National Treasures
By Rep. Dusty Johnson
Every week I travel back and forth from South Dakota to Washington, D.C., to represent our great state. I’m impressed by how many South Dakotans I’ve come across in D.C. over the last few months. Spring has sprung and families and school groups are headed to D.C. for spring break. While my time here has focused on congressional work, I’ve enjoyed exploring some of the historical and cultural experiences D.C. has to offer.
My office offers a number of tours so whenever you or your family make the trip to the District, please make sure to give us a call. Here are some of my favorite spots around town for you to keep in mind as you plan your trip:
First, our office can book you a tour of the FBI Headquarters. This self-guided tour features interactive exhibits and historical artifacts, including a number of declassified items on display for the very first time that help illustrate the importance of the Bureau’s work to protect the nation. The tour tells the history of the FBI’s founding, its investigations of notorious gangsters, organized crime syndicates, the Kennedy Assassination, and more.
As an avid reader, I love a good library. There’s not a library in the rest of the country that can top the Library of Congress. The Library was founded in 1800, making it the oldest federal cultural institution in the nation. It’s home to millions of books, printed materials, maps, manuscripts, photographs and films. Comprised of three buildings near the center of D.C., the Library of Congress is named in honor of some of our earliest presidents: Thomas Jefferson, John Adams and James Madison. The beauty of the Great Hall in the Jefferson Building is truly breathtaking!
As a self-described constitutional conservative, being able to view the founding documents that make our country great is an unforgettable experience. That’s why I highly recommend a visit to the National Archives. From the Declaration of Independence to the Constitution and Bill of Rights, there are over three billion records preserved and displayed including federal documents, military records, census figures and photographs. It’s amazing to have the founding of our country literally at your fingertips (well, apart from the glass, of course).
You’d be mistaken to come all the way to D.C. and not cross the river over to Arlington National Cemetery. Many of our brave veterans are laid to rest in Arlington, as well as former President John F. Kennedy, his wife Jacqueline and brother Bobby. You can visit the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and watch the Changing of the Guard at regular intervals throughout the day.
It’s a moving, sobering experience and one of the most sacred ways to honor our fallen heroes.
Another can’t miss destination is Ford’s Theater – where former President Abraham Lincoln was shot more than 150 years ago. Costing only $3.00 for admittance, Ford’s Theater offers an affordable yet historical experience as you relive the last moments of our sixteenth president.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the crown jewel of Washington, D.C. – the U.S. Capitol. Built at the exact center of the city, the U.S. Capitol encapsulates everything our nation represents and reminds me every day what an honor it is to be a public servant. My staff is happy to offer guided tours to all South Dakotans who wish to experience the humbling brilliance of the U.S. Capitol firsthand. If you’re interested, visit dustyjohnson.house.gov to book a tour!
Nothing beats the sights South Dakota has to offer, but D.C. is a close second. Hope to see you out there sometime soon.
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Since Congress has approval ratings approaching single digits, I believe the citizens of South Dakota would rather you spend the majority of your time mitigating the dysfunctional Congress and the Republican Party rather than the leisure time spent on vacation issues. Washington, DC has lost its lure for education and dreams and is more like a city of corruption where dreams are shattered by incompetent statesmen and federal bureaucrats.
Rep Johnson, There are very serious, time-sensitive issues facing this country. Please stand up and push back against the leftist absurdity taking place in our country. We need a strong voice in Washington! We don’t need a DC tour guide.
Wise words Kathy however the dysfunction of Congress goes both ways. Will Johnson heed your words or continue on his mission to make this important office out to be a mockery of statesmanship? I would guess the latter based on his votes on the border wall and the emergency declaration.
Do you have an argument for the reasoning Johnson gave when he was questioned about his votes against a more secure border?
Johnson got played by the leftist media’s unconstitutional rhetoric concerning the POTUS’s right to declare a national emergency. The POTUS does have that right under the Constitution and by the 1976 law and there is a national emergency at the southern border. It is the dysfunctional Congress that is violating the norms of our Constitutional and putting our country in danger. I would advise someone else run against Johnson in 2020. He’s far from qualified. If the liberals use this to declare a national emergency on let’s say the Green New Deal, hey they will do it anyway if they get back into power and they will and Johnson will be part of that failure when the time comes.
Right, I understand the 1976 law and the POTUS’s right to call a national emergency declaration. However, Johnson argued that a President could use the same power against the 2A and that’s where his defense falls apart.
