Are you going to join the fun? AFP’s Defending the American Dream Summit coming in less than 2 weeks!

@SoDakCampaigns

Have you registered yet?

In less than 2 weeks, on August 21st and 22nd, Bobby Jindal, Rick Perry, Marco Rubio, Jeb Bush, Ted Cruz, and whole pile of other speakers will be addressing the 9th Annual Americans for Prosperity’s Defending the American Dream Summit in Columbus, OH.

I’ve got my reservation, and my flight, and as I understand, there’s a great group of South Dakotans going including legislators and recent statewide candidates who want to make sure that the free market continues to thrive in America, and want to enhance their campaigning and organizational skills .

According to the web site for the event:

Americans for Prosperity is thrilled to annually host the Defending the American Dream Summit where free-market champions from across the nation come together for an unforgettable weekend with a shared desire to advance spreading opportunity and economic freedom.

Attendees of the Defending the American Dream Summit will have the opportunity to receive high-level training from experts who can teach how to affect real change for our nation’s future.

Join us in 2015 at the Greater Columbus Convention Center to take part in cutting-edge activist training, become better educated on relevant free-market issues, network with thousands of like-minded activists, and hear from top-tier speakers and panelists.

Read that here.

I’m kind of excited, as I’ll be attending as “media,” and should have opportunities to sit in on interviews and q & a with several of the people who are running as president.

If you think this might be something you’d like to take part in, you owe it to yourself to register today!

US Senator John Thune’s weekly column: The Obama EPA Strikes Again

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thuneheadernew John_Thune,_official_portrait,_111th_CongressThe Obama EPA Strikes Again
By Senator John Thune

If there is one thing for which the Obama Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) can be counted on, it is the repeated issuance of rules and regulations that stifle growth and make life harder and more costly for American families and businesses. The agency, stocked with a seemingly endless amount of red tape, lived up to its reputation earlier this month when it approved the final rule of the so-called “Clean Power Plan,” which could be more accurately described as a backdoor national energy tax.

This national energy tax is unwelcome news for South Dakota consumers because it will hurt jobs, cause costs to skyrocket, and threaten our grid reliability. South Dakota is an energy-intense state – we have cold winters and hot summers. As a result, South Dakota families spend a high share of their income on energy costs. While consumers across the state are likely to feel the pain from this burdensome new regulation, it is low-income families and seniors living on fixed incomes who will be hit the hardest. Many families are already finding it difficult to make ends meet. Higher energy costs – and the resulting costs that will be added to existing products and services – will only make that struggle more problematic.

The EPA’s rule will require a 32 percent across-the-board reduction in carbon emissions from 2005 levels by 2030. Such a dramatic rate reduction will target the heart of America’s affordable and reliable coal generation. South Dakota’s state reduction target is 47 percent, which is one of the highest in the country and far exceeds the national average.

For the Big Stone Plant, which is South Dakota’s only major coal-fired electric generating unit and nearing completion of a $384 million environmental upgrade, the dust has yet to settle on existing regulations that the EPA has piled on it, including Regional Haze and Utility MACT. Despite the Big Stone Plant soon becoming one of the cleanest plants in the country, the EPA’s latest set of rules will threaten the plant’s multi-million dollar investment. In order to recoup this investment, it may be forced to pass its costs onto ratepayers.

In January, I wrote to EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy calling on the agency to think twice about the impact their D.C.-based rule-making process would have on South Dakotans halfway across the country. I urged Administrator McCarthy to abandon these rules, or at the very least, reconsider South Dakota’s emission reduction target to more accurately reflect our existing energy portfolio and the investments utility companies and ratepayers have already made in efficiency upgrades. Not only did the EPA move forward with these rules anyway, but South Dakota’s emission reduction target actually increased in the final rule.

I have said it before: Rule-makers in Washington’s concrete jungle, whether intentionally or unintentionally, force one-size-fits-all rules that oftentimes have a devastating impact on agriculture producers, homeowners, and small businesses across the country. With its national energy tax, the Obama EPA has struck again. I will continue to do all I can to see that this ill-conceived rule is reversed.

