Category: Uncategorized

If you’re familiar with Josh Shields, who has been instrumental in election success in recent years for both the Thune and Noem campaigns, his family is fighting a different type of battle as of late, as the family is fighting his wife’s cancer diagnosis in recent weeks.

As noted on a Go Fund Me page that’s been set up:

Danielle recently received a diagnosis that no young mother should have to endure – breast cancer. We are still completing additional tests to see how far the cancer has spread. There is a chance it’s already spread to three bones which would make it Stage 4.

Danielle is an otherwise healthy young woman and we are confident that we can overcome this obstacle with the best treatment combined with support and prayer from our vast network of friends and family.

We are entering a situation with lots of unknowns – including expenses. But we know that we need to seek out the best care, which means getting a second opinion and possibly treatment, at a nationally-recognized cancer center. This will create additional medical expenses and travel expenses. We also know that our four kids – ages 5, 4, 3 and 1 – are going to need additional childcare while their dad works and their mom beats cancer.

We’ve never set up a page like this before and never thought we would need to. But the outpouring of support from those who love us has been so overwhelming that we wanted to create a centralized place for financial assistance if folks feel so led.

Of course, the most important way you can help is to continue praying, continue sending texts and messages of support. We love you all and we are so thankful that we are not in this fight alone. We have a good and faithful God and we have friends and family that will help us through.

Read, and support Danielle’s Cancer Fighting Fund here.

Please keep the Shields family in your thoughts and prayers this holiday season, as they work to return Danielle to full health.

 

Restoring Balance to the Court System
By U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.)

In the United States, we expect our judicial system to treat all Americans equally. After all, it is our judicial system which we rely on to assure due process of law.

The federal courts play a critical role in our constitutional system. Because of this, it is important that federal judges faithfully apply the law as written. This year, the Senate has been able to put a number of highly-qualified judges on the federal bench who are committed to fulfilling that role.

The process for filling vacant federal judgeships begins with a nomination by the president. The nominee then must be confirmed by the Senate following a thorough vetting process. Confirming highly-qualified judges is one of the most important roles of the United States Senate. Because the federal judges hold lifetime appointments, it is vital to make certain that they base their decisions on the rule of law rather than their personal policy preferences or feelings.

Under the previous administration and a Democrat-controlled Senate, court vacancies were filled with liberal, activist judges seeking to rule based on what they want the law to be, not on what Congress actually legislated. With President Trump in office, we have been able to change course and begin to balance out the courts with judges who interpret the law as it was written. In 2017, we have appointed 12 highly-qualified circuit court judges who are committed to this view of the law.

Last year, while he was a circuit court judge, Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch explained that a good judge should strive to “apply the law as it is, focusing backward, not forward, and looking to text, structure, and history to decide what a reasonable reader at the time of the events in question would have understood the law to be – not to decide cases based on their own moral convictions or the policy consequences they believe might serve society best.”

I agree with Justice Gorsuch that the role of a judge is to apply the law faithfully and impartially, not to legislate from the bench. It’s important that we continue confirming the dozens of pending nominations to keep the judicial system fully functioning. There are still more than 100 federal court vacancies across the country. I look forward to continuing to do my part in putting fair-minded judges on the bench who understand the role of the judiciary is to interpret the law as written, not to make the law.

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More Control over Your Paycheck
By Rep. Kristi Noem

I’ve told this story often, but it bears repeating because it’s the foundation of what I’ve fought for in tax reform. A while back, I met a young mom in the grocery store. She had a handful of coupons and a cart of groceries. We got to talking about how much costs have gone up. Healthcare, electricity, you name it – all were on the rise. And so, she asked me: “When is it going to get better?” To that mom, I want to say this: 2018 will be better because of tax reform.

In South Dakota, the average household income is $54,000. For that family of four, we doubled their standard deduction, meaning the first $24,000 a married couple earns is now tax free. We’re also doubling the Child Tax Credit to $2,000 per child, and we’re pushing the family’s tax rate down to 12 percent. If you crunch the numbers, that the average family of four in South Dakota making $54,000 will go from an $830 tax liability under current law to a $780 tax refund under tax reform. That’s a change of $1,600.

