Author: @SoDakCampaigns

From the South Dakota State Constitution, here are the portions under ARTICLE XVI which cover impeachment which are of particular importance in the Jason Ravnsborg matter today:

§ 1. Power of impeachment in house—Majority required. The house of representatives shall have the sole power of impeachment. The concurrence of a majority of all members elected shall be necessary to an impeachment.

§ 2. Trial of impeachments–Presiding officer. All impeachments shall be tried by the senate. When sitting for that purpose the senators shall be upon oath or affirmation to do justice according to law and evidence. No person shall be convicted without the concurrence of two-thirds of the members elected. When the Governor or lieutenant governor is on trial the presiding judge of the Supreme Court shall preside.

§ 3. Officers subject to impeachment–Grounds–Removal from office–Criminal prosecution. The Governor and other state and judicial officers, except county judges, justices of the peace and police magistrates, shall be liable to impeachment for drunkenness, crimes, corrupt conduct, or malfeasance or misdemeanor in office, but judgment in such cases shall not extend further than to removal from office and disqualification to hold any office of trust or profit under the state. The person accused whether convicted or acquitted shall nevertheless be liable to indictment, trial, judgment and punishment according to law.

§ 5. Suspension of duties between impeachment and acquittal. No officer shall exercise the duties of his office after he shall have been impeached and before his acquittal.

The House will decide today by a majority of members whether they believe grounds exist to impeach, and send the matter to the State Senate for the actual trial of the impeachment.

And, if there is an impeachment, the AG would appear to be immediately suspended from the duties of his office until such time the Senate held a trial.

This is very new territory in South Dakota, so whatever happens, we will be watching precedent being made today.

Governor Kristi Noem wasted no time this morning firing back at the Attorney General’s letter to legislators regarding his response to the investigation, telling legislators that they should ignore his “bizarre letter” and pay attention to the presentation from the Highway Patrol, instead.

The people of SD deserve to know the truth. The facts speak for themselves. Anyone who wants to know the facts should ignore the AG’s bizarre letter and instead read Secretary Price’s letter to Speaker Gosch and watch the Highway Patrol presentation from last week. (1/) https://t.co/cfGtH3KeOg

— Governor Kristi Noem (@govkristinoem) April 12, 2022

This week has been moving fast in the form of pushback from Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg and his supporters in the face of today’s special gathering of the State House of Representatives.

In a facebook post on Sunday, State Representative Scott Odenbach, who has announced he will be abstaining from the proceedings,  reminded us that it was Palm Sunday, which is remembered as the final week of the life of a man who many of us view as the spiritual savior of humanity. And he was a man who faced two investigations:

And while we were being reminded of the fact that Jesus faced investigations, it appears that the Ravnsborg team was not idle, as bright and early this morning, Austin Goss of Dakota News Now posted multi-page documents from Team Ravnsborg on why they believe the matter does not rise to an impeachable offense:

I just received the following letter from a spokesperson for AG Ravnsborg: pic.twitter.com/Sph5MnmTbQ

— Austin Goss (@AustinGossSD) April 12, 2022

But even more interesting, the document also seemed to take a right turn directly into the campaign for Attorney General, and contained a hard shot against his predecessor and competitor for the race, former Attorney General Marty Jackley, in perhaps a foreshadowing of the Republican Party convention showdown between the two:

Wow.. That was unexpected.  And I can’t help but point out that perhaps it was just a little unwarranted.  If the Current AG is going to throw out some smack talk as to the team who came before him, he’s going to have to point out what he changed in the office in response to these apparent concerns when he took over.

Going into the impeachment hearing appears to mark a bit more defiant Jason Ravnsborg in the face of his detractors.

And they’ll largely be facing off today in the House of Representatives as they make a decision as to whether sufficient evidence exists for the matter to be determined by the State Senate.

Kristi for Governor Announces Next Round Of Endorsements From South Dakota County Leaders

April 11, 2022 Pierre, SD – Today, the Kristi for Governor campaign announced their second round of endorsements from elected leaders at the county and local level in South Dakota. This announcement follows the previous announcements of West River sheriffs, the first round of county commissioners, and the formation of the County Leaders Coalition.