I’d vote for another candidate, I did in the primary. I think he’s somewhat qualified, from my understanding he’s been being groomed since high school for a political position.
It’s disturbing to hear fellow Americans, living along the border, plead for help and watch our representative deny them.
Thanks for your input.
Right. The 2nd Amendment could never be changed by a declaration of a POTUS since the only way it could ever be changed is by ratification of 2/3rds of the states. If Dusty claims to be a constitutionalist, he should have known that.
I disagree with you entirely on Johnson’s capability as I have met him and can tell you he is a novice on our nation’s and world issues and remember my first comment when I heard him speak is that he’d make a great master of ceremony; but not a US Congressman.
And subsequently the SCOTUS decides if a POTUS can declare an emergency for something like guns, etc. The SCOTUS will not dismantle the Constitution.
Thanks. I thought he was just fear-mongering gun owners so to justify his votes. Which worked well on ill-informed voter.
He’s certainly qualified to do what many before him have done: tell constituents what they want to hear, pander to the lobbyists and give us countless fluff stories to distract.
Very well put and spot on and why Congress has been so dysfunctional and why a strong POTUS was necessary for the US to stave off political punditry. We Americans know we are in trouble when we send the weakest among us to represent our interests in the nation’s capitol.
However, a strong POTUS can also lead to problems we are seeing today including his trade war with China and other denunciations of the back and forth policies from Democrats to Republicans. The American economic system needs a stable and predictable field of rules in order to operate efficiently. This is not the case today.
How interesting, we have a Californian telling us what to think in South Dakota. Perhaps he should spend his efforts trying to fix his own state and leave South Dakota to South Dakotans.
I was born in South Dakota with all relatives here. Maybe you should listen to someone who has fought the battle with the State of California his entire career and won on many occasions. Remember there are about 20 times more Republicans in California than there are in South Dakota and are much more sophisticated and knowledgeable of national and world politics than those in South Dakota. More importantly having known Governor Arnold I know what a RINO looks like and how he talks and especially how he votes. Dusty Johnson is such a RINO.
Shantel Krebs during her run for the US House gloated about saving South Dakotan taxpayers $75,000 during her stint as Secretary of State. $75k!! I saved Californian industry in excess of $10 billion over onerous regulations that had already put 100,000 truck drivers out of their jobs and assets, not to mention $300 million saved for the California forest industry.
I also thought we are all Americans or am I wrong on that?
Translation:
I am very smart and I hate brown people just like you! I have no idea what life is like on the ground in South Dakota because I left that impoverished backwater 40 years ago. I made millions in the west coast lumber industry, so I am eminently more qualified to tell you that you’re all too stupid to vote correctly.
Wow, what an unintelligible statement from South Dakota’s own freaky person, “Ike”. My good friends are Mexican immigrants and illegals in California and I would wish the owner of this site would ban this freak “Ike” from its pages forever. That would be a breath of fresh air for all of South Dakotans. In “Ike’s” case my dog is much smarter and more human than he is.
He only bans a former conservative Legislator named Lora Hubbel. I only get my comments banned if I go against political Lobbyists such as Ed Randazzo, or if I defend Conservatives.
You have “illegal” friends and you didn’t report them to ICE? So much for this “emergency” of yours.
Perhaps you could go stand at the border and befriend everyone wanting to come in. Then they’d all be your buddies and we could move on to things like infrastructure and healthcare.
My last note on this blog. These illegals are the ones warning we Americans to not allow this and call our politicians stupid for allowing it and even promoting it. They know what Mexico is like and they themselves won’t hang out with other illegals because as they say are mostly bad people. Think about their warning.
“It’s the Mexicans that don’t want Mexicans! I’m perfectly fine with Mexicans! My friends are Mexicans! My illegal Mexican friends say that Mexicans who are not my friend are bad! Trust me! I sell lumber!
Lighten up, it’s SD’s elected representative being open to his constituents. Does every column need to solve the worlds problems?
Since when did the vote on Presidential Emergency powers become a litmus test for conservatism? Full disclosure I’m for funding the wall, but not ready to throw someone overboard for that vote.
Rancher, it’s the litmus test for being a RINO. It also shows he is not a statesman for misquoting the Constitution and the right of a POTUS to declare this emergency and by being persuaded by the left to their line of thinking and persuasion. Congress is not a learning ground for those who seek wisdom and justice and Johnson has neither of these traits and never will. In these times the country needs experienced wise men to forge the future, not amateurs seeking a career in politics.