From Facebook:

I about fell over from shock as a ‘Shantel Krebs for Congress’ post appeared in my facebook feed this morning. And in checking, it appears that the campaign has ‘un-banned’ me.

If you recall my post from September:

The blocking seems to have coincided with the announcement of the results of the party’s Straw Poll, which I really didn’t say anything about. It’s not going to prevent me from mentioning the campaign, or talking about issues or concerns that I might notice. But what it does do is remove positive campaign items that might be worth highlighting for the readers from coming to my notice so I can share them with readers.

So, Shantel Krebs has joined Lora Hubbel to hide things from public view. Not exactly a campaign strategy I ever have employed in nearly 30 years of this stuff.

Read that here.

Now I have posts such as this appearing in my facebook feed again:

Someone let me know why it was important to prevent my seeing that in the first place?

4 months to go.

The Importance of Protecting Life
By Sen. John Thune

Recently in the Senate, we took a vote on an important human rights bill, the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act. This bill would protect unborn children who have reached the age of 20 weeks – that’s five months of pregnancy – from being killed by abortion.

Right now, there are only seven countries in the world that allow elective abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy. The United States is one of them. Among the others are China and North Korea. As I’ve said before, I don’t think that’s the company Americans want to be keeping when it comes to protecting human rights.

Unfortunately, we’re going to be keeping company with those countries a little longer, since Democrats in the Senate chose to block us from moving forward on the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act.

This legislation should be a no-brainer. The scientific evidence is clear: At 20 weeks, unborn babies feel pain. 63 percent of the American people support a ban on abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy, and I’m not surprised. Take a look at a five-month old unborn baby on an ultrasound. It’s pretty obvious that that’s a human being. And most people instinctively know that human beings, no matter how small they are, are worthy of protection.

While it’s hard to believe that so many of my colleagues would oppose this bill, I’m not giving up. A majority of the U.S. Senate and a majority of the American people agree with what we’re trying to do, and I’m going to keep speaking up for the most vulnerable among us and supporting efforts to get this bill passed.

And I am hopeful for the future. Last month, we had the national March for Life in Washington, D.C. Tens of thousands of people from across the country – including a number of South Dakotans, like the Jacks for Life group at South Dakota State University – marched from the National Mall to the Supreme Court to stand up for the right to life.

As I always am, I was struck by how many of the marchers are young people. Teenagers. College students. Young adults. Young people aren’t just participating in the pro-life movement – they’re leading it. They know that every life is precious and worthy of protection, and they’re not afraid to stand up and say it.

While we may suffer temporary defeats like we did in the Senate recently, with these young people leading the way, I am confident that our nation is moving toward the day when every child, born and unborn, is protected in law. And I will keep fighting in Congress to bring that day closer.

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Last Year’s Accomplishments lay Groundwork for More Changes in 2018
By U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.)

Over the past year, Congress and the White House made important changes to get away from the centralized, overregulated system of government that stifled American innovation and economic growth for years. We’re now laying the groundwork to make America even stronger, safer and freer in the coming year.

Last year, we were successful in undoing or stopping 1,600 burdensome federal regulations, including 15 under the Congressional Review Act. This will help businesses thrive by reducing the time and money they were forced to spend complying with costly and unnecessary regulations. We were also able to repeal Obamacare’s individual mandate so Americans aren’t forced to pay for expensive health insurance that they don’t like, want or need.

We restored balance to the courts by confirming fair-minded judges who adhere to the Constitution as it was written. We confirmed 22 of President Trump’s judicial nominees—12 of whom now sit on our country’s circuit courts—in addition to confirming Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch. These men and women base their decisions on the rule of law rather than their personal policy preferences or feelings, which is important in their duty to faithfully and impartially apply the law.

One of our most important accomplishments—and one that will make a positive impact on the lives of a majority of Americans—is the enactment of historic tax reform. Tax reform is already leading to bigger paychecks and is creating a healthy, more vibrant economy—one that we can be proud to pass onto our kids and grandkids. Most Americans can expect to see more money in their paychecks this month. Already, more than 3 million Americans are feeling the benefits as more than 270 major employers announced raises and other benefits to their employees. Because of tax reform, the stock market has improved. This leads to more money in folks’ pensions and retirement accounts.

