Celebrating the Moms in Our Lives
By Sen. John Thune

One of the most noteworthy qualities about President Reagan was his unmatched ability to capture the feelings of the American people when he communicated with them. He connected with his audience in the moment, and the messages he delivered were often so timeless they will transcend generations. Of mothers, President Reagan once said, “They’re the main communicators of the values by which our nation has flourished for more than 200 years – the values of honesty, responsibility, decency, and personal effort. By imparting these and other values to our children, the mothers of America quite literally shape the future.” His message is as true today as it was 30 years ago.

I know everyone says it about his or her own mom, but mine really was the best. Although she’s gone, I still find myself applying the lessons she taught me to my life and family today. My mom was the most positive person I ever met. She brought joy and happiness with her wherever she went and never said an ill word about anyone.

As a lot of parents are, my mom and dad were a perfect balance for one another. My dad has always loved sports. He was a star basketball player and is a member of the South Dakota High School Basketball Hall of Fame. He has an entire gymnasium named after him in our hometown. Naturally, my siblings and I had an early – and at times intense – interest in sports. If we could, we probably would have spent every minute of daylight playing with friends in the field or on the court.

My mom recognized our love for sports, but always tried to create some balance in our lives. Every day during the summer, my mom required me and my siblings to come inside and spend one hour doing things like reading a book or playing the piano. If you grew up in a small town like me, you know how painful it was to sit inside and watch your friends run around outside and have fun without you. Mom made us read all of the classic pieces of literature, and to this day, I’m still able to read sheet music and sing a tune from time to time. She exposed us to things that we had no idea how much we’d appreciate later in life. It’s a part of her that still lives with me today.

Like my mom was for me and my brothers and sister, my wife Kimberley is the glue that holds our family together. Moms do a lot of things, and Kimberley has done them all. When I was first elected to Congress, my girls were young, and I traveled a lot. It’s no understatement to say Kimberley took parenting to another level while I was away. I always appreciated the hard and time-consuming work she did for our family, but I especially appreciated it during the times when I was home alone with the girls. One example, I remember trying (and failing) a number of times to braid Brittany’s and Larissa’s hair. I’d send them off to school, and based on the results, I’m sure their teachers could always tell when Kimberley was out of town.

My job provides me with opportunities to meet great moms too. There are a lot of hard-working, talented moms on my staff throughout South Dakota and in Washington, D.C., and many more come through our offices each year. I recently met with South Dakota’s 2015 and 2016 Mothers of the Year Award recipients – two amazing women, Lynn Starzl and Laurie Visser, both from Yankton. Earlier this year, I spent some time with Tami Fite and her family, winners of this year’s Angels in Adoption Award. Tami and her family have defied many odds over the years, and she’s a shining example of what every good mom strives to be.

President Reagan was right when he said “It’s no accident that America chose to honor all mothers with a special holiday.” As you celebrate this special day with the special women in your life, reflect on everything they do for our families and our society, and wish them a very happy Mother’s Day.

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The RESPECT Act
By Senator Mike Rounds

 

It is hard to believe that in 2016, our Native American neighbors and friends are still legally subject to a number of hateful and paternalistic federal laws. Unfortunately, that’s the case, but I am working to reverse a list of historic wrongs against Native American citizens brought by the early federal government.

I recently introduced the Repealing Existing Substandard Provision Encouraging Conciliation with Tribes Act, which is referred to as the RESPECT Act. It would repeal a number of historically wrong laws, including statutes that are still on the books related to Native American education, forcible relocation of Native American children to boarding schools and the withholding of rations or money owed to Native Americans. These statutes are a sad reminder of the hostile aggression and overt racism displayed by the early federal government toward Native Americans as the government attempted to “assimilate” them into what was considered “modern society.” Clearly, there is no place in our legal code for such laws today.

