Democrat for Congress Tim Bjorkman made his 4th Quarter Campaign Finance filing today:
Bjorkman 2017 q4 FEC Campaign Finance Filing by Pat Powers on Scribd
What does the report say? 56K in contributions, roughly 36K in expenses, leaving him $116k Cash on hand. Meaning he only added about $20k to his bottom line from the previous period.
Thune: More Good News for the American Economy
“As the benefits of tax reform continue to sink in, we can expect to see more growth, more jobs, and more opportunities for American workers, and we can expect to see the kind of economy that will provide security and prosperity for Americans for the long term.”
WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), a member of the tax-writing Senate Finance Committee and a key voice during the tax reform debate, today discussed the positive effects the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act has had on the American economy. Thune explained that by lowering tax rates for owners of small and medium-sized businesses, expanding business owners’ ability to recover investments they make in their businesses, lowering our nation’s massive corporate tax rate (up until January 1, 2018, the United States had the highest corporate tax rate in the developed world), and updating to a modernized territorial tax system, the economy is seeing immediate positive results.
According to the Federal Elections Commission, there’s a new candidate for President from Blackhawk, South Dakota as of today:
The candidate is noted as Mrs Kerry D. Soseeah, and the name of her committee is the US Era Party.
We’ll see how far this one goes
(This actually came out yesterday, but I was in a plane at the time – pp)
Noem Unveils New Video at Veterans for Kristi Launch
Kristi Noem is the person I want to be Governor, says South Dakota vet
Rapid City, S.D. – Representative Kristi Noem unveiled a new online advertising campaign during the launch of her Veterans for Kristi coalition. The video features Don Ackerman, a South Dakota Vietnam veteran who Noem worked closely with in the fight to keep the Hot Springs VA open.
South Dakota is home to 72,000 veterans. As the state’s lone U.S. Representative, Noem has fought to protect the Hot Springs VA from closure, bring greater accountability to the VA, strengthen veterans’ benefits, and expand the Black Hills National Cemetery. For more information or to join Veterans for Kristi, please click here.
I see the SDSU Collegian (College Newspaper) is declaring that State Rep. Michael Clark’s Campus Free Speech Bill HB 1073 “imposes unnecessary standards” upon State universities, and that “the bill is unnecessary, unclear and uninformed.“
It’s awfully nice of the Student Newspaper to toe the Board of Regent’s company line & pretend such things don’t happen in South Dakota. But they do.
In fact, they even happen at SDSU.
As was related to me by someone who was one of the affected students, I believe it was in 2006 at the SDSU Hobo Day Parade in one of the weeks shortly preceding the very contentious vote in the statewide election on whether or not South Dakota should ban abortion, there was an incident that showed why free speech on campuses is deserving of our attention.
As it went, the campus organization SDSU Students for Life had a parade float all lined up and ready to enter the Hobo Day parade. As related to me, I was told an SDSU Instructor who was actively opposing the abortion ban decided to blocked the truck pulling the parade float in an effort to prevent the float from entering the parade. And as one of the participants on the float told me, the faculty member’s action caused them to miss their entrance, and they could not be let in. Because of their position on life, someone with an opposing view blocked them from participating in a campus activity.
Yes, it was 12 years or so ago now, and none of the students were able to raise much of a stink about it happening. But, it happened. Those student’s free speech along with their parade float was blocked by someone who didn’t agree.
Despite the Collegian’s poo-poohing of the need for free speech protections, as noted in a recent article from the Washington Free Beacon, there are those affiliated with the university system who agree with Representative Clark that free speech is worth protecting:
The argument of many observers, from the avowedly nonpartisan FIRE to such rabble-rousing speakers as Milo Yiannopoulos, is that such attempts to take both sides inevitably end up in the victory of those who want censorship. Only the fullest defense of free speech can keep the idea of “hate speech” and the tyranny of hurt feelings from banishing all except preapproved ideas.
