That won’t happen here
By Governor Kristi Noem
December 17, 2021
For generations, South Dakotans have held true to the values that make our state a special place to call home. I spend every day working to keep South Dakota a special place to live and strengthen it for the future. By doing so, South Dakota sets an example for the nation.
Because of our hard work, history, and values, South Dakota has become a popular destination for Americans looking to relocate their families. Tens of thousands have already made the move from across the country.
As we welcome new residents to our neighborhoods, we learn bits and pieces about the places where they have come from. Many have stories about deteriorating cities where respect for law and order has declined and violent crime has increased. Others talk about school systems that promote division and revisionist history instead of a true and honest accounting of history.
We reassure ourselves and our new friends by telling them, “That can’t happen here.”
Those may be very destructive words in a thriving society. As the saying goes, “complacency breeds contempt.” We cannot take for granted the blessings of life in South Dakota.
Can it happen here? Yes, but not if we remain vigilant. The response we should all have is “that won’t happen here.” And then we need to take action to make that a reality.
We’ve seen the news coverage about other states shutting down churches, punishing students and faculty for praying in school, or taking away fairness for women in athletic events. That won’t happen here.
This week, I announced two priority pieces of legislation: restoring protections for prayer in school and protecting girls’ sports.
In this legislative session, I am calling on lawmakers to pass a bill allowing for a minute of silent reflection in schools. I believe every student deserves the opportunity to begin their day with a quick prayer. I know this will be a beneficial practice for students and teachers.
The bill allows for a student to pray during this time but does not force them to do so. Instead, the student is free to choose how to use this time to prepare themselves for a successful day of learning.
The second bill I unveiled this week will ensure that only female athletes, based on their biological sex, shall participate in any team sport or athletic event designated as being for females, women, or girls. This would apply to both K-12 schools and colleges.
Ronald Reagan made a great point when he called on Americans “to teach our children the values and the virtues handed down to us by our families, to have the courage to defend those values and the willingness to sacrifice for them.”
It’s not enough to say it cannot happen here. I am taking action every day to make sure bad policies do not find a home here in South Dakota. I hope you all will join me.
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To me, there are few things that bother me like forcing people to pray. They are solemn acts and I want everyone to do so, if they wish, with an honest heart. Not forced. I believe it’s an insult to God to do otherwise. Prayer should be a sincere conversation with the creator of the universe.
Schools should NOT ban prayer but they shouldn’t be pushing it on students either. I didn’t need teachers telling me when to pray.
Where does it say anything about pushing prayer on students? Or teachers telling kids when to pray. It’s a minute of silence that kids and teachers can use as they wish.
My grade school gave me the “opportunity” to pray for half an hour in the church. Every day. For children, it becomes repetitious and robotic
Nobody can stop you from praying. Nor should they try. But this is just more red meat for the base.
It’s what she does.
What states have shut down churches?
Some of these refugees were involved in the Marijuana/Drug culture industry. It’s ironic they are supposedly escaping the mess they helped create and contribute to only to bring all that crap here. It’s all about “me” and not “we” with these refugees. Thank you Governor Noem!
Show me on a doll where the marijuana plant hurt you.
The bright side is that there will be growth in the addiction treatment industry, social and other support services, law enforcement, criminal justice and bail bonds industry, property security industry with plenty of career opportunities there.
Downsides will be government will expand along with tax burden to cover the socio-economic costs. Auto insurance, business liability insurance costs increase along with substantial additional burdens for businesses in South Dakota. Homelessness will increase. Crime will increase including violent. Child neglect and abuse will increase also. Reefer blindness cases will also increase as commercialization is more widespread across the state with users being so focused on obtaining, protecting their drug including those who profit from it’s sale that they are completely oblivious as to the socio-economic costs and suffering around them.
I have heard marijuana causes people to think they are the other gender, mental illness, folks. If we have marijuana, next we will accept people who change their gender.
where did you get that from? lol
Governor Hubbel?
God forbid accountability for elected officials get imported into this state.
What “values?” The values that lead a governor to intimidate someone into giving her undeserving daughter a license? Values that lead a governor to pay that someone 200k of taxpayer money to keep her mouth shut? Values that cause her to spend taxpayer money on private jets trotting across the country to improve her national standing and political aspirations?
Values the cause the owner of the political blog in the state to say nothing about it? Values that cause that same blogger to write lengthy posts about censoring of political speech in tech while doing THE EXACT SAME THING HIMSELF?
Forgive me if I roll my eyes at the good Governor’s reference to values. Her values end at her nose.
anonymous at 11:36 apparently you have not listened to the GOAC testimony. It turns out the Secretary of labor had the final say about a lot of stuff, like how Peters was to get her license.
Best part of the GOAC recording was hearing Ms Bren explain that the shortage of State Licensed Appraisers was a concern of Senator Thune’s, and she was working with a member of his staff, and told them “it’s too late” to try to restore the population of appraisers to prior numbers. Maybe they could have done it several years ago, but now it’s too late. (I would love to know if that conversation was reported to the Governor.)
Then she explained how the reviewers who go over applicants’ work products are private contractors contracted out of her office, and she doesn’t pay them enough, so that’s why they aren’t doing a good job.
The reviewers are also slow, there’s a big backlog, but she doesn’t think hiring more of them would help. Oh, and none of the four reviewers seem have had any kind of recertification or evaluations of their own job performances since 1991. I hope I misunderstood that answer, but I did listen to it twice.
She struck me as being a very nice lady who worked hard for years, but was way past her expiration date.
And for your information, Anonymous, severance agreements customarily include one month of pay for each each year of service, plus an NDA. Pretty boilerplate stuff. They always have an NDA in them.
If anyone is past their expiration date it’s the above.
NDA are used for corporations and private businesses. This is a situation where under God the People rule. The GOAC has the power to lift the NDA. What do they have to hide?
sure they can lift the NDA and allow her to keep the money.
It’s because of these NDAs that many people do not know the details of severance agreements.
They don’t know that when a person in the executive offices of a business is terminated, they get a lot of money in exchange for signing off and leaving quietly.
It’s just the way businesses operate. And it is customary to offer one month of pay for every year of service, and to have the terminated employee sign a non-disclosure agreement. It doesn’t mean anybody is hiding anything,, except maybe they don’t want the hourly employees, who can be fired without severance pay, to know how any of this works. .
The committee can lift the NDA if they want to, but maybe they don’t see the point. Why don’t you ask them?
Can you imagine how the Republican party would take after her if she was a Democrat?
Can you imagine how the democratic party would not take after her if she were a democrat?
It works both ways, except the Democrats aren’t relevant……..If you are the Steve H running against her, thanks……..”The very idea that a governor would have such a meeting involving her daughter is unbelievable. For Noem then to have one of her lackeys smear the good name of Sherry Bren is despicable.”