Category: Uncategorized

My wife and I had to make a Farmer’s Market/Sam’s Club run to Sioux Falls yesterday, so since I was in the vicinity of Falls’ Park, I thought I’d throw the camera in.

The farmer’s market was still pretty early in the season, and the baker whose wares we like wasn’t there, so we didn’t spend much time there, and we thought we’d poke around downtown.

Lots of activity in the downtown of South Dakota’s largest city, especially with the newly installed sculptures for the 2017 Sculpture walk.

We were particularly enthralled with this sculpture, sponsored by Fischer Rounds & Associates, We thought it was arguably the most complex of the sculptures in the immediate area:

The piece is called Ikicin by Gary Monaco of Colorado. You can read about it here. Each strand of the buffalo’s shaggy mane looks to be hand twisted and individually placed.  Well worth the trip to check out if you’re in the Sioux Falls area this summer season.

Better Care for South Dakotans
By Sen. John Thune

It’s been more than seven years since Republicans first predicted that Obamacare would lead to higher costs and fewer health care options for the American people. I honestly hoped we’d be wrong and that Americans would be better off. But we weren’t. And they aren’t. Sure, Obamacare had good intentions, but good intentions don’t make up for bad policy.

Today, the problems created by the failed law continue to stack up – premiums and deductibles are skyrocketing, choices are diminishing, and co-ops are failing. Obamacare is in a death spiral, and South Dakotans deserve better than what they’re receiving.

The easy way out of this situation would be for Republicans to sit on the sidelines and watch Obamacare implode. It will. It’s only a matter of time. Early in this process, Democrats made it clear that they weren’t interested in working with Republicans unless certain unrealistic demands were met. So, while it would be far easier to just take a pass on reforming health care, I didn’t get involved in public service to be a benchwarmer. I got involved to get in the game.

I’ve been discussing Obamacare’s failures and the reasons why it needed to be overhauled since the law was first enacted back in 2010. Since then, the Senate Finance Committee, of which I’m a longtime member, has held more than 30 hearings on health care. The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, which also plays an important role in health care reform, has held more than a dozen. It’s been well-litigated in the halls of Congress as well as in the court of public opinion. The issues aren’t new, nor are many of the ideas we’ve discussed along the way.

Most importantly, throughout this process, I’ve listened to South Dakotans who’ve shared their personal Obamacare experiences. From 2013-2017, premiums on the South Dakota health care exchange more than doubled. Those kinds of rate increases are simply unsustainable, particularly for South Dakota families living paycheck to paycheck. Some folks have told me they’re paying $2,000 per month in premiums and have $7,000+ deductibles. It’s hard to call it insurance when the plan is too expensive for a family to even see the benefits.

Over the past few months, my colleagues and I have worked hard to boil down our ideas and develop a legislative solution to deliver health care that is more affordable, patient-centered, and flexible than Obamacare. The Senate health care bill, the Better Care Act, would do just that. The bill would help stabilize insurance markets that are collapsing, improve affordability of health care, preserve access to care for those with pre-existing conditions, and sustain Medicaid, while also ensuring those who rely on the program don’t have the rug pulled out from under them. And I personally fought to include in the bill a tax credit that would help low-income South Dakotans and seniors – those who need it the most.

Our bill, which is a modest 142 pages long, isn’t perfect. No bill really is. But the Better Care Act represents a far better and more responsible approach to caring for the American people than the 2700-page disaster that is Obamacare. We must act now, because now is the time to move toward a better system that provides better, more affordable care for all South Dakotans.

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Americans Deserve Better Than Obamacare
By U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.)

The Senate recently released the discussion draft of the plan to fix the failing health care system in our country, and Senate leadership is hoping to hold a vote before the 4th of July holiday. My staff and I have been reviewing the legislation to make sure the provisions included are good for South Dakotans. Like any legislation, we will carefully analyze it before taking a vote. I encourage South Dakotans to read it too, and to share their thoughts with me. The text of the bill, along with an email form, are available on my website at www.rounds.senate.gov. One thing we know with certainty is this proposal is already better than Obamacare, a system that has failed the American people and must be fixed before it’s too late.

The reason we need to fix Obamacare in short order is because insurance underwriters are planning for 2018; they need some certainty as to what the health care marketplace will look like so they can calculate risks and set rates. Right now under Obamacare, South Dakotans’ premiums are expected to increase nearly 40 percent next year on the individual market. Premiums have already increased 124 percent over the past four years for South Dakota families. We need to act quickly and responsibly to provide relief from Obamacare – it has become a moral obligation. When families are spending more on health care premiums than their home mortgage, that’s unsustainable.

