Category: Uncategorized

Here’s an instance of where politics are making strange bedfellows.

So, an advertisement has popped up in the newspaper in the District 21 House and Senate Primaries, coming from a group calling itself “The Concerned Citizens of District 21.”  If you’ll notice the disclaimer on this weird, semi-coherent ad appearing in the “Pioneer Advertiser” covering South Central South Dakota:

It’s kind of a multi-font jumbled mess.   So, who is/are the “Concerned Citizens of District 21,” other than someone with word-barf, and too many fonts?

If you look on the Secretary of State’s website, it’s unclear, as there is no current PAC filing listed, but there was a Concerned Citizens for District 21 PAC that was listed as terminated on 12/29/23.  So, did they forget, or change their mind about the whole termination thing? Previously, the Concerned Citizens of District 21 was under the management of Rachelle Norberg, an attorney in Burke:

Why is that important? Well, last I knew, Rachelle was not a big Republican. In fact, she was running Concerned Citizens for District 21 PAC, originally set up with money from Billie Sutton.  And Rachelle herself was noted as a member of the South Dakota Democrat Party’s Executive Board in a 2017 article which seems to have been scrubbed from seemingly retired Democrat blog Dakota Free Press (retrieved via Internet Wayback Machine):

So, either a new group has appropriated the name of a recently retired Democrat PAC and the paperwork is either missing or in progress, or the Democrat-affiliated PAC is back from the dead and is pushing certain Republicans in the District 21 Republican primary elections.

I’m not sure if there are Republicans out there in District 21 who are kind of dumb, and trying to be more like Democrats, or there are Democrats out there with an agenda trying to get behind specific Republicans?

You be the judge.

Seriously. Another one?

I just had someone drop me a note about one of our Sioux Falls Republican House candidates, asking me if I had heard about the protection orders that had been filed against them.

My reply was “Are you referring to Brad Lindwurm?”  My corresponent: “No. Bill Linsenmeyer in District 11. He’s had two restraining orders filed against him for domestic violence. Not pretty stuff.”

Ugh. For crying out loud. We’re supposed to be sending our best and brightest to represent us in Pierre, aren’t we?  The fact that I didn’t get it on the first try is a pretty good indicator that the GOP needs to pay attention to candidate quality. Because when you’re rocking 2-3 protection orders, and running as a candidate, it’s bound to come out.

And while I understand that, at times, yes, sure. There might be two sides to every story. But do you really want to debate that in the public square?  Such as with passages from the 2017 affidavit for a protection order for domestic abuse against Linsenmeyer:

That is an ugly request for a protection order. And the thing is, THIS IS A PUBLIC DOCUMENT.   Do candidates with this kind of history somehow think that it’s not going to come up? Who are we going to run next? Shad Olson?

D11 Republican primary candidate Linsenmeyer is rocking 2 protection orders, one from 2007 (41TPO08000030 for domestic abuse granted until dismissed over 2 months later), and one from 2017 (49TPO17-000034, later dismissed). Add a 2009 Chapter 7 bankruptcy to the mix, and it’s obvious there has been no candidate vetting here.

And that’s the candidate with two protection orders filed against them. Shall we go for three?  Because District 15 GOP House candidate Brad Lindwurm was my first guess.

Yes, I’ve had people ask my why I’m so down on Brad Lindwurm as a candidate. This is reason #1.  Three Protection orders filed against him.  Case #49TPO10000124 in 2010 with an accusation of domestic abuse, with the order granted. Case #49TPO12001076 in 2012 with an accusation of domestic abuse which was dismissed, and case #49TPO19-001188 in 2019 – less than 5 years ago – for stalking.  That one, from a somewhat recognizable person in Sioux Falls, was dismissed a month later because the petitioner did not appear. But the fact they had to go to that extent to get him to buzz off brings up a question of judgement on Lindwurm that voters are going to have to ask themselves if they can get past.

I could go on, but, I shouldn’t need to.

