Category: Uncategorized

As you may know, this week is National Ag Week. Agriculture is the number one industry in South Dakota and the lifeblood of not only our state, but our country and our world.

Farmers, ranchers, and producers work hard every day, and almost never get a day off. They toil not to simply provide for their family, but to provide food and other basic materials to sustain human life—your life. It is often a thankless task and goes unnoticed by many—in 2020, 54% of young Americans reported they’ve never seen a cow in real life.

The farmers I know want the best for their animals and work to keep them safe and healthy. They know they must be good stewards of the land and environment because they are the ones who will be working on it for years to come. The average producer views farming and ranching as a way of life, not just a paycheck. That is especially clear now, when most farmers and producers are facing increased prices for feed, seed, fertilizer, and pesticides. Their income relies on market prices, and the market is incredibly volatile.

This week, I had the privilege of meeting some of our producers when I toured the Kasemeister Creamery in Frankfort. I learned about the ingenuity that drives the process of ensuring quality dairy products. I also had the opportunity to talk to farmers across the state when I joined a town hall with producers to discuss the important role U.S. agricultural exports have in supporting the rural economy. Ag exports topped $177 billion last year, and this number only keeps increasing. American farmers are feeding the world.

Farmers deserve our support because they support us.  If the volatility in the economy for the past two years has impacted you in any way—you can bet it has impacted our farmers and producers just as much, if not more. Their dedication to agriculture and unwavering steadfastness to produce our basic needs cannot be overlooked.

Next time you see one, remember to thank a farmer.

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As I’m at my desk getting ready to chase down a Notary on Sunday Morning, because I can’t notarize my own signature as circulator, I’m recycling this 2020 post because someone is going to unnecessarily screw it up because they listened to someone at the hyvee desk or post office who didn’t know better.

DON’T SEND PETITIONS CERTIFIED MAIL. REGISTERED MAIL ONLY.

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We’re coming down to the wire this week for election petitions, which means it’s time for me to be a scold to candidates in order to help save them from a grave error if they find themselves mailing in their petitions.

If you can’t drive yourself to Pierre before Tuesday at 5pm, we’re at the point where if you mail your election petitions into the Secretary of State (Secretary of State, Attn: Elections, 500 E. Capitol, Pierre, SD 57501), there’s the possibility they might not show up by the deadline on Tuesday.  No matter what any clerk at a postal desk tries to talk you into, there’s only ONE proper way to mail those petitions into the Secretary of State’s office, and I can’t admonish candidates strongly enough.

Send those petitions in via REGISTERED mail, not certified.

There’s a good reason for it. It’s the law.  As I noted two (now four) 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 the law for yourself here.

Why registered mail? Registered mail has a clear chain of custody that is recorded by the post office before being sent and at each point along its route to safeguard against loss, theft, or damage. Every year there are people who let themselves get talked into sending it certified by someone who doesn’t know South Dakota Election Law.. and they find themselves out of luck.

And keep your eyes on South Dakota War College for coverage of the legislative campaigns.  The roller coaster ride is just beginning.

Gov. Noem Signs Remaining Bills into Law

PIERRE, S.D. – Governor Kristi Noem has signed all remaining bills into law.

• SB 79 clarifies cross-references regarding powers of attorney.
• SB 107 provides for the remote witnessing of certain legal instruments.
• SB 152 provides for ticket-in, ticket-out video lottery.
• HB 1096 revises provisions regarding livestock identification.
• HB 1117 revises a certain provision regarding standard nonforfeiture amounts for individual deferred annuities.
• HB 1152 establishes rights regarding the disposition of a person’s remains.
• HB 1156 revises provisions regarding weed removal along highways.
• HB 1176 grants immunity from certain liabilities for camping activities.
• HB 1289 updates provisions regarding self-service storage.

Governor Noem has signed 246 bills into law and vetoed four this legislative session. No further bills are awaiting executive action by the Governor.

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Gov. Noem Vetoes Three Bills

PIERRE, S.D. – Today, Governor Kristi Noem vetoed three bills: Senate Bill 151, House Bill 1223, and House Bill 1281.

You can find Governor Noem’s veto message for Senate Bill 151 here.

You can find Governor Noem’s veto message for House Bill 1223 here.

You can find Governor Noem’s veto message for House Bill 1281 here.

Governor Noem has signed 237 bills into law and vetoed four this legislative session.

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Out of my mailbox…

PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release

March 24, 2022:

The Fraternal Order of Police Labor Council Lodge #1 represents the membership of over 230 Police Officers and Sergeants of the Sioux Falls Police Department.

The Labor Council is pleased to announce it officially endorses candidate Paul Tenhaken for the office of Mayor in Sioux Falls.

