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A group of liberal law school professors are apparently banding together to oppose the nomination of Senator Jeff Sessions for the position of Attorney General of the United States. It’s not that this should come as a big shock. Coming in the days of Facebook and fake news you can probably find outrage for things as mundane as going to 7/11 or walking in the park, as we’ve become a nation of the offended.

But today, there’s a bunch of people offended at Senator Jeff Sessions:

The Honorable Charles E. Grassley
The Honorable Dianne G. Feinstein
United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary
Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510

Dear Chairman Grassley and Ranking Member Feinstein:

We are 1330 faculty members from 177 different law schools in 49 states across the country. We urge you to reject the nomination of Senator Jeff Sessions for the position of Attorney General of the United States.

In 1986, the Republican-controlled Senate Judiciary Committee, in a bipartisan vote, rejected President Ronald Reagan’s nomination of then-U.S. Attorney Sessions for a federal judgeship, due to statements Sessions had made that reflected prejudice against African Americans. Nothing in Senator Sessions’ public life since 1986 has convinced us that he is a different man than the 39-year-old attorney who was deemed too racially insensitive to be a federal district court judge.

Some of us have concerns about his misguided prosecution of three civil rights activists for voter fraud in Alabama in 1985, and his consistent promotion of the myth of voter-impersonation fraud. Some of us have concerns about his support for building a wall along our country’s southern border. Some of us have concerns about his robust support for regressive drug policies that have fueled mass incarceration. Some of us have concerns about his questioning of the relationship between fossil fuels and climate change. Some of us have concerns about his repeated opposition to legislative efforts to promote the rights of women and members of the LGBTQ community. Some of us share all of these concerns.

All of us believe it is unacceptable for someone with Senator Sessions’ record to lead the Department of Justice.

The Attorney General is the top law enforcement officer in the United States, with broad jurisdiction and prosecutorial discretion, which means that, if confirmed, Jeff Sessions would be responsible for the enforcement of the nation’s civil rights, voting, immigration, environmental, employment, national security, surveillance, antitrust, and housing laws.

As law faculty who work every day to better understand the law and teach it to our students, we are convinced that Jeff Sessions will not fairly enforce our nation’s laws and promote justice and equality in the United States. We urge you to reject his nomination.

Sincerely,

Read that here.

There’s 1300 or so law professors on it. And one comes from South Dakota, USD Associate Professor of Law Sean Kammer.

Unfortunately, if you do the least amount of googling on the professor, your eyes will start rolling, as he comes off as yet another example of yet another college professor who is allowed the luxury of promoting his liberal views on the taxpayer’s dime.  As noted directly on his blog, you’ll find such enlightening articles as “Go Home, Gun Nut. You’re Drunk,”  where he opines that owning guns is not safe. And another where he claims that “Trump’s base sees him as restoring to America Jesus’s compelling message of fear, hatred, and violence.”

or tweets like this..

Not hard to tie #Trump to white ethno-nationalism. His candidacy is manifestation of it, his campaign now headed by one of its leaders.

— Sean Kammer (@SeanKammer) August 25, 2016

Ugh.

Interestingly enough, this liberal professor who calls people who own over a certain number of guns as “gun nuts” – and the other liberal USD School of Law professor who was recently advocating for a worldwide ban on trophy hunting, are drawing attention to themselves at a time when the state Board of Regents have their hands out asking for $1.2 million to keep the state’s only law school afloat because of declining quality, and the need to make up the income loss from cutting a number of students from the program:

USD Law School Analysis by Pat Powers on Scribd

For reference, here’s whe passage where it was requested as part of the Governor’s budget:

Here is my proposal of where these dollars can be invested….

University of South Dakota Law School – $1.2 million to be used over the next three years. We have seen a nationwide decline in applicants for law school which is leading to smaller class sizes at the law school. This will help the law school meet curriculum and library requirements for the next three years.

Read that here.

So, we keep hearing about these liberal law school professors’ goofy views at the same time the Governor is asking for money to maintain the program.  1.2 Million dollars to help the school continue to maintain what they have right now, in the face of fewer students

And we have to listen to the school’s ambassadors in the arena of public discourse call gun owners “gun nuts,” and another who wants to ban hunting.

Not exactly selling points for the law school to conservative Republican legislators. Especially when they’re going to be asked to pinch every penny they can starting next week.  The first question that’s likely to be asked is “if they’re cutting students, why are we giving them 1.2 million? Shouldn’t they also cut staff?”

