South Dakota Federation of Republican Women are calling on all Republicans to help & DONATE at the State GOP Convention to support Veterans through the Fort Meade Shop for Veterans.
It’s a great cause and an easy way you can support South Dakota’s Military Vets!
This past weekend saw South Dakota Democrats bringing forth a group of people to run for their constitutional offices. An you have to wonder what they were thinking:
Lieutenant Governor – Michelle Lavallee. From Sioux Falls. Former Chair of the Paul TenHaken campaign. Has some money, but not many have ever heard of her.
Secretary of State – Alexandra Fredrick. From Okreek, late addition to ballot, married to PUC Candidate.
Attorney General – Randy Seiler. From Fort Pierre, Interim US Atty. Nice guy, but not well known.
Auditor – Tom Cool. From Sioux Falls, manages noon Dem Forum. Lost election for State Senate 4 times in a row (2010, 2012 ,2014, 2016).
Treasurer – Aaron Matson. Sioux Falls. An ELCA pastor with Master’s Degree in Divinity & a doctoral degree in political science. Who works as a Dem party staffer.
Commissioner of School and Public Lands – Woody Hauser. From Beresford. Local real estate agent.
Public Utilities Commissioner – Wayne Fredrick, Okreek. And nobody knows him either.
You have to question if they tried to tap their B squad for the fall political races, as most of these people haven’t campaigned for anything before. No current lawmakers. No past officeholders. The closest thing they have is Tom Cool, who will soon complete a hand’s count worth of political losses with 2018.
Outside of Seiler, who was the only candidate announced prior to the convention, the rest of the bunch were scraped up, shaken from the trees, or found in the couch cushions of the Dem’s biennial political gathering.
I will give it to them that they’re managed to talk people into running for all the seats.
But you also have to recognize that anyone they have with any experience is looking at the electoral map… and saying “nope.”
From Facebook:
The Republican State Convention is taking place this week, and we’re going to be covering it on the ground starting Thursday night! In case you haven’t seen it yet, the schedule is below.
But, you can’t take part if you aren’t registered. Go to the Republican State Party website at SouthDakotaGOP.com to register for convention and to find out more!
2018 CONVENTION SCHEDULE
WEDNESDAY6 p.m. Executive Board Meeting
7 p.m. Staff Planning Sessions
THURSDAY(All committees to have reports prepared by 3 p.m.)
8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Registration – Lake Oahe Lobby
9 a.m. – 3 p.m. Committee Sessions
• Credentials – Lewis and Clark B
• Site Selection – Amphitheatre I
• Platform – Lake Francis Case
• Resolutions – Lake Sharpe A
• Rules – Lewis and Clark A
• Training by Delve Communications from Jeff Berkowitz – Amphitheater II
• Training by Advertising Arts from Matt Bonacker – Lake Sharpe B
3 p.m. Coffee Break sponsored by Hy-Vee
3:30 p.m. Convention convenes for the following business: – Gallery A
• Election of temporary convention chairman and temporary secretary
• Adoption of the Report of the Credentials Committee
• Adoption of the Report of the Rules Committee
• Election of permanent convention chairman and secretary
• Adoption of the convention schedule
5 p.m. Convention Adjourns until 9 a.m. Friday
6 p.m. Stanley and Hughes County GOP Hosted Dinner at Fischers Lilly Park in Fort Pierre
9 p.m. Hospitality Suites
FRIDAY(No Committees – Just Convention Sessions to approve Resolutions and Platform)
8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Registration – Lake Oahe Lobby
8 a.m. Constitutional Breakfast with Statewide Constitutional Officers and Candidates hosted by Americans for Prosperity – Grand Galleria
9 a.m. – Noon Convention reconvenes to consider Platform and Resolutions – Grand Galleria
10 a.m. Coffee Break Sponsored by Black Hills Energy
Noon Congressional Luncheon with Guest Speaker, US Senator John Thune and Congressional Nominee Dusty Johnson
hosted by POET – Grand Galleria
1 p.m. General Session – Grand Galleria
3 p.m. Coffee Break sponsored by South Dakota Medical Association
3:30 p.m. General Session – Grand Galleria
4:00 p.m. End of debate and amendments on platform and resolutions – votes will be taken on all pending motions or resolutions—
any resolution not yet considered will not be voted upon
5 p.m. Convention adjourns until 10am Saturday
6 p.m. Governor’s Reception and Dinner sponsored by Jack Links at Ramkota
9 p.m. Hospitality Suites hosted by Statewide Candidates at Ramkota Hotel
SATURDAY(Only Candidate Nominations and Site Selection Committee Report)
8 – 10:00 a.m. Early morning coffee service hosted by Woods Fuller
