Tick Tock
By Rep. Dusty Johnson

This won’t be new news to you, but Congress sure has a hard time sticking to a budget. Let me back up – Congress has a hard time even creating a budget and many hardworking Americans, including our nation’s military, could end up paying the price.

Our federal government is traditionally funded through a process called appropriations. House and Senate committees will consider budget proposals for different parts of the federal government – like military and defense spending, education and transportation – and pass them individually, providing a piecemeal funding structure. It’s like putting together your family budget by looking at your gas budget, mortgage and rent costs, as well as spending on food all in separate buckets.

Makes sense, right? Well – it works when Congress does its job, but unfortunately, this process has become increasingly political over the years. Politicians often use these spending bills as a way to insert controversial provisions, decreasing any chances of bipartisanship and resulting in a stalemate. Congress constantly packages multiple spending bills together, even if they’re not related, which results in bills that are extraordinarily complex and hundreds of pages long.

Because of the inability of Congress and the president to agree on regular appropriations bills, the government will often pass “continuing resolutions” to keep the government open – Congress takes the easy way out and extends previous funding levels. We owe it to our kids to do the hard work – to look at our nation’s budget and make the tough decisions necessary to rein in spending. It’s been said so frequently I’m afraid it doesn’t sink in for folks anymore, but our nation is running an absurd $22 trillion deficit. Operating a balanced budget should not be a partisan issue.

I support adding a balanced budget amendment to the U.S. Constitution. It’s time for us to put some skin in the game and hold each other accountable. If this is an expectation we have of South Dakota families, and even South Dakota’s government, we should expect no differently from Washington.

The clock is ticking. Congress has until November 21^st to pass all twelve appropriations bills or we’ll be faced with another continuing resolution, leaving tough decisions for another day.

This process is too complicated, and I believe South Dakotans are rightfully frustrated. We must make comprehensive, structural changes to reform this dysfunctional budget process. I have fought and will continue to fight for a conservative approach that rightfully prioritizes your taxpayer dollars and also addresses the gravity of our national debt. I hope my colleagues will join me in this fight.

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Protecting and Preserving Our Outdoor Treasures
By Governor Kristi Noem

Fall in South Dakota really is a special time. As the days get shorter and the temperatures drop, the desire to get into South Dakota’s outdoors goes up! Fall traditions abound and our natural resources rise to the occasion. Migrating ducks and geese fill our skies, pheasants explode from a shelterbelt, bugling elk and buck deer tug at our thoughts… we can hardly wait to take family and friends out in the field.

But when we take in these extraordinary sights and sounds, it’s important to remember the role we all play in protecting and preserving these treasures for future generations.

We’ve just recently learned that zebra mussels are present in Lake Francis Case. This invasive species is primarily spread to other water bodies through live wells, bait wells, and water left in boats. As boaters and anglers, we have a responsibility to know the laws and protect our waters. Clean, drain, and dry your boat every time you use it. Boat plugs must be pulled – and stay pulled – until the next time you use it. This is especially important to remember when you’re duck hunting this fall.

We’ve also learned that Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) has been detected in Bennett County, which means this disease is spreading among deer and elk in South Dakota. In 2020, deer and elk hunters will have new rules for transporting and disposing of carcasses. CWD is transferred through direct animal-to-animal contact. However, infected carcasses that aren’t properly disposed of can, and will, spread this disease. These rules are crucial to protecting our deer and elk herds. We have a responsibility to future generations AND to our wildlife. Get to know the new rules.

Another great way to preserve our outdoor heritage for the future is to take the time to mentor. When I say mentor, I mean more than kids. Take a neighbor, coworker, friend or family member fishing, hunting and camping. Spending time with people new to the outdoors is imperative. Your knowledge, passion, and access are precious and gifts worth passing on.

If you don’t think these issues impact you, you’re wrong. If you use South Dakota’s outdoor resources for any form of recreation, you need to do your part to take care of them and pass them on. I don’t want the next generation of outdoor enthusiasts to have to solve these issues when we can do something about it today.

South Dakota’s beautiful outdoors are here for all of us to enjoy – for today and for the next generation. We must all take care of them together.

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With fewer than 60 days until candidate petitions start circulating for political offices, the South Dakota GOP is active in not just recruiting Republican candidates for office, but in helping them equip their tool boxes as they prepare for their run.

Along those lines, the South Dakota Republican Party is involved with two candidate schools that are happening in coming weeks.

In Rapid City, The Pennington County Republican Party is hosting the Leadership Institute for a Candidate Development on Saturday, December 7 from 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology.    Find out more about the training here.

In Sioux Falls, the South Dakota Republican Party is hosting the SDGOP Candidate School on Saturday, December 14, 2019 at 8 AM – 4 PM at Sioux Falls First, 2000 S 1st Ave, in Sioux Falls.