The members of our labor union are grateful for the relationship we have built with Mayor Tenhaken over the last few years. He has provided exceptional leadership and the support our officers and sergeants need to ensure public safety for those who live, work, and visit in our city. His vision of “One Sioux Falls” promotes civic unity at a time where others focus only on division. That unity is essential to maintain the quality of life our citizens deserve and move our city forward.
The men and women of this membership support Mayor Tenhaken’s candidacy, and encourage all of Sioux Falls to vote for Tenhaken.

Well, of course they do. Mayor TenHaken has been an advocate for police.

And his opponent? Well, much less so. Here’s a photo from 2020 where she was demanding justice reform…

… where Taneeza Islam was advocating for policing policies to make Sioux Falls more like Seattle and Minneapolis.

In fact, I believe she may have indicated that the Sioux Falls Police and Highway Patrol’s response to the riots at the Empire Mall in 2020 were “militarized”, unjust and improper.

Labor Unions, The Fraternal Order of Police.. anyone else abandoning Taneeza in the run up to the election?

The hotel owner involved in the racist comment controversy in Rapid City has turned to Governor Noem in trying to remove Mayor Allendar from office. But, to no avail:

And..

Governor Noem’s Celebrates Week of Conservative Victories as Campaign Surpasses 50,000 Donor Mark

MARCH 25, 2022

Pierre, SD – South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem wrapped a very big week for the conservative agenda and conservative values with the signing of two pro-life bills into law. Yesterday, she signed HB 1318 which prohibits medical abortion by telemedicine and increases the penalty for the unlicensed practice of medicine when performing a medical abortion. She also signed HB 1113 which prohibits threats made with the intent to coerce an abortion.

“These two bills are more fulfillment of Governor Noem’s pledge to be the most pro-life governor in the nation,” said Noem Campaign Manager Joe Desilets.

Mr. Desilets added, “These bill signings concluded what may be the most impressive legislative achievement week of any Governor this year and it shows in the support she’s receiving.”

The campaign reported that they’ve surpassed the 50,000 donor mark, with 98.2% of the donations coming from individuals and just 0.4% from political action committees.

“Governor Noem is fighting for the citizens of South Dakota on many fronts,” Mr. Desilets added. “These signings wrap up a week that saw the Governor sign bills into law to protect 2nd Amendment rights, ban big-tech interference in our elections, keep Critical Race Theory out of our schools, improve readiness capabilities for the South Dakota National Guard, and strengthen our water and infrastructure projects.”

“Governor Noem was recently listed as the number one Governor in America by the American Legislative Exchange Council. That combined with the fact that our donor base has gone over 50,000 is a testament to the Governor’s solid conservative leadership and is a blueprint for others to govern all around the country,” Mr. Desilets concluded.

Legislative Week in Review

March 24th – Governor Noem Signs Appropriations Bills Into Law, Providing South Dakota’s 133rd Consecutive Balanced Budget
March 24th – Governor Noem Signs Cyber Research Bills Into Law
March 23rd – Governor Noem Signs Pro-Life Bills Into Law
March 22nd – Governor Noem Repels Concealed Carry Fees, Signs Tax Reforms and “Open for Business” Bills Into Law
March 22nd – Governor Noem Signs Water and Infrastructure Bills Into Law
March 21st – Governor Noem Signs CRT and Education Bills Into Law
March 21st – Governor Noem Signs Military and Veterans Bills Into Law

South Dakota is in the middle of a healthcare boom. While the strain of the pandemic has challenged this industry across the country, our state has remained resilient.  

A new study from WalletHub ranked South Dakota the No. 1 best state for doctors to work in. Last year, that same firm ranked our state in the Top 10 for work environment for nurses. 

South Dakota must continue to raise the bar for other healthcare workers. We can do that by meeting the needs of the industry. Last fall, I joined our state’s largest healthcare providers in recruiting nurses to move to our state. But we also need to generate home-grown talent. 

This session, I fought for funding to expand healthcare programs at our colleges and universities. Today, I joined Southeast Technical College in celebrating its forthcoming Health Sciences Clinical Simulation Center. The state is providing the funding for cutting-edge simulation equipment and learning laboratories to support the Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA), Licensed Practical Nursing (LPN), Registered Nursing (RN), Sonography, and Surgical Technologist programs. 

We are also expanding our accelerated nursing program through a partnership with South Dakota State University and Northern State University. Strengthening this career pipeline will help us ensure we provide opportunities for our children and grandchildren to succeed in this field. But South Dakotans also need better healthcare today. 

That’s why I supported purchasing cutting-edge equipment for EMTs. This new technology will save lives. We’re expanding telehealth capabilities to allow EMTs to connect patients with doctors and deliver that care faster. 

In the last three years, our state has made great strides to increase access to healthcare. We created a robust telehealth system. We recognized licenses for out-of-state healthcare professionals moving to South Dakota. We guaranteed transparent prices for South Dakotans when dealing with their insurance companies. We launched a successful campaign to increase awareness of available substance use disorder treatment.  

