From the Argus Leader, apparently Sioux Falls’ egomaniac in chief, Mayor Mike Huether sent out a press release with an announcement of his future plans. Specifically, yet another missive on what he’s not running for:

Sioux Falls Mayor Mike Huether announced Thursday he will not be running for the U.S. House seat being vacated by Kristi Noem.

Huether, whose second term as mayor ends in May 2018, said in a release he will not seek to fill the opening in the U.S. House of Representatives next November.

Read it here.

Good lord. Who else sends out a press release announcing what he’s NOT running for?

I’m not sure who is more ridiculous, Huether for sending it out, or the rest of us for giving it the media coverage it doesn’t deserve. Because he wouldn’t be sending these things out if we wouldn’t mention it!

I blame ourselves, and the fact it’s a very, very slow time in political news, so you take what you get, even if it’s the bitter dregs.

So, until Huether announces he isn’t running for President in 2020…. stay tuned.

Just received this e-mail update from Campaign Manager Erin Schoenbeck of the Dusty Johnson Campaign on the campaign’s recent activities:

There’s comings and goings at the SDWC website, and I’m happy to announce that the South Dakota Banker’s Association has re-upped their advertising, and I’m proud to announce that they’re going to be with us another year!

Make sure you click on the link, and find out about the important work your local lending institutions do to keep our communities growing and healthy!

And while I’m on the topic, I’d remind you that if you’re looking to reach an audience that is among the most public affairs minded and politically engaged in the state, the SDWC has another rare opening towards the top of the page in it’s advertising line-up, as well as a few other select positions. Once these spots are filled, that’s it, and they may be locked up through the election.

Advertising on the Dakotwarcollege.com website is based on a first come, first serve basis for the available positions.  Advertising slots in the main column are 300×350 pixel ads, which may scale slightly depending on WordPress theme, and may be either static image, animated .gif, or flash file, as long as the file size is within acceptable file parameters, does not impede the loading of the website, or interfere with existing code.

Our non-campaign season traffic has been strong this year, averaging around 2250 to 2500 unique individual visits daily.  At times of flurried activity, the SDWC has reached as high as nearly 9000 unique visits in a day (And that’s visits, not hits).

Whether you’re looking for a run for office, or you want to put a message in front of Republican office holders and opinion leaders, whether it’s our people in Pierre, Sioux Falls, or Washington DC, dakotawarcollege.com is where our Republican leaders and their staffs are getting their information on South Dakota politics on a day to day basis.

Information on ad prices, ad positions, and required ad commitments may be directed to the webmaster by clicking here.

And while I’m on the subject, whether your business is politics or retail, organizational or service, if you find yourself in need of high quality print materials such as business cards, postcards, or brochures, collateral items such as signs, banners, pens, or pins, or anything that helps you promote your business – give me a call for a quote today.

I’ve done some business printing over the past couple of years, and I’m working on expanding that base, since printing a postcard for a business is no different than printing one for a candidate. And gosh darn it, my prices sometimes come up in the neighborhood of 1/3 to 1/2 of many commercial printers.

From Facebook today:

And in case you’ve forgotten:

Maybe the new SDDP Executive Director who was Dem’s event person at the time should have remembered that little point.  (Brought to you by Ann Tornberg’s Democrat Party.)

Was Cory Heidelberger, the most liberal man in South Dakota just calling someone a sore loser?

For his part, Mayor Thorson goes out sounding a little less classy

Thorson’s Facebook kiss-off isn’t much better

Read that here.

That is an awfully selective memory Cory has. In case he needs reminding…

Looking forward to 2018, I think its worthwhile noting that Cory must not plan to run again, as he continues to ignore basic rules as he moves forward. On election night, when his defeat was clear, Cory didn’t bother to call his opponent and congratulate him. In fact, in his first postscript on the election, as opposed to congratulating Novstrup, he stooped so low as to engage in name-calling. It was the ultimate in being a sore loser.

Read it here.

Do as Cory says, but not as he does. Check.

Apparently, Speaker of the House Mark Mickelson has been a busy man. In addition to his proposals on keeping ballot measures to be in-state affairs only, he’s also proposing a significant increase in what South Dakota’s would pay for taxes on tobacco products. From the Argus Leader:

South Dakota should hike taxes on cigarettes to help bring down tuition at the state’s technical institutes, Rep. Mark Mickelson said Monday.

The Sioux Falls Republican submitted two proposals this month to the Secretary of State’s Office that would increase the tax on tobacco from 35 percent on wholesale products to 45 or 55 percent and bump up the prices on cigarettes. Up to $20 million of the revenue could then be used to lower tech school tuition and provide scholarships.

Mickelson, who helped spearhead a 2016 effort to recognize tech schools as separate from K-12 schools and universities in the South Dakota Constitution, said the effort is essential to making the schools more competitive in the region.

Read it here.

Sin taxes are easy targets for legislators who want to raise money for projects, because they don’t affect everyone at large, but I question how many republican legislators will want to sign on to a tax increase in an election year… Much less cast a vote in favor of raising taxes without seeking funding possibilities from other sources.

