Category: Uncategorized

Thune Urges Congress to Pass TPA to Bolster Opportunities for U.S. Agriculture

@SoDakCampaigns

Thune Urges Congress to Pass TPA to Bolster Opportunities for U.S. Agriculture

“We can’t afford to take these exports for granted, as other nations are actively negotiating new agreements …”

WASHINGTON, D.C.— At a press conference today, U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) urged passage of the bipartisan trade promotion authority legislation, highlighting the importance of opening new markets to America’s farmers and ranchers.

Excerpts:

“By failing to reauthorize TPA, which is something we haven’t done since 2007, American producers are missing out on new opportunities to sell to the more than 96 percent of consumers who live outside of the United States. And, nowhere is this more important than when it comes to the area of agriculture. America’s high quality agricultural products are in high demand around the globe, which is why ag exports last year hit a record 152 billion dollars …

“But we can’t afford to take these exports for granted. As other nations are actively negotiating new agreements, our producers are going to be left on the sidelines if we don’t get trade promotion authority put into effect.”

###

It sounds like an Onida Ethanol Plant’s attempt to build on existing rail spur sparked some lively political theater.

@SoDakCampaigns

It sounds like an election forum sponsored by the people constructing an ethanol plant got lively in Onida recently:

After a heated exchange between Walt Wendland of Ring-neck Energy and Feed LLC of Mason City, Iowa, and Adam Altman, the persistent Aberdeen attorney going down a list of questions on a yellow legal pad, that drew them within a foot or so of each other, Wendland turned to the crowd: “Anyone want him to continue?”

“NO! NO!,” came loud answers from several in the crowd. Wendland then told Altman he hadn’t been asked to take part in the forum, which was organized by Ring-neck to answer concerns about the plant.

“I didn’t say you could speak,” Wendland told Altman. Applause broke out from half or more of the crowd, it appeared.

Read it all here in the Capital Journal.

Since it was a private forum sponsored by the people building the plant, they didn’t have to let the opponents speak. They didn’t need to let even them in the door.

But it does sound like it made for some great political theater.

Bosworth allies robocalling again tonight? This time for cash?

@SoDakCampaigns

I had a note from one of our faithful readers tonight claiming he got a call for cash from some of the Boz people. He noted:

Just got another call from them, this time asking for money. You know they are heathen bastards, as they are taking the Lord’s name in vain for their political cause. 
Did anyone get a call, and it’s on tape?  If so, e-mail me here.

Otherwise, if you got it – tell us about your call in the comment section.

State Officials Warn of Potential Unscrupulous Contractors in Wake of Delmont Tornado Disaster

@SoDakCampaigns

State Officials Warn of Potential Unscrupulous Contractors in Wake of Delmont Tornado Disaster

 

Marty JackleyPIERRE – Attorney General Marty Jackley and the South Dakota Department of Public Safety urge Delmont tornado victims to proceed with caution when moving into the recovery phase of this disaster. Residents will understandably be eager to have new construction or the necessary work done to their damaged property. However, state and local officials are urging consumers to take the necessary steps to evaluate a bidder before contracting for a job. Consumers who need repair work done quickly following a natural disaster are often targets of unscrupulous business practices.

 

“While the vast number of contractors follow legitimate business practices, there are a handful that will seek to take an unfair advantage of this tragic situation,” said Jackley. “Many victims are quite vulnerable in the recovery stage, and we encourage them to take time to evaluate and secure the right contractor to avoid becoming a victim of a scam.”

 

 

“In these types of disasters, those impacted residents are dealing with many issues and trying to cope with repairing their homes,” said Public Safety Secretary Trevor Jones. “We know these are momentous decisions. We urge them to take their time, do their research and hire a legitimate contractor.”

 

Here are a few suggestions when choosing professional contractors:

 

 

  • Take the time to evaluate the bidder before contracting the job.
  • Homeowners should look for a reliable contractor with a proven track record who readily offers credentials
  • Ask for reference Legitimate contractors should be more than willing to provide a list of satisfied customers to verify their work.
  • Ask for a written estimate and a written contract
  • Ask for sales tax license.
  • Keep a copy of the final, signed contract Read this contact carefully before signing. This contract will usually be binding once you have both agreed to it. The contract should state that any changes in the project should include a Change Order signed by both and put guarantees in writing. Any guarantees made by the contractor should be written into the contract.
  • Obtain a local building permit, if required.
  • Make final payments only after the work is complete Do not sign completion papers or make the final payment until the work is completed to your satisfaction.
  • Pay by check. Avoid on-the-spot cash payments. The safest route is to write a check to the contracting company.
  • Avoid door-to-door contracting offers. Many transient contractors will not be available if problems occur months after the work has been completed.