8 – 9:30 a.m. Registration – Lake Oahe Lobby
Registration will close 30 minutes prior to start of convention for Credentials Committee to organize registration
9 a.m. Convention Brunch at Ramkota Free to all paid registered guests hosted by Senator Mike Rounds – Grand Galleria
10 a.m. General Session – Grand Galleria
10 a.m. – noon Late morning coffee service sponsored by May Adam
Election of Constitutional Officers
• Lt. Governor • Secretary of State • Treasurer • Auditor • School & Public Lands • Public Utilities Commission • Attorney General
Report of Site Selection Committee
Convention Adjourns Sine Die
“So God Made a Farmer”
By Sen. John Thune
When you run a farm or a ranch, there’s no timeclock. There’s often no set lunch hour. There’s no paid vacation. Unlike most jobs, the last person leaving the office doesn’t turn out the lights – in farming and ranching, Mother Nature will take care of it for you. In this line of work, which is more like a way of life, farmers and ranchers not only pray for a safe day in the field and for their family and community, but they know God was listening when they wake to the near-musical sound of rain drops hitting a tin roof. They’re hardworking, dedicated, patriotic people, and I’m proud to have many of them as my friends.
Agriculture, particularly production agriculture, is South Dakota’s lifeblood. It’s the top industry, and nearly everyone in the state is affected by it in one way or another. That’s why I knew that I needed to use my voice in Congress to ensure the farming and ranching community was being treated the way it deserved to be treated. After all, where we’re from, “agriculture” is nearly synonymous with “South Dakota.”
At the end of the day, I think farmers and ranchers want to know that policymakers truly understand how tough this business can be. Having stood in the fields and witnessed the blood, sweat, and literal tears that go into this, I get it. It’s why I chose to serve on the House Agriculture Committee and now the Senate Agriculture Committee, and I believe that I’ve used my voice – their voice – to effectively give South Dakota’s farmers and ranchers a platform to be heard.
There’s no greater example of this than the pro-farmer, pro-agriculture farm bill that’s moving through Congress – the fourth farm bill that I’ve helped write – which is thanks, in large part, to the help and advice I’ve been fortunate to receive from the South Dakota agriculture community.
Knowing that this isn’t always an easy process, in March 2017, nearly 20 months before the current farm bill was set to expire, I tried to get ahead of the game by introducing proposal after proposal to reform and strengthen the next farm bill. Since I started this process, I’ve rolled out roughly 40 legislative ideas. As evidenced by our bipartisan farm bill, which is now on its way to the full Senate for consideration, it’s safe to say that the hard work paid off.
Multiple proposals that I’d written were included in the Agriculture Committee’s draft bill, and several more were included before the committee voted 20-1 to move it one step closer to the finish line. I still have a few ideas on how to improve this already strong bill once we get it to the Senate floor, and I’m glad to have a commitment from Chairman Pat Roberts and Ranking Member Debbie Stabenow to help implement some of them, particularly my proposals related to the Conservation Reserve Program, which is so important in South Dakota.
Going through this process, I’m reminded of what Paul Harvey told the Future Farmers of America convention in 1978. He talked about what God needed on the 8th day: a caretaker. “God said, ‘I need somebody willing to sit up all night with a newborn colt, and watch it die. Then dry his eyes and say, ‘Maybe next year.’ I need somebody who can shape an ax handle from a persimmon sprout, shoe a horse with a hunk of car tire, who can make harness out of haywire, feed sacks, and shoe scraps. And who, planting time and harvest season, will finish his 40-hour week by Tuesday noon, then, paining from tractor back, put in another 72 hours.’ So God made a farmer.”
Thank you, God, for making a farmer and for having him call South Dakota home.
###
Protecting States’ Rights to Water
By U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.)
For many South Dakotans, the Missouri River is a constant in our lives. We have driven past it countless times, fished its waters and boated on it with our friends and families. It has also historically been a major water source for state and municipal projects. However, a U.S. Army Corps’ of Engineers proposed rule, estimated to be finalized as early as this fall, would limit states’ rights to the natural flow of water through river systems.
