Starting yesterday, South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem is appearing in a new web video for the National Rifle Association Institute for Legislative Action, which is popping up on social media via Twitter and Facebook:

In the video, Governor Noem echoes former NRA President Charlton Heston, and challenges President Biden by noting that she’ll give him her gun when he “pries them from my cold, dead hands.”

Let’s Get America Back to Work
By Sen. John Thune

The April jobs report was less than stellar. Far less, in fact. With the rollout of the vaccine and millions of Americans ready to get back to work, economists predicted the U.S. economy would add around 1 million new jobs. The reality: only a quarter of the predicted new jobs came to fruition. Just 266,000. For employers who are looking to beef-up their staffs ahead of what’s expected to be a busy summer season, it’s quite a disappointment. On top of that, the Bureau of Labor Statistics recently reported that there were 8.1 million job openings at the end of March, making the dismal addition of just 266,000 new jobs all the worse.

If there are 8.1 million job openings (open jobs that employers are looking to fill) and only 266,000 jobs that have been filled (workers who’ve been hired), what’s going on? I believe it’s a direct result of Democrats’ completely misguided policies, especially their decision to create a disincentive for unemployed workers to rejoin the workforce.

It is no secret that South Dakota is a great place to live, work, and raise a family. Our high quality of life, low cost of living, and strong respect for freedom and personal responsibility is what attracts so many people to our state, and people quickly learn that we understand the value of hard work.

Before the pandemic, South Dakota had an extremely low unemployment rate of 3.3 percent. And now, nearly a year and a half into the pandemic, it’s even lower: 2.9 percent and falling. To compare, the national unemployment rate is more than twice as high as South Dakota’s at 6.1 percent. A low unemployment rate is good because it means those who want to work are working. On the other hand, though, it can be tricky for employers when there aren’t enough available bodies to fill empty job openings. It’s a challenge that’s facing many businesses in South Dakota.

At the beginning of the pandemic, millions of Americans, including many in South Dakota, were suddenly out of work. At the time, it was important for the federal government to take action to help ensure that workers who were affected by the pandemic at no fault of their own had the means necessary to pay their bills and put food on the table.

Republicans and Democrats agreed that we needed to temporarily adjust unemployment benefits to meet those needs. However, as more jobs have become available and more Americans have received the vaccine, I believe we need to incentivize individuals to get back to work. The additional $300 per week plus-up to the unemployment benefit is doing just the opposite, though. In some cases, because of the plus-up, some people are actually making more money without a job than if they got their old job back – even if it was available. That is why this week I cosponsored Sen. Roger Marshall’s (R-Kan.) Get Americans Back to Work Act, which would phase out the plus-up by the end of June rather than allowing it to remain in place through the first week of September, which is current law.

As we negotiated different COVID relief bills, I worked hard to ensure that individuals who are not eligible to receive unemployment benefits aren’t unfairly receiving these taxpayer-funded benefits. Specifically, my bill to improve the integrity of the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) Program, which Congress created to temporarily provide unemployment benefits to individuals not traditionally eligible for unemployment compensation (i.e., independent contractors and the self-employed), was included in the COVID relief bill that became law late last year.

Earlier this year, I introduced the PUA Eligibility Clarification Act, which would incentivize unemployment beneficiaries to return to the workforce by directing the Department of Labor to rescind guidance allowing individuals receiving traditional unemployment benefits to become eligible for PUA if they refuse a suitable offer to return to work and self-certify that the workplace was unsafe due to COVID.  By rescinding this guidance, the bill would ensure that unemployment beneficiaries return to work if they are offered a job, yet allow state workforce agencies to continue to provide PUA compensation to those individuals who truly require the assistance.

I believe most of the folks accepting these unemployment benefits are hardworking people who are eager to find a job and get back to work. However, it is difficult for many people to justify going back to work to make only a little more than what they are currently receiving on unemployment – or, in some cases, less. South Dakota made the right call by ending the Democrats’ boost to unemployment benefits by the end of June. This will greatly help the many businesses in our state that are looking to grow and attract the workers they need to do so.

As we continue to return to normal and hopefully toward the strong pre-pandemic economy, I will continue to fight for the pro-growth Republican policies that helped build it. Doing so will help get our country back on track.

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Governor Noem Appoints Spencer Hawley to Commission on Gaming

PIERRE, S.D. – This week, Governor Kristi Noemannounced that she will appoint Spencer Hawley to serve on the South Dakota Commission on Gaming. Additionally, Governor Noem reappointed Robert Goetz to the Commission.

