It’s that time of the season, when we’re getting completely slammed by direct mail, and one of my favorite forms of political communication – postcards!  So, what are people out in the field getting?  Here’s a sampling of what’s arrived in my mailbox, and what’s been passed my way:

State Representative Mary Fitzgerald is hitting mail in D31 this week asking for re-election, and pointing out her positive ratings by various groups.

As opposed to her opponent Comrade Swanson, who apparently wants to seize power from the bourgeoisie, D30 Senate Candidate Amber Hulse is promoting Republican values in her outreach to voters.

As I received in my own mailbox, The South Dakota Federation of Republican Women are putting their cash into doing slate cards in a number of Legislative Districts. This is the one I received for D7, and I’ve seen another one for D8. I’m told the group is pouring thousands into their effort, so if you haven’t received one, you should be getting one shortly.

A card is hitting Sioux Falls telling people “Don’t San Francisco our SD” by letting Democrats like Clay Hoffman push “failed Democrat Policies here,” and to “Vote Republican on November 5.”

And finally, South Dakota Right to Life uses a recent postcard from out of state to attack teachers and schools with paranoia by inferring schools are going to send out our daughters for abortions if Amendment G passes…

… because teachers don’t get dumped on enough. Ugh.

This reminds me of awful Julie Frye Mueller claiming schools were going to transgender your kids if you signed the school handbook. When my mom was a school nurse, back before all these laws got passed, her time was spent on head lice and kids feigning illness in an attempt to get out of class because of a test. Not pregnancy counseling.

And that’s what’s hitting mailboxes this week.

Rounds, King Seek Maximum H-2B Work Visas to Support Small Businesses in 2025

H-2B visas help employers fill temporary, seasonal positions 

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) and Angus King (I-Maine), alongside a bipartisan group of their colleagues, have written to the Department of Labor (DOL) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to release the maximum allowable number of additional H-2B visas for Fiscal Year (FY) 2025.

H-2B visas fill needs for American small businesses when there are not enough able and willing American workers to fill the temporary, seasonal positions. As required by law, employers must first make a concerted effort to hire American workers to fill open positions. When the local workforce is insufficient, H-2Bs are seen as a necessary tool to support local economies. Employers often spend more money to hire temporary H-2B workers, who are paid a prevailing wage as required by the U.S. Department of Labor.

“We write on behalf of seasonal businesses in our states—including employers of housekeepers in tourist destinations, landscapers with defined seasons, seafood processors with short harvesting windows, and fairs and carnivals—who are struggling to hire a sufficient number of temporary, seasonal laborers to support their operations,” wrote the Senators. “In light of these labor shortages, we strongly urge the Department of Homeland Security, in consultation with the Department of Labor, to utilize the authority provided by Congress in the FY2025 Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act to release the maximum allowable number of additional H-2B visas for Fiscal Year 2025, as you did for Fiscal Year 2024.”

The letter was also signed by Senators John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Tom Carper (D-Del.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Chris Coons (D-Del.), John Cornyn (R-Teas.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), John Fetterman (D-Penn.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), George Helmy (D-N.J.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), Joe Manchin (I-W.V.), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.), Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), John Thune (R-S.D.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.) and Tim Scott (R-S.C.)

The full text of the letter can be found here or below.

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Dear Secretaries Mayorkas and Su:

We write on behalf of seasonal businesses in our states—including employers of housekeepers in tourist destinations, landscapers with defined seasons, seafood processors with short harvesting windows, and fairs and carnivals—who are struggling to hire a sufficient number of temporary, seasonal laborers to support their operations.

In light of these labor shortages, we strongly urge the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), in consultation with the Department of Labor (DOL), to utilize the authority provided by Congress in the FY2025 Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act to release the maximum allowable number of additional H-2B visas for Fiscal Year 2025, as you did for Fiscal Year 2024. These visas will help employers handle their labor challenges, and provide additional certainty regarding their workforce planning decisions in the coming months. We urge you to promptly publish a temporary rule implementing the release of these supplemental visas.

Many employers turn to the H-2B program to meet their workforce needs to not only sustain their businesses, but also support their American workers. The H-2B program places requirements on employers to recruit U.S. workers, who are intentionally prioritized by the program and also receive demonstrated, positive impacts from their seasonal colleagues. In fact, a 2020 Government Accountability Office report concluded that “counties with H-2B employers generally had lower unemployment rates and higher average weekly wages than counties that do not have any H-2B employers.”

