Saluting Those Who Have Served
By Sen. John Thune

On Veterans Day in 1988, President Ronald Reagan and First Lady Nancy Reagan visited the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. After the president delivered his remarks, he left a handwritten note at the memorial’s edge addressed to “our young friends.” The note read, in part, “You fought for your country and for its safety and for the freedom of others with strength and courage. We love you for it. We honor you.” President Reagan’s words captured the moment, as they often did, but his message transcends time.

America had seen conflict before the Vietnam War, and as we all know, it’s seen conflict since then, too. My dad served in the Navy during World War II on the USS Intrepid. As a young Navy pilot, he flew important missions that helped protect U.S. service members and advance the cause of freedom in the Pacific theater. I’ve long believed that while “The Greatest Generation” is an honor every one of those brave men and women deserve, my dad included, it almost seems insufficient when you begin to fully understand the sacrifice they’ve made.

South Dakota is home to more than 70,000 veterans, and I appreciate hearing from them as I travel across the state because the issues they face are real, and they’re often unique to those who’ve served. I take their concerns seriously, as does my staff, of which several have also served their country in uniform. And as an elected official, I consider it a top priority to ensure the men and women returning home from war receive all of the benefits and care they deserve.

It’s no secret that the scars of war are not only physical, but they’re emotional, too. According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), 20 veterans take their own lives each day due, in part, to the invisible wounds with which they cope after returning home from combat. That’s more than 7,000 soldiers whose lives are lost each year to suicide – more deaths than the United States suffered during the entirety of our battles in Iraq and Afghanistan.

We have to reverse this trend and work harder to fulfill our commitment to our veterans. In the Senate, I’ve introduced legislation that would improve the VA’s Veterans Crisis Line, which can be a critical lifeline for veterans who want and need to speak directly with someone who understands what they’re going through. Part of fulfilling our commitment to veterans means fixing this system so when they call, someone is there to answer.

As Americans, we’re blessed with innumerable opportunities throughout the year to celebrate with friends, family, and our communities. Veterans Day is a special time on which we all can reflect, because without the sacrifice of America’s veterans – the bravest and most noble among us – the United States wouldn’t look the same.

Happy Veterans Day, America, and thank you to all who’ve served.

Obama’s Failed Foreign Policy Legacy
By Senator Mike Rounds

Since President Obama took office nearly eight years ago, the world has changed considerably. During his time in office, ISIL rose to prominence due to the administration’s determination to withdraw all U.S. forces from Iraq. Iran has ascended as a regional destabilizing power, and it remains on a path to acquire nuclear weapons. The U.S. effort to combat the Taliban in Afghanistan faces potential under-resourcing. Russia has increased its nuclear arsenal and continues its aggression against Ukraine. In Libya, the administration half-heartedly led a U.S. military intervention, only to abandon the mission prematurely, which has created another destabilized country within which terrorists seek safe haven to plot attacks against our homeland. 

Recently, the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), John Brennan, testified to Congress that “Despite all our progress against ISIL on the battlefield and in the financial realm, our efforts have not reduced the group’s terrorism capability and global reach.” It is clear that the president’s current course to defeat ISIL and terrorism abroad is not working. We need more proactive efforts and not more delayed, reactionary half-steps if we are to truly defeat the terrorist organization, stop the terrorist group’s online radicalization and keep Americans safe from ISIL-inspired attacks here at home. 

A side effect of the instability and chaos in the Middle East is a dramatic increase in refugees. In Syria alone, the United Nations (UN) High Commissioner on Refugees estimates that nearly 4.8 million Syrian refugees have fled the country and another 6.6 million are internally displaced within the country. In Libya, nearly 2.5 million are in desperate need of humanitarian aid, according to the UN News Center. Russia, , recently indicated that it would not consider a humanitarian ceasefire to allow refugees, anti-government fighters and injured citizens to escape Syria safely, or allow aid vehicles to deliver food and medical supplies to those unable to flee. 

While most refugees are being relocated in Europe, many Americans are concerned about the prospect of a terrorist slipping into the United States, taking advantage of the refugee program. Refugees have been coming to America for generations seeking safety from war-torn regions of the world. I support efforts to help others seek shelter from persecution. However, we must be cautious to protect our own national security. While we as global leaders should take steps to assist in humanitarian efforts when possible, I believe our current refugee admission program needs further safeguards to make sure the refugees we admit have no ties to terror organizations and make sure refugees properly assimilate into American society.

