Category: Uncategorized

Democratic mayor Huether structuring programs to avoid disclosure to the public

@SoDakCampaigns

from the Argus Leader:

According to City Attorney David Pfeifle, state statute requires all contracts valued at $25,000 or more go before the City Council. In this case, the city’s Community Development department paid a web developer about $24,000 to build the site. It then entered two separate contracts worth about $8,000 and $3,500 for kiosk and billboard advertising.

Community Development director Darrin Smith said last week that they kept the campaign from the council until the launch to prevent plans from being prematurely leaked to the press and public. Smith did not immediately respond to a request for further comment Wednesday.

Read it here.

“they kept the campaign from the council until the launch to prevent plans from being prematurely leaked to the press and public.”

So under this philosophy, is Huether’s campaign for Governor going to consist of him saying “I can do what I want?”

I look forward to his fellow Democrats who decry secrecy in government calling for his resignation.

A nice honor coming for Jill Schlekeway

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In case you missed it, Jill Schlekeway, spouse to former State Senator Todd Schlekeway, is going to be honored in the South Dakota Sports Hall of Fame:

Jill (Theeler) Schlekeway

The 1997 Mitchell High grad blazed to three state records in an incredible final two years of high school track.

In 1997, she set state records in the 100 meters (11.66), 200 (24.27) and 400 (55.25). She won the 100, 200 and 400 and ran on the winning 1,600 relay at the state Class AA meet in 1996 and ’97, and she set state meet records in the 100, 200 and 400. Both years she was named the most outstanding female athlete of the meet, the state’s High School Female Athlete of the Year by the S.D. Sportswriters Association and an All-American by the National High School Athletic Coaches Association.

At the 1995 state meet, she was runner-up in the 100, 200 and 400 and ran on the winning 1,600 relay.

She was a 14-time letterwinner at Mitchell: six in track, five in gymnastics and three in basketball. She helped the Kernel basketball team go unbeaten in 1994, and the 1995 team was state runner-up. She also helped the gymnastics team to two runner-up finishes.

Read this, and more here at the Argus Leader.

And congratulations to Jill from your friends at the SDWC.

Hartford Student featured on C-Span, and Rush Limbaugh

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A Hartford High School Student received some attention this week for being featured with the US Senate Youth Program… and it didn’t stop there.

His commentary as part of this clip was quickly picked up by Rush Limbaugh:

So I guess these were young people identified as future leaders by somebody. They brought ’em in to town, Washington, and one of the things they got to do was to appear on C-SPAN to be queried by Brian Lamb. During one of the segments Brian Lamb went around the room asking these students questions. And we have an exchange here from one of the students, Morgaan Jessell and Gerald Fraas.

LAMB: Which media personality, who is probably the highest paid person in radio and television news and information, lives and operates out of Palm Beach, Florida?

JESSELL: I know Oprah has a house in Palm Beach. (laughing)

LAMB: Anybody in this room know? Yes, sir?

FRAAS: Would it be Rush Limbaugh?

LAMB: It would be.

FRAAS: All right!

and…

LAMB: What do you think of Rush Limbaugh?

FRAAS: He’s a very outspoken man, and it’s great that we have individuals like him, who are willing to share their opinions on air. And he genuinely seems willing to listen at times, although he is staunch in his views.

RUSH: Well, that kid is really — no wonder he’s a potential future leader, senator, or whatever. This kid is right on the money. “Kid,” young man I should more properly say. Outspoken, great that we have people like him willing to share their opinions, genuinely seems willing to listen to people, but is very staunch — I take that as a compliment. Some people might be offended by that. Staunch means I’m committed. I’ll listen to you, but you’re never gonna convince me that you’re right and I’m wrong. It won’t happen.

Read it all here.

I’m told Gerald Frasse attends West Central High School in Hartford, was a legislative page this year, volunteered with the SDGOP this past election cycle, and I’m told he reads the SDWC (so he’s got a bright future in politics!)

Good for Gerald, and congrats on the recognition.  Keep it up, and remember that one person can move mountains – it just takes commitment and being involved.

 

Press Release: Rounds Announces New Senate Payments Innovation Caucus

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Rounds Announces New Senate Payments Innovation Caucus

MikeRounds official SenateWASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), along with Sens. Gary Peters (D-M.I.), Johnny Isakson (R-G.A.) and Tom Carper (D-D.E.), today announced the formation of the bipartisan Senate Payments Innovation Caucus. The Senate Payments Innovation Caucus will explore new and innovative technologies in the payments industry and address issues concerning data security, consumer protection and electronic payments.

“Credit cards and mobile payments are a large part of South Dakota’s economy, and it’s important for others to understand how the industry works,” said Rounds. “The technology payments industry impacts nearly every corner of our economy and is changing just as rapidly as it is growing. Our goal is to make sure others are aware of the issues important to the industry to meet its growing needs and keep consumer data safe and secure.”