Federal laws still exist today that would allow for the forced removal of their children to be sent to boarding schools and the parents can be denied rations if they refuse.  They can still be subject to forced labor on their reservations, as a condition of their receipt of “supplies.”  Moreover, they can be denied funding if found intoxicated on a reservation.  These statutes actually remain the law of the land. In many cases they are more than a century old and continue the stigma of subjugation and paternalism from that time period.  It is without question that they must be stricken from our legal code. We cannot adequately repair history, but we can move forward.

In South Dakota, which is home to nine tribes and roughly 75,000 enrolled members, we strive to work together to constantly improve relationships and to mend our history through reconciliation and mutual respect.  It’s not always easy, but with our futures tied together and with our children in mind, reconciliation is something we’re committed to.

While working as governor, I proclaimed 2010 the “Year of Unity” in South Dakota, in recognition of the need to continue building upon the legacy and work of those who came before us. The year 2010 also marked the 20th anniversary of the Year of Reconciliation in South Dakota, which was an effort by the late Governor George Mickelson to bring all races together.

The “Year of Unity” and the “Year of Reconciliation” were efforts to build upon a common purpose, to acknowledge our differences and yet find ways to work together.  Washington, D.C., needs more of that. We can’t change our history, but we can start to change the paternalistic mentality of the federal government toward Native people. Passing the RESPECT Act is the right thing to do, and is one small step Congress can take to heal some of the wrongs imparted upon Native Americans by the federal government.

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Log in to Safety
By Rep. Kristi Noem

 

Remember the days before you could just Google it?  If you wanted to figure out where the most complete skeleton of a T-Rex was found, for instance, you had to go to the library, dig through the card catalogue, find a book about dinosaurs, and fight through the paper cuts to find the answer.  That doesn’t need to happen anymore.  Through a device that fits in the palm of your hand, you can access the world – and by the same account, the world can access you.

Often times, we choose to allow the world to see a piece of us.  It’s that culture of sharing that has resulted in 300 hours of video being uploaded to YouTube every single minute and 70 million photos being posted on Instagram every day.  Twitter, Facebook, and Snapchat let us share our every thought with followers, while text messaging and email has infinitely increased the speed of written communication.

But like all things, there are smart ways to use these new technologies and some not so smart ways.  Earlier this year, I teamed up with Google to offer Rapid City middle schoolers some advice on how to stay safe online.  They shared five tips all of us should note.

First, think before you share.  Anything you put online – even if it’s done so privately – can be shared.  If you don’t want it to get out, don’t post it.

Second, protect your stuff.  One of the best ways to do this online is to set strong passwords.  HowToGeek.com offers this advice for setting a strong password:  Select a password that has 12 characters, minimum.  Include numbers, symbols, capital letters, and lower-case letters.  Try not to use a dictionary word or a combination of dictionary words.  And finally, don’t rely on obvious substitutions, like changing all of the O’s to zeros.

Third, know and use your settings.  Around 15 percent of Americans have never checked their social networking privacy or security account settings. These settings let you choose who you are sharing your information with.  Check yours out and adjust them as necessary today.

Fourth, understand how to identify and avoid scams.  Every year, our office gets calls from dozens and dozens of South Dakotans who have received scam calls from someone pretending to be from the IRS.  This is an obvious scam because the IRS will never reach out to you by phone without sending you a letter first.  Other times, however, scammers may try to be more devious, posing as someone you know.  Maybe they tell you your grandson needs money.  If they start asking for personal information, hang up and give your grandson a call – he’ll be able to tell you if it’s legitimate or not.

The final piece of advice that Google offered was to stay positive. Follow the golden rule:  Don’t post, comment, or forward something unless you’d be alright with someone doing the same to you.

We live at an incredible time that lets us be more personally connected to the world around us than ever before.  I encourage you to take the time and learn how to be safe in this new environment.

Oh, and before you pick up your smartphone to Google more about where that T-Rex was found – I did it for you.  It was discovered near Faith, South Dakota in August 1990 – just months before the first webpage was posted to the World Wide Web.

