Author: @SoDakCampaigns

Thune Ushers Through Final Approval of Critical Airspace Expansion

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Thune Ushers Through Final Approval of Critical Airspace Expansion

Final FAA approval of PRTC increases national security while saving taxpayers money

Following nearly nine years of collaboration between U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) and the Air Force to expand the military training airspace over South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana, and Wyoming, known as the Powder River Training Complex (PRTC), Thune today praised the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) announcement that it signed off on the Air Force’s proposed expansion of PRTC. This announcement marks the final step in the expansion process, making way for use of the expanded range by year’s end.

Click here to download video of Thune’s statement on the final FAA approval of PRTC.

“This has been a very long process, but I’m proud we’re finally completing this important expansion to provide our servicemen and women with the resources they need to be successful in a combat environment—all done while saving money. Talk about a winning combination for our country and for Ellsworth Air Force Base,” said Thune. “After nearly nine years working with the Air Force on this important expansion project, we’re not only going to see savings to the tune of $23 million a year at Ellsworth, but we’re also going to offer better training opportunities to our airmen—increasing readiness across the Air Force. I’m proud of the vital role Ellsworth continues to play in protecting and preserving America’s freedom at home and abroad, and look forward to this expansion contributing to these efforts long into the future.”

“I would like to applaud Senator Thune on keeping his eye on the ball for the past nine years,” said Pat Burchill, Chairman of South Dakota Ellsworth Development Authority. “The Powder River Training Complex expansion wouldn’t have been possible without the relentless efforts of Senator Thune in the face of numerous obstacles. This is great news not only for Rapid City, but certainly also for South Dakota and our national defense.”

“During the 2005 BRAC, Senator Thune played a major role in the fight to remove Ellsworth Air Force Base from the closure list, and he continues to play a large part in improving our military readiness by successfully leading the effort to expand the Powder River Training Area,” said former chairman of the Ellsworth Task Force, Bruce Rampelberg. “The FAA’s announcement of the Powder River Training Area expansion is the result of Senator Thune’s tenacity over the past nine years. This expansion will reduce training costs and provide an area that can be structured to reflect the conditions our Air Force pilots may face in different parts of the world.”

The PRTC expansion will provide Air Force pilots and personnel with expanded airspace to perform the critical training they need in conditions that more closely resemble combat missions. The expansion will also allow for large force exercises where multiple aircraft and crews can train together simulating a combat environment without live fire exercises.

The new expanded Powder River Training Complex will be divided into four quadrants spanning nearly 35,000 square miles, or four times the size of the current range. The quadrants will each be divided into low-, medium-, and high-altitude sections. With the exception of Large Force Exercises, which only comprise 10 days per year, only a few quadrants will be in use during the week, and only for a few hours each day.

The PRTC expansion not only marks the largest expansion of Special Use Airspace in America’s history, but also represents an important cost-saving initiative. The expanded airspace will save Ellsworth Air Force Base up to $23 million per year and is the first time the FAA and Air Force have worked jointly on such an effort, setting a precedent for further cost-saving cooperation down the road and addressing stakeholder concerns up front.

Ellsworth Air Force Base has a $350 million impact on South Dakota’s economy and is the state’s second largest employer.

Rounds Offers Amendment to Protect Taxpayers from Waste, Fraud and Abuse

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Rounds Offers Amendment to Protect Taxpayers
from Waste, Fraud and Abuse

WASHINGTON—U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) today introduced an amendment to the budget resolution requiring Congress to include findings from Inspectors General (IG) when examining ways to reduce waste, fraud and abuse within federal agencies.

“We owe it to South Dakota taxpayers to make certain their hard-earned dollars are spent wisely in Washington,” said Rounds. “I’ve already been working with IGs in my committee work and know firsthand how valuable their reports can be in finding waste, fraud and abuse among agencies. My amendment seeks to include this valuable information when conducting important oversight work in Congress.”

The current budget resolution calls for Congressional oversight committees to examine the biennial Government Accountability Office’s (GAO) High Risk List when finding ways to seek waste, fraud and abuse within their agencies of jurisdiction. Rounds’ amendment would add Inspector General semi-annual reports and unimplemented recommendations as part of that oversight process.

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Robocall defense lawyer back in the news.