As events continue to unfold around the world, many have wondered from where our foreign policy problems stem. I agree with other elected officials and experts that many foreign policy failures are a symptom of this administration’s “leading from behind” mentality. In less than three months, a new president, with the guidance of experts with new ideas as well as a new Congress, will have an opportunity to reset our foreign policy. As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, I look forward to working with the new administration and my colleagues on a new direction for our country which includes stronger leadership to protect our citizens, advance our global interests and support our allies abroad.

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The Miracle of Adoption
By Rep. Kristi Noem

Not every family’s path to parenthood is easy.  Many people struggle in ways that can be devastating for a family to endure.  Pat and Julie Schneider of Turton are one of those couples.  They struggled with infertility for nearly a decade before looking into adoption as an option for their family.  Because November is National Adoption Month, I wanted to share a piece of their journey through adoption, hoping it can serve as encouragement and inspiration to others.

For Pat and Julie, it took mountains of paperwork and numerous in-home visits, heartbreaks and setbacks, until finally a birth mother chose them and the couple became parents to a baby girl, Caycee.  A few years later, the family expanded once again with the adoption of their second daughter, Jadyn, and four years after that, their son Gavin was welcomed into the family through adoption.

Each of the Schneider family’s three adoptions has been open.  Pat and Julie have even collaborated with the respective birth mothers to help select names for their children.  The arrangement has also enabled both them and their children to build relationships with the birth mothers, all of whom are from South Dakota. 

Today, the Schneider family serves as tremendous advocates for adoption, often acting as mentors to those going through the emotional ups and downs of the adoption process.  Because of the inspirational example this family sets, I was honored to nominate Pat and Julie as this year’s “Angels in Adoption,” a national recognition offered to those who have made a lasting impact on the lives of children through adoption. 

About one in 10 couples struggle with infertility like Pat and Julie did.  While some are eventually able to build their families with the help of medical innovations, many take the Schneider family’s path and turn to adoption. 

For these families, the emotional trials of the adoption process are often times only part of the challenge.  The financial strains can be significant as well.  Since 1997, the federal government has offered some degree of tax relief to these families in order to help offset adoption and attorney fees, court costs, travel expenses, and re-adoption expenses for intercountry adoptions.  We’ve helped many families through this credit, but I believe improvements can still be made.  One of the reforms I’ve been supportive of would make the tax credit fully refundable, meaning families who may have limited tax liabilities would be able to receive a greater benefit.

Outside of working toward policy reform, my congressional office serves as a resource for families – especially those looking to adopt internationally – when they run into trouble navigating the various federal bureaucracies that are involved in the adoption process.  If you or your family is having issues with an adoption, I encourage you to reach out to our nearest office location. For more information, please visit noem.house.gov.

My husband and I have always tried to teach our children that family is more about what is in your heart than in your bloodstream.  Today, I have two spunky, kind, and beautiful nieces who were brought into our family through adoption.  Our world wouldn’t be the same without them.

I encourage you to take time in the coming weeks to consider how adoption has changed your life or the life of a family around you.  Understanding more about the process, struggles and joys these families face often times shows just how much of a miracle adoption can be.

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The Real Heroes
A column by Gov. Dennis Daugaard:

Politicians have a tendency to try to take credit for things, especially in an election year. They talk about how many jobs they’ve created, how they’ve kept our cities safe and how they’ve assisted the less fortunate. Our veterans, on the other hand, don’t seek the spotlight. They don’t expect recognition – even though they are the ones who really deserve the credit for our way of life.

That’s why we celebrate Veterans Day. To give credit to those who seek it least and yet deserve it most. It’s also an opportunity to remember those who fought in our earliest conflicts.

Next year will mark the centennial of the United States’ official involvement in World War I. This “war to end all wars” was a global affair which lasted from 1914 to 1918, but the United States did not officially enter until 1917. In 1915 and 1916, while the U.S. was still contemplating its level of engagement, groups of American men made the decision to enlist with foreign armies to fight against the Central Powers.

On their own accord, they volunteered to fight abroad, joining the British Army, French Foreign Legion and other Allied services. These men were citizen soldiers. They were farmers, machinists, dock workers and blacksmiths who left their day jobs to fight for freedom. They joined the struggle before it was even asked of them.

Now, as much as any time in history, we depend on our citizen soldiers, the men and women of our National Guard, to step up and defend our country. We count on them to defend our freedom abroad, and then to come back home safely to pick up where they left off with their families and their jobs.

This Veterans Day, 165 of South Dakota’s citizen soldiers are deploying to Kuwait. Volunteers all, the men and women of the 153rd Engineer Battalion and Forward Support Company are leaving their jobs and their loved ones to serve their nation abroad. They will be providing command, logistical, mechanical and transportation support to U.S. forces in the area. For more than one-third of the group, this is their second or third deployment.

