Oops, I did it again.

Apparently I’ve bent time, space and reality… especially reality… and am somehow being directly blamed for expunging voter data by the allegedly conservative group who keeps releasing information through former liberal Democrat State Senate Candidate Cory Heidelberger:

Citizens for Liberty claims that finding those voter registration records was made more difficult by …. Pat Powers himself and his former boss Jason Gant, who as Secretary of State allegedly ordered the destruction of voter registration information archived in Pierre that documented changes of voter registration as people moved from county to county:

Our requests to the Yankton and Brown County auditors specifically about Representative Hunhoff and Senator Novstrup elicited the attached voter registration cards. Our efforts to research our elected officials were made difficult due to the multiple decades worth of voter registration information expunged by SOS Gant & Mr. Powers [SDCFL, 2017.10.10].

If you must, go to the pot blog and read that here.

They claimed that there was somehow “multiple decades worth of voter registration information expunged” by myself and Jason Gant?. I’m not sure what proof they have of that claim, especially the fact that any record retention requirements are going to be laid out in administrative rule and in law.

That claim has as much merit as when Shawn Tornow tried to get me to testify because he thought I could control telephones as part of the Dan Willard robocall trial.

In other words, it’s so ludicrous it beggars the imagination.  If we could introduce a couple of facts, which are pesky things for the moronically challenged:

The false claim that somehow I “ordered the destruction of voter registration information archived in Pierre.”   Unfortunately, those making the claim fail to understand that there IS NO VOTER REGISTRATION INFORMATION ARCHIVED IN PIERRE.

It ignores the fact that these records are not those of the state, but they belong to, and are supervised by the counties, who would be in charge of managing any retention schedule or destruction process.

I also can’t help but ask how my name is getting drug into their wild accusations, other than writing about Citizen’s For Liberty’s bumbling attacks on Republicans as my time with the Secretary of State had nothing to do with elections.

While I was there, I was the boring guy who wrote the blue book, managed a few staff members under administrative services, such as the lobbyist person / notary person, etc., and sent things out to archives so they could be preserved.

Coming as it has after the negative press they received yesterday, it seems like all of this a lot of deflection and flak that the group is throwing out via their allies the liberal democrats, who are happy to use it to attack the GOP.

Maybe we need to take a harder look at why this is so. Because they both seem to have the same goal of defeating Republicans.

Sounds like we’re going further down the rabbit hole, according to the Argus Leader’s version of the Citizens for Liberty story:

South Dakota Citizens for Liberty, a Rapid City conservative advocacy group, named the lawmakers Monday as part of a legislative scorecard report. An official said the party switches raise questions about lawmakers’ commitment to conservative ideology.

“If a person changes their party affiliation and doesn’t change their philosophy, I think that’s something their constituents deserve to know,” said Tonchi Weaver, a lobbyist for the group.

and…

“I’ve never registered as a Democrat. I’ve always been a Republican,” said Rep. Jean Hunhoff, R-Yankton, who was named in the report. “I’ve never even heard of that group.”

and…

Weaver said Soholt should be excluded from caucusing with Republicans in Pierre, but Soholt was quick to defend herself on Facebook. Soholt wrote that the move away from the Republican Party came as an accident when she went to register for a new driver’s license and missed the box used to record party affiliation.

and…

“I’ve been a lifelong Republican. I was raised as a Republican and I’ve always run as a Republican,” said Sen. Jim White, R-Huron. “I think that my voting record speaks for itself and I have no idea what they’re trying to accomplish.”

Read it here.

Meanwhile, the GOP had this to say about the whole thing:

Republican Party Chairman Dan Lederman said that he “didn’t view the party change of former Democrats becoming Republicans as something to be ashamed of, but rather a badge of honor.”

“The South Dakota Republican Party has always been the party who has welcomed people with open arms, including Democrat legislators as former Senator Eldon Nygaard who became a Republican State Senator after being elected as a Democrat, as well as Senator Ryan Maher, who changed parties to Republican after being elected as a Democrat a number of years ago.”