US Senator Mike Rounds’ Weekly Column: The EPA’s Unfair ‘Sue and Settle’ Tactics

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RoundsPressHeader MikeRounds official SenateThe EPA’s Unfair ‘Sue and Settle’ Tactics
By Senator Mike Rounds

Too often, rather than writing and implementing regulations in an open and transparent process, environmental regulations are enacted as a result of citizen suits prompted by environmental activists. This practice is commonly known as “sue-and-settle.” I recently chaired a Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Subcommittee hearing to examine the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) sue-and-settle tactics and the impact they have on our economy and local governments.

Both the Clean Air Act and the Endangered Species Act contain clauses that allow citizens to file citizen suits against a regulatory agency to reassure the agency’s compliance with federal statutes. Often, these citizen suits are being used to perpetuate this sue-and-settle process, which overwhelms regulatory agencies and results in settlement agreements and consent decrees requiring agencies to promulgate major regulations within an arbitrarily imposed timeline.

It is worrisome that these agreements are often negotiated behind closed doors, with no transparency and little input from the public before a final rule is issued. The parties responsible for implementing the rules, such as states and local governments, are nearly completely cut out of the process. They are not even consulted about the practicalities of the settlement agreement. Even more alarming, an EPW Committee report recently released found evidence of the Obama Administration colluding with environmental groups to advance these cases. This unfair process allows the administration to advance its own policy agenda while circumventing Congress and the entire legislative process.

As a result, sue-and settle techniques are creating expensive, burdensome regulations that cost taxpayers billions of dollars, stifle economic growth and limit job creation. What’s worse is that these rules are being made behind closed doors by unelected bureaucrats. The American people have no voice in the process. A recent study by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce found that the EPA reconsideration of the 2008 Ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standards could cost up to $90 billion annually, making it the most expensive regulation in history.

Since October 2014, there have been 88 sue-and-settle cases, 79 of which were launched by environmental groups. This squeezes out the voice of average Americans who deserve a say in the regulations under which we all must live.  I believe our government works best when the public is involved in the decisions that affect their daily lives and agencies work transparently and in good faith. Sue-and-settle practices undermine this concept.

As chairman of the EPW Subcommittee on Superfund, Waste Management, and Regulatory Oversight, I take seriously my job to hold the EPA and other agencies accountable to the American people. I will continue working to stop the unfair sue-and-settle tactics used by the administration to circumvent Congress and the American people in order to promote their agendas.

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Congresswoman Noem’s Weekly Column: 190 Bills Passed, But More Work Remains

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noem press header kristi noem headshot May 21 2014190 Bills Passed, But More Work Remains
By Rep. Kristi Noem

If you read the headlines, it’s difficult not to get frustrated with what’s happening in our country. Almost every day it seems we open the newspaper or turn on the news or scroll through Facebook to read about a new crisis, more gridlock, or greater dysfunction. It makes you wonder what is going on in this country? That’s how I feel sometimes, anyways.

The good news is, however, we aren’t standing idly by. Step by step, we’re getting things done.

At this point, we’re just over halfway through the year.  Already, the U.S. House of Representatives has passed 190 bills, far more than the historical average of 125 bills by this point.

The legislative process these bills have undergone has been more open too.  Every perspective has had the opportunity to be debated.  In fact, the House of Representatives has considered more than 600 amendments, which is double the historical average.  The result has been a Congress that is more effective, with 29 bills being enacted into law this year – once again, well above the historical average of 21.

Of course, it’s not all about the numbers.  The bills that have become law have been meaningful as well.  The Clay Hunt Act aims to prevent veteran suicides, which happen at a rate of about 22 per day, by giving veterans better access to mental health resources. The USA Freedom Act strictly limits the NSA’s bulk data collection.  The Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act, which I helped author, represents one of the most expansive anti-human trafficking laws this decade.  The Medicare Access and Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act shifts the focus toward the quality of care, not the quantity.  And new trade legislation puts strict oversight and accountability restrictions on the administration’s trade negotiations.

