I guess these are the times we live in, as the new group in charge of the Lincoln County GOP believes it can tell their legislators how they are supposed to vote. (Isn’t that cute?)

The Pennington County Republican Party has announced their speaker for their April Pennington County Lincoln Day Dinner, former Iowa Congressman Steve King:

He might not be quite as bad as when the Doeden Dumpster PAC announced they wanted to feature “alleged black nazi” Mark Robinson at their dinner.  But.. are they really that far off?:

King is an opponent of immigration and multiculturalism, and has a long history of racist and anti-immigrant rhetoric and white nationalist affiliations. In 2018 The Washington Post described King as “the Congressman most openly affiliated with white nationalism.” King has been criticized for his affiliation with white supremacist ideas, made controversial statements against immigrants, and supported European right-wing populist and far-right politicians who have engaged in racism, anti-Semitism and Islamophobia.

and..

Shortly before the 2018 election, the National Republican Congressional Committee withdrew funding for King’s reelection campaign and its chairman, Steve Stivers, condemned King’s conduct, although Iowa’s Republican senators and governor continued to endorse him. King was narrowly reelected, but after a January 2019 interview in which he questioned the negative connotations of the terms “white nationalist” and “white supremacy”, he was widely condemned by both parties, the media, and public figures, and the Republican Steering Committee removed him from all House committee assignments. King ran for reelection but, campaign funding and support having declined, lost the June 2020 Republican primary to Randy Feenstra by 10 points.

Read that at Wikipedia.com.

Man. The quality of the speakers at these events has really gone downhill.

I remember at the 1988 GOP Convention in Watertown, the main speaker was Vietnam veteran John McCain, a man who some years later would be our candidate for president.

37 years later, now we are having dinners where a month or so ahead of time the host organization will spend time trying to explain to the media that their dinner speaker is not really a white supremacist.

Moving on.

I was surprised it hadn’t been mentioned in the conversations so far, but I’m informed by incoming Lt. Governor Tony Venhuizen that he will take office as a full-time Lieutenant Governor.

Under South Dakota Law, the Lieutenant Governor is in a unique position unlike other constitutional officeholders where he has the option under SDCL § 1-7-5.1 to earn compensation in addition to the salary prescribed in § 3-8-2.1, conditional upon performance of additional duties which the governor may assign. In other words, he can choose to be full-time or part time, and Tony informs me that he will serve in the position in a full-time role for the Rhoden Administration.

Venhuizen had previously served in the Governor’s office in various roles, including as chief of staff from 2014-19, with Tony staying on in the administration of Governor Noem as a senior advisor in 2019, and then returning as chief of staff in 2020-21. With Governor Rhoden having already named Mackenzie Decker as his Chief of Staff, I suspect Tony’s role is yet to be fully determined, but will likely involve his experience in helping Governor Rhoden wrap his arms around his new role as our state’s chief executive.

It’s an exciting time in government as there are a number of things happening, and besides the legislative session, with Larry R. taking over midway in the term of office there will likely be turnover as executive level leadership within the departments of the executive branch determine if they are going to remain in the pressure cooker of state government, or move to the private sector (it always happens as we get towards the end of a term).

But as I noted, Tony has significant enough experience in the Governor’s office that he can assist the new Governor with keeping the cats herded.

Interestingly, the same day that both bills to dump taxpayer dollars into private schools were killed in committee, the following two pieces of legislation were introduced:

Does that language seem a little vague? Well, that’s because there is none. These are placeholder bills which serve no purpose but to be amended.  I suspect we will see them come back from the dead.

I expect it will be coming back from the dead a little less like Jesus did in eternal glory, but more akin to Frankenstein’s monster, patched together from parts that weren’t necessarily so fresh.

Gov. Rhoden Seeking Applications for District 13 Vacancy 

PIERRE, S.D. – Today, Governor Larry Rhoden requested public input on filling a legislative vacancy for the House of Representatives in District 13. This morning, Governor Rhoden announced Tony Venhuizen as his selection for Lieutenant Governor, and Venhuizen resigned his seat in the House of Representatives.

Those wishing to be considered for the vacancy in the House of Representatives, or to offer nominations, should email Ryan Brunner at Ryan.Brunner@state.sd.us. Nominations should include the candidate’s name, current physical address, resume, cover letter, and letters of recommendation. All nomination materials must be submitted by 5:00 pm CT on Sunday, February 2, 2025. 

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From Wikipedia, on the death of Chester Poage:

On the evening of March 12, 2000, Page, Piper, and Hoadley met with Poage at his family home in Spearfish. The four of them were acquainted and met to play video games together. Poage’s mother and sister were in Florida on vacation at the time, meaning that the house was empty. Later on, the four of them left the house and drove in Poage’s Chevrolet Blazer to the house where Page, Piper, and Hoadley were staying. Once inside, Page produced a .22 caliber pistol, which he had stolen from Poage’s home, and ordered Poage to get on the floor. The three men planned to rob Poage’s family home and did not want a witness to the crime.^[4] As Poage lay on the floor, he was kicked repeatedly by Piper until he was unconscious. He was then tied up with a cord and placed in a chair. Piper put a tire iron across Poage’s feet to prevent him from moving. When Poage regained consciousness, he pleaded with his attackers to let him go, but they refused. Instead, he was forced to drink beer containing crushed pills and hydrochloric acid. His ATM card was then taken from him by Page. The perpetrators then discussed their plan to murder Poage while they stood in front of him.^[5][6]