Lederman continued, “If any more Democrats, especially legislators, want to switch from the party of obstructionists and join the political party of do-ers, I’m ready to sign them up today, and to welcome them in joining Republicans to get things accomplished for South Dakota.”

Read it here.

Stay tuned…

Former Democrat State Senate candidate and South Dakota’s most liberal man, Cory Heidelberger was busy trying to play “gotcha” today with State Senator Deb Soholt by publicizing a voter registration form he was sent by an unidentified source which shows that Deb Soholt supposedly removed her party identification from her voter registration on December 9th of last yeay, changing it from “Republican” to “No Party.”

In fact, all of this information was sent to Heidelberger prior to any publicity elsewhere, as this new scorecard has yet to be linked to the Citizens for Liberty website.*   It certainly says something when they’re rushing to provide it to Democrats before any other media source.

A few people in Republican circles were confused, not the least of which was Soholt herself, who found herself questioning whether this was an error, or some sort of fraudulent submission, which would have been a criminal act along the lines of Annette Bosworth’s legal woes.

As she spent the morning digging into where this came from, it didn’t take long to track it down. According to a statement issued today:

Today a press release from Citizens for Liberty showed that Senator Deb Soholt, District 14, was not registered as a Republican.

This was a complete surprise and after investigating the source document from 12.9.16, she found it was the day at the Department of Motor Vehicles getting a new driver’s license after having lost her wallet in DC.  When the renewal kiosk auto-filled her information, she missed the open box for “party” before signing.

The truth of the matter is that Senator Soholt has been a Republican since becoming a registered voter at the age of 18 – except for this human error.

While one might question the motivation of Citizens for Liberty in taking the time to request source voter documents at county auditor offices, Senator Soholt is grateful to know her mistake so she can get back to being the formally registered Republican that she has been for a lifetime.

In a nutshell, she had lost her wallet while on a trip, came back, and was at a drivers’ license kiosk or station to get new one. And when she obtained her new license, there was a box she didn’t check off and it blanked out her voter registration.

If it shows anything, it shows she’s as human and able to have headaches with technology as the rest of us. And it might be something the driver’s license people need to double check to make sure they review what fields are checked when replacement licenses are issued.

What catches my attention a bit more closely is that was sent to liberal democrats as part of the Citizens for Liberty campaign piece, where they note that some legislators were registered under different party affiliations. In some cases, they had changed parties up to 20-30 years previous.

Seriously.. Such as in the case of Larry Rhoden, who had originally registered as a Democrat when he first registered to vote as a youth, and changed parties in the 1990s. Yet, Citizens for Liberty are trying to use that in conjunction with his “rating.”

What some of us may call education and personal growth when people change from Democrat to Republican, they try to portray as heresy.

What is interesting is that someone took the time to contact the appropriate county auditors to ask about and obtain documentation of previous political registrations. Because it’s not on-line. It’s not part of an electronic record. You have to have county auditors physically look it up, and in some cases, via an ancient card catalog.

That’s not part of a “voter scorecard” for tallying how they voted. That’s purely opposition research for election campaign purposes, and it looks like they conducted it on all Republican legislators.

This past election, there were a number of primary elections where those affiliated with hard right groups such as Citizens for Liberty made a number of primary election challenges against legislators such as Senator Terri Haverly, then Representative Jeff Partridge, Senator Alan Solano, and others, most of whom had strongly conservative credentials such as with the American Conservative Union, the National Rifle Association, etc. Yet, that didn’t stop their challengers from trying to paint them as liberal as they campaigned against them.

If this episode does anything, it should be forewarning that certain groups are out to replace conservative Republican legislators with their own people. They’re doing their research, and they’re going to go after Republicans twice as hard as they did before.

