Greetings from Washington DC!
Update – it’s past 5 o’clock in Ireland, as I sit down for a cold harp at the Dubliner just off of Union Square:
I might be here a while.
Author: @SoDakCampaigns
Horror short right before Jurassic World in Sioux Falls
From a reader:
Hi Pat,
I’m an avid reader of your blog, and have posted a time or two.
I was taking in the new Jurassic World today with my son and was absolutely floored when a commercial for Annette (no last name needed) came on the screen. Had to be about 60 seconds long and was mostly about her “groundbreaking” work treating people with depression.
Thought you’d get a kick out it.
I know it’s a really, really bad thing to film the movie, but is it illegal to record the commercials in movie theaters? I wouldn’t want to get anyone in trouble. But I’d love to see all of it.
And find out if a disclaimer has been added about her services being “a limited time offer.”
US Senator John Thune’s Weekly Column: Putting Our Troops Ahead of Politics
Putting Our Troops Ahead of Politics
By Senator John Thune
Last fall, Senate Republicans promised that if we were elected to the majority, we would get the Senate working again for the American people. Getting the Senate working again was not a campaign slogan – it was a commitment.
For years under Democrat leadership in the Senate, basic legislative functions went overlooked. Waiting until the last minute to pass important bills became the norm, and casting political show votes rather than striking bipartisan agreements was a sad reality.
But times are changing, and there’s new leadership in the Senate. In just the first few months of the 114th Congress, the Senate has passed one bipartisan bill after another. We’ve already allowed more roll call votes on senators’ individual priorities in the past five months than Democrats allowed in all of 2014. Last month, the Senate passed a budget – that balances – and now we’re working toward funding our nation’s heroes.
Before any money can be appropriated, though, Congress must first authorize the federal government to spend it. For more than 50 years, the National Defense Authorization Act, which the Senate is now considering, has passed with strong bipartisan support. This year’s defense bill authorizes funding for our troops at the level requested by the president and provides key reforms that will strengthen our nation’s defense and improve training, benefits, and quality of life for our service members. It’s a strong, common-sense bill, and supporting it should be a no-brainer.
Unfortunately, Democrats are threatening to derail this year’s bill and its long track record of bipartisanship over demands to spend more federal money on nondefense programs. Incredibly, the president has gone as far as saying that he would veto this vital piece of legislation. That’s right: Democrats are prepared to block a bill that authorizes funding for our troops unless Republicans agree to hike federal spending on agencies like the IRS and EPA.
This bill is too important to get caught up in politics, and I hope my Democrat colleagues come to that realization, too. I’ll continue to fight for our men and women in uniform and send a clear message to the president that prioritizing politics at the expense of our preparedness and our active-duty military is not acceptable.
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US Senator Mike Rounds’ Weekly Column: Protecting our Troops by Reauthorizing NDAA
Protecting our Troops by Reauthorizing NDAA
By Senator Mike Rounds
June 12, 2015
During the eight years I worked as governor of South Dakota, I had the honor of serving as the commander-in-chief of South Dakota’s National Guard forces. My first term began in 2003, right at the start of the war in Iraq. I attended ceremonies for our military men and women as they deployed to active duty and welcomed them home upon their return. I ask that everyone continue to remember the families of those who made the ultimate sacrifice and did not return home. These brave men and women and their families sacrifice everything to protect America and the freedoms bestowed to us. We owe it to them to give our full support of their efforts.
As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, I joined an overwhelming majority of my colleagues to pass the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) of 2016 out of committee. Recognizing that the defense of our country is not a partisan issue, we came together to produce a bipartisan bill that supports our troops and provides them with the necessary tools to successfully accomplish their dangerous and demanding missions.
The NDAA legislation seeks to improve the quality of life for the men and women of our armed forces and their families and addresses the needs of our wounded, ill and injured service members. It also makes important reforms aimed at recruiting and retaining the all-volunteer force that has consistently defended our country for over four decades. And it cuts $10 billion in wasteful and duplicative spending, freeing up funds to develop and procure weapon systems of the future while also giving our troops in combat the resources they need today.
