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Words alone cannot express the gratitude we have for our veterans and we can never say "thank you" enough. pic.twitter.com/bxHJKjm1NT

— South Dakota GOP (@sdgop) November 11, 2015

Celebrating America’s Heroes  
By Sen. John Thune

Sacrifice means different things to different people. For the brave men and women in our armed forces, sacrifice oftentimes means putting life – and the lives of their families – on hold for training, travel, and deployment. It means missing Christmas dinners, birthdays, weddings, and life’s other important milestones. True sacrifice is realized day in and day out by our troops and their families, and it’s important for the rest of America to not only recognize what our troops have done for the safety and security of our nation, but celebrate it.

There’s one veteran in particular that my family celebrates every day: my dad, Harold. Like thousands of young men his age, my dad answered the call of duty, and in 1942 enlisted in the U.S. Navy. He fought on the USS Intrepid in the Pacific theater during World War II and flew important escort missions that covered dive bombers and torpedo bombers responsible for attacking the enemy fleet. He served through the end of the war and returned home to his friends and family in Murdo, South Dakota. Although we use the term frequently, the “Greatest Generation” almost seems inadequate to describe what these heroes endured.

With each new generation of Americans comes a new generation of veterans. Today’s veterans – the thousands of young men and women returning home from the Middle East – need a different system of support than our parents and grandparents once required, and it’s our job to make sure that the system meets their needs.

The Senate recently passed important legislation to fund veterans’ health services and benefits, military housing and family support, and hospital and health facilities construction. The bill not only provides for the veterans themselves, but boosts quality of life for their families too. I introduced an amendment to this legislation that would further streamline care for tribal veterans receiving care at Veterans Administration facilities to ensure that access to care is as seamless as possible for all our nation’s veterans.

Earlier this year, Congress passed and the president signed the Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act, important legislation that takes a step toward giving our heroes the mental health resources they need when they return home. We also made several changes to the Veterans Choice Program, changes that will give more veterans access to health care in their own communities.

While America will never be able to fully repay what our veterans are owed, we should start with a simple “thank you” and continue our work to ensure our heroes receive the care they have earned.

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Senate Passes Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Bill

Includes $23 million construction project for new dormitory at Ellsworth, prevents funding to close GTMO

WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), a member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee and the Senate Armed Services Committee, today released the following statement on the Senate’s passage of its first appropriations bill for Fiscal Year (FY) 2016, H.R. 2029, the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies Appropriations Act (MilCon/VA). It passed 93-0.

“I am pleased that the Senate is finally doing its job to pass appropriations bills, especially the Military Construction/VA bill to support our veterans, service members and their families,” said Rounds. “We have a duty to take care of our men and women who wear the uniform of the United States, during and after their service. This bipartisan appropriations bill recognizes the needs of a changing veteran population by providing specific funding for health care for female veterans, care for Iraq and Afghanistan vets and treatment for traumatic brain injury.  It also includes specific funding provisions for construction and renovation of VA facilities and prevents the Department of Defense from using funds to close the terrorist detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The Defense Department construction portion of the bill includes a project at our own Ellsworth Air Force Base.”

The Military Construction and Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies Appropriations Act is one of 12 appropriations bills that are needed to fund the government in FY 2016. It passed out of committee earlier this year by a bipartisan majority vote of 21-9. In October, Senate Democrats blocked this bill from being openly debated and amended on the Senate floor.  The bill includes $23 million to construct a new dormitory at Ellsworth Air Force Base near Rapid City.

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Attorney General Jackley and Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribal Leaders
Attend Government-to-Government Consultation on Marijuana Grow Operation

PIERRE, S.D. – Attorney General Marty Jackley confirms that he has met with Flandreau Chairman Anthony Reider, Tribal Council members and leaders, regarding the marijuana operations of the Santee Sioux Tribe. As with the previous government-to-government meetings with tribal authorities, the meeting was both professional and important to gain each other’s continued perspective.