Along with this announcement, Joe Desilets from Kristi for Governor stated the following:

“County leaders across South Dakota are lining up to endorse Governor Noem because she has prioritized their issues and what matters to them the most: our best in the nation economy, historic investments in education, and supporting our law enforcement officers who keep our communities safe. Governor Noem’s leadership and policies have delivered for South Dakotans, and the local leaders that represent us are supporting her for another term.”

List of sheriffs and county commissioners endorsing Governor Noem in today’s release (alphabetical by county):
Aurora County Commissioner Roger Hanten
Aurora County Commissioner Travis Clark
Beadle County Sheriff Doug Solem
Bennett County Commissioner Cole Blu Donovan
Bennett County Commissioner Jeff Slattery
Bennett County Commissioner Rod Kirk
Bon Homme County Commissioner Jason Kokes
Bon Homme County Sheriff Mark Maggs
Brookings County Commissioner Ryan Krogman
Brown County Sheriff Mark Milbrandt
Brule County Commissioner James Nesladek
Brule County Sheriff Darrell Miller
Butte County Commissioner James Ager
Campbell County Commissioner Brent Odde
Campbell County Commissioner Bryan Fjeldheim
Campbell County Commissioner Lynn Deibert
Campbell County Sheriff Lacey Perman
Clark County Commissioner Terry Schlagel
Clark County Sheriff Robert McGraw
Codington County Sheriff Bradford Howell
Corson County Commissioner Shawn Hinsz
Corson County Commissioner Steve Keller
Custer County Commissioner Jim Lintz
Custer County Commissioner Mark Hartman
Custer County Commissioner Travis Bies
Davison County Sheriff Steve Harr
Day County Commissioner Derek Sinner
Day County Commissioner Jim Walter
Deuel County Commissioner Gary Jaeger
Deuel County Commissioner Roger Kreutner
Deuel County Sheriff Cory Borg
Douglas County Commissioner Jerod Star
Douglas County Commissioner Marlin Maas
Douglas County Commissioner Nathan Ymker
Edmunds County Commissioner Chad Preszler
Edmunds County Sheriff Todd Holtz
Fall River County Commissioner Deb Russell
Fall River County Commissioner Joe Allen
Fall River County Commissioner Joe Falkenburg
Faulk County Commissioner Steve Rosland
Gregory County Commissioner Bob Hausmann
Haakon County Commissioner Michael Gebes
Haakon County Commissioner Thomas Radway
Hamlin County Commissioner Leland Roe
Hamlin County Sheriff Chad Schlotterbeck
Hand County Commissioner Gilbert Rodgers
Hand County Commissioner Greg Palmer
Hand County Sheriff Shane Croeni
Hanson County Commissioner Curtis Fox
Hanson County Commissioner Gary Schoenrock
Hanson County Commissioner John Bumgardner
Hanson County Sheriff Brandon Wingert
Harding County Commissioner Bill Clarkson
Harding County Commissioner Charles Verhulst
Hughes County Commissioner Connie Hohn
Hughes County Sheriff Pat Callahan
Hutchinson County Sheriff James Zeeb
Hyde County Commissioner Robert Bawdon
Jackson County Commissioner Jeff Willert
Jackson County Commissioner Ruby Sanftner
Jerauld County Commissioner Jeff Messmer
Jones County Commissioner Steve Iwan
Lake County Sheriff Tim Walburg
Lincoln County Sheriff Steve Swenson
Lyman County Commissioner Jared Scheiske
Lyman County Commissioner Zane Reis
McCook County Sheriff Mark Norris
McPherson County Commissioner Jeff Neuharth
Meade County Commissioner Richard Liggett
Meade County Commissioner Rod Bradley
Meade County Commissioner Ted Seaman
Miner County Commissioner Roger Wentland
Miner County Sheriff Rob Eggert
Moody County Commissioner Randy Hemmer
Moody County Sheriff Troy Wellman
Pennington County Commissioner Deb Hadcock
Pennington County Commissioner Ron Rossknecht
Perkins County Commissioner Mike Schweitzer
Perkins County Commissioner Rusty Foster
Perkins County Commissioner Todd Campbell
Potter County Commissioner Pat Everson
Potter County Sheriff Curtis Hamburger
Roberts County Sheriff Tyler Appel
Spink County Commissioner Brett Knox
Stanley County Commissioner Mike Kenzy
Sully County Commissioner Joe Fanger
Todd County Commissioner Marshal Tinant
Turner County Commissioner Lynn Van Hove
Turner County Commissioner Tony Ciampa
Union County Commissioner Michael Dailey
Union County Commissioner Milton Ustad
Union County Sheriff Dan Limoges
Walworth County Commissioner Jim Houck
Walworth County Commissioner Kevin Holgard
Walworth County Commissioner Scott Schilling
Walworth County Sheriff Joshua Boll
Ziebach County Commissioner Bill Henderson
Ziebach County Commissioner David Pesicka
Ziebach County Commissioner Ralph Lyon