We also addressed the issue of the arbitrary spending caps in the NDAA. The Budget Control Act, which was passed in 2011, placed spending caps on the defense budget and threatens our troops with sequestration. But because this is the law of the land, we must abide by its rules until we are able to fix it. Fortunately, the members of the 112th Congress who passed the Budget Control Act recognized the importance of funding our servicemen and women, and included the “Overseas Contingency Operations” account in the Budget Control Act. NDAA includes money from this account to fully fund our armed forces.
Across the globe, military aggression and threats to our nation continue to emerge. The threats facing our country are multi-faceted, our enemies’ tactics ever-changing. New and dangerous weapons are getting into the hands of those who wish to do us harm. For these reasons, it is essential to properly equip our military men and women with the tools and support necessary to complete their missions.
The defense of our country should never be a partisan issue. Passing NDAA means that our military men and women are equipped with the tools they need to fight the enemy and defend the freedoms we too often take for granted here at home. The Senate has passed NDAA every year for the past five decades. This speaks to the importance that generations of Senate members have attached to passing the NDAA, despite ideological differences. I encourage my colleagues to continue that tradition and I hope the president will work with us. Our soldiers deserve nothing less.
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Congresswoman Kristi Noem’s Weekly Column: The Kind of Father My Husband Is
The Kind of Father My Husband Is
By Rep. Kristi Noem
June 12, 2015
Moms tend to notice things that don’t get done. I’ll admit it. I’m guilty. I can drive in the driveway and see that the yard needs to be mowed or the fences painted. I’ll walk in the house and see the pile of shoes by the door or the laundry that needs to be folded. Moms tend to be multi-taskers; only able to relax when everything is put away, kids are clean, and animals fed. And if we are tired or overwhelmed, you will hear us say “Honey, will you?”
At our house, Bryon completes many of our chores. I am gone most weeks to DC and he is left to handle all things related to work, kids, the ranch, and the house until I come home on the weekend. I know that I am blessed to have a husband who recognizes how wonderful it is for me to come home to a clean house and tended family – and he tries to make that happen.
But what makes me love him more each day is to come home to happy children. You see, I married Bryon because I loved him and wanted to build a life with him, but at the time, I really had no idea what kind of a father he would be. I had a sneaking suspicion he would be a great dad because he has a wonderful father who is a great role model. Bryon loves the Lord and understands the responsibility that God gives to men leading their families. As the years went by and the kids were born, his actions revealed to me how he viewed fatherhood. He served.
He gave Kassidy her first bath. In fact, my mom came to stay with us for a few days after Kassidy was born and soon she came to me and said, “I might as well go home. Bryon won’t let me do anything.”
When Kennedy was a baby, she had reflux so bad, everyone was reluctant to hold her because of the spit up bath she was sure to give them. But her dad held her constantly and thought it was “cute.”
Booker was such a sick little boy with so many breathing problems that he needed multiple inhalers, medications, and constant trips to the hospital. Bryon prayed over him every night, asking God to heal our little boy.
When you look at our family home videos, you will find they were all taken by Bryon. I’m not sure it ever occurred to me to document those busy years. Yet there are hours and hours of video of the kids playing, talking, and sometimes just watching TV! It is almost as if he knew how special those moments were and wanted to save them for me to enjoy when I decided to slow down enough to appreciate them.
His gifts to our children are not often material. They are not fancy or over the top. But he gives our children so much more. Bryon teaches them the importance of hard work, independence, the value of the dollar and responsibility, while also making sure they know they are special, unique and loved.
When I stop to really think about what his busy weeks must be like when he is running his business, coaching athletic teams, organizing the kids’ schedules, keeping the house running and remembering to buy milk, I remember how blessed I am. And when I get home and hear the stories of the week and listen to my children’s laughter in the retelling, I thank God for the father He gave to Kassidy, Kennedy and Booker.
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Governor Daugaard’s Weekly Column: Studying South Dakota’s Education System With An Open Mind
Studying South Dakota’s Education System With An Open Mind
A column by Gov. Dennis Daugaard:
South Dakotans all share three goals for our education system. First, we want a quality system of schools focused on student success. Second, we want a workforce of great teachers. Finally, we want an efficient, equitable funding system that supports those goals.
Earlier this year, I joined with legislative leaders to create the Blue Ribbon Task Force on Teachers and Students. This task force will seek public input, collect and analyze data, and make recommendations to the 2016 State Legislature for reform.
