Author: @SoDakCampaigns

Thune Statement on Russia’s Aggression

“The only thing Putin responds to is strength, so the United States must send a strong and unified message that this aggression will not be tolerated.”

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) today released the following statement regarding Russia’s aggression in Ukraine:

“The United States, NATO, and Ukraine must not back down to Vladimir Putin’s demands to undermine regional security or yield to his visions of remaking a malign Soviet sphere of influence,” said Thune. “In recognizing the independence of, and overtly sending troops to, regions in eastern Ukraine, Putin has rejected diplomatic efforts, violated Ukraine’s sovereignty, and further stoked tensions toward the brink of devastating conflict.

“Throughout his revisionist justification for his latest aggressions, Putin made clear that Russia will always claim it is the victim, despite an obvious track record to the contrary. The United States and its partners must stand united against Russian hostilities, including by implementing biting sanctions that target the Russian energy sector that seeks to prey on Western energy security.

“In addition to demonstrating resolute leadership against Russia’s object defiance of the rule of law, the United States must also reinvigorate our domestic energy resources to insulate consumers and allies from collateral sanctions damage, as well as renew our defense commitments and ensure our armed forces are fully equipped to deter and defend against mounting threats.

“For weeks, President Biden has been talking the talk on a U.S. response to a Russian invasion of Ukraine. Now it’s time for him to start walking the walk. We had the opportunity to send Putin a clear message before this unnecessary invasion, including by preemptively cutting off the Putin Pipeline, but President Biden and his Democrat allies in Congress sat on their hands.

“The only thing Putin responds to is strength, so the United States must send a strong and unified message that this aggression will not be tolerated. In addition to making it clear that there are more sanctions on the table, including those in the NYET Act, we must provide the necessary support to our NATO allies and assist Ukraine with what it needs to fight this battle.”

Last week, Thune and a majority of his Senate Republican colleagues introduced the Never Yielding Europe’s Territory (NYET) Act to provide the critical support Ukraine needs to defend itself and deter Russian aggression while imposing real costs on the Kremlin for its ongoing and potential future aggression against Ukraine.

###

Always good to have the opportunity to hear a Washington Update from Senator Thune, who spoke with the Brookings County GOP in a special lunch meeting today down at Cubby’s. Lots of stuff to unpack, especially information on how the Biden administration refuses to meet with the Senator and his colleagues on renewable fuels such as ethanol, because they are focusing exclusively on electric cars.

Which if it’s a cold, crappy day like today, I’m going to stick with my reliable internal combustion engine, thank you very much.

Also heard about efforts to address big tech and censorship, as well as other issues, including the military, our nation’s foreign policy, as well as a number of other topics.

I asked the senator a question regarding what’s going on in the US Senate regarding big tech, and whether they could face efforts to break up the monopolies held by Google and Facebook, who keep buying up competitors. He noted that Anti-trust/tech breakup would be challenging, but there is bipartisan support for that approach, well as less direct approaches.

He did speak at length regarding proposals to allow people to opt in or out of algorithms determining what they do and do not see, and addressing laws which once gave big tech a carve-out because they were platforms, but now that they’re deciding content, that carve-out needs to be revisited.

Great turnout for the event with 50 or more people, including about a dozen College Republicans. Well worth venturing out, and thanks to Senator Thune for zipping up the Interstate on this blustery winter day!

An important measure to preserve shooting sports in South Dakota is hitting the Senate Floor today after an article about the project’s genesis was featured in the Rapid City Journal this weekend.

Senate Bill 175 is the culmination of a project which is seeking 2.5 Million in State Funds to leverage considerable federal and other funds to create a comprehensive $10 Million Dollar shooting range within 10 minutes of Rapid City.  As noted in the article:

During this year’s legislative session, Game, Fish & Parks has requested a $2.5 million appropriation from the state’s general fund and authorization to spend $2.5 million from their “other” fund to build a comprehensive shooting range in rural Meade County. The proposed site is along Elk Vale Road approximately three miles north of the intersection of Elk Creek Road and within a 10-minute drive of Rapid City.

Officials from GF&P said the planned firearms range would have 175 shooting bays, including a long-range bay, an advanced range for competitive shooting and law enforcement training, and a hunter education building. Law enforcement and competition organizations would pay for use of those facilities. The general public would be able to access the shooting ranges with no admission charge, GF&P Secretary Kevin Robling has said.

and..

The funding request from the Legislature is not the total cost of the project. Robling said an additional $7 million in donations from private organizations and individuals has been pledged, along with revenue from the federal government’s Pittman-Robertson Act, which is funded by an 11% excise tax on rifle and ammunition sales and a 10% excise tax on handguns.

and..

