Author: @SoDakCampaigns

So a friend sent this to me tonight….

For some reason, State Rep. Tom Pischke is in a hurry to find out the results of the convention that just finished up a few hours ago.

Well, wait no more, as shortly after everyone has traveled back home, the SDGOP has released the list of those who have been selected to go to the Republican National Convention.

And while Rep. Pischke is spending his time tweaking the party to hurry up, guess who didn’t make the list of attendees…

Tom might want to go ahead and cancel that GoFundMe page, and send Trevor and others back their cash, because he wasn’t chosen to go.

Congratulations to every one who was chosen to go as an alternate or delegate – I’ll be looking forward to joining you in Jacksonville in August!

With a combination of people videoing in, as well as appearing live, the 2020 GOP State Convention is certainly interesting, as it has kicked off via Zoom. There’s a local group in Sioux Falls, Pierre, Rapid City and elsewhere, but most have joined from home via Zoom Meeting.

Despite technical glitches as people seek to mute/unmute, it’s actually been fairly smooth despite the unfamiliarity of many with the electronic process, and the GOP Team has done a nice job.

Governor Noem and others have sent Video Messages…

And half of the fun is watching people who have their live video going..

I of course had to show my Zoom prowess and change my background…

More coming!

Here’s an interesting post from the Sioux Falls Politics Facebook Group. Matt Paulson from the Sioux Falls Politics group notes that as part of her recount request, ‘Terrible’ Theresa Stehly is asking for ballots to be counted that are are not eligible under South Dakota State Law:

What do you think? How does that affect Theresa’s chances?

While everyone is still knocking the sleep out of their eyes, the State Republican Party organizers have been at it for a while already, as I found when I arrived early this AM to help put a sign back up on the door:

GOP Political Director Dave Roetman is deep in thought as he’s responding to requests flooding his e-mail box..

Professional event planner and 2020 GOP Convention organizer Ellie Highstreet is running on adrenaline and caffeine as she works out the last minute kinks to make sure everything goes smoothly!  This is Ellie’s second GOP Convention, as she also organized the 2018 GOP Convention in Pierre.

More to come!

A Message to South Dakota Dads: Happy Father’s Day
By Governor Kristi Noem 

Strong families are often built around strong dads. I was so blessed to grow up with a strong dad, a cowboy. But as you probably know, we lost my dad in a farm accident when I was 22. That tragedy lives with me always, but so does his memory and all the lessons he gave me and my siblings before he died.

For example, he was adamant about getting up in the morning and tackling the day, reminding us that more people die in bed than anywhere else. Despite plenty of groaning, my kids got to learn this lesson too.

There was also his work ethic and drive – both of which were second to none.  And his insatiable entrepreneurial spirit – buying up land starting when he was just a boy. Despite whatever tough time we were dealing with, he would say, “Never sell the land, because God isn’t making any more of it.”

Another thing he would do is make sure we were always paying attention to the small details and doing the right thing – no matter how trivial. Whether it was taking care of the cattle or keeping bags of feed stored appropriately, it didn’t matter – there was a right way and wrong way to do it. He insisted on doing it the right way.

There was also his regular doling out of impossible things to accomplish for me and my siblings. It was through these tasks that we learned how to problem solve. He’d remind us, “you don’t complain about things; you fix them.”

This brings me to the biggest lesson he taught me. There is no institution in the state more important than the family. We are blessed with great families in South Dakota. Whatever your family looks like, parents, brothers and sisters, grandparents, make sure you’re a strong family.

This Father’s Day, take some time to thank your dad for his influence in your life. We may not always realize the impact that fathers have at the time, but the lessons they teach us last a lifetime.

Dad’s life lessons live on in me and also now all of my kids, Kassidy, Kennedy, and Booker. That wouldn’t be possible, of course, without Bryon. To Bryon, and all the Dads out there, Happy Father’s Day!

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Investing in the Future of Agriculture
By Sen. John Thune 

Unlike the majority of the economy, which was thriving before the coronavirus pandemic, the agriculture economy had been struggling for a while. Low prices, extended trade disputes, and natural disasters had meant a tough few years for farmers and ranchers even before the coronavirus hit. Now things are even more challenging.

Agriculture is the lifeblood of South Dakota, so supporting farmers and ranchers during this crisis has been one of my top priorities. I fought to get agriculture relief money included in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act – the CARES Act – which was signed into law in late March. The final bill included $14 billion to replenish the Commodity Credit Corporation to allow the Department of Agriculture to provide income and price support for farmers and ranchers, plus an additional $9.5 billion in emergency support for agriculture producers affected by the pandemic.

Over the past few months, I’ve kept in frequent contact with the Department of Agriculture and others to amplify producers’ concerns and urge swift relief. I’ve also been focused on developing additional legislation to help farmers and ranchers weather this crisis.