The first step has already begun. Over the past couple of months, task force members have been holding meetings to seek public input. They have met with teachers and administrators, parents, business people and interested members of the public. The agenda is simple: the task force is there to listen.
Over the next couple of weeks, several more meetings are being held so that members of the public can offer input. An up-to-date schedule of public input meetings is available at blueribbon.sd.gov. Citizens can also email their input to the task force at that site. I encourage all South Dakotans to take advantage of these opportunities to participate in the process.
So far, these public meetings demonstrate the value that South Dakotans place on education. They want to have the people, facilities and resources to provide a quality education to our young people. Many ideas and suggestions have come forward – everything from a longer school year, to consolidation or sharing among small districts, to differential pay for high-demand teaching fields, to increased funding through a new tax.
Ideas like these can be controversial and I know they will lead to more discussion. That is why I have asked the task force to consider all viewpoints, honestly consider all available data and use good judgment as it recommends reforms. This process does not have a predetermined outcome and, at this point, no options should be taken off the table.
I hope everyone will wait to judge the process until it ends, and will consider the task force’s recommendations with an open mind. That is what I will do.
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AG, Law enforcement on Pot legalization ballot proposal – Only if the FDA, Doctor & Pharmacist are in the equation.
Attorney General Marty Jackley is interviewed in today’s Argus Leader regarding the proposed pot legalization measure being proposed for the ballot, and he succinctly sums up the problem these measures always tend to have:
Attorney General Marty Jackley said he would only support medical marijuana legalization if the treatments were backed by the FDA, if prescriptions can be written only by physicians, and if products can be only dispensed by a pharmacy.
“I do hope that medicine may reach a point in which some form of marijuana or THC can safely be prescribed under a doctor’s care for treatment,” Jackley said.
and…
Sioux Falls Police Chief Doug Barthel is against legalizing marijuana for medical use. He thinks most groups pushing for medical marijuana are just looking for a way around the law to use it for recreation.
“I certainly sympathize with the very small percentage of people who have illnesses and ailments that marijuana has been able to help,” Barthel. “I think there is certainly an opening to get some sort of FDA approval for that to get them help.”
And that’s one of the eternal problems with things grown in a dude’s closet under grow-lights. It’s not medicine.
There’s a good article from Men’s Health in 2013 which reviews many of the problems with it’s use as such, and explains why we’re a long time off in even considering it as such:
“I think we have to be real about what that’s all about,” says Dr. Friedmann. “It’s really about legalization—not the health benefits or risks.” Sure, tobacco and alcohol—which are both legal—harm many more people than cannabis, but we don’t use them as medicines, Dr. Friedmann adds. “During Prohibition, one of the few ways to get alcohol was by prescription, and some unscrupulous doctors and clinics made good money—just as they are for medical marijuana.”
So could the pot you pick up with a medical marijuana card ease anxiety like many people claim it does? “It could,” says Dr. ElSohly. “But it could also exacerbate it.”
You don’t actually need much THC to see medicinal benefits. But street pot—as well as pot sold in dispensaries—is just getting more potent. Dr. ElSohly and his team at Ole Miss track the THC content in confiscated marijuana in this country. “In the 1970s, the THC content was around 1 or 2 percent,” he says as he shows me weed sent to the lab from the Drug Enforcement Administration after a raid. “Today it’s more like 11 or 12 percent.”
Why that matters: It’s the lowest dose of Marinol—2.5 milligrams of THC —that works best for appetite stimulation in HIV patients, Dr. ElSohly says. This is equivalent to smoking about a half-gram joint at 1 percent THC. The same thing goes for a good high: A 2007 Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics study found that of 1.7, 3.4, and 6.8 percent THC pot, most people preferred the experience from the 3.4 percent weed. What you won’t read in that study is that it was originally designed to include 8 percent THC weed, but “even the most experienced marijuana smokers couldn’t tolerate it,” Dr. ElSohly explains. “So what the heck do you want more THC than that for?”
Look at the Colorado population using marijuana for pain, Dr. ElSohly says. “It’s mostly youth—people who should be pain free.” It takes him about a minute to stand up—he’s wincing again. “I have back pain right now, but I’m not about to smoke marijuana for it. You know what I’m saying?”
Is there research being done? Yes. But as you can read for yourself, it’s showing many problems in delivery methods, absorption and dosage. Things are a long way off, at best. Not exactly the basis for a state approving the ‘wonder medicine’ du jour.