“As Attorney General, it remains my desire to work with Tribal authorities to avoid placing either Indian or non-Indian persons unnecessarily at risk from state or federal prosecution. The federal government has unnecessarily created uncertainty with its lack of uniformity with enforcement of existing law and its unresponsiveness to both State and Tribal authorities. While it remains my belief that the Tribe’s suspension of its grow operation is in the best interest of public health and safety, I will continue to work with Tribal leadership and the Flandreau community in order to ensure a mutual respect and compliance with both Tribal and State laws,” said Marty Jackley.

On July 31, 2015, Attorney General Jackley wrote to US Department of Justice Deputy Attorney General Sally Quillian Yates requesting guidance from the Department of Justice regarding its enforcement inconsistencies on marijuana. Specifically requesting that the United States Attorney General clarify to what extent, if any, its various memorandums apply to jurisdictions such as South Dakota wherein marijuana use and possession is a violation of both federal and state law. Finally, Attorney General Jackley made clear any guidance from the Department of Justice should take into consideration well established legal principals including the United States Supreme Court’s determination that State courts have jurisdiction over crimes committed by non-Indians within Indian country.

As of today’s date, the Department of Justice has not provided the requested guidance.

Link to letter: http://atg.sd.gov/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=49rOBKfsA54%3d&tabid=442

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Soooo…. Most active Republicans I know think Rick Weiland’s ballot measure is an utterly stupid idea, so that’s probably a bad place to start.

So, let me pose this to you active Democrats. I know that there are plenty who read the SDWC. What do you think about the idea of removing the party labels from the ballot? Are you in support of it? Or are you erasing the “D” from behind the name of George McGovern, Tim Johnson and Tom Daschle because Rick Weiland doesn’t think you can compete?

From twitter:

SD Dems are officially throwing in the towel today. They can’t win as Democrats so they want to remove party affiliation from the ballot.

— South Dakota GOP (@sdgop) November 9, 2015

It might be funnier if it wasn’t true.  Today, a ballot measure backed by snake oil salesman ‘Slick’ Rick Weiland was turned into the Secretary of State, as noted by a press release that went out today:

Rick Knobe, Sioux Falls radio talk show host, former Mayor of Sioux Falls, and a registered Independent serving as chair of the coalition, announced that 39,182 –10,000 more than the required 27,741–were hand-delivered to Secretary of State, Shantel Krebs, today at 2:00pm.

The proposed constitutional amendment would establish an open, nonpartisan primary where voters choose individual legislative and statewide candidates based on their ideas and merit, regardless of political party. The top two candidates receiving the most votes would then compete in the general election.

“An increasing number of South Dakotans are convinced that the political status quo in Pierre and in Washington is no longer viable,” Knobe said, “and our initiative will make several positive changes, including:

1) allowing every South Dakotan to vote in primary elections, regardless of partisan registration

2) changing the South Dakota Legislature into a nonpartisan body, just as the nonpartisan initiative passed in Nebraska in 1934 has effectively done there

3) dispensing with the need for partisan caucuses, as it has in Nebraska, thus ensuring that public policy will no longer be made behind closed doors

4) allowing members of both political parties to chair legislative committees; and

5) sending a message to Washington, DC that South Dakotans are not happy with the partisan division and gridlock that has undermined our system of government.”

Of course, today’s press release conveniently didn’t have mention of Knobe’s partners, and the originators of the measure, who were quite eager to claim authorship credit as noted in a prior piece:

A Plan to Promote Nonpartisan Democracy
By Rick Weiland and Drey Samuelson

..  We believe that most voters are more than ready to try something new, and our organization, TakeItBack.Org, is gathering signatures to put the South Dakota Nonpartisan Democracy Amendment on the 2016 South Dakota general election ballot. If a majority votes for the initiative, as we expect, it’s likely that other states—especially those in which ballot initiatives are allowed—will follow.

Could Congress eventually follow suit? Yes, it could, and it’s now time for the states to show the way.