I have been encouraged by the many discussions I have had with my Senate colleague over the past few months as we’ve worked together to share our priorities for health care reform. While we are still analyzing and we know there is still work to be done, it appears that this bill seeks to accomplish a number of goals that I’ve said all along must be included in any reform plan, including language to stabilize the insurance markets that have left millions of Americans with no coverage options.

The Senate health care bill also takes steps to reform and safeguard Medicaid by allowing states to have more flexibility in administering the program, makes no changes to coverage for preexisting conditions, and provides a stable transition as we move away from Obamacare to a new, more competitive market. Additionally, it removes the individual and employer mandates, so Americans aren’t forced to pay for expensive health insurance that they don’t like, want or need.

I was pleased that the discussion draft includes a number of provisions that I’ve said all along need to be included in any health care bill we put forward. It would allow children to stay on parents’ plans until age 26 and allows individuals with preexisting conditions to keep their coverage as long as they stay insured. It is important that any replacement plan approved by Congress allows for a transition period, where people can move to different plans without losing health care coverage. It maintains assurances for guaranteed portability, guaranteed renewability and it provides reassurance that individuals with serious illnesses will always have access to coverage.

Obamacare left Americans with fewer choices and higher costs. Around a third of counties in the United States have just one choice of insurer this year, and nearly 45 percent of counties could have one or no insurer to choose from in 2018. Americans deserve better than Obamacare, and Senate Republicans are dedicated to giving them a choice in their health care options once again.

Reforming the health care system in the United States is a huge undertaking but it needs to be done soon before Obamacare completely crumbles under its own weight. I am encouraged by the progress the Senate has made to improve our health care system, and look forward to continuing to work on it in the days to come.

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Peace and Security
By Rep. Kristi Noem

You can hardly open the paper, turn on the TV, or scroll through your social media newsfeed without learning of another outbreak of domestic or international violence. So often, radical Islamic terrorists and other menacing groups thrive in conflict-rich areas of the globe, making it necessary in some cases to mitigate instability and promote peace to strengthen our own security.

Research covering conflicts from Northern Ireland to Africa has shown that peace agreements are 35 percent more likely to last at least 15 years when women are involved in the negotiations. The added success can be contributed to many factors – not the least of which is that women are impacted by conflict in different ways than men, so their involvement in peace talks allows for a more comprehensive approach.

In many war-torn countries, for instance, women control large segments of the economy.  While their husbands, sons and brothers are taking up arms, women take on the responsibility of running the local markets and educating their children. This gives them a significant stake in the economy and an active role in shaping the next generation. The insight can be invaluable.

At the same time, data show when women are left behind, the chance of conflict increases. Take Syria, as an example. It’s one of the world’s most war-torn countries. Women there face incredible restrictions on where they may go without a man accompanying them. In many communities, only men can be a child’s legal guardian and marriages are allowed for girls as young as 13. As the nation’s conflict deepened, restrictions on women grew – and the situation only worsened when terrorist groups crept into the areas of greatest instability. For instance, ISIL, which has claimed significant amounts of territory within Syria, uses human trafficking and sex slavery as an income-generating business for their terrorist activities.

When women are empowered, however, we observe different results.  In fact, a study by Inclusive Security found “when 35 percent of parliamentarians are women, the risk of relapse into conflict is near zero.”

Despite knowing all this, women are often underrepresented in conflict prevention and resolution.

Bringing women to the table during peace negotiations won’t solve every conflict, nor will it unilaterally eliminate the threat of terrorism.  But our military and diplomatic corps, which are second to none, should have as many tools as possible at their disposal to mitigate conflict and keep America safe.

This June, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Women, Peace, and Security Act, which I authored.  This bipartisan bill would require leaders within the State and Defense departments to develop a comprehensive strategy that increases and strengthens women’s participation in peace negotiations and conflict prevention globally.  Through the meaningful congressional oversight this legislation outlines, we can help ensure women gain a critical seat at the negotiating table, increasing the opportunity for lasting peace and further strengthening America’s security.

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Pulling Through Another Drought
A column by Gov. Dennis Daugaard:

As of late, I have been keeping my eye on the U.S. Drought Monitor. The monitor is updated each Thursday, and as I write this, over 50 percent of the state is in a drought with an additional 32 percent experiencing abnormally dry conditions. Things are worst in the northcentral part of the state, particularly in Corson, Dewey, Campbell, Walworth, McPherson, Edmunds and Potter counties. Right in the center of this seven county area the drought monitor now indicates extreme drought conditions. Looking at the U.S. map, Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota are the only states currently experiencing severe drought.