One of the basics steps in running for office is that before you do opposition research on your opponent, you need to do it on yourself. Because you’d better know what’s out there, and be able to respond to it adequately.  If there are responses that can be viewed as adequate. Some things are tough to get past. Like 2 or 3 protection orders.  If someone is sitting there with bad things lurking in their background that were found in less than 5 minutes, such as the above, it might behoove a candidate to think twice about running for office.

In 2022, Republicans were faced with a hard lesson in the matter of Joel Koskan, when we found ourselves with a candidate who had been arrested and charged with incest right before the November election in 2022.

Can we really afford to not do some perfunctory candidate vetting before the fall campaign gets rolling?  Especially in those cases where red flags are popping up?

The GOAT, @TomBrady 🐐 pic.twitter.com/XjX5sAZ7Zy

— Senator John Thune (@SenJohnThune) May 22, 2024

Johnson Votes to Prohibit Central Bank Digital Currency

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Representative Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) voted to pass legislation to prohibit a central bank digital currency (CBDC). The CBDC Anti-Surveillance State Act passed the House and will protect the financial privacy of all Americans.

“The Chinese Communist Party uses a central bank digital currency to track the transactions of their citizens, and in Canada, the Trudeau Administration froze bank accounts of individuals involved in trucker protests,” said Johnson. “This type of surveillance and restriction is wholly un-American. I’m glad the CBDC Anti-Surveillance State Act passed the House to protect the financial privacy and liberty of our citizens.”

Unlike decentralized cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin, a CBDC is a digital form of sovereign currency that is issued, monitored, and managed by a central bank. In short, a CBDC is government-controlled programmable money that, if designed without the privacy protections of cash, could give the federal government unilateral authority to surveil Americans’ transactions and restrict politically unpopular activity.

In March 2022, the White House issued Executive Order #14067 urging for CBDC research and development. The corresponding report made it clear that the Biden Administration is not only wanting to create a CBDC, but they are willing to trade Americans’ right to financial privacy for a surveillance-style CBDC.

Specifically, the CBDC Anti-Surveillance State Act:

• Prohibits the Federal Reserve from issuing a CBDC directly to anyone, ensuring the Fed can’t mobilize itself into a retail bank.
• Prohibits the Federal Reserve from issuing a CBDC indirectly to individuals through financial institutions or other third parties.
• Prohibits the Federal Reserve from using a CBDC as a tool to implement monetary policy and control the economy.
• Requires authorizing legislation from Congress for the issuance of any CBDC.
• Protects innovation that reflects American values.

The CBDC Anti-Surveillance State Act is led by House Republican Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN). Johnson cosponsored the bill in February 2024. Read full bill text here.

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Brookings Radio, which has had a robust presence as part of the area’s media forever is apparently rolling up operations locally, and has terminated the employment of their 6 full-time and part-time announcers today, including their news department.

Why do I think this means a lot of satellite/pre-programmed music coming in, with local advertising inserted?

From Facebook:

From Facebook.

I had a note today asking me “do you know why the Butte County GOP continues to push this?  I thought the State Party has repeatedly said they don’t have a position on this?”  My reply was very simply, “because they’re insane.”

Once again, we have a GOP county group spending money to benefit an outside organization that could care less about the Republican Party.

Way to NOT support those Republican candidates with money donated for that purpose.

Attorney General Jackley Joins Lawsuit Against Biden’s Plan for Development Projects 

PIERRE, S.D. – South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley has joined a 20-state Attorney Generals’ lawsuit opposing the Biden Administration’s new environmental standards regarding infrastructure projects. 

The lawsuit states that the plan forces adherence to the administration’s green agenda. The Attorneys General said that agenda would require developers to meet undue social, environmental, and race-based regulations

“These federal regulations put undue burdens on developers building new homes, roads, bridges, and other infrastructure,” said Attorney General Jackley. “It would mean costly delays and placing some projects at risk.”

Other Attorney Generals joining the lawsuit are from: Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, and Wyoming.

The lawsuit can be found here:

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Rounds, Welch Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Help Local News Overcome Persistent Postal Delays, Surging Rate Increases

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) and Peter Welch (D-Vt.) today introduced the bipartisan Deliver for Democracy Act, legislation that would help rural newspaper delivery by incentivizing reliable postal service and limiting excessive rate increases.

