Category: Uncategorized

I need a palate cleanser after seeing this on Facebook, as Jon Hansen, the 2% candidate in the Governor’s race, slobbers over his endorsement from “Sticky Tom” Pischke:

Hansen is touting the endorsement of the lunkhead who was just on facebook attacking someone for disagreeing with him, and then going after his wife?:

And similarly, he was just censured by the Minnehaha County GOP for attacking one of the committee members on facebook:

And as Hansen cites Pischke’s family, he kind of ignores the the whole Tom/Child Support issue, where he complained in 2022 on the House Floor that a proposed increase in child support was going to hurt him personally:

And let’s not forget the testimony that Tom’s ex-wife gave to the House Judiciary Committee in 2019 against his legislation that would have lowered his child support payments:

I’ve been divorced for about four years, and it’s been a long four years keeping myself and my children protected. I am divorced because I left an adulterous and domestically violent relationship, a relationship where I endured years of physical and emotional abuse as well as financial warfare. I left because my children and I deserve a better life. I left because I did not want my children to be raised in a hostile home.

[Kelly Pischke, testimony to House Judiciary against 2019 HB 1104, 2019.02.20].

Read that one here.

In fact, Minnehaha Democrats put up a whole website about it as well, which you can access here through the Internet Wayback machine.   I can’t speak to the validity of the testimony, but that was as it was presented in the House Judiciary Committee, and recorded into the record.

At the least, I don’t know that if I were Jon Hansen, I’d be citing Tom’s family life in my facebook advertising.

And that’s not even hitting on in 2024 when Tom was banned from the House Floor, when Tom tried to defund the South Dakota National Guard, brought a looney chemtrail & xenobiotic electromagnetism bill, and was the lone vote in committee to protect rapists’ rights and to keep rapists in the same high school classrooms as their victims.

If State Senator Tom Pischke is the kind of person that the 2% candidate for Governor Jon Hansen is “THRILLED to have on his team” backing his campaign for Governor…  .. then all I can tell you is to make sure you click on the darn link and go donate to Dusty Johnson for Governor, because there is no day that could ever be cold enough in hell to convince me to vote for Jon Hansen for ANY office.

Former (and maybe future) State Senator Erin Tobin has a post on facebook about municipal TIFs (Tax Increment Financing) that’s making the rounds and has some worthwhile information about why communities use them to finance new development – so the people using the infrastructure pay for it, not taxpayers at large:

US Senator Mike Rounds Weekly Round[s] Up: September 1-7, 2025

Welcome back to the Weekly Round[s] Up! We are back in session in Washington after spending the month of August working in South Dakota. It’s always great to be home, but we have a lot to address in DC this month. We’ve already begun to advance the National Defense Authorization Act, legislation which authorizes critical funding for military programs, personnel and equipment. We also continue to work toward funding the government before the end of the Fiscal Year, September 30.

In addition, Senate Democrats are carrying out historic obstruction when it comes to confirming President Trump’s nominees. The numbers tell the story: in the first eight months of the Trump Administration, only 135 nominees have been confirmed. By contrast, President Biden had 817 confirmed in his first two years, and even President Trump’s first term saw 715. Historically, more than 90% of nominees have been cleared quickly by unanimous consent or voice vote. Under Trump II, that number is zero. Instead, each nominee is dragged through time-consuming roll call votes, with confirmations of nominees with bipartisan support taking an average of 94 days. Nearly a quarter into the term, less than 12% of positions are filled, proof Democrats are deliberately grinding government to a halt for partisan gain. Despite this, Senate Republicans are committed to getting these nominees confirmed and in place. All this to say, we’re geared up for a busy month ahead. More in my Weekly Round[s] Up:

South Dakota work period: As I mentioned, I spent most of August in South Dakota. A few highlights from the month included the Brown County Fair in Aberdeen, the Central States Fair’s Ag Appreciation Event in Rapid City, Dakotafest’s Annual Congressional Forum in Mitchell and the Sioux Falls Chamber of Commerce’s Inside Washington Event in Sioux Falls. I appreciate everyone who took the time to come out to these events, ask questions and share comments on the work we’re doing in DC.