The organizer of the ballot measure claims that only 150 people statewide would be affected by the measure. So does that number justify setting up new levels of bureaucracy in the state health department to justify bypassing physicians, pharmacies and the FDA?
The AG and law enforcement doesn’t think so. And they’ll be the ones left to clean up the mess if it passes.
Rapid City School Board to legislators who opposed opt-out: And your plan is…?
The Rapid City School Board is waiting for the plan from legislators who waded neck deep in the local election and opposed the proposed opt-out as a group:
“It really hurts, because now we’re back to the only thing we can do, and that’s start cutting programs and start cutting staff,” Hansen says. “You know, because 85 percent of your budget is always staff.”
Hansen and other supporters of the opt-out say they now expect those who opposed it to present meaningful alternatives.
District 35 state Rep. Lynne DiSanto of Rapid City wants to do that, beyond tax hikes.
“We really would like to have all things on the table, besides just a tax increase,” DiSanto says. “We really would like to look more comprehensively at some options for school funding.”
DiSanto joined three other Black Hills lawmakers in a press conference against the opt out the day before the vote. Hansen says that put the burden on them to have a plan.
“I can’t believe they don’t already have it,” he said.
What’s your thoughts on it?
Politically, did the group of legislators step into the middle of a mess, given any problem solving they can provide is seven or eight months into the future and contingent on the other 101 legislators?
And will the school district be pointing fingers at them, and calling it ‘their fault’ when they cut things like band and football?
Gov. Daugaard Names Additional Members To Blue Ribbon Task Force
Gov. Daugaard Names Additional Members To Blue Ribbon Task Force
PIERRE, S.D. – Gov. Dennis Daugaard today announced the appointment of thirteen new members to the Blue Ribbon Task Force.
“I joined with legislators to create the Blue Ribbon Task Force because all South Dakotans want to ensure that we have a school funding system that provides a great education to our young people, based on great teachers,” said the Governor. “There was strong interest in participating in this task force, and I thank these appointees for committing their time and thoughtful consideration to this important issue.”
The new task force members are:
· Dave Davis, Rapid City – member of the Rapid City Area School District Board of Education
· Dr. Becky Guffin, Aberdeen – superintendent of Aberdeen School District
· Vicki Harmdierks, Mitchell – principal of Gertie Belle Rogers Elementary School
· LuAnn Lindskov, Timber Lake – math and science teacher at Timber Lake High School and 2013 South Dakota Teacher of the Year
· Dr. Brian Maher, Sioux Falls – incoming superintendent of Sioux Falls School District
· DeLon Mork, Madison
· Steven O’Brien, Watertown – English teacher at Watertown High School
· Erik Person, Burke – superintendent of Burke School District
· Beth Pietila, Yankton
· Dr. Michael Rush, Pierre – incoming executive director of SD Board of Regents
· Jim Scull, Rapid City
· Eric Stroeder, Mobridge – member of Mobridge School District Board of Education and incoming president of Associated School Boards of South Dakota
· Kevin Tetzlaff, Brookings
These appointees will join the 13 members named earlier this year, to complete the 26-member task force.
The Blue Ribbon Task Force will continue to hold public input meetings throughout the summer. Beginning in July, the entire task force will meet to consider public input, analyze data and discuss ideas for reform. The task force will make recommendations to Gov. Daugaard and to the 2016 State Legislature.
Learn more about the Blue Ribbon Task Force and view the schedule of upcoming meetings at blueribbon.sd.gov.
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Congresswoman Noem: Setting the Record Straight on TPA
from Congresswoman Kristi Noem:
Setting the Record Straight on TPA
First and foremost, Washington uses far too many abbreviations and they can get misconstrued, so let’s start with some definitions…
TPA = Trade Promotion Authority. This is what the U.S. House is expected to vote on this Friday. It defines congressional objectives and priorities for the administration to follow when negotiating trade agreements (more on this below). TPA is not a new power being sought by the President. In fact, nearly every president since FDR has had TPA. The legislative text for TPA is available here.
TPP = Trans Pacific Partnership. This is the name of a trade agreement that the U.S. is negotiating with 11 other countries. The U.S. has been negotiating this since the Bush administration. There is no vote scheduled on TPP and there won’t be until all of the countries involved finalize negotiations and the public has been able to review it for at least 60 days (assuming TPA passes, that is).
