United States Congressman Dusty Johnson is all over the State Fair this weekend according to Facebook:
And rumor has it that Congressional “explorer” Taffy Howard might be there as well.
Although, she should probably hang around her booth…
Help Wanted
By Sen. John Thune
This summer, as I’ve visited small and big towns across South Dakota, there have been a lot of issues on the top of people’s minds – from Afghanistan to border security to keeping our communities safe. As I visited local businesses, though, one issue stood out above all else: worker shortages. No one can seem to find enough workers to meet the growing demand as our economy continues to get stronger. In some cases, unfortunately, the inability to find workers has led to reduced capacity or hours of operation. Fewer employees means fewer people to serve customers.
These worker shortages are not just an illusion. At the end of June, job openings in the United States had reached 10.1 million – a record high. The national employment rate currently stands at 5.2 percent. In South Dakota, our unemployment rate is even lower. This low rate, which means the available workforce is small, paired with our booming economy in South Dakota, which means consumer demand is high, has created the workforce shortages that South Dakotans are seeing and feeling.
To be clear, an expanding economy and near record-low unemployment are good things. They are positive signs of a strong economy. That said, they are not without their challenges, which is why it is so important to keep our eye on the ball and implement positive solutions so these resulting workforce shortages don’t stunt economic growth. I support allowing free market forces to adapt and address these shortages over heavy-handed government intervention, but we can implement common-sense changes to help specific areas that have been hit particularly hard. That’s why I’ve made expanding the H-2B visa program a priority. Many South Dakota businesses rely on workers who temporarily come to the United States through this program. South Dakota businesses in industries from tourism and hospitality to construction and forestry have benefitted tremendously from it.
A low unemployment rate like we have now means a high number of South Dakotans who want to work have jobs, but it can present challenges for states like ours that rely on a seasonal, supplemental workforce. The H-2B visa program gives our businesses an additional employment pool to pull from when there is a high seasonal demand. I’ve introduced multiple bills that would help raise the cap on this program. My Prioritizing Help to Businesses Act would set aside up to 2,500 H-2B visas for states like South Dakota that are at or below 3.5 percent unemployment with a capped increase of 25 percent over the previous year’s H-2B total. It’s a new approach that I hope will be considered as we evaluate ways to improve the worker shortage in South Dakota’s seasonal industries.
Another industry that has struggled to find workers, even before the current shortage, is telecommunications. South Dakota is helping to lead the way in these technological advancements. As we work to deploy 5G technology and provide more of rural South Dakota with a reliable internet connection, we cannot afford a lack of qualified workers to hold us back. My Telecommunications Skilled Workforce Act, which recently passed the Senate, would help address the shortage of trained workers who will be necessary to fill next-generation jobs in the telecommunications industry.
These bills are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to addressing the workforce shortages in our state. There is certainly more work to be done, and I will continue to look for light-touch ways to help South Dakota businesses find workers. All things considered, I would rather see “help wanted” signs posted in shop windows than long lines at the unemployment office. A low unemployment rate means that more South Dakotans have a steady paycheck to support themselves and their families. But we cannot ignore these workforce shortages. I am focused on continuing to develop solutions in Washington to address the side effects of low unemployment so our economy can continue to grow and create more opportunities for South Dakotans.
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Tragedy in Afghanistan
By Rep. Dusty Johnson
September 3, 2021
The events that unfolded in Afghanistan over the last few weeks have been a tragedy.
It was devastating to hear the news that thirteen servicemembers were killed – the deadliest day in Afghanistan in over a decade – outside the airport gates in Kabul while assisting Americans and Afghan allies urgently trying to flee the country.
It was heartbreaking to watch desperate Afghans clinging to C-17s and fearful mothers passing their infants off to our servicemembers in a last-ditch effort to save them from a life under the Taliban.
It was disappointing to witness the United States’ decades-long counterterrorism and nation-building efforts in Afghanistan fall to the Taliban in mere days.
Most Americans agree that we could not stay in Afghanistan forever – a military withdrawal from Afghanistan was inevitable.
But how we left was disastrous.
The Biden Administration engaged in a lack of planning and series of poor decisions. Every official responsible for this failure must be held accountable.
Last week, I sent a letter to President Biden pressing him on his plans to evacuate Americans out of Afghanistan following the arbitrary August 31st deadline, to ensure remaining U.S. military equipment is reclaimed from the Taliban, and to assist Afghan Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) holders and other at-risk Afghans left behind.
As this catastrophe unfolded, there were however a few glimmers of hope in humanity. Our troops stepped up. In Afghanistan, U.S. special operations veterans carried out daring missions to save Afghan allies. Back home, my office worked around the clock to help South Dakotans who knew Americans and allies on the ground urgently request to evacuate with the State Department and Defense Department. We are actively assisting over 100 individuals and were successful in evacuating 20 individuals who were either lawful permanent residents, SIV applicants, or at-risk Afghan allies.