I’m sure legislators will be able to think of two they could send into private practice right off the top of their heads.

Just a thought.

South Dakota legislators are prepared to aggressively pick apart Initiated Measure 22 on the GOP’s side of the aisle when the legislative session reconvenes next week. But a few Democrats are coming out against the repeal of IM22 provisions.

Even those that don’t exist:

“Everything is on the table but, IM 22 was so poorly written that frankly we have to start from scratch,”Haggar said.

Publically funded campaigns could be the first issue on the chopping block.

“The public financing piece won’t survive in any way, shape or form,” Haggar stated.

Governor Daugaard agrees this isn’t in South Dakotans best interest.

“Especially in a year when we can only afford about 1% increase for education if we had to spend the money called for by Initiative Measure 22 on campaign commercials, that would cause our 1% to become 6/10 of a percent for educators,” Governor Daugaard explained.

Even on the other side of the aisle, Democratic Senator Karen Soli says she could part with that section, but there are several parts of the law she would like to see upheld.

“Limits on campaign spending, limits on lobbyist giving, to induvial legislators so those are key and then a campaign ethics committee of some sort,” Representative Soli explained.

Read it here.

Democrat Representative Karen Soli wants to keep IM22’s limits on campaign spending?  Unfortunately for Representative Soli, there were no limits in spending in the 33 page behemoth measure. Donations, yes. Spending no.

Just a thought for the Representative – you might have needed voters to pass IM22 for you to figure out what was in it. But you apparently still don’t get it.

Another good reason it needs to go away.

Attorney General Jackley’s 2017 Legislative  Package 

PIERRE, S.D. – Attorney General Marty Jackley announces that the Attorney General’s proposed legislative package for 2017 will include a request that our Legislature consider and enact the following:

1.    Prohibiting and criminalizing direct conflicts of interests and self-dealings resulting in personal financial benefit from taxpayer monies

Under current South Dakota law, it is only a misdemeanor to engage in self-dealings of taxpayer monies for personal benefit or gain.  See SDCL 5-18A-17.4.

“A public official, who misappropriates taxpayer monies that have been entrusted to them, violates the public trust and should be held responsible for such actions.   When   a public official uses taxpayer monies for personal benefit or gain, it should be treated  as any other criminal theft,” said  Jackley.

The Attorney General’s proposed legislation narrowly defines a direct criminal conflict of interest to occur when “any public official who knowingly misappropriates funds or property which has been entrusted to the public official in violation of the public trust and which results in a direct financial benefit to the public official, commits a criminal conflict of interest.” A public official who commits a criminal conflict of interest would be guilty of theft under existing law. Under current theft law it is a Class 6 felony carrying a maximum penalty of two years imprisonment when the value of the theft is in excess of $1,000, a Class 5 felony, punishable up to five years, when the value is more than $2,500 but less than or equal to $5,000, and a Class 4 felony, punishable up to 10 years, if the value is more than $5,000. The bill also requests employee whistleblower protections.

Legislation being introduced by others will require notice to the Attorney General of conflict violations.

2.   Releasing of booking photographs to the public

Under current South Dakota law, it is a criminal misdemeanor to release booking photos to the public.

“The release of criminal booking photographs to the public will result in greater transparency in the criminal process and will further assist the media and the public   in the proper identification of individuals in the criminal process,” said Jackley.

Routine criminal booking photographs would be defined as a public record under South Dakota law.    The statutes would not require a law enforcement agency to reproduce a criminal booking photograph older than six months. Furthermore, an agency requested to provide or reproduce a criminal booking photograph would be entitled to recover reasonable retrieval and reproduction costs.

3.   Expanding the 24/7 Sobriety Program to include mobile alcohol testing devices

South Dakota’s 24/7 Sobriety Program is a voluntary offender-pay program that allows individuals to address their alcohol and drug addiction while protecting the public with constant  monitoring.

“South Dakota’s 24/7 Alcohol Sobriety Program has helped over 62,582 South Dakotans address their addiction. The offender-pay program has been an effective alternative to incarceration allowing individuals with alcohol and drug addiction to remain employed and with their families while ensuring sobriety through intensive monitoring. To include mobile breath alcohol testing devices to our current technology would further assist law enforcement and participants to more easily and successfully complete the program,” said Jackley.