And noting that they’re happy to pass the information on to the most liberal of Democrats, it also shows that it’s not about political party, or what they believe.  There’s an often used saying about the problem lying down with dogs. It’s hard to proclaim your ideological purity when you spend most of your time laying with flea-bitten donkeys.

I think the moral of today’s tale is more properly “Be careful what box you check at the DMV, and of scorecards that come with daggers.” Because both could come back at a later date.

* Here’s a screenshot of the website taken at 12:30 today.
The “2017 SOUTH DAKOTA SENATE CONSERVATIVE SCORECARD” sent to Democrats is not linked or posted…

Celebrating South Dakota’s Native American Traditions
By Sen. John Thune

On the second Monday in October, South Dakotans uniquely celebrate Native American Day to recognize and honor the Lakota, Dakota, and Nakota people who have shaped our state’s identity. On a day known to most people around the country as “Columbus Day,” South Dakotans use this day to honor the people who called America home long before any European settlers landed on its shores.

We have infinite reasons to celebrate the strong traditions and culture of the tribal nations that are an inseparable part of our state, and I’m glad so many tribal members still call South Dakota home.

Among the many skills Native Americans have passed from one generation to the next, the use of oral history has remained an important way to preserve tribal culture, language, and way of life. While these stories can feature anyone and anything from a warrior riding on the prairie to wind rustling trees in the woods, they often center around the Tatanka, or buffalo. The buffalo, which is now the national mammal in the United States, was vital to both the physical and spiritual well-being of Native Americans, providing meat for food, hide for clothes and shelter, and the bones were made into tools. No part of the buffalo went to waste.

Spiritually, the sacrifice of the buffalo to meet the physical needs of the people was a representation of the Creator’s continual provision because the death of the buffalo sustained the life of the people. Even today, buffalo meat is still widely consumed throughout the state and across the country. Native American Natural Foods, located in the Oglala Sioux Tribe, has created a high protein energy bar made from buffalo meat and cranberries, which has been successful both in the United States and the international market.

Corn is another food that was introduced to European settlers by the Native American people. Lakota Popcorn, which is produced by the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe, can usually be found on the shelves of many South Dakota grocery stores. As Lakota Foods says, “This delicacy is descended from the very corn grown and popped around tribal campfires for generations.” These are just a few examples of how many tribal traditions are living on today.

This Native American Day, I encourage South Dakotans to recognize, celebrate, and honor the rich culture and contributions of the Lakota, Dakota, and Nakota people, of which we can all be proud and grateful.

###

Upcoming Farm Bill Discussions a Golden Opportunity to Empower South Dakota Ag
By U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.)

In the next 12 months, Congress will ramp up its work on the reauthorization of the farm bill, which expires Sept. 30, 2018. With the farm economy struggling over the past four years and commodity prices down, the policy changes we enact in this farm bill are as important as ever. I’ve been talking closely with farmers and ranchers across the state about their priorities for the upcoming farm bill to make sure their voices are heard.

One major issue that I hear about time and again is that producers are having difficulty accessing necessary capital during tough times. To help alleviate this concern, I recently introduced the Farm Service Agency (FSA) Loan Guarantee Enhancement Act, a bill to assist lenders in supporting producers during periods of economic downturn within the ag sector. This legislation would raise the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) guaranteed ownership and operating loan guarantee from $1.4 million to $3 million, increased authorized private-sector loan offerings for guaranteed operating and ownership loans from $3 billion to $8 billion and raise the cap for direct loans up to $3 billion. Lastly, it would provide spending assurance, rather than have these programs depend on the yearly appropriations process.

Increasing both the individual cap for these loans and the total amount of money available for lending will allow a greater number of producers to utilize the program. The FSA Loan Guarantee Enhancement Act would more accurately reflect inflation and the increasing costs of agriculture production today and make certain lenders have the flexibility to allow farmers and ranchers to weather times of economic downturn. If passed, this bill has the potential to immediately help farmers and ranchers in our state and around the country. This bill was crafted in close consultation with producers in South Dakota, and has received the backing of the Independent Community Bankers Association (ICBA), South Dakota ICBA, the American Bankers Association and the Farm Credit Council.

