Author: @SoDakCampaigns

Jackley: U.S. Court of Appeals Denies Stay of Preliminary Injunction in State Challenge to Presidential Executive Order Powers on Immigration

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U.S. Court of Appeals Denies Stay of Preliminary Injunction in State Challenge to Presidential Executive Order Powers on Immigration

PIERRE, S.D. – Attorney General Marty Jackley announced on Tuesday that U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals has denied the Obama administration’s request to begin implementation of his suspension of immigration laws. South Dakota joined 26 State Attorneys General and Governors in December 2014 in a lawsuit challenging the executive action set forth by President Obama, which exceeds his authority on immigration reform.

“This case is about following the rule of law. The President’s unilateral action would have forced the States to expend substantial resources on law enforcement, healthcare, and education without any voice. It is time for Washington to have a meaningful discussion on immigration reform that addresses the workforce needs of the States and immigrants as well as our national security,” said Jackley.

On November 20, 2014, the President of the United States announced that he would unilaterally suspend immigration laws as applied to 4 million of the 11 million undocumented immigrants in the United States. In addition, the Secretary for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a directive that legalizes the presence of approximately 40% of the known undocumented immigrant population, and afford them legal rights and benefits. The Federal Court has enjoined the President from “implementing any and all aspects or phases of the expansions.”

The States argued the President was abdicating his responsibility to faithfully enforce laws that were duly enacted by Congress and attempting to rewrite laws, which he had no authority to do – something the President himself had previously admitted. This executive action conflicts with the President’s constitutional duty to “take care that the laws be faithfully executed.” There was no cost to South Dakota in joining the State challenge which was led by Texas Attorney General.

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Rounds Statement on WOTUS Final Rule

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RoundsPressHeader

Rounds Statement on WOTUS Final Rule

MikeRounds official SenateWASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, made the following statement on the administration’s Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) final rule, which was announced today. Last month, Rounds joined his colleagues in introducing bipartisan legislation to curb the effects of WOTUS.

“The WOTUS rule is a broad expansion of federal jurisdiction that infringes on private landowners’ rights throughout South Dakota,” said Rounds. “It goes far beyond what congress intended to be a traditional waterway under which EPA has regulatory oversight. Farmers and ranchers are rightly concerned about the compliance costs this misguided rule could have on their operations.”

“This underscores the need for a formal process to rein in overzealous regulators to make sure the rules are following congressional intent.  It is yet another example of unelected, unaccountable bureaucrats overstepping their boundaries and stretching the law – leaving the American people to suffer with the consequences. My RESTORE resolution, which I introduced last week, would lead to a permanent solution to this regulation without representation.”

More information about RESTORE is available here.

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Thune sends blistering letter to TSA on missing badges. I’m not sure I want to fly anytime soon.

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US Senator John Thune notes that while the Transportation Security Administration is busy seeing us all naked, they’re losing security badges left and right:

John_Thune,_official_portrait,_111th_CongressSenator John Thune fired off a blistering letter to TSA officials demanding answers regarding missing, lost or stolen SIDA (Secured Identification Display Area) badges that can be used by employees to gain access to secure areas at airports.

“Clearly there are an awful lot of things falling through the cracks and there’s just no room for an error when it comes to this issue. We need answers. They’re not providing them.”

Thune, who chairs the Transportation Committee, said previous answers from the agency had actually raised more questions than answers.

The concern follows reports that more than 270 badges went missing at the San Diego International Airport in the last two years and more than 1,400 badges missing from Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.

Read it all here.

Ugh. Yeah, I’m not so sure I want to fly anytime soon.  (But I do appreciate that Senator Thune is demanding answers from the people who pat us down.)

Quick Notes for 5/27/15

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I’ve got an office meeting here in a few minutes, but I wanted to note a few items briefly:

* The Dakota Access Pipeline has it’s first hearing in the colder Dakota this week, as the North Dakota PUC will start it’s meetings on the project, which is slated to run under 275 miles of South Dakota prairie. This pipeline is designed to move Bakken Crude to Illinois, destined for refineries in the eastern part of the country.

Both the Dakota Access pipeline, AND the Keystone XL pipeline, are good for energy prices, and energy security. (On Keystone, Canada is a much friendlier energy partner to the US than middle eastern countries.)

* There might be one less election this morning in Aberdeen. Maybe. Yesterday had Cory Heidelberger throwing the towel in for his City Commission contest, and pulling out 1 week before the election. (Likely in the face of groans over his carpetbagging into the community.)

But, not so fast. It gets better. Here’s the chain of events: Cory moved to Aberdeen Feb 2. Registered to vote Feb 3. Turned in petitions before April 1. Backing out of race May 26 for race that’s supposed to happen 1 week later.  But don’t forget April 18th…. which should have been the 46th day before the election, when I believe ballots were printed, and voting began for absentees.