Tornado victims are also encouraged to shop around for materials that might be used during this time of recovery. South Dakota does not have price gouging statutes to protect consumers. Consumer will have to use their own due diligence to research and compare pricing of building products. If you have questions regarding price gouging or transient contractors contact the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division at 1-800-300-1986 or at [email protected].

Rounds Introduces Legislation to Protect B-1 Bombers at Ellsworth from Premature Retirement

@SoDakCampaigns

Rounds Introduces Legislation to Protect B-1 Bombers
at Ellsworth from Premature Retirement


WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, today introduced bipartisan legislation that would add congressional oversight of any decision to retire the B-1, B-2 or B-52 bomber aircraft. The Long Range Bomber Sustainment Act of 2015 prevents the retirement of aircraft in the current bomber force unless the Department of Defense certifies that it would not result in a loss of operational capability. There are currently 27 B-1 bombers located at Ellsworth Air Force Base near Box Elder, South Dakota.

“Long-range bombers play an important role in our national defense strategy,” said Rounds. “The current fleet, which is wisely stationed throughout the country, enables the United States to project military power to distant locations around the world. While we can expect some bomber retirements as we develop the new Long Range Strike Bomber, it is critical the turnover does not lead to an insufficient number of bombers in our fleet. Our Air Force must remain the most capable in the world. A strong, properly-supported bomber force will help make that happen.”

Original cosponsors of the Long Range Bomber Sustainment Act of 2015 include Sens. Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Bill Cassidy (R-La.).

###

Bosworth allies claiming GOP war against Christians, and that Jackley prosecuted at Rounds’ behest.

@SoDakCampaigns

As we inch closer and closer to the day Annette Bosworth is going to have to explain in a court of law how she certified, under oath, that she collected petition signatures in South Dakota while she was overseas, the level of rhetoric from her allies continues to rise from silly to the level of unbelievable bullsh*t.

This past weekend, we had 2 articles written on the topic. One, an error filled missive from Constitution Party regular Lori Stacey (who thinks HIV is a hoax, and the Government is purposefully killing bees to replace them with robots) spews forth a bunch of words, some she read on the Internet:

One of the ridiculous aspects for any charges being filed against her was actually pointed out by one of her former primary election opponents, Gordon Howie, on his blog “The Right Side Blog”.  (WRONG, he ran in the general as an indy – PP)

and…

In fact, a far greater violation of law regarding petition gathering and a much more unusual violation was claimed to be committed previously by a Republican Speaker of the House when it was alleged that he acted as his own official notary on his own candidate petitions. Not only were there no criminal charges ever filed against him by the same state officials involved in this case against Dr. Bosworth, instead, the would-be candidate and whistleblower who made the allegations was sued and eventually slapped with a $40,000 judgement against her for speaking out.  (WRONG AGAIN, Read here. These were court costs awarded against her for a lawsuit she lost. badly. -PP )

With her trial date looming near and scheduled to begin on May 18, 2015, an article recently published on Christian Newswire titled, “South Dakota GOP’s Secret War Against Christians” reveals some breaking newsworthy developments regarding this case. This article states in part:

The abundance of documented evidence collected during a three-week investigation alleges that South Dakota’s Division of Criminal Investigation (“DCI”) agents stalked, surveilled and visited Christian families at their homes before the all-in-important June 2014 Primary.

The full story on Christian Newswire can be found here. This breaking story could vindicate Dr. Bosworth’s numerous references during her campaign regarding supporters complaining that they felt they were being watched by “black vans”. These statements were used to smear her as “crazy”, a “nut job” and “mentally ill” by political bloggers in the state and she was berated by many in the official press. So was Bosworth acting crazy and criminal or has this state’s government become crazed with bold criminality?

Read it here.

Looking at the Lori Stacey article, which are typically over the top, I had to go check out her sources to see if they were equally as silly. And of course, they didn’t disappoint. here we have an article from robocaller Peter Waldron, who seems to spout the same BS we’d read about in Annette Bosworth fundraising letters about “black vans.”  Which the state doesn’t own:

Dr. Peter Waldron states, “If South Dakota is an example of Establishment Republican rule, then I fear for the nation if a Republican-in-name-only (“RINO”) is elected president in 2016.”

The abundance of documented evidence collected during a three-week investigation alleges that South Dakota’s Division of Criminal Investigation (“DCI”) agents stalked, surveilled and visited Christian families at their homes before the all-in-important June 2014 Primary.

Such tactics achieved its apparent goal – it scared voters away from the polls.

The anecdotal evidence points to possible coordination between the eventual winner, former governor, now US Senator Mike Rounds (SD-R) and the man he handpicked to be Attorney General, Marty Jackley.

Furthermore, the sequence of events and circumstances surrounding the pre-primary state prosecution of Republican candidate Dr. Annette Bosworth, a popular Christian missionary and physician, are suspicious.

Read this silliness here.