PHOTO: Noem speaks to students at Google Online Safety Roadshow

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A Message To The Classes Of 2016
A column by Gov. Dennis Daugaard:

Congratulations to the class of 2016! To all high school, college and technical school students now approaching graduation in South Dakota, I commend you for reaching this milestone. After years of studying, taking tests and writing essays, you’ve finally made it. Congratulations on all you have achieved!

Most of you probably already have a good idea of what you’ll be doing next – what additional education you’ll seek or what career you’ll pursue. Whether you’ve decided to stay in South Dakota or pursue a career or education elsewhere, I hope you’ll ultimately consider a future here in our state. There are a number of reasons to consider living and working here.

First, we have the lowest unemployment rate in the nation at 2.5 percent, compared to the national rate of 5 percent. Job opportunities are better here than in most places.

Secondly, the tax burden in South Dakota is low. We are among only a few states without an income tax, meaning you can keep more of the money you earn. Money that can repay student debt, buy a house someday or replace that car you drove into the ground in school.

Third, not only do people keep more of the money they earn in South Dakota, but that money will buy more here than in other places. According to a U.S. Department of Commerce report, South Dakotans experience a very low cost of living in the United States. We don’t spend as much money on housing, insurance, food and the other everyday needs. In fact, we have some of the lowest costs in the nation.  In New York, California, Washington, D.C., or many other places, you will find costs that are 12 percent, 15 percent, even 18 percent higher than the national average. In South Dakota our costs are only 88 percent of the national average.

Now some people will say, “South Dakota may have a low tax burden and low cost of living, but I won’t get paid as much if I live there.” Actually when it comes to per capita personal income, we fare pretty well. Nationally, we rank in the top half. And, if you adjust the per capita personal income to add cost of living and taxes, we rank fifth in the nation.

After I graduated from USD, I hitchhiked my way to Chicago to attend law school at Northwestern. I’d lived in South Dakota my whole life and I was ready for something bigger, something more exciting. I wanted to experience life in the bright lights of a big city. I finished school and decided to stay in Illinois for a few years to practice law. Still, over time, I came to miss seeing the stars at night, enjoying the wide open spaces and having the company of friendly, down-to-earth people. I was glad to have experienced something new and different, but I was ready to come home to something better.

My hope is not that you will never venture outside of our state, but rather that you would consider a more permanent future in South Dakota. Most of all, I hope you will come to realize, as I did, that your dreams can come true right here at home.

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I had a few things to do in Madison this afternoon, and one of them was to make a social call on one of the candidates who has taken on the banner of representing the GOP in this years’ State Senate races, Jordan Youngberg.

Jordan is manager of an implement dealer in Madison, as well as being a small businessman himself, and he was gracious enough to give a few minutes of his time while I was passing through. I told him we should do one of my “5 Questions with…” features one of these days, so that will be coming sooner or later.

As a newcomer to the process, Jordan was impressed with the number of people who are gravitating towards, and offering help for his campaign. And that’s one thing that many Republicans who are running for office find – that there’s a large network of people across the state willing to lend their time & their efforts to make sure that good candidates have the tools available to run for office and win!

Current Meade County Commissioner, Former Legislator, & 1998 GOP US Senate hopeful Alan Aker was indicted yesterday for some actions that weren’t exactly prudent, according to a Lawrence County Grand Jury.

From KEVN:

Meade County Commissioner Alan Aker has been indicted by a Lawrence County Grand Jury on felony intentional damage to property charges.

and…

A Lawrence County Sheriff’s report recounts an incident on Elk Creek Road in February.  The report alleges that after a dispute over payment for work where Aker was hired as a contractor, that Aker came back to the property and cut off about 50 feet of railing from the project and took it with him.

Read it here.

So, when he goes to trial, is he going to have to hire counsel for his de-fence?

The problem with Janette’s statement? I think there’s someone who would disagree:

Not sure what’s going on up in District 3 in Aberdeen, but it seems that the Republican House race is getting downright contentious.  Republicans Dan Kaiser and Drew Dennert have effectively teamed up in running for the two house seats, leaving candidate Todd Kolden as the odd man out.  