I also recently wrote to the Chairman and Ranking Members of the Senate Ag Committee to outline a list of priorities for South Dakota producers in the farm bill discussion. We’d like to see the federal crop insurance program adequately supported. With 17 million acres covered under this program in South Dakota alone, crop insurance is a critical tool for farmers to protect themselves and their operations. We also put in a request to establish a foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) vaccination bank to combat economic, food and national security concerns. A major outbreak of FMD would be financially devastating to our producers. Finally, we encouraged the committee to increase the cap for Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) acres. CRP is an important safety net, designed to assist farmers and ranchers during adverse times, such as during a drought like we’ve experienced in South Dakota this year. I appreciate the bipartisan work the leaders of the Ag Committee have been conducting, and I look forward to continuing to work with them on ways we can strengthen agriculture across the country.

South Dakota producers work hard every day to feed and fuel a growing global population. As in all businesses, some years will be better than others. During those more difficult times, it’s important that our farmers and ranchers have access to tools that can help them keep their operations viable. I believe my legislation, along with the next farm bill, will provide them with additional solutions to the problems they face.

###

Opportunity for All
By Rep. Kristi Noem

Sitting across the room from Mona Drolc, you can tell she’s ready to go – and that’s not far from the truth. She’s always on the go! Mona is the Vice President of the Ups and Downs Family Support Group, a nonprofit dedicated to those with Down syndrome as well as their friends and family in western South Dakota. She serves as the Head Coach for the Rapid City Special Olympic Young Athlete’s program. She’s an instructor with South Dakota-based STRIDER bikes, teaching kids of all abilities how to ride. And above all, she’s a dedicated mother, fighting to make sure her son, David, has every opportunity in the world to succeed.

Like one in every 700 babies born in the U.S., David has Down syndrome. David also has dreams as big as his smile. He wants to get a job, become financially independent, and maybe one day even move into a house of his own. And he’s blessed with a mom who is fighting to make sure he and so many South Dakotans like him can achieve every one of these goals.

With October marking Down Syndrome Awareness Month, Mona took a trip out to Washington, D.C., to advocate for policies that create more opportunities for David. Her message was clear: Individuals with Down syndrome deserve a more level playing field; they should have access to the same opportunities as their peers.

In 2014, I helped pass legislation, which was signed into law, to move us closer to this goal. The Achieving a Better Life Experience Act – or the ABLE Act – tore down many barriers those with Down syndrome face, such as making improvements to the way those with disabilities can save for the future.

But hurdles remain. As a member of the Task Force on Down Syndrome, I’m helping to drive forward the ABLE to Work Act, which seeks to further incentivize employment. More specifically, most ABLE Act beneficiaries face tremendous medical costs over the course of their lifetime. Even with the amplified savings potential under the 2014 legislation, a cap is in place that prevents folks from saving enough to cover their long-term medical costs – let alone allow them to save for things like a home. The ABLE to Work Act would allow those with Down syndrome and other disabilities to save more in a tax-free account, helping secure financial independence.

Fundamentally, I want to create opportunities for South Dakotans from all walks of life to thrive. That’s my guiding principle. So, when kids like David have big dreams, I’m going to fight to help them fulfill every ounce of their God-given potential. I’m hopeful the ABLE to Work Act will help them do that.

 Left to Right: Michelle Sagan, Rep. Kristi Noem, Mona Drolc

Cause For Celebration This Native Americans’ Day
A column by Gov. Dennis Daugaard:

Since 1990, South Dakota has celebrated Native Americans’ Day. We were the first in the nation to establish Native Americans’ Day as an official state holiday, done at the urging of Gov. George S. Mickelson as a part of his “Year of Reconciliation” efforts.

