Flags at Half-Staff in Honor of Governor Frank Farrar

PIERRE, S.D. – Former South Dakota Governor Frank L. Farrar passed away peacefully at the age of ninety-two on October 31, 2021, in Rochester, Minnesota, surrounded by family. Governor Kristi Noem has ordered that flags be flown at half-staff statewide effective immediately in his honor. Flags will remain at half-staff until the day of Governor Farrar’s interment, and those arrangements will be announced at a later time.

“Frank was an incredible leader for our state and a mentor to me over these past years, as well,” said Governor Kristi Noem. “His heart for people and his enthusiasm for public service have been an inspiration.

“Frank stayed active up until the day he died, as evidenced by the statue of him running on the Trail of Governors,” continued Governor Noem. “He even competed in triathlons and Ironman competitions into his eighties. We should all hope to be able to live as active, caring, and full a life as Frank.”

Farrar was elected governor in 1968 at the age of 39 and served as the 24^th Governor of South Dakota from 1969 to 1971. He also served as the state’s 22^nd Attorney General from 1963 to 1969. Prior to that, he served as Marshall County judge, Marshall County state’s attorney, and as the only governor of South Dakota Boys State to later be elected governor.

Farrar joined the South Dakota ROTC while attending college at USD before commissioning as a lieutenant and serving in the Korean War. He continued serving as a captain in the Army Reserves for 15 years. A detailed biography of Governor Farrar can be found here.

It was six years ago to the day, on October 31, 2015, that his wife of sixty-two years, Former First Lady Patricia Farrar, passed away. Frank is survived by five children – Jeanne Farrar, Sally Farrar, Robert Farrar, Mary Turner (Randall Turner), and Anne Farrar (John Ingwalson) – as well as eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

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From Twitter:

Frank Farrar was a good friend, a driven athlete, a successful businessman, and a dedicated public servant. South Dakota was blessed by his life. pic.twitter.com/SUvfnNOk2Z

— Rep. Dusty Johnson (@RepDustyJohnson) October 31, 2021

Reports are coming in this morning that former South Dakota Governor Frank Farrar has passed away this morning at age 92.

From the Argus Leader:

Farrar’s meteoric rise in politics flamed out abruptly. He had the distinction of being the last elected incumbent governor to lose re-election when, in 1970, he lost his bid for a second term to Democrat Dick Kneip.

Following that defeat, Farrar reinvented himself as a banker. At 65, after being told he had terminal cancer, he began competing in triathlons and Ironman competitions, which he credited for his longevity and to helping him beat cancer – a longevity that saw him emerge as the Republican elder statesman.

Read the entire story here.

While he was successful in South Dakota Politics, he might arguably said to have been far, far more successful in his second act afterwards as a triathlete and as leader of the First National/First Savings Banks (where I worked for him for a couple of years in the IT dept).

Governor Farrar was a tremendously nice man, and an astute business leader.  There will be more on this story in coming days.

 

Spooky Spending Spree
By Sen. John Thune

What’s scarier than Halloween? Democrats’ socialist spending spree, that’s what. Why? Because right now, inflation is a serious problem for families in South Dakota, and the Democrats’ proposal would make it even worse. Folks are paying more at the gas pump and at the grocery store than they have in years. According to some reports, the cost of this year’s Thanksgiving meal could be the most expensive on record.

But instead of addressing these rising costs that are hitting hardworking South Dakotans’ pocketbooks and affecting families in all corners of the country, President Biden and congressional Democrats are not only ignoring this crisis, they are preparing to double down on it. They want to dump trillions of dollars in unnecessary government money into the economy, which will likely make the cost of goods even more expensive than they are today.

Not only would Democrats’ reckless tax-and-spending spree pretty much guarantee persistent and widespread inflation, but their bill is filled with spooky priorities from the far-left: funding for government climate activists, tax credits for “environmental justice” programs at colleges and universities, something called “tree equity,” and to top it off, $200 million for a park in Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s San Francisco district. The bill also contains big tax hikes on businesses, which are already being hit by higher costs caused by the supply chain crisis and the challenges of hiring an adequate workforce. Although Democrats still intend to ramp-up enforcement efforts, it seems that they have scrapped their original plan to have the IRS snoop on Americans’ bank accounts. Maybe they were spooked by how taxpayers around the country have reacted to their outrageous proposal.

The new energy policies Democrats are considering as part of this tax-and-spending spree would further increase the cost of electricity, natural gas, and gasoline, and it would subsidize Democrats’ preferred technologies with South Dakotans’ tax dollars. It would also offer tax credits of up to $12,500 for the purchase of an electric car or truck.

