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.

In looking for a topic to write on this snowy second day of 2017, I keep coming back to a laundry list of things I’d like to accomplish in the new year.

Take more vacations.

I’m not talking about weeklong excursions, as I still have a few children left at home who can’t fend for themselves, but more long weekend getaways where one of the older kids can pop home & be in charge.

I actually had a couple planned for this last year, but time was a big enemy. Plus a new roof and HVAC system took a bite out of funds. I’d like to get back to Washington DC for a visit, and possibly Boston to do some genealogical research.

Ultimately, getting away for a couple of days is a nice chance for my wife and I to spend some non-kidcentric time together as a couple. In another ten years, we will be facing an empty nest. Hitting that point and going “what do we do with ourselves now?” is not a good thing.  I like to think we got married because we liked spending time together.  Reminding ourselves of that along the way is a good thing.

Build more.

Along the lines of activities where I’m spending more time with my wife, I also find myself with a laundry list of projects that I’d like to build in the yard or garage.

A couple of summers ago when I built my deck out of SDSU bleacher remnants, the older of my sons found himself getting quite into it, even if it consisted largely of driving deck screws along a chalk line. He was quite proud to declare that “we” built the deck in the summer as he returned to school that fall.

Much like spending more time with my wife, it’s a good opportunity to do more with my sons; teaching them the kind of things I learned from my mom in doing furniture restoration. That you can do many things yourself. Getting your hands dirty and knowing how to build and fix things is a valuable skill that will serve you well later in life, and there’s a sense of pride in a job well done.

Write more for myself.

I’ve got the first chapter of at least two books pecked out on my computer, with at least a couple more in my head. I probably don’t devote anything more than an occasional passing glance at them on a quarterly basis.  Somehow, I don’t think that Stephen King or George R. R. Martin got started that way.

I’ve been writing to tell the story of South Dakota Politics going on 12 years now. While far, far from perfect, I hope I can peck out my thoughts on a keyboard at this point. The challenge is to go from a short form reporting of current events and stories to a longer form narrative that can hopefully entertain as well as remain marginally cohesive.

I learned a long time ago writing SDWC that you improve by getting out there and doing. It took me a long time to get SDWC to be where it is today.  The challenge is not getting out there and failing, but getting out there at all. Practice and perseverance are what lead most people to success.

Make time.

I know someone reminded me in the past in a clichéd manner that you never “find time.”   The actual quote from Charles Buxton (An 1800’s era British brewer and author) is “You will never find time for anything. If you want time, you must make it.”

Making time to do all these things I’d like to do is probably the greatest challenge I face. Because the time I have available to devote to those things I’d like to do is so finite, especially when weighed against the things I do to enable things I’d like to do such as vacations, home construction, writing, etc. Not to mention the other things I do as in blogging, eating, living in a home, making sure my kids wear clothes and don’t have to wear animal pelts from things they’ve trapped, and all that societal nonsense.

I have my 8-5 insurance job, plus real estate, plus blogging, plus doing an occasional bail bond. And there’s print work during the political seasons.

Making time for all that I’d like to do is probably my greatest challenge. And arguably my most important resolution.

The Rapid City Journal is highlighting Attorney General Marty Jackley as one of the “Black Hills Residents who may have a big year ahead” in today’s paper:

Jackley said he will manage his schedule by prioritizing.

“I’m focused, No. 1, on being a dad and a husband, and No. 2 on being attorney general, and No. 3 on running for governor,” he said.

I wanted to wish all of the SDWC readers a Happy New Year as we ring in 2017, and the early days of the 2018 campaign season.

Any thoughts on what this new year is going to hold for us, politically?

Wrapping up my first session of Congress, ready to get to work in the year ahead
by U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.)

Two years ago, you trusted me with your vote to serve as your United States Senator. Having seen the damaging effects of our overreaching, broken federal government as a business owner, governor, father and grandfather, I was eager to get to work to fix Washington. 

While partisan gridlock in Washington still exists, we were able to make progress in several specific areas. We were able to enact the first major changes to our education laws since ‘No Child Left Behind,’ returning decision-making to the local level where it belongs. We also passed a long-term highway bill for the first time in two decades, allowing us to make long-overdue improvements to our roads and bridges.

While we still have work to do on tax reform, we were able to come together to make permanent sales tax deductions as well as deductions for charitable giving and certain educators. We also made section 179 permanent at the $500,000 level, which particularly benefits farmers and ranchers and could increase U.S. economic output by nearly $19 billion over 10 years. This type of tax relief allows South Dakota families and businesses to plan more efficiently and spend more of their money how they see fit.

While the accomplishments of the 114th Congress are a start, I am also aware of the challenges we continue to face. Despite getting 240 bipartisan bills signed into law, we still have a broken budget system, an over-sized bureaucracy, too much red tape and a tax code that is more than 74,000 pages in length.

The regulatory regime alone is costing Americans nearly $1.9 trillion annually, far more than is paid in individual income taxes. These regulatory costs are taking money out of the pockets of hard-working South Dakotans, stunting economic growth in our country and hurting the citizens our government is meant to serve.

While we have made improvements to agencies such as the VA, too many veterans today are still suffering at the hands of administrative bureaucracy. We have an Indian Health System in need of total overhaul, employing twice as many bureaucrats as actual health providers. Meanwhile, tribal members are literally dying awaiting care the federal government has an obligation to provide. We must seek ways to make these and other agencies more efficient.