The current method used in the 24/7 program includes twice-a-day preliminary breath testing, electronic monitoring bracelets, ignition interlock, urinalysis, and drug testing patches. The Attorney General is requesting that the Legislature expand the testing methods to include the use of mobile breath alcohol testing devices at the discretion of the sheriffs and courts.

4.    Improving the State Automated Victim Notification System (SAVIN) 

“Serving victims of crime should remain a top priority in our state. South Dakota’s victim notification system helps inform and protect victims by making offender information readily available, and further fosters transparency within criminal proceedings by making public information more accessible,” said  Jackley.

In August 2016, the Attorney General rolled out the State Automated Victim Information and Notification System (SAVIN), creating a free automated service that provides crime victims with vital information and notification 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The proposed legislation makes the automated system more efficient by   allowing participants to register directly with the system if they choose, and allows  more notifications to come from the system instead of through other redundant agency information.

5.    Addressing presumptive probation concerns 

“Individuals that commit violent crimes and significant harm to victims should not automatically receive a presumption for a probationary sentence. More serious offenses justify having all the circumstances considered when balancing the need for incarceration with opportunities for rehabilitation. Promoting prostitution of a minor is one such serious offense that should not result in an automatic presumption of probation,” said Jackley.

As a part of the 2013 Criminal Justice Initiative, the Legislature enacted a presumptive sentence of probation for many Class 5 or 6 felonies.

Based upon numerous Supreme Court challenges and concerns related to the use of presumptive probation and aggravating circumstances, the Attorney General requested the Smart on Crime Task Force to review three areas of concern:

1. The parole and probation grids with an interest toward ensuring swift and certain punishment for violations in order to protect the public;

2. The presumptive probation for Class 5 and 6 felonies should be modified to provide more discretion to our Judges for the more serious crimes;  and

3. Explore opportunities to provide funding to local governments that are experiencing cost-increases as a result of the legislation by evaluating any cost-savings to the state attributable to SB

Consistent with the Smart on Crime Task Force recommendations on presumptive probation, the Attorney General is proposing legislation to remove certain violent and other serious crimes from presumptive  probation.

6. Strengthening vehicular homicide sentences 

“While it is difficult to place a value on the loss of a human life, serving only a 4½ year sentence for the brutal vehicular homicide of another human being should carry with    it more significance and deterrent value to better protect the public.  Vehicular  homicide is a violent crime and should be considered as such for purposes of parole calculations,” said Jackley.

On July 8, 2013, Ronald Fischer drove recklessly, impaired, and at high rates of speed through a Pickstown parking lot, killing 25 year old Maegen Spindler and 46 year-old Dr. Robert Klumb. Fischer was tried and convicted for two counts of vehicular homicide for his two victims.  Because vehicular homicide is a Class 3 felony, the  judge was only able to impose a sentence of 15 years for each conviction, the  maximum allowed by law. Furthermore, because vehicular homicide is not statutorily defined as a “crime of violence,” Mr. Fischer may well only serve approximately nine total years for the deaths of his two  victims.

On April 26, 2016, another tragic vehicle crash again occurred in Charles Mix County, taking the life of a 22-year old. Albert Fischer has been indicted for and pled not guilty to vehicular homicide. His case is still pending.

Vehicular homicide convictions over the past five years in South Dakota include: 2 in 2016 (6 charged in various stages of proceedings), 4 in 2015, 4 in 2014, 8 in 2013, 4 in 2012 and 5 in 2011.

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If you’re on Facebook in South Dakota, you’ve likely seen the post from on-line news website World Net Daily come across your newsfeed which is featuring an article coming out of Aberdeen, South Dakota about a Somalian refugee who was convicted of molesting a disabled person with limited communication abilities:

Liban Mohamed, 39, was in the United States for only about a week when he tried to force himself on a 31-year-old woman with severe disabilities. He is not a U.S. citizen, but whether he will be deported in the wake of his conviction remains unclear.

The trial for Mohamed was held just a few days before Christmas and not a word of the conviction has made it into the local media, residents of Aberdeen told WND on Tuesday.

Mohamed speaks no English and required two interpreters at trial, according to the state’s attorney who prosecuted the case.

“I do know he lived in Aberdeen,” prosecutor Christopher White told WND. “The day that it happened, he was staying at the White House Inn hotel in Aberdeen. What came out at trial, in his defense attorney’s opening statement, was that he arrived in Aberdeen that day and had only been in the United States for approximately a week, and he had come to work at the beef plant in Aberdeen. But I don’t know if he had already started working or was about to start work there.”