Rick Weiland is a businessman in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and former candidate for the U.S. Senate; Drey Samuelson was Chief of Staff for U.S. Senator Tim Johnson for his 28 year congressional career. They are the co-founders of TakeitBack.org.

Very simply put, Rick Weiland found it impossible to win as a Democrat, so he wants to eliminate party affiliation. He wants to put an eraser to the term “Democrat,” because he knows in it’s current form. no one has any interest in putting them in office. So, it’s far easier to eliminate party affiliation from the ballot than it is for them to transform their political party into one that reflects the views of South Dakotans.

Yep, long-time Democrats Slick Rick Weiland and Drey Samuelson. But, what does Slick Rick hope to accomplish if he can get more Democrats in? That’s easy. He wrote about it on July 8th of this year:

Political party barely matters in the Nebraska Legislature.

* Nebraska has a substantially more progressive taxation system than many other “red” states–while our home state of South Dakota ranks a dismal 4th on the Institute on Tax and Economic Policy “Tax Inequality Index,” Nebraska ranks 28th, substantially better than blue states like Washington, Pennsylvania, Hawaii, Ohio, Rhode Island and Massachusetts.

* The Nebraska Legislature just passed a repeal of the death penalty, a 6 cent increase in gas taxes (which will fund desperately needed infrastructure repairs to roads and bridges), and issuance of drivers licenses to the children of undocumented immigrants, the so-called “Dreamers.”

Wait, what?

Rick Weiland wants “more progressive taxation,” a.k.a. Democrat-speak for a state income tax. Rick Weiland wants to repeal the death penalty. Rick Weiland wants even higher gas taxes. And Rick Weiland wants to give drivers licenses to the children of illegal aliens.

And I suspect that’s only the tip of the iceberg of what they intend to do to South Dakotans.

 

 

From my e-mail:

Fellow Caucus members and South Dakotans,

I had the distinct privilege of attending the 12^th Annual National Assembly of Sportsmen’s Caucuses (NASC) Sportsman-Legislator Summit. Myself and legislators from 30 other states discussed current issues relate to environmental conservation, hunting, and fishing.

Such topics included the use of lead ammunition and its effect on the environment. I along with many other lawmakers, found it interesting that only .07% of animal deaths are caused by the use of lead ammunition. Habitat loss/destruction, and the building of structures both represent 30%. When lead is used in paint, it is in a different chemical form and is harmful to living organisms; however, the use of lead ammunition has not been found to directly affect animals, or those who consume animals shot with lead ammunition.

Another topic we briefly covered was the importation of Ivory and Trophy animals. There have been many states and countries that have banned the importation of these items. Ivory doesn’t affect us here in South Dakota, but the importation of trophy animals does. Some lawmakers and individuals think that banning these items may help curve illegal poaching, but in reality it hurts the communities’ revenue, which results in less funds to enforce and end such illegal activity.

Habitat management on public lands was a major topic. Timber being sold and harvested on federal land is down 80%, and firefighting costs now consume over half of the United States Forest Service (USFS) budget at 67%. As South Dakota legislators, we see this directly when we try to allocate funds for the Pine Beetle efforts out west. Allocations for the creation of young forest habitat have also decreased; consequently, as a nation we have seen a 15% decline in wild turkey, a decline of Ruffed Grouse, the eradication of Elk habitat, a 66% decline of the Golden Winged Warbler, and an overall 59% decline of all bird species. Simultaneously, the federal government’s budget allocation to the USFS is also declining—it is paramount that we as a state continue to correctly and efficiently manage our public lands, and work to acquire as much federal land as possible.

There is some good news though. H.R. 2647, the Resilient Federal Forests act of 2015 is a comprehensive bill aimed at expediting and improving forest management activities in federal forests. It builds upon many legislative concepts introduced in this and previous Congresses to address disastrous consequences of catastrophic wildfire, insect, disease infestations, and other threats to our nation’s forests. This bill seeks to return resilience to overgrown, fire-prone forested lands. This legislation builds upon the 2014 Farm Bill to extend limited “categorical exclusion” authorities, enabling the forest service to expedite critical forest health projects. It also allows agencies to request and access emergency disaster funds if firefighting budgets are exhausted, and establishes revolving funds for projects. Most importantly for South Dakota, it empowers the forest service to immediately implement tools to reduce the threat of catastrophic wildfire, insect and disease infestation, and damage to municipal watersheds.