GF&P operates 20 shooting ranges across the state. However, the vast majority are centered only on archery skills. Only seven include facilities for guns — one of which is in Fall River County near Hot Springs.

Read the entire story here.

The article is very detailed about what the project encompasses, and the steps the project must go through, but it’s a big deal for economic development, the second amendment and firearms ownership, and the preservation of the hunting tradition in the State.

The bill had previously gone successfully through the House Committee process, having been heard by Senate Ag & Natural Resources, and Senate Appropriations with almost no opposition.

Who is in favor?

A sponsor tells me today that he believes they have the votes to pass, but doesn’t want to take anything for granted.

In Committee the measure was backed by the Department of Game Fish and Parks, the National Rifle Association, the National Shooting Sports Foundation, the South Dakota Upland Outfitter Association, The SD Wildlife Federation, Elevate Rapid City, and close to 20 others.  In Committee, the bill was supported by Senators Gary Cammack, VJ Smith, Mary Duvall, Josh Klumb & Herman Otten. In Appropriations, the bill also found favor with Senators Brock Greenfield, Main Sponsor David Johnson, Jack Kolbeck, Maggie Sutton, John Wiik, Bryan Breitling, and Jean Hunhoff.

Who are the opponents to shooting sports?

In Senate Ag & Natural Resources committee, standing in opposition were a couple of local landowners, along with the Stockgrower’s lobbyist.  Senate Democrat Minority Leader Troy Heinert was joined by Republican Senator Julie Frye-Mueller who were the lone voices on the committee to try to kill the pro-2nd amendment bill. (Which probably won’t help Frye-Muleller’s rankings this year with both the NRA and Elevate Rapid City.)  When the measure was heard in Senate Appropriations, it was Senate Democrat Minority Whip Reynold Nesiba and Republican Senator Ryan Maher who opposed.

With a number of items on the calendar ahead of it, the bill should be heard late in session today, or early tomorrow. Which still gives you time to call your State Senator to encourage their support.

You can reach your State Senator at 605-773-3821 to leave a message for the attendant to deliver a note to your Senator to encourage their yes vote on this important bill.

You can also send them an e-mail (Link for e-mails here) to tell them to vote YES.

Barnett Announces Candidacy For Circuit Court Seat

Doug Barnett announces his candidacy today for the position of Second Judicial Circuit Court Judge. 

For nearly 20 years, Barnett has protected and served the residents of South Dakota as an Assistant Attorney General. In that role, he tirelessly sought the truth and pursuit of justice while making South Dakota a safer place to raise a family. Barnett has prosecuted hundreds of felony level cases throughout South Dakota including drug distribution, thefts, assaults, and over 15 homicides (one involving a double defendant capital murder case).

With the pending retirement of Circuit Judge Bradley Zell, Barnett seeks to continue his service to the people of Minnehaha and Lincoln counties. Barnett looks forward to continuing the strong legacy of Judge Zell, who served in that position for nearly 20 years.

“I believe that my experience and my commitment to public service, including my sense of fairness and justice for all involved in the court system, will serve me well in the role of Circuit Court judge,” Barnett said.

Barnett is a fourth generation Minnehaha County resident. He, his wife and their two children live in Sioux Falls. He is active as a volunteer at The Banquet, as a Scout leader, and enjoys outdoor activities including hunting and fishing with his family. He has served on a number of committees including the law school committee for the State Bar of South Dakota and at his childrens’ schools.

Headline:

Louisiana Doctor Indicted for Illegally Dispensing Over One Million Doses of Opioids and for $5.1 Million Health Care Fraud Scheme

WASHINGTON – A federal grand jury in New Orleans, Louisiana, returned an indictment on August 26, 2021 charging a Louisiana physician for his role in distributing over 1,200,000 doses of Schedule II controlled substances, including oxycodone and morphine, outside the scope of professional practice and not for a legitimate medical purpose, and for maintaining his clinic for the purpose of illegally distributing controlled substances. Today’s indictment also charges the physician with defrauding health care benefit programs, including Medicare, Medicaid, and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana, of more than $5,100,000, given that the opioid prescriptions were filled using health insurance benefits.

Read that here.

That’s not good. Maybe instead, we should try Government – The Taffy Howard Way:

Or Maybe Not.

As Russia continues an aggression campaign against its neighbor, this raises growing concerns across the globe and will have significant implications not just for Ukraine, but for the worldwide energy supply. If Russia invades Ukraine, Germany will withdrawal its approval of the Nord Stream 2, a natural gas pipeline that runs through the region. This pipeline is set to provide 15% of Europe’s natural gas. 