Hawley is a former Democrat legislator from Brookings, serving from 2011-2018.  He served as House minority leader from 2015-2018.  He owned his own insurance business in Brookings for many years, but now works for American Trust Insurance as an account executive.

Information on the South Dakota Commission on Gaming can be found here.

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South Dakota loves their incumbents, and a recent poll conducted by South Dakota State University seems to be marking Senator John Thune, Congressman Dusty Johnson, and (especially) Governor Kristi Noem safe in their elected positions, as their approval among South Dakotans remains largely unchanged since they last time they tested the waters six months ago:

The South Dakota Covid Impact Survey was conducted from April 12^th to 25^th, 2021 by The SDSU Poll, a research group housed in the School of American and Global Studies at South Dakota State University. A total of 3,057 registered voters in South Dakota completed our survey about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their daily lives, alongside questions on political beliefs given the partisan polarization of the policy response to the pandemic. The margin of error of this survey was +/- 2 %, which is less than most state-wide polls.

Overall Support of Major Figures Consistent with State’s Partisan Leanings

“Feeling Thermometers” are commonly used by political scientists to measure support of political figures, since it is a very intuitive and sensitive measurement. A score of 100 means a respondent has the warmest of feelings towards an individual, a score of 0 the coldest feelings, with 50 being neutral. Results of our survey show that South Dakotans are relatively cool towards President Biden. The President’s “feeling thermometer” is at 37. Given the fact that South Dakota is a solidly Republican state and that Presidents Biden got only 35.6% of the votes in last year’s election, this finding is not surprising. Former President Trump’s thermometer was at 43, which is nearly identical to the value of 42 from October of last year. The thermometers of Senators Rounds and Thune were 44 and 45, respectively, Governor Noem scored 48, and Representative Johnson 52.  These results are similar to our findings in general electorate in our inaugural poll in October of 2020.

It is important to note that the feelings thermometers on Governor Noem and former President Trump were virtually unchanged between our April 2021 and October 2020 polls amongst South Dakota Republicans (their differences in ratings in both polls were within the margin of error), whereas our all-Republican congressional delegation suffered some serious dips in their popularity. Johnson, Rounds, and Thune dropped 9, 10, and 14 points respectively. This is a sharp break from the governor. As we noted in our post-election survey, most Republicans in the state questioned the fairness of the election. These sentiments ultimately came to a head in the January 6 assault on the Capitol, and have been sustained ever since in conservative media outlets. Through this all, the governor has remained steadfast in her support of the former president. Meanwhile, Johnson, Thune, and Rounds were walking a narrow path in their handling of the post-January 6^th political environment: publicly breaking with the former president on the certification of Biden’s victory, yet voting against his impeachment. Since former president Trump remains the singularly most popular national figure in the Republican party, this public break has undoubtedly cost our congressional delegation some support within the party. However, given their overall levels of support, we doubt any risk to their electoral safety.

Read the results here, courtesy of the School of American and Global Studies at South Dakota State University.

Woe be to any primary challengers, as according to the poll, Governor Noem is more popular than Donald Trump among South Dakota Republicans, while Senators Thune, Rounds and Congressman Johnson are all polling above 60% in their popularity among members of the GOP, and are all fairly popular overall.

Stronger Families Together
By: Governor Kristi Noem
May 14, 2021

In South Dakota, we help our neighbors. It’s just part of who we are. My parents instilled that in me at a very young age. We’d check on families in our community who were struggling. In fact, when I was a little girl, my parents brought a foster boy into our family.

My foster brother faced some challenges. I remember my parents telling me years later that they wished they would have had more tools, more information, or more training so that they could help him better.

That’s why I have such a heart for foster children. That’s why I’ve made taking care of foster kids such a big priority as governor. That experience taught me an important lesson: what these kids are facing isn’t their fault. Their challenges and traumas are very real.

In South Dakota, we help our neighbors. And when kids and families in our community are struggling, we help them, too. That’s why we launched our “Stronger Families Together” initiative.

“Stronger Families Together” seeks to increase the number of foster parents serving kids in South Dakota. Last year, we set a 5-year high of 238 new foster families in our state. And that’s great news! But we need more. Our goal is to get 300 new families involved in foster care each year over the next 4 years.

We want to increase the number of available foster families so that we don’t have waiting lists for kids waiting to get into a foster home. Instead, we should have waiting lists of parents waiting to bring in a foster child. Every child deserves a safe and loving home. And with “Stronger Families Together,” we’ll help to give them just such a home.

