Big Ballot Measures Coming
by State Rep. Will Mortenson (R – 24)
November 30, 2021

In the 2022 general election, South Dakotans will decide two questions with profound impact on our communities, our laws, and our budget: Recreational Marijuana and Medicaid Expansion. These blockbuster topics will cast a shadow over our Capitol when your legislature meets in January. I expect bills to be introduced that attempt to affect both measures – by limiting their scope, preempting their purpose, or altering their terms.

The legislature ought to let the people have their say. I do not think the legislature should cut in front of measures that thousands of petitioners have already signed. Both ballot measures should get a vote of the people, as the petition signers intended. If either ballot measure is passed, the legislature must ensure that such measure is implemented fully and faithfully.

Medicaid Expansion and Recreational Marijuana arrived on the ballot following different paths. Medicaid Expansion will be placed on the ballot after a petition drive sponsored by the big hospitals. Legal marijuana had a more tumultuous path.

Last week, the Supreme Court ruled that the sponsors of Constitutional Amendment A messed up. I read the Court’s 77-page ruling. The opinion said nothing about the people’s voice or about whether legalizing marijuana is a good idea. The ruling simply said that the sponsors (lawyers from Washington, DC and Sioux Falls) failed to follow the state constitution. Our constitution says that amendments can only address one subject, and these sponsors put a measure on the ballot that combined three subjects: hemp, medical marijuana, and recreational marijuana.

I think the Supreme Court made the right decision, but I was frustrated by the result, because many of my neighbors feel that their time, energy, or vote was wasted. I wish the sponsors had followed the correct process, but they did not. Fortunately, the sponsors have learned their lesson, and petition organizers are gathering signatures to put the single subject of recreational marijuana on the ballot in 2022.

So, next November, we’ll get to vote on these two important questions. In the meantime, the legislature should not try to pass a modified version of either the Medicaid Expansion or Recreational Marijuana measures. We should let these proposals get a vote of the people. If the voters pass them, the legislature should honor their intent and should only consider legislation that faithfully honors that intent. That’s also how I will view legislation next session that affects the medical marijuana measure (“IM26”) that voters passed in 2020.

I encourage all voters to start researching these measures now – the cost, the impact, and the experience of other states that have adopted them. As with every election, we’ll have big decisions to make in 2022. The legislature should let the people make them.

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As we start moving towards petitioning season in about a month, and session isn’t far behind that, I notice we have a few ad spots left.

Which means that it’s time for a periodic reminder that South Dakota War College has limited advertising opportunities available for reaching South Dakota’s opinion leaders as the 2022 election season starts warming up and things start to happen as candidates announce for office and start campaigning.

In addition to regular advertising spots, our #1 and #2 advertising positions are available to promote your business, organization, campaign or cause.

If someone is following the campaigns, making laws, keeping up on the issues or promoting legislation, they’re stopping here to check the temperature on South Dakota’s political climate. South Dakota War College provides candidates, companies, and organizations a unique opportunity to direct a targeted message at South Dakota’s elected officials, our state’s politically active, and our community opinion leaders.

Advertising on the Dakotwarcollege.com website is based on a first come, first serve basis for available positions.  Advertising slots on the right are 300 px wide up to 400 px tall, and may be either static image, animated .gif, or other, as long as the file size is within acceptable file parameters, does not impede the loading of the website, or interfere with existing code.  All ads run through-site, and are not rotated in their positions.

Information on ad prices, ad positions, and required ad commitments may be directed to the webmaster by clicking here.

And if you’re just an avid reader, as always, please don’t forget to visit our advertisers who make it possible to bring you the best in South Dakota politics such as the SDGOP, Marty Jackley for Attorney General,  South Dakotans Against Higher Taxes,  Kristi Noem for Governor, John Thune for US Senate, Dusty Johnson for Congress,and Dakota Campaign Store.

Drop me a note today to find out more!

Brian Bengs is not your traditional Democrat running for US Senate, and you could arguably say the same about the politics he advocates for.

I was looking for some info for another article I’m working on, and came across this article in the Aberdeen American News about Bengs, who plans to mount a campaign against John Thune.

And I’m not entirely sure how his politics are going to sell in tax-averse South Dakota:

His plan would exempt people from federal income tax if they make up to four times the median income. In South Dakota, that’s $124,000. That means, he said, with income verification, no taxes need to be filed, but also no tax refunds.

and..

The goal, he said, is to shift the tax burden to the states, which then create their own systems.

and..

Bengs said one program he would advocate cutting would be federally subsidized flood insurance..

Read it here.

So, Bengs’ plan is that he wants more state taxes?  Hmm. If memory serves, who was the last person who advocated for that?  That would be Senator Thune’s last opponent, Jay Williams!