“The way one assesses the truth or falsity of one’s own opinions is to engage rationally and directly with those who may profess other views—indeed, especially with those who strongly disagree with your views,” said William D. Richardson, distinguished emeritus professor of politics at the University of South Dakota. “If our opinions prove inadequate and flawed after intensive, respectful, civil debate, we are well-advised to modify them or find better, stronger, more persuasive evidence to support them.”
Scheduled to testify in Pierre during the legislature’s consideration of the college free-speech bill this week, Richardson wrote to say, “If the passionate, partisan turmoil of the past couple of decades demonstrates anything, it is that democratic citizenship requires as much critical, independent thought as we can possibly cultivate in each new generation of young people.”
And Dr. Richardson is correct. Our citizenship requires as much critical, independent thought as we can possibly cultivate in each new generation of young people. Not pooh-poohing.
The thing about free speech is that anyone can claim that it’s already free in a public arena such as a University setting. Until that one time it isn’t. And by the time people realize what happened, then it’s too late.
House Bill 1073 should be up for debate in House Judiciary this week. Keep an eye on this bill.
From my Mailbox, an update on the forum recently held in Rapid City by Americans for Prosperity:
South Dakota’s Rep. Kristi Noem joined Americans for Prosperity to share her work in Washington on tax reform. Rep. Noem faced the absurdity of burdensome tax policy when her family was left to pay a “death tax” after her father’s death. She helped shape this most recent tax reform with situations like this in mind.
Bottom line: tax reform is going to benefit South Dakota. Individuals and families will get to keep more of their own money and small businesses will have more to invest in their businesses and employees.
Listen to what Rep. Noem has to say about the benefits of tax reform for South Dakotans!
For Freedom,
Don Haggar
State Director
Americans for Prosperity – South Dakota
I’ve had a couple people ask where the Jackley Campaign is getting their “Over 1 Million Dollars” raised statement with the Campaign fund noting it had raised $920,000.
I had ventured, and the campaign had confirmed that the “Over 1 Million” is also including funds raised by the affiliated Friends of Marty Jackley Political Action Committee, who’s report you can read here:
Friends of Jackley PAC 2017 Year End Report by Pat Powers on Scribd
The Political Action Committee allowed several people to contribute to that campaign at a higher limit than the $4000 limit imposed on candidate committees, with 4 who contributed $10,000 each, and a Husband/wife (David & Jill Bockorny) who contributed $17,000 combined. (Bockorny also contributed another $2500 to a different PAC, Leading South Dakota who contributed to the main campaign).
According to the Secretary of State, under state law, any political action committee may make unlimited contributions to any candidate, political action committee, ballot question, or political party.
The Political Action Committee raised $118,000 and has $92k cash on hand which it can move over to the campaign as it desires.
Now, Congresswoman Noem also has outside sources separate from her main gubernatorial campaign committee. Kristi has 2 separate committees, her Congressional Campaign Fund, and her Leadership PAC that could send money to her Gubernatorial campaign. But being Federal, they aren’t required to file for a while. So, you’ll have to wait to see what else could be brought to bear.
More to come!
A friend and reader passed these along from Democrat Tim Bjorkman’s part of the state where I’m told they’re showing up in stacks in local coffee shops and taverns.
The Bjorkman campaign notes that he stands for a mandatory $11.00 adult minimum wage, which really doesn’t fly with business owners and retailers, and represents a nearly $4.00 an hour jump ($3.75 if you’re being exact) in the federal minimum wage. That’s likely something that liberal dems will get behind.
As Bjorkman does something to energize his Democrat base, then he throws cold water on them and notes that he wants to “Require able-bodied adults to work in order to qualify for assistance,” something that the left hasn’t exactly been fond of in the past as Republicans have promoted the idea. In fact, some liberals are complaining about Governor Daugaard tying work to Medicaid benefits, calling it “cruel.”
Is Democrat Bjorkman trying for a broader based appeal than his Democrat base provides him? (Notice you dont see “Democrat on his card.)
Or will he end up alienating people on both sides of the aisle.
Dakota Posts was busy this weekend, as the Facebook humor site is poking at Stace Nelson again this morning:
Hot off the Press from Dakota Posts via facebook:
