Florida may have one-upped us over Boz

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South Dakota might have thought it had bragging rights for the wildest circus-like candidacy of Annette Bosworth for US Senate last year.

But dammit. Florida just took that title from us, and spiked the ball:

“Yes, I Drank the Goat’s Blood,” Says Florida’s Pagan, Libertarian, “Genius-Level” Senate Candidate

Critics describe him as “a self-proclaimed fascist” and “absolute insanity.” One time, he killed a goat and drank its blood.

Other members of the Libertarian party, in an effort to disown Invictus and his calls for open revolt against the government, have repeatedly brought up rumors that Invictus participated in a pagan sacrifice. And now, according to the AP, he’s owned up to it: “I did sacrifice a goat. I know that’s probably a quibble in the mind of most Americans,” he said. “I sacrificed an animal to the god of the wilderness … Yes, I drank the goat’s blood.”

Read it all here.

And apparently the Hughes Co State’s Atty just dropped the bomb on Chad Haber

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Here we go again….

Only #5? Bah!
I asked for sharks with laser beams!

Apparently, Chad Haber has now been charged with offering a false or forged instrument,  after being indicted by a Hughes County Grand Jury.

According to what Gordon Howie has posted on his website, Haber was served papers from the Hughes County State’s Atty on Saturday, and is set to go to court three weeks from today.

Interestingly, it looks like the Grand Jury indictment was issued way back on the 11th/13th of August. I’m not sure if it took them until now to find Chad, or if they were waiting to see if the felony indictment against Annette stuck.

Interestingly, the character witnesses against Haber might take a darker turn, based on allegations going back nearly a decade over him obtaining a $200,000 loan, but “not having a time table for paying it back.”

I did ask the AG if they intend to do a release on it, and they pointed out it was the Hughes County State’s Attorney who brought the charge. But, somehow I question if Hughes County is going to prosecute it by themselves.

But anyway, sit back, and start popping that popcorn. Here we go again.

Legislative candidate announces he’s going to represent labor unions.

Pat Powers

Mark Winegar of Vermillion apparently announced this past weekend that it is his intention to run as a Democrat for the South Dakota legislature. 

He might be off and running for office, but a letter to the editor in today’s Argus Leader gives us a hint as to who he intends to represent if he wins. Not the citizens of his district, but the labor unions he demands dues for, whether people want to pay them or not:

The premise of the venomous Right to Work legislation is the mistaken notion that it is unfair to require a worker to join a labor union where one is present. However, non-union workers in a union shop benefit from the collective bargaining paid for by the membership dues of his/her co-workers.

Something for nothing is a seductive proposition, but there is a catch. Unions weaken as one after another worker takes advantage of free-loading. Eventually, the union is either nonexistent or too weak to negotiate.

And…

Unions have a legal obligation to fully represent all assigned bargaining unit employees, members and non-members alike. But with Fair Share, non-members pay a fair share fee in the amount of no more than regular union dues. This fair fee covers the cost of bargaining, implementing, and enforcing the contract. Fee payers are non-members so they cannot hold office in the union, but they share in the expense and benefits of collective bargaining.

Read it all here.

“the venomous Right to Work legislation..” “the mistaken notion that it is unfair to require a worker to join a labor union where one is present.” And “Fee payers are non-members so they cannot hold office in the union.”

“The venomous…?” How far off in leftist field IS this guy? How is it a mistaken notion to require someone to pay for something they do not want?  And the best part is that he wants to mandate that people pay for that thing they do not want, at full price, with no voice.
That’s not citizen or constituent representation. That’s lobbying for labor unions, and open disdain for anyone who disagrees.

And the voters in his district should take great heed.

State To Honor Gov. Miller At Capitol Memorial Service Tomorrow

Pat Powers

State To Honor Gov. Miller At Capitol Memorial Service Tomorrow

PIERRE, S.D. – A memorial service for former Gov. Walter Dale Miller will be held at 1 p.m. CDT Monday in the Rotunda of the Capitol Building.

Public viewing will be allowed from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. Those wishing to pay their respects may enter the Capitol Building via the north doors (parking lot side).

Access to the second-floor Rotunda will be closed at 11 a.m. to allow time to set up for the memorial ceremony. Access will begin at 12:30 p.m. for the ceremony, again via the north doors.