Drought is not unusual here. In the first few years of statehood, South Dakota experienced a prolonged drought that lasted from 1887 until the mid-1890s. The conditions were so bad that some people started packing to move back east. Gov. Arthur Mellette implored individuals to donate food, clothing and coal to farmers who were impacted. He himself gave $3,600 of his own money and later said some would not have survived the winter months without the private donations.

The situation we are faced with today is not as dire. Still, even a less severe drought affects everyday life in South Dakota. To some, it means just minor inconveniences – like no fireworks or campfires, but to others it can mean a major disruption of one’s livelihood. More than anyone, our farmers and ranchers are feeling the impact. The drought has stunted grass growth and hay production in much of the state, and our ag producers are scrambling to keep livestock fed.

In response to the increasingly dry conditions, I have declared a statewide emergency to provide producers some relief. Under the emergency declaration, farmers and ranchers across the state may cut and bale state highway ditches adjacent to their property. The order authorizes producers to transport feed without a Commercial Driver’s License, waives federal trucking regulations and permits haulers to move oversize hay loads up to 12 feet wide from 4 a.m. to 10 p.m. I have also activated the State Drought Task Force which monitors drought effects and coordinates the exchange of information among governmental, agricultural, fire and water-supply entities.

This week I also sent a letter to Secretary Perdue of the U.S. Department of Agriculture requesting the department make available as soon as possible Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) acres for emergency haying and grazing. The early release of CRP acres could be tremendously helpful for South Dakota farmers and ranchers during this challenging time.

The emergency declaration, drought task force and the potential availability of CRP acres will provide some relief to those who are suffering from the drought, but government help is limited. Ultimately, it is the perseverance of South Dakotans that will pull us through. The drive to overcome has been instilled in us by our ancestors and it is what carried us through droughts in our past.

This was something President Franklin Delano Roosevelt witnessed when he visited South Dakota during the Great Depression. After his South Dakota trip, he said this:

“No cracked earth, no blistering sun, no burning wind, no grasshoppers, are a permanent match for the indomitable American farmers and stockmen and their wives and children who have carried on through desperate days, and inspire us with their self-reliance, their tenacity and their courage.”

I could not agree more.

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From facebook, the Dusty Johnson for Congress crews were again out hitting parades across the state this weekend:

(I think I see a Schoenbeck or two in there…)

It was an honor to throw out the first pitch at the @canaries game tonight. pic.twitter.com/2oCYAdb3o4

— Marty Jackley (@martyjackley) June 24, 2017

In addition to the prior post describing the constitutional mess that they want to foist upon South Dakotans, it looks like the Samuelson/Weiland group is also taking two more possible runs at funneling millions into their pockets from out of state… ahem, I mean they have two more initiated measure proposals.

The first one is a measure that Samuelson titles the “South Dakota Voter Accessibility, Integrity, and Efficiency Act.” Unfortunately, you don’t get the impression that it provides any of those, especially from the Legislative Research Council’s memos, as well as the massive amount of corrections they make, as Samuelson tries to shoehorn another state’s measure into South Dakota Law.

In fact, it’s almost like he didn’t bother to even attempt to write it correctly, opting to have LRC do his legal work to point out what they need to change on the taxpayer’s dime:

2018 Im Lrccomments Vaie by Pat Powers on Scribd

….It appears that proposed laws were borrowed from another state and minimal  effort  was  made  to  revise  the document  to  the form and style used by the  State of  South Dakota. If  you are borrowing language from other states, it is requested that you follow the form and style for draft  legislation used in this state. The drafting manual  may be found on the website for the Legislative Research Council. If you need assistance  in  locating the manual, please contact our office. You could also review bills introduced in previous sessions to  provide examples for form and style…

 

Ouch.  If you scroll down, you’ll see that the corrections makes to this mess are almost endless.

And an alternative initiated measure isn’t any better – just longer, and trying to cram more crap into it:

2018 Im Vaieava Lrccomments by Pat Powers on Scribd

The proposed initiated measure has provisions that concern two subjects that address the conduct of elections by mail and provides for automatic voter registration. Each subject could easily be separated from the other and the combination of the subjects may not comply with the single subject requirement in S.D. Const. Art. Ill, § 21. Our suggestion is that the measure should be separated into two measures and our form and style comments reflect that separation. If you move forward with both subjects in one measure, you need to take care in the drafting of any cross references that may only refer to certain sections of the Act.

It appears that proposed laws were borrowed from another state and minimal effort was made to revise the document to the form and style used by the State of South Dakota. If you are borrowing language from other states , it is requested that you follow the form and style for draft legislation used in this state. The drafting manual may be found on the website for the Legislative Research Council. If you need assistance in locating the manual, please contact our office. You could also review bills introduced in previous sessions to provide examples for form and style.

and…

The second part of the initiated measure concerns automatic voter registration which establishes procedures for registering voters when a person is obtaining or renewing a driver license. The sections for this subject refer to this program being administered by the Department of Motor Vehicles. There is no Department of Motor Vehicles in state government. There is a Division of Motor Vehicles that is in the Department of Revenue, however, that division does not manage the driver license program for the state. The Department of Public Safety (DPS) administers the driver license program and pursuant to SDCL 12-4-6 the department already assists South Dakota residents with voter registration.