It gets more terrifying than that, if you can believe it. Democrats’ bill contains a tax credit – up to $8,000 – for electric bicycles. When you live 20 miles away from the nearest grocery store, an electric bicycle is not going to be your vehicle of choice for getting around.And I’m pretty sure that South Dakota agriculture producers will back me up when I say that electric bicycles are not going to be much use for getting out to check the fences in the far corners of the ranch.

Perhaps the most terrifying aspect of this plan, though, is that their long-term goal is to make many of these new programs permanent – a fundamental change to the federal government’s involvement in your daily life. To say Washington Democrats are out of touch with the needs of everyday Americans is a complete understatement at this point. Inserting the federal government into nearly every aspect of Americans’ lives is radical, and South Dakotans’ simply won’t have it. If anything, the federal government should be the last line of defense, not a cradle-to-grave socialist system like the Democrats are proposing.

As President Biden and congressional Democrats continue down this fiscally irresponsible path that will likely worsen our inflation crisis, weaken our economy, and increase government dependence, I’m doing everything in my power to protect South Dakota families and businesses from the scary new reality Democrats are trying to create.

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From KELOland news, a tribal voting rights group is cautioning the State House redistricting committee that they might be facing some troubles with the Grouse 2.1 legislative map that they’ve been, well, grousing over:

Bret Healy from Four Directions Native Vote told the panel Friday that the Grouse 2.0 map was “on its face” a violation of the federal Voting Rights Act for the racial makeup in proposed district 26 and that Grouse 2.1 was worse.

Representative Bethany Soye asked Healy what percentage would allow Native Americans to elect the candidates they want.

Healy said, “That is an expert determination not to be done on the back of an envelope.”

Read it all here.

Supply Chain Spook
By Rep. Dusty Johnson
October 29, 2021

The supply chain’s breakin’ down
and its making consumers’ frown.
It’s a problem I’m hoping to snuff
‘cause the season’s spooky enough.

The time has come for the cheaters to pay
which is exactly what my bill has to say.
Congress cannot get sidetracked
but must pass the Ocean Shipping Reform Act.
Before there’s a Christmas delay
due to cargo ships stuck in the Southern California bay.

Halloween is here and while there is plenty of scary movies to watch and haunted houses to go to, what has me most spooked is the state of the global supply chain.

The supply chain disruption is haunting both producers and consumers:

• Dozens of South Dakota agricultural exporters have contacted my office expressing frustration with long delays.
• Local stores are unable to fill shelves and online shoppers are having to wait months for their purchases.
• California ports are now running around the clock as cargo ships form queues off the west coast waiting to offload.
• Reports have come out that ocean carriers are declining cargo bookings of American exports and returning to the Asia-Pacific with empty containers.

It is no secret the COVID-19 pandemic shook up the supply chain in unprecedented ways, but continual congestion, and outright declining to ship American exports is unfair, anti-competitive, and should be an illegal business practice.

While there’s no silver bullet to fixing the supply chain, Representative John Garamendi (D-CA) and I introduced the Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2021 to ensure that American exporters are given mutual benefit and reciprocal opportunities.

Because the majority of ocean carriers are foreign based, this piece of legislation would require ocean carriers to adhere to minimum service standards that meet the public interest, reflecting best practices in the global shipping industry.

The Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2021 would also provide the Federal Maritime Commission, the U.S. governing body of the shipping industry with the ability to self-initiate investigations and apply enforcement measures when ocean carriers exhibit unreasonable behavior.

With spooky season ending, Christmas is fast approaching and shopping for gifts will soon begin. It’s time that we hold these carriers accountable and get the supply chain back up and running before there’s a Christmas delay.

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Governor Noem To Host Trick-or-Treat Festivities at Governor’s Residence

PIERRE, S.D. – Governor Kristi Noem and First Gentleman Bryon Noem will host the annual trick-or-treat festivities at the Governor’s Residence in Pierre on Sunday, Oct. 31 from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m. CT.

“We can’t wait to see all the kids in their costumes once again! It may be a bit chilly out, so be sure to dress warmly,” saidGovernor Kristi Noem.

Noem asks children and parents across South Dakota to observe the following Halloween safety tips:

• Trick-or-treat during daylight hours or take a flashlight if going out after dark;
• Add reflective tape to costumes and trick-or-treat bags;
• Make sure vision is clear when wearing masks or other head garb;
• Adults should accompany young children; unaccompanied children should trick-or-treat in groups; and
• Inspect candy before consuming; discard anything suspicious.

