Former Gov. Miller Passes Away; Gov. Daugaard Requests Flags At Half-Staff

PIERRE, S.D. – Walter Dale Miller, the 29th Governor of South Dakota, passed away last night. Miller, 89, served as governor from 1993 to 1995.

“Gov. Miller was a friend and I will miss him,” said Gov. Daugaard. “Walter Dale Miller assumed the governorship at a time of tragedy and sorrow. He provided a steady hand as our state mourned the loss of Gov. Mickelson. Through his long career in public office, Walt worked hard and put South Dakota first. Linda and I express our deepest sympathies to Pat and the entire Miller family.”

Miller was born Oct. 5, 1925, near Viewfield, South Dakota, and spent his life on his family’s ranch. He served for 20 years in the South Dakota House of Representatives, and is the only person in state history to serve as speaker of the house, speaker pro tempore, majority leader, assistant majority leader and majority whip.

Miller was elected lieutenant governor in 1986 and was South Dakota’s first full-time lieutenant governor. He succeeded to the governorship in 1993 after the tragic loss of Gov. George S. Mickelson and seven others in a plane crash. As governor, Miller ended a riot at the state penitentiary without loss of life, responded to historic flooding on the Missouri River and its tributaries, and imposed emergency budget cuts after a court ruling shut down video lottery in the state. He left office in 1995.

Gov. Daugaard requests that all flags in South Dakota fly at half-staff, effective immediately, and continuing until Gov. Miller’s interment.

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There’s an ode to the Buffalo (or American Bison if you will) in today’s Rapid City Journal:

How do we officially recognize an insect (honey bee), a dessert (kuchen), a fossil (triceratops) and a soil (houdek) but not throw some legislative love to the bison? South Dakota is routinely rated as the No. 1 bison state in the nation with more than 30,000 head roaming our vast ranges. The animal’s popularity was evident again on Friday when more than 20,000 people from across the nation and state traveled to Custer State Park to witness the 50th annual buffalo roundup, one of our Wild West traditions.

Read it here.

It caught my attention, as during yesterday’s 100 Eyes  – the Argus Leader’s political vodcast – newer Argus political reporter Dana Ferguson brought up a humorous point after attending the Democrat’s declared “first annual Buffalo Round-up dinner.”   This dinner was held in Rapid City (not in any proximity to the Buffalo Round-Up in Custer State Park).

Ferguson note that the dinner didn’t actually serve Buffalo as any part of the meal. Nope.

So, not near the round-up. Not serving buffalo. But, to their credit, they did project a picture of one on the screen. Because pretending makes it “all buffalo-y.”

At the same dinner, they talked about running people in the next election against John Thune. They might have talked about it, but didn’t actually have anyone. Just like the buffalo round-up theme, they pretended they could.   So, in their minds pretending their dinner had something to do with buffalos was just like pretending that they can come up with a viable candidate against Thune.

It was just a matter of imagination. Of pretending.

And now we can watch them continue pretending that Democrats are still are a viable political organization in South Dakota.

From my mailbox, as shared by a reader, comes Paula Hawks’ newest plea for money:

  
 My thought on this…. $5?  She’s asking for $5? 

She does recognize that it’s a race for Congress, and not the state legislature?

Why do I think this first report of hers (which we’ll see about the 15th or so) is going to be brutal?

I’m not quite sure how it happened, but my daughter number two has found herself in the interesting position of being a nominee for the University of South Dakota homecoming queen in her senior year.

I’m told that she is representing the Strollers group in the competition, despite a history of the Strollers group putting out some dubious USD graduates at best. (I’m talking to you Justin Rollins, and Governor Daugaard!)

  
Anyway, if you happen to be enrolled at USD, whether it is for undergraduate or graduate level courses, you have the ability to cast a ballot. And I would just put in my plug tonight for the faithful readers of SDWC to cast at least one of your ballots for Meredith.

She’s already part of the court just by virtue of the organization having selected her, so she’s already a winner. But I would be a bad dad if I didn’t give it at least a mention and a word of encouragement prior to the coronation tomorrow night!