It’s pretty bad when they submit a measure that fails to accurately reflect the offices of state government on which they intend to impose the duties.

Of course, that’s inevitable when you’re taking laws from elsewhere and just sending them in for a possible ballot measure because that’s what the liberal think-tank proposing your next payday wants.

I guess they didn’t learn their lesson last time when South Dakotans told them they wanted full disclosure on the election ballot, not less.

Because former Tim Johnson staffer Drey Samuelson has submitted a possible Constitutional Amendment for circulation possibly to be placed on the South Dakota 2018 election ballot:

Supporter Drey Samuelson said Friday that they hope to start gathering signatures in August to put the proposed amendment to a vote. It would create nonpartisan primary elections for legislative candidates, remove their party labels from the ballot and establish an independent commission to redraw state legislators’ districts.

The proposal shares similarities with two constitutional amendments that voters rejected in 2016. Samuelson says the Legislature is unpopular among voters, who are ready for a change.

Read that here.

Here’s the proposed party-hiding amendment as reviewed by the Legislative Research Council. Just as previous amendments were proposed by Slick Rick Weiland and Drey Samuelson’s organization leading up to the last election, it’s just a mess, awash in a sea of red-ink corrections by the State Legislative Research Council:

2018 CA NonPartisanElectionsRedistrictingLegis LRCComments by Pat Powers on Scribd

Ignoring the policy issues that were rejected by voters in the last election, the Legislative Research Council’s letter does a good job in pointing out the many, many technical flaws that the measure contains:

The proposed constitutional amendment includes elements from two previous constitutional amendment proposals considered in the 2016 general election . The combination of the subjects from the two proposed amendments may  not comply with the related subject matter as required in S.D. Const. Art. XXIII, § 1.

The draft of the initiated constitutional amendment submitted to this office is not  written  in a  clear  and  concise manner and does not conform to the form and style of other sections of the constitution. Parts of the proposed amendment are better suited for statute.

and..

Furthermore, section 7 conflicts with section 8 of the proposed constitutional amendment as submitted to our office. Section 7 proposes to amend S.D. Const. Art. Ill, § 5 and section 8 proposes to repeal the same section.

and..

Section 37 appears to require redistricting in 2019 and 2020 and does not  provide  for  redistricting  in  2021. Redistricting is a time consuming and costly use of resources. The redistricting requirements for 2019 and 2020 would be based on 2010 census data and would only apply to one election. This requirement appears to be an unnecessary use of state resources. Since there would not be an appropriation to fund the commission in FY 2019, the commission may have to wait FY 2020 to begin the redistricting process. The commission  must  purchase  redistricting software  and comply with the Voting Rights Act requirements. You should consider eliminating the 2019 redistricting requirement. The requirement  to redistrict again in 2020 is nonsensical. Redistricting should be required for 2021.

Oy. Like the prior proposals coming out of the Weiland/Samuelson shop, it’s just a mess.  Or we might term it just the first pile of manure to hide their party that Democrats are trying to shovel on to South Dakota Voters.

My senior who just graduated and her mother went to Washington DC this week as a graduation gift to my daughter, who had never gone, and wanted to see how things work in our Nation’s Capitol.

Below, my #4 hams it up for the camera….

What did they do while they were there? In addition to a few museum visits, a Lincoln High classmate of my wife’s – I believe a Brigadier General in the office of the Surgeon General –  took them on a tour of the Pentagon, and Congresswoman Noem’s staff was kind enough to take care of the wayward travelers, taking them on the Capital tour, as well as helping them visit some other locations in Congress.

My wife wanted me to give a special shout-out to one of the interns in the Noem office, Chesney Garnos, who was kind enough to take them on the tour.

If you don’t know of Chesney, you might remember her father, Cooper Garnos, who served 13 years in the State Legislature from the Presho area; from 1999-2006 in the House of Representatives, and from 2007-2011 in the State Senate.  Obviously, Chesney shares a similar interest in politics with her father.

Brittany, Kristiana, Chesney, and Kristen (And Kristi, of course) as well as other staff members were all terrific in helping Michelle & Sydney enjoy their visit, and my wife wanted me to make sure I thanked them all profusely.

A special thanks to the Noem Staff on behalf of my wife & daughter!  They had the time of their lives!