Despite the failure of our withdrawal from Afghanistan, U.S. involvement in the region led to the death of Osama Bin Laden, greatly diminished Al-Qaeda and prevented additional terrorist attacks on home soil, paved way for the advancement of rights for Afghan women and girls, and saved countless Afghan lives from the terror of the Taliban regime.
To our U.S. servicemembers who answered the call of duty in Afghanistan over the last twenty years, your service was not in vain and our country will never forget your service to our nation. My prayers are with our Afghanistan veterans and Gold Star families.
Gov. Noem Bringing South Dakota National Guard Troops Home from the Southern Border
PIERRE, S.D. – Today, Governor Kristi Noem announced that the South Dakota National Guard troops on state active duty at the southern border will be returning home later this month. Governor Noem gave the following statement:
“I want to thank our dedicated troops with the South Dakota National Guard who have served honorably in this deployment to the Mexican Border. Our troops delivered on their mission, providing boots on the ground to supplement the efforts of Texas state troopers, National Guard, and Customs and Border Patrol agents. They directly assisted in stopping human trafficking and drug smuggling into our nation.
“The end of this deployment comes at a key transition point Thanks to our troops, Texas had time to organize and will now increase its financial commitment and manpower from within the state. Additionally, this deployment has made two things very clear: what happens on the border doesn’t stay there, and President Biden’s policies are enabling this crisis to continue.
“The South Dakota National Guard encountered more than 6,000 individuals crossing the border. Unfortunately, because of the Biden Administration’s failed border policies, the system has become one of facilitating the crossing of illegal immigrants into our country.
“Over the course of this mission, the scope of the drug smuggling and human trafficking taking place has been made clear to us, and it is staggering. Every state in the nation, including South Dakota, is made less safe as a result. The cartels are taking advantage of the humanitarian crisis – which is soaking up virtually all of Border Patrol’s efforts – and using it as a distraction for their criminal activities. So long as the border remains unsecure, this crisis will continue.
“The end of this deployment, however, is not the end of our commitment to secure our southern border. South Dakota is sending an additional 125 troops next month on a federal mission.
“President Biden’s approach is an utter disaster. As border crossings continue to climb, I am reiterating my call for President Biden to focus on America first and secure the border.”
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The South Dakota House of Representatives has been provided a hard drive full of material related to the State’s investigation of last September’s traffic accident involving the Attorney General, and cautions that it will take months to review the material:
Gosch said Thursday that his staff in Pierre received the hard drive late Wednesday and that he hadn’t had a chance to see what it contains. He’ll have to sort through files that contain nearly 1,300 photos, cellphone data extraction reports, roughly 10 hours of video and audio of interviews, more than 1,500 pages of investigative reports and a crime scene map that requires special software to view.
“We’re still evaluating what the process is going to look like,” he said, adding that lawmakers would “allow an ample amount of time and an ample amount of due process.”
and..
“It’s so difficult to know how long it would take to sort through all that evidence,” said Republican state Rep. Jon Hansen, who is a member of the legislative leadership.
If the legislature decides to move forward, this may be something that has to go beyond next winter’s legislative session as they try to make a case for impeachment beyond the traffic offenses the Attorney General pled no contest to.
I’ve had a concept banging around in my head for a long time about something slightly different, in a more magazine style and longer form articles than many of the posts at Dakota War College tend to be. It’s not that I’m abandoning things, as much as creating a slightly different sandbox. There will be a lot of cross-pollination, as articles will appear in both places, but sometimes I just want to try things in a different format.
And with that, I’m “officially” kicking off the South Dakota Political News, with an article on the battle over threatened COVID vaccination legislation:
The business community also has the support of one of the State’s most powerful political figures, Governor Kristi Noem. After the legislators began demanding a special session, the Governor launched a fusillade of criticism via social and traditional media against those who sought to bring a solution to what they saw as a problem that needed immediate government intervention, terming the proposals as “not conservative.”
Businesses have been cool to the proposals as well, according to South Dakota Retailers Association Director Nathan Sanderson. According to Sanderson, “The South Dakota Retailers Association has long supported the right of business owners to determine the practices and policies best-suited for their own business and employees. The vast majority of South Dakota businesses are not mandating vaccinations for their employees, or even considering doing so, but a business owner should have the right to make the decision based on their own circumstances.”
Hunting Season is Serious Business in South Dakota
By Gov. Kristi Noem
August 27, 2021
I love the fall. Cooler days. County fairs with youth livestock shows going on almost every weekend. And, of course, heading out to the fields to shoot the state bird.
As tourism season draws to a close, hunting seasons are beginning to open around the state. Dove, Antelope, Deer and Canada Geese seasons recently opened, kicking off the fall 2021 hunting calendar.
Over the next four months, South Dakotans and non-resident hunters will flock to the fields and forests in search of fertile grounds. Thanks to the enthusiasm brought by our hunter-friendly policies, both hunters and the state are reaping benefits from seasonal outings.