How exactly does one withdraw from an election where people have been voting for around 6 weeks?

* Closing arguments in the Annette Bosworth trial begin this afternoon, and the fate of Bosworth will rest in the hands of Hughes County jurors, as they weigh whether or not she is guilty of her admittedly claiming circulation of petitions whose signatures she didn’t witness.  Watch KELOland as it happens live. 

A tale of two parties, and the case for vigilance and activism for the GOP faithful.

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I came across this as I was looking for something to write about today. And to me, it makes a good case for getting out there and getting involved. Because it all can be taken away at a moment’s notice.

I was looking at the SDGOP’s May 2015 FEC Report for their federal account, which indicated $11,997 Raised. $17,609 spent. And $21,134 cash on hand.

SDGOP May 2015 FEC Report

In comparison, South Dakota Democrats filed a report with different figures:

SDDP 2015 May FEC Report

$47,149 raised. $18,737 spent, and $59,113 cash on hand.

Wait, what?

Before you start getting excited, that doesn’t tell the whole story. $15,000 of what Dems reported was transferred in from party and committee sources. And these are just the reports from the federal accounts. State Year end reports from the SDGOP had them at $32,923 cash on hand as compared to the Democrat’s $14,047. And state accounts tend to be where a lot of the day to day stuff happens, especially for the SDGOP who holds all state offices, as well as a strong majority in each house of the state legislature.

However, it’s worth noting that it should serve as an item for Republicans to keep in the back of their heads as we move through the doldrums of the off year.

All we’ve done together – all we’ve accomplished – can be taken away in the blink of an eye if we become too complacent. We hold all state offices, and all but 20 state legislative seats. And I don’t suspect Democrats like that fact.

If we think back, it wasn’t that long ago when Democrats held all federal offices. In the last 20 years or so, Democrats held a majority in the State Senate for one term.  Unless there are those who want that to happen, the figures posted by Democrats in their last FEC report should be a call to the rest of us to shake off the dust that’s gathered since November of 2014, and to get to work.  Go to the SDGOP web site or contact your local Republican Party County Chairman or legislator and volunteer, make a donation, or otherwise get involved to make it happen.

It’s our party. And win or lose, it’s what we make of it. So, get involved.

Former Mike Myers Campaign ‘Manager’ and Annette Bosworth defender Tara Volesky running for Mitchell School Board.

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The headline at the MItchell Daily Republic screams “Volesky running ‘to get politics out of education.”  That’s kind of funny, I thought it should have said ‘running to get education out of politics,’ as anyone who would involve themselves with Annette Bosworth after her arrest might be lacking some basic information:

No stranger to campaigning, Volesky also ran for mayor three years ago and school board two years ago.

Volesky, who moved to Mitchell in 2006, graduated from Mobridge High School. She then obtained a bachelor’s degree in education from Brigham Young University, with a minor in gerontology and a teaching certification, though she noted she is no longer certified.

She worked at the now-closed Huron University for several years, and has been a substitute teacher at Huron and Mitchell’s schools. She and her husband, Ron, have four children, all of whom have graduated from Mitchell High School. Their youngest, Taylor, graduated this year.

An outspoken critic of the school board’s decision to build a new fine arts center, Volesky said, if elected, her primary goal would be to stop that process from going forward.

 

Read it all here.

Dakotazfreepress open for business. At least since March.

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I had this pointed out to me tonight.  Which came first? dakotafreepress.com, or dakotazfreepress.com.

One represents nonsensical ramblings about politics and Annette Bosworth, and attacks Marty Jackley. The other one looks like it’s written by Bosworth allies themselves. And also attacks Attorney General Jackley.

Dakotazfreepress.com, subtitled “Free the Dakotaz with News That’s NOT Paid to Shut Up,” has posts dating back through part of last year, and nonsensically is against a number of things, including fluoridation, Avera McKennan, Ciribank and Marty Jackley among others. It boasts a number of posts dating back to September 2014.

You look at it, and at first blush, you wonder if its parody. But then it gets into the same old attacks we’ve been seeing for months from the Bosworth camp. It’s chock full of ridiculous voter fraud claims citing Robot Bee doomsayer Lori Stacey, and I have my suspicions where it comes from, especially given its  support of Bosworth and attacks on Marty Jackley.

When you look to see who owns it through a Whois search, as expected, it’s a private registration.  But it does reveal another tidbit:

Despite showing posts going back to September 2014, dakotazfreepress.com has only been around since the end of March. So, they actually falsified posts to make them look 6 months older than they really are.
So, another fake website? Just another episode of nuttiness swirling around the Bosworth trial.

dakotafoodie.com re-launching soon….

