Thanksgiving and Personal Responsibility
By Governor Kristi Noem
Thanksgiving is around the corner, and across the country families are planning how to celebrate with their loved-ones in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Some states across the country are imposing restrictions on Thanksgiving celebrations. Some in the media are even looking ahead and planning to cancel Christmas. In South Dakota, we won’t stop or discourage you from thanking God and spending time together this Thanksgiving.
I’ll continue to encourage each and every one of you to exercise personal responsibility and make smart choices for yourselves and your loved-ones. As you dig in to enjoy that delicious turkey and stuffing, make sure that everyone in your household is practicing good hygiene. Wash your hands. If someone in your family is in the vulnerable population, take extra precautions to keep them safe.
Smaller gatherings may be smarter this year. Let’s make sure to use common sense when we’re planning our celebrations. If you or someone in your family is sick or experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, it may be best to stay home and join your loved-ones over FaceTime, Skype, or another app. As we learn more about COVID symptoms, it can be hard to keep track of them all, so visit the CDC website to refresh your memory.
I’d like to take this opportunity to remind you why we haven’t taken certain actions here in South Dakota. Your friends and family in other states might be living through renewed lockdowns or shelter-in-place orders. They may be mandated to wear masks. Here in South Dakota, we took a different path.
The truth is, there is no science to support the claim that lockdowns stop the spread of the virus. The virus will spread – we cannot stop it until there is a cure – but we can slow it down with mitigation measures. Not even mask mandates have stopped cases from rising in communities. On the other hand, such actions can devastate our livelihoods and our ability to provide for our families. In South Dakota, we’ve fought the virus while still allowing you to put food on the table and keep a roof over your head.
Let’s all take the time to remember what Thanksgiving is all about – thanking God for everything that he has blessed us with in our lives. During difficult times, it’s important to be extra thankful for what we have, for time with family, for the tremendous blessings that we have as citizens of the United States of America. Even on our worst day, we are still better off than the vast majority of the people in the world because we woke up in America.
This year, my family will send up thanks for the years we’ve spent with each other and the years to come. We’ll also thank God that we get to live in the greatest nation in human history, one founded on the key principles of freedom, equality, and opportunity. I’ll be thankful for the tremendous opportunity to serve the people of South Dakota and for the trust that you’ve shown me throughout this pandemic. Thank you, and may God richly bless your Thanksgiving.
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“I’ll continue to encourage each and every one of you to exercise personal responsibility and make smart choices for yourselves and your loved-ones.” Unless your choices involve the legalization of Marijuana…
Yep! If the Governor wants to actively oppose an issue, fine. But it’s a whole other thing entirely to spend taxpayer money actively working to overturn the manifested will of the taxpayers.
Gideon, as a Libertarian (I am libertarian inclined), you should understand more than most the Constitution is the primary protector of liberties and not the will of the majority.
If this violates the Constitution, it needs to be overturned regardless of the merits. And, as our elected leaders swear first to obey and protect the Constitution (not submit to the will of the people), it is highly meritorious to have an elected official actually follow their oath in the face of the will of the majority.
I urge you to reconsider your view to show Libertarianism is actually an intellectual principle and not just another flavor of political maneuvering.
Why weren’t these concerns brought up before the election?
AG just said it might need judicial clarification, not that it could be challenged as unconstitutional like other measures have been.
Troy, You are saying Noem’s motives are pure. If she supported legalization would this court case be taking place? No. As BCB pointed out on Cory’s blog she could have just asked the SD Supreme court for an opinion. She’s simply being an obstructionist cause she’s against legalization and choosing the longer road to do so.
“As BCB pointed out on Cory’s blog”
Ya….there’s an unbiased credible opinion straight from the Democrat Socialist propaganda website.
Troy, as an American (I am American inclined), you should understand personal liberties are an imperative. Using the excuse of the state constitution devalues one of its founding principals; democracy.
The constitution is used to enhance the democratic process, it is the foundation of the republic for which we stand. We the people decide what the constitution is, it is not just the inner party or one of our many police agencies.
I urge you to consider the differences between a constitutional republic and a police state. The only reason it had to go in the constitution was because everyone knows the inner party would throw it out like they did with most of the 2016 measures. Before the “constitution” excuse, it was that the people “didn’t know what they were voting on”, which ironically was the justification for the 2016 power grab. If we lose this, we have lost our state.
Kristi writes: “Not even mask mandates have stopped cases from rising in communities. On the other hand, such actions can devastate our livelihoods and our ability to provide for our families.”
Absolutely untrue. If she has shame, she should engage it now.
The worst performing states, like ours, have no mask mandate. The best, do have mandates. I’ve demonstrated this over and over during the last few months. And just how do masks hurt the economy, Kristi?
You can believe her if you want. But just know that it may cost you your life.
elk, this idea that if the Governor tells everybody to wear masks, everybody would start wearing them is NUTS.
If Jesus Christ Himself showed up and told everybody to wear masks, half the population would ignore Him.
People know they should wear masks the same way they know they should lose weight and quit smoking.
True. There is never 100% compliance with anything, Anne. The Governor should have been encouraging mask use, social distancing and avoiding crowds all along. Since gaining political points on the national stage was more important to her, we are now stuck in this situation. As many as 42 people dying in a single day. I know three of the deceased, personally.
I believe it is pretty well established that smaller, indoor groups of unprotected people are a large part of the spread too. Please be careful around the Holidays.
It such a short time until a vaccine is available. Can’t we use a little common sense until it arrives?
She’s been encouraging personal responsibility.
That means people can decide for themselves whether they should wear masks, avoid crowds, limit servings of mashed potatoes and gravy, say no to the pumpkin pie, and skip the post-prandial tobacco..
She’s been encouraging large gatherings, mocking social distancing and rarely is seen in a mask. Other than that, she has been “encouraging personal responsibility.”
And I am sure she will go “all in” protecting your right to taters and gravy. Nothing to fear there.
I wish someone could explain how a politician chooses to be pro-life over a women’s freedom to make abortion a personal choice, and at the same time chooses personal freedom over trying to reduce death during a pandemic. It appears to be hypocritical.
you aren’t very bright. This should not need to be explained, but there is a difference between letting a person kill somebody else and letting a person kill himself.
And yet masks are primarily for spreading the virus and potentially, wait for it, kill someone else!
I meant “primarily for preventing the spread”.
Yeah, Kristi and the SDGOP were against the compassionate care IM (physician assisted suicide in terminal patients) as well though… so please, tell me more about the difference here?
While you are at it, figure out why we are trusted to exercise personal responsibility regarding a fatal virus and not so with a non toxic plant like cannabis.
Curious minds are dying to know.
“somebody else” the people who believe in science don’t believe that life begins at conception, its the whole viability thing….just sayin
Hmm.
Are Kristi Noem’s COVID policies “letting a person kill somebody else” or “letting a person kill himself”?