In recent years, the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) has consistently raised rates for periodicals under the guise of increased efficiency and improved service. However, local news has yet to receive those benefits and instead continues to face persistent postal delays.

“Local journalists work hard every day to deliver news on a timely basis, and the U.S. Postal Service should too,” said Rounds. “Periodical rates have cumulatively increased by over 40 percent since August 2021. Meanwhile, the Postal Service’s on-time delivery performances have not improved, leaving local journalists to pick up the slack by handling delivery on their own in order to make certain their readers receive their papers on time. Our common sense bipartisan legislation helps protect rural newspapers and consumers from unjustified price hikes by making certain USPS is held to a standard for on-time deliveries.” 

“A vibrant and healthy local press has always been a defining feature of American democracy. Today, local news offers a crucial alternative to online information ecosystems, which are too often distorted by algorithms that amplify disinformation and confine readers to inescapable echo chambers. But surging rate increases and poor service jeopardize local news outlets’ ability to reach readers and supply the information so essential to an engaged citizenry and a vibrant democracy. It’s time for USPS to remember its mission and meet the media’s basic needs,” said Welch. “The Deliver for Democracy Act would help local news stave off extinction by requiring USPS to meet reasonable on-time delivery standards before raising rates.”

In addition to Rounds and Welch, the Deliver for Democracy Act is cosponsored by Senators Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).

The Deliver for Democracy Act is endorsed by the South Dakota NewsMedia Association, the National Newspaper Association and News/Media Alliance:

“The members of South Dakota NewsMedia Association are appreciative of Senator Rounds for sponsoring this important legislation,” said Dave Bordewyk, Executive Director of the South Dakota NewsMedia Association. “SDNA members view the U.S. Postal Service as a strategic partner in delivering their newspapers to readers. However, declining delivery and service coupled with double-digit rate increases over the last few years are unsustainable for our members.  We need the Postal Service to succeed, and we fully support Senator Rounds in this legislation to help make that happen.”

“Our members are being forced to cope with unsustainable rates from the monopoly postal system. If something doesn’t change soon, they will be put out of business and residents will see more news deserts and an even greater loss of quality news and information. We thank Senator Welch for his leadership and support the Deliver for Democracy Act,” said Danielle Coffey, President & CEO of News/Media Alliance.

“NNA applauds the introduction of the ‘Deliver for Democracy Act.’ This bill highlights the responsibility of the USPS to accurately measure the service newspapers receive and will hold it accountable for failing to meet its service standards. For publishers who are struggling to keep their papers in circulation due to excessive rate increases, this bill is an important first step towards making the USPS a viable distribution partner again,” said John Galer, Chairman, National Newspaper Association.

BACKGROUND

In January 2021, the U.S. Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) adopted regulations that established three additional forms of rate authority, including one for non-compensatory classes of mail such as periodicals and package services. Under the new regulations, USPS is provided an additional two percentage points of rate authority for any class or product of mail where costs exceed revenue. Since then, USPS has maximally exercised this authority and, if a recent notice goes into effect, will have raised periodical postage rates by over 40%.

Despite such significant rate increases, however, the Postal Service has routinely failed to meet periodicals’ basic needs and achieve the 95% on-time delivery performance standard outlined in Postmaster General DeJoy’s 10-year plan. As a result, local news outlets, which must already navigate other existential challenges, are simultaneously subject to high distribution costs and poor service.

The Deliver for Democracy Act would:

·         Require the USPS to either achieve at least a 95% on-time delivery rate for periodicals or an improvement of at least 2 percentage points to unlock its 2% surcharge authority for that class of mail;
·         Direct the USPS to annually report to the Postal Regulatory Commission on its progress in including on-time delivery data for newspapers in its periodical service performance measurement; and
·         Instruct the Government Accountability Office to conduct a study and submit a report to Congress on options for alternate USPS pricing schemes to improve the financial position of periodicals.

Click HERE for full bill text.

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