“Instead of looking for spending cuts, we must look for ways to increase tax revenue. Look at yourself, if you have property, ask for property taxes to be raised. If you have income, lobby for a state income tax. If you buy lots of things, go for a sales tax.”

Read that here.

I think I have an inkling how this campaign is going to go.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Monday, November 29, 2021 

COURT HALTS BIDEN ADMINISTRATION’S HEALTHCARE WORKER VACCINE MANDATE FOLLOWING LAWSUIT FROM 10 STATE ATTORNEYS GENERAL COALITION 

PIERRE, S.D. – South Dakota Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg announced today that a Missouri federal court granted South Dakota’s request for an injunction on the Biden Administration’s vaccine mandate for healthcare workers. Earlier this month, South Dakota joined a coalition of ten states challenging the mandate. In addition to South Dakota, the coalition includes Missouri, Nebraska, Arkansas, Kansas, Iowa, Wyoming, Alaska, North Dakota, and New Hampshire. 

In the ruling U.S. District Judge Matthew Schelp writes that “the court cannot, in good faith, allow CMS to enact an unprecedented mandate that lacks a ‘rational connection between the facts found and the choice made.’” 

“This is a huge victory for healthcare workers in South Dakota, and especially for our rural hospitals and health care professionals who provide such crucial care to so many of our residents,” said Ravnsborg. “This ruling is a big win against this unprecedented federal overreach.” 

The full ruling can be read here. 

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Guest Column: Be Kind and Shop Locally
By: Tom Rounds
November 29, 2021 

This guest column is written by Tom Rounds. Tom, along with his wife Shelly, own four businesses in the Pierre community. He is also the brother of Senator Mike Rounds.

With Christmas just weeks away, it’s easy to get caught up in the rush of buying gifts. It’s easy to be excited about seeing family and friends.  And it’s easy to forget to be kind to those who are working in the retail, manufacturing or service industries.

As a small business owner, I know firsthand the challenges that come during the holiday season. And this year, our biggest challenge is finding employees. You’ve undoubtedly noticed the help wanted signs in hundreds of businesses across the state. It’s alarming, but what’s even more alarming is when the sign says, “Closed today due to staff shortage.”

Owning a small business is hard. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 20 percent of businesses fail within the first year. By year five, that number jumped to 50 percent. But every year, thousands of South Dakotans embark on the American dream of owning their own business. And every year, these business owners become the new mentors and new donors for our communities.

We all know shopping locally keeps more money in our economy, supports local jobs and is good for our towns. But let’s talk about what else these local businesses do for our communities.

They are the people who serve as the first work mentors for our children. They take a chance on inexperienced teenagers and teach them about responsibility and work ethic. And they give your kids a paycheck so they can begin to learn fiscal responsibility.

Local business owners are the first ones tapped to donate for school functions, sporting events and any other fundraiser you can think of. And most of the time, these businesses give, and they give and they give some more because they know they are supporting their community and their customers.

And then when they aren’t being asked to donate, some business owners take it upon themselves to continue to find ways to help. They might donate 10 percent of their profits to a local family or organization.  Or in the case of one Pierre eating establishment, they donated a portion of their profits to a competing business who had recently lost everything to a fire. If that’s not a sense of community, I don’t know what is.

The other day I saw a sign that said, “Be kind to our employees. We are short staffed and they are doing the best they can.” Let’s face it, the last two years have been tough for local businesses and we need your support now more than ever.

It’s easy to get caught up in the convenience of online shopping or traveling to a bigger town to get what you need. But before you hit send on that next order – especially with all of your holiday shopping coming up – think about your local businesses and the people they employ, the taxes they pay and the products they offer. And don’t forget to be kind.

Via the Secretary of State’s website, new candidates are popping up daily.  And today we have two new candidates who might prove to be the next generation of leaders for the South Dakota Republican Party.

First off (and appropriately first in District 1) Republican Logan Manhart has filed a statement of organization to run for the House of Representatives:

Manhart, a resident of Bath, SD, brings campaign experience from working as a Regional Field Director for the Wisconsin GOP as well as the Wisconsin Trump campaign.

His entrance into the race is particularly interesting, as with three quality candidates in D1 (Rohl, St. John & Manhart), for the first time possibly ever, the GOP could conceivably capture all three seats in what has been a Democrat stronghold for decades.

Also filing a statement of organization and equally experienced in politics comes a new District 2 Candidate who has campaigning ingrained in his DNA:

Republican Jacob or “Jake” Schoenbeck just filed paperwork for the District 2 House of Representatives.

