Kevin Woster looking, but not seeing any dems on deck.

@SoDakCampaigns

From KELOland:

A party with any hopes of competing next year in the Senate race should have candidates on deck. I’m looking, not seeing. And it’s shady enough in the dugout I can’t really see what’s going on. But there must be somebody in there, maybe doing something productive like corking a bat or fiddling with pine tar.

Please tell me there will be a Democratic slugger against Thune next year, and not a repeat of the embarrassing empty spot on the ballot where a Democratic candidate should have been in 2010 — the first time the guy who beat Daschle ran for reelection.

Read it here.

Press Release: Congresswoman Kristi Noem Discusses Impact of Health Insurance Tax with South Dakota Small Business Owners

@SoDakCampaigns

From Stop the HIT Coalition:

Congresswoman Kristi Noem Discusses Impact of Health Insurance Tax with South Dakota Small Business Owners

Rep. Noem Speaking at HIT Coalition Roundtable EventSioux Falls, SD (April 6, 2015) – Congresswoman Kristi Noem (R-South Dakota) joined local small business owners today in Sioux Falls to discuss how the health insurance tax, or HIT, is impacting local businesses and employees. The event was co-hosted by Click Rain, an online marketing business based in Sioux Falls, and the Stop the HIT Coalition, a broad based group representing the nation’s small business owners, their employees and the self-employed.

“I think today’s discussion was great because it really brought to light the burden that these employers feel to take care of their people and what increased costs and increased taxes really mean to them and the decisions they have to make to give healthcare benefits to their employees; or being forced to no longer offer them because of the increasing costs,” said Congresswoman Kristi Noem.

The HIT is an often-overlooked tax in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) that significantly drives up health insurance costs for millions of small businesses. The tax amounts to $159 billion in new costs over the next decade, which is almost entirely passed on to small businesses and the self-employed who purchase coverage in the fully insured marketplace. The tax raises the cost of health insurance premiums for families by approximately $500 a year, according to an analysis by former CBO Director Douglas Holtz-Eakin.

“Every time there is a new tax and a new expense that adds on to an already increase in premiums year over year, it turns into something that is a burden that is unsustainable for the business and for our employees,” said Eric Yunag, President and CEO of Dakota Security Systems Inc.

South Dakota is home to more than 82,000 small businesses, which employ more than 197,000 workers. According to research by the National Federation of Independent Business Research Foundation, the HIT will jeopardize between 152,000 to 286,000 private-sector jobs across the U.S. by 2023, and reduce real GDP by as much as $20 billion to $33 billion over the same period.

Congresswoman Noem is a cosponsor of H.R. 928, a bipartisan bill in the U.S. House of Representatives that would repeal the HIT and permanently relieve small businesses of this burdensome tax. “This tax needs to be repealed,” stated Congresswoman Noem.

###

Lunch on Thursday? If you’re a conservative, you should be there.

@SoDakCampaigns

IMG_2033.PNGIn case you caught the flyer in the post below, I wanted to provide a little additional information.  Chad Krier, field director for AFP is putting this on, on his own, to help bridge the gap between the various conservative groups in the area (but it’s not an AFP Event).

I asked Chad what the purpose was, and he noted:

“The idea behind the lunch is to give conservatives an opportunity to meet once a month in an informal setting and share their concerns and meet and network with fellow conservatives and for the leaders of various conservative organizations to publicize their events to fellow conservatives.

There are many conservative groups that are doing wonderful work in their particular policy areas, but this is a great opportunity for the members of the various groups to get together and advertise their events beyond their usual supporters.”

Basically, it’s an opportunity for these conservative groups, which may work for vastly different goals, to sit down and break bread, and to talk about what they’re doing, possibly to share ideas and resources.

Not a bad reason to meet for lunch.

Thune on Iran: “We had our foot on the throat, and we let them up.”

@SoDakCampaigns

If you missed it the other day in the Argus, Senator Thune had some pointed comments about what the administration is doing regarding the Iranian nuclear deal:

Thune criticized details of the plan following an announcement by the Obama administration that a framework between Iran and six other countries had been developed to regulate Iran’s nuclear program. The deal, if it comes to pass, would change America’s policy of stopping Iran from getting nuclear weapons to containing a nuclear Iran, Thune said.

In exchange for concessions on its nuclear program, including international inspections and a reduction in its capacity to enrich uranium, western countries would ease sanctions on Iran. Thune said that’s a mistake.

“These sanctions were working,” he said. “We had our foot on the throat, and we let them up.”

and…

Thune says the deal doesn’t force Iran to undo its nuclear infrastructure and it doesn’t allow snap inspections of Iranian facilities. He also said that he doubts the so-called “breakout period,” the time in which Iran could develop highly enriched uranium for nuclear weapons, is a year, saying he thinks experts will conclude it’s much less.

The issue came up when Thune was asked about signing a letter that went to Iranian leaders warning them about making a deal with the Obama administration. Thune and Sen. Mike Rounds were among 47 Republican senators to sign the letter. Democrats have accused them of committing treason.

Read it all here.

Anyone think the world is going to be a safer place once President Obama is done negotiating?  Or is this appeasement along the lines of Neville Chamberlain?

