Category: Uncategorized

I was speaking with a state legislator today about the latest on who is running, and who isn’t, and noticing the very limited number of candidates out there he asked “Do the Dems even have 15 people running  for the State Legislature yet?”

Thanks to my insomnia, I got about 4 hours sleep last night, and now I have to do math??  Dang it. 

But the question was put out there for me, so I had to look it up. What did I find? It’s more than 15, but not by many. There are currently 19 Democrats with petitions in for 105 legislative seats.

Delving into specifics, Democrats have petitions in for 9 people competing for the 35 State Senate Seats (25.7%) and only 10 for the 70 House seats (14.3%). For people out there counting, those numbers really suck.  (For those who will inevitably ask, Republicans currently have 23 people who have filed for senate seats, and 39 who have filed for house seats.)

With just over a week to go, that’s not leaving much time for Democrats to appear as if they’re legitimately competing for the State Legislature. Even doubling their current numbers does not, despite the boast of Ann Tornberg that she will fill all 105 legislative seats.

So, keep watching the SDWC candidate list which I’ll be updating with the latest and greatest until we hit March 29th, when the time for bluffing will be over, and everyone will have to show their cards.

 

A Basketball State of Mind
By Sen. John Thune

Second by second, time ticks off the clock as the senior point guard, knowing his team is about to clinch a spot in the pinnacle of all tournaments – NCAA’s March Madness – dribbles the ball past half court. As the buzzer rings, his teammates rush the court, and the team’s fans leap from their seats to celebrate the victory. A lot of hard work goes into these defining moments – the two-a-day workouts, the early mornings, all of the season’s wins, and even the losses. Every minute is worth it, if you ask these athletes.

Almost every South Dakotan who knows me, even a little, knows how much I love the game of basketball, specifically South Dakota basketball. When people talk about Indiana, Kansas, or other places frequently dubbed “basketball states,” I always make the case that South Dakota belongs in that category too. Take just this year as an example. Both the Jackrabbit men’s and women’s teams punched their tickets to the big dance, and the Coyote women are representing our state in the Women’s National Invitational Tournament. On both the men’s and women’s side, we had a handful of South Dakota teams selected for the NAIA and NCAA Division II tournaments, including Augustana who’s headed to the Elite Eight. I could go on and on – haven’t even mentioned all of our successful high school teams.

Not only do we have talented teams and players, but South Dakota has some of the best fans in the nation. At this year’s Summit League Tournament, I was impressed by the amount of blue and red in the stands supporting our state’s schools. It’s a pretty remarkable feat for a town the size of Sioux Falls to boast some of the top attendance numbers in all of Division I basketball. And no matter how fierce the competition may be, it’s always fun to see rivals in the stands trade stories and friendly banter, all while sharing in the accomplishment of our student athletes, because at its heart, that’s what this is all about.

I can’t help but think the reason we compete well at so many levels, especially on the national stage, is because of the intangible talent our kids possess – the things we in the Dakotas instill in our children at a young age. While we might not always have the height or speed that power-five teams possess, we will always have the hardest-working players on the floor. We have well-disciplined athletes that know the fundamentals. They understand teamwork and how to be humble, yet confident and poised in uniform. They are kids raised on the prairie who know that their effort and diligence will ultimately lead them to success.

To all the South Dakota athletes and fans, congratulations on an excellent season at all levels. Thank you for giving us all a reason to come together as a state to celebrate in your hard work and leadership.

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Six Year Check-Up of Obamacare
By Senator Mike Rounds

Six years ago, President Obama signed the Affordable Care Act (ACA) into law. Commonly called Obamacare, this law was intended to provide all Americans with access to quality, affordable, low-cost health care. Not surprisingly, we have found that the opposite is happening. Instead, health care costs are soaring, premiums have risen at record rates and access to care continues to challenge consumers.  And there is no sign of these damaging effects slowing down.

For many families across the United States, health insurance premiums are the biggest household expense.  I continue to hear from South Dakotans who simply cannot afford their new plans under the ACA, yet they are required by law to purchase the plans or face steep tax penalties. In one case, the premium for a healthy married couple in their 50’s now costs more than $15,000 annually. That doesn’t even include co-pays or deductibles that they pay when they go to the doctor. Another individual told me her premium increased 40 percent in 2016, so she now pays $1,270 each month for her health insurance. These are just a few of the many stories I continue to hear about rising premiums and higher out-of-pocket costs because of Obamacare.