Other meetings this past week: I met with Secretary of Energy Chris Wright to discuss the important work happening at the Sanford Underground Research Facility near Lead. I also met with Dr. Stephen Miran, Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisors and nominee to serve on the Federal Reserve Board of Governors; General Christopher Mahoney, nominee to serve as Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; and leaders from the Embassy of Rwanda. I spoke at the Defense News Conference in a fireside chat addressing information warfare.

Hearing: We had one hearing in the Senate Banking Committee to hear from a group of nominees, including Dr. Stephen Miran who I met with earlier in the week. You can watch a clip of my questions from that hearing here.

Votes taken: 4 – two of these were procedural votes to advance this year’s National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). While we still need to vote on a few amendments to this piece of legislation, I am hopeful that it will pass the full Senate before the end of the month.

My staff in South Dakota visited: Martin and Sioux Falls.

Steps taken: 44,644 steps or 20.80 miles.

Gov. Rhoden Releases Full Plan for New Prison

Also Releases Comparison to Nebraska Prison Proposal

PIERRE, S.D. – Today, Governor Larry Rhoden released the full plan for a new prison to be built at the Benson Road site in Sioux Falls. This plan reflects the unanimous agreement by the prison task force. The plan will be voted on in the upcoming special session on September 23. You can find the full plan here.

“Thank you to the prison task force for creating a good plan and to the contractors for putting together a design that fits those parameters,” said Governor Larry Rhoden. “This is a fiscally responsible plan that will give South Dakota a 100-year facility with necessary space to reform our corrections system.”

The plan reflects the adjustments that were made to reduce the price tag from $825 million at the Lincoln County site down to $650 million at the Benson Road site. These changes result in a net reduction of 160,000 square feet of space without cutting vital programming space necessary to reduce recidivism.

The plan specifically reduces costs by $175 million by making the following adjustments:

• A $125 million reduction in building costs, including:
  • A 176,000 square foot adjustment in net cell housing changes by shifting from seven smaller cell housing units to three larger ones, adding one dorm-style unit, and reducing dayroom space from 70 square feet per-inmate down to 40;
  • A 5,000 square foot reduction in intake space;
  • A 5,000 square foot reduction in the central utility plant; and
  • There is no decrease in programming space – in fact, there is a 27,000 square foot increase in vocational space;
• A $25 million reduction in site costs; and
• A $25 million reduction in soft costs.

Governor Rhoden also released a comparison to the Nebraska prison proposal, which was a frequent point of discussion by the prison task force. You can find that comparison here.

Governor Rhoden previously released the draft legislation for the new prison, which you can find here. An outline of the legislation can be found here.

You can find answers to Frequently Asked Questions about the prison plan here.

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Johnson Continues Efforts to Ban Individual Stock Trading for Members of Congress

 Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Representative Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) cosponsored the Restore Trust in Congress Act, which bans members of Congress and their families from buying and selling individual stocks during their time in Congress. This bipartisan legislation was introduced by U.S. Representatives Chip Roy (R-TX) and Seth Magaziner (D-RI).

“Athletes can’t place bets on games they play in because they have too much of an influence on the outcome. It should be the same for members of Congress – our votes can influence the market or the success of a particular company,” said Johnson. “Serving in Congress is a public service, not a chance to strike it rich. Passing this bill will restore some of the honesty and trust that has been lost in our institution.”

“It’s far past time to ban members of Congress from day trading stocks, and for the first time, a bipartisan coalition is standing together behind a united proposal to do just that,” said Rep. Chip Roy. “The Restore Trust in Congress Act ensures that members of Congress will no longer be able to put the stock market first in their official decisions. This bill strikes a balance between being easy to comply with, but without tons of loopholes for members to continue trading while on the job. We must vote on this bill and put this conflict of interest to bed for once and for all. I look forward to seeing the Restore Trust in Congress Act move through the legislative process.”