Poage was forced into his own vehicle and was driven approximately seven miles to Higgins Gulch, a remote wooded area in the Black Hills. He was ordered out of the vehicle and pushed into thick snow. He was stripped naked, apart from his undershirt, shoes, and socks. Poage was then escorted downhill toward a small icy creek. During the walk, he was beaten repeatedly until he was forced to lie down in the creek, where he was attacked again. As Poage lay in the creek, he was stabbed in the neck by Page with a knife. The three men then decided it was time to kill him. Poage requested to be let into his vehicle so he could warm himself up. He said he preferred to bleed to death in the warmth, rather than freezing to death in the cold. Piper agreed to the request if he washed blood off his body first. As Poage washed himself, Piper changed his mind, and Poage was violently dragged back into the creek by the three men as they attempted to drown him. Poage was then finally killed by having rocks thrown at his head. Page later stated that he and Hoadley ended Poage’s life by dropping several large rocks on his head. Piper’s brief contends that he did not take part in the drowning attempt or stabbings. Piper argues that he had returned to Poage’s vehicle as he was being killed. According to Piper, Hoadley was the one who threw the final rock that killed Poage, but at that point in time, Piper was not there to personally witness the murder. However, Piper allegedly admitted standing on Poage’s neck to assist Hoadley in drowning him and then reportedly stabbed Poage twice. Both Page and Hoadley admitted that they both dropped heavy rocks on Poage’s head, actions which they believe are what finally killed him. Hours after the beatings first began, Poage was left for dead in the creek in the early hours of March 13. The men killed him because they did not want a witness to the robbery of his home.^[5][6]

Read that here.

State Senator Jamie Smith has now filed a bill to repeal Capital Punishment, Senate Bill 119. Jamie Smith is in effect saying that what Briley Piper did is only worth life in prison.

No. Absolutely not.

The death penalty is reserved for society’s most heinous crimes, and you would be hard pressed to say that this is not in that category. It is so rarely used in South Dakota that this should not be a discussion.

The death penalty should stand as a deterrent, and should remain in place.

If you ever caught yourself thinking that things might be setting down in Pierre, guess again. Because the AG doesn’t have enough to do to prosecute murderers, there’s a bill in the hopper yet to emerge from Rep. Brandei Schaefbauer directing the Attorney General to spend South Dakota taxpayer dollars to file a lawsuit against the People’s Republic of China for COVID:

Honestly.. what do you do with that?

Gov. Rhoden Selects Tony Venhuizen as Lt. Governor 

PIERRE, S.D. – Today, Governor Larry Rhoden announced Tony Venhuizen as his selection for the 40^th Lieutenant Governor of South Dakota. A photograph of Tony Venhuizen can be found here. 

“Tony is a problem solver for the people of South Dakota,” said Governor Larry Rhoden. “He is never shy to show leadership and take on challenging issues. He may know more about South Dakota’s history than anyone I’ve ever met. And he uses that knowledge to help shape where our state is heading in the future.”

Tony Venhuizen served since 2023 as a state representative from District 13 and as Vice Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee. He also chaired the State Legislature’s 100th Session Planning Committee in 2024.  He resigned his seat in the legislature this morning. You can find his resignation letter here.

“I want to thank Governor Rhoden for his confidence in me,” said Tony Venhuizen. “It will be a great honor to serve the people of South Dakota as lieutenant governor. I look forward to helping Governor Rhoden keep South Dakota strong, safe, and free.”

Venhuizen served for ten years in the Governor’s Office, including time as chief of staff to Governor Dennis Daugaard and Governor Kristi Noem. He earned his bachelor’s degree in political science and history from South Dakota State University in 2005 and his juris doctorate from the University of South Dakota Knudson School of Law in 2008.

“We had many excellent applicants for this position,” continued Governor Rhoden. “I had the luxury of countless incredible candidates, and I selected one who is the best fit for such a time as this.”

Pursuant to Article 4 Section 6 of the South Dakota Constitution, Venhuizen “shall take office upon confirmation by a majority vote of all the members of each house of the Legislature.”

Venhuizen is president of the board of directors of the South Dakota Historical Society Foundation. He is a member of the board of directors of the Trail of Governors Foundation and of the SDSU Research Park, and a former member of the board of directors of the Greater Sioux Falls Chamber of Commerce.

Tony and his wife, Sara, have three school-age children: Henry, Elizabeth, and Madeleine. Sara is an electrical engineer and a distinguished alumna of South Dakota State University. The family attends Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Sioux Falls. A photo of the family can be found here. 

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With the press conference still in progress, District 13 State Representative Tony Venhuizen is Governor Larry Rhoden’s pick to be his Lt. Governor in a nomination process that will go through both houses of the state legislature starting tomorrow.

Stay tuned for the official press release which will be forthcoming shortly.

The second voucher bill, Representative Odenbach’s House Bill 1020, a bill to establish education savings accounts was killed in House education, on a stronger vote than the more expensive HB1009 voucher bill, and was sent to the 41st day on a 9-6 vote after testimony from a broad coalition of opponents including state education interests, school administrators, teachers, parents, the South Dakota Chamber, and the South Dakota Retailers Association.