Mohamed mentioned to law enforcement that he had been hired on at the Demkota Ranch beef plant, White said.

WND called the executive editor of Aberdeen’s daily newspaper, the American News, and asked why nothing has been reported on the crime committed by Mohamed. He said he had no knowledge of Mohamed’s arrest, trial or conviction.

and..

Since the case of Liban Mohamed garnered no media attention, residents are wondering how many other crimes by refugees may have been shielded from public view in Aberdeen and Huron.

According to court records obtained by WND, Mohamed was arrested July 30 and indicted by a grand jury on Aug. 15. The jury was seated on Monday, Dec. 19, and the trial was held Tuesday, Dec. 20.

Read it all here.

The main thrust of the story, published yesterday, is that the story had been ignored or buried by the Aberdeen American News, particularly when it came to the part mentioning his status as a refugee.

Interestingly enough, within 8 hours after the story “about their ignoring the story” hit the WND website, the Aberdeen American News only then got around to covering the attempted sexual assault which took place last summer. As you can see by this news clip which was shared on-line.

But one point in the belated coverage seems to be missing, one that particularly goes to the heart of the issue that World Net Daily is offering as their main critique of the Aberdeen American – There is utterly no reference in the story that the person who molested the disabled woman was a Somalian refugee who had been in the country for a week.

As indicated above, WND noted in their story that “residents are wondering how many other crimes by refugees may have been shielded from public view in Aberdeen and Huron.”

With the only mention of the attempted molestation of a disabled woman by the refugee newly placed in the community coming hours after an article critical of their non-coverage of the crime, it’s hard to categorize the WND outrage as just more fake news on Facebook.

The fact that the Aberdeen American News still omitted facts of the story after being publicly excoriated for it only gives credence to accusations that news coverage of crimes being committed by refugees in the community are possibly being shielded from public view.

Noem Takes Oath of Office 

Washington, D.C. – Rep. Kristi Noem issued the following statement today after taking the Oath of Office to serve her fourth term in the U.S. House of Representatives: 

“South Dakota has but one voice in the 435-member House of Representatives. Still, that voice must represent a considerable portion of our nation’s ag production, speak for rural families, reflect tribal priorities, and defend the goals of job creators and families.  Perhaps most importantly, that voice must fight for the values we aspire to in South Dakota and the principles enshrined in our Constitution.  I am deeply grateful to South Dakota for allowing me to serve in this role and incredibly humbled to take on the ambitious agenda we have ahead.”

From Left to Right: Diane Ohnstad, Speaker Paul Ryan, Corinne Arnold, Rep. Kristi Noem, Kassidy Noem, Kennedy Noem

Rep. Noem will continue to serve on the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, which has jurisdiction over tax, trade, and economic growth policies.

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Thune Announces Committee Assignments for 115^th Congress

“Having the opportunity to serve on these committees ensures that South Dakotans will continue to have an active voice on a wide range of issues that matter to them.”

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) issued the following statement after the Senate Republican Conference ratified committee assignments for the 115th Congress. Thune will again serve on the Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee; the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee; and the Finance Committee. The full Senate is expected to formally ratify committee assignments this week.

“Having the opportunity to serve on these committees ensures that South Dakotans will continue to have an active voice on a wide range of issues that matter to them,” said Thune. “This year we’ll start the important work of drafting the next farm bill – my fourth overall – in the Agriculture Committee, laying the groundwork for comprehensive tax reform in the Finance Committee, and continuing to advance meaningful technology and transportation legislation in the Commerce Committee. It will be a busy year, but that’s because Senate Republicans are eager to get to work for the American people.” 

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In an interview today posted at theSiouxEmpire.com, State Senator Billie Sutton lamented that his party’s electoral woes are partly to blame from redistricting and party because South Dakota Democrats are lumped together with Washington DC Democrats:

We lost a lot of Democrats in South Dakota, that were nothing like Washington Democrats but they got tied to that. If you had a ‘D’ beside your name a lot of people in our state tied you to Washington Democrats. That’s something that I found to be a little bit surprising and it wasn’t anticipated, that the vote would go that way based on national politics. Democrats have a big task ahead of them, to separate ourselves from Washington.”