Johnson has not bought or sold an individual stock since coming to Congress in January 2019. He has repeatedly called to prohibit individual stock trading for members of Congress.

The Restore Trust in Congress Act:
Covered assets:

• Prohibits all members of Congress, their spouses, dependent children, and their trustees from owning, buying or selling individual stocks, securities, commodities, or futures.
• The following exceptions are permitted:
  • Widely held investment funds such as mutual funds and ETFs, provided that they are diversified and not concentrated in any industry, business, or single country other than the United States or single state, except for Member’s state of residence
  • U.S. Treasury, state, or municipal bond, note, bill
  • Precious metals (gold, silver, etc.)
  • Shares of Settlement Common Stock, as defined in the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act
  • An interest in a small business concern
  • Family trusts if no covered individual is a grantor of the trust, has contributed any asset to the trust, has any authority over a trustee of the family trust, or the grantor of the family trust is or was a family member of a covered individual
  • An asset that is received as compensation from the occupation of a spouse or dependent
  • An asset that is not owned by a spouse or dependent but is traded on behalf of others through their primary occupation
  • Personal residences in LLCs

 Process for Divestment:

• Upon enactment, covered individuals are prohibited from purchasing covered assets and must divest from all covered assets at fair market value within 180 days for current members and 90 days for incoming members. Individuals who acquire covered assets through inheritance during the course of their service will be required to divest those assets within 90 days of receipt.
• Members may apply to the supervising ethics committee for an extension of a divestment deadline if investment can’t be sold by a deadline due to low liquidity, vesting schedules, or contractual restrictions.
• Capital gains taxes may be deferred for all divestments through a Certificate of Divesture process, as is currently permitted for executive branch employees.
  • For example, if a member divests all previously held individual stocks and reinvests in a mutual fund, the taxes on the sale of the individual stocks may be deferred until the member later sells out of the mutual fund.

 Enforcement:

• Supervising ethics office to impose and enforce penalties and issue any additional guidance.
  • Fine
    • Equal to 10% of value of covered asset plus disgorgement of profits
    • Must be paid with personal funds, not office or campaign funds
  • Supervising ethics office will publicly disclose fines and disciplinary outcomes

Click here for full bill text.

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Hot out of my mailbox, Congressman Dusty Johnson is having a fundraiser here in Brookings coming up on September 24th for his campaign to be our next Governor:

If I can work it out, I might have to make an appearance.   And I always laugh at my fairly non-political sister appearing on the Brookings area fundraising invites with her very community-involved spouse.  But I shouldn’t be shocked, as we both grew up in Pierre with Dusty hanging around on occasion with our youngest brother.  (It’s a seriously small state.)

Anyway, for those readers in the Brookings area who want to get in early to support our next Governor, Cubby’s in Brookings is the place to be on Wednesday September 24th from 5-6:30.

Attorney General & Congressional hopeful Marty Jackley has an interesting rally/fundraiser tomorrow in Sturgis where I wonder how the crowd is going to mix when you look at the host list:

On one side you have hosts like Kip & Kristi Wagner, Brad “Murdoc” Jurgenson and Senator Randy Deibert. And on the other you have Senator “California” Carley, Texas transplant Karen McNeal, and Majority Leader Scott Odenbach.  It’s at the Loud American in Sturgis tomorrow from 5-7 PM, and the public is invited.

Although, I’m sure this isn’t the first time they’ve had different gangs in the Loud American the same time wearing their colors.  (I’m sure there will be a law enforcement presence in the room to keep the peace.)

Check it out.

A Nominations Rules Change Is Coming
By Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.)
Breitbart

 For decades, Democrats and Republicans have regularly cooperated to swiftly confirm the many, many individuals selected by each president to serve in their administration.

Regardless of the party in the White House, both sides have long agreed that a president deserves to have his or her administration in place, quickly. That doesn’t mean we don’t disagree. But it does mean when nominees are held up, opposed, or blocked—it’s for a legitimate purpose, not for leverage in partisan games, to score political points at the expense of public safety.

