Category: Uncategorized

Has anyone had a chance to see the latest “weak on crime” bill being pushed, House Bill 1192?

In the latest, if you were 27 or less when you chopped up that family and set their house aflame to burn up the evidence and pled down the sentence to “life without parole,” legislators like prime sponsor Rep. Heather Baxter & Rep. Josephine Garcia want to provide offenders a “get out of jail card,” and send them back to their communities.. because they were just undereducated, needed counseling, and were misunderstood when they killed those people?

Oh, and they want to make it retroactive to any inmate:

Section 2. That chapter 24-15A be amended with a NEW SECTION:

An inmate sentenced to life imprisonment for an offense, other than rape in the first degree pursuant to § 22-22-1, which was committed when the inmate was at least eighteen years old but under the age of twenty-seven is eligible for discretionary parole consideration when the inmate has served twenty-five years. The board shall conduct an initial discretionary parole hearing within six months of the inmate achieving eligibility. The board must consider the factors set forth in section 3 of this Act in determining whether to grant parole under this section.

If an inmate considered for discretionary parole under this section is denied parole, the board must establish a discretionary parole date of not less than five years from the date of denial. Subsequent discretionary parole hearings must be held at intervals of not more than two years.

An inmate granted parole under this section is otherwise subject to the provisions of chapters 24-13, 24-15, and 24-15A.

The provisions of this Act apply retroactively to any inmate sentenced before July 1, 2026.

Read Baxter’s “Get out of jail” crime bill here.

If Baxter & Garcia think there are too many people in jail and want to let them out, maybe they should start with those who commit lower level offenses first? Instead of the people who commit acts of kidnapping, murder, etc?

There’s a reason those sentences are life without parole, not life, until you hit about 45, and then we’ll think about it.

Baxter & Garcia want to clear the murderers out of jail? No. Hard No.

 

Have you ever listened to the legislature when the sausage making goes sideways?

They had an example of that yesterday when District 4’s doltish Dylan Jordan tried to use a procedure to call House bill 1212 out from committee, even though it had been thoroughly defeated. And we got to listen to another Dylan Jordan failure, this time on the house floor as he argued with the speaker on the procedures to smoke-out a bill from committee:

As you might guess, Jordan’s smoke-out effort turned into a flame-out effort.

Please, District 4. Send someone else to Pierre next year. And send Jordan back to his grandma’s house.

From Facebook, 3rd place gubernatorial wannabe Toby Doeden took a moment from putting single mothers out on the street to attack Governor Larry Rhoden over the Governor’s recent veto of a bill to ban cell-cultured fake meat products.

“While you won’t catch me eating these products, it is against our values to ban products just because we don’t like them. Fortunately, HB 1077 need not be the last word on this issue this Session,” wrote Governor Rhoden before charting the compromise, bringing together ag groups, legislators, and stakeholders on both sides of the bill.

Read that here, which triggered the Doeden attack:

Somehow, I would trust Governor Rhoden (who has cattle, and the hat) on the beef industry more than I would Toby Doeden.

Gov. Rhoden Charts Compromise on Cell-Cultured Protein

PIERRE, S.D. – Today, Governor Larry Rhoden charted a compromise on the issue of cell-cultured protein. In pursuit of this compromise, the Governor VETOED House Bill 1077 and advocated for an amended version of Senate Bill 124. Governor Rhoden outlined this path forward in a letter to the Legislature, which you can find here.

“While you won’t catch me eating these products, it is against our values to ban products just because we don’t like them. Fortunately, HB 1077 need not be the last word on this issue this Session,” wrote Governor Rhoden before charting the compromise, bringing together ag groups, legislators, and stakeholders on both sides of the bill.

Governor Rhoden offered support for an amended version of SB 124 that would:

• Impose a five-year temporary moratorium to permit further study within the existing regulatory framework and allow the pending litigation in other states to further unfold;
• Respect constitutional limits and reduce the risk of unnecessary litigation; and
• Preserve South Dakota’s long-standing commitment to our values.  

