From KSFY:
It did catch my attention that he expressly said in the story that he developed an app for Annette Bosworth. What app was that?
Given the timeframe he was involved with the Bosworth’s… I can’t help but wonder out loud, if the app he’s mentioning has anything to do with the Bosworth story in the news from last year.
KSFY figured it out, and yes, it is Mitchell Olson from Survivor who was writing those nasty letters from Annette Bosworth to raise money for the Annette Bosworth Legal Fund:
Sioux Falls resident Mitchell Olson, known for his time as a contestant on “Survivor,” is suing Bosworth, her husband and the Annette Bosworth Legal Defense Fund, hoping to get paid for work he says he did for the family.
and..
“These are all things in my wheelhouse, and I agreed to take on these duties of consulting them, which I did up until they stopped paying me.”
And from the court filing, here’s the projects he was working on, including one of the poison pen letters he authored for Annette, trying to rope in Tom Brokaw & Tom Daschle on a documentary and … a children’s book!
Boz Projects by Pat Powers on Scribd
But alas… Chad and Annette put out his coconut, so he had to get a lawyer.
In case you were interested in reading the latest Annette Bosworth Lawsuit…
Bosworth Legal Fund Complaint by Pat Powers on Scribd
This guy got $4000 a month out of the legal defense fund for his work?
Good gosh… This brings up some important questions.
Can’t you just start a “Mildly obnoxious fund” and get rubes donors to write you checks for money without any basis for merit. (Not to be confused with the blog tip jar on the left hand side of the page).
Anyway, now you have the lawsuit. Judge for yourself!
Per the Argus Leader, She’s baaaack….
An employee of former U.S. Senate candidate Annette Bosworth has filed a lawsuit claiming he wasn’t paid for services he rendered to Bosworth’s legal defense fund.
Mitchell Olson says he was hired by the Dr. Annette Bosworth Legal Defense Fund in June 2016 as a consultant. He was paid $4,000 a month from the fund, working primarily from the home of Bosworth and her husband, Chad Haber, who is also named in the lawsuit. Olson said he wasn’t paid for work he performed in May, June and July of this year. He says he is owed $24,000 for work that included scripts and video for movies.
and…
Bosworth said Monday that she knew Olson but was unaware he had filed a lawsuit. She said she has no direct connection with the legal defense fund.
“There was a threat of this but I have nothing to do with it,” she said, calling it “sad.”
I’d brought up the Bosworth Legal Defense Fund before, but apparently it shares something in common with Annette. Both of them have complaints about not paying their bill.
I’d never heard of a Mitchell Olson who was involved in state politics before. According to the voter database, there’s 2 of them in Sioux Falls. Someone asked if it was the Mitchell Olson who was on Survivor, but I don’t have a clue.
I kind of feel bad for the guy, as I’ve gotten burned before from someone who turned out to be a bit of a shit. Thankfully, it wasn’t a lot, but it’s more the principle.
What are your thoughts on this? Aside from the obvious lesson of when it comes to Annette…..”cash up front” might be the Golden Rule.
Attorney General Jackley Joins State Attorneys General Request Equifax to Protect Consumers
PIERRE, S.D. – Attorney General Marty Jackley has joined with attorneys general around the country in a letter to Equifax requesting that it disable links for enrollment in fee-based credit monitoring service in the wake of the massive data breach impacting 143 million people.
“This breach affects millions of Americans including thousands of South Dakotans. Consumers, who are at absolutely no fault in this situation, should not have to pay anyone especially Equifax to either monitor or to freeze their credit,” said Jackley.
The investigation was launched as soon as Equifax publicly disclosed the breach. Equifax is offering free credit monitoring services in response to the breach, but the attorneys general today objected to Equifax “seemingly using its own data breach as an opportunity to sell services to breach victims,” they wrote.
“We believe continuing to offer consumers a fee-based service in addition to Equifax’s free monitoring services will serve to only confuse consumers who are already struggling to make decisions on how to best protect themselves in the wake of this massive breach,” the attorneys general wrote. “Selling a fee-based product that competes with Equifax’s own free offer of credit monitoring services to victims of Equifax’s own data breach is unfair, particularly if consumers are not sure if their information was compromised.”
The attorneys general also said that, although Equifax has agreed to waive credit freeze fees for those who would otherwise be subject to them, the other two credit bureaus, Experian and Transunion, continue to charge fees for security freezes. The attorneys general said that Equifax should be taking steps to reimburse consumers who incur these fees to completely freeze their credit.
The attorneys general have also had communications with Equifax expressing concerns about terms of service relative to the free credit monitoring services and the prominence of service enrollment information on Equifax’s Web page. Equifax was responsive to these concerns.
In my E-mail box, Congresswoman Kristi Noem is recruiting for parade walkers for the various college homecoming parades:
US Senator Mike Rounds had an editorial piece on Sunday in the Washington Examiner explaining why President Trump had to act to rescind DACA (otherwise known as the Dreamer’s executive Order), and why returning the issue to Congress to make a decision is a return to the rule of law:
President Trump’s recent decision to rescind an Obama executive action known as Deferred Action of Children of Immigrants was an attempt to avoid “potentially imminent litigation” that even its supporters concede could have resulted in the courts rescinding the order. This underscores the importance of going through the proper constitutional channels when making policy changes.