In his State of the Union address this year, President Trump laid out a vision for a more united country in which government is less intrusive and the American dream is possible for everyone. The progress we made over the past year provides a strong base to build on his priorities for 2018.

This year, we’ll focus on strengthening our armed forces, as directed by the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that was signed into law last year. Giving our military a much-needed boost will allow military leaders to take necessary steps to regain the required level of readiness. A strong military is necessary to deter attacks from our enemies, and in the case of an attack on us or our allies, defeat them in combat.

We’ll also focus on developing a strong workforce to fill jobs here in the United States. We’ll work to equip potential employees with the skills and experience they need to thrive in this economy, whether through job training, apprenticeships or improving high school curriculum. The economic policies that Congress and the White House are working to implement will create more high-paying jobs, and we need skilled American workers to fill them.

While we have much progress to be proud of, we also have much work to do, and it will take hard work from both parties in both chambers and the White House to accomplish our goals. I look forward to continue working with the president and my colleagues as we address the most pressing issues before us. With just eight years until America’s 250th birthday, we must not let up on our efforts as we continue to make progress on our vision for America in which we are freer, safer and more prosperous for generations to come.

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Lessons of Homeownership
By Rep. Kristi Noem

For more than a century, the Garfield building in north Rapid City served as a schoolhouse, but today, different lessons are being learned there: the lessons of homeownership.

In 2012, plans began for what’s now known as the Garfield Green Project, a mixed-income, mixed-housing development. The school itself would be converted into 12-unit apartment building while eight, single-family “Habitat for Humanity” homes would be constructed beside it.

I had the opportunity to tour the campus this January and was absolutely blown away. Of course, the school was beautifully redone into contemporary apartments, and the single-family homes, built primarily by volunteers, were lined with new appliances and large closets. But what stuck with me most was the sense of community.

I got to meet soon-to-be-homeowners Valeriah and Tera during my visit. They’ll be neighbors in two of the Habitat homes. Both are moms, working hard to support their families, and both had seen homeownership as too high a financial hill without the support of Habitat. Now, they’ll each have mortgages designed with their financial situations in mind.

Many South Dakotans are in a similar position to Valeriah and Tera. Despite South Dakota’s relatively low cost of living, finding affordable housing can still be a challenge for low- and middle-income families. That makes it no surprise that there are 120 families on the waiting list for Habitat Homes. But projects, like Garfield Green, help.

Unfortunately, overreaching government regulations can make it more difficult to keep the cost of these homes low. For instance, appraisals can cost more than $1,000 and are required for a mortgage. Some appraisers offered to donate their services to non-profit charity groups, but found such a donation was a violation of the federal Dodd-Frank Act. Habitat for Humanity explained the regulation made it difficult to provide “responsible homeownership opportunities to families” as you couldn’t get affordable access to bank mortgages. This was one of the issues Black Hills Habitat for Humanity discussed with me.

The week after I visited the Garfield Green Project, I was thrilled to help the House pass H.R.2255, the Housing Opportunities Made Easier (HOME) Act. If enacted, this legislation would simply allow mortgage appraisal services to be donated by fee appraisers to non-profit organizations.

In response to the bipartisan legislation’s passage, Jonathan Reckford, CEO of Habitat for Humanity International explained: “This bill will help us keep affordable housing affordable… By ensuring that professional appraisers are also able to volunteer their services, this legislation will help keep loan origination fees low for new homebuyers. That’s good news for people buying Habitat homes, and it’s good news for the more than 1,300 local Habitat organizations across the nation that will be able to use the savings to build, rehabilitate and repair more homes.”