Another topic that should have some light shed upon it is the existence of the Humane Society. Many of you have seen the commercials, read the advertisements, and maybe have donated to the organization. Multiple times, I was informed on how only 1% of the 180 million dollars of donations actually go towards the humane treatment of animals, and that zero animal shelters are maintained across the United States by the organization. Many of those dollars are actually used to fight against Ducks Unlimited, Pheasants Forever, and many other ethical organizations that not only promote sportsmen, but environmental conservation.

Which brings me to the most shocking news of all: the sportsmen population in the United States is declining. As a nation, younger generations are choosing to pursue different hobbies and interests. In South Dakota, we must work together to keep our conservation efforts strong—and promote public and private partnerships required to accomplish such a goal. I was very proud to attend this event being a native South Dakotan, and I want everyone to know, that this organization is thrilled to have us. We received a VERY warm welcome, as well as, a fetching plaque that I will present at our first meeting Jan. 12^th 2016 at Red Rosa in Pierre. South Dakota has very strong roots when it comes to Hunting & Fishing, and every other state in the nation has recognized us for that.

The Augustana University College Republicans have set a goal recently, and that goal is to take 18 of their membership to CPAC – The Conservative Political Action Conference at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in Washington DC From March 2nd through the 5th. As you can read on their Go Fund Me Page, this self-supported Republican student organization is trying to raise $5000 to make it happen for their members:

One of the greatest opportunities for young conservatives to hit the ground running is the Conservative Political Action Conference, or CPAC, in Washington, D.C. in March, 2016. The conference hosts thousands of conservative leaders, and is even hosting a few of the Presidential Candidates who are fighting for Republican Nominee. CPAC is a bootcamp for young conservatives: it engages them in the political process, creates networks, and provides hands-on learning about how college students can relay their political experience and skills onto their campuses; thus sharing conservative values, engaging more students into one of most important parts of being an American citizen.

That’s where you come in. Augustana University wants to take as many students as possible. Our goal is to take 18 students to Washington, D.C for four nights during the conference. We will use the funds to pay for flight tickets, transportation to and from the airport, and lodging.

As the conference is in Washington, D.C in March, we are trying to reach our goal of $5,000 by the end of January 2016 in order to book flights for 18 students. As any conservative knows, hard work and dedication will reap results. We know that with hard work and dedication, we can make this trip affordable for 18 college students.

Read, and help them with their Go Fund Me campaign here.

The Augie Republicans have been very active in conservative causes this year in the Sioux Falls Area. In looking this evening, they’re already 10% of the way to their $5,000 goal, and that was before I added $50 to it.

Give them a hand, and a little funding to help make it happen for these future GOP leaders.

Update: You’ll notice in the comment section below, one of the Democrat’s leftist leaders, Cory Heidelberger, is calling out this bunch Conservative of College kids as “socialists” and “panhandlers” for trying to raise money to attend CPAC.   Apparently, he must chase away the Girl Scouts and Hockey players raising money around his neighborhood as well.

Yes, this is the same person who threw the hate at a person trying to raise money to attend the execution of her child’s rapist/murderer, who eventually made it to Sioux Falls despite his best efforts. Apparently, a rape/murder victim’s mother was too much of a challenge, so he’s out criticizing college kids raising money now.

I think It was Ben Carson out there who said that “with every negative article, he raises a million dollars.”

So, with the state’s liberal elite hating on them, now you have even more of a reason to help get these kids to CPAC.

(PS, they’re up to $1000 now!)