There were a couple legislators whose support of raising taxes for teacher pay knocked them out, and more money for teachers had been sought for literally decades.  Tech schools being on their own is a brand new development, and it is questionable if they have sufficiently made their case to the public yet.

Stay tuned on this one. The big issues for the 2018 session are already starting to form.

Republican Karen Handel declared a hard fought victory in a Georgia special congressional election over liberal Democrat Jon Ossoff… who didn’t actually live in the district. That might have been a fatal flaw for the filmmaker, in a race that served as a proxy battle for republicans and Democrats trying to assert dominance in a post-Trump election world.
In South Carolina, Republican Ralph Norman, won a special congressional election against Democrat Archie Parnell. 

Of course, this only comes a short couple of weeks after the Montana election where a body-slamming Republican Greg Gianforte defeated Democrat Rob Quist.

Maybe Donald Trump isn’t as much of a point for Democrats to campaign on as they’d hoped?

House Passes Noem Bill to Protect Families Challenged by Drug Abuse 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Representative Kristi Noem today led the House in passing H.R.2857, the Supporting Families in Substance Abuse Treatment Act, which aims to strengthen a state or tribe’s ability to keep families together through the parent’s drug addiction treatment. 

Earlier this month, South Dakota released new data showing accidental drug overdose deaths in the state climbed 59 percent between 2013 and 2016. Additionally, between 2005 and 2015, both drug-related arrests and the violent crime rate nearly doubled in the state.

“Drug treatment programs that keep families together and children out of foster care have proven to produce better outcomes for both the parent and child,” said Noem. “Even so, government-induced barriers exist that make a family-focused approach difficult. I’m hopeful the Supporting Families in Substance Abuse Treatment Act will offer another evidence-based tool to those on the drug abuse epidemic’s front line, helping them strengthen families and change lives.”

Under H.R.2857, states and tribes would have the authority to grant federal foster care support payments to children while placed with a parent in a residential, family-based treatment facility. 

In addition to H.R.2857, the House today passed H.R.2834, the Partnership Grants to Strengthen Families Affected by Parental Substance Abuse Act. Led by Reps. Noem and Danny Davis, this bipartisan legislation would also help keep families together by strengthening the Regional Partnership Grant program. This program provides funding to state and regional grantees seeking to provide evidence-based services to prevent child abuse and neglect related to substance abuse.  

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Thune Statement on House Passage of Mobile Workforce State Income Tax Simplification Act

“As today’s economy and workforce continue to evolve, so too must Congress and our approach to reforming outdated laws that hinder, rather than spur, economic growth.”

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), a member of the tax-writing Senate Finance Committee, today issued the following statement after the House of Representatives passed its version of the Mobile Workforce State Income Tax Simplification Act. In March 2017, Thune and Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) reintroduced the Senate version of the legislation (S. 540) that, like its House counterpart, would simplify and standardize state income tax collection for employees who travel outside of their home state for temporary work assignments.

“As today’s economy and workforce continue to evolve, so too must Congress and our approach to reforming outdated laws that hinder, rather than spur, economic growth,” said Thune. “Members of Congress from across the ideological spectrum support the Mobile Workforce State Income Tax Simplification Act, which is why I’m hopeful the Senate can do its part to quickly send this common-sense legislation to the president for his signature.”

While some states require state income tax filing for as little as one day of work in the state, S. 540 would establish a common-sense 30-day threshold to help ensure that an equitable tax is paid to the state and local jurisdiction where the work is being performed while alleviating burdensome tax requirements on employees and their employers. 

This bipartisan legislation currently has nearly 40 co-sponsors in the Senate and is supported by over 300 organizations and business groups nationwide, including the South Dakota CPA Society.

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Noem’s Women, Peace, and Security Act Passes House

Washington, D.C. – Sponsored by Rep. Kristi Noem, H.R.2484, the Women, Peace, and Security Act, today passed the U.S. House of Representatives with unanimous support. This bipartisan legislation would require the U.S. to develop a comprehensive strategy to increase and strengthen women’s participation in peace negotiations and conflict prevention globally.

“Conflict knows no gender, just as peace should know no gender,” said Noem. “Even so, it’s true women are often impacted by conflict differently than their male counterparts. In some cases, terrorist groups, like ISIL, traffic women to generate revenue. In other cases, it’s women who primarily manage a war-torn country’s economy, as they keep markets, schools and the like running while their sons, brothers and husbands fight. In either case, it’s critical their voice be heard. Through meaningful congressional oversight, the Women, Peace, and Security Act will help ensure women gain a seat at the negotiating table. I’m hopeful this will help produce longer-lasting results – particularly in areas where increased stability can create greater security for the United States.”

Research shows that peace agreement is 35 percent more likely to last at least 15 years when women are involved. While some work has been done to include women at the negotiating table, this legislation would require a focused strategy with greater congressional oversight.

Companion legislation has been introduced in the Senate.

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