And it could be even higher. Families will continue to have access to the Child Care Credit, which I fought alongside Ivanka Trump and others to preserve. The home mortgage interest deduction, the Adoption Tax Credit, charitable contributions, and popular retirement savings options are also retained. Deductions for 529 education savings accounts and medical expenses are enhanced, as is the refundability of the Child Tax Credit.

These credits and deductions can have a powerful impact on those we care about, because they put money back into our families and communities, rather than into the greedy hands of Washington.

At the same time, this tax reform package is designed to create a healthier economy – one in which wages can rise. Already, we’ve seen a number of businesses respond by announcing they’re moving jobs back to America and giving their employees a much-deserved Christmas bonus.

In South Dakota, our number one industry is agriculture, and I’m incredibly proud this tax reform package reflects so many of the priorities shared with me by farmers and ranchers across the state. I was the only farmer sitting at the negotiating table when the final deal was made, but I made sure producers would have access to enhanced expensing tools, immediate deductibility, and like-kind exchanges. Additionally, we created a 20 percent small business deduction that will benefit many farms and ranches as well as agricultural cooperatives. While the fight to repeal the un-American Death Tax will continue, I’m glad this bill gives farmers, ranchers, and small businesses some relief by doubling the exemption levels and maintaining the stepped-up basis.

I believe 2017 will be marked as the year in which you were put back in control. Federal regulations have been toppled by Congress and President Trump. The judicial system has been flooded with those who believe in liberty and the freedoms enshrined within our Constitution. Tax reform’s passage was the capstone and the surest sign that things are going to get better for hardworking Americans.

During his remarks on the White House lawn, President Trump explained we were “warriors together” in tax reform. It’s very true. We fought side by side throughout this process, and we did that for a singular reason: We both believe you deserve more control over your paycheck. You’ve worked hard for that money, and it’s time the folks in Washington respect that.

Memories Of Christmas
A column by Gov. Dennis Daugaard:

I have many fond memories of Christmas. One year, I remember singing Christmas carols in Dell Rapids with my 4-H club. Afterward, we ended the evening at the Lutheran Church where we sang Silent Night with all the lights out and only the Christmas tree lit.

Some of my memories are of the one-room country school I attended as a child. Every year, all eight grades joined together to perform in a Christmas program. We stretched a wire across the front of the schoolroom and hung burlap curtains. When the curtain opened, Mrs. Hainje played the piano and we’d sing songs, or we’d recite poems, or perform little one-act plays. Our program lasted about an hour or two, and every year, my parents faithfully attended.

When I was in eighth grade the country school closed, and I began to ride the bus to school in Dell Rapids. I joined band, and when we had band concerts at Christmas time, my parents would always come to those too. We’d assemble on the stage in the gym, and all the parents sat on grey folding chairs in rows on the gym floor. I remember looking out into the crowd to find them, and they were always there. I also sang in the chorus, and my parents came to those concerts too.

Now, you may be thinking: That’s nothing special, parents should always come to their children’s Christmas concerts – and that’s true. What’s unusual, though, is that my parents didn’t come to hear me perform. You see, my dad couldn’t hear at all, and my mother could barely hear anything either. They were both deaf.

They came to those concerts and sat, sometimes for hours, not hearing a thing. Concert after concert, year after year, they came – not because they could hear me, but rather because I could see them. They came to show that they loved and cared about me.

Among all my Christmas memories – whether of a special gift I received or of a favorite dish at dinner – it was my parents and my sisters who made Christmas special. Christmas was a meaningful time of year because I celebrated it with the people I loved, and who loved me.

For some, the holidays are a difficult time. The parents of a son or daughter serving abroad, the person who just received a grim diagnosis, or the family who recently lost a loved one may not be looking forward to Christmas this year. This season, remember others like that. Do what you can for the sick and the poor and the lonely. Go Christmas caroling at the nursing home, invite someone new over for Christmas dinner, call that friend you haven’t heard from in a while or give to a family in need. As my parents taught me, at Christmastime you don’t just show up to the concert to hear the music. You’re there to show that you care.