Keeping America’s Trains Moving
By Sen. John Thune

With limited options to efficiently ship materials such as fertilizer, ethanol, or corn and soybeans, railroads play an absolutely critical link to South Dakota’s agricultural sector. Thankfully, now that legislation averting an end-of-year railroad service shutdown has been signed into law, farmers, ranchers, businesses, shippers, and municipalities can breathe a sigh of relief. For lawmakers, regulators, and railroads, there is still much work to be done in order to fully implement positive train control (PTC) technology that will make passenger and freight railroads even safer in the coming years.

PTC technology can prevent certain accidents that involve train-on-train collisions and excessive speeds that are caused by operator error. With a new, more achievable deadline, full implementation of this complex rail safety technology will keep the pressure on each freight and passenger railroad to finish the job.

As the chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, which has jurisdiction over railroads, I worked with my colleagues in the House and Senate to forge this agreement based on bipartisan legislation that I authored and the Senate passed this summer. Had Congress failed to extend the PTC deadline, customers who depend on railroads would have been hit the hardest. This is especially true in agricultural states like ours that are so dependent on safe and efficient modes of transportation like rail.

In recent weeks, many railroads were preparing to deny traffic because they had no choice due to conflicting federal safety requirements. Just imagine what farmers and grain elevators across the state would have done if they couldn’t move any of their corn, wheat, soybeans, or ethanol because of a rail service shutdown.

Although widespread use of PTC on 20,000 locomotives covering over 60,000 miles of rail track has not yet been achieved, railroads are making progress in finishing a system that can change a rail accident into a prevented incident. Even with the economic disaster of a railroad shutdown averted, we must not lose sight of finishing full implementation as soon as possible. I am confident the legislation that the House and Senate passed by voice vote will provide the U.S. Department of Transportation with the necessary oversight and transparency so the public and Congress can ensure that these important safety improvements are made.

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Saying ‘Thank You’ to our Veterans
By Senator Mike Rounds

Veterans Day is a special time to thank the men and women who wear the uniform of the United States of America, past and present, and acknowledge those who have sacrificed everything to protect our God-given freedoms. We are eternally grateful to them for not only keeping us safe here at home, but also for granting freedom and democracy to millions of people across the world. Every freedom we have – our entire way of life – is because of our veterans and their loved ones back home who supported them.

As a member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, providing our veterans with quality care and support is a top priority of mine. I continue to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to find ways to improve services within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to make certain our veterans are properly cared for. Earlier this year, the Senate passed the Clay Hunt SAV Act, which I supported. The bill makes sure certain returning vets have access to quality mental health care to prevent suicide upon their return to civilian life. This bill was signed into law by President Obama and I was honored to attend the signing ceremony.

More recently, I cosponsored a bipartisan, bicameral bill to make it easy for veterans to get medical advice from a VA doctor via teleconference, so they won’t have to travel miles from home to visit a VA facility. I’ve also signed onto legislation to honor as veterans National Guard and Reserve retirees who served honorably for 20 years but do not qualify as veterans under existing law, as well as a number of bills aimed at reforming the VA and improving the Veterans Choice Program. Additionally, I worked with my Senate colleagues and the Department of Defense (DoD) to create a position for a Gold Star Advocate at DoD to assist families of fallen service men and women, as well as provide support to other Gold Star Advocates within the departments of the military.

While there is no doubt more must be done to change and reform the VA, this year the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee has made great strides in working to change and improve the quality of care they deliver. Our veterans have sacrificed everything on our behalf; providing them with adequate care is the least we can do.

When honoring our veterans, it’s also important to recognize and thank the families of those deployed. While their loved ones are far away fighting for our freedoms, those back home also make great sacrifices that often go unnoticed. When a loved one is gone, it places an extra burden on all family members. If something goes wrong, there is one less person to help fix it. When something wonderful happens, that person isn’t there to share in the joy. The strength of our military families continues to be an inspiration. I am extremely grateful for their selflessness and perseverance.

Every day, but especially on Veterans Day, I thank all of the men and women who have served in the military and who bravely continue to protect our freedoms. On behalf of all South Dakotans, I offer my deepest gratitude for their service. May God continue to bless all our service men and women, their families and their loved ones.

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