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The Wall Street Journal has an article this evening on Slick Rick Weiland’s proposal to eliminate party from the ballot, so he won’t have to run as a Democrat anymore:

In South Dakota, where the shadow of Mount Rushmore’s presidents looms large, political parties could become nearly invisible on ballots.

and…

Some Republicans in South Dakota say the ballot initiative is simply a desperate ploy by Democrats to overcome their struggle to win statewide elected posts. When Republicans swept all statewide races in the 2014 midterms, they reduced the party of former Sens. George McGovern and Tom Daschle to its lowest representation since 1962.

“This is ‘we can’t achieve power, so we’re changing the rules,’ ” said Sioux Falls resident Joel Rosenthal, a tractor parts salesman and former chairman of the state’s Republican Party.

Other Republicans see no need to tinker with a system that already works.

“I don’t believe there’s a problem with our current nominating process,” said the state’s senior U.S. senator, Republican John Thune.

Read it here.

And Joel is 100% correct. Dems have let their party go so badly they have to change the rules because they feel they can’t compete.

Maybe they should look in the mirror, instead of blaming the rest of us.

Posted on the UJS website today:

Media Advisory03/28/2016

Contact: Tony Venhuizen or Kelsey Pritchard  | http://sd.gov 

EDITORS/NEWS DIRECTORS: Gov. Dennis Daugaard and Chief Justice David Gilbertson will hold a press conference at 10 a.m. CDT on Wednesday, March 30, to make an announcement. The Governor and Chief Justice will be joined by a special guest. The announcement will take place in the Governor’s Large Conference Room in the Capitol Building. 

That’s interesting…  And curious. Is there an impending retirement and new Chief Justice coming?

Wiik Announces Senate Bid

District 4 Representative John Wiik, (R) Big Stone City, is launching a run for the South Dakota Senate for District 4. The first term Representative served on the House Commerce and Energy Committee, the House Taxation Committee, and is currently the Vice Chairman of the River Basin Natural Resource District Oversight Advisory Task Force.

With the retirement of Senator Jim Peterson, (D) Revillo, the District 4 Senate seat is open. District 4 includes all of Grant and Deuel Counties, and the rural areas of Brookings and Codington Counties in Northeastern South Dakota, including 30 small towns and 10 school districts. “I hope to bring my record of common sense conservative principles to represent District 4 in the South Dakota Senate.”

John Wiik is the Parts Manager of The Shop, Inc. in Big Stone City, a Truck and Auto Repair and Towing Business owned and operated by the Wiik family. John lives in Big Stone City with his wife of 14 years Chelsey, and their two sons, Connor and Cody, who attend Big Stone School. John and his family are active members of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Henry, SD, where John serves as Mission
Treasurer/Secretary on the Church Council.

We’re finding out this morning that slick Rick Weiland isn’t just a snake oil salesman. Courtesy of a Weiland backed measure, we’re finding out that he’s actually a two-faced snake oil salesman!

A press release out this morning on Amendment V (allowing Democrats to hide their party affiliations on the ballot) notes…

Amendment V – Non-Partisan Elections will:

• Place all candidates, regardless of party affiliation, on one primary ballot for voters to decide.

• Advance the two candidates who win the highest number of votes to the general election.

• Prevent taxpayer dollars from being wasted on private party elections.

Take note of the part where it cites as a reason to support the ballot measure that it will “Prevent taxpayer dollars from being wasted on private party elections.”  The release goes on further to note Slick Rick Weiland as one of the campaign’s co-chairs.

An uninformed observer might take that all at face value. … But what about the other ballot measure that Slick Rick is sponsoring, Initiated Measure 22?  IM22, is described in part by the Attorney General as creating “a publicly funded campaign finance program for statewide and legislative candidates.“

So, out of one of his mouths, Weiland is grousing about taxpayer dollars being spent on party elections. But at the same time, the mouth on his other face is promoting a measure that sends taxpayer dollars straight into the pockets of politicians.

Did we forget to mention that the promoters of Weiland’s other measure tries to hide that major premise of their act?

You’ve got to love liberal politicians! And it’s little wonder why people don’t trust them.

With the final day of session for the year for the purposes of addressing the Governor’s vetoes coming on the same day as the final day of legislative petitions, there’s certain to be a significant pile of petitions coming in the door of the Secretary of State’s office tomorrow.

We’re still missing candidates who have announced, as well as a significant number of current legislators who haven’t said no. So, I’d anticipate an explosion in the number of candidates (at least on the Republican side) as well as an increase in the number of primaries.

I heard word of at least two new primaries over the weekend that could arise. But, talk is cheap. It all depends on who files, and – in their first test of the election – who managed to meet the first challenge of the election in following the instructions of “how to fill out an election petition.”

And as I think I note every election, if you’re going to mail it, do so REGISTERED MAIL. There’s a good reason for it.  As I noted two years ago…

Under South Dakota Election law, the definitions expressly note that “Registered mail,” does not include certified mail;”   and more specifically:

12-6-4.   Petition required to place candidate’s name on primary ballot–Place of filing. Except as provided by § 12-5-4 and as may be otherwise provided in chapter 12-9, no candidate for any office to be filled, or nomination to be made, at the primary election, other than a presidential election, may have that person’s name printed upon the official primary election ballot of that person’s party, unless a petition has been filed on that person’s behalf not prior to January first, and not later than the last Tuesday of March at five p.m. prior to the date of the primary election. If the petition is mailed by registered mail by the last Tuesday of March at five p.m. prior to the primary election, the petition shall be considered filed.

Read it all here.

and….

Basically, Registered mail is about the most secure form of mailing one can do. Most importantly, it provides a chain of custody at every step of the way. The posted item has its details recorded in a register to enable its location to be tracked.

Plus, it’s what the statute calls for. If you can’t pass the test of getting your petitions in to run for the legislature, is it really such a good idea to be making decisions that affect people’s lives?

So, now you can’t say you weren’t told.  If you’re mailing your petitions in – SEND THEM REGISTERED MAIL.

And you can read that here if you’re so inclined.

I was thinking about this over the weekend, and it reminded me of my first election working for the GOP.

We had managed to dig up a candidate at the last moment to run on the very last day for a seat held by a Dem in the district including Ft. Pierre. We ran all over town trying to find 50 or so Ft. Pierre residents to sign. We had enough signatures with the petitions being carried by the candidate himself.

And unfortunately, he strolled at a leisurely pace into the State Capitol, and met us at the Secretary of State’s office at approximately 5:05 pm. It was like a punch in the gut.

That night, I bolted up in bed. Hindsight always kicks in when you’re about to go to sleep. AAARRGGGHH! we could have driven his petitions out to Hayes and mailed them registered mail before the 5pm deadline.  Why? because the law is not specific on time zones.  It just says “by the last Tuesday of March at five p.m. prior to the primary election.”*

When I mentioned it the next day? The staff agreed that if someone can’t follow the simple instruction to show up before 5pm to turn in their own petitions… they probably weren’t a good candidate to begin with.

(* if anyone claims it’s 5pm Central Time, show me where it says that. The law is silent on it. It just says 5 p.m.)

In Saturday’s mail I received what I assume to first of many candidate mailings

This one was from the Secretary of State

There was also note telling me to file a Statement of Organization within 15 days of the filing of my petition.

I was okay until I came to this:

I do so many….

-Internet and Video Technician
-Sales person
-Journalist
-Social Media Manager
-Parent
-Master Control Operator

Some how, I don’t think I can include this entire list.

Last week, we noted that Democrats had an unusually low number of people with petitions in. And it’s not that much better this week.

Right now among legislative races, Republicans are fielding 27 Republican Candidates in Senate races, with several facing off in primaries, and Democrats are up to 14 candidates as we head into the final week.  On the House side, Republicans have 60 candidates to Democrats’ 25.

At 39 candidates total, while it represents a doubling of the candidates they had a week ago, this leaves Democrats still woefully short of the 105 candidates that Ann Tornberg had promised her party followers.

While Democrats added twenty in the last week, the GOP added 25 from their previous week total of 62 to bring the total up to 87.

Planning Your Trip to Washington, D.C.
By Senator Mike Rounds

For more than 100 years, people from all over the world have been visiting Washington, D.C., during the spring to catch a glimpse of the cherry blossom trees lining the National Mall and Tidal Basin along the Potomac River. The Japanese cherry trees, a gift to the city of Washington from Mayor Yukio Ozaki of Tokyo in 1912, are to represent the strong relationship between Japan and the United States. The official National Cherry Blossom Festival began in 1927 and has expanded over the years. The nearly five-week-long event now brings more than 1.5 million people to our nation’s capital annually.

Many South Dakotans visit Washington, D.C., to see the cherry blossoms each year. Whether you’re visiting on business, vacationing with your family or you’re on a school trip, spring is a great time to take in all the historic landmarks and cultural institutions our vibrant capital city has to offer. My D.C. office staff is happy to help arrange tours for you at some of Washington’s most iconic sites.

Members of my staff offer private tours of the U.S. Capitol building to visitors from South Dakota. We can also help line up tours for you at the White House, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, the Department of the Treasury, the Washington Monument and many more attractions. For a full list of monuments and museums, or to submit a tour request, visit the tour page on my website at www.rounds.senate.gov. You can also call my office at (202) 224-5842 and ask to speak to my tour coordinator. Keep in mind that while some tours require no reservations, others require reservations months in advance, so it is best to plan ahead.

One of the great parts about visiting Washington, D.C., is that most of the museums and all of the national monuments are free. Additionally, many of the sites are within walking distance of each other, and are easily accessed by several different metro stations and bus stops. My office can help supply you with metro maps and maps of the National Mall in advance to help you plan your visit.

If you are in Washington, D.C., during the workweek, you are invited to attend our South Dakota delegation coffee events. Sen. John Thune, Rep. Kristi Noem and I hold a “South Dakota Sunrise Coffee” on most Wednesday mornings when the House and Senate are in session to meet with visiting South Dakotans and answer your questions about our work in D.C. It usually takes place in one of the Senate Office Buildings located next to the U.S. Capitol. All South Dakotans are welcome, but you will need to RSVP ahead of time so we know how much coffee and pastries to bring. You can RSVP on my website under the page entitled “South Dakota Sunrise Coffee.”

While springtime in D.C. is a great time to plan your trip to the nation’s capital, the historical sites are open year round. With so much to see and so much history to take in, I hope all South Dakotans consider a trip to our nation’s capital. Don’t forget to reach out for help planning tours, and be sure to stop by our office in Suite 502 of the Hart Senate Office Building while you’re there!

###

Inscribing a Legacy
By Rep. Kristi Noem

It was 1942 – less than a year after Pearl Harbor and months after America officially entered World War II.  Tens of thousands of men had left their families to serve their country.  Millions more were standing at the ready to do the same.  And still, the United States faced a severe shortage of military pilots.  As businesses and factories had already done, the Army turned to women.

Throughout our military’s history, women have filled critical roles – even if they haven’t always been recognized for it.  In the American Revolution, women were nurses and cooks.  In the Civil War, women like Frances Clalin – a mother of 3 who enlisted in the Union Army as Jack Williams – disguised themselves as men just to have the opportunity to serve in this way.

By World War I, tens of thousands of women had joined the military in various roles, serving as nurses, telephone operators, stenographers, and clerks.  Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, every branch of the military created additional roles for women.  More than a quarter-million women stepped up to serve, including more than 1,000 young female aviators who came to be called the “Women Airforce Service Pilots,” or WASP.

The women in WASP, who logged around 60 million miles of flying, transported cargo.  They tested overhauled planes and flew new aircraft from the factory to a military base.  They often towed targets to help gunners in the air and on the ground train – with live ammunition, mind you.  38 of these women lost their lives during such missions.

Still, women from across the country volunteered for service.  Around a half-dozen South Dakotans served in the WASPs, including Ola Mildred Rexroat, a member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe in South Dakota who was the only Native American to serve in the group.

What’s more, women offered up everything they had to be part of WASP.  While male pilots would be trained once they joined the military, women had to have their pilot’s license before applying to join WASP, which cost about $500 – a significant amount of money at that time.

Many of the women hoped they would be absorbed into the military after the war, but instead, the program was disbanded.  The women were dismissed from their bases with no ceremony or fanfare, in many cases.  Because WASPs were considered civil service employees, the fallen women received no military honors or benefits.  In fact, it took 32 years after the end of World War II for WASPs to finally receive full military status, meaning they could use VA hospitals and had the right to be buried with a flag, among other things.  Thirty-three years after that, 300 of these women gathered in Washington, D.C., to receive the Congressional Gold Medal.

Earlier this month, the House passed H.R.4336, which I helped sponsor, to grant WASP members a place in Arlington National Cemetery.  Should this legislation be made law, it would not only offer our nation’s appreciation for the women’s service, but inscribe their lasting legacy into this sacred ground.

We owe everyone who has served and sacrificed in service to our country a great deal of gratitude.  While there is certainly more that should be done on all fronts to ensure veterans receive the care, respect, and dignity they have earned, the WASP legislation rightly recognizes the courageous actions of a few good women. I am humbled to have been a part of its passage.

To all those who have served, thank you.

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Michael J. Fitzmaurice and the New State Veterans Home
A column by Gov. Dennis Daugaard:

Until he went abroad to serve his country, Michael J. Fitzmaurice had never left the Dakotas. Fitzmaurice was born in Jamestown, North Dakota, and grew up in South Dakota. Coming from a family with a history of serving, Michael carried on the tradition by joining the Army in 1969.

On March 23, 1971, Michael was on the ground at a Marine base in Khe Sanh, South Vietnam. When an enemy soldier threw three grenades into Michael’s bunker, Michael threw two of the explosives out and then used his body to cover the blast of the third. Absorbing the blast to shield the other soldiers left him seriously wounded and partially blinded.

Michael then charged out of the bunker. Figuring he wouldn’t survive the engagement, he wanted to do what he could to protect his fellow soldiers. As he was fighting, his weapon was destroyed by another grenade. Unable to find another weapon, Michael resorted to hand-to-hand combat and successfully took down a number of adversaries.

In sustaining the blast from the grenade and refusing to be evacuated until the battle was finished, Michael saved multiple lives that day. He later received the Medal of Honor for his acts of heroism.

I am reminded of this story as we are preparing to cut the ribbon on the new state veterans home in Hot Springs, which has been named after Michael J. Fitzmaurice.

Overcoming a few setbacks along the way, the home has been completed on time, under budget, and it’s debt-free.

The new 133,000-square-foot facility contains 76 nursing care beds and 24 residential beds, and is home to World War II, Korean War, Vietnam and peace time veterans. The residential areas of the veterans home are divided into eight neighborhoods. Each neighborhood has its own laundry room, living room, dining room, kitchen and whirlpool suite. Elsewhere in the building, residents have an in-house library, mini mart, barber shop and beauty salon, post office, pharmacy, bistro and chapel.

This first-class facility is exactly what our veterans deserve. The layout of the building will give residents more privacy and control over their lives. It will be a normalized environment where residents can do their own cooking and shopping, and where they can socialize or keep to themselves as they please.  It is an outstanding facility named for a remarkable man.

Of his acts of bravery Michael later said, “I don’t know what made me do it. I was just doing the job that I was supposed to be doing and I do not regret it a bit. I guess your friends aren’t only your friends. They’re almost like brothers. I’m glad that they can still be alive and enjoy the rest of their life.”

Now, at the new state veterans home that carries this local patriot’s name, South Dakota’s veterans not only have a nice place to live, but a home where they can “enjoy the rest of their life.”

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