Additionally, the House has held dozens of oversight hearings, focusing on everything from the IRS’s targeting of conservative groups to the 2012 terrorist attack in Benghazi to executive overreach.  Together with the Senate, we also passed the first bicameral 10-year balanced budget plan since 2001.

Despite several accomplishments, there are still major issues that must be overcome. In the coming weeks, the House will take up legislation that stops the President’s proposed nuclear deal with Iran.  While I’m cautiously optimistic we have enough votes to get the legislation through both sides of Congress, we continue to work toward achieving a veto-proof majority that can override the President.

Funding for road and bridge repairs expires in October as well, but we have been working on a real, multi-year fix that may include reforms to at least a portion of the tax code.

Other tax reforms – known as tax extenders – are also on the agenda for the last half of the year. The House has already passed a number of these so-called extenders, including a permanent fix to Section 179 – a section of the tax code that is important to many South Dakota ag producers.

While the House has also pushed forward legislation addressing sanctuary cities, the President’s health care law, and immigration, I am doubtful we can find enough common ground with the administration to make responsible changes.  Nonetheless, we’ll keep pushing our ideas forward.

I am continuously striving for a more efficient, effective, and accountable government.  As part of that, I believe it’s my responsibility to show you what has been accomplished, while admitting to the challenges that lay ahead.  There’s a lot of work to be done, but we’re making progress – one step at a time.

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Governor Daugaard’s Weekly Column: Employing People With Disabilities

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daugaardheader DaugaardEmploying People With Disabilities
A column by Gov. Dennis Daugaard:

My mom and dad took pride in self-reliance and taught me the value of hard work. They both worked hard on our family farm, and when the farm went upside-down financially, they both took jobs as janitors at Augustana College to make ends meet.

Mom and Dad were also both deaf, but their inability to hear did not prevent them from working to support my sisters and me. They taught us that all work has dignity and that idleness is not an option. Their disability led them to develop higher levels of determination and persistence.

In 2013, about 65 percent of Americans with disabilities were not working or looking for work. In South Dakota, that number is about 51 percent.

Even though our unemployment rate for those with disabilities is much lower than other states’, it’s still too high. There are too many South Dakotans with disabilities who want a job but can’t find one.

My goal is to make South Dakota an “employment first state.” This means making employment the first priority and the preferred outcome for our citizens with disabilities.

As a result of the Employment Works Task Force I established in 2013, the Department of Human Services is now providing technical assistance to employers and connecting them with qualified individuals. I am also challenging the state of South Dakota to become a model employer of people with disabilities.

As a part of this employment first effort, we’re striving to show employers what Walmart, Camille’s Sidewalk Café in Sioux Falls, Larson Manufacturing and SDSU in Brookings, Black Hills Corporation and many other businesses already know. We are a state that faces considerable workforce needs and there is an untapped labor pool comprised of people with disabilities who are ready, willing and completely ABLE to work.

On Tuesday, Aug. 11, the South Dakota Retailers Association is partnering with the Department of Human Services to host a webinar to guide employers through the process of finding and hiring people with disabilities. That same day, the Department of Human Services is launching an awareness campaign called “Ability for Hire.” This campaign aims to educate employers about the benefits of hiring those with disabilities, and to change misperceptions about them.

South Dakota is making definite progress in this arena, but there is always more to be done. I urge all South Dakotans to pitch in on this issue – to hire more qualified workers with disabilities; to support businesses in their efforts to employ people with disabilities; and to prepare youth for an expectation of a lifetime of work rather than public support. You can also help spread the word about AbilityForHire.com when it launches Aug. 11.

The experiences of businesses like Camille’s and Black Hills Corporation demonstrate that change is possible. These businesses are proving that employing people with disabilities is not an act of charity or sympathy; it’s enlightened self-interest at its very best. It enriches and diversifies our workforce. It’s good for business and good for taxpayers. Best of all, it provides a willing worker an opportunity for the self-respect earned through personal achievement.

