would be recognized a century ago?

Former Governor and Medal of Honor recipient Joe Foss might be towards the front of the line for consideration for his military career, as well as his national prominence with the AFL, the National Aviation Hall of Fame, a decade on television, and his leadership of the National Rifle Association.

I would also suggest South Dakota artist Oscar Howe, who created his own style of abstractionist Native American art, earning him accolades. As an educator, Howe served South Dakota in many capacities as varied from teaching at the Pierre High School to serving as a professor of art for over 25 years at the University of South Dakota.

What say you readers?

If South Dakota was to update our representation in statuary at the US Capital rotunda, which two South Dakotans would you pick for their distinguished civic or military services worthy of national commemoration?

– Just an extra note – Here are the guidelines for the replacement of statues. Which would provide that the statues would go back to the ownership of the state, where South Dakota could display them as appropriate.

Democrat Jamie Smith for Governor campaign staffer advocates to dump President Biden and VP Harris from the Democrat ticket.

@SoDakCampaigns

Just came across this on the Twitterverse from a field staffer for Democrat Gubernatorial Candidate Jamie Smith. And I think it’s something we can all agree with, Republican or Democrat. That “the Biden administration is painfully weak and wholly inept” and that we need to dump Joe Biden and VP Harris from leading our country.

I’ve got to wonder how many on the Democrat ticket share the same opinion that it’s time to dump Joe Biden?

Gov. Noem and Republican Governors Call on President Biden to Defend Equal Opportunities for Girls and Women

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Gov. Noem and Republican Governors Call on President Biden to Defend Equal Opportunities for Girls and Women

PIERRE, S.D. – Today, Governor Kristi Noem led a coalition of 15 Republican Governors urging President Joe Biden to defend equal opportunities for girls and women. In a letter to President Biden, the governors challenge him to reject the rule and policy changes proposed by the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), which would completely reinterpret Title IX. Title IX was passed 50 years ago to prevent discrimination “on the basis of sex” in education and athletic competition.

“Over the past two years, we have heard calls from many in our society to ‘trust the science’ with regards to the COVID-19 pandemic,” wrote Governor Noem and her colleagues. “We ask your Administration to trust the science on human biology; to realize that there are real, wonderful biological differences between women and men; to understand that those differences impact us in many ways – some subtle, some profound; to recognize that athletic competition is one of the arenas in which these differences are the most striking.”

The Governors took particular issue with the implications of these policy changes for the National School Lunch Program. “To be clear, your Administration would take lunch money away from our kids and grandkids in pursuit of a radical agenda that has no basis in science and which is not supported by the vast majority of the American people,” wrote the governors.

A federal judge recently blocked DOE’s Title IX “guidance” on the grounds that it “directly interferes with and threatens Plaintiff States’ ability to continue enforcing their state laws.” Earlier this year, South Dakota passed the toughest law in the country to defend fairness in girls’ sports.

The Governors also echoed arguments made by Republican Attorneys General, pointing out that the proposed policy changes from DOE and USDA impose new and unlawful regulatory measures in violation of the Administrative Procedures Act.

The letter was led by Governor Kristi Noem and co-signed by Arizona Governor Doug Ducey, Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds, Idaho Governor Brad Little, Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves, Missouri Governor Mike Parson, Montana Governor Greg Gianforte, Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts, Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt, South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee, Virginia Governor Glenn Younkin, and Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon.

You can find the Governors’ letter to President Biden here.

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Johnson Polls South Dakota, 94% Facing Inflationary Pressure

@SoDakCampaigns

Johnson Polls South Dakota, 94% Facing Inflationary Pressure

Washington, D.C. – This week, U.S. Representative Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) urged President Biden to reject unnecessary government spending following survey results where 94 percent of South Dakota respondents stated they were experiencing inflation. Read the full letter here.

Johnson surveyed thousands of constituents asking if they are experiencing higher prices at the grocery store, gas station, restaurants, and department stores. 94 percent of participants responded yes; they are experiencing higher prices.