Merry Christmas.

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Merry Christmas to everyone from South Dakota’s Governor Dennis Daugaard and family, via his Christmas card for 2017:

Today, Things Got Better for Americans, Says Noem of Trump’s Tax Reform Bill Signing

Washington, D.C. – Rep. Kristi Noem today applauded President Donald J. Trump on his signing of H.R.1, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Noem was instrumental in crafting the legislation as a member of the House Ways and Means Committee and then a member of the small negotiating team that made the final deal. A farmer, rancher, small business owner and mother, Noem fought to double the Child Tax Credit, maintain the Child Care Credit, provide ag producers with better expensing tools, and lower tax rates across the board.

“I’ve thought back often on the South Dakotans I’ve met who have asked when it was going to get better. Today, things got better for the American people,” said Noem. “I am proud to have fought beside President Trump for a tax reform plan that puts real money in people’s pockets. A family of four in South Dakota making $54,000 will see a difference in their after-tax income of at least $1,600. That’s $1,600 that can go back into our state and our communities, rather than into the greedy hands of Washington. I thank President Trump for his leadership and for working with us to give the American people more control over their paychecks.”

The average household income in South Dakota is $54,000. Under current law, that family of four would face an $833 tax liability. Through the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, however, the standard deduction is doubled, meaning the first $24,000 they earn would now be tax free. The Child Tax Credit is also doubled to $2,000 per child. And tax rates are lowered for that family to 12 percent. As a result, that same family would now receive a $781 tax refund, meaning there is a $1,614 difference in after-tax income.

Additionally, families can still take advantage of the Child Care Credit, home mortgage interest deduction, Adoption Tax Credit, charitable contribution deduction, and popular retirement savings options. The medical expense deduction and 529 Education Savings Accounts have also been enhanced.

Noem served as the only farmer/rancher on the final negotiating team, making her a critical advocate for South Dakota’s number one industry. The legislation gives producers access to enhanced expensing tools, immediate deductibility, and like-kind exchanges. It also creates a 20 percent small business deduction that will benefit many farms and ranches as well as agricultural cooperatives. Death Tax exemption levels are also doubled, although Noem continues to push for full repeal.

State of South Dakota Files Final Brief in United States Supreme Court Tax Fairness Case

PIERRE, S.D. – Attorney General Marty Jackley confirmed today that the State  of South Dakota has filed its final Reply Brief in State of South Dakota v. Wayfair, Overstock and Newegg.

“Based upon the significant impact this issue has on every main street business, it remains my hope that our highest Court will let us be heard. We have received extraordinary support from the State Attorneys General, the National Governors Association, educational leaders, and the business community in the national fight to bring tax fairness for our local retailers and to help support main street businesses,” said Jackley.

With the filing of the Reply Brief, it is now up to the United States Supreme Court to decide whether it will hear the case.  The Court will likely make this decision in January.

Reply Brief in State of South Dakota v. Wayfair, Overstock and Newegg

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Is it a miracle that Government was moved to help out a church in need? Probably not, but it makes a nice Christmas Story as State Senator Al Novstrup and US Senator John Thune helped out a church in Aberdeen with their nativity scene:

The feds were holding up the 9-month-old dromedary who lives on a farm east of Pierre. His owner, Mike Roman, had canceled Walter’s appearance because Roman hadn’t been able to attain an exhibitor’s permit in time to display the exotic animal. Roman notified the Aberdeen church that Walter wouldn’t be joining Cocoa the donkey and a lamb who had been provided by other farmers.

The church staff was discussing the unfortunate cancellation and that fodder made it’s way to Al Novstrup’s ear. The state senator is also a long-time member of the church and tapped some connections for Roman and Walter. The inquiry made its way to U.S. Sen. John Thune’s local office and eventually to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

“Between everyone talking to each other, it’s my understanding the Department of Agriculture called Mike and said, ‘We can solve that, that’s no problem of all,’” Novstrup said.

Read that all here.