We absolutely need more options for low- and middle-income housing in South Dakota. Not only do families need it, but it’s also difficult to recruit businesses that want to hire people if there’s not housing available. While I’m eager to work on more in this area, I’m confident that in repealing this regulation, we take a step forward, expanding homeownership opportunities for hardworking South Dakotans.

Planting Trees Now
A column by Gov. Dennis Daugaard: 

“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second-best time is now.” This old saying is a good description of how we have approached managing state government in the last seven years.

Before us come so many issues – deferred maintenance, highways, criminal justice, teacher pay – that can’t be solved in one year. But a start must be made. We could kick the can down the road, but the problem would only worsen.  And so, we must do what we can, with patience, persistence and attention to small details, to be a good steward of the state and its assets.

When I was running for governor, I promised to analyze state-owned property and right-size or sell unneeded assets. In the 1800s, when South Dakota became a state, we housed people with mental or physical problems in large, state-owned institutions, often for life. We built big state hospital campuses in Yankton, Redfield and Custer. Sadly, many people were often sent away, and forgotten by their families.

We now know that, in most cases, it is better to serve our citizens in their homes and communities, often through community-based providers. But the state has continued to own these large, old campuses, decades later. Some of the buildings were still being used, but others had fallen into disrepair after being vacant for decades.

It’s irresponsible to let vacant buildings fall in on themselves, and also irresponsible to spend taxes maintaining unneeded property. It’s better to return these properties to the tax rolls.

We began to address this in Yankton at the Human Services Center. We demolished several dilapidated buildings, sold land that was no longer needed, and negotiated a lease-purchase with the local Historical Society to preserve the historic Mead Building. That restoration, funded by charitable gifts and local taxes, is well-underway, and the progress is impressive.

We have addressed this problem on other state campuses – selling surplus property in Redfield, Custer County and Minnehaha County.  We sold STAR Academy to a local entrepreneur and the Plankinton training school campus to the for-profit company that was leasing and operating it. And the Board of Regents is exploring options to better use the School for the Deaf campus in Sioux Falls.

This philosophy extends to current state buildings as well. We must properly maintain them, so future governors and legislatures aren’t left with more rundown buildings. We have set a goal of appropriating two percent of value in maintenance and repair of state buildings, including university buildings. This year I’m proposing to add state-owned technical institute buildings as well.

On our farm, when I was a boy, we always had a big garden, and we ordered plants and seeds by mail from Gurney’s in Yankton. With every order, Gurney’s would always enclose a “bonus” item, as a gift. One year, our bonus was a hackberry bare-root seedling, only a foot long. My dad and I planted that seedling, and now, 50 years later, it’s strong and tall.

Five decades from now, when a new generation of South Dakotans is at the helm, I have no doubt they will benefit from the trees we are planting today. We are sowing seeds which will leave our state better than we found it.

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House Bill 1073, Representative Mike Clark’s sponsored measure to provide for free speech guidelines on our University campuses was sent to the 41st legislative day, which is South Dakotan for “killed in committee.” Part of the justification for legislators doing so was based on some students saying it’s not needed.

In addition to one student saying HB 1073 would “make it harder to limit speakers that minority students might find offensive” (I’m not kidding), there was a resolution from the SDSU Student Senate opposing the bill.

But not so fast. Here’s an interesting take on that Student Senate resolution from some of the student Senators themselves:

Sounds like someone with an agenda ramrodded the resolution through, as these Student Senators are standing up and saying “the testimony (from the SDSU Student’s Association) and the resolution are in many ways misleading, and untrue because no student organizations of students were consulted on this issue.”  And that the resolution itself was an “unethical action” by the Student’s Association.

Paints things in a different light, eh?

The word is that a smokeout attempt may be made on HB1073 this next week.

Keep on watching.

Senator Tapio Praises Release of Nunez Memo: Alleged Conspiracy Between DNC, DOJ Against Trump ‘Worst in U.S. History’

The release of a U.S. House Intelligence Committee memo detailing an alleged Democrat plot to manufacture a Department of Justice investigation against candidate and now, President Donald Trump is sending shockwaves across the nation and has South Dakota GOP Congressional candidate, Neal Tapio calling for a full investigation and potentially, charges of treason against the perpetrators and anyone involved in the conspiracy.

“The Devin Nunes memo lays out in stunning sequence and detail our very worst fears about what so many Americans had come to believe was really happening in the Mueller investigation against President Donald Trump,” Tapio said.

“The very damning evidence of conspiracy in this case tears at the very fabric of the central assumption that must exist in order for a peaceful society to be governed under the rule of law and that is that those with the power to gather evidence, bring charges and pursue prosecution can be trusted to subject themselves to the highest possible ethical standards of conduct,” Tapio said.

“The apparent manufacturing of evidence and conspiracy to construct allegation and investigation against Donald Trump and those surrounding him, both during his campaign for the presidency and after his election should be a terrifying prospect for every single American citizen,” Tapio said.

Central to the four page memo, declassified and released on Friday, is the use of an assembled dossier against Donald Trump to gain approval for a FISA court warrant for wiretapping of Trump Tower and the capture of all digital communications between Trump and dozens of members of his private and political circles during and after the 2016 Presidential campaign.

Chain of evidence outlined in the memo indicates that the ‘dirty dossier,’ as it has been commonly known, was commissioned and purchased by the Democratic National Committee from a former British intelligence officer named Christopher Steele through his contacts with low level members of the Russian intelligence community, who were also paid for whatever information they could offer, regardless of verification or veracity.

The Nunes memo then outlines how that dossier was transferred to the Federal Bureau of Investigations and how FBI staff were then directed to help massage and alter the dossier to give it a greater appearance of authenticity prior to its presentation to the FISA court as evidence justifying wiretapping and surveillance of Trump and his associates.

Even prior to disclosure of the sourcing of the document, much of the contents of the dossier and claims contained in it had been subsequently challenged and debunked. Since revelations about links to the DNC and the Clinton political apparatus and the creation of the dossier, legal experts across the spectrum of both the criminal justice system and civil litigation have expressed outrage in published reports about what many see as an apparent hijacking of the Department of Justice through fraudulent means.

Harvard Law Professor Emeritus, Alan Dershowitz, has stated that the dossier was completely inadmissible as evidence of criminal wrongdoing and because it was used to leverage otherwise illegal exceptions to surveillance laws protecting American citizens, that it constitutes an egregious example of fraud and false evidence for political advantage.

South Dakota GOP Congressional candidate, Neal Tapio minced no words in characterizing the chain of events as a potential threat to the integrity of two of the must crucial elements of American society: The cohesive integrity of our election process and the assumption of equality under the law in our system of justice.

“Because it involved an election to decide leadership of our nation and continues even now against a sitting President of the United States, that fabrication of evidence and use of it to set in motion the wheels of a Department of Justice investigation is not just a violation of our 4th Amendment protections against search and seizure, but could potentially constitute multiple acts of treason by multiple actors that must now be fully investigated by whatever means necessary,” Tapio said.

“The American people deserve the truth. And anyone and everyone directly tied to this mess should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

I’ve had a couple requests to note how some of the other candidates did in fundraising in 2017, and the obvious choice is to compare how the candidates for Attorney General did for fundraising:

AGsforSD_CampaignFinance by Pat Powers on Scribd

Here’s the raw breakdown of how much candidates for the office raised and spent as they started to begin their campaigns:

Candidate For AG	Raised	Spent	Cash on Hand
Fitzgerald	$3,214.00	$3,214.00	$0
McGuigan	$6,200.00	$1,483.24	$4,717.55
Ravnsborg	$50,201.60	$8,216.50	$31,985.10
Russell	$21,195.00	$7,531.22	$13,663.78

Ravnsborg and Russell spent somewhat similar amounts during the preceding year, but Ravnsborg raised over $50k to Russell’s $21k.  The field is rounded out by McGuigan’s $6k raised/$1.4k spent, and Fitzgerald’s $3k/$3k, with over $2700 of it coming out of his own pocket.

Lots of election still left. Keep watching.