US Senator John Thune’s Weekly Column: Balanced Budget Is a South Dakota Priority

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Balanced Budget Is a South Dakota Priority
By Senator John Thune

John_Thune,_official_portrait,_111th_CongressEvery day, South Dakota families pay their bills, plan for the future, and strive to live within their means. I believe the federal government should do the same. Day after day, I hear from South Dakotans about their concerns with our out-of-control federal debt. They are worried about the burden that will be left on their children and grandchildren and the economic consequences of our debt, like slower economic growth and fewer opportunities.

To address these concerns, the Republican-led Senate recently passed a budget that will reduce spending by $5.1 trillion and balance in 10 years – all without raising taxes on hardworking South Dakotans. In contrast, the president’s budget never balances. Not now. Not in 10 years. Not in 75 years. His budget would add $7.4 trillion to our debt while raising taxes by $1.8 trillion to grow the government.

South Dakotans understand that spending more than what you take in leads to an unsustainable financial future. With the national debt skyrocketing, it’s high time for that same kind of common sense in Washington. Senate Republicans understand what’s at stake, which is why our balanced budget will create a framework for a more efficient, effective, and accountable federal government. It’s a clear contrast to the days of Democrat leadership in the Senate, when for years Democrats refused to pass a balanced budget, or any budget at all.

Returning fiscal sanity to Washington, D.C., is exactly what Republicans meant when we said that we wanted to get Washington working again for the American people. A responsible budget like the one we just passed is long overdue. Our budget preserves Social Security, enhances U.S. energy independence, supports our military and national security, and provides Congress with its best chance yet to repeal and replace Obamacare. Most importantly, it creates a path to a sustainable fiscal future for America and our future generations. While additional work remains to address our fiscal challenges, the Senate-passed budget is a big step toward serious accountability in Washington and greater opportunity for all Americans.

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Congresswoman Kristi Noem’s Weekly Column: Unlocking Leadership

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Unlocking Leadership
By Rep. Kristi Noem
April 3, 2015

kristi noem headshot May 21 2014President Ronald Reagan once said, “The greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things.  He is the one that gets the people to do the greatest things.”

Leadership isn’t about you.  It isn’t about being loud or a showman.  Leaders don’t look for credit; they find victory in creating a meaningful change.  They unlock opportunities for those around them.  They start each mission by listening and learning.  They tap into the potential of others and focus it on a common goal, a worthy purpose.

On April 8, I will hold my second annual Lead Now! Youth Leadership Conference for high school juniors and seniors.  Here, students from across the state will have the opportunity to learn from those who help unlock South Dakota’s potential – in everything from science to academia to social media and more.

What impresses me most about each of this year’s speakers is their proven ability to inspire other people to do great things.  Each leads by building, rather than destroying – and that’s a much needed example of leadership in today’s culture.

Our Founding Fathers did the same thing.  Colonial leaders didn’t inspire Americans by focusing on a defeat of the British; they asked the American people to fight for freedom, independence, and representation – principles that still inspire Americans to do great things today.

Consider the Declaration of Independence.  Yes, it contains a long list of grievances against King George that made clear what the American people were against at the time, but few of us could recite more than one or two of those grievances today.  Instead, we remember – and many can still recite – the sentences our Founding Fathers chose to begin that document: “that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

Inspired leaders – including the leaders who will be presenting to students at the Lead Now! conference – focus attention on the values they fundamentally support, whether it’s greater equality through social media, opportunities for South Dakotans in science, or the pursuit of happiness.

Our state and our country will face some tremendous hurdles in the coming years – hurdles that could define a generation.  We will need strong leaders who look beyond their own capabilities and wrangle the potential of others in our community and our country – leaders who focus on building, rather than destroying – leaders who recognize that the greatest leader is one who gets the people to do the greatest things.

My hope is that the Lead Now! Youth Leadership Conference plays a role in inspiring our next generation of leaders.  I wholeheartedly believe South Dakota’s young people carry with them great potential.  Once it’s unlocked, I know they can change our world.

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Governor Daugaard’s Weekly Column: Preparing For A Dry Year

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Preparing For A Dry Year
A column by Gov. Dennis Daugaard:

DaugaardIt’s only April and it’s already looking like it will be a dry year. Right now, 99 percent of the state’s ground is abnormally dry. About 13 percent is experiencing moderate drought. The drought area includes northeastern South Dakota and another portion in Meade and Pennington counties, leaving 132,149 South Dakotans who live in an area affected by drought.

Because it’s so dry, we’re at an elevated risk for fires. The fire danger is currently “very high” for the Black Hills and “extreme” in counties surrounding the Black Hills. Grassland areas throughout the state are under a “red flag warning” from the National Weather Service.

The South Dakota Department of Agriculture’s Wildland Fire Division helps with response to wildfires on forested, state and private lands. Just in the last few days, the Division has reported fires near Fort Pierre, at Custer State Park, in the Palmer Gulch area and in Harding County.

The Sheep Draw Fire in Harding County is the worst we’ve experienced so far this year. With wind gusts up to 70 mph, the fire grew to 6,430 acres in one day. In response, I ordered two National Guard helicopters to assist those on the ground in putting out the fire. As I write this, the size of the Sheep Draw Fire is now estimated at almost 14,000 acres, but thanks to local firefighters, the state Division of Wildland Fire and others who are helping, the fire is 85 percent contained.

This could be just the beginning of a difficult fire season. I know some fires are inevitable – we can’t prevent lightning strikes or control how much moisture we receive – but there are still ways we can prevent fires.

We need to respect county burn bans when they’re in place. Where fires are permitted, never leave a fire unattended, completely extinguish fires before leaving the area and remind others to be cautious. Also, be mindful when operating equipment in dry areas.