There is a lot of misinformation floating around about what the U.S. House of Representatives is voting on this week. Let’s set the record straight…
Myth: Congress is voting this week on a trade agreement.
Fact: This week, Congress is expected to vote on TPA – a bill that would set congressional parameters on any ongoing trade negotiations, including TPP.
TPA is in no way a trade agreement. Instead, TPA allows Congress to help set the rules for trade negotiations and lays out objectives of what a good trade deal looks like for America. This helps ensure greater transparency throughout the negotiating process by empowering Congress to conduct vigorous oversight and hold the administration accountable.
Myth: Congress will have to pass TPA to see what is in it.
Fact: TPA’s legislative language has been publicly available for nearly two months. You can find a copy of the bill Congress will be voting on here.
We know exactly what TPA will do and we have for quite some time. As a member of the House Ways and Means Committee, Rep. Noem helped edit the TPA bill that the House is expected to vote on this week. On April 23 in a public hearing, she joined members of that Committee in clearing the legislative language for consideration by the full House.
Myth: TPP is being negotiated with a dangerous and unprecedented level of secrecy (and TPA lets that happen).
Fact: While TPP negotiating documents are available to Members of Congress, they are not fully available to the general public right now because there is no finalized agreement to review. This is common during negotiations like this. That being said, the final text would be available online for 60 days before it’s even sent to Congress for its consideration, assuming TPA is in place. This 60-day review period is mandated by the pending TPA legislation.
It is false to say that TPP negotiations have been secretive. The USTR and Congress have met nearly 1,700 times in the last five years to discuss TPP negotiations. Key congressional committees – including the House Ways and Means Committee of which Rep. Noem is a member – have also received previews of various TPP proposals before the U.S. Trade Representative took them to our trading partners.
With TPA in place, the general public will have online access to the final version of any trade agreement, including TPP, 60 days before that agreement is sent to Congress. Earlier drafts are not made public in this way, because revealing draft proposals before a deal is struck emboldens our opposition, undermines our negotiating positions, and exposes negotiators to public scrutiny over provisions that might not even be in a final deal. We need to keep the upper hand to get the best deal for America.
Myth: TPA gives the President new and unlimited powers.
Fact: TPA gives Congress greater powers, while putting dozens of strict negotiating parameters on the President.
The President already has the authority to negotiate a trade agreement under the Constitution, but TPA enables Congress to be part of the process. If TPA is established, Congress is telling the administration: If a trade agreement is to get the privilege of an up-or-down vote in Congress, you must follow our rules and instructions, keep us in the loop, and remember that we have the last say. As a result, Congress maintains total control over the international trade authority granted to it by Article I, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution.
Additionally, TPA in no way obligates Congress to approve TPP or any other trade agreement. If this administration violates the parameters we’ve set, Congress can revoke TPA. And if he follows the parameters and we still don’t like the agreement, Congress has the power to vote it down.
Myth: TPP is a secret backdoor to achieve the President’s political agenda.
Fact: The TPA bill specifically bars the President from enacting any changes to U.S. law.
Many have tried to claim that TPA will allow the President to bypass Congress and use the TPP as a backdoor to lawlessly expand immigration, curtail gun rights, or restrict Internet freedom, among other things. That is false. The Constitution is clear: only Congress can change U.S. law. TPA further reinforces that with additional restraints on the President.
MYTH: Trade agreements destroy U.S. jobs.
FACT: Expanding markets for American exports will fuel stronger economic growth and create jobs.
95 percent of the world’s consumers live outside our borders. Our growth is limited if our products can’t reach those consumers on a level playing field. Trade supports 124,000 jobs in South Dakota. It enables South Dakota to export $3.7 billion in goods and $1.3 billion in services annually through more than 970 exporters. It has a huge impact on our economy, and with lower trade barriers, those opportunities only grow. If we don’t expand our opportunities through trade agreements, other countries (like China) will fill the void.
Still looking for more information? Here are some helpful links.
Summary of Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities and Accountability Act of 2015
Overview of the Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities and Accountability Act of 2015
Frequently Asked Questions
Updates to TPA in 2015
Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities and Accountability Act of 2015
Conservative Support for TPA
Section-by-Section Summary
Report