Elected officials do the important work of fine tuning our laws and guiding public policy. Still, we should never forget who the real heroes are. Though they don’t usually make the front page news, our men and women in uniform are the ones to thank for our way of life. Without them, there would be no freedom.

Take a moment this week to pray for the men and women of the153rd as they head to Kuwait and for all of our soldiers who are deployed. Pray also for the families who are serving their country by bearing the burden of a loved one’s absence. And this Veterans Day, give credit where credit is due by thanking someone who has served to keep us free.

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In a move that a friend called “zimbeckian” after Dave Zimbeck who sent all of his donations back after his loss in the GOP Primary, the Mark Mickelson letter, where he announces his withdrawal from the 2018 GOP Primary for Governor, also notes his return of the nearly million dollars account he raised for that effort.

Okay – here’s the inside track for the results of the SD Senate GOP Caucus Elections.

President Pro Temp – Brock Greenfield
Majority Leader – Blake Curd
Asst Maj Leader – Ryan Maher
Whips – Kris Langer, Bob Ewing, Al Novstrup.

Any thoughts?

According to their facebook page, the Prairie Country PAC has apparently sent out a postcard attacking Republican Leadership in the lead-up to tomorrow’s caucus elections:

Maybe it’s just me, but I’m not sure what exactly this accomplishes.

First, given that several Senators, including President Pro Tempore Corey Brown have been termed out of office or resigned, such as Majority Leader Tim Rave and Assistant Majority Leader Dan Lederman both did in 2015, with a new crew of people after the election, the Senate Caucus is nearly starting from scratch in the elections.

The antagonistic nature of the card seems completely misplaced, as it attacks “Republican Leadership” on many measures while ignoring that these measures required a majority vote – and in some cases a 2/3 vote to pass. Effectively, they’re attacking everyone, while blaming leadership. And, of course, on the reverse side they’re asking people to vote for their favored candidates.

Just a bit of cognitive dissonance for legislators who will be asked to make a choice as to who their leadership would be.

Aside from that, we get into some of the technical aspects of the card.  There’s a few problems with it that will probably cause Prairie Country PAC some headaches.

Mistake #1 – As I spoke with Senator Elect Lance Russell himself yesterday, he wasn’t running for Assistant Majority Leader, and was predisposed to defer to Senator-elect Ryan Maher, who was. So, here’s a card promoting someone for the office who didn’t ask for it, much less was actively running for it.

Mistake #2 – The address side of the card appropriates the SDGOP’s logo for a Political Action Committee’s independent mailing. A PAC which includes in it’s leadership Ken Santema, Chairman of the South Dakota Libertarian Party.  I think it’s rather presumptuous for a PAC to appropriate the party’s logo for a piece of campaign literature attacking members of the party’s leadership.

Mistake #3 – Where exactly does it say “paid for by?”

12-27-15.   Printed political communications to contain certain language–Exceptions–Violation as misdemeanor.Any printed material or communication made, purchased, paid for, or authorized by a candidate, political committee, or political party which expressly advocates for or against a candidate, public office holder, ballot question, or political party shall prominently display or clearly speak the statement: “Paid for by (Name of candidate, political committee, or political party).” This section does not apply to buttons, balloons, pins, pens, matchbooks, clothing, or similar small items upon which the inclusion of the statement would be impracticable. A violation of this section is a Class 1 misdemeanor.

Read that here.

I see a logo & return address for the PAC, but not the three magic words; “Paid,” “For” and “By.” Considering their omission carries criminal penalties, you’d think people would pay more attention to it.

Probably the worst thing of all is that I don’t believe this or the nonsense with Citizens for Liberty sending e-mails is being done on behalf of the candidates. If it was, you’d think they would have noted that they weren’t sure they were running before all the nonsense went out.

The danger it poses is that it could have the opposite effect on Senators who are deciding who they want to lead them for the next two years, and harden their hearts. Which would be unfortunate.  I think Brock would do a good job as caucus leader, and shouldn’t be sandbagged by the misguided efforts of others.

I did find a graphic out on the internet which represents the Democrat bench for the statewide political races in South Dakota for 2018:

With all the news about 2018 that’s been going on today, I thought I’d update you with a handy chart of who is looking at what, and what rumors are out there.  Don’t consider all of this as Gospel as it’s likely to get even crazier in coming months.

From the updated story on Mickelson getting out of the race:

Noem’s chief of staff, Jordan Stoick, confirmed Thursday the Congresswoman was considering a bid for governor.

“Kristi’s main focus right now is on the position she was just re-elected to, but she’s received encouragement from across the state to run for governor in 2018 and is giving it serious consideration,” Stoick said.

Read that here.