According to the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office, the ACA costs American taxpayers more than $116 billion a year. In fact, on average, every household in the United States can expect more than $20,000 in new taxes over the next 10 years because of the ACA. And health care providers are being hurt by the law’s administrative costs. A recent survey of U.S. doctors found that many are struggling to handle growing paperwork demands. Even more alarming, their paperwork burden is getting worse, bogging down time and energy that could otherwise be spent on the patient. These are heavy burdens to place on the already over-taxed, over-regulated American public.

When Republicans took over the Senate last year, we made it our mission to repeal the ACA. In December 2015, the Senate for the first time passed a reconciliation bill that would have repealed major parts of the Affordable Care Act. Not surprisingly, it was vetoed by the president, and the House of Representatives was unable to override his veto. In order to fully get rid of the ACA, we need to maintain Republican control of both houses of Congress and elect a president in November who will commit to its repeal. We must also come together to create a real replacement plan that is patient-centered and truly affordable for all Americans.

After six years, we know that too many South Dakota families and businesses have been hurt by this poorly-written law. I will continue working in the Senate to repeal Obamacare and replace it with a market-based plan that is actually affordable and will drive down costs. Healthy competition within the private insurance marketplace would allow families and individuals to purchase the health care plan that best fits their needs and budget.

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Understanding Our Food and Those Who Produce It
By Rep. Kristi Noem

Earlier this month, people around the country celebrated National Agriculture Day.  In South Dakota, our lives and livelihoods are deeply tied to agriculture – whether we live in town or on a farm.  But in so many other areas of this country, people are fundamentally disconnected from the way their food is produced.

For most families, food is one of the top expenditures each month – often times, only falling behind housing and transportation costs. Still, a 2011 study by the U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance found 72 percent of consumers knew nothing or very little about farming or ranching.  While not everyone farms, everyone does eat, so it’s important that more people understand where their food comes from.

Creating this understanding will be critical – especially as more and more pressure is put on farmers and ranchers to produce the food needed to support a growing global population. This is a national security necessity as much as it is a humanitarian mission. During a congressional hearing late last year, John Negroponte, who served as U.S. Ambassador to Iraq and then Director of National Intelligence under President George W. Bush, explained that the need for more food “could affect political stability” and could “fuel further instability in the Middle East.”  He went on to observe that “the world must increase food production by 50 to 60 percent to satisfy expected global population growth and changing consumption patterns by 2050.”

These realities make it all the more important to invest in our agriculture community.

Many reading this column likely know I have spent my life farming and ranching in South Dakota.  As our state’s only member in the U.S. House of Representatives, I try to share what it is like to live in our shoes, because it’s essential that folks have a better understanding of the risk that comes with agriculture and the significance of a stable food supply.  They should know the kind of capital farmers bury in the ground each spring, hoping to get the crop and prices needed to keep their operation going.  They ought to see the hard work, long hours, and extreme risk that come with running a ranch – especially now that calving season is upon us.

South Dakota ranchers have been blessed this year so far with good weather for calving.  But I remember many years when we were calving in sub-zero weather.  We’d stay up all night, so we could be there to get the calf somewhere warm enough to survive.  And no matter how attentive you were, there would always be those heartbreaking times where all you could say was “Maybe next year.”

Even beyond understanding the dynamics of food production and food security, I believe our country would benefit greatly from seeing how we live in an agriculture community.  I love this segment from Paul Harvey’s tribute to farmers: “God had to have somebody willing to ride the ruts at double speed to get the hay in ahead of the rain clouds and yet stop in mid-field and race to help when he sees the first smoke from a neighbor’s place.”  A little more of a farming and ranching mentality would go a long way in this country.

To all of South Dakota’s farmers and ranchers, thank you for doing what you do.  Because of your work, our families are fed, our national security is stronger, and the world is better off.

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The Fight Against Meth
A column by Gov. Dennis Daugaard:

On March 6, the United States lost a beloved First Lady.

As partner to the most powerful man in the world, First Lady Nancy Reagan chose to devote her time in the White House to a cause that is as relevant today as it was when she announced it 30 years ago. This, of course, is Mrs. Reagan’s “Just Say No” campaign.

Although Mrs. Reagan is no longer with us, we can still honor her by remembering the cause she fought so fiercely to promote. As she said in 1986, “[drug abuse] concerns us all, because of the way it tears at our lives, and because it is aimed at destroying the brightness and life of the sons and daughters of the United States.” These words still ring true today – but one drug in particular should concern us all.

Although available during the “Just Say No” campaign, methamphetamine didn’t gain popularity until the Reagans were out of office. As reported by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, the U.S. has seen an increase almost every year since the early 1990s. The West Central and Southwest states have been particularly susceptible to the trend, and South Dakota is not immune. Reports show that South Dakota’s latest spike in meth use began in 2010 and continues to increase.