The proposed rule, published during the previous administration, seeks to define the term “surplus water” in the Flood Control Act of 1944. In formulating the proposed rule, the Army Corps failed to take into account natural flows of the river system when defining surplus water. It was the intent of Congress to recognize and reaffirm the constitutionally protected rights of states to the natural flow of water through river systems like the Missouri. The proposed rule is an attack on states’ rights and states’ ability to access these natural flows.
Earlier this year, South Dakota’s Game, Fish and Parks Department requested access to a small quantity of water from the Missouri River to construct a parking lot on government property adjacent to a reservoir. The Army Corps denied the request on the basis that the “surplus water” rule hadn’t been finalized. The Army Corps is blocking states from legitimate usage of the water.
As chairman of the Environment and Public Works (EPW) Subcommittee on Superfund, Waste Management and Regulatory Oversight, I have held numerous hearings to review the Army Corps’ management of the Missouri River. We recently held a hearing to focus on the problems with the “surplus water” rule. Secretary Steven Pirner of the South Dakota Department of Environment and Natural Resources testified at the hearing. Of the proposed rule, he said, “this new definition of surplus water creates a monumental change to the law and steals South Dakota’s rights to natural flows that, by tradition and law, are under the jurisdiction of the states.”
In South Dakota, we live with a permanent flood as thousands of acres of productive farmland have been inundated to create the mainstem dams of the Missouri River. Recently, I was joined in a letter to President Trump by Governor Daugaard, Senator Thune and Representative Noem in which we stated that 500,000 acres of our most fertile river bottomlands were permanently flooded as the reservoirs filled following construction of these dams. Our citizens and tribal members were forced from their homes and communities.
We don’t doubt the benefits of multi-use Army Corps projects, but they need to be taken into the proper historical context. In taking such an expansive view of what constitutes surplus water, and thus what is subject to federal control, the Army Corps clearly does not recognize the constitutionally protected rights of the states to the natural flows of the river system.
Rather, the Army Corps is attempting to produce a system in which legitimate municipal and industrial projects cannot gain access to the water passing through the states by refusing to grant easements to gain access to these water resources.
I have been working directly with EPW Chairman John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) to secure a verbal commitment toward addressing the “surplus water” rule through legislative action. We’ll also continue working to make sure the Army Corps modifies its rulemaking process to consider the roles and rights of states.
###
Strengthening Tribes
By Rep. Kristi Noem
Much of South Dakota’s history is rooted in Indian Country, but sadly, many of the systems designed to help tribal members are failing. From healthcare to education to housing, those who live on reservations are struggling.
In recent years, much of the attention has focused on the failing Indian Health System (IHS). Federal watchdog reports have repeatedly documented shocking cases of mismanagement and poorly delivered care. Babies were born on bathroom floors with no doctor present. Facilities were forced to wash surgical equipment by hand, due to broken sterilization machines. Medical personnel were coming to work with certifications that had lapsed. It is inhumane to provide this kind of “care.”
I recognize recruiting quality medical and administrative staff is an issue at many IHS facilities, which are often located in extremely remote areas, but I’m confident these challenges can be overcome. I have introduced legislation, for instance, to expand the IHS’ existing student loan repayment program in order to attract more and better personnel. It would also cut the red tape that impedes professionals from volunteering at IHS hospitals and clinics and allow administrators to more easily hire good employees and fire bad employees. Moreover, the legislation increases transparency by ensuring reports and plans are completed in a timely manner, enhancing congressional oversight, and expanding whistleblower protections.
The bill is one of the most comprehensive IHS reform packages to move through Congress in recent years. It was approved by a key House committee in mid-June, and I’m hopeful we can see it advance through the legislative process in the months to come.
Health care, however, is just one of the challenges faced by tribes in South Dakota. Housing continues to be an issue for many. Earlier this year, Sen. Thune, Sen. Rounds, and I put pressure on the Department of Agriculture to expand home ownership opportunities in these areas. This May, Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue responded by announcing a new pilot program on tribal lands to assist low-income families in their journey toward home ownership. I am hopeful South Dakota families will be able to take advantage of the program soon.
While housing and healthcare provide security, education offers opportunity. Recruiting and retaining good teachers, however, has proven difficult. As such, I’ve introduced legislation in the House to help ease certain financial burdens on tribal schools. I’m optimistic the changes, if enacted, will help communities retain teachers with enhanced employee benefits while also preserving more resources for the classroom.
The Native American people enrich South Dakota’s culture and play an important role in the American story, but many are struggling. Whether it’s health care, education, or housing, I’m committed to fulfilling America’s treaty obligations and expanding opportunities within tribal communities.