The GOP Candidate school focuses on preparing Republicans for service as elected officials and community leaders. Ideal attendees for the workshop are Republican party members who are looking to become more politically active, including candidates and campaign staff.   Find more out about the Sioux Falls workshop here.

The cost for either workshop is $35, and participants may sign up and pay their registration fee for either workshop by visiting the SDGOP’s registration page in WinRed here.

Sheldon Osborne over at Sioux Falls Drinking Liberally is claiming this weekend that things are not as dire as they seem with the South Dakota Democrat Party, and that naysayers will soon be eating political crow:

With all of this, Randy has steadied the SDDP ship and set it on a course which should revitalize it going into the 2020 campaign season. I hope Randy remains in a leadership position in the SDDP.

And for those who wonder about the financial position of the SDDP, it is not nearly as dire as some would have you believe. Yes, it has a small amount of debt, less than $30,000.00, which is not unusual for a political party following a hard fought gubernatorial election. But, its monthly revenue should exceed its now pared down monthly expenses by several thousand dollars even without the additional contributions it normally receives and which it has every reason to believe will continue. Those in the South Dakota Republican Party gleefully writing the SDDP’s obituary may soon be forced to eat some proverbial political crow.

Read it here.

Well, that’s a pretty bow they’re trying to put on it. But.

Democrats claim there is a “small amount of debt.”  But, I can’t help but wonder about the over $25,000 in impermissible contributions as per the FEC? And the small matter of an upcoming fine that has yet to be assessed?

They can gussy up that pig all they want. But even if they can find a new chair, SD Dems still have a lot of issues still oinking in the background.

Former Republican State Legislator Gene Abdallah has passed away, and is remembered tonight by his friends and colleagues in this article by the Argus Leader:

Abdallah, 83, was the longest-serving U.S. Marshal in South Dakota history and served as head of the South Dakota Highway Patrol for five years. He also served 12 years in the South Dakota Legislature, in both the House and Senate.

“Gene was a South Dakota institution,” Gov. Kristi Noem said in a statement. “He was a force to be reckoned with and a lifelong supporter of our state’s law enforcement. We served together in the State Legislature… he was a friend. He will be missed.”

Russ Janklow, a Sioux Falls attorney who knew Abdallah well, said his impact on South Dakota law enforcement is unmatched.

Read the entire article here.

My apologies in advance for the brain cells you’re going to lose processing this.

Pot Petition leader Melissa Mentele is claiming on social media on the KELOLand news facebook page today that after repeated and finally exhausted appeals, the execution of death row inmate Charles Rhines is being scheduled on Monday because the state is intentionally trying to overshadow her effort.

Mentele actually has the temerity to claim the execution was scheduled for Monday because “The execution was scheduled to ensure that this news over shadowed the news of the ballot question committee turn ins.”

Wow.  So, putting someone to death who committed one of the more brutal crimes in recent state history after sitting on death row over 25 years is all about her ballot measure?

No words.   Except, a good reminder that this is who is trying to legalize marijuana in the state.

Lt Governor Larry Rhoden was on Trick or Treat duty at the Governor’s Residence this week while Governor Kristi Noem was watching her son’s football game:

Maybe I shouldn’t be, but I’m disturbed by this comment by the losing Spearfish HS football coach about the 103-0 blowout this week in his comments to the media:

“They faked (an extra point) at 54-0 and they threw a pass in the fourth quarter over a special needs kid,” McCarty said. “There was no backing off until late in the third.”

And…

As noted by Pierre Coach, “As for the fourth-quarter pass, Steele was adamant that no one on his sideline was aware Spearfish had a special needs player out on defense. “We had no way to know any of that,” he explained. “I didn’t even know that he was on the team or where he was playing or what number he is or anything.”

Read it here.

Why is the coach even bringing it up as a factor? Insert any minority description for ‘special needs’ in that sentence, and the coach would probably be run out of town on a rail.

I don’t believe that kids with disabilities are required to have special uniforms that identify them as such, despite the Spearfish coach’s comments.

It was a team loss. I can’t imagine that singling out a player as “a special needs kid” as a factor in that loss is remotely proper.

From the Argus Leader website, they’re not exactly convinced the South Dakota Democrat Party is going to mend itself anytime soon. And with good reason:

To say that the South Dakota Democratic Party is in shambles right now would be a vast understatement.

A once-proud political coalition has been laid low by mismanagement, disorganization and general malaise in the face of Republican state superiority, with no leadership lifeline in sight.

and…

Clearly, though, there is no quick fix for a party that has zero statewide office holders and a shortage of promising candidates looking ahead to 2020. Though the SDDP has received some money from the national ranks, it will first need to clean its own house before being deemed worthy of further support.

Read the entire editorial here.