Those unable to attend may watch the memorial ceremony live on SDPB 2 or Oahe TV.

There will be a funeral procession leaving View 34 restaurant at 5:30 p.m. CDT tomorrow traveling west on Highway 34 to Rapid City. The public is welcome to pay their respects to Walter Dale Miller along the route.

Former Gov. Miller’s funeral service has been set for Wednesday, Oct. 7, at 10 a.m. MDT at the Calvary Lutheran Church, 5311 Sheridan Lake Rd., Rapid City. Burial will follow at Viewfield Cemetery, near Miller’s Meade County ranch.

Gov. Dennis Daugaard has requested that all flags in the state be lowered to half-staff until sunset on Wednesday, Oct. 7. The flag is customarily displayed from sunrise to sunset, but may be displayed for 24 hours a day if properly illuminated during the hours of darkness.

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US Senator John Thune’s Weekly Column: Ellsworth’s Expanded Role in America’s National Security

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thuneheadernew John_Thune,_official_portrait,_111th_CongressEllsworth’s Expanded Role in America’s National Security
By Sen. John Thune

This year, Ellsworth Air Force Base, located just outside Rapid City, has seen its role in our national security increase dramatically. Early this spring, the Air Force signed off on the completion of an eight-year project to expand the Powder River Training Complex, or PRTC, the airspace in which our B-1B bombers train. Until the expansion, this airspace was only big enough to permit one B-1B bomber to train at a time, which meant that our aircrews had to commute to other airspace to meet their training needs.

With this expansion, the PRTC has quadrupled in size, making it roughly the size of Indiana and spread over four states, including South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana, and Wyoming. Eighty-five percent of our aircrews’ training needs can now be met here in South Dakota, with live-fire exercises taking place elsewhere. This will potentially save Ellsworth $23 million per year and allows our state to host missions from across the country as aircraft come here to utilize this national resource.

This week, we also saw another milestone in the notable history of Ellsworth Air Force Base, as the command structure for the B-1B bombers moved from Air Combat Command to Global Strike Command. This means that all of our nations’ bombers, the B-1B, the B-2, and the B-52, will now be under the same command.

The B-1B remains a legacy mission for the Air Force, and the aircraft modernization the fleet is undergoing means the B-1B will continue to be the work horse of our Air Force for years to come. However, as we look to the future, the United States will eventually need a new, highly advanced, long-range bomber to meet our security needs.

The contract for this new bomber, known as the Long Range Strike-Bomber, or LRS-B, should be announced by years’ end, with the new aircraft coming online in the mid-2020s. When that happens, the LRS-B will gradually replace the B-1B and the B-52 bombers. By moving Ellsworth to Global Strike Command, the Air Force is anticipating that transition. Ellsworth’s command structure is now in a place where it can smoothly receive the new bombers once they come online.

According to General Richard Clark, commander of the 8th Air Force, the transition to the new command will be seamless for the men and women stationed at Ellsworth. “They will wear a different patch,” Gen. Clark said recently, “but aside from that it won’t be a significant change.” He went on to say, “in general this is a really great move for the Air Force.”

With the expansion of the Powder River Training Complex and the transition to Global Strike Command, the key role Ellsworth plays in our national defense has been solidified for years to come.

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US Senator Mike Rounds’ Weekly Column: Staying Safe Online

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RoundsPressHeader MikeRounds official SenateStaying Safe Online
By Senator Mike Rounds
Oct. 2, 2015

The internet has become such an integral part of our daily lives that most of us take it for granted. It is where we go to read the news, pay our bills, socialize with others, do our shopping and conduct important business. Over the last 15 years, the number of internet users has risen across the world from about 360 million to more than 3 billion.

While the World Wide Web has helped us stay connected with loved ones and become more efficient in our daily lives, we must be mindful of hackers and cyber threats that wish to do us harm. To highlight the risks that can occur if we are not safe with our online information, the Department of Homeland Security has dubbed October Cyber Security Awareness Month.

With all of the information we put on the internet – credit card information, bank account numbers, passwords and social security numbers – it is more important than ever to protect ourselves from attacks. Failing to do so can result in stolen identities, drained checking accounts, fraudulent credit card charges, unwanted solicitation and worse. As we have seen from the recent Office of Personnel Management data breach, which compromised 22 million federal employees’ private information, not even the federal government is safe from a cyber-attack.