And thanks to $15 million in federal funding, South Dakota will soon be one step closer to expanding Appropriate Regional Facilities to each of five regions where people experiencing mental health crises can get the short-term care they need. Our state is leading the way. We want to help people get the care they need at a place that is close to home. In the process, we will prevent our jails from becoming mental health holding centers. 

On March 18th, I signed into law several bills focused on taking care of people in South Dakota. These bills range from strengthening our fight against opioid addiction to prohibiting discrimination in organ transplants. The state is helping Lyman County to build a new nursing facility, and we are constructing a new state public health lab to support our state’s healthcare industry. 

Together, we will raise the bar and set a new standard of healthcare in South Dakota. 

 

Looks like fundraising letters are going out (of varying quality) as evidenced by this one that was sent our way this morning. This one comes from the Cole Heisey campaign, whom you might recall from recent posts, and it’s a great opportunity for a teaching moment, because there’s a lot of incorrect assumptions and things wrong with it that you should do differently as you’re composing your own letter:

Here’s one of the few things the candidate managed to do correctly. Always include a self-addressed envelope with your fundraising mailer.  If you have a lot of money, you can put a stamp on it, but if you’re sending out a fundraiser, you’re trying to raise money because you don’t have it in the first place.

Had a nice comment today where I had a person who they very likely disagree with me, but they certainly weren’t disagreeable. And My response was getting a little long and detailed, but I thought worthwhile enough to raise to the top level:

Read that here.

And In response, I offer the following to Mary –

Thank you for comments. I’ve had people advertise on my site whom I don’t support or agree with and that’s ok. Advertisements do not affect editorial policy. If they want to advertise, they certainly can, but it’s not going to change my mind.

And I certainly do consider myself conservative, as when I started in politics as well as when I started this website, the political universe was a lot different. A lot of it is perspective. There were fights on even having a pro-life statement in the GOP Platform, and an effort was out there to push out conservatives with a group called the “mainstream moderates”  (man, that takes me back). And those who stood against them were the hardcore conservatives. 

Now, 16 years later, the same people who fought against the mainstream moderates are now being derided as liberals and RINO’s.  I suspect for those who are considered the hardcore conservatives now who can survive in the elections and government.. there will come a point in the future where they’ll be derided as liberals.

Now you might not consider the incumbents conservative, but in what universe is Kristi Noem not the most conservative Governor we’ve ever had? How is Pro-life, pro-2nd amendment Christian Senator John Thune or Mike Rounds not considered conservative for their views? 

Or, what about Dusty Johnson? After they disagreed on a funding mechanism for the border wall, President Donald Trump himself endorsed him.  I don’t think a lot of people consider Donald Trump Liberal.

Sometimes for those incumbents when they vote on legislation, or have to make a decision on the worst issues, where there’s no winning side. Depending on what side of the issue you’re on, it’s bad choice A or bad choice B. Having to pick the least bad choice doesn’t make them liberal. It just means they have to deal with the reality of governing.

The reason that they are incumbents is that they are good at communicating their message and in running a campaign, AND enjoy the popular support of a majority of the citizens of the state.  Do I agree with them 100% of the time? No. I wish I would get my way 100% of the time. But even when I don’t get my way, I have always found them to be good people.  Why do I support them?

Dusty Johnson is a childhood friend of my brother’s, and I’ve known him for decades. He would admit himself that he can be a little nerdy and a policy wonk, but he’s engaged in the process to improve government, authentic, a good person, and I respect him.  He’s shown he can win elections. 

I worked for John Thune when I was with the State Republican party many years ago. There’s a story I remember at the time about a bunny in his yard in Pierre that still makes me chuckle. No one has worked harder to make South Dakota Republicans be successful throughout their political career as John Thune. Again, a tremendously good person. He has his mentor’s (Jim Abdnor) knack for remembering people. And again, authentic.

When she first ran, I helped a candidate run in a primary against Kristi Noem in her first race for the State Legislature, and found out quickly what a force of nature she is to be reckoned with. I remember the GOP State office staff at the time remarking on her campaign savvy and work ethic. She’s tremendously sharp, a phenomenal speaker, has a wicked sense of humor and again, she’s a nice person. She takes an unbelievable number of rocks being thrown at her, but slugs them off and keeps pressing on.

She’s also very empathetic, which I’ve observed in her work on disability issues, where she’s made things happen that previous governors chose not to. Doesn’t mean they were bad, but she was willing to push back against the big hospitals & insurers. She is genuine in her support to help kids & families.

In each of those cases, those are a few of the reasons why I strongly support them to remain in their jobs. For their challengers, that doesn’t mean they are necessarily bad people, but I do not believe they possess the qualities that have made Dusty Johnson, John Thune and Kristi Noem successful in their political careers.

Does that make me biased towards those who are considered “the establishment” politicians? I don’t view them through that lens, as much as I support them to remain doing the job for South Dakotans because they are good people.