The most current employment data illustrates the workforce struggles of seasonal businesses nationwide. The Department of Labor’s Job Openings and Labor Turnover Surveys (JOLTS) show the rate of job openings have increased year over year for the industries that represent the top five H-2B occupations. As you know, the FY 2025 H-2B first half fiscal year cap was met on September 18, 2024—roughly three weeks earlier than the cap was met in FY 2024. The result is that seasonal employers whose peak seasons are in late fall and winter are capped out before their period of seasonal need begins. Absent cap relief, these employers will be unable to receive temporary, U.S. government-vetted guest workers.

Congress has acknowledged this seasonal labor shortage by providing DHS with the authority to lift the H-2B visa cap for each of the past eight fiscal years. Given the growing demand for H-2B workers as employers continue to struggle with staffing shortages, we encourage you to promptly promulgate a temporary final rule for FY 2025 along the same lines as the FY 2024 rule.

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(Unlike some of the legislative social events, [former] Staff and Interns are invited — Editor PP) 

 

PROGRAM DETAILS ANNOUNCED, REGISTRATION OPEN FOR ONE HUNDREDTH SESSION CELEBRATION 

PIERRE – Online registration is now open for current and former legislators, Legislative Research Council staff, interns, and pages wanting to attend the special events on April 12, 2025, commemorating the 100^th session of the South Dakota Legislature. Interested people should register before March 1, 2025, through the South Dakota Historical Society Foundation at https://www.sdhsf.org/donate/100th-legislative-session-reception-reunion.html.

The day’s events, to be held at the State Capitol and the Ramkota Hotel and Convention Center in Pierre, will include a program from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the Capitol Rotunda. Prior to the program, from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., the legislative photographer will be on hand for group photos of former legislators and other attendees.

Beginning at 4:00 p.m., a reception will be held at the Ramkota Hotel and Convention Center, with a dance starting at 6:00 p.m. featuring the 147^th Army Band of the South Dakota National Guard. Drinks and hors d’oeuvres will be served.

Representative Tony Venhuizen (R-Sioux Falls), Chair of the One Hundredth Session Planning Committee, encourages those affiliated with the South Dakota Legislature during its history to attend.

“I hope all former legislators and others who have been involved will plan to attend this historic reunion,” said Venhuizen. “It will be a great opportunity to celebrate our citizen legislature and its rich history, and to see old friends.”

Tickets for the reception and dance are $20 each. Registrants will be required to designate their affiliation with the legislature (as a current or former legislator, legislative staff, intern, page, or other affiliation) when they purchase tickets.

Other members of the One Hundredth Session Planning Committee include Senator David Wheeler (Vice Chair) (R-Huron); Representatives Erin Healy (D-Sioux Falls) and Stephanie Sauder (R-Bryant); Senators Jean Hunhoff (R-Yankton) and Steve Kolbeck (R-Brandon); former state lawmakers Bernie Hunhoff and Matt Michels; and State Historian Dr. Ben Jones.

-30-

Actually, I can register in a dual role, as I was an intern in the 1988 session, and legislative staff for the Senate in … I believe 1994. I think.   (Proving that memory is the first thing to go.). 

This filing came last week. Apparently the Minnehaha County Republican Party is dumping cash into the Freedom Caucus PAC while leaving some of their candidates by the side of the road:

I spoke to one Minnehaha County candidate and asked if they had gotten $950 from the county party. The answer? Nope.

We’ll just have to keep an eye on where that cash is going a little down the line, since they’re using donor dollars for a private PAC, and follow the money.

The SDGOP pulled no punches in going after one of the leftmost candidates running for office this year in a postcard that hit mailboxes last week:

The party hits him on his campaign agenda of “To expose the ruling party’s corruption, to enhance worker rights: raise minimum wage to $20/hr, no more right to work.”  Hyperbole, perhaps?   Well, the problem for Swanson is that it’s not puffery, and actually direct quotes that SWANSON SUBMITTED HIMSELF ANSWERING BALLOTPEDIA’s 2022 SURVEY when he ran the last time:

You can read what Comrade Swanson is laying down here.

Most people subscribe to the adage that if it walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck..

Well, for Swanson, if you spout propaganda like Karl Marx and Vladmir Lenin, and you campaign on the issues of Marx and Lenin, some might just view you as being a socialist.

That might be tough for a lot of the residents of District 30 to swallow.  Especially in deep-red District 30. (But not the type of red we’re thinking when we read what Swanson wants to bring to Pierre.)

