Category: Uncategorized

Thune: Democrats’ Supreme Court “Reforms” Amount to Changing the Rules in the Middle of the Game

“[I]t seems that my Democrat colleagues are resolved not to learn from history – and are perfectly willing to sacrifice the long-term stability of the Supreme Court for their own short-term political gain.”

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) today called out Democrats’ relentless attempts to politicize and undermine the legitimacy of the U.S. Supreme Court. Thune noted that the administration’s most recent ploy would set an incredibly dangerous precedent and undermine the Supreme Court’s independence.

Thune’s remarks below (as prepared for delivery):

“Mr. President, yesterday evening, in the tradition of another Democrat president and his infamous court-packing scheme way back in 1937, President Biden announced a proposal to interfere with the Constitution’s separation of powers and permanently politicize the Supreme Court.

“He dressed it up with appeals to permanent American values.

“But what it all boiled down to, Mr. President, was this:

“Democrats don’t like some of the Supreme Court’s recent decisions.

“And so they’ve decided to change the rules of the game.

“That’s it.

“Mr. President, I’ve disagreed with more than one Supreme Court decision in my time.

“I’ve disagreed with Supreme Court justices nominated by presidents of my own party.

“But I have never thought that my not agreeing with a Supreme Court decision meant that the court itself was illegitimate – or that my party should attempt to change the law to make over the Supreme Court in our image.

“Not so for Democrats.

“The Supreme Court releases a handful of decisions Democrats don’t like, and they decide that the court is illegitimate – and that it’s time to remake the court to their liking.

“More than one Democrat has already introduced legislation in Congress to do so.

“And now, with the president’s announcement yesterday, it’s become clear that those plans have accelerated – and that if Democrats take the White House and Congress in November, we can expect them to lose no time in destroying the court as we know it.

“And while the president’s proposals are troubling enough – a measure to circumvent the Constitution’s lifetime appointments for justices and replace the Supreme Court’s own code of conduct with a code of conduct mandated by Democrat congressmembers – who knows if Democrats will stop there.

“After all, while their proposal would conveniently start by retiring Republican appointees, Democrats would only be able to retire one justice every two years.

“Who’s to say that would be fast enough for Democrats?

“We all know that court-packing – expanding the Supreme Court until you get a sufficient number of justices to endorse your policies – has gained significant traction in Democrat circles.

“Indeed, President Biden’s term-limits proposal is a version of court-packing by another name.

“And it would not surprise me at all if Democrats didn’t stop there.

“Because make no mistake, Mr. President, this is a slippery slope.

“Once you start interfering, there is no going back.

“If the Democrats implement this plan, it is easy to see a future where each subsequent administration acts to ‘return balance’ to the Supreme Court, with the result that the Supreme Court changes wildly from administration to administration, losing all independence and credibility and any resemblance to the Supreme Court as established by the Constitution.

“I’d like to remind my Democrat colleagues of what happened with the filibuster for judicial nominees here in the Senate.

“Back in 2013, Democrats – frustrated that they could not rubber-stamp all of President Obama’s appointees – abolished the filibuster for lower-court nominees.

“It turned out to be a quick step from that to abolishing the filibuster for Supreme Court nominees a few years later.

“And I’m pretty sure I’ve heard more than one of my Democrat colleagues express regret over that 2013 decision.

“But it seems that Democrats are resolved not to learn from history – and are perfectly willing to sacrifice the long-term stability of the Supreme Court for their own short-term political gain.

“Mr. President, even worse than any specific element of President Biden’s proposals yesterday is the incredibly dangerous precedent they would set for meddling in what is supposed to be a separate, independent branch of our government.

“If Democrats were really concerned about impartiality and the rule of law and promoting faith in the Supreme Court, the last thing they would be doing is interfering with the court’s makeup.

“And if there are any Democrats left in Congress who are willing to put the long-term health of our institutions over some temporary political gain, I urge them to join Republicans in opposing this power grab.

“Mr. President, I yield the floor.”

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Delegation Urges Biden to Grant Disaster Declaration Following June Storms and Flooding

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.) and Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) and U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) recently urged President Biden to issue a major disaster declaration for the state of South Dakota following the severe storms and flooding from June 16 through July 8, 2024. Their letter, which was sent Friday, immediately followed Gov. Noem’s major disaster declaration.

“In light of these considerations, we respectfully request that you expeditiously review Gov. Noem’s request and declare a major disaster for relevant areas of our state,” the delegation wrote. “Along with our fellow South Dakotans, we appreciate your consideration of this request and stand ready to assist in any way possible.”

Full letter below:

Dear President Biden:

We write in support of Gov. Kristi Noem’s (R-S.D.) request for a major disaster declaration for the state of South Dakota as a result of severe storms and flooding that occurred June 16 through July 8, 2024.

As Gov. Noem’s request indicates, the catastrophic flooding began on June 16, 2024, resulting from a succession of heavy rainstorms that filled the creeks and rivers that coincide in the southeast corner of the state. The excess water flooded the Niobrara River, the Missouri River, and the Big Sioux River, causing an emergency evacuation of the affected areas before sink holes emerged, houses washed away, and the BNSF Railway railroad bridge connecting North Sioux City, S.D., with Sioux City, Iowa, collapsed into the Big Sioux River. The flooding caused significant damage to public infrastructure, homes, and businesses, and has disrupted the lives of the nearly six thousand residents that live in the North Sioux City and Dakota Dunes areas.