“As the trade association of more than 500 U.S. payments technology companies, ETA applauds the leadership of Senators Mike Rounds and Gary Peters in forming the Senate Payments Innovation Caucus,” said Jason Oxman, CEO of the Electronic Transactions Association (ETA). “ETA member companies are the world’s leading payments innovators, deploying mobile payments and other technology that powers commerce for merchants and their customers.  We look forward to working with caucus members to advance policies that promote innovation and economic growth through payments technology.”

Nearly 70 percent of consumer spending is done using electronic payment methods, and electronic consumer spending continues to grow. By 2017, it is expected to reach an estimated $7.3 trillion.

Electronic payment methods include credit, debit and prepaid cards, as well as mobile payments. The use of mobile phones and other electronic devices to access bank accounts and credit cards and to make payments is a rapidly growing part of our economy that provides new opportunities for small businesses, startups and established stakeholders to reach customers around the world. The electronic transactions industry supports tens of thousands of jobs across the country, and it continues to grow.

Mobile banking and innovation in payments technology also have the potential to increase access to financial services for unbanked and underbanked consumers. Among underbanked consumers, 48 percent have used mobile banking in the past year. These technologies can help lower-income Americans save for their future and manage their income and expenditures.

The Senate Payments Innovation Caucus will focus on educating staff and Senators on the dynamic issues surrounding this growing industry, including data security and consumer protection, innovation in electronic payment technologies and consumer access to electronic financial services.

Reps. Lynn Westmoreland (GA-03), Randy Neugebauer (TX-19), David Scott (GA-13), and Kyrsten Sinema (AZ-09) recently formed the Congressional Payments Technology Caucus in the House of Representatives.

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Reva, SD most conservative, Marty, SD most liberal towns in SD.

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From business insider:

The map above shows the most liberal and most conservative towns in each state in the U.S. 

Political data analytics company Clarity Campaign Labs provided the underlying data to Business Insider. It compiled the information to create an online tool that was released Tuesday and was designed to help web users identify the community in each state that most closely matches their political views.

Read more here

Isn’t Betty Olson from Reva?  🙂

Kevin Woster looking, but not seeing any dems on deck.

@SoDakCampaigns

From KELOland:

A party with any hopes of competing next year in the Senate race should have candidates on deck. I’m looking, not seeing. And it’s shady enough in the dugout I can’t really see what’s going on. But there must be somebody in there, maybe doing something productive like corking a bat or fiddling with pine tar.

Please tell me there will be a Democratic slugger against Thune next year, and not a repeat of the embarrassing empty spot on the ballot where a Democratic candidate should have been in 2010 — the first time the guy who beat Daschle ran for reelection.

Read it here.

Press Release: Congresswoman Kristi Noem Discusses Impact of Health Insurance Tax with South Dakota Small Business Owners

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From Stop the HIT Coalition:

Congresswoman Kristi Noem Discusses Impact of Health Insurance Tax with South Dakota Small Business Owners

Rep. Noem Speaking at HIT Coalition Roundtable EventSioux Falls, SD (April 6, 2015) – Congresswoman Kristi Noem (R-South Dakota) joined local small business owners today in Sioux Falls to discuss how the health insurance tax, or HIT, is impacting local businesses and employees. The event was co-hosted by Click Rain, an online marketing business based in Sioux Falls, and the Stop the HIT Coalition, a broad based group representing the nation’s small business owners, their employees and the self-employed.

“I think today’s discussion was great because it really brought to light the burden that these employers feel to take care of their people and what increased costs and increased taxes really mean to them and the decisions they have to make to give healthcare benefits to their employees; or being forced to no longer offer them because of the increasing costs,” said Congresswoman Kristi Noem.

The HIT is an often-overlooked tax in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) that significantly drives up health insurance costs for millions of small businesses. The tax amounts to $159 billion in new costs over the next decade, which is almost entirely passed on to small businesses and the self-employed who purchase coverage in the fully insured marketplace. The tax raises the cost of health insurance premiums for families by approximately $500 a year, according to an analysis by former CBO Director Douglas Holtz-Eakin.

“Every time there is a new tax and a new expense that adds on to an already increase in premiums year over year, it turns into something that is a burden that is unsustainable for the business and for our employees,” said Eric Yunag, President and CEO of Dakota Security Systems Inc.

South Dakota is home to more than 82,000 small businesses, which employ more than 197,000 workers. According to research by the National Federation of Independent Business Research Foundation, the HIT will jeopardize between 152,000 to 286,000 private-sector jobs across the U.S. by 2023, and reduce real GDP by as much as $20 billion to $33 billion over the same period.

Congresswoman Noem is a cosponsor of H.R. 928, a bipartisan bill in the U.S. House of Representatives that would repeal the HIT and permanently relieve small businesses of this burdensome tax. “This tax needs to be repealed,” stated Congresswoman Noem.

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