“This approach respects constitutional limits, reduces the risk of unnecessary litigation, and preserves South Dakota’s long-standing commitment to free markets and agricultural leadership,” continued Governor Rhoden. “Government is best when it is limited. We should respect the freedoms of our people, and we should not set precedent that violates our own values.”

The South Dakota Farm Bureau, the South Dakota Cattlemen’s Association, and South Dakota Retailers all sent letters of support for the Governor’s VETO. You can find the South Dakota Farm Bureau’s statement here, the South Dakota Cattlemen’s Association’s statement here, and the South Dakota Retailers’ statement here. The South Dakota Stockgrowers Association also voiced support for the Governor’s compromise.

Governor Rhoden has signed nine bills into law and VETOED one this legislative session.

###

South Dakota Democrat Party Executive Director Dan Ahlers has stepped forwards to serve as the Democrat Party’s Candidate for Governor in 2026, according to media reports, and a newly unveiled website:

With a little grit and determination, I started a small business and served my community for 25 years. It’s that same grit and determination that South Dakotans past and present used to build this great state. Together, we have overcome tough times. But today, we face challenges we haven’t seen since the Great Depression. These challenges are complicated by politicians that have chosen party politics over representing you.

As a community leader, I brought a diverse group of entrepreneurs, non-profits and churches together to build a stronger community. For 6 years, I served District 25 in the state legislature. During that time, I collaborated with my Democrat and Republican colleagues to pass legislation that improved the education and funding for students with disabilities. We improved funding and increased access to quality health care. And I worked across party lines to increase funding to the Temporary Assistance for Needy Family, ensuring thousands of South Dakota children have access to nutritional food.

Working in the minority, it would have been easy to sit back and blame Republicans for the problems and challenges we faced as a state. Besides, what can a Democrat accomplish in Pierre? I’m not built that way, and I was determined to find a way to get work done. I looked for opportunities to work together and found common causes. As a result, we passed legislation and increased funding to areas many thought was impossible. 

Now more than ever you need a strong voice in Pierre. Send me to back to Pierre, and I will put that same grit and determination to work for you.

Read the website here.

 

 

Jon Nelson Announces Candidacy for South Dakota House of Representatives, District 8

Jon Nelson, a lifelong resident of Lake Preston, has announced his candidacy for the South Dakota House of Representatives in District 8.

He and his wife, Cathy, have farmed together for more than 40 years and continue their generational farming operation alongside their son and his family.

Jon has been deeply involved in the agriculture industry having been a member in multiple state commodity organizations and currently represents his region as District 6 Director for the South Dakota Soybean Association. As a graduate of Class 6 of South Dakota Ag and Rural Leadership, he was elected class president and has served multiple terms on the SDARL Foundation Board helping to support the development of local and state leaders.

In years past, Jon also dedicated 12 years to the Lake Preston School Board, including several years as board chair, where he helped guide local education and supported students and families in the community. Additionally, as a lifelong member of North Preston Lutheran Church, Jon has held numerous leadership roles and currently serves as Chair of the Cemetery Association.

As a lifelong farmer and cattle feeder, Jon is committed to protecting landowner rights, agriculture and strengthening rural communities through growth, opportunity, and responsible long-term stewardship promoting an effect government that spends our tax dollars wisely. His goal is simple: to keep rural South Dakota strong so the next generation, including his grandchildren and others can choose to build their lives here and prosper.

Jon respectfully asks for your support as he seeks to serve District 8 in the House of Representatives and give back to the state of South Dakota.

In case you missed it, the Dusty Johnson for Governor commercial that aired tonight during the Super Bowl is available on-line to watch:

There’s more mayhem coming from former 32-year Democrat Jim Eschenbaum’s SDGOP in the run up to their February Central Committee Meeting in 2 weeks, with their meal hosted by former independent Justin McNeal.

