Category: Uncategorized

State Senator Ernie Otten was kind enough to send along a note about the upcoming Legislative coffees for his district, in case you’re in the neighborhood:

The following District 6 Legislative Coffees have been scheduled. Please publish and share. The public is welcome and encouraged to attend:

Saturday, Feb. 6
Tea City Hall, 1:30 pm

Saturday, Feb 13 (2 locations)

• Harrisburg American Legion, 9:30 am
• Lennox Pizza Ranch, 1:00 pm (please come early and support their new owner, Michael, by having lunch)

Saturday, Feb. 27
Sioux Falls Area Chamber of Commerce Legislative Coffee will include Districts 6, 9, 16 and 25
Holiday Inn City Centre (8^th St. & Phillips Ave) from 10-11:45 am

 

With Noem Support, WOTUS Disapproval Hits President’s Desk

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Representative Kristi Noem today joined the House in passing legislation disapproving of the EPA’s Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) rule.  If today’s legislation is enacted, the controversial rule expanding EPA jurisdiction to small ditches, prairie potholes and even seasonally wet areas will have no force or effect.  With approval from Congress, the legislation now heads to the President for his signature or veto.

“As written, the Waters of the U.S. rule could become one of the largest federal land grabs in U.S. history,” said Noem.  “Everyday tasks, like spraying your lawn for mosquitos or your crops for disease, could now become federally regulated activities that carry fines worth upwards of $30,000 if a farmer or homeowner is found in violation.  I’m proud Congress has moved this legislation forward.  I strongly urge the President to understand the burden this regulation puts on families and sign our legislation to withdraw it.”

In May 2015, Rep. Noem helped the U.S. House of Representatives pass the bipartisan H.R. 1732, the Regulatory Integrity Protection Act of 2015, which would send the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Army Corps of Engineers back to the drawing board on the WOTUS rule.

Noem has also called on the EPA to define regulated navigable waters on a map after an alarming graphic was released that has raised questions about how extensive the EPA’s regulatory authority could become.  Read more and view the graphic here.

Additionally, in May 2014, Rep. Noem joined 231 Members of Congress from both sides of the aisle on a letter urging the EPA and the Secretary of the Army to withdraw the proposed rule.

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South Dakota’s chapter of the Americans for Prosperity Foundation will be hosting upcoming seminars in Rapid City and Sioux Falls on “The Sordid History of Political Correctness.”  Interested in attending? Here’s where you can make your reservation:

RAPID CITY

Please join us for a free dinner and a special presentation of
The Sordid History of Political Correctness
by the Grassroots Leadership Academy’s Stephanie Maier.

Maier is a political, democracy, and media educator who has worked to expand democracy and free-market economics in thirteen countries. She has also worked in campaign management and grassroots advocacy in the United States, and she is now working with the Grassroots Leadership Academy (GLA) to educate activists throughout the country about the principles of freedom, prosperity, and individual liberty.

Day and Date:                     Monday, January 25, 2016
Place:                                   Minervas Restaurant
Address:                               4111 Lacrosse Street
Rapid City, SD 57701

Time:                                    5:30 – 7:30 P.M.
Tickets:                                 include dinner
Ticket Deadline:          Friday, January 22, 2016

Please reserve your FREE TICKETS at www.GLARapidCity.com
or contact Chad Krier at (605) 370-2778 or [email protected]
for more information.

SIOUX FALLS

Please join us for a special presentation of
The Sordid History of Political Correctness
by the Grassroots Leadership Academy’s Stephanie Maier.

Maier is a political, democracy, and media educator who has worked to expand democracy and free-market economics in thirteen countries. She has also worked in campaign management and grassroots advocacy in the United States, and she is now working with the Grassroots Leadership Academy (GLA) to educate activists throughout the country about the principles of freedom, prosperity, and individual liberty.

Day and Date:                     Tuesday, January 26, 2016
Place:                                                   Callaway’s
Address:                               500 East 69^th Street
Sioux Falls, SD 57109
Time:                                    6:30 – 8:00 P.M.
RSVP Deadline:                   Friday, January 22, 2016

A variety of Callaway’s delicious homemade pies will be served!

Please reserve your FREE TICKETS at www.GLASiouxFalls.com
or contact Chad Krier at (605) 370-2778 or [email protected]
for more information.

In the Washington Post today, South Dakota’s US Senator John Thune observed that President Obama isn’t exactly pursuing an aggressive legislative agenda in his last year in office:

Obama’s need to work with Congress effectively ended late last year, after lawmakers passed a two-year budget accord and approved a spending package to keep the government open for the bulk of the coming election year. And the political reality was evident in Obama’s speech, which centered on a high-minded appeal for a more inclusive and responsive brand of politics but included no specific proposals in that area.

Instead, he called on Congress to take action only on a handful of issues whose chances of passage this year range from slim to none.

“The speech tonally was very different than previous years,” said Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), chairman of the Senate Republican Conference. “It’s almost like, ‘Okay, I’ve done what I can, and I’m going to continue to do what I can this next year by executive action.’ But I think he’s been on the glide path out of here, and I think the speech tonight reflected that.”

and…

Each carries deep political complications and thus little chance of advancing through Congress in a presidential election year.