@SoDakCampaigns

Shawn Tornow, who defended Dan Willard in the infamous Robocall case by saying Stace Nelson could have done it, (and last we knew still represents Nelson in the civil Robocall lawsuit) now has a new gig in court: 

In a motion filed earlier this month, Rasmussen’s lawyer, Shawn Tornow, said local media coverage has “negatively reflected on my client.” Attached to the motion were several articles referring to Rasmussen as one of the “homicide players” in the LeBeau murder. 
 Tornow wrote that “nearly all of such stories” have “this young defendant in a negative light — arguably a negative and wrongful media-generate inaccurate projection of (the) defendant as some type of more calculating and/or more mature ‘Black Widow’.” 

Read it here.

Tornow is moving from misdemeanor election violation cases to drug robbery conspiracy cases?

Noem Helps Move Death Tax Repeal Forward in the House

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Noem Helps Move Death Tax Repeal Forward in the House

Washington, D.C. – Rep. Kristi Noem today helped pass a repeal of the death tax out of the House Ways and Means Committee, enabling the legislation to be voted on by the full House later this year.  Noem, whose family farm was hit by the death tax after her father passed away, has been a vocal supporter of its repeal.

“When my father died unexpectedly, our family was hit with the death tax,” said Noem.  “We made the decision to take out a loan, so we didn’t have to sell our land and potentially lose the farm.  The decision impacted nearly every financial choice we made for a decade.  No family should have to go through something like that.  I am committed to repealing this unjust – and frankly, immoral – tax that hurts small businesses and family farms most.  Today marks a step forward toward a time where hard work is respected and death is no longer a taxable event.”

Rep. Noem joined Reps. Kevin Brady (R-TX), Sanford Bishop (D-GA) and Devin Nunes (R-CA) in introducing H.R.1105, the Death Tax Repeal Act of 2015, on February 26, 2015.  The bill fully repeals the estate and generation-skipping transfer taxes – more commonly known as the “death tax.” With approval from the House Ways and Means Committee, of which Noem is a member, the legislation will next receive consideration by the full U.S. House of Representatives.

Thune Reintroduces Bill to Repeal Death Tax

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Thune Reintroduces Bill to Repeal Death Tax

-Permanently abolishes punitive tax on family farms, ranches, businesses-

John_Thune,_official_portrait,_111th_CongressWASHINGTON, D.C.—U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), member of the tax-writing Senate Finance Committee, today reintroduced legislation to permanently repeal the federal estate tax, better known as the death tax, to finally put an end to a punitive tax on family farms, ranches, and businesses upon the death of an owner. Thune’s bill, the Death Tax Repeal Act of 2015, is identical to legislation introduced in House of Representatives by Rep. Kevin Brady (R-Texas). The House Committee on Ways and Means will be marking up Brady’s companion bill today in committee. Thune also introduced an amendment to the Senate’s Fiscal Year 2016 Budget Resolution to create a deficit neutral reserve fund to eliminate the federal estate tax, or death tax. The Senate is expected to vote on Thune’s amendment later this week.

“Death should not be a taxable event,” said Thune. “For too long the federal government has forced grieving families to pay a tax on their loved one’s life savings that has been built from income already taxed when originally earned. Currently more than 70 percent of family businesses do not survive to the second generation, and 90 percent of family businesses do not survive to the third generation. According to a study by former CBO Director Douglas Holtz-Eakin, repealing the death tax would create 1.5 million additional small business jobs and would shave almost a percentage point off the unemployment rate. This tax punishes farmers and entrepreneurs for a lifetime of hard work. I will continue to work in Congress to see a permanent end to this unfair tax.”

“I am proud to join Senator Thune in introducing the Death Tax Repeal Act, which will finally abolish this unfair, anti-family tax, and I appreciate his leadership on this issue,” said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. “The death tax unduly burdens American families by taxing assets that are handed down from generation to generation, like family farms or small family businesses. It is the federal government’s final insult to tax your family when you have already paid taxes on your property throughout your life. The thought of having to visit the IRS and the undertaker on the same day is an absolute outrage. This is wrong and it’s why I have consistently supported legislation to eliminate this burdensome tax.”

“The death tax unfairly targets hardworking American families, small business owners, and farmers that have already been taxed all their lives,” said Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch. “Fortunately, there is bipartisan support to put an end to this burdensome tax once and for all. It’s time this tax be repealed so that families can pass down what they’ve worked so hard to build over a lifetime to their children.”

Thune’s bill is supported by the American Farm Bureau Federation, Associated Builders and Contractors, National Association of Manufacturers, National Federation of Independent Business, 60 Plus Association, Americans for Tax Reform, Club for Growth, National Black Chamber of Commerce, International Franchise Association, National Taxpayers Union, American Conservative Union, Family Business Coalition, and many others.