 

The blockchain industry yields benefits for businesses and individuals in South Dakota and across the country
by Dirk Lohry

As the general election approaches, both major political parties have now concluded their national conventions and presented policy platforms outlining their priorities for the coming years. While voters are focused on a variety of key issues, I urge both voters and our elected officials to prioritize responsible, pro-business regulation in emerging industries—particularly in the crypto and blockchain sectors.

In July, the Republican National Committee’s platform highlighted a commitment to fostering a pro-crypto environment, signaling a notable shift in the party’s stance from previous years. Meanwhile, the Democratic National Committee, in their August platform, did not mention cryptocurrency or blockchain technology. However, Vice President Kamala Harris recently addressed both AI and digital assets at a fundraiser, pledging to encourage further investment in these areas. This marks the Vice President’s first positive acknowledgment of the crypto industry, reinforcing the importance of this issue and the need for informed legislative action.

Former President Trump also made headlines recently with his endorsement of World Liberty Financial, a decentralized cryptocurrency platform, expressing his vision of making the United States the “crypto capital of the world.” With both presidential candidates signaling support for the crypto industry, momentum is building around the potential of this dynamic sector.

The blockchain industry has already begun to yield significant benefits for businesses and individuals in South Dakota and across the country. As this sector continues to grow, Congress has a unique opportunity to enact policies that support innovation and economic advancement here in America.

In the House, Representative Dusty Johnson led bipartisan efforts to pass the Financial Innovation and Technology for the 21st Century Act (FIT21). This landmark legislation lays the groundwork for consumer protections while encouraging American innovation in digital assets.

I urge Senator Rounds to build on this momentum in the U.S. Senate. Through strong leadership and bipartisan cooperation, Congress can craft legislation that enables American businesses to harness the full potential of crypto technology. Just as with other industries, it’s vital that Americans lead in this space, driving innovation and growth.

D32 State Senator Helene Duhamel was in mailboxes this past week with a new postcard which talks about how she’s worked with many of our elected officials to solve problems. (there’s a GOP and non-GOP version out there, here’s the GOP card that went out):

Protecting Mt. Rushmore, making sure drinking water ia available, supporting Ellsworth, protecting communities and supporting law enforcement, helping to fund the expansion of the Rapid City Regional Airport, etcetera is all a good list.  For the Republican faithful, the quote on the front from State Senator and South Dakota Republican Party Chairman John Wiik is very much worth taking notice of:

That’s ONE Republican in the race for District 32 State Senate. And it isn’t the other person.

Chris Larson, Sioux Falls’ mattress guy – not to be confused with the equally conspiracy minded pillow guy – is out campaigning against most of the ballot measures as he leads the “No on everything” effort.

As well as once again posting how he’s no longer a “normie,” (as he derisively terms people who don’t mindlessly believe facebook conspiracy theories), and explains:

..the Enemy (bad actors who serve their father, the devil – see John 8:44) is employing a strategy of “flooding the zone’’, which has overwhelmed the sense-making abilities of average citizens. It’s just too much to keep track of. From our borderless border, to endless wars, to non-stop blatant lying from our government/media cabal, to runaway gov’t spending & inflation, to presidential assassinations that are “no big deal” anymore, to an absolute loss of trust in our election systems, to Klaus Schwab and the WEF, to the possibility that nefarious shadow groups are somehow controlling the weather (!), the average American is being carpet bombed by negativity, lies and chaos.

In case you need to read the goofiness here.

I’m not sure how he managed to leave out the trilateral commission, Q-anon warnings about child stealing pizza parlors, the Rothchilds, British Monarchy’s various conspiracies, and jewish space lasers causing fires out west as well as Toby Doeden’s Taylor Swift/Vaccine conspiracy.

Just remember, these are the guys who want to take over the Republican party in SD.

Burying Republicans one crazy facebook post at a time.

Oacoma Democrat David Ries is running as an independent against Representative Rebecca Reimer for the House in 26B this election.

And he just sent out a postcard encouraging his people to get out and vote:

He’s asking his supporters to Vote Independent on November 6th for a change. 

I’m ok with that. Although, they might find the doors shut.  Considering the election is November 5th.

Just over a week to go. Stay tuned.

From “Frank Speech,” it looks like we know where “self-declared election expert” Rick Weible has been since he was at the receiving end of a campaigning 101 lesson on how to run for office in the primary.  Weible seems to be the fill-in guest host for the pillow guy show on the pillow guy website.

I’m surprised he’s running this far above the radar, considering Rick declared to the Brookings County Commission that his “life is at risk” on March 19th.

Although, this could actually be an underground bunker. Or a storage closet.

Stay tuned.