Currently, Russia supplies 39% of Europe’s natural gas, and the U.S. only supplies 3.5% of Europe’s supply. If Russia decides to withhold these energy resources from Europe, it could send the entire world energy market into a spiral, ballooning prices for all energy sources. 

While increased globalization has delivered goods and services where needed throughout history, times of war or conflict always highlight the need for national independence. We should be working towards domestic independence for essential commodities like food, natural gas, and oil. However, the unilateral decision President Biden made in the earliest days of his presidency to cancel the Keystone XL Pipeline hinders our ability to become energy independent. I don’t consider Russia and China our friend, and our reliance for essential commodities and goods is a vulnerability that we cannot afford. 

I support an all-of-the-above approach to energy independence using all forms of American energy including wind, nuclear, solar, biofuels, oil, natural gas, and other traditional fuels to bolster our supplies. Increasing the use of all energy sources not only reduces our reliance on foreign oil and lowers costs for working families, but also safeguards our environment by producing it under our terms. Our country had made tremendous strides in the amount of energy we are producing domestically – President Biden has set us back. 

At a time when most Americans are facing increased energy, electricity, natural gas, oil, and gasoline prices, an international dispute will dampen access to energy sources and will make prices even worse. 

Whatever the outcome of the Russia – Ukraine conflict, one thing we know for sure is the importance of improving our energy infrastructure to become a more independent country.

###

Are you better off than you were a year ago?  

Here in South Dakota, we can confidently say, “yes.” Unemployment is down and wages are up. The state economy continues to thrive. However, serious national economic concerns loom on the horizon. 

President Biden and his policies have caused inflation to rise to a level not seen in 40 years. South Dakotans have paid the price. Biden’s attacks on the energy industry — canceling the Keystone Pipeline and restricting drilling activity in the U.S. — has led to higher gas prices, just like we knew they would. In fact, it costs $5.40 more to fill up the average pickup in South Dakota than it did a month ago. And one year ago, it would have cost you $22.95 less than today to fill up. Those dollars add up quickly. 

The Biden-created supply chain crisis also shows no sign of abating. Both President Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau imposed vaccine policies on truckers, exacerbating the crisis. Moreover, their policies have not had their intended effect of slowing the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead, these policies have simply caused additional pain for American families.  

But wait—there is more! The Federal Reserve appears to realize the very real damage that inflation has caused, but its solution – raising interest rates – will only put more pressure on the family pocketbook. Perhaps the Federal Reserve has little choice, but it will certainly cause the economy to slow down further. Wall Street knows the road ahead, and the stock market has already dropped seven percent so far this year. 

These Biden-created challenges may stall the South Dakota economy or even cause it to reverse course. These Washington D.C. realities confront South Dakota elected state leaders as we plan our budget for Fiscal Year 2023 during this year’s legislative session. Moreover, we must also consider drought, decreased consumer demand, and the risk of unexpected natural disaster in planning a conservative state’s budget.   Plus, the well of federal stimulus dollars that began flowing in response to the pandemic will dry up too.  

South Dakota’s strong economy can only insulate us so much from these severe challenges. Experts recognize as much. The legislature’s own economists have warned that prudence and fiscal responsibility must guide us, just as they always have, as we plan for the future.  

Because we have taken the prudent approach during my time as Governor, we have kept taxes low and protected our AAA credit rating. We fully fund our pension — the No. 1 state in the nation for the least pension liability — and balance our budget every single year. We must continue our fiscally responsible approach. 

Unfortunately, just this week a few legislators chose to ignore the economic warning signs and the words of their experts, and instead they painted an overly optimistic vision of the economy with their projected state revenue estimates. They see South Dakota’s strong growth and assume it will continue forever at its current record-breaking pace.  

Let me be clear – South Dakota is in a far better position than other states because of the responsible approach that we have taken, because we stayed open for business, because people are visiting and moving to our state in huge numbers, and because new businesses moved here or expanded in South Dakota. But we are still a small state, and we must plan for the challenges that we see coming.  

When a farmer sees storm clouds on the horizon, she doesn’t say, “It will be fine. We have had a great year, so this storm cannot do any damage.” Instead, she makes sure she has the supplies to handle whatever comes. She checks the generators to ensure they work. And she brings the animals into the barn as necessary to make sure they are protected. Just like the weather, the economy can take a bad turn quickly, and we need to prepare for all scenarios. 