Noem to Hold Annual Youth Conference in Rapid City Wednesday

@SoDakCampaigns

Noem to Hold Annual Youth Conference in Rapid City Wednesday

Rapid City, S.D. – Rep. Kristi Noem will be in Rapid City on Wednesday, April 8, to hold her Second Annual Lead Now! Youth Leadership Conference.  While in Rapid City, she will also be holding a ceremony to honor a WWII-era pilot who is the recipient of a Congressional Gold Medal.

Wednesday, April 8, 2015
WHAT:  Noem to Honor Congressional Gold Medal Recipient
WHEN:  Wednesday, April 8 – 9:00AM-9:30AM (MT)
WHERE:  South Dakota School of Mines, Surbeck Center, Dorr Room

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Rep. Noem will present the family of WWII-era Civil Air Patrol pilot Earl Wilkinson with a bronze replica of the Congressional Gold Medal in recognition of his valor and dedication during WWII.

WHAT:  Noem to Hold Second Annual Lead Now! Youth Leadership Conference
WHEN:  Wednesday, April 8 – 1:00PM-4:30PM (MT)
WHERE:  South Dakota School of Mines, King Center

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Rep. Noem will be holding her Second Annual Lead Now! Youth Leadership Conference for high school juniors and seniors across the state.  Speakers will include:

  • Rapid City Mayor Sam Kooiker
  • Heather Wilson, President of the South Dakota School of Mines
  • Paul Ten Haken, President of Click Rain
  • Tulsi Gabbard (via video)
  • Shirlene Hagler, Mrs. South Dakota International 2015
  • Colonel Kevin Kennedy, Commander of the 28th Bomb Wing, Ellsworth Air Force Base (via video)
  • Tom Jackson, President of Black Hills State University

 ###

It appears “That’s it” for Corinna Robinson. $12.3k in debt, forgiven to close the books.

@SoDakCampaigns

Today, Corinna Robinson filed her final FEC Report closing the chapter on her run for Congress in South Dakota, despite earlier assertions at the end of the last campaign that she was going to be a candidate for the same office in 2016.

Corinna Robinson Termination Report

The report was limited to returning a $1000 donation from an out of state accountant, and Corinna forgiving what remained on the 20K loan she’d made to herself early in the campaign. As noted on the report:

The loan was created in the amount of 20,000.00 in December 2013. There were payments made on this loan. The payments totaled 8,000.00. The payments were made on 7/31/14 for 3,500.00, 8/5/14 for 1,500.00, 10/25/14 for 2,000.00 and 11/10/14 for 1,000.00. There were additional amount added to this loan in the amount of 357.62 in December 2014. This bring the total of the loan to 12,357.62. This loan is being forgiving in the amount of 12,357.62. A letter will be sent to FEC from the candidate stating that she is forgiving this loan in the amount of 12,357.62

This leaves state Democrats back to square one in attempting to find a candidate to challenge Kristi Noem in 2016; at arguably at the height of her popularity and her strongest beginning campaign coffers to date.

And it provides a cautionary tale of what happens when carpetbaggers jump in from out of state and think they’re all that. It usually fails.

US Senator Mike Rounds’ weekly column: Keeping America Safe

@SoDakCampaigns

Weekly Column
Keeping America Safe
By Senator Mike Rounds
April 6, 2015

MikeRounds official SenateProtecting our nation through a strong defense system is a fundamental role of the federal government. As ever-growing threats emerge, we must remain diligent in our abilities to protect our nation and our allies. As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, which has oversight of our nation’s military and the Department of Defense, I am committed to making sure our men and women in uniform are equipped with adequate funding. They put everything on the line to protect our freedoms; we owe it to them to provide these heroes with the proper tools and resources to successfully complete their missions.

Since taking office in January, one issue that has been at the forefront of the committee throughout hearings and briefings is what is commonly known as “sequestration.” Sequestration was implemented in a 2011 law called the Budget Control Act (BCA). BCA was the result of a previous Congress’ failure to agree on a federal budget that arbitrarily cut nearly $1 trillion from the Defense Department’s budget over the course of ten years. The intent of BCA was to chip away at federal spending, but it failed to address the largest piece of federal spending – entitlements. Instead, BCA unfairly made cuts to defense spending, which is not to blame for our runaway debt, threatening military readiness and capabilities.

From the border battle in Ukraine and enhanced Chinese coercion in Asia to the growing prowess of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in the Middle East, new threats have emerged around the globe since sequestration was signed into law. Yet sequestration is still in place. Our military budget continues to be squeezed. It’s time for both parties to work together to eliminate sequestration and provide our military with the funding levels needed to keep our nation safe from our enemies.

On the Senate Armed Services Committee, I applaud Chairman John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Ranking Member Jack Reed (D-R.I.) for being leaders on this issue. We have heard over and over from leaders from throughout the Defense Department about the devastating impacts accompanying sequestration. Like me, many of these military leaders believe that sequestration is a part of a larger threat to our overall defense. Without adequate funding, our entire national security strategy is threatened, both overseas and here at home.

The Senate Budget Resolution that recently passed provided a path to address these cuts to defense spending. While it is not a perfect solution, it is substantially better than the alternative. Our budget resolution offers a short-term patch for the upcoming fiscal year. But a long-term solution is desperately needed. The men and women in uniform who risk their lives to keep us safe should not be continually asked to do more with less. Ending sequestration permanently remains one of my top priorities on the Armed Services Committee.

###