“I conducted a poll of thousands of South Dakotans, and the results were overwhelming – 94 percent of survey participants responded they are experiencing higher prices at the grocery store, gas station, restaurants, and department stores,” said Johnson. “These prices are making it harder for individuals and families to make ends meet, and have created dilemmas for state construction projects, police departments, and school districts. Higher prices are affecting South Dakota across the board.

“Solutions like my bill, the Ocean Shipping Reform Act, year-round E15, and increasing domestic energy production can counteract this pressure. I urge you to resist calls from my colleagues to spend our way out of this crisis and turn your focus to policies that will unleash American energy.”

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the consumer price index was 9.1 percent higher in June compared to a year ago. Despite government spending exacerbating inflationary pressure, Democrat leadership is pushing for an additional reconciliation spending package.

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New Jamie Smith ad lies about state plane, claiming Governor has a jet.

@SoDakCampaigns

Jamie Smith isn’t getting things off on a truthful footing in his new advertisement for Governor:

Wait a minute.. Smith’s commercial claims that the Governor has a jet?  That’s actually not truthful at all:

Read that here.

If Smith is going to lie about something as basically verifiable as the Governor’s plane, it’s not instilling a lot of confidence about the level of “truthiness” he’s going to exhibit in the rest of the campaign.

Alcohol moving back at college ball games on state University campuses after nearly 40 years

@SoDakCampaigns

I don’t know that it means campuses are going back to “wet” dorms anytime soon, but after a nearly 40 year drought, alcohol is coming back to the general public at the major universities’ college ball games:

With the news last month that the Board of Regents approved the sale of alcohol at public universities in the state, South Dakota State is finalizing plans to sell beer at athletic events to the general public in the upcoming 2022-23 school year. The University of South Dakota previously said it plans to do the same. Both schools had previously been serving alcohol in premium seating areas only.

Read it here.

My college experience was on campus about a year or so after they outlawed alcohol from college universities, and then the country started raising the drinking age.  (That means I’m officially middle aged.)  And I don’t think it’s as big a deal as it was made out to be all those years ago.

Every once in a while, having gone to sporting events across the country and being able to order a beer if I choose, I think 40 years later in South Dakota we’re a little less puritan than we used to be, and people are looking for things they are able to experience in more metropolitan areas. Besides our third Starbucks outlet in Brookings.

Release: Johnson, Roy Introduce Bill to Alleviate Pilot Shortage by Raising Mandatory Retirement Age

@SoDakCampaigns

Johnson, Roy Introduce Bill to Alleviate Pilot Shortage by Raising Mandatory Retirement Age

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Representatives Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) and Chip Roy (R-TX) introduced the “Let Experienced Pilots Fly Act” to alleviate the pilot shortage by raising the mandatory commercial pilot retirement age from 65 to 67.

“We haven’t even begun to see the worst of the pilot shortage,” said Johnson. “COVID-19 forced a lot of early retirements, and pilot recruitment is tough. I’ve heard horror stories of South Dakotans missing family weddings due to canceled flights – Americans need reliable travel options. Raising the mandatory retirement age by two years is a safe and effective way to mitigate this shortage.”

A recent study found the pilot shortage in North America is expected to reach over 12,000 pilots by 2023. Meanwhile, nearly 14,000 qualified U.S. pilots will be forced to retire over the next five years due to the federal mandatory pilot retirement age.

The mandatory retirement age for commercial airline pilots has not been raised since 2007. The Let Experienced Pilots Fly Act does not change any other provision to current law governing pilot retirements.

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Democrat politician endorses Democrat politician. Next up, dog bites man.

@SoDakCampaigns

Today on Twitter Democrat candidate Brian Bengs, who isn’t going to beat US Senator John Thune, is patting himself on the back because he now has Scott Heidepreim’s endorsement.

Who would have thought a Democrat politician would endorse a Democrat politician? What’s next, a graphic letting everyone know that Susan Wismer has endorsed him?

I think the time to build credibility among one’s own party passed with the primary.

South Dakota has 3rd & 4th most popular US Senators in Nation

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South Dakota loves Mike Rounds and John Thune, as Morning Consult points out we have two of the most popular US Senators in the nation: