Category: Uncategorized

Thune: Jobs and Economic Growth are Our Top Priorities

“I look forward to working with my colleagues this year as we make putting our economy on the path to long-term health and vitality a top priority.”

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) today discussed the challenges the economy is facing as a result of stagnant economic growth during the Obama administration. Thune also addressed the Republican-controlled Senate’s ideas to get America’s economy back on track, starting with reforming the tax code and eliminating burdensome regulations.

David Horowitz to Speak at Freedom Rally

Bestselling author, David Horowitz will be the keynote speaker at the Freedom Rally to be held Saturday, April 29th at the Ramkota Expo Center

SIOUX FALLS, SD, APRIL 25, 2017 – The South Dakota Republican Party is throwing a Freedom Rally this Saturday and will feature one of the nation’s foremost conservative commentators, New York Times bestselling author, and mentor to many of President Trump’s top advisers, David Horowitz.

Horowitz is the author of The Big Agenda: President Trump’s Plan to Save America. The book has been a bestseller for 10 weeks in a row.

Big Agenda details President Trump’s likely moves, including his:

• First wave of executive orders – approving Keystone XL, nixing amnesty
• Surprising judicial appointments – Supreme Court and the federal judiciary
• Radical changes to federal regulations – Obamacare, EPA overreach, tax reform

The South Dakota Democrats are holding an event the same night on the same property. Their speaker is Congressman Keith Ellison.

Rep. Keith Ellison’s (D-MN) Outlandish Statements
Proof He Doesn’t Share South Dakota Values

Representative Ellison Believes The Democrat Party Should Come Out Against The Second Amendment.
(Real Time With Bill Maher, 3/21/14)

Rep. Ellison Supports A 63 Percent Tax Rate As “Fair,” Saying He Thinks It’s Fair To Ask Wealthy Individuals “For A Little Bit More Money” To Fund Government Programs.
(Fox News’ “Your World With Neil Cavuto,” 2/5/13)

Ellison Issues Contradictory Statements On Government Spending.
In a 2013 roundtable with Progressive Democrats of America, Ellison said the problem was not that government was broke, saying “there’s plenty of money, it’s just the government doesn’t have it.” (Keith Ellison, Remarks At A Roundtable With Progressive Democrats Of America, Washington, DC, 7/25/13)

Ellison Is A Self-Proclaimed Progressive Liberal Who Claims The GOP Is A Party Of Bigots.
In 2014, Ellison said on the house floor “I am a proud progressive liberal…and I’m not apologizing to anybody” for that. (Rep. Keith Ellison, Congressional Record, 3/26/14, p. H2686)
(Tim Murphy, “Rep. Keith Ellison: GOP Is ‘Basically A Bigoted Party,” Mother Jones, 9/6/12)

Ellison Has A History Of Concerning Comments Towards One Of Our Strongest Allies In Israel.
According to the Washington Post, Keith Ellison “has never shied from criticism of Israel’s policies toward Palestinians.” (David Weigel, “Keith Ellison Votes Against GOP-Backed Israel Resolution,” The Washington Post, 1/5/17)

The anti-defamation league has asserted that Ellison’s past comments on Israel have been “deeply disturbing and disqualifying.”(Press Release, “Speech Raises New Doubts About Rep. Ellison’s Ability To Represent Traditional Democratic Support For Israel,” Anti-Defamation League, 12/1/16)

Ellison Thinks Single-Payer Healthcare Is A “Good Idea.”
(Jennifer Bendery, “Single-Payer Health Care Favored By House Progressives If Court Strikes Down Obamacare,” Huffington Post, 6/27/16)

Ellison is a staunch supporter of abortion rights.
According to NARAL Pro-Choice America, Ellison has earned a 100% voting record on abortion.

Ellison On Taxes

A 2013 Interview, Ellison Defended A 63 Percent Tax Rate As “Fair,” Saying He Thought It Was Fair To Ask Wealthy Individuals “For A Little Bit More Money” To Fund Government Programs.  FOX NEWS STUART VARNEY: “And you have made the judgment that 63 percent is fair? You have made that judgment? You say that is fair?” REP. KEITH ELLISON (D-WI): “Do you know what WIC is, sir? What is WIC? Women and children who need nutrition is a program that is being cut by sequester.” VARNEY: “Well, 63 percent is fair? Is it?” ELLISON: “I think asking Phil Mickelson for a little bit more money so that women and children can have a meal is fair. Yes, I do. I think it’s fair to ask Phil Mickelson for a little bit more money to make sure that we can continue to invest in infrastructure in this country, and to make sure that groundbreaking research in medicine is paid for, to make sure that people have the basics, that college education is affordable. I think you have Phil Mickelson, who has benefited from living in the richest country in the history of the world, I think it’s fair to ask Phil Mickelson to help with that. Yes, I do. As a patriotic American, I’m sure Phil Mickelson would agree.” (Fox News’ “Your World With Neil Cavuto,” 2/5/13) 

As I was writing about Dakota Free Press helping to scorch Ann Tornberg this AM, I couldn’t help but note this morning that former State Senate candidate Cory Heidelberger is actually trying to politicize the unfortunate murder of a young man:

We all know that Cory has a reputation for being a low person, such as when he attacked the grieving mother of Becky O’Connell, a child rape/murder victim. And now he’s back at it trying to politicize a young man’s murder, and connect it to the SDGOP because the victim works at the company the SDGOP Chair’s family owns, in another state?

That’s pretty disgusting.

Here’s who will be the face of Ann Tornberg’s South Dakota Democrat Party this weekend, only about a week after a man is indicted in Sioux Falls for holding up guns and making terroristic threats outside a Christian conference:

Rep. Keith Ellison faces renewed scrutiny over past ties to Nation of Islam, defense of anti-Semitic figures

Rep. Keith Ellison’s past ties to the Nation of Islam and his defense of its anti-Semitic leader, Louis Farrakhan, are resurfacing as he campaigns to lead the Democratic National Committee.

and..

As recent as 2000, Ellison publicly defended violent, fringe elements of the far-left. He appeared at a fundraiser that year for domestic terrorist Sara Jane Olson, a member of the self-styled revolutionary group the Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA), which is best known for kidnapping heiress Patricia Hearst. Olson was apprehended in 1999 in relation to the 1975 attempted bombings of two police cars and the slaying of Myrna Opsah during a bank robbery.

and…

Ellison also spoke favorably of convicted cop killer Assata Shakur and expressed his opposition to any attempt to extradite her to the United States from Cuba, where she had fled after escaping prison.

“I am praying that Castro does not get to the point where he has to really barter with these guys over here because they’re going to get Assata Shakur, they’re going to get a whole lot of other people,” Ellison said at the event, which also included a silent auction and speech by former Weather Underground leader Bernardine Dohrn. “I hope the Cuban people can stick to it, because the freedom of some good decent people depends on it.”

Read it here.

Accusations of anti-semitism, fundraising for terrorists, and speaking in favor of convicted cop-killers?  I’m sure he’ll fit right in at Ann Tornberg’s party for South Dakota Democrats this weekend.

From the Argus:

Police have identified the man who ran into a burning house — defying repeated orders from authorities — in order to save not one, but two cans of Bud Ice Premium.

and..

He left, Clemens said, but then returned, this time ignoring the orders of the fire captain until he emerged with two cans of Bud Ice Premium.

Read it here.

Well, the can did say premium.

A Moment Worth the Wait
By Sen. John Thune 

The University of South Dakota’s (USD’s) Derek Miles has been known for a lot of things over the years, including being a father, husband, athlete, coach, and Olympian, just to name a few. Now, nearly a decade after competing in the Olympic Games in Beijing, China, he will be forever and finally known as an Olympic medalist. While nothing can replace standing on the podium in Beijing, I think Derek would agree that getting to share this special moment with friends, family, and the USD community will be a memory not soon forgotten.

This particular chapter in Derek’s story begins in 2008 when he qualified for the men’s pole vault competition at the Beijing Olympic Games. It wasn’t Derek’s first trip to the Olympics either. He’d earned several top-three finishes at various events throughout his career, including the Olympic trials, but never at the Olympic Games. Derek competed hard in Beijing, but missed the podium by one position, placing fourth overall. Derek will tell you that he wishes he’d just beaten the third-place finisher outright, but he would eventually receive what was rightfully his.

It wasn’t until eight years after the Beijing Games ended that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) reanalyzed samples and determined that the Ukrainian athlete, who originally placed third and took Derek’s spot on the podium, used performance-enhancing substances that gave him an unfair advantage. He was subsequently disqualified by the IOC for using banned substances.

After the IOC took action, the third-place spot belonged to Derek, at least on paper. While knowing he’d placed third was heartening, he was still missing something important: the medal that should have hung around his neck in 2008.

I’d followed Derek’s career as an athlete and then as a coach at USD, but I wasn’t aware that he hadn’t received his medal until I met Michael Phelps in Washington, D.C., earlier this year. He was in town to testify before Congress about the perils and challenges of performance-enhancing drugs at the Olympics. Phelps knows a thing or two (or 28) about earning an Olympic medal, and I was impressed that he was willing to fight for fellow athletes like Derek.

I quickly talked to my staff on the Senate Commerce Committee, which has jurisdiction over the U.S. Olympic Committee and other athletic organizations, about Derek’s story. Shortly thereafter, I wrote to the IOC to try to help right this wrong. After some hard work and persistence by my staff, we heard from the IOC that it had located an authentic Beijing bronze medal and would send it to its rightful owner in Vermillion, South Dakota.

Derek exemplifies what it means to be a true athlete. He’s dedicated to the sport and to the men and women – young and old, present and future – who make it what it is. I’m so honored that I could play a small role in helping to close this long and unfairly open-ended chapter in his life.

Today, Derek is mentoring and coaching the next generation of potential Olympic athletes at USD. As for being a part of the USD community and living in South Dakota, Derek summed it up well: “Every time you turn a corner, there’s someone there that’s going to help you. Whether it’s your track coach, or your senator, or your representative bodies, or your family, or your friends, or your coaches – it’s truly fortunate to have fallen into this place, and you guys are probably stuck with me. I’m not sure I’ll ever leave.” I doubt I’m the only one who’s glad to hear that good news.

###

Undoing the Obama Legacy of ‘Government Knows Best’
By Senator Mike Rounds

It has been three months since President Trump took office with a Republican-led Congress in place ready to help him advance policies that grow our economy and allow hardworking Americans to keep more of their paycheck each month. Almost immediately, we have been delivering on that promise by undoing a number of Obama-era regulations, regulations that take much-needed capital away from families and small businesses. Under the Congressional Review Act, the Senate has passed 13 resolutions undoing Obama-era regulations. The savings that come from undoing these regulations, combined with the president’s executive actions and formal rule delays, will save Americans more than $65 billion total in regulatory compliance costs and roughly 52 million hours of paperwork annually, according to the American Action Forum.

For example, we have been able to reverse the Obama administration’s education mandate, which would have imposed federal education standards on how to assess schools at the state and local level. We also stopped an Obama regulation that would have imposed burdensome new restrictions on internet service providers that did nothing to increase privacy protections for consumers.

In all, the Senate has passed 13 bills undoing Obama-era regulations under the Congressional Review Act (CRA), an important oversight tool that allows Congress to undo federal regulations issued by unelected bureaucrats at federal agencies. We expect to use the Congressional Review Act to undo even more regulations in the near future, further delivering on our promise to provide regulatory relief to the American people, who are currently saddled with $1.9 trillion in regulatory compliance costs each year.

The Trump administration has also been busy using the tools available to it to undo burdensome regulations. It put a halt to the overreaching Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) rule, requiring the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Army Corps to review the WOTUS rule to make certain it promotes economic growth and minimizes regulatory uncertainty. This is a victory for South Dakota farmers, ranchers and landowners who would otherwise be forced to spend countless hours filling out paperwork to get permits from the EPA and Army Corps just to conduct normal agricultural activities or spray for weeds along our county roads.

The administration was also able to stop the Obama administration’s costly Clean Power Plan, which would have required states to completely rework their electric grids and led to dramatically higher electricity bills for every single American in the country. It also reversed a harmful regulation known as the “fiduciary rule” that would have negatively impacted South Dakotans saving for retirement by limiting the availability of retirement investment advice.

I’m the first to admit that not all rules are bad – some rules are necessary for government to operate in an orderly fashion and to keep Americans safe. But too much regulation is costly and stifles innovation. Under the eight years of the Obama administration, Americans saw an unprecedented amount of new rules and regulations issued by unelected, unaccountable Washington bureaucrats. In 2016 alone, the last year he was in office, the federal register which prints all the new rules being promulgated surpassed 97,000 pages, by far an all-time record. This is unacceptable and unsustainable.

At the end of the day, overregulation hurts families the most because they are the ones forced to pay more for goods and services. As the 115th Congress moves forward, I will continue working with my colleagues on ways to provide regulatory relief for South Dakota families and businesses.

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Protecting Life
By Rep. Kristi Noem

I still remember the first time Bryon and I heard our oldest daughter Kassidy’s heartbeat. There was no baby bump – yet. No baby clothes in the closet. No name picked out. I’m not even sure how many people in our family knew we were expecting at that point, but with the rapid, muffled thuds of our baby’s heartbeat in the background, we knew our lives were already changed.