I recently introduced legislation to allow emergency haying and grazing on Conservation Reserve Program acres for the duration of this crisis. Under current law, agriculture producers can hay or graze their CRP acres during weather-related disasters without a reduction in their CRP payments. My legislation would extend that provision to cover pandemics, including the COVID-19 pandemic.

I also introduced the Paycheck Protection for Producers Act, which will help more farmers and ranchers benefit from the Paycheck Protection Program. The coronavirus relief legislation we passed in late March established the Paycheck Protection Program, which provides forgivable loans to small businesses to help them keep their employees on their payroll during this crisis. Self-employed Americans, which describes many farmers and ranchers, are eligible for these loans. But in practice, the program’s guidelines have excluded a lot of agriculture producers.

Low commodity prices and a challenging planting season meant that many farmers and ranchers had a negative net income in 2019. And right now the program’s guidelines exclude farmers or ranchers without employees with a negative net income for last year. My legislation would allow more farmers to access the Paycheck Protection Program by allowing them to use their 2019 gross income instead of their 2019 net income when applying for a loan.

In addition to direct relief, another thing we can do to support our nation’s agriculture producers is to support the ethanol industry, which has stepped up to help during the coronavirus crisis by providing ethanol, or alcohol, for hand sanitizer. I imagine there are few Americans who haven’t significantly stepped up their purchase of hand sanitizer during the current crisis. To help us meet this need, I introduced the Hand Sanitizer Guidance Extension Act of 2020. Put simply, my bill will extend the Food and Drug Administration’s temporary ethanol-based hand sanitizer guidance for at least two years. This will give ethanol producers that have made investments or changes in operations to meet the need for hand sanitizer a longer time to recoup those costs.

To further improve the bottom line of ethanol operators, I also introduced bipartisan legislation to override Environmental Protection Agency inaction that has blocked producers from using their investments at scale to make cellulosic biofuel. Advancing corn kernel fiber registrations, for example, will add value to the corn crop and help increase margins until fuel demand is restored and our economy rebounds.

The coronavirus crisis has highlighted just how much we rely on our nation’s agriculture producers. I am grateful every day for their work. And advocating for them will continue to be one of my top priorities. I am committed to helping our farmers and ranchers through the challenges they’re facing and seeing our nation’s agriculture economy thrive.

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We Need Dads
By Rep. Dusty Johnson

I knew becoming a parent would be an incredible moment, but I’m not sure one can ever be fully prepared to become a father. There are responsibilities not only to help with homework and make sure kids get to their ball games, but the more important responsibilities – like raising great men and women.

I’m far from a perfect father. I lose my temper too often. I can be preoccupied with work. I embarrass my sons with my old-fashioned jokes and behavior. But, for all my weaknesses as a father, I am still present in the lives of my sons. That makes a big difference.

According to a 2019 Census report, 20.2% of American dads, or approximately 7 million, are “absent” dads – meaning these men play no significant role in the lives of their minor children. This leaves nearly 20 million children without dads in the home.

Data shows these kids, through no fault of their own, are 400% more likely to live in poverty and they are 200% more likely to drop out of high school. We all know the statistics. Dropping out of high school means that individual will earn, on average, half of a what a technical school or college graduate earns.

I know there are many issues that can complicate the efforts of fathers to be involved in the lives of their children. Sometimes courts, the other parent, substance abuse, or behavioral health issues make it difficult or perhaps impossible. But fathers matter, and the data makes it clear that we need to do better.

So what can we do to fix this systemic problem? We need to expect more from fathers, and we should encourage them to be active in the lives of their children, and in the workplace. We should require able-bodied men on welfare to have a job or participate in educational and training opportunities to receive benefits. We should make sure we are rallying around our friends and family who may find themselves with an unplanned pregnancy. We can step in and help fill the role of fathers, as best as we can, for children who have been targets of domestic abuse or violence. We can participate in mentorship programs in our communities. We can also celebrate the great fathers in our lives and remember the fathers who are no longer with us – because it certainly isn’t an easy job.

Thinking about my young sons becoming fathers later in life makes my responsibility of raising them to be good humans even greater – and Father’s Day serves as a good reminder. I hope you and your families enjoy this Father’s Day and use the day to remember the roles each one of us play in helping shape the next generation of fathers.

I’m not convinced electric cars will be running well in Jan/Feb in Brookings when it’s 40 or 50 degrees below zero. But, their use in town was just made a little bit easier with the opening of the first electric car charging station in town:

In case you wanted to read the direct source of the story discussing State Rep. Tom Pischke arguing against Juneteenth and Native American day, Lisa Kaczke of the Argus Leader has screen shots of them on Twitter:

pic.twitter.com/eGXfveJnSh

— Lisa Kaczke (@LisaKaczke) June 18, 2020

Here’s something very interesting though.. When I went back to screen clip it myself… Representative Pischke’s quip about Native American Day?

…it no longer appears… and seems to have mysteriously “vanished” from the original facebook discussion.