I’m not sure what to say about this silliness, except “Show me.”  Show everyone the evidence collected in this so-called ‘investigation.’   Show us the “evidence” of “coordination between Rounds & Jackley.”

Somehow, I don’t think it will ever happen. Why? because it doesn’t exist. The only thing that we’ve been shown is a ridiculous media effort by Bosworth allies to attack the prosecution, obfuscate very simple facts in the matter, and attempt to sway public opinion.

Truth doesn’t need a robocall campaign.

Happy Mother’s Day, and thanks mom for what you passed on.

@SoDakCampaigns

I’m rather proud of myself this weekend, as I’m finishing up a furniture project. But, if it hadn’t been for one of my long-time mentors, I wouldn’t have touched it with a ten foot pole.

In preparation of sprucing the house up for the graduation of our number three daughter this year, we had some painting done. And to make sure the wall behind our bed didn’t get scuzzy again we decided that after all of these years, we needed a headboard that matched our oak bedroom set.

IMG_1429The problem was, we couldn’t find one under $500.  So, I set out to build one using some oak table leaves salvaged from the oak table in my parents house. A dog had used the base of the table for a chew toy, so the table leaves were all that was left to salvage from the table I grew up with at the ancestral Powers home in Pierre.

So, I set about turning the table leaves with worn finish (pictured at the left) into something that my wife wouldn’t be embarrassed over if someone saw it in our home.

The process wasn’t terribly difficult, as my bedroom furniture is a fairly simple mission style design, so there’s not a lot of fancy work requiring routing. Just basic construction, with right angles, and simple joinery.  So, I IMG_1432made my cuts, added some oak plywood from the local lumber yard, stripped, sanded, stained and put polyurethane on.

And as I wait for the coat of polyurethane to dry to drill for the bed frame and add some final touches, I like to think I have a fairly decent looking product.

But, I have to give credit for where credit is due, as I would have none of those skills without my mother and being placed into forced parental servitude whenever she had a project.

Since I was the oldest, I was often ‘nominated,’ into assisting with my mom’s latest project she was working on. Long before she was an auctioneer, she was one of the few in town who would strip and refinish furniture. For a time, her business was operated as “the Strip Shop” out of Hayes, SD with her business partner at the time.  And yes, they played up the entendre’ advertising with a lady of the night saying “Give us your cold and tired furniture.”

I didn’t like the drive out into the boondocks, but when she worked at home, on the hot summer days in Pierre, I would be involuntarily inducted stripping, sanding, staining, applying sanding sealer, or whatever task she felt comfortable trusting me with, depending on my age at the time.

Oddly enough, I could never coerce my friends that it was fun, Tom Sawyer style.  “Hey, want to help me? All you have to do is to put on heavy long sleeves, gloves, and shop glasses to pour a caustic substance that will burn you like acid onto a painted dresser to remove paint? It’s only 102° out!”   “Uh, no. Bye.”

So, as we did in later years in the auction business, we slogged through it together.   My mom was never a woodworker, but I did learn some solid basics on refinishing furniture, such as if you have to repair or add wood to a piece to be refinished, repair it before stripping. Why? When you strip it, chemicals and finish from the old wood gets into the new and helps to make it look aged and match better when you go to apply a new finish. And if you fill holes, to mix sawdust from the piece with the wood filler, as it helps it take the stain closer to the rest of the piece.

Mom holding her first grandchild
Mom holding her first grandchild

Silly anecdotes? Sure. But this was part of the body of knowledge she passed on to me in working side by side with her over several decades. Along with many other things and life lessons delivered with the unconditional love and eternal patience of a mother.

She didn’t do a lot of furniture work in her later years, as she was too busy with being a school nurse and auctioneer, but she’d done it for too many years on the hot sidewalk out of our garage on North Central Avenue in Pierre wearing flannel shits and paint-stained sweat pants for people to ever forget it.

Upon her passing back about Thanksgiving in November 2000, in noting her natural oak coffin, I remarked “if she were here with us, she would study it for a moment, and say, “I could turn that into a great coffee table.”   And people who knew my mom laughed, and say “yes, she would.”

So, here’s to our moms today, present or remembered. Thank you for everything.

Rapid City Mayoral Candidate: “I am not a racist.”

@SoDakCampaigns

From the Rapid City Journal:

During a debate this morning, Rapid City mayoral candidate Steve Allender admitted that he engaged in racially charged “insult humor” with co-workers two decades ago while he was a police officer.

“I’m not a racist,” Allender said, “but I am a human being.”

In his group of co-workers between 1990 and 1993, he said, everyone participated in what Allender described as friendly ribbing. He stopped participating in 1993 when he learned that fellow officer Glen Yellow Robe, a Native American man, was tape-recording the interactions.

Read it here.

Uh oh. That could be a tough one to explain away in the racially tinged atmosphere of Rapid City city politics.