I believe every life, including an unborn baby’s life, has dignity and value.  But more than 40 years ago, the Supreme Court handed down a decision in direct contradiction to those principles. In the decades since, I – along with many in South Dakota – have been fighting to undo the damage.  While there’s still a long way to go, we’ve recently taken some meaningful steps forward.

President Trump came into office with a promise to nominate a Supreme Court Justice who would protect the constitutional rights of the unborn.  I’m hopeful the confirmation of Justice Neil Gorsuch fulfilled that promise and I was glad to see him take the Oath of Office this April.

Days later, the president signed H.J.Res.43, which empowered states to defund abortion facilities, like Planned Parenthood. Now, states can instead choose to use this money to support non-abortion-providing clinics that offer greater accessibility and a broader range of preventive health care services to women.

In South Dakota, there are more than 100 federally qualified health centers or rural health clinics that could benefit from these funds, but only one Planned Parenthood center. To say that we must fund Planned Parenthood or deny thousands of women care is a false choice. We can support women’s health – and specifically, health care for low-income women – without supporting abortion providers. I was proud to cosponsor this legislation, which notably doesn’t take a penny from women’s health initiatives, and was thrilled to see it earn the president’s signature.

But more must be done.  Time and again, Congress has opposed taxpayer-funded abortions with bipartisan support.  Annual provisions, including the Hyde Amendment, have been passed repeatedly, saving an estimated 2 million innocent lives.  Even with this provision in place, however, Obamacare has allowed your tax dollars to flow to over 1,000 abortion-covering health plans.  That’s unacceptable. We need to make the Hyde Amendment permanent and government-wide. The No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act, which I cosponsored and the House passed, would accomplish that.

Additionally, I’m working to protect doctors, nurses and others who don’t want to participate in abortions. In some cases, these individuals have faced discrimination and retribution for sticking to their principles. That shouldn’t happen. I’ve cosponsored legislation to protect these individuals and I’m fighting to see it pass the House and hopefully be signed into law soon.

Bryon and I knew our lives had changed when we heard Kassidy’s heartbeat for the first time and I hope she knows just how proud we are of the generous, compassionate person she’s become. She’s grown up quickly and I love to think back on those days when I was still taller than her.  We read a lot together back then.  One of our favorites was Dr. Seuss’s “Horton Hears a Who,” which reads, in part: “A person is a person no matter how small.”  Each time we read that line, I’d think back to those first muffled thuds.  “A person is a person, no matter how small.

Earth Day: A Time To Celebrate SD’s Farmers And Ranchers
A column by Gov. Dennis Daugaard: 

In 1973, a woman by the name of Beverly Gabriel decided to leave her profession to get back to her roots. She had received a teaching degree from Black Hills State University a few years earlier and had taught in Rapid City and Wyoming. Her parents were growing older and it was becoming difficult for them to manage their two operations in separate parts of the state. When Bev’s father approached her about managing Blue Bell Ranch near Clear Lake, she readily accepted.

The year Bev took over Blue Bell Ranch she met Herb Hamann, who was out deer hunting with his brother. Herb saw Bev standing near the gate to her property and his brother introduced the two of them. Two years later, the couple married and began to jointly run Blue Bell.

Today, Bev and Herb continue to operate Blue Bell Ranch with the help of their children Breck and Arla. They’ve multiplied their land operation by almost eight times and they’re regarded by their friends and neighbors as being honest in their business dealings. The Hamanns are also known for their conservation practices.

Each year around Earth Day, the South Dakota Cattlemen’s Association, South Dakota Grassland Coalition and Sand County Foundation bestow the Leopold Conservation Award^® upon a farming or ranching family for outstanding natural resources conservation leadership. The award is named for conservationist Aldo Leopold.

This year’s Leopold Conservation Award recipients are Herb and Bev. They demonstrate their deeply-held conservation ethic by taking voluntary action to improve the health of the land and habitat that sustains wildlife. The Hamanns have developed diverse native vegetation on the land, and they graze their cattle in a manner that considers ecological impacts to accommodate wildlife needs at critical times, such as nesting.

No one understands the importance of being good stewards of the land better than our farmers and ranchers. Their livelihoods depend on it. Because the vast majority of land in our state is privately owned, conservation efforts employed by those in agriculture are integral to the quality of our natural resources.

I thank the Hamanns as well as every farmer and rancher who is committed to improving the natural resources in their care. Their efforts ensure the preservation of our natural resources for generations to come.

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