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Hawks continues to align campaign with Planned Parenthood & highlight abortion issue.

Pat Powers

As evidence of the reason why Paula Hawks is a favorite of pro-abortion group NARAL, she continues to go all-in on the issue, basing her latest fundraising appeal on supporting the group which has been in the news for selling the body parts obtained from abortions:

 
Kristi Noem is running a political sideshow.

South Dakotans know the important work that Planned Parenthood is delivering for thousands of families across South Dakota, providing health screenings, STD testing, detecting cancer, and family planning. But Kristi Noem is busy sponsoring legislation to eliminate funding for vitally important services millions of people rely on.

Join me today to say enough with the war on women’s health!

Instead of tackling the issues that affect every day South Dakotans, she is pandering to Republican extremists in Washington for her own personal ambitions. 

This is why I am running for the U.S. House, to fight for the issues that South Dakotans care about and to make government work again. It is time for obstructionists like Kristi Noem to leave Washington.

Chip in today so we can put an end to Kristi Noem and Republican extremist’s political sideshows.

I will fight to protect funding for women’s health. I will fight every day for the issues that affect South Dakotans: lowering the cost of prescription drugs, fixing students loan debt, saying enough to the war on women, and protecting family farms and ranches.

Enough with the sideshow, let’s get to work.

Paula Hawks

There’s that “extreme” word again. she must be in the first chapter of the dem attack manual along with the new Dem ED.

The fact of the matter is that Congresswoman Noem represent South Dakota well, and Paula Hawks brings nothing to the table.

But it’s not really effective to campaign on the basis that you’re not nearly as qualified as the current officeholder, but still want to be elected. Is it?

That was quick. The Trump implosion and Megyn Kelly’s “blood coming out of her wherever”

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I was spending time watching TV with the family last night when the Trump Campaign ended. I’m just sorry I missed it, and had to read about it afterwards.

And it was just as Stu Whitney’s Argus Leader wordprocessor spit out a column pretending to be about politics. As you can see – it was trying to portray Trump as catching the wind:

Clarence Kooistra of Sioux Falls, a former state senator and Vietnam veteran who advocates for veterans and their families, told me Thursday that Trump is his choice for president.

“I’m going to strongly support him, because I like what he’s saying,” said Kooistra. “He speaks his mind and he’s an outsider, which is what Washington needs right now. I’m for him 100 percent.”

and..

But Trump’s refusal to submit to the standard cycle of outrage and conciliation only enhanced his appeal, even after a less-than-polished performance in Thursday’s first GOP debate. Similarly, his dismissal of “political correctness” when confronted with claims of past misogynistic comments endeared him to potential voters who prize fearlessness over feelings.

Read that here.

Trump is Clarence Kooistra’s choice? I didn’t realize he switched back to being a Republican again, after abandoning the GOP, and wanting to run as a Democrat after losing the primary in 2006.

But getting back to Trump catching the wind – I’d be curious to see if all of these Trump loving people clamoring to tell Whitney why they want to put their name on the line for him still “like what he’s saying” after his comments Friday night.

Because instead of catching the wind, he’s catching a whole lot of other stuff.  From Yahoo Politics this morning:

Trump’s jaw-dropping comment Friday night that Fox News’ Megyn Kelly had “blood coming out of her eyes, blood coming out of her wherever” has sparked a backlash that will only build in the coming days.

Already, Trump has been disinvited from a prominent speaking gig at the main Republican event this weekend, the RedState Gathering in Atlanta.

“There are bounds of what’s acceptable in our discourse and they’re not different for you, or me, or someone else. I’m not going to have a guy on stage with my wife and daughter in the crowd who thinks a tough question from a woman is because of hormones,” RedState organizer Erick Erickson, a prominent conservative voice, told the Washington Post.

and…

“This is just another example of weakness through being politically correct. For all of the people who were looking forward to Mr. Trump coming, we will miss you. Blame Erick Erickson, your weak and pathetic leader,” according to a campaign statement.

