Author: Pat Powers

From Facebook..

I wonder what Qualm is referring to….?

Nooo! Make it go away!

Did not need to see that. (Jesus. That’s why they invented photoshop.)

From the mailbox, one of our observant correspondents points out that a couple of the members of the hard right who are running on being constitutional conservatives might be more believable if they spelled it correctly in their mailers.

from D7’s Jeff Struwe..

From D19’s Steven Mettler..

Consi-tutional sounds like someone is slurring an expression of freedom, not declaring it.

Not that spelling it correctly was going to get either elected.

Late today, I received the weirdest piece of campaign literature that I have the entire primary. The lone Jeff Struwe postcard.

An itty-bitty 4×6 card with rambling, itty-bitty type that another couple of hundred dollars probably would’ve made a 6 x 9, because the postage price is the same. But instead, we’ve got something that many people in their mid- 50s and up will struggle to read.

And it spends most of its time rambling against SB 201, the landowner Bill of Rights.

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Liz May’s Conservative PAC is blasting attack cards across the primary, including against several incumbents in the last days before the election.

Interestingly, Liz is going to have a tougher general election than usual against incumbent house member Rep. Pourier, and Elsie Meeks, who was the 1998 candidate for Lieutenant Governor, who later was state director of USDA in South Dakota from 2009 to 2015.

Liz does have things in common with Meeks, as I’m sure just like Liz, Elsie was also a donor to Hillary Clinton.

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There’s other weirdness out there, but I’m waiting for copies to head my way. I’ll post as I get.

How did this happen? An election themed event with live music that’s entertaining for families? That sounds awesome!

This Friday night at the Black Lab in Winner, South Dakota at 6 PM check out the event with Jim Halverson and State Senator Erin Tobin because it looks like a fun time to be had by all!

(Is this getting to be the trend?)

Hot off the press out of the town and country shopper in Brookings:

Did someone actually think this was a good idea? I’m not sure what is worse, the awful, awful ad? Or the fact that two new & unknown candidates decided they needed to go spend time in the other person’s district where they are trying to campaign?

As one person who looked at the ad said to me, “there’s a lot to unpack here.”

Johnson Applauds Final Passage of Federal Aviation Bill

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Representative Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.), a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, applauded final passage of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Reauthorization Act, which ensures continuity and stability of our air travel and makes key improvements to our aviation sector. The FAA Reauthorization Act included key Johnson-led provisions.

“Most of us have experienced the frustration of outdated airports and planes, cancelations, delays, and more,” said Johnson. “The FAA Reauthorization Act makes critical investments and improvements in our aviation sector to improve the travel experience for travelers, pilots, airport workers, and more. I’m pleased to see my priorities for South Dakota and nationwide air travel included in the bill.”

Johnson priorities included in the FAA Reauthorization Act:

• Protecting Essential Air Service (EAS) airports from unnecessary costs. South Dakota is home to three EAS airports: Watertown, Pierre, and Aberdeen.
• Streamline National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Reviews for FAA projects. The bill encourages the Department of Transportation to use cloud-based platforms for NEPA reviews to increase efficiency.
• Increase flexibility for the Airport Improvement Program by increasing support for non/small-hub airports.
• Temporarily increases the federal cost share to 95% for non-hub/non-primary airports (Sioux Falls and Rapid City).
• Prioritize replacement of FAA Air Traffic Control Towers at small hub airports that are at least 50-years old. The Sioux Falls airport is in this category.
• Form a working group to evaluate best practices for transporting organs for donation in commercial aircrafts.

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Thought I was pretty clear when I commented about Manny running earlier.

Elections are about our future. Not about someone who predates Joe Biden.

My biggest surprise is not that he invited me to like his Facebook page, but rather the request isn’t coming in from an AOL account.

Started hearing last weekend that Julie Frye Mueller is talking about proposing a new tax in South Dakota. (Instantly my correspondent hoped it wasn’t a lactation tax).

And apparently there is a now a flyer out there about JFM wanting to talk about how she wants to create new and un-thought out taxes.

“Property Taxes are Property Theft.” Well, that sounds stable. It seems like a flyer you might see at a militia meeting rather than coming from a State Senator.  Not that we see a disclaimer either.

It had been mentioned to me that at a recent forum she was talking about a half-baked idea for a receipt tax, which I don’t know that anyone has ever heard of before, but involves paying money every time you buy something, regardless of cost.

Want a $.30 pack of gum? Pay a dollar. Want a $1200 smoker? Pay a dollar. Who came up with this looney idea that it could cost you a dollar anytime you do something?

Considering every level of government in South Dakota below the state – County, city, school, etc. –  is based on the taxation of property, this goofball concept has more in common with the Democrat’s dreaded personal property tax where we would get taxed on lawnmowers and stereos, and eventually took Republicans getting elected to do away with it. And even though we had that for a while, we still had property taxes.

Just reminds me that the political spectrum is a lot like a circle. And some people are so far-right they’re on the left-handed side of things.

KELOLAND News is reporting tonight that there are allegedly people calling and identifying themselves as being with the Secretary of State’s office, when that isn’t the case. Now law enforcement has gotten involved, and it is investigating who might have tried to perpetuate this fraud:

KELOLAND News first became aware of the calls on Monday morning when a family member of a newsroom employee received a call from someone claiming to be a volunteer with the Secretary of State’s Office.

and..

Some of the callers are saying they are with the South Dakota Integrity Committee or with Petition Integrity Commission. They are questioning citizens regarding the Abortion Rights petition. A committee named South Dakota Petition Integrity did file a campaign finance statement of organization this morning. Whoever is behind these false actions have taken the farthest path from integrity possible.

and..

The South Dakota Petition Integrity committee named in Soulek’s statement is run by Republican State Rep. Jon Hansen.

Read the entire story here.

Could be interesting..

It might be Aberdeen, but there will be an opportunity to forget dumpster fires and dumping candidates for at least one night.

In case you hadn’t heard, there’s going to be a REAL REPUBLICAN PARTY in Aberdeen on Thursday, May 16th at the Zoo Bar from 5 to 9 PM.

With no need for an AED, this event is skewing younger than some of them held lately with music by the Lizzy Hofer Band. The event with young professionals and families in mind and getting people registered to vote, will let voters get up close & personal with the top Republican Candidates running in Brown County this primary, with a rock and roll soundtrack in the background!

Featuring District 1 House Candidate Tamara St. John, District 3 Senate candidate Katie Washnok, District 23 Senate candidate Steve Roseland, D23 House candidate JD Wangsness, and Brown County Commission candidate Mike Carlsen, the candidates will be there to enjoy the evening along with the crowd, and to talk about what they hope to do in Pierre and at the county courthouse.

Put it on your calendars to be in Aberdeen on May 16th and head over to the Zoo Bar from 5-9 pm for snacks, candidates, and a REAL REPUBLICAN PARTY!

(And you can be a Zoo Rat too!)