If you read my post last week, apparently I was too early of an early bird.  This popped up on the Secretary of State’s website this morning:

Well, darn it.  Someone took the bull by the horns, and had him bounced from the ballot.

As was quipped to me, “there goes 15% of your posts between now and the election.”

From the day the president took office, our nation has been experiencing an unprecedented surge of individuals who want to enter the United States illegally through the southern border. There have been 2 million illegal border crossing attempts since President Biden was sworn in, yet his administration refuses to implement policies that would deter illegal immigrants from coming into our country. Now the administration has announced that Title 42 border restrictions, which have provided for the immediate deportation for many of those who have crossed the border illegally, will end in May. Once Title 42 restrictions are officially lifted, the flood of illegal immigration across our southern border is expected to become a tsunami.  

The Department of Homeland Security expects as many as 18,000 migrants per day to attempt to cross our southern border after the policy is lifted, which adds up to more than half a million migrants per month. To put those numbers in perspective, in fiscal year 2021, the Border Patrol encountered more than 1.7 million individuals attempting to cross our southern border, which was the highest number ever recorded in a single year. 

Title 42 restrictions were never intended to be a permanent border solution, but the problem with the Biden administration abruptly lifting them is that its doing it without any type of a coherent plan in place to handle the flood of likely illegal immigration to follow. The administration’s approach amounts to an invitation for this current security and humanitarian crisis to get exponentially worse.

This isn’t just a Republican concern. I recently introduced legislation with five Republican senators and five Democrat senators that would block the administration’s rollback of Title 42 border policies until the administration presents Congress with a plan to stem the crisis. Asking for a plan shouldn’t be too much to ask. Even several of my Democrat colleagues agree that rescinding this policy would send a clear and dangerous signal to anyone who wishes to illegally cross the southern border.

The obvious policy contradiction by the administration can’t be overlooked here either. By ending Title 42, the administration is saying that the pandemic is over at the border. That’s an ironic position because President Biden is still pressing for more COVID funding in Washington. His administration is still extending the pause on student loan repayments, presumably for pandemic-related reasons. And most shocking to me, the Biden administration is still requiring some toddlers in the Head Start program – as young as two years old – to wear masks, even on the playground. When you boil it down, President Biden is essentially declaring that the pandemic is over at the border, but it’s overwhelming on the playground. 

We can’t keep COVID policies in place forever, obviously, but there’s no sign that the administration has any substantive plan for how to deal with the resulting surge or the enhanced criminal activity that would accompany rescinding this border policy. The decision to lift Title 42 without a legitimate plan in place to handle a mass surge of illegal immigrants is irresponsible, dangerous, and reckless. I hope the president will get serious about developing a plan to secure our southern border.

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Travel is coming back. After nearly two years of pleas, Speaker Pelosi finally reopened the Capitol building to visitors and tours. South Dakotans wasted no time in coming to their nation’s capital. This week, I had the opportunity to meet with members of the South Dakota Department of Tourism, including their Secretary Jim Hagen.

Fortunately, South Dakota policies throughout the pandemic have offered our tourism industry an easier bounce-back than many other states and communities. But the tourism industry across America is still hurting.

Policies like extended shutdowns, mask mandates, restaurant closures, capacity limits, vaccine mandates, and international travel restrictions, have cost the travel industry more than $755 billion over the past two years.

States like California, who implemented prolonged strict COVID-19 policies, have seen the toll it can take on the industry. Tourism spending in California during 2021 dropped to 67.2% of the 2019 amount. The last time it was this low was 2010. In 2021, the number of visitors to New York City was 32.9 million, down from 66.7 million in 2019—nearly a 50% decrease. Comparatively, in Florida—a state famous for low COVID-19 restrictions—the number of 2021 visitors were only down 9% from 2019 numbers.