There are advantages and disadvantages to running as a team in an election, and as State Representative John Sears (who passed away in 2013) related back to me way back when.. his District mate Republican Representative Alyce McKay had approached him wanting to run at team as well.   Alyce was quite…  well, let’s just call a spade a spade; she was flat out a very liberal Republican.  

She had approached the more conservative Sears, wanting to run as a team. And as Sears noted, he refused, and bluntly said “Alyce, I don’t want to shovel your dog s***.”  In other words, he was concerned with his own race without having to carry her extensive baggage as well.  Sears went on to win, and Alyce? Not so much.

Returning from memory lane, and getting back to District 3, the point is as above that there are disadvantages to running as a team that odd man out Kolden could be using to turn the race in his favor. But instead, he chose at one point to jump into Facebook and vent his frustrations:

Kolden went on from there, but basically he was taking issue with Kaiser because he’s a police officer, and there’s an inference he would abuse his authority.

Now, Kolden, did take try to walk it back…

..but as one of my Aberdeen correspondents noted “Just because they are deleted doesn’t make them go away.”

Aside from the fact is might not be a prudent move to be overly critical of the person you hope to be running alongside two months hence, it gives the impression that things aren’t going well in the campaign.

It’s not as if there’s a policy difference of Kaiser’s that Kolden is coming out against as if he were directly challenging one or both of his opponents. It’s one thing to say “My opponent believes X and I believe Y, and that’s why I’m the better choice.” It’s entirely another to be kvetching on facebook that the other guys are buddies, as if anyone cares if they’re leaving you out of their reindeer games.

Is there any hope for Kolden at this point? Well, there’s always hope. If he wanted to turn it around, my advice to Kolden would be to spend every waking moment going door to door, and then swamp every likely voter with messaging the last 2 weeks of the campaign.

And stay off of facebook. Period. Using it isn’t helping.

Rounds Delivers Tribute to Terry Redlin on Senate Floor

 WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) today paid tribute to Terry Redlin in a speech on the Senate floor. Redlin, a famed painter from Watertown, passed away at the age of 78 on Sunday, April 24, 2016.

Thune Bill Would Create Independent Oversight Position for Veterans Choice Act

“Veterans should not have to face additional burdens to care, especially in a program that is meant to streamline the veteran experience.”

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) today introduced legislation that would create an independent ombudsman position within the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Office of Inspector General (OIG) that would be tasked with establishing a methodology for resolving certain complaints levied by veterans, their family members or designated caregivers, VA employees, and third party health care providers.

Thune introduced this bill in response to concerns he received from veterans who reported ongoing scheduling issues created by the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability (Choice) Act of 2014, a law that was intended to increase veterans’ access to local health care, but has been blamed for numerous scheduling backlogs.

“There are some serious problems with the Choice Act that I think everyone can recognize,” said Thune. “What began as a straightforward attempt to address the scandal-plagued VA has become a headache for some veterans across South Dakota, even when few scheduling issues existed in the first place. Veterans should not have to face additional burdens to care, especially in a program that is meant to streamline the veteran experience. I hope this new position in the OIG’s office would help answer our veterans’ questions and resolve some of their problems. It’s what they deserve.”

Under Thune’s legislation, the newly appointed ombudsman would serve as the central collection point for complaints related to problems with:

• Scheduling veterans to obtain care from third-party providers
• Authorizing veteran care to be administered by a third-party provider
• Enrolling third-party providers
• Copays and third-party reimbursement
• Coordinating care between the VA and third-party providers

The ombudsman, whose position would sunset after 10 years or when the Choice Act’s authorization expires, would be required to provide quarterly reports to the House and Senate Committees on Veterans Affairs on his or her activity, including the total number of complaints received and complaints resolved and/or pending. He or she would also be required to provide recommendations for resolving the systemic problems with the Choice Act.

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