Wow. I mean, wow. From the Argus Leader:

Democratic Party chair Ann Tornberg repeatedly encouraged attendees to circulate a ballot measure petition aimed at creating an independent redistricting committee. She called the existing districts “entirely partisan and gerrymandered.” Rep. Peggy Gibson, D-Huron, told attendees about how she circulated the petition to other drivers who were stopped for hours near the site of a fatal car crash. “If I can do it there, you can do it anywhere,” Gibson said.

and…

The candidate challenging Thune in 2016 will be…

Just kidding. No news on that front. With just over 13 months before the 2016 election, the party has yet to select a candidate to run against U.S. Sen. John Thune. Party leadership didn’t acknowledge the hole on the ballot heading into next year, but they indicated individuals interested in exploring a run could go to next months’ training event.

Read it all here.

“Rep. Peggy Gibson, D-Huron, told attendees about how she circulated the petition to other drivers who were stopped for hours near the site of a fatal car crash.” And, she admitted it.

Wow.

If the rest of Dems follow Peggy’s crass opportunism, I think accident scenes and funeral homes are going to start putting a ban on petitioners.

Apparently I went to bed last night, and woke up in crazy town. Because, here’s one of the headlines this morning:

Part of the story reads, “People watching this new scandal/suicide/shotgun murder unfold are skeptical that we are getting the complete story, and perhaps not the ACURATE story.”

As we’re treated to a barely literate, incoherent and misspelled sentence explaining all of this, it’s illustrative of the defective and overwhelming leaps in logic that one has to take to believe any of the utter BS spouted by Howie, It’s little more than an exercise in throwing fecal matter against the wall to try to make anything stick against the opponent who delivered a 47 point loss to him in a 4-way race.

What did happen? A family tragedy occurred involving someone who worked for an educational co-op in Platte. This educational co-op, of which there are many across the state, administered a federal grant for an Indian education program, and subbed portions of that out here and there. The State of SD, who had the ability to direct funds, and ensure the program was working, at some point recently didn’t feel that they were getting enough bang for their buck, etcetera, so they yanked the funding.

A short time later, a man who worked at the educational co-op committed suicide, and took his family with him in a horrible tragedy.  What does that have to do with Howie’s claim that it’s all linked to his former political opponent, Senator Rounds? Absolutely and utterly nothing. It’s paranoid and slanderous.

Not to mention it has been over 5 years since Mike Rounds has been governor. 

If we’re to follow Howie’s logical progression, there’s more of a connection between Mike Rounds and executive branch state employees under him who received speeding tickets then there is between Rounds and an employee of the educational cooperative which received a federal grant directed by the Dept of Ed.

Mike Rounds didn’t hire him. Mike Rounds couldn’t fire him.  The only thing the Dept of Ed could do was to watch results progress over time. And at one point, they decided they didn’t like them.

Does the headline blare “Mike Rounds responsible for x% of speeding tickets during his tenure?” No. Because everyone instantly recognizes it as silly. But blare a headline like Howie does with an even more tenuous connection, and it takes on an air of salacious scandal. If the state reviews the results of a federal grant program, and finds it isn’t happy with the effectiveness of the program, and has questions about how it’s being run by the entity running it; I think one would argue that they’re actually doing their job by reviewing it. That’s what they’re supposed to do.

And if they yank the program because they’re not happy with how it’s being done – “Not doing the job I like, find someone else to do it.” – again, that’s what they’re supposed to do.

If an employee of the grant contractor has some sort of breakdown, that has nothing to do with state government. At all. And for Gordon Howie to use the murder of children as the basis for a political attack against an old political foe?

That’s about as slimy as you can get. And it’s little wonder why he can’t poll beyond 3%.

From the Argus, it looks like all the Democrats left on that side of the state got together to kvetch about Republicans trouncing them badly. Because it has absolutely nothing to do with not running candidates for office. Nope. Nothing at all:

Dozens of South Dakota Democrats gathered in the dining room of a historic hotel Saturday night to rally and air grievances against the majority party.

and…

Both Lowe and party chairwoman Ann Tornberg called on the attendees to challenge Republicans and to rally behind Democrats in 2016 and 2018 elections.

and…

But with just more than 13 months until the 2016 election, the Democrats still haven’t found a candidate to challenge Thune. And none was immediately recommended Saturday.

State Rep. Paula Hawks, D-Hartford, has announced she’ll challenge U.S. Rep. Kristi Noem, R-South Dakota, for her House seat in 2016.