It’s estimated the annual hunting season brings in about $500 million to the state economy, benefiting businesses of all sizes. When combined with fishing and other outdoor activities, the total economic footprint of our Game, Fish, and Parks Department is about $1.33 billion. A new study going on now is looking at this season’s figures and will give us a better post-pandemic picture of how hunting is benefiting local economies.
The fees collected from licensing alone bring in nearly $28 million each year to support our Game, Fish, and Parks Department. Those funds go to our conservation officers, habitat improvements, grassland restorations, and much more. Our Hunt for Habitat raffle raised $329,000 this year — the raffle has raised more than $1 million total over its first three years — to support more than 6,500 acres of habitat restoration and improvement across 18 counties. Since 2013, the Bighorn Sheep auction has raised nearly $1 million for bighorn sheep reintroduction projects, wildlife disease testing labs and research, and water development projects.
All but one of the winning tags from this year’s Hunt for Habitat raffle went to South Dakota hunters. That’s because hunting is serious business in our state.
Last year, South Dakota was No. 1 in the nation for the percentage of residents obtaining a hunting license (nearly 25%) — we were No. 11 overall based on total non-resident hunting licenses issued. And while we are known for our premier pheasant hunting, we also are favorites among archers coming in at No. 4 on BowHunting.com’s most hunter-friendly states.
We’re not taking these accolades for granted, either. Since 2019, the Second Century Initiative has fought to maintain family hunting traditions by introducing kids to the adventure of the outdoors, while conserving our outdoor culture for the next generation.
Thanks to the Second Century Initiative, we are seeing remarkable pheasant numbers, which increases interest in South Dakota as a hunting destination. Our Nest Predator Bounty program is getting more youth involved in trapping while also helping to boost our pheasant numbers through increased nest success.
All of these actions are meant to protect and sustain our rich outdoor legacy in South Dakota. Hunting, trapping, and living off the land are all valuable skills that should be handed down to the next generation. Hunting also provides a great outlet for exercise, positive mental health benefits, and the value of knowing exactly where your food is coming from.
To learn about hunting in South Dakota, or how to obtain a license, go to gfp.sd.gov/hunt/ and click the “Purchase License” banner. While at the website, you can also learn about our youth mentor program, which was recently expanded by the legislature. There’s also information about accessing hunting areas.
Good luck to all the hunters gearing up for another fun season! Thank you for what you do to keep our state’s traditions alive and thriving for the next generation of hunters.
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One of South Dakota’s worst legislators is apparently doing everything she can do to ferret out new crazy things to bring to Pierre next year. As you can read in State Senator Julie Frye Mueller’s latest column in the Rapid City Journal:
August was extremely busy as well. Sidney Powell came August 5 to speak at a SD Citizens For Liberty meeting on the Arizona voter fraud. She did an excellent job and discussed what her team was dealing with regarding the process they were going through. The courts have refused to hear the evidence, so reports of no election fraud are not factual. I was blessed to be able to spend four days on and off with her and her team. We have stayed in communication with each other and I feel fortunate for that connection.
On August 9, my husband and I took off for Sioux Falls for the Mike Lindell Cyber Symposium. The event venue was well-suited for what was going on there. Eventually legislators from all 50 states showed up and a large group of us went into a private room to discuss what we can do to help. We had our first Zoom meeting last Tuesday and will be continuing every two weeks. Another great part of this is we are connecting to help share ideas for bills that will help “We the People”.
Jesus wept. Are we actually reading this? First Frye-Mueller claims through some connection with Sidney Powell that “reports of no election fraud are not factual.” Despite Powell arguing through her attorneys in court filings that “no reasonable people would believe her election fraud claims.”
Even worse, the legislator who said parents accepting a school handbook might inadvertently be giving permission to give transgender surgery to your children wants to share ideas for bills with other people who went to the looney MyPillow Cyber Symposium. The 3-day conference which most elected officials across the nation avoided like the plague because predictably, it fell flat on it’s face and became a national circus of mockery.
Lindell, who is a diehard Trump fan and prominent voter fraud conspiracy theorist, launched the pseudo-conference with the hopes of definitively proving that the Don was robbed of the presidency last November by a band of Deep State goons and Chinese hackers.
and..
Unfortunately for Lindell, the man he hired to assess that data has now admitted that it can’t possibly show what he says it does.
I might be showing my age, and opening up myself for razzing from my daughter who claims I’m old, but I remember a time when our Senators and Representatives came to the legislature every year to solve problems of the people who elected them to office.
Not to support people on the Internet spouting nutty conspiracy theories reinforced by reading too much facebook.
Ah, the good old days.
The GOP Booth at the State Fair is hopping today..
The Democrat booth.. not so much.
Following the Supreme Court’s decision to leave the pro-life TX law in place, I have directed the Unborn Child Advocate in my office to immediately review the new TX law and current South Dakota laws to make sure we have the strongest pro life laws on the books in SD.
— Governor Kristi Noem (@govkristinoem) September 2, 2021