DACA granted legal status to nearly a million undocumented immigrants who were brought over by their parents when they were children. Obama was right when he said publicly more than 20 times before signing the order that the executive branch did not have the authority to implement such a change in our immigration policy. A former Constitutional Law professor himself, Obama knew that such a dramatic policy change could only be authorized by the legislative branch of government.
and…
In June of this year, a number of state attorneys general wrote to Attorney General Jeff Sessions alerting him that they planned to add DACA to the DAPA litigation. In response, the Trump administration announced earlier this month that the administration would wind down DACA.
In rescinding DACA, Trump fulfilled his constitutional duty to return this significant policy decision to its rightful place: with Congress. The ball is now in our court, and I believe it is our duty to take action. By giving us six months to act, Trump has given us ample opportunity to lawfully make necessary changes to the legal status of undocumented children and prevent them from being held in judicial limbo.
They deserve the certainty that no executive action can provide, no matter how well-intended. That can only be done through codified law passed by Congress and implemented by the administration.
The short version was that the federal government was looking at a lawsuit they knew they were going to lose. And any fix needed to be done according to the book.
Service Academies Offer Students a Unique Opportunity to Serve
By Sen. John Thune
President Reagan once said, “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same.” For nearly 250 years, America has been blessed because from each new generation of Americans have come leaders and warfighters who have not only protected freedom and liberty on their watch, but have helped ensure those pillars of American democracy are preserved and strengthened for those to whom they’ve passed the torch of freedom.
South Dakota has been home to many of these leaders over the years – it still is today – and I’m humbled to play a small role each year in helping South Dakota’s future leaders take the next step in life by nominating them to one of the service academies throughout the country, including the Military Academy, Naval Academy, Air Force Academy, and Merchant Marine Academy. Any South Dakotan who meets the requirements (age, marital status, etc.) can apply for a nomination through my office.
There are many well-known leaders and pioneers in their field who graduated from one of America’s service academies. Astronauts like Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins, who both flew to the moon, graduated from the Military Academy, as did U.S. Presidents Ulysses S. Grant and Dwight D. Eisenhower. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), who I’m fortunate to serve with in the U.S. Senate, graduated from the Naval Academy. Generations of other Americans who went on to serve in countless other fields, including business, academia, and athletics, have all gone through the ranks of one academy or another.
If you’re interested in beginning your career at a service academy, now is the time to act. You can find more information on my website, www.thune.senate.gov, under the “services” tab. Once there, you’ll be able to determine if you’re eligible to apply. You can also write, email, or call any of my offices for more information or to discuss this opportunity with a member of my staff.
The class of 2018 has already been selected, but the deadline to apply for the class of 2019 is on October 31, 2017, which is right around on the corner. I’ll review all of the applicants and will announce my selections early next year.
The men and women who choose to pursue this path deserve our respect and gratitude, and those who are selected will have their names etched among some of the most prominent leaders our nation has known. I want to thank all of the young South Dakotans in advance who will consider this opportunity, and I look forward to hearing from you soon.
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20 Trillion Reasons to Reform Taxes and Mandatory Payment Programs
By U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.)
The federal government’s national debt recently surpassed $20 trillion. While there is plenty of blame to go around, the majority of this debt can be attributed to the past decade, as our debt was $10.6 trillion at the start of 2009. In other words, in the past eight years, the federal government has accrued as much debt as it accrued throughout the first 230 years of our country’s existence. It’s no wonder military leaders acknowledge it as being a top threat to our national security. Even more frightening, there is no sign of it slowing down.
High debt threatens economic growth by driving up interest rates and discouraging businesses and individuals from investing back into the economy. And it breeds even more debt as the interest on our debt must be paid to those who hold it – leaving fewer resources for other priorities such as roads, research and education.
Our broken tax system also plays a role by limiting our ability to collect revenues. Our current tax rates create a disincentive for companies to do business here in the United States, which then leads to fewer high-paying jobs for American workers, and encourage businesses to keep their profits overseas. Lowering tax rates would incentivize companies to repatriate that money and invest it back into our economy. Earlier this year, I introduced a proposal in the Senate to lower the tax rate in each bracket. It is but one step we can take to overhaul the tax code that will provide direct, immediate relief to hardworking families, jolt our economy and increase federal revenues.
While I do believe tax cuts are an important step to controlling our debt, the biggest driver of our debt is the rapid, unchecked growth of mandatory payments on safety net programs including Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. If we continue down our current path, in less than ten years 99 percent of all federal revenue will have to be spent on mandatory payments and interest on our sky-high debt. No amount of cuts to defense and other programs such as crop insurance, education, highways and bridges will have a meaningful effect on debt reduction without also controlling the cost of these mandatory payment programs.
Mandatory payments already account for nearly three-fourths of our total federal spending today. This is because Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security have never been properly managed and Congress does not currently appropriately oversee them. They run on auto-pilot. Given that they are our largest federal expenditures every year, it is time for Congress to take an active role in managing their funding levels on a regular basis. This does not necessarily mