Category: Uncategorized

And you read it here first – some Wellmark insurance rates up 42%

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From Politico:

SD RATES UP 42 PERCENT — Wellmark, a South Dakota insurer, has announced that it proposed 2016 rates that are 42.9 percent higher than 2015. The company said in a memo that the rate hike is the reflection of higher than anticipated costs, including more claims and prescriptions than expected and “a number of members who cancelled their coverage after receiving costly health services.” The company said it anticipated high utilization among certain enrollees, but that actual utilization was three times higher than that.

Read it all here.

HHS Polling Place Accessibility grants available for County Auditors through SOS Office

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HHS Polling Place Accessibility grants available for County Auditors through SOS Office

Pierre, SD – The Secretary of State’s office will be providing the opportunity for Polling Place Accessibility grants from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for County Auditors to ensure their polling places comply with the rules enacted by the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Applicants must be County Auditors. Currently there is $257,629 available for grant applicants. If the project site is the County Courthouse the project can be reimbursed up to 75%, for non-courthouse polling places the project can be reimbursed up to 100%. Any amount in the fund over $200,000 at the end of the year will be reverted back to the federal government.

Currently two counties are utilizing the grant opportunities. Stanley County is installing an elevator in their courthouse with the grant while Walworth County is installing an automatic door opener.

Possible project examples include but not limiting to are automatic door openers, elevator, chair lift, new ramps, replace counter height desk with a lower, more accessible desk.

Through these improvements South Dakota’s historical courthouses and polling centers are being brought up to modern accessibility standards and increasing the ease of use for voters with disabilities.

County Auditors may apply by contacting the Secretary of State’s office at 605-773-3537.

In conjunction with the HHS Grant Program discussion last week the Secretary of State’s office conducted a wide-ranging review and training with County Auditors from across South Dakota including the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) List Maintenance, Help America Vote Act (HAVA) and the formation of a HAVA grant board – 4 county auditors, 2 Republicans and 2 Democrats, update on the Elections Systems and Software (ES&S) voting equipment and Recreational Vehicle (RV) Voters.

The two day meeting was a valuable way for the County Auditors and Secretary of State’s office to work together through training and educational opportunities.
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More Bosworth trial coverage; Rounds sister-in-law part of the jury pool

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From the Capital Journal, some of the technical aspects of the jury selection, including a Rounds relative who began the day as part of the Jury Pool. It’s a great article – go read it.:

The 34-member pool happened to include a sister-in-law of Sen. Mike Rounds, who beat Bosworth and several other fellow Republicans in last June’s primary election. Bosworth and her supporters have blamed her prosecution on political ill-will fromSen. Rounds, formerly the governor, and Attorney General Marty Jackley, toward her and her husband.

and…

  The Rounds in-law said the family’s political activity would not make it impossible for her to hear the case against Bosworth fairly.

and…

Van Norman also probed potential jurors about the effect of what he said was an unusual amount of pre-trial publicity, including a front page story Monday in the Capital Journal.

 “I’ve had murder trials that had less publicity than this case,” Van Norman said.

and…

Prosecutor Mayer asked potential jurors if any had received “robo-calls,”  or automated telephone calls, from Bosworth supporters seeking donations or other support in the case.

and…The pool of 34 also included, interestingly, the head of the state association of trial lawyers, one of three or more attorneys in the pool. Facing several questions from Van Norman, the woman said she could give Bosworth a fair trial.

Read it all here.

If Bosworth’s attorney says that he’s had murder trials with less publicity, I think that’s something he should address with his client.

I suspect many would have been quite content to not have heard about the circus that wouldn’t leave town repeatedly over the past year.

Boz jury impaneled

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From KCCR News, the people are chosen who will decide Annette Bosworth’s fate:

The 77 were narrowed down to 34 before lunch break at noon. That number was narrowed down to 14 by 3 p.m.

9 women and 5 men were chosen from across Hughes County to be on the jury, but remember that 2 of them will be alternates. Those two will not participate in the deliberation process.

Read it here.

Waldron group operated out of Sioux Falls PO Box issues press release attacking Jackley over Bosworth

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The Bosworth affiliated No Compromise Group fronted by Peter Waldron & operated out of a PO Box in the Sioux Falls UPS Store issued a press release this morning in their latest salvo against Marty Jackley.

NEWS RELEASE
For Immediate Release Contact: Peter Waldron
May 18, 2015

Bosworth Case: Attorney General Marty Jackley’s Obvious Conflict of interest

Christian Activist Calls AG Jackley’s role in the Annette Bosworth Case a serious conflict of interest

SIOUX FALLS: … South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley’s role in the investigation and prosecution of South Dakota physician/missionary Dr. Annette Bosworth is fraught with conflicts of interest.

Attorney General Jackley was appointed by then-governor Mike Rounds. The AG donated funds to the 2014 Senate Campaign of Mike Rounds. AG Jackley had an active role in a 2014 fundraiser for Senate-candidate Mike Rounds. In spite of the obvious conflict, the Attorney General rushed forward with an investigation of a 2014 political opponent of Senate-candidate of Mike Rounds.

“Forget about an appearance of conflict, there is substantial evidence that Attorney General Marty Jackley has serious conflicts of interest,” said Peter Waldron with the No Compromise Group, an organization that is committed to honest, open, free, and fair elections. He should have publicly recused himself from any investigation and prosecution of Dr. Bosworth. Sadly, his involvement in her prosecution appears to the reasonable citizen to be more personal than official.”

A lot is currently written about ABC-TV personality George Stephanopoulos’ conflict of interest with the Clinton Foundation and concern for his objectivity in the upcoming 2016 Presidential Campaign. “We are talking about a TV host not a state attorney general,” Waldron explained, “Certainly much more caution must be taken in the official matters of state when it comes to the prosecution of a single citizen?”

“The Court should acknowledge Attorney General Marty Jackley’s conflict of interest, dismiss the charges against Dr. Bosworth, and assure the good and decent citizens of South Dakota that justice is alive and well in the South Dakota courts,” Waldron concluded.

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So, that’s it?  That’s the sum result of the “investigation” that Gordon Howie was squawking about this AM? An brief, innuendo filled press release that’s less than accurate?

I had the invite here at SDWC that Marty was appearing as a host at a Pierre area fundraiser. And Bosworth herself raised the fundraiser issue herself in May 2014, except with slightly more clarity than Waldron, even though there’s no indication whatsoever that it affected Jackley’s decision whether or not to investigator not.

Also, as he spouts innuendo, Waldron neglects to mention that Marty was appointed, then stood for not one, but two statewide elections on his own merits.

I do notice that there’s no mention of how much money Waldron might be making off of all of this, or who paid for the robocalls he made.

Maybe that’s the biggest question that needs to be answered before they start rehashing old news.

May 18-22 is Boz week! Just like Shark Week, but much less coherent!

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The stage is set, and Jury selection begins today!  May 18-22 is Boz Week. Just like Shark week, except much less coherent, and you want this to be over!

We have 2 failed US Senate Candidates, one of which claimed she had to live in an RV with her family. We have a former Sado/Masochism photographer. We have an evangelical political organizer who spent time in a Ugandan Jail Cell for terrorism.  We have the husband of the accused who ran against her prosecutor as a third party candidate for Attorney General, despite lacking a college degree or Law School education.

And those are just the major players – I’m not even hitting the secondary supporters who think drivers license cameras scan our irises, or that there’s a plot afoot that robot bees are going to replace real ones.

I could go on, but I think you get the gist.  This week will likely mark a new low in politics in what is surely the most head scratching episode in South Dakota political history.

The trial didn’t have to happen. But not because of any prosecutorial zeal is involved. The charges were appropriate, especially in light of the fact that the accused admitted the behavior. It’s because the accused doesn’t want to take responsibility for it.

And over the course of nearly a year, we’ve been treated to attack after attack, and a campaign against prosecution that resembles any political one, complete with fundraising letters, press releases, press conferences, web sites devoted to it, robocalls, and busing volunteers & well wishers to the trial.

Or at least, they’re claiming they’re busing volunteers & well wishers.

All we can hope is that this week marks the peak of the frenzy, and that after her anticipated conviction, the whole thing will start to all die down.

It would be great if it just disappeared off the political map, but I’ve been around the block enough that it’s probably going to pop up here and there like a brush fire that’s dying off. And eventually, we might be able to say the Bosworth circus has finally left town.

Boz employee claims “hundreds of supporters” coming to Pierre. Anyone buying that line?

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From KCCR News, an employee of Annette Bosworth (the Trial Supervisor for Meaningful Medicine, no less) is claiming that hundreds want to come to Pierre for the trial, but alas, there’s no room at the inn:

According to Joy Jensen, trial supervisor with Meaningful Medicine, Dr. Bosworth has an unnamed supporter who has offered to pay for hotel rooms in Pierre for supporters of Bosworth to stay during the trial.

and…

Jensen confirms with KCCR News that they already have had hundreds of supporters interested in coming to Pierre from across the entire state.

Jensen says they have only secured rooms for a portion of those folks because of the limited hotel options in Pierre. They are still working on a solution for the rest of the Bosworth supporters.

Read it here.

If Pierre can host multiple conventions, including the 6th Annual South Dakota Cornhole State Championships, I suspect that very easily, they can find adequate housing for the people who want to watch Bosworth attempt her own ‘cornholing’ of the justice system.  (yes, that’s an intentional entendre’)

Since they’re already floating the false “limited hotel options,” despite a thousand or more hotel rooms in the Pierre/Ft. Pierre area, I’m suspecting that’s the excuse they’re going to claim when it all turns out to be BS. Seriously, I think it’s delusional to think that ‘hundreds’ of people are going to show up in any way, shape or form.

Unless they’re coming to watch the judicial equivalent of a bad car accident, as Annette explains that yes, she was in the Philippines, but those people intended to sign her petition.

(I suppose I should thank timing and providence that I have my #3 daughter graduating this next weekend, otherwise I’d be “fighting for seating” with those hundreds of supporters as the trial proceeds next week.)

Do former officials remain honorable after their 15 minutes is up? It depends.

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A web site comment today (and subsequent retort) pinged my memory, and had me digging for what the proper protocol is.

theonceandformersenator

True, Tim is not a Senator anymore, but it’s not like he’s using it to get anything, and given he just left office it was very likely a slip of habit. But as I did note, it did bring up the issue of what is proper protocol.

Democratic State Senator Doris Miner, who had served in the 90’s was not unknown to refer to herself as Senator when out of office at least for a time. I know of another former State Rep who served a single term back in the 90’s who still refers to himself as “the Honorable.”

But they’re the exception more than the rule. Most are quite content to go back to being Joe Blow.  But, seeing the always pleasant comment section this AM had me scrounging around to look it up.  And I found a great reference in the on-line web site for the book “The Protocol School of Washington’s Honor & Respect – the official guide to names, titles, and forms of address.”

So, what does the protocol guide have to say about the use of former titles? It’s actually easy after you see it laid out:

Referring to Former Officials
By their Former Office in the Third Person?
       One thing I find missing is how one should reference a former United States Official in descriptive text or to a third party.  I notice that former Governor Huckabee is always introduced as Governor Huckabee on his TV show.  Is this correct, incorrect, or optional?  I assume it is correct to use their official titles when describing their actions in office.
— MLB

Dear MLB:
Addresing Mike Huckabee as “Governor Huckabee” is not correct.
Mike Huckabee would not be referred to as “Governor Huckabee” at the Governor’s Mansion, at the State Capital, in Washington, D.C., or in the U.S. Capital. He’d be Mike Huckabee, former Governor of … or Mr. Huckabee.
Perhaps the producers of the show are concerned everyone won’t know who he is?
Former officials who hold a position of which there is more than one at a time — retired judges, retired ambassadors, retired generals, retired senators, retired bishops etc. — use their “title” in every situation for the rest of their lives.
But officials of which there there is only one at a time (The Governor, The President of the United States, The Speaker of the House, The Secretary of State, The Surgeon General …) don’t continue use of their former title.
They use what they were entitled before taking the one-at-a-time position. E.g., Dwight Eisenhower in retirement went back to General Eisenhower.  He was no longer The President”.
Same with Colin Powell … he’s no longer addresses as “Secretary” … he’s General Powell. 
Bill Clinton is now “Mr. Clinton.” When you hear a TV journalist saying “President Clinton” it’s a short-hand third-person phrase to quickly tell the viewer who is being discussed. It’s not a form of address.  If they are directly addressing him that way it is incorrect.
— Robert Hickey

Read it here.

According to the protocol guide, since they’re all former officials who hold a position of which there is more than one at a time technically, Tim, Doris, and others who have served in the legislature are quite proper in the use of their former title of Senator or Representative.

Now you know. (And knowing is half the battle.)

 

 

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

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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.”

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