How do you know you’ve alienated the leadership of the State Republican Party? When you have to go to Justin McNeal to host your buffet. 

The party released their P&L Statement to show us the kind of job he has been doing in managing the party.  You can judge for yourself:

2025 SDGOP_PandL by Pat Powers

 

Page 1 is simply the budget they had proposed at one of the last meetings. The P&L is more the actual. So, when on page 1 they promise to raise $15,000 at their pheasant fundraiser, page 2 shows whet they actually did. Their net was $1500.

Here’s page 2, where you can dig into things further:

The one that grabbed my attention was the “Governor’s Pheasant Hunt,” that didn’t actually have the Governor there, unlike prior years.  In fact, it didn’t have anyone who will ever be Governor, considering Jon Hansen was the only candidate there.  It could have been billed as the “4th place in the Governor’s Race Hunt.”

The P&L sheet notes that the party took in $11,664.96 for that event. But the P&L also notes that the expense for that event was $10,164.96. Wait.. so reconciling the two figures, their take on what used to be a far more significant event for Republicans 4 or 5 years ago.. was $1500?   That’s after their income projections were $15,000?  I think they misplaced a decimal.  Most Lincoln Day Dinners bring in more than that.  In a normal party organization, that’s one phone call.  Not the total take from one of their major events for the year.

If their finances continue to trend as they have, in their financial outlook for 2026, the State Republican Party claims that they need $135,000 to put on the Republican State Convention. In their current state, they might be lucky to clear $13,500.

Just caught this on facebook in the early hours of this morning, sleepily scrolling.. and it woke me up with a start. A scary tale to begin my day with.

The South Dakota Republican Party has formed a new platform committee in preparation for the next convention. And to say it’s markedly different that the last, is an understatement. Because it’s not your typical platform committee.

It’s like Rod Serling dropped in to narrate what’s happening. Just to inform us that in the Twilight Zone, they’ve convened the ‘Republican Party’s platform committee.’  A platform committee of the damned.

Boasting 4 members from Pennington County, Tonchi Weaver, Dale Bartscher, Phil Jensen and Tony Randolph, clearly Jim Eschenbaum, the former 32-year Democrat who passes for the Party Chair asked himself who are some of the most divisive people in the Republican Party? So he could include them on the committee.

Rep. Phil Jensen, who is such a horse’s hindquarters that even the Jon Hansen/Scott Odenbach faction of the party kicked him out of the House GOP caucus, in addition to stripping him of committees and positions in this and the last sessions?  Tony Randolph, who at one time voted to keep rapists in high school classrooms, and is the prime sponsor this year of HB 1212, to place women who have abortions under arrest and charged with murder?  Tonchi Weaver who was attacking Governor Kristi Noem for not being conservative enough in the last election?

Of course, we can’t leave out Minnehaha County’s contribution of former State Rep. Steve Haugaard. The lead counsel trying to defend Julie Frye-Mueller in suckle-gate. His views were rejected by the Republican Party as a group in the Republican Party in 2022 on a basis of 76.4% to 23.6% after he challenged Governor Noem in that race – for again, not being conservative enough.  They also did it again at the convention that year, when Haugaard sought to push out now Governor Larry Rhoden as Lt. Governor on the ticket. 

Now Eschenbaum wants to have Haugaard help write the standards via the party platform planks that the Republicanism of Governor Larry Rhoden would be judged by? I’m guessing no one consulted the Governor on that appointment.

There’s others of varying degrees of obnoxiousness on the platform committee. But suffice it to say that I have no doubt that we’ll hear more about the Republican Party Platform Committee of the Damned – especially their end product – in South Dakota’s media this year.

In the Media.. and in the Twilight zone.

Just had this video sent to me which points out how House Bill 1005 would help diversify America’s hyperscale data processing to make it more secure:

From the Rural National Defense Initiative.