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While I wait for 2-years’ worth of WordPress updates to complete, and get ready to go to my daughter dakotafoodie“Red’s” High School graduation (yes, she’s one of my gingers), I’m happy to announce that I’m re-launching the SDWC’s long ago intended sister web site “Dakotafoodie.com.”

I think Summer is a great time to be doing this, and sheer providence had me talking with an interested co-writer today. And I already lined up a feature article to do. So, why not?

As we kick things off, if you have an interesting thought for an article, an idea, or a recipe to submit for the web site, e-mail me here.

Steve Allender comes off as a jerk in this morning’s Rapid City Journal.

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It’s been a long and interesting campaign for Mayor of Rapid City this year. Early on, I think conventional wisdom was that Mayor Sam Kooiker might have a tough go of it this time around. I’d talked to people that thought that “Sam fatigue” had set in, as it does for many multiple term officials, and that Steve Allender was an attractive alternative.

What a difference a few months make.

Sam has always been known as a hard working campaigner who has faced tough and well-funded competition. And this election hasn’t been any different. But the last month has seen a slow motion imploding of the Allender effort, and in it’s latest effort this morning, we have a double-barreled helping of Allender coming off as a jerk.

Allender’s slow motion implosion has come partially as being the victim of his past, as well as events taking place. At the same time we had a high profile firing of a Rapid City nurse for some pointed, and quite racist statements against Native Americans made on you tube,  Rapid City residents were widely reminded of Allender’s involvement in a lawsuit having been accused of such highbrow humor with a Native American police officer as asking him if his sandwich was a “slab of lab.”

As noted, it became part of the debate over who should lead the community of Rapid City, which over the course of the last six months has been roiled with accusations of racism. Coming on the heels of the hospital incident, reminder’s of Allender’s past have not helped him.

But is isn’t all circumstance. Some of his problems are quite unforced errors.

This morning, residents were served up a double dose of what they could expect from an Allender mayoral administration who has been trying to shed his past, claiming it was in his past. Except it didn’t portray him in any light that he should want to be portrayed:

It’s the end of an hour-long interview, and Steve Allender has been rigidly formal, sharing his belief that he is the kind of strong, proven leader who as mayor can move Rapid City forward and improve how government works.

But suddenly, some of his dry, pointed humor seeps out. He slips into an impromptu impersonation of Mayor Sam Kooiker, his opponent in the June 2 Rapid City mayoral election, who Allender feels has run a dirty, personality-based rather than issue-based campaign. So, in a moment he clearly saw as more humorous than heartfelt, he mocks the mayor’s propensity for sappy-sounding public statements like “I love people” and “I love serving people.”

and..

Allender, a 53-year-old retired police chief in Rapid City, is in his living room with a reporter and photographer. From the kitchen, the candidate’s wife, Shirley, hears him launch the attack and calls out a sharp, “Steve!” in admonishment.

He laughs and changes the subject, but the moment aligns with an emerging portrait that’s been revealed by the spotlight of his sudden entre into politics: There’s only one version of Steve Allender, and he says what’s on his mind, both in pursuit of positive change in the city and while leading its top law enforcement agency, but also for the sake of a laugh or to make a point on controversial topics.

Read that here. And part two of his downhill snowballing to unlikeability:

kookier_ad

Allender’s advertisement appears to intentionally misspell & mock Kooiker’s name to a much less flattering “Kookier,” as if to imply he’s unbalanced, a comment at the level of an elementary school insult.   Between his mocking Kooiker in the article, and mocking him in the advertisement, Steve Allender comes off as a jerk in this morning’s Rapid City Journal.

I’m sure I’m repeating it for the umpteenth time, but one of the things I was taught long ago in political campaigning is that people decide to vote for you in stages. First, you have to get them to know you. Then, you have to get them to like you. And finally, then you have to earn their trust. Then, a candidate will have earned the voter’s affirmative nod on election day.

Most candidates don’t get past the “know” stage. But, in this case, having been police chief, he’s going to enjoy a high name id. The problem Allender faces is that whether intentional or not, he’s done nothing to dispel the fact that far too often, he sounds like a dick, as opposed to someone you want to put in charge of your safety, your government departments, and how your taxes are spent.

Mayor Sam Kooiker knows how to roll with the punches, and get a few jabs in on his own when he’s in the heat of a political race. But, no one would ever accuse him of racial humor, belittling people, or openly mocking them to try to win an election. He just gets out and works hard.

Allender had an opportunity to take the high road by campaigning and outworking Kooiker, but instead went down a path that… well, I’ve never seen a winning campaign make fun of the other person’s name and mock the opponent’s sentiment.  As things roll into the last week of the election, I’m not hearing from anyone that they expect Allender to win.

Not that Kooiker is expected to give his victory speech yet.  I suspect he’s going to talk about what he wants to do with a new term, and keep going door to door. And not mocking his opponent.

In fact, he may not have to mention him at all at this point.