Understanding the severity of the problem, the South Dakota Department of Social Services has been working to develop a State Methamphetamine Awareness Campaign to discourage the use of this drug. When I entered office in 2011, there were 128 statewide meth arrests. By 2014, the number of arrests had grown to 271 arrests –nearly a 112 percent increase. About that time, the Public Safety Improvement Act was passed, which increased the number of drug treatment programs to help those who were already users. With expanded drug treatment programs, our next objective must be re-educating South Dakotans, and especially our younger population, about the dangers of meth before they decide to try it.

A major aspect of the campaign will be to demonstrate what meth does to a person’s physical and mental health.

Physically, a user will often experience open sores, yellow skin and rotten teeth in a collapsed jaw. Seizures, heart attack and liver failure are also common occurrences in someone who uses meth. Trying meth just once can lead to death.

Mentally, a meth user is susceptible to depression, suicidal thoughts and mental impairment. Meth users will often feel intense anger towards someone, and feel anxious about life. One of the most alarming facts about the drug is how it impacts the brain chemically. Meth is very addictive because the drug causes the brain to release high amounts of dopamine, leading to a rush. The rush can last up to 12 hours before the user experiences a crash. In order to reach that high level of euphoria again, the user must ingest more of the drug. Over time, the drug destroys the brain’s dopamine receptors. Without functioning dopamine receptors, a person’s ability to feel happy is impaired.

Meth has been robbing South Dakota for decades, and this campaign is merely another step in an ongoing battle to stop the malicious fight. Rolling out next school year, the campaign will educate students and parents alike to take Mrs. Reagan’s age-old advice, and just say no. Trying meth even once is not worth it. Losing one’s health, mental capabilities, relationships and risking one’s life is not worth it.

As Mrs. Reagan told Americans back in the 1980s, “Drugs steal away so much. They take and take, until finally every time a drug goes into a child, something else is forced out – like love and hope and trust and confidence. Drugs take away the dream from every child’s heart and replace it with a nightmare, and it’s time we in America stand up and replace those dreams.”

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SDGOP Elects Delegates and Alternates for Republican National Convention

Today over 70 delegates from counties across the state met in Pierre to elect delegates and alternates to the Republican National Convention in Cleveland July 17-21. Twenty six delegates and twenty six alternates were elected from a pool of county delegates. In addition, the South Dakota Republican Party State Chair, National Committeeman and National Committeewoman are delegates for a total of twenty-nine delegates.

The State Legislative races are incredibly fluid right now! (With the exception there’s hardly any Democrats running for anything.)

That being said – Is there anyone who are we missing in my rundown of candidates? You can view the list at the 2016 South Dakota Candidate List I’ve set up.

Give a shout out to anyone we’re missing or have wrong in the comment section under this post.

10 Days to GO!

I’m in the Brookings GOP meeting this morning, thinking it was going to be relatively announcement free…  And out of the blue up popped another candidate for District 7 State House Mike Fossum; turning a race where it was going to be nice to have two strong candidates (Reed and Pitts) to legislative primary.

This could mean serious trouble for House Minority Leader Spence Hawley, who would be facing the top two in that race. They’ll have had the advantage of campaigning this spring and raising their name ID – so look for District 7 House to be far more exciting than it was a month ago.

This evening, my spies are telling me that there are some changes happening in the Watertown area State Senate race.

What I’m hearing is that current State Senator Ried Holien is taking a step back, and not running this fall. What IS happening, is that State Representative Roger Solum – instead of retiring from the legislature – he’s going to be turning in petitions for the State Senate seat.

This election is nuts already!

Just had an e-mail from a friend. Apparently, Stace Nelson is doing lit drops, and hanging his brochure on people’s doors. So it’s hot off the press, and you’ll have to excuse me assembling it from the photos I was sent. (You should be able to click to enlarge them):

For a race that may be happening this June, it looks the unannounced candidate Nelson has just deleted “US” from his logo, and from most of the materials he used in his ill-fated run for US Senate where he placed third behind Current US Senator Mike Rounds, and Larry Rhoden.

There’s a lot of braggadocio as you might expect from Stace, such as claiming “in his four years in your legislature(2011-2014) Stace was more productive than District 19’s Current three legislators combined (2010-2015).”

Oddly, the brochure directs people to StaceNelson.com to support his State Senate race.

But when you go to the web site, you find that it’s still branded for US Senate.

Whether that’s temporary because he hasn’t had the time, he lacks funds to pay someone to have it changed, or it’s abandoned for some odd reason, there’s a lack of a consistent message that he is running for State Senate.

It is what it is, so, it’s confirmed that Nelson, who has yet to make his candidacy official, is apparently off and hanging brochures on doorknobs for State Senate.