While nothing is foolproof, there are things you can do to safeguard your online identity. First, make sure to always set strong passwords and change them frequently on all of your online accounts. Make certain you have antivirus software installed on your computer and install security updates every time your computer prompts you to do so. You should also be cautious when opening e-mails and e-mail attachments from unknown sources. If the address and subject line look suspicious, it could very well be a legitimate threat.

In Washington, D.C., cyber security policy has become a major topic of conversation in recent months because of the wide-ranging effects an attack could have on our nation. Some of our country’s top cyber security leaders, including Admiral Michael S. Rogers, Commander of the U.S. Cyber Command and Director of National Intelligence James R. Clapper, recently spoke to the Senate Armed Services Committee to discuss our military strategy in cyberspace and ongoing cyber threats to U.S. national and economic security. They reinforced the importance of being prepared for any kind of attack on our cyber networks. The Senate is expected to consider the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act (CISA) sometime this fall. I welcome this debate and look forward to discussing ways to enhance our nation’s cyber security.

In South Dakota, we are doing our part to keep Americans safe from online threats by training students in cyber security. Dakota State University in Madison, which offers a doctoral degree in cyber security, is one of the National Security Agency’s National Centers of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Education. The demand for highly-trained cyber security experts continues to grow, and Dakota State University is making sure South Dakota students are equipped and trained to fill those jobs. I’m proud that Dakota State University has become a nationally recognized leader in this important field and I look forward to watching their progress.

Cyber Security Awareness Month is an opportunity for all individuals, businesses and organizations to reflect on their efforts to protect themselves from cyber threats. During the month of October, I encourage all South Dakotans to make sure they are taking the steps necessary to keep themselves safe online.

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Congresswoman Kristi Noem’s Weekly Column: Double-Digit Disaster

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noem press header kristi noem headshot May 21 2014Double-Digit Disaster
By Rep. Kristi Noem
October 2, 2015

Nearly one in three health insurance plans sold nationwide on HealthCare.gov next year will see double-digit rate increases.  In South Dakota, those kinds of increases are expected for 100 percent of the plans, according to an analysis done by Agile Health Insurance this September.  The President’s health care law fundamentally failed to drive down the cost of health care in this country and now hardworking families are left to foot an ever-increasing bill.

Congressional Republicans have tried many different approaches to repeal the President’s bill in full and even in part.  We’ve been successful in getting portions of the bill repealed nearly a dozen times, which has already saved billions of dollars.  But more must be done.

This September, I helped the House Ways and Means Committee advance legislation that aims to repeal five core elements of the President’s health care law: the individual mandate, the employer mandate, the Independent Payment Advisory Board (or IPAB), the medical device tax, and the “Cadillac tax.”  This legislation uses a tool called “budget reconciliation” to help protect the language from being stopped by Democrats in the Senate.

In the Senate, almost every bill requires at least three votes: one to start debate, one to end debate, and a final vote on passage.  The first two votes require a 60-vote majority before the legislation can move forward.  Since there are just 54 Republicans in the Senate, most bills require the support of at least six Democrats, making any legislation very difficult to move forward – especially bills that would repeal parts of the President’s signature health care law.

Because of Senate rules, however, reconciliation bills bypass the 60-vote threshold and can pass with just a simple majority – or 51 votes.

There are limits with this approach, however.  For instance, this tactic can only be used once a year, every provision within the bill must directly impact revenue, and it must produce an overall cost savings.  You might remember that Senate Democrats used this same tactic in 2010 to pass a portion of Obamacare. But just as the President’s health care law couldn’t be passed in full through budget reconciliation, it also can’t be completely repealed through budget reconciliation alone.  Nonetheless, reconciliation is the best tool we have to get repeals to the President’s desk that offer meaningful relief to families struggling under Obamacare.

If we are able to tear down the most harmful portions of the President’s health care law, we could stop the entire program in its tracks, which would give us the ability to replace it with a more affordable, patient-centered system.

That replacement system would allow people to buy insurance across state lines.  It would provide tax incentives to help families pay for a health insurance plan that worked for them.  It would reform medical malpractice laws while continuing to safeguard individuals with pre-existing conditions.

A better system that isn’t accompanied by double-digit cost increases is possible.  We just need the chance to implement it and our budget reconciliation language moves us in the right direction.

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