South Dakota’s Strong Foundation
A column by Gov. Dennis Daugaard:
This month marks the 110th anniversary of the laying of the State Capitol cornerstone. The four-foot by four-foot Ortonville granite cube, which features an engraving of the State Seal on the south side, cost $475 and was laid in a Masonic ceremony on June 25, 1908, two years before workmen completed the building.
The cornerstone was dedicated by Gov. Coe Crawford and General William Henry Harrison Beadle, known as the “Savior of the School Lands” for establishing the permanent school fund in South Dakota and several other states.
In his speech during the ceremony Gov. Crawford noted, in part, that the Capitol “will stand throughout the coming years as an expression of beauty and art, and as the people come and go and linger within its walls, they will see in it an expression of the soul of the state.”
In addition to serving as the Capitol’s structural base, the cornerstone is a time capsule, containing coins, building schematics, a Bible, photographs, newspapers, and a variety of papers, and speeches. When installed, it established a strong foundation for the capitol building.
Or did it?
Cornerstones are often the symbolic anchors of large buildings, but most offer just a glimpse of the strong support mechanism underneath. In the case of the State Capitol, the cornerstone rests upon a broad rampart of brick and ordinary fieldstones, hauled to the worksite from the fields and pastures of central South Dakota.
Sometimes we see our elected officials as the cornerstone of state government, but this is only symbolic strength. South Dakota’s true foundation is its citizens.
Earlier this month, we went to the polls and voted on individuals to stand for election this fall as our representatives on the school board, county commission, in city government, the legislature, Congress, and as our next governor.
The right to vote is the cornerstone of democracy and our elected leaders serve as only the public face of a vast interlocking support network, working together to shore up our state. It’s the people who form the strong foundation of our government, our state, and our society.
In many ways, our beautiful Capitol building does serve as an “expression of the soul of the state.” If you stop by the Capitol in Pierre, take a moment to visit the cornerstone in the building’s southwest corner, and remember the strong foundation that lies beneath.
– 30 –
I’ve been watching a facebook squabble over the past couple of days, as State Senator Stace Nelson has been attacking Dr. Tamera Enalls for taking issue with the false postcards sent out by the National Association of Gun Rights in her race, as well as attacking a commenter over at Dakota Posts:
That’s just been over the past few days.
When I went to see if there was anything more to it, I caught this post this AM, with Nelson attacking people yet again on social media, including Senator Mike Rounds and Jason Glodt, whom Nelson has obtained legislative housing from on and off during his legislative tenure.
Nelson attacking Rounds after the trouncing Rounds gave him at the ballot box in the US Senate Race where Nelson came in a distant third to Rounds has gone on for the past 4 years, and comes after a campaign where he declared “Hell No” when asked if he’d support the Republican Nominee, and has demonstrated bad sportsmanship ever since.
The environment Nelson has created with his constant attacks on Republicans he disagrees with is now bringing forth commentary such as you see above:
This person is literally wishing for Rounds’ untimely demise. I think that’s literally one of the most inhuman things I’ve ever seen that passes as commentary in a South Dakota political discussion. But, that kind of thing is not an unforeseen result of the negative on-line environment that Senator Nelson has fostered through constant on-line attacks and name-calling.
Towards the tail-end of the 2018 Legislative session, the Joint Committee on Legislative Procedure met and passed a rule that one might consider in Nelson’s constant attacks with those he disagrees with:
1B-3. Professional conduct and civility. The South Dakota Legislature will strengthen and sustain an atmosphere of professional conduct and civility among its members and with all staff and will not tolerate harassment or offensive behavior based on race, color, religion, national origin, gender, age, or disability. Harassing or offensive behavior may include the use of electronic communications through social media or otherwise, whether actual or attempted. Legislators must refrain from any and all such harassment or offensive conduct. This prohibition against harassment also encompasses sexual harassment including unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal, non-verbal, or physical conduct of a sexually harassing nature, when: (1) submission to the harassment is made either explicitly or implicitly a term or condition of employment or other employment determinations, or (2) the harassment has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual’s work performance or creates an intimidating, hostile, or offensive working environment.
The question is really at what point are legislative leaders going to decide the line has been crossed for decorum and conduct by a sitting legislator. It’s really up to them to determine whether the level of abuse a legislator is heaping on the public via social media crosses a line.
But you can’t help but wonder if that line hasn’t already been crossed.