Sutton also acknowledged that redistricting placed a significant role in this year’s election. A ballot measure to create an independent panel for redistricting at the state level failed in November. “They (the Republicans) don’t have over fifty percent of the electorate. They’re forty-eight percent and, with independents, over fifty percent but there’s a difference in who gets out to vote and also redistricting is a huge issue, something we felt really good about but it went down in flames.”

Read that here.

I’d argue that Sutton badly misses the mark in most instances. The Dem’s problems stem largely because they don’t show up for elections, largely choosing not to run, or running placeholders. As well as spending their time of Sisyphean efforts such as ballot issues which have little to do with party politics. And Sutton very erroneously cites redistricting, as in two of the last 3 redistricting cycles, Republicans lost seats before they regained them.

But there might be a slight nugget of truth in one point he has, when it comes to how people view Democrats as having adopted and embracing the views of Washington DC Democrats. But the problem with his characterization is not that South Dakota Democrats aren’t viewed separately – it’s that South Dakotans are recognizing that Sutton’s party of the liberal left is more and more reflecting the policies coming out of Washington DC’s liberal elite.

Are Dems moving farther to the left? Absolutely. And there’s proof of it.

In a study released today by the Gallup organization – the trends are there and real. While Republicans are consistently conservative, Democrats on a national level are moving farther and farther to the left. And there’s no end in sight:

Since Gallup began routinely measuring Americans’ political ideology in 1992, conservative identification has varied between 36% and 40%. At the same time, there has been a clear increase in the percentage identifying as politically liberal, from 17% to 25%. This has been accompanied by a corresponding decrease in the percentage identifying as “moderate,” from 43% to 34%.

Moderates were consistently the most prevalent group from 1992 to 2002, before first yielding that designation to conservatives in 2003. Within the long-term stability of conservatism, the percentage of Americans self-identifying as conservative jumped to 40% several times between 2003 and 2011, but it has since returned to 36%.

The annual ideology figures are based on combined data from Gallup’s multiday, non-tracking surveys conducted each year, encompassing no fewer than 11,000 interviews, and in most years, more than 20,000 interviews.

Democrats Shifting Further Left; GOP Remains Conservative

Most of the long-term change in Americans’ political views occurred after 2000 and can be explained by one overarching factor — an increasing likelihood of Democrats (including independents who lean Democratic) to self-identify as liberal. Democratic liberal identification has increased by about one percentage point each year, from 30% in 2001 to 44% in 2016. As a result, liberalism now ranks as the top ideological group among Democrats.

Read it all here.

“Liberalism now ranks as the top ideological group among Democrats.”  A cold, hard fact that Democrat Leaders in the State are left to face.

Sutton should realize that it’s not that South Dakota attitudes have changed. It’s that the liberal ideologues in the South Dakota Democrat party have increased in number and have taken over.

And by and large, South Dakotans just don’t identify with the liberals who have taken over Sutton’s party.

Whether they come from Washington DC, or Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

Thune Takes Oath of Office 

The above photo (also attached) was taken during the reenactment ceremony in the Old Senate Chamber, which followed Thune’s formal swearing in ceremony on the Senate floor. Thune is pictured with his wife Kimberley and Vice President Joe Biden.

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) issued the following statement after he took the oath of office for his third term in the U.S. Senate. Thune was first elected to the Senate in 2004 after defeating a sitting Senate party leader for the first time in 52 years. Thune ran unopposed in 2010 and was reelected in November 2016. 

“It is an unbelievably humbling experience to continue to serve the people of South Dakota in the U.S. Senate,” said Thune. “I want to thank all South Dakotans for this opportunity, and I look forward to hitting the ground running in 2017.”   

For more information on Thune’s work in the Senate, please visit www.thune.senate.gov.

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Rounds Secures Five Key Committee Assignments for 115th Congress

Adds additional committee assignment: The Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship 

WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) today announced that he will maintain his membership on four key committee assignments in the 115th Congress: Armed Services; Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs; Environment and Public Works (EPW); and Veterans’ Affairs. Additionally, he will serve on the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, which has jurisdiction over the Small Business Administration and researching and investigating all problems relating to small business enterprises.

“I am thankful for the opportunity to continue serving South Dakotans on these committees, each of which focuses on issues that are important to our state.”

 “As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, we will continue to seek policies that protect Ellsworth and support all our troops and their families who protect us. The defense of our nation is the primary responsibility of the federal government, and we must make certain our troops have the tools they need to remain successful.”