Thune, Colleagues Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Increase Internet Platform Transparency and Provide Consumers With Greater Control Over Digital Content  

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), members of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, which has jurisdiction over the internet and consumer protection, and Mark Warner (D-Va.) today introduced the Filter Bubble Transparency Act. The bill would require large-scale internet platforms that collect data from more than 1 million users and gross more than $50 million per year to provide greater transparency to consumers and allow users to view content that has not been curated as a result of a secret algorithm. The Filter Bubble Transparency Act would make it easier for internet platform users to understand the potential manipulation that exists with secret algorithms and require large-scale platforms to allow those users to consume information outside of that potential manipulation zone or “filter bubble.”

“This legislation is about transparency and consumer control,” said Thune, chairman of the Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, Innovation, and the Internet. “For free markets to work as effectively and as efficiently as possible, consumers need as much information as possible, including a better understanding of how internet platforms use artificial intelligence and opaque algorithms to make inferences from the reams of personal data at their fingertips that can be used to affect behavior and influence outcomes. That’s why I believe consumers should have the option to either view a platform’s opaque algorithm-generated content or its filter bubble-free content, and, at the very least, they deserve to know how large-scale internet platforms are delivering information to their users.”

“Consumers deserve to control their own online experiences instead of being manipulated by Big Tech’s algorithms and analytics,” said Blumenthal. “So much of what we do online is increasingly being shaped – without our knowledge or consent – by the companies that own those platforms, which use our personal data to choose what information consumers see or don’t see. Our bipartisan bill will allow consumers to regain some control over their online experience by letting them simply opt out of the filter bubble.”

“Throughout recent efforts to identify meaningful consumer protections in an increasingly complex and innovative tech economy, a concept that has been consistently identified as a key component has been the request for increased consumer education and awareness of how personal information is being collected, processed and repurposed,” said Moran, chairman of the Subcommittee on Manufacturing, Trade, and Consumer Protection. “This legislation not only seeks to increase consumer awareness, but also requires companies to offer certain products and services to consumers free of manipulation. I look forward to working with my Senate colleagues on providing appropriate consumer protections without disproportionately harming innovation.”

“When individuals log onto a website, they are not expecting the platform to have chosen for them what information is most important,” said Blackburn. “Algorithms directly influence what content users see first, in turn shaping their worldview. This legislation would give consumers the choice to decide whether they want to use the algorithm or view content in the order it was posted.”

“As we’ve seen over and over, consumers have limited understanding of how their data is being used and how platforms operate,” said Warner. “This bill helps reduce the power of opaque algorithms on our discourse and put greater control in the hands of consumers.”

“Online algorithms shape what we get to see online, but they’re hard to understand because they’re invisible – it’s difficult to tell how your feed differs from that of your friends or neighbors,” said Eli Pariser, chief executive of Upworthy and author of The Filter Bubble: How the New Personalized Web Is Changing What We Read and How We Think. “The Filter Bubble Transparency Act is a big step toward making these algorithms more visible – helping consumers understand how they work, how significant these editorial choices really are, and giving people the choice to see the world in a less filtered way. We need common ground and a common sense of the truth now more than ever, and I’m glad this bipartisan group of senators is taking up that important charge.”

“Filter bubbles divide and conquer,” said Shoshana Zuboff, professor emerita at Harvard Business School and author of The Age of Surveillance Capitalism: The Fight for a Human Future at the New Frontier of Power. “We are trapped unaware inside these bubbles, without the rights to know, escape, or resist, even as we now understand the dangerous political and social consequences of  these commercial systems. The Filter Bubble Transparency Act begins the work of breaking this manipulative and divisive cycle. The bipartisan sponsorship of this Senate bill reflects a new era of lawmaking determined to shape a digital future that is good for people, good for shared prosperity, and good for democracy.”

The Filter Bubble Transparency Act would require large-scale internet platforms, as defined by the legislation, to:

1. Clearly notify its users that their platform creates a filter bubble that uses secret algorithms (computer-generated filters) to determine the order or manner in which information is delivered to users; and
2. Provide its users with the option of a filter bubble-free view of the information they provide. The bill would enable users to transition between a customized, filter bubble-generated version of information and a non-filter bubble version (for example, the “sparkle icon” option that is currently offered by Twitter that allows users to toggle between a personalized timeline and a purely chronological timeline).

The Filter Bubble Transparency Act would make it unlawful for any person to operate a covered internet platform that uses a secret algorithm unless the platform complies with the two above requirements. The Federal Trade Commission would enforce the legislation’s requirements, and it would be authorized to seek civil penalties for knowing violations.

In June 2019, Thune led a hearing entitled, “Optimizing for Engagement: Understanding the Use of Persuasive Technology on Internet Platforms,” in which he pressed technology experts, including current and former Google employees, on how algorithmic decision-making and machine learning on internet platforms influences the public.

Thune, Blumenthal, and Moran have been actively engaged with other Commerce Committee members as they work toward finding consensus on a bipartisan national data privacy bill, and they, including Blackburn and Warner, believe the Filter Bubble Transparency Act could be an important part of this broader discussion.

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