South Dakota’s economy is unquestionably better than it was a year ago, but that story is not true around the nation in other states. We did not cause the economic storm, but thanks to President Biden it is coming anyway. South Dakota needs to be ready.  

###

Thune on Fox Business: President Biden Condones Putin’s Pipeline, Kills American Energy
“[H]ow do you explain to the average American that [on] your first day in office you shut down the Keystone XL Pipeline, which brings energy from a friend, Canada, and gets it to places we need it in the United States, but when it comes to Nord Stream 2, you waive sanctions?”

Click here or on the picture above to watch the interview. 

NEW YORK, N.Y. — U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) today joined Larry Kudlow on Fox Business Network to discuss how the Biden administration and Democrats are handling Russia’s aggression, American energy production, and the rise in inflation that is continuing to burden American families with high costs on goods and services.

On how Democrats have handled Russia’s aggression around Ukraine: “It’s a very reactive position the administration’s been in … They keep saying, ‘well we’re gonna wait until [Putin] invades, then we’ll slap sanctions.’ Why would you do that?”  

On the sanctions package proposed by Senate Republicans: “The primary sanctions would hit them, the secondary sanctions would hit them really hard. And some of these financial sanctions that could be imposed could impose a real consequence to bad behavior.   “If [Putin] knew what the stakes were going [into a potential invasion], he wouldn’t be going in, and we should deter that.” 

On the White House ruling out certain financial sanctions on Russia: “I don’t think you ever tell a guy like Putin what you are not going to do. I mean, I don’t think you ever do that. And those sanctions honestly would be incredibly crushing to their economy, and I think that oughta be on the table. “And I don’t think you take any options off the table, really, at this point. This is historic, what we’re talking about. Huge ramifications, not just for the immediate region, but globally. And the world is watching.”  

On the Biden administration’s opposition to American energy compared to its support for Russian energy: “To me, how do you explain to the average American that [on] your first day in office you shut down the Keystone XL Pipeline, which brings energy from a friend, Canada, and gets it to places we need it in the United States, but when it comes to Nord Stream 2, you waive sanctions? “So you basically condone the Putin pipeline and kill American energy production.” 

On Democrats’ radical, far-left policies causing inflation: “In the middle of America, where people are actually having to pay the bills for this, there’s a political revolt building. I mean, I think the country is realizing how far out of the mainstream and how radical this agenda is, and what it means in terms of additional costs. “So you look at the average American family from year-over-year, since January of last year to this year, $3,500 more out of their pockets, just to pay for the things that they have to, you know, need to survive.  “That is a tax on everyone. And it hits lower-income and middle-income families the hardest.”

###

Hey – an update from the campaign trail, as I managed to snag a few of the items that the candidates are passing around when they meet and greet the voters. First Mark Mowry for Senate with the same recurring problem:

I haven’t seen a bumper sticker like that before, but it looks like a small batch, fairly expensive item. Which still does not have a disclaimer on it, much like his prior materials.  At some point, that could get expensive for him when the FEC catches wind. Assuming that he’s going to be around past March. I remain skeptical.

Next is the campaign piece Monae Johnson is distributing in her run for Secretary of State:

The front is ok, although the back is a bit of a mess and has no mention of her name whatsoever, and has a generic list of qualifications and some random photos. And there’s that other problem.

If you’re going to note that you have 8 years’ experience in the Secretary of State’s office towards the top of your list, and highlight “election integrity,” you probably shouldn’t violate South Dakota campaign finance law regarding disclaimers on campaign material. Because it doesn’t have one.

I’d throw this batch away and start over.

And here’s a piece I’ve been looking for. Steve Haugaard for Governor. And I’m not sure, but Steve Haugaard might have actually found a way to communicate blandness in print:

“Second Amendment: The 2nd Amendment confers an individual right.“

Hold me back. I’m not sure how I could have ever doubted Steve’s ability to defeat the most popular Republican in South Dakota for Governor with a scintillating chestnut like that.

Again, they managed to communicate these resume points in a manner which actually has me looking up more synonyms for bland – banal, boring, white-bread, flavorless, tedious, uninteresting…  This looks more like a job application that’s missing the EEOC disclosure.  Further illustrating one of the Haugaard campaign’s problems.

The palm card looks more like they’re just going through the motions of producing a palm card just for the sake of being able to say they have one. Because they’re not communicating anything resembling excitement or energy.

In this case, I would have used the first page for the bullets, and used the second one to explain why people should care he’s been in the legislature and what he’s accomplished, as opposed to writing “Serving since 2015.”

Hang on for more. At least until March 29th.