But we need you. Ask yourself and your family if you feel called to serve as a foster family.

Even if you don’t feel that call, we still need you. Foster families need a support structure. They need their community to help them while they’re helping these kids. So ask yourself, what can I give? Maybe it’s a donation. Maybe it’s lifting these families up in prayer. If you’re a business owner, maybe it’s giving discounts to foster families. However you can help, we need you.

More importantly, these kids need you. And their families need you, too. The point of foster care is to give families time to heal; to give kids a safe and loving environment while their parents put whatever hurt or challenge they’re facing behind them. Sometimes the healing process doesn’t work out, and those kids need to be adopted. In those instances, they need you all the more.

South Dakota is a strong state. Over the past year, I’ve come to believe like never before that we’re the strongest state in America. But we can always be stronger. Together, we can give families an opportunity to heal. And together, we can build stronger families across our state by helping out even more kids. Stronger families will lead to stronger communities. And stronger communities will help us build an even stronger South Dakota.

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South Dakota to End Federal Pandemic Unemployment Benefits

PIERRE, SD – Today, Governor Kristi Noem and the South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation (DLR) announced South Dakota will terminate its participation in the federal government’s pandemic-related unemployment assistance programs.

“Businesses across the state continue to say they would grow and expand, if it wasn’t for the lack of workers. Help wanted signs line our streets,” said state Labor and Regulation Secretary Marcia Hultman. “South Dakota is, and has been, ‘Open for Business.’ Ending these programs is a necessary step towards recovery, growth, and getting people back to work.”

South Dakota was the only state to not apply for the federal Lost Wages Assistance (LWA) supplement last fall. Additionally, South Dakota did not opt into the federal Mixed Earner Unemployment Compensation (MEUC) program in December 2020.

South Dakota elected to participate in three unemployment-related programs in connection with the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act and Continued Assistance to Unemployed Workers Act of 2020.

• South Dakota will no longer participate in the federal Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) program, which affected claimants who have exhausted their traditional 26 weeks of regular State unemployment compensation.
• South Dakota will no longer issue supplemental $300 weekly payments to claimants under the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC) program. This payment was made to all claimants who were receiving unemployment benefits regardless of the program under which they are being paid.
• South Dakota will no longer participate in the federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program. PUA currently provides benefits to the self-employed, the underemployed, independent contractors, and individuals who have been unable to work due to health or COVID-19-related reasons.

The termination will be effective on the week ending June 26, 2021, for all three programs. South Dakota will continue to pay regular State claims. The agreement signed to initiate these programs allows South Dakota or the U.S. Department of Labor to terminate the programs upon 30 days’ written notice to the other party.

“DLR’s online jobs database SDWORKS has averaged over 23,000 job openings daily,” continued Secretary Hultman. “Our Job Service offices are open and ready to help and support those returning to the workforce, in need of additional skills or training, or who need an extra hand in overcoming barriers.”

To search for new jobs or receive virtual employment services, visit www.sdjobs.org.

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Self-declared candidate for Governor Lora Hubbel has taken to facebook to intimate that the act of wearing a mask to protect oneself from Coronavirus is apparently a form of devil-worship, as she shares a post discussing how wearing a mask is a satanic ritual:

(Lora is also a rabid anti-vaxxer goofball on not just COVID, but also on preventable childhood diseases.)

If you think about it, between her belief that masks are part of a satanic ritual, and her belief against vaccinations, which would remove the need to wear a mask…

…you’re kind of damned if you do, and damned if you don’t.

Lee Schoenbeck, the top Senator in the South Dakota Senate, has some harsh words for those in Congress who moved to oust Liz Cheney from her caucus position for speaking her mind on President Trump.

McCarthy is an embarrassment for real Republicans. Thank you Liz Cheney for your courage, in a room of wimps

— Lee Schoenbeck (@LeeSchoenbeck) May 12, 2021

I had a correspondent also note to me..

Liz Cheney is so conservative, she stood against gay marriage even though her sister is married to her partner.

This is not the Republican party that my generation is remotely interested in.

I would also add that South Dakota’s lone voice in Congress, Dusty Johnson, expressed in an interview that he voted to retain Cheney in Leadership, because of her independent voice:

“I’ve had my disagreements with Liz, but she’s a strong, conservative and independent voice,” he said. “There’s room for that in leadership.”

Read the entire story here.

What are your thoughts on Cheney’s ouster from her caucus position yesterday? Are some Republicans demanding too much fealty to Trump at the expense of being able to express a contrary view?