If you’re in South Dakota politics, you know the name, as his father Senate President Pro Tempore Lee Schoenbeck is arguably the state’s most influential legislator in terms of his campaign knowledge and position.

Jake has been alongside his dad on the campaign trail for at least two of his dad’s three runs in Pierre, as well as having matriculated up through the teenage Republicans organization and so on. So if there’s anything he knows how to do, it’s how to campaign. Jacob is currently an Internal Auditor at Plains Commerce Bank.

From my mailbox, Governor Kristi Noem turns 50 next week, and you can sign the card and leave her a message by clicking on the image:

Thankful to Gather
By Rep. Dusty Johnson
November 23, 2021

This Thanksgiving, like so many South Dakotans, I’m looking forward to spending time with my wife and three boys at home. Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays, not only because of the roasted turkey, stuffing, and mashed potatoes, but because it brings people together in a spirit of thankfulness and allows me to reflect on what I am truly grateful for.

This year in particular, I am especially thankful for the ability to safely gather again after the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. There’s no greater way to celebrate moving past a couple tough years than to connect around a table filled with delicious food and even better company. The events of the last year and a half serve as a reminder to never take these moments for granted.

Since last year, scientists developed a Covid-19 vaccine in record time, allowing much of our lives to go back to normal. Our kids have stayed in school, traveling is safer, our favorite sports teams are playing with fans in the stands, and events have resumed.

I’m also grateful for the opportunity to serve each South Dakotan in the halls of Congress. This job is an honor of a lifetime and I feel immensely privileged to be trusted with this opportunity.

With annual events coming back – like the Annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade® – be on the lookout for the South Dakota Department of Tourism’s “Mount Rushmore’s American Pride” float. My family watches every year and this year will be no exception.

Wishing you and yours a happy, healthy Thanksgiving.

Ron Moeller Announces for District 31 Senate

Lead, SD – Today, Ron Moeller announced his candidacy to become the next State Senator for District 31.

Ron Moeller made the following statement:

I’m excited to publicly announce my candidacy for the State Senate seat representing District 31. Lawrence County is the finest area of the great state of South Dakota, where the prairie and the northern Black Hills combine to create a wonderful place to live, raise a family, and enjoy life.

For the past 5 months, I have traveled across Lawrence County listening to the voters and their heartfelt concerns. Our current State Senator has been in public service, both local and in the legislature, for as long as anyone can remember. It is time to change to a real conservative who truly and honestly represents to voters of Lawrence County.

We can no longer afford to keep electing the same politicians over and over again and expecting a different result. I bring a fresh set of eyes and energy to the challenges we are facing.

I’m conservative with bedrock principles of faith, family, hard work, integrity, and patriotism.

These principles have guided me throughout my life, both at home and overseas serving our great nation in multiple war zones.

I am looking forward to meeting all the voters, knocking on doors, introducing myself, letting them take my measure, and earning their vote.

If you want to help improve and protect Lawrence County from higher taxes, keeping our schools and streets safe, maintaining a business-friendly environment, and keeping the character of the Northern Hills intact, please consider assisting my campaign.

Here’s how you can join me: First, you can contribute your hard-earned dollars – local financial support helps get my name in front of the voters of District 31. You can also help by discussing my candidacy with your friends and neighbors, hosting a coffee or small event where I’d be happy to speak, and when the time comes, placing a sign in front of your home or business. All forms of support and assistance are welcome.

If you have further questions about me and/or my positions on the issues I believe we’re facing, please visit my website www.friendsofronmoeller.com or email me at friendsofronmoeller@gmail.com .

Thank you for your kind consideration,

Sincerely,
Ron Moeller
Candidate, District 31 Senate

An article from Christopher Vondracek this morning in the Forum News Service/Grand Forks Herald doesn’t exactly paint a bright portrait of how things are progressing in the House Select Committee for Impeachment in the case where they’re attempting to bring action against the Attorney General:

“This is way beyond the scope of anything we’ve done,” said Jensen, who added he was just “trying to figure out how to get things done in a timely manner.”

And..

Moreover, the Legislature’s select committee hasn’t been keeping the most brisk of calendars. After meeting more than two weeks ago, they’ve yet to meet since. On Tuesday, Nov. 23, Gosch told Forum News Service that “likely next week” would be when the team next meets.

And..

On Wednesday, Nov. 24, the committee’s vice-chair, Rep. Mike Stevens, R-Yankton, also said he’d yet to hear a meeting for next week confirmed. Asked if they’d hired the special counsel yet, Stevens said, “You’d have to talk to the speaker about that.”

Read the entire article here.

Considering the AG pled No Contest to minor traffic offenses (a lane change violation and using his phone while driving a few miles before the accident) this whole impeachment business might be a lot more complicated than people think.