Data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows that the Big Sioux River crested at 44.98 feet, surpassing the previous 2014 record by 7.28 feet. Analysis from the National Weather Service shows the rain event that created this year’s flooding was a 1,000-year event. Eleven river gauges were at record-high levels. This disaster has impacted 25 counties and five tribal nations and caused tens of millions of dollars in damage to public infrastructure, homes, and businesses.

In light of these considerations, we respectfully request that you expeditiously review Gov. Noem’s request and declare a major disaster for relevant areas of our state. Along with our fellow South Dakotans, we appreciate your consideration of this request and stand ready to assist in any way possible.

Sincerely,

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From Facebook:

The SDGOP’s facebook page has a post up citing polling by “polymarket.” The problem? Polymarket.com is a crypto betting market, and not exactly what one might consider a provider of accurate polling.

Well, of course no one should trust polls like this. Not sure how many people, except crypto-bettors would even see this kind of silliness.

From Facebook:

Senator John Thune and Senator Mike Rounds have always been well liked in South Dakota. And in one of the most recent polls taken on the topic, both remain in the top ten of the most popular US Senators in the entire country:

Thune is tracking in the top 5 as the #4 most popular Senator in the nation, and Rounds comes tailing by only a whisker, within the margin of error at #6. Which goes to show you that they’re doing something right as the standard bearers for South Dakota in Washington.

For more details:

A Dangerous World Calls for a Strong America
By Sen. John Thune

I often say, “If we don’t get national security right, the rest is just conversation.” In just the last year, we’ve seen our ally Israel come under attack from terrorists, and our own military has been attacked by Iran-backed militias 170 times, all while Russia and China continue their campaigns of aggression and strengthen their alliance with one another. Times like these underscore the need for American strength.

The reality is that we are not as prepared as we should be to address these threats. The weakness that the Biden-Harris administration has shown on the world stage has emboldened our adversaries. At the same time, our military readiness is not where it needs to be to deter aggression. We have service branches that are below their recruitment targets. We have planes that can’t fly and ships that can’t sail because of deferred maintenance. And we have shortages of munitions and weapons.

Last month, my colleagues on the Senate Armed Services Committee put forward a National Defense Authorization Act for next year that takes steps to address the challenges we’re facing. It fully funds deterrence initiatives and strengthens partnerships to counter Russia and China. It makes critical efforts to modernize military technologies and strategies that will define tomorrow’s conflicts. And it authorizes the purchase of new combat vessels, vehicles, and aircraft to upgrade our aging fleets.

I’m particularly proud to report that this bill includes full funding for the next steps of the B-21 mission, including necessary support facilities. The Air Force calls this new plane the future backbone of its bomber force, and I am incredibly proud that its first mission will be hosted at South Dakota’s own Ellsworth Air Force Base. One of my top priorities is making sure that Ellsworth has everything it needs for this critical advancement in our nation’s defense.

The annual defense bill is one of the most important pieces of legislation we consider each year. I believe there should be a sense of urgency about getting it to the floor. My colleague Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) recently released a blueprint for making a generational investment in our military. He noted that our defense budget as a share of our economy has fallen to near record lows, and he proposes a defense buildup similar to President Reagan’s initiative in the 1980s.

We have no time to waste to build up our military, and the first step is getting this year’s defense bill passed in a timely manner. History has shown that weakness invites aggression. The strength of our military is the surest way we have of securing peace, and it must be a priority.

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Rapid City State Senator Helene Duhamel was featured in a recent article by the National Council of State Legislatures regarding her position at the Pennington County Sheriff’s office, and her work in law enforcement:

Law enforcement, corrections officers and people in related public safety professions make up just under 4% of the 7,575 lawmakers nationwide. An analysis of lawmakers serving during 2024 legislative sessions revealed there were 287 members with experience in some kind of public safety role.

and..

NCSL also included people in non-sworn law enforcement roles in this survey. South Dakota Sen. Helene Duhamel (R) serves as majority whip and chair of the Senate Judiciary committee when the legislature is in session, but the rest of the year she works as the public information officer for the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office.

“Working in law enforcement gives me a unique perspective and informed voice on tackling public safety issues in the South Dakota legislature,” said Duhamel. “So often lawmakers come up with legislation that causes more harm than good or has a whole host of unintended consequences.

“At the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office, I sit at the table as we struggle with crime, victimization, addiction, jail crowding, recidivism, homelessness, mental health crises and more. My unique perspective and access to law enforcement agencies help with creative, nontraditional approaches to community safety.”

Read the entire article here.

Today on Facebook, former Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg announced his graduation from the Army War College this last Friday:

According to the US Army, “The US Army War College educates and develops leaders for service at the strategic level while advancing knowledge in the global application of Landpower.”

Currently, the former Attorney General’s law license remains in limbo with the South Dakota Supreme Court, as in February, the court was hearing arguments on the recommendation of the State Bar Associations’ disciplinary committee for a 26 month suspension of his law license.

At the time that article, South Dakota Public Broadcasting had noted the former Attorney General was on military duty outside of the state.

Flags at Half-Staff at State Capitol in Honor of Former State Legislator Dayle Hammock

PIERRE, S.D. – Today, Governor Kristi Noem ordered that flags be flown at half-staff at the State Capitol from sunrise until sunset on Thursday, September 19^th, 2024, in honor of former state legislator Dayle Hammock. He represented Lawrence County in the South Dakota State House of Representatives from 2019-2020 and also served as the Meade County Commissioner.

Hammock was known for his active community involvement and his service-oriented leadership. He was guided by a deep and abiding faith until a battle with cancer tragically took his life.

A service for former state legislator Dayle Hammock will be held at 10 AM on September 19, 2024, at Grace Fellowship, 524 W. Jackson Blvd, Spearfish, SD, followed by a luncheon.

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