“South Dakotans have a proud tradition of serving our nation, and we are home to more than 72,000 veterans. The Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee allows me to continue working to provide our veterans with the care they deserve but is lacking under the broken VA.” 

“In the EPW Committee, we held the Army Corps accountable for its management of the Missouri River and shed light on Environmental Protection Agency’s failure to use sound science and adhere to states’ rights when promulgating regulations. We will continue the fight to roll back burdensome regulations coming from these agencies and promote a fact-based energy policy.” 

“The financial services industry plays a crucial role in South Dakota’s economy. As a member of the Senate Banking Committee, I will continue seeking to provide regulatory relief to businesses, farming and ranching communities and consumers so they have access to credit through their local institutions.” 

“Small businesses are the backbone of South Dakota’s economy. As a member of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, I am eager to work to promote common-sense initiatives that well help grow and create jobs.” 

“While I am proud of the work we’ve accomplished in each of these committees, I am eager to build on our successes and continue working for South Dakotans in the 115th Congress.”

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If you weren’t aware, I have a daughter graduating high school this year. Of all my kids so far, she’s been the strongest academically and activity wise. Girls State, NHS, Honors classes, taking dual credits, etcetera.

One of the things she’s been pursuing for college -if she decides to go in-state – is South Dakota’s opportunity scholarship program. It’s a program that was brought about because South Dakota was one of the few states without a merit-based program.

When created, it was thought that it would provide incentives for students to challenge themselves, and take courses of sufficient rigor to fully prepare themselves for collegiate level work. It was a good trade off for South Dakota to have such a program, and provide a little benefit for going in-state. According to the opportunity Scholarship web site:

The South Dakota Legislature authorized the Regents Scholarship Program in 2003 to allow South Dakota’s most academically accomplished high school graduates to receive an affordable education at any university, college, or technical school in South Dakota that is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.  In 2004, the Legislature renamed the scholarship the South Dakota Opportunity Scholarship and authorized funding from the state of South Dakota’s Education Enhancement Trust Fund, beginning with high school graduating classes in 2004.

Scholarship Amounts

Starting this Fall 2015*, the South Dakota Opportunity Scholarship provides up to $6,500 over four years to a qualifying student who attends an eligible higher education institution in South Dakota.  Recipients may participate in the South Dakota Opportunity Scholarship program for the equivalent of four academic years (eight consecutive fall and spring terms), or until attaining a baccalaureate degree.  During each academic year, one-half of the annual scholarship award will be distributed at the beginning of the fall semester and the other half distributed at the beginning of the spring semester:

$1,300	—	1st year of attendance
$1,300	—	2nd year of attendance
$1,300	—	3rd year of attendance
$2,600	—	4th year of attendance

These aren’t large rewards, but they are in the sense that these students generally don’t need remedial classes as many do coming into college.

But, what’s the use of having an incentive for college bound High School students if there wasn’t a Democrat trying to screw it up? As related at KCCR radio, State Senator Jason Frerichs – who isn’t a parent of a college student – is now deciding he wants to now punish kids for trying harder, by putting strings on the program that weren’t there when these kids were trying for it:

South Dakota Senator Jason Frerichs of Wilmot is bringing forward a bill that would require the scholarship recipients to stay in the state after graduation.

The state would give a waiver if the scholarship graduates go on to further education, but Frerichs says they want the recipients to come back.

He says that if the bill does pass, it would require the recipient to pay back the opportunity scholarship to the state if they decide to live out of state.

Read it here.

The thing is – the state already has tuition incentive programs of the nature he is proposing for areas of critical need. Teacher Loan Forgiveness, Dakota Corps Scholarships, loan repayment forgiveness programs for Physicians, Dentists, Physician Assistants, Nurse Practitioners & Nurse Midwives, and others are available. Not to mention those going into the military.

Frerichs and his cohorts the Democrat caucus might want to incentivize retaining political science & women’s studies majors in South Dakota, but aside from messing with a scholarship program that was never designed with this in mind, what greater purpose does it serve?

If they want to retain these higher achieving kids in South Dakota, Democrats would be much better off spending their time making sure there are jobs for graduating students as opposed to attaching a ball and chain to a general scholarship program.

But then again, there’s a reason why Democrats are almost extinct in the state. Bad policies, and no vision.