In the next Congress, addressing our debt crisis must also be a priority. The long-term driver of our debt is mandatory payments and interest on our debt, currently over $19 trillion. Yet Congress does not even debate the merits of mandatory payments, which accounts for more than 70 percent of our spending today. I have been working with a number of other senators to find ways to revise the budget process here in Congress, so we can address our budget crisis. What we have been working on would open up the entire budget to congressional management, including mandatory payments. 

As we move forward to the 115th Congress and a new, Republican administration eager to work with us, rather than against us, I am optimistic in our ability to build on the successes of the past two years. But we must also get serious about bringing real changes that will leave our country even stronger for the next generation of Americans.

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Small State, Big Impact
By Rep. Kristi Noem

The swearing-in ceremony on January 3 marks the official start of the 115th Congress, but our work to prepare for these next two years has been ongoing for months.

Last summer, House Republicans introduced a once-in-a-generation blueprint for the reforms we feel are necessary to move this country forward. In late December after most of Congress had gone home for the holidays, I – along with just 23 other members of the House Ways and Means Committee – came back to Washington to hammer out two critical sections of this blueprint: tax reform and healthcare reform.

On tax reform, we worked on a framework for a simpler, flatter and fairer tax code. Coming from a state that has zero income tax, I wanted to share a real-world example of the economic benefits of a lower tax rate. As a busy mom, I wanted to speak to the importance of a simpler tax return – one that may even be simple enough to fit on a postcard. As an experienced small business owner, farmer and rancher, I wanted the tax code to incentivize growth in the American economy. And as a taxpayer, I wanted the loopholes to be closed and the IRS to be held accountable. Our work continues, but I’m glad we were able to communicate this vision from the onset.

On healthcare reform, we plan to take immediate steps to repeal Obamacare. While we’re still navigating the best legislative path from that point, we are committed to protecting the healthcare needs of all Americans. At our meeting in December, we worked through a number of ideas for creating a system that no longer relies on mandates, but instead ensures affordable access so families can choose what works best for them. This plan would deliver unprecedented freedom, empowering Americans to purchase the healthcare plan of their choice, manage how they spend their healthcare dollars, and access their electronic health records. Moreover, it would include tools that drive down the actual cost for delivering healthcare, an expense that is higher per person in the U.S. than almost any nation in the world. The only way health insurance is going to be affordable is if the delivery of healthcare becomes less expensive too.

With so much at stake, it was important to get a seat at the table for South Dakota during these debates. After all, there are challenges that come with having just one representative in the House. Places like Texas, for instance, have dozens of congressmen who can represent the state’s interests on any given issue. A state like South Dakota, however, occupies just one of 435 seats, so making our perspective known requires a deliberate effort. Getting in on these types of conversations is one of the reasons I fought for a seat on the House Ways and Means Committee last Congress.

Our state might be small, but we’ve already had a major impact on what’s expected to be an aggressive 2017 agenda. What’s more, those contributions have helped establish the tone for the 115th Congress and set the legislative branch up to hit the ground running on Day 1.

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The Importance of South Dakota’s Animal Health Laboratory
A column by Gov. Dennis Daugaard:

For a state like South Dakota, with five times as many cattle and twice as many hogs and chickens as we have citizens, livestock health is a big deal. We all know the tremendous impact the livestock sector has on our state’s economy, but it’s easy to forget the connection between livestock health and human health.

Livestock disease control techniques have advanced rapidly in recent years in response to worldwide disease epidemics. Since 2013, South Dakota has seen outbreaks of four new diseases not previously seen in the United States.

The state, our agriculture industry and South Dakota State University work together to fund the Animal Disease Research and Diagnostic Laboratory, which serves as our state animal health laboratory. The current facility was built in 1967 and remodeled in 1993. It is out-of-date and needs to be modernized to correct aging infrastructure, accommodate new technologies, and meet current and future standards. That’s why I’m working with the Legislature and agriculture industry to upgrade and expand the lab.

The lab provides critical research and diagnostic support to protect our citizens and livestock industry from disease outbreaks. The scientists who work there conduct tests to identify diseases, distinguish unique strains, and develop vaccines and other treatments to assist veterinarians, ranchers, farmers, pet owners, wildlife managers, public health officials, and state and federal agencies.

Each year the lab tests hundreds of thousands of samples in nine specialized areas. When the lab was last upgraded, molecular diagnostic tests, which analyze genetic code to determine irregularities, had not yet been developed as a cost effective diagnostic tool. Now the lab conducts more than 200,000 such tests annually.

More new technologies are coming and further space is needed to accommodate them. We have to be cutting edge; we are not testing for yesterday’s diseases, we’re testing for the diseases of today and tomorrow.

Politicians talk about public-private partnerships all the time – it’s almost a catchphrase. But in South Dakota we take action. It’s going to be a lean budget year and the agriculture sector is not as strong as it has been. Although this is a difficult time to make investments in our core infrastructure, a strong animal health lab is essential to the long-term security of our number one industry and the citizens of our state.

We all know the cost of doing nothing. When disease outbreaks risk the production of our food and the health of our citizens, a timely, accurate diagnosis of the cause is essential. I look forward to working with the Legislature, agriculture industry, and SDSU to sustain this public-private partnership and upgrade and expand South Dakota’s animal health laboratory.

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