Thune’s bill is cosponsored in the Senate by Sens. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.), John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), Dan Coats (R-Ind.), Thad Cochran (R-Miss.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.), Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), Cory Gardner (R-Colo.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Dean Heller (R-Nev.), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.), Mark Kirk (R-Ill.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Pat Roberts (R-Kan.), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Pat Toomey (R-Penn.), and David Vitter (R-La.).

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Press Release: Rounds Cosponsors Bill to Repeal Death Tax

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Rounds Cosponsors Bill to Repeal Death Tax

WASHINGTON—U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) today joined U.S. Senator John Thune (R-S.D.) and 25 colleagues in introducing legislation to permanently repeal the federal estate tax, which will bring tax relief to farmers, ranchers and small business owners.

“Currently, 70 percent of family businesses do not survive to the second generation, in part because of this additional tax which may force the sale of a family business upon the death of one of the owners,” said Rounds.

A similar bill was introduced in the House of Representatives with more than 100 cosponsors.

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Shipping oil by carrier pigeon isn’t a good solution. It’s past time to get the pipelines underway.

@SoDakCampaigns

There was a press story recently, regarding the pipes that the builders of the Dakota Access pipeline are stockpiling west of Aberdeen in anticipation of beginning construction sometime in 2016.

It shouldn’t come as a shock, as it’s fairly common for pipeline construction companies to stage pipe in the vicinity where construction will take place, as they have with the Keystone XL pipeline. For obvious reasons, as well as economics, the longer you wait to build something, the higher expenses for construction materials goes up. It happens all the time in school and municipal projects, and it’s the same with private enterprise.

If it’s cheaper by millions to buy now versus in a year, and it only costs tens of thousands to store it, the economics work pretty well. That’s just good business.

Predictably, despite companies trying to keep an eye on the bottom line, South Dakota’s nattering liberal class is mewling about a pipeline company (how dare they) preparing for moving forward:

Dakota Access has rented land from a farmer six miles west of Aberdeen to stockpile pipe for the Bakken oil pipeline, which is planned to run northwest to southeast across East River… assuming, of course, that the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission permits the pipeline to be built… which it hasn’t yet… which would make ordering 200 to 300 miles of steel rather premature, wouldn’t you think?

Read it here.

Absent a pipeline, what else is there?  Rail?  That’s all well and good aside from the fact that it diverts rail cars away from transporting grain and other ag goods to market.  And the tendency for rail cars to explode every once in a while. Or so.

In fact, some people think they explode often enough that they made a special report about it.

So, liberals think pipelines are bad, and oil trains are bad.  Unfortunately there are problems with other options.

#1 – No one is exploring sending oil by sustainable and renewable carrier pigeons.

#2 – The only sensible solution to transport oil is via pipeline.

Are pipelines perfect? No. Are they far better than rail cars? Yes, and pipeline safety constantly and continually improves, in addition to them moving far, far more oil. As noted in an article on CNBC last month, after one of the recent oil-car explosions:

Monday’s derailment of a CSX train carrying oil in West Virginia has reignited the debate about the cheapest and safest way to move oil across the country.

Diana Furchtgott-Roth, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, told CNBC’s “Power Lunch” on Tuesday “if that oil had been carried by pipeline there would not have been this accident.”

“The advantage of pipeline is that the container is stationary and the product moves through it and it’s much safer than rail or truck, according to Department of Transportation statistics,” she said. “We need to put human lives above all of this.”

Read that here.    Forbes, weighed in as well:

Of note, analysts say that it can cost as much as five times more to transport oil by rail than it does pipe, for moderate to long distances.

and…

So, is it safer to send hazardous liquids by railway or by pipeline? Without a doubt, both modes of transportation could be improved and given more oversight. But the reality is that energy consumption is on the rise and that each method is necessary to meet market demand, although moving it by pipelines can be much cheaper and more efficient.

Read that here. And here’s what the Washington Post had to say:

So it’s pretty clear here that moving oil by pipe is a less risky proposition than moving it by rail. Both the rate of accidents and the total amount of spillage varies less for pipe transport than for rail transport. To the extent that we can shift some of that transportation burden from rails to pipes, we can drastically lower the odds of spill incidents, and potentially lower the overall volume of oil spilled as well.

Read it here.

Yes, transport by rail IS getting better, and will continue to do so in the future. But it’s still not as good, nor as efficient as transport by pipeline. And we also need to deal with ‘the today,’ not how things will be in five or ten years’ time.

And we can’t ignore our particular needs as far as South Dakota is concerned; The agriculture aspect is an argument equal with safety for shifting the transport of oil from rail cars into pipelines:

…for grain farmers and grain elevator operators in states like Minnesota and the Dakotas, it’s a near disastrous crisis that could continue to cost them tens of millions of dollars.