In 2021, there were one million fewer visitors in South Dakota than the 2019 numbers – that’s a small decrease of 6.9%. Visitor spending and GDP of the South Dakota tourism industry throughout 2021 has even outpaced 2019 levels. It’s not perfect though, our hospitality industry is facing a workforce shortage – too many open jobs, not enough people. Without the tourism industry, each South Dakota household would pay an additional $980 in taxes. A thriving tourism industry is beneficial for all South Dakotans, not just those with skin in the game.

While everyone took a hit at the start of the pandemic, the COVID-19 policies put into effect thereafter made all the difference when it comes to the reopening of economies. Policies matter, and the COVID-19 responses between states is a clear way to see the impact state and local economies have on our lives. Common-sense policies protect and create jobs – they allow businesses to thrive on their own. Federalism works.

For someone who was the Executive Director for the State Democrat Party, you’d think Pam Cole would remember that political advertisements are supposed to have a disclaimer.

Because I sure don’t see one on this piece.

Nevermind that her name might be the smallest piece of text on the piece.  I mean, seriously. Tiny name, no disclaimer. But a couple of pictures. It’s what we might call an ego piece. Nobody ever bothered to try to realize what they should communicate, as opposed to their assuming people know who the lady is on the flyer.

From Facebook, Independent wannabee congressional candidate Bert Olson is on facebook complaining that he doesn’t seem to be getting a lot of love from South Dakota Democrats, who apparently are refusing to invest any assets into his campaign:

I will say though, at least last time he was in office, he seemed to have a sense of humor (Argus, May 4, 1993)..

..such as when as Deuel County State’s Attorney, he granted himself immunity for possession of illegal drugs. By writing it on the box of illegal drugs. (He resigned after his arrest).

We’ll have to stay tuned to see if this self-styled “South Dakota version of Bernie Sanders” gets any traction.

I love learning about history. When I see the granite faces on Mount Rushmore, I always want to learn more about the men enshrined there. When I walk through downtown Rapid City and see the bronze statues of our presidents, I want to learn more about each of their successes and failures. I love the stories — and we can learn powerful lessons from those stories. 

At times, history can be a refreshing reminder that the difficulties that we face are not wholly unique. There are often corollaries in the past, lessons to be learned from situations that mirror the present challenges that we face.  

America’s history is unique when compared to every other nation on the planet. To this day, we are the only nation founded on an idea — and a transformational idea at that. It’s an idea that has inspired nations the world over, one that even inspires the people of Ukraine today: “that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights.”  

Unfortunately, our nation’s appreciation for that founding idea has slipped over time. This isn’t a new phenomenon; President Reagan warned us of it in his farewell address: “We’ve got to do a better job of getting across that America is freedom — freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of enterprise — and freedom is special and rare.” We need to remind our children about those freedoms and why they were instituted in the first place.   

In particular, our children should learn the struggles our nation faced to implement those freedoms and the triumphs that were made in advancing them to folks who had not enjoyed them previously. Sometimes that history is tough, but it must be told for future generations to understand why this country is worth fighting for.  

In the process of teaching that history, we should not compel our children to adhere to the false narrative that they are responsible for those previous shortcomings — not on the basis of their race, color, or sex. Such a philosophy is not in keeping with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s powerful dream, “that (his) four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” That is the America that I was raised in, and that is the America that I am proud to pass on to my children and to my granddaughter.   

This week, I signed an executive order to restrict the teaching of divisive ideologies like Critical Race Theory in our K-12 classrooms. These ideologies reject America’s founding idea and instead teach that America was founded on racism — and that is not true.   

At various times in our history, America fell short of the founding belief that all men are created equal. And together, our nation overcame those shortcomings. It is on us as a society — and on each elected leader — to commit to defending American liberty for every person in this country. That is my commitment to you as Governor. 

Our children should learn America’s true and honest history. I hope that it will inspire them to accomplish incredible things with their lives and to always recognize that all of their peers are just as valuable as they are — no better and no worse. We all have incredible opportunities in this Land of the Free. The lessons from our past should inspire us to reach for those opportunities and teach us the mistakes to avoid along the way.  

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