Now, while I agree with the above sentiment, those sentences aren’t actually mine. Those are the words of Democrat Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) in 2022, when President Biden already had 405 Senate-confirmed nominees in place, 230 of whom were confirmed via voice vote.

By the time Leader Schumer was complaining about the nominations pace, the Senate had already confirmed numerous batches of nominees via voice vote, as it has always done. In fact, every president has had a majority of his nominees confirmed this way.

Until now.

Democrats have made President Donald Trump the first president on record to not have a single nominee confirmed via voice vote or unanimous consent, and they are forcing time-consuming votes on noncontroversial nominees who go on to be confirmed by large bipartisan margins. It’s Trump Derangement Syndrome on steroids.

It’s delay for delay’s sake, and it’s a pettiness that leaves desks sitting empty in agencies across the federal government and robs our duly elected president of a team to enact the agenda that the American people voted for in November. This historic obstruction also chews up valuable time on the Senate floor that would be better spent working on legislation, like moving appropriations bills on time, reauthorizing programs critical to national defense, and considering and debating some of the more than 120 bipartisan bills reported out of committee that aim to make families and businesses stronger and more prosperous.

Republicans aren’t going to tolerate this obstruction any longer. We have tried to work with Democrats in good faith to batch bipartisan, noncontroversial nominees and clear them expeditiously, according to past precedent. Democrats have stood in the way at every turn.

Over the past month, I organized a group of Republican senators representing various points of view within the party to develop a solution. We have developed a plan, based on a previous proposal from Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Angus King (D-ME), that would allow the Senate to batch nominations together and clear the growing backlog. The Klobuchar-King proposal was designed to speed up the confirmation process at a time when the Senate was regularly confirming batches of nominees by voice vote, a luxury Democrats have not allowed this Congress. We have modified this proposal to account for the added obstruction by allowing nominees to move in larger groups.

When the Senate convenes this week, I will begin the necessary procedural steps to reform the Senate’s rules. No party should be able to weaponize the confirmation process the way that Senate Democrats are doing now, in a way that has never been done before. This total obstruction simply cannot be the standard moving forward – both in principle and in practicality. We must return to the Senate’s traditional confirmation process that existed before this unprecedented blockade.

This year, the Senate has taken more votes than any Senate has at this point in more than 35 years. We’ve taken more roll call votes in eight months than most Senates take in 12. We’ve also spent more hours in session through August than any Senate in more than 15 years. All that to be slightly behind pace of the last two administrations’ confirmation rates.

At the current pace, and facing the same level of Democrat obstruction, the Senate would need to conduct more than 600 additional roll call votes to clear the nominees who are currently in the pipeline. That’s more votes than this already record-breaking Senate has taken all year, and it doesn’t account for the additional nominees who will be added to the current backlog. Today, more than 1,200 positions are subject to Senate confirmation. If we were to continue at our current pace, the administration would have hundreds of vacancies remaining by the time President Trump’s term ends.

I refuse to accept that reality. President Trump and Republicans received a mandate from the American people in November. It is far past time that the president’s nominees receive confirmation votes from the Senate – and this Senate Republican majority will take steps this week to make it happen.

John Thune is the Senate Majority Leader and the senior U.S. senator from South Dakota.

 

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Told you so.

In what might be the most anti-climactic announcement for office this year; after serving as a bureaucrat under the Biden Administration, the former State Director of USDA Rural Development  Nikki Gronli has filed paperwork to run for Congress as a Democrat:

GronliforHouse by Pat Powers

I’m not checking out her website though, because it completely freaked out my live web protection.

Gronli was the former Chair of Minnehaha Democrats who spent a career in marketing until Joe Biden was looking to fill appointee positions in South Dakota… and then became the head of USDA Rural Development in the state.

In case you’ve forgotten about her positions, Nikki “Three Shell” Gronli, a.k.a. Gun Grabber Gronli has some interesting positions that she’s espoused in the past that she will try to bring to Washington:

Well, good luck there. Let’s get this party started!