Since I’ve been in office we’ve experienced floods, droughts, fires, blizzards and tornadoes. South Dakota weather is anything but predictable, but I know from experience that the perseverance and benevolence of South Dakotans are things upon which we can always depend. That being said, we need to do all we can to prevent fires, especially this year.

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Rapid City Opt-out heading towards the ballot; Is it time to “give a penny for education?”

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From the Rapid City Journal come the foes of education trying to stop an opt-out in it’s tracks:

Weaver’s group, along with the Citizens for Academic Transparency and South Dakota Campaign for Liberty, opposes the opt out, which would allow the district to exceed the lid on property taxes.

and…

The school board approved the opt out on March 24 after a district fiscal officer said there would be no money to give 1,800 district employees a raise next year, even with $6 million in general fund reductions and a 2 percent raise in education funding by the state Legislature.

The district dipped into its reserves to pay for an $85 million general fund budget for this year. About 85 percent of the general fund goes toward salaries and employee benefits.

The additional levy from the opt out is projected to cost property owners an additional $12 per $100,000 of assessed valuation for each $1 million of opt-out revenue, or $72 per year if the school district asks for the full $6 million.

Agricultural property owners’ taxes would jump $30 per year per $100,000 in assessed valuation, with non-agricultural, commercial property owners facing an annual tax increase of $150 per $100,000 of valuation.

Weaver said the district isn’t forthcoming on how education money is spent, and she questions the need to put more of a burden on taxpayers.

and…

Weaver said part of the problem is the state’s acceptance of the common core mandates.

“These requirements are driving up the cost of education, and it’s debatable whether any of it even benefits the children. No one’s asking that question: ‘Is it good for the kids?'” she said.

Read it here.

If anyone can demonstrate how one set of educational standards, common core, is driving up educational costs versus any other set of standards, I’d like to hear the explanation. But standards are a small argument in light of the problem of paying for our kids getting a quality education.

Education has been on the bottom rung of the funding ladder for many, many years in South Dakota. I’d argue some of it has been the fault and tactics of lobbying groups such as SDEA, who spent years attacking Republicans and alienating themselves in the legislative process.   I’d argue that some of it comes from bad attitudes towards the profession (I work 12 months out of the year and those gol durn teachers don’t, etc), and some of it is our culture – we’re pretty darned tight with our tax dollars.

I don’t think suing the state helped much (to determine what educational funding should be) to help the relationship either.

In the past, our students have been able to keep pace, and even excel in test scores despite a disparity in teacher pay and educational funding. But in recent years, the differences are becoming pronounced enough to get legislators to pay attention, as one conservative Republican legislator was commenting the other day:

…even a casual reader of the Argus Leader would be aware that we have funding challenges for education in South Dakota. Competitive salaries to attract and retain qualified educators in the k-12 world, and funds to keep tuition affordable in the technical school and regental system will come with a cost – a big one. The only realistic option on the table is some form of a sales tax for some period of time.

Read that here.

As Representative Schoenbeck notes, a temporary sales tax, such as during summer months, would raise a considerable amount of money, and dedicating it to education would provide the stable source of funding the education lobby has been demanding for years. Would we want it year-round? Or it it never going to happen?

So I pose the question to you. What do you think?

Larry Pressler advocating against Republicans and computers.

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Larry Pressler has dropped all pretense after this last years’ election where he lost badly against Senator Mike Rounds, and is openly on the attack against Republicans:

Pressler fielded several questions from enthusiastic students in the audience over the 75-minute discussion period. Most regarded state government and voter apathy. He urged the young students to work to increase voter turnout among young adults, as well as eliminate the Republican stranglehold on South Dakota politics.
“Our Legislature gets a little too far to the right sometimes,” said Pressler. “The moderate center is where all the problems are solved.”
Pressler said the conservative South Dakota Legislature should consider implementing a state income tax, allow for gay civil unions and reconsider the new raised speed limit.

Read it here.

But it gets better. Why did we not elect the buffoonish Pressler, who when formerly in office availed himself of all its trappings?   Well, gol durn it , the unwashed masses have too much information available:

Unlike many politicians, Pressler blamed new technology for creating a sphere of ignorance around local government. He said the reliance on global news outlets limits public awareness at the local level.
“Nowadays with computers, people think they know a lot more about politics than they do,” Pressler said. “We might know all about the problems in Ferguson, Missouri, but we don’t know about the problems on Native American reservations in South Dakota.”

Did he really say that? “with computers, people think they know a lot more about politics than they do.”

The fact of the matter is that politicians who could formerly thrive when no one in their home state knew what they were doing were quickly made extinct as the 24 hour news cycle and the Internet emerged.  They can’t get away with doing and saying things in a vacuum.

So, Larry lost. And it was all the fault of Republicans and computers. Basically, Larry blames honesty and information.  

Somehow, society will just have to suffer under their yoke.

Daugaards Invite Families To Attend Annual Easter Egg Hunt

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Daugaards Invite Families To Attend Annual Easter Egg Hunt

PIERRE, S.D. – The Governor and First Lady are inviting families to take part in the 62nd Annual Elks Easter Egg Hunt on the Governor’s residence lawn at 1 p.m. CDT on Easter.

“This will be the fifth year that Linda and I have participated in the mansion Easter Egg Hunt. We’re happy to have the opportunity to continue the tradition,” said Gov. Dennis Daugaard.

Children up to age 12 are invited to participate in the Egg Hunt. Steve Wegman, chairman of the Elks Easter Egg Hunt, estimates that up to 1,500 children participate each year. According to Wegman, the event is the oldest and largest family event in the state of South Dakota.

The event is sponsored by the Pierre Elk’s Lodge #1953. Those who would like to make a contribution toward the event should contact Wegman at 605-295-1221.