“If I had to handicap, I’m not sure any of them get done this next year,” Thune said after the speech.

Read it all here.

I noticed that Bob Mercer had the following statement on his web log:

Brown is term-limited after eight consecutive years in the Senate and isn’t running for a House seat.; Justin Cronin of Gettysburg, the House appropriations chairman, is running for Brown’s Senate seat.

Read that here.

Dang it. I had that weeks ago, but it had been embargoed by my correspondent who had informed me.

That’s the trouble. The better inside information you get, the more you tend to hear people say “But, don’t put it on dakotawarcollege yet.”  Aargh! Seriously? You guys kill me when you say that.

At events or around Pierre, it used to be that people would turn around and walk, or run, in the other direction because they didn’t want to confirm or deny anything – they just wanted to avoid questions altogether. Now, as this website has matured over the last decade, they’re more comfortable in telling me stuff.  But, they don’t always want to let the cat out of the bag *just yet.*

I’ve always honored those requests, with the caveat that if I hear it from other sources, yes, the cat is already out of the bag.  Leaving me sitting on information that I’d like to use….. but I can’t just yet.   And no, I’m not going to disclose who told me about what.

Right now, I’m sitting on another legislative retirement, and two returning legislators from the past who are returning, and giving it another go, as well as a few other tidbits. No, the GOP ED hasn’t been selected as of yet, but I’m hearing that people are being discussed.

For those of you who do have insider tips and information, you’re always welcome to e-mail, or call me. (My number is easy enough to find.).  And remember that “But don’t put it on dakotawarcollege yet” is the bane of my existence.

Rounds: Tonight’s Speech a Missed Opportunity to Reach Across the Aisle

WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) tonight made the following statement on President Obama’s final State of the Union Address.

“An overwhelming majority of South Dakotans – and all Americans – are dissatisfied with the direction of our country, and tonight’s speech lacked any serious ideas for working together to renew and reenergize the people’s faith in the American dream. The facts are clear: our economy is stagnant, the VA is broken, Obamacare is failing, manufacturing has shrunk, Americans don’t feel safe from terrorism and damaging new regulations being promulgated by this administration are hurting hard-working families and businesses. I believe we can do a lot more good for our country if we face the challenges before us and make our country better than it is today. Only then can we truly solve the important issues before us.

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Noem Reacts to President’s Final State of the Union Address

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Representative Kristi Noem today issued the following statement in reaction to President Obama’s final State of the Union address:

“The picture President Obama tried to paint tonight is a starkly different image than what most people see in their own backyard. We live in a world where wages are stagnant, the institutions set up to care for our veterans, seniors, and Native Americans are failing at the most basic levels, and few people are confident in the state of our national security. I believe we can do better.  We have a responsibility to rebuild our economy and give more opportunities to every American.  We must strengthen our national security, restoring American leadership and giving people greater peace of mind.  We must re-energize the American Dream, using it to inspire our next generation to imagine and achieve a better world for their families and our nation. I believe in better than what President Obama’s policies and tonight’s speech offered and I’m hopeful we can achieve it.”

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Thune Reacts to President Obama’s Final State of the Union Address

“South Dakotans don’t want to hear about President Obama’s legacy or policies that haven’t worked – we want to hear about what he’s going to do in his remaining months in office to help fix the problems that have plagued seven years of his presidency.”

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) provided the following reaction after President Obama delivered his seventh and final State of the Union address:

“For the seventh year in a row, President Obama used his State of the Union address to lecture the American people about the failed top-down, government-knows-best policies that have come to define his presidency and have given us a stagnant economy, a smaller labor force, and a more chaotic world scene.

“South Dakotans don’t want to hear about President Obama’s legacy or policies that haven’t worked – what we want to hear is what he’s going to do in his remaining months in office to help fix the problems that have plagued seven years of his presidency.

“Last year at this time, I promised you that Republicans would turn Congress’ focus back to the American people’s top priorities, and that’s exactly what we’ve done. We’ve fought to make our economy stronger, our government more efficient and accountable, and our nation and our world safer and more secure. But there’s more work to be done, and we need a partner in the White House who’s at least willing to meet us halfway.

“Rather than the ‘my-way-or-the-highway’ attitude that we’ve come to know from President Obama, my hope is that he spends 2016 working with Republicans in Congress to help move America toward a brighter tomorrow.

“The new approach that Republicans have worked hard to help to advance in just the first year of the new Republican majority is a positive start, and we will continue that fight whether President Obama joins us or not.”

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State Representative Jim Stalzer has his petitions out. But not for the State House.  I’ve had it confirmed tonight that this member of the State House Delegation for District 11 is circulating his petitions for the upper chamber of the State Legislature.

He’s not challenging current Senator David Omdahl, as much as Omdahl is tagging Stalzer in, so Omdahl can pursue other things.   Stalzer tells me this evening that he was holding off to give the good Senator an opportunity to change his mind, as the District 11 delegation gets along fairly well, and it’s a shame to see any of them go.  For both Stalzer & Omdahl, 2016 is their 4th year in the legislature.

Keep an eye peeled on the legislative races, as the campaign news just keeps on coming!

(Dems still don’t have a sacrificial lamb for the US Senate, BTW)