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South Dakota’s Treats this Halloween Season
By Governor Kristi Noem
October 29, 2021

It’s Halloween weekend and there is a seasonal chill in the air. There’s also a chill affecting American confidence in our economy. With an unfocused White House in charge, gas prices climbing, and supply chain issues clogging our ports, many Americans feel like the country has become a House of Horrors with a new crisis lurking around every corner.

A recent Gallup poll found Americans’ confidence in the economy is dropping back to levels not seen since the pandemic started. . The downturn in confidence began building as early as June this year when COVID cases began to creep back up in parts of the country. Yet, the recent decline in COVID cases has not produced a corresponding uptick in consumer confidence.

It started with questions regarding the pandemic management and vaccine mandates has morphed into a cascade of crises that the Biden Administration appears powerless to understand let alone successfully address. The Administration’s terribly executed withdrawal from Afghanistan. Tens of thousands of migrants flooding the southern border and then being shipped throughout the country by the federal government—sometimes in the dead of night. These disasters were followed by an attack on parents by the National School Board Association. Rising inflation has left the American family with less money in their wallets.

Fortunately, every scary story has a hero. More and more, Americans are turning to Conservatives for economic solutions. A Gallup poll released earlier this month found that Americans “by significant margins” view Republicans as better at protecting the nation and ensuring the country remains prosperous. Those margins are the largest they’ve been since 2014 — when there was a different Democrat occupying the White House.

South Dakota has been the best example of what happens when you get the government out of the way. While many Americans were tricked into believing the current administration would “build back better,” South Dakotans have been treated fairly by exercising their Constitutional rights. We have certainly faced challenges over the last 18-months, however, South Dakota is far from the economic terrors playing out in other states.

We have about 700 people on unemployment — marking one of the lowest unemployment rates in the nation. And we currently have 40 jobs available for every person on unemployment.

We’re also rated by WalletHub as the best state to find a job, top 3 for economic health, and one of the best states that provide opportunities for working moms. We’re also in the top 10 for health care, costs for health care, and work environment for nurses. Those are key stats with Americans still viewing the pandemic as the greatest problem facing our nation.

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This flyer hit the mailbox of a correspondent today in an unmarked envelope, ostensibly from “Ranked Choice South Dakota,” explaining how the dumb idea of a Jungle Primary which South Dakota rejected once already is supposed to work:

The biggest problem here is that last I knew, this is a ballot measure that’s actively circulating at the moment.  And there is no disclaimer on any of this material.  That’s just not cool, and might be seen as running afoul of political disclaimer laws.

 

Then there was that other thing that I noticed. In their example, they use the “orange” and the “purple” party.. but why do they use a clearly Chinese surname with the “Tan Party?”

That’s not cool for entirely other reasons.

 

Governor, SD Sheriffs Association release joint statement in response to DHS rules complicating arrest of illegal immigrants

• Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas sent enforcement guidelines to ICE and CBP officers outlining areas where immigrants may not be arrested
• Protected areas include protest rallies, demonstrations, hospitals, and other health care facilities
• Governor, Sheriffs believe DHS guidance gives illegal immigrants inappropriate shield from federal law enforcement action

PIERRE, S.D. — Governor Kristi Noem today released the following joint statement with the South Dakota Sheriffs Association in response to new guidance from U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas outlining guidelines for ICE and CBP officers who encounter illegal immigrants:

“Our sheriffs and police cannot legally enforce our nation’s immigration laws.  We rely on the federal government to do its constitutional duty.  These guidelines from Secretary Mayorkas provide an inappropriate roadmap for immigrants who come into our country illegally and avoid the federal law enforcement officers who work to counter illegal immigrants. This new policy by DHS makes communities across America – including South Dakota – less safe. This administration is not only rolling out the red carpet for illegal immigrants, but also handcuffing its own federal law enforcement officers, who want nothing more than to enforce our immigration laws.”

The letter, sent on October 27th, gives specific guidelines for enforcement action by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents in or near protected areas. The letter defines protest rallies and demonstrations as safe harbors for immigrants rather than constitutionally-protected areas for citizens. Other safe harbors include hospitals and other healthcare facilities, as well as places where children gather, such as playgrounds or school bus stops.

“Protecting women who have been abused or trafficked, as well as children, is a moral imperative,” Governor Noem said. “This administration goes too far by extending protections to economic migrants as well as the predators who are trafficking women and children, or drugs, or planning violent criminal activity. The truth is these guidelines hinder law enforcement’s pursuit of illegal immigrants until after a crime has taken place. That’s a blatant disregard for public safety and puts our citizens in harm’s way.”

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