A crowd of South Dakotans gathered at Crazy Horse Memorial to celebrate the state’s first Native Americans’ Day. There were prayers offered by the Keeper of the Sacred Pipe of the Sioux Nation and an Episcopalian bishop, the Sioux Anthem and Star Spangled Banner were sung, and speeches were given by Oglala Sioux Tribe President Harold Salway and Gov. Mickelson. Also at the event, Ruth Ziolkowski, the gracious hostess of the celebration, was presented with a reconciliation award.

This event was just one of the highlights of the Year of Reconciliation. Gov. Mickelson spent those months trying to form new partnerships with tribes and bridge gaps between Natives and non-Natives. He reactivated the Commission on Indian Affairs and put in the effort to work directly with individual tribes and consider each tribe’s unique issues and needs. Mickelson called on South Dakotans of all races to focus on areas of agreement, which led to successes in tribal tourism, health care and small business development.

Throughout my time in office, I have tried to mirror some of Gov. Mickelson’s efforts. In 2011, I established the Department of Tribal Relations as a cabinet-level agency within state government. Every year, Tribal Secretary Steve Emery and I schedule tribal visits so we can meet with tribal presidents and council members to better understand the specific issues affecting each tribe.

In the last few years, Tribal Relations has worked diligently to facilitate partnerships among state agencies and the nine tribes. For instance, we have tax collection agreements with eight tribes and gaming compacts with eight tribes. In 2016 and 2017, the Department of Game, Fish, and Parks signed cooperative Memorandums of Understanding with the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe, Rosebud Sioux Tribe, Oglala Sioux Tribe, and Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe to improve communication and management of wildlife and lands. And the Department of Environment and Natural Resources has dedicated millions of dollars for the operation and maintenance of tribal drinking water systems.

Legislatively, Tribal Relations holds an annual forum where tribal members are able to discuss their legislative priorities with current state legislators. I also signed a bill allowing for the exemption of elected tribal leaders from having to register as a lobbyist in order to testify or lobby for or against legislation.

On the corrections front, we have implemented a tribal parole program with the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate that has been very successful. As part of the Criminal Justice Initiative of 2013, the program returns parolees to their tribal communities where family and community supports help parolees remain compliant. This joint supervision program has resulted in higher parole completion rates, fewer instances of absconding and culturally relevant support systems for parolees returning home.

Relations between the tribes and the State of South Dakota have improved over the last 27 years. It’s normal to have diverse viewpoints and some disagreements, but we continue to move in a positive direction. That’s cause for celebration this Native Americans’ Day.

-30-

Slick Rick Weiland is announcing a new partnership today with the pot peddlers of South Dakota, New Approach, SD, and they are trying to combine their efforts at couch voting with New Approach’s efforts to legalize pot and grandma-killing in South Dakota:

Since they’re aligning with the people trying to make illegal drugs easier to get, is  Weiland’s “Take it back” now going to change their name to “Toke it back?”  Or maybe Take it back, Dude..

Anyway you slice it, just another reminder to be very careful what you consider signing. because the axis of electoral evil is trying to make it a package deal.

From facebook on September 30th, District 22 Democrats have an interesting picture on display from the NSU homecoming last weekend…

 

It looks suspiciously like Cory Heidelberger, the most liberal man in South Dakota, is saddling up for another beating, as at the NSU Gypsy Days Parade, he has people carting around a wagon with his used campaign State Senate signs in it from the 2016 election where Al Novstrup beat him six ways to Sunday.

(If he isn’t running, then someone should break it to him gently that he lost).

————–

Update – I just had a correspondent in Aberdeen tell me that they heard that Heidelberger’s 2016 running mates Brooks Brisco and “F*** Northern”…. er, Nikki Bootz who only says “F*** Northern” is going to be back for another round of campaigning in 2018.

I can’t wait.