And the Democrats recognized that state voter registration numbers don’t fall in their favor. According to the most recent numbers published by the South Dakota secretary of state’s office, registered Republican voters far outnumber Democrats.

Read it all here.

Dems are down to eight months from the primary election, and a year out from the general election. And they still lack decent candidates for the top of the ticket. (But, by gosh, they’re circulating petitions.)

They say you shall reap what you sow. And for Democrats, they’re going to reap people who can become professional petition circulators, but no one who can run for office.

Pope Francis’ Inspiring Message
September 24, 2015
By Senator Mike Rounds

Washington, D.C., recently hosted Pope Francis during his first visit to the United States. Not just Catholics, but citizens across the country have been preparing for his much-anticipated trip to our capital city. Tens of thousands flocked to the city to attend a special Mass, catch a glimpse of the pope-mobile or watch the pope’s address to Congress on the West Lawn of the Capitol. As lifelong members of the Catholic Church, it has been a truly special experience for Jean and me to participate in the week’s events. The pope’s message of optimism and compassion is one we can all relate to.

On Wednesday, we were invited to attend a special White House ceremony welcoming the pope. Later in the day, we attended a canonization Mass celebrated by Pope Francis at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Northeast Washington, D.C. On Thursday, we watched from the House of Representatives chamber as Pope Francis gave an impassioned, spiritual message to a Joint Session of Congress.

The pope’s message to us was one of hope and encouragement. It was not partisan or political. He reminded us that as members of Congress, our responsibility is to help our nation thrive and grow.  As Congress continues to tackle pressing and important issues, I was energized by Pope Francis’ call for a “renewal of that spirit of cooperation, which has accomplished so much good throughout the history of the United States.”  Despite the partisan politics that often makes headlines, our similarities are far greater than our differences. His message challenges all of us to reflect on how we can better serve one another.

The pope also reminded us of our responsibility to pursue the common good and to protect the most vulnerable among us—the very young, the very old, the sick and the poor.

Pope Francis has an ability to inspire and connect with people regardless of their politics or their faith. Many who came to Capitol Hill to watch his address on big-screen TVs were not Catholic, and some were not religious at all. But they all wanted to catch a glimpse of His Holiness. They wanted to hear his message of hope, optimism, compassion and love that resonates with all of us. I thank him for his encouraging words throughout his visit and for continuing to lead and inspire people throughout the globe. As the pope said to tens of thousands of onlookers who greeted him on the West Lawn of the Capitol, “God Bless America.”

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Rapid Recovery
By Rep. Kristi Noem
September 25, 2015

It took five years to build the Hoover Dam; four years to erect the Golden Gate Bridge; 13 months to construct the Empire State Building; but in some cases, more than a decade to get a building permit approved by the federal government.  This is outrageous.

According to a 2010 study by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, 351 energy projects were stalled nationwide that would have had a total economic value of $1 trillion and represented 1.9 million American jobs.  Even in South Dakota, the impacts are being felt.  The same study found that delays pushed $500 million of economic output and 2,600 jobs down the road in South Dakota specifically.

It’s no secret that the Keystone XL Pipeline was one of the projects the federal government has been working hard to delay.  This pipeline has been on the list for a number of years.  In fact, while the builders first submitted permit applications in September 2008, it took until 2014 for the U.S. State Department to issue its final Environmental Impact Statement, which is just one step in the federal permitting process.

This is a system that is broken – and it’s costing families and local communities jobs, economic opportunities, and money.  On September 25, I helped move forward H.R.348 – also known as the RAPID Act.  This bipartisan legislation streamlines the environmental permitting and approval process to be sure builders, developers, and others get an answer from federal bureaucrats in a timely and efficient manner.

We do this by improving coordination between federal agencies, allowing for simultaneous reviews, avoiding duplication of state and federal efforts, and putting the federal government on a timeline that better serves the people.  Moreover, to help eliminate frivolous lawsuits, we reduce the statute of limitations to challenge a final Environmental Impact Statement or Environmental Assessment from six years to six months.

It’s unacceptable that federal agencies manipulate the system to slow down critical energy projects that could bring cost savings – and in some cases, greater security – to the American people.  The RAPID Act would help to remedy that.

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