The reason: A lack of available railroad service—from rail cars to track lines—to ship the grain to market.

and…

“I’m losing money and my hands are tied,” said Tim Luken, general manager and grain merchandiser at Oahe Grain, a grain elevator operator in Onida, South Dakota.

He said his grain elevator has a 5.7 million bushel capacity but can’t take any more grain as the harvest season enters a big push.

Luken said that it costs $5,000 a day to keep his operations open and because the crops are not being shipped, he can’t make room for new grains to buy or sell them.

“The farmers and grain elevator operators are at the mercy of the railroads, said Luken. “And with commodity prices falling, profits are very thin.”

Read that here.

South Dakota ag producers need rail cars. South Dakotans, and Americans, need inexpensive, affordable energy. The more we have refined, produced, and sent to market benefits us all. And the best way to accomplish that is to approve and complete Keystone XL, and to do the same for the Dakota Access pipeline.

It’s past time to secure our nation’s energy future. Let’s get the pipelines underway.

Is it me, or is the OST Council starting to sound a little too much like a middle eastern country?

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Is it me, or does the string of Pine Ridge tribal ‘bans’  seem a little too much like what happens in middle eastern countries, as they’ve first banned the attorney of the man accused of spilling beer on kids, and now have banned the Rapid City Journal because they wrote a headline that angered them? (and later apologized for)

From a past issue of USA Today:

The Moroccan government has banned an issue of the French magazine L’Express International, claiming it insults Islam in articles exploring the relationship between that religion and Christianity.

Information Minister Khalid Naciri said Sunday that he had no choice but to ban the current issue because of the offensive nature of the articles it contained. The minister said the kingdom’s press code allows the government to shut down or ban any publication deemed to offend Islam or the king.

Read that here.

And from the Argus Leader, yesterday:

The Oglala Sioux Tribal Council has approved a resolution banning all businesses on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation from selling the Rapid City Journal after the newspaper published a headline the tribe found objectionable.

Tribal spokesman Kevin Steele told KCSR-AM that the ban will stay in effect until the newspaper apologizes for a headline that questioned whether a group of Native American students stood for the pledge of allegiance at a Rapid City Rush hockey game.

Read that here.

The last time I checked, tribes were governed by federal law.  But, apparently the OST governing council doesn’t think the bill of rights applies to them, specifically freedom of the press.

What are your thoughts?

So, what’s going on out there?

@SoDakCampaigns

I’m sitting at a coffee shop in Sioux Falls waiting for a meeting that had to be pushed back, reflecting on the happenings of the day.

What have I heard today?

I heard that SD politico Chris Hupke may have signed on to work for the Trump presidential effort. (No word if they all have to wear their hair like that).

Patrick Davis has responded to the story attacking he and SD attorney Joel Arends. Apparently the source publication is a George Soros org:

Patrick Davis released the following statement in response to the story which first appeared in the radical leftist George Soros funded ProPublica online publication.

“I am pleased to announce that Person to Person PAC, Red State Productions, Patrick Davis Consulting, Italia Federici and Joel Arends have resolved their differences with Vote 2 Reduce Debt in an amicable settlement following our work together in 2014 to raise public awareness of America’s spiraling national debt and the importance of electing Senators and Congressman who pledged, if elected, to take steps to reverse the nation’s path to financial and fiscal ruin.

Recently, each of us was contacted by Pro Publica reporter Robert Fateruchi, who was apparently being fed false and misleading allegations against and/or about our efforts, our work, our project and/or our relationship(s) with one another – in a seeming attempt to discredit our legitimate efforts to change the course of America’s out-of-control spending.

These allegations include misquoted sources and fabricated quotes in an effort by Mr. Fateruchi and Pro Publica to malign the reputations of all parties involved in this important cause, as a means, no doubt, of furthering Pro Publica’s leftist agenda that we were involved in defeating in 2014. Pro Publica is nothing more than an arm of the radical George Soros-funded network of liberal media outlets formed to attack, defame, and undermine legitimate activities of committed conservatives.

This should be a lesson to all conservative activists and consultants standing, working and speaking in the public arena. When you are effective the left will attack you. Be prepared to fight. No good deed goes unpunished.

It is my prayer that God will bless Ken Davis and his family with good health, happiness and prosperity and that God will bless the United States of America and the conservative patriots standing, working and speaking for freedom and liberty against tyranny and evil.”

I’m also hearing (and seeing) that things are kind of slow politically at the moment.

What are you hearing out there?