Read it here.

I think my immediate reaction was “Oh My God.”  And I’m wondering how former Senator Kooistra and other Trump followers are reconciling that comment and their support for the presidential candidate to their spouses, and explaining that it’s just another example of “political correctness” when they object to Trump’s derision of Megyn Kelly by saying she had “blood coming out of her wherever.”

The reality is that it’s not political correctness. It’s profane.

But it’s nice to see that Trump will likely be forced from the race sooner than later, so we can get down to the serious business of electing a Republican to the presidency.

Woster discusses Schoenbeck’s plan on improving teacher salaries

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From KELOland, reporter Kevin Woster is discussing State Representative Lee Schoenbeck’s proposal to increase teacher salaries in the upcoming session with a sales tax increase based on our tourism season:

Well, Schoenbeck – who might be considered the Ethan Hunt of the state Republican Party these days when it comes to raising teacher salaries – has everything going for him on the educator-pay issue except, well, a tax.

The state representative from Watertown will need one – a pretty big one — to make any difference..

The one he’s proposing, for the sake of discussion at this point, would hike the state sales tax by a penny from May 1 to Nov. 1, which would fall just short of hitting all those presents my family and friends will be purchasing each year for my birthday on Nov. 3. (Thanks, Lee…)

Before that, it would hit us all in a regressive way, but not one that carries a horrible tax burden for anyone. And it would, of course, put an additional burden on visitors to our state – hunters, bikers, Missouri River walleye fishers, boaters and the gawkers and walkers that make South Dakota Tourism go.

Why should they help us fix our education-funding problem?

“Next time you’re in Minneapolis, look at your bill — all the taxes we pay to support their infrastructure that are sales taxes on your bill,” Schoenbeck says. “And that’s true of every city you go to.”

Read it all here.

What do you think? Is that the solution the problem of teacher pay has been looking for?

Rounds, King Introduce Bill to Give Small Businesses, Community Banks and Credit Unions a Say in CFPB Decision Making

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RoundsPressHeader MikeRounds official SenateRounds, King Introduce Bill to Give Small Businesses, Community Banks and Credit Unions a Say in CFPB Decision Making

PIERRE—U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), a member of the Senate Banking Committee, and U.S. Sen. Angus King (I-Maine), introduced legislation to make certain small businesses, community banks and credit unions will always have a strong voice in the rulemaking process at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). S. 1963, the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection Advisory Board Enhancement Act, would create a new small business advisory panel within the CFPB and make permanent community bank and credit union panels within the Bureau. It would also require each committee to adequately represent members from rural and underserved areas.

“As the CFPB continues to make decisions that affect every American, it is critical for rural areas, community banks, small businesses and credit unions to have a voice,” said Rounds. “This is particularly important in rural states like South Dakota. Our bill makes certain that voice will be heard.”

“Small businesses, community banks and credit unions are invaluable forces in America’s economy, and they deserve a seat at the table as the CFPB makes important and far-reaching financial decisions,” said Senator King. “Rural communities in Maine, South Dakota, and all across the nation rely on these institutions to create jobs and grow the local economy. I’m proud to stand with Senator Rounds, my fellow former governor, on behalf of rural America.”

The CFPB is an independent agency created by Dodd-Frank responsible for consumer protection of the financial sector. It currently has four advisory groups that help it set policy, though only one – the Consumer Advisory Board – is required by Dodd-Frank. This bill codifies two existing advisory boards, the Community Bank Advisory Council and the Credit Union Advisory Council, and creates an additional advisory committee for small businesses. In addition, the bill would require each committee to adequately represent members from rural or underserved areas. The bill is supported by the Independent Community Bankers of America, the American Land Title Association, and the Credit Union National Association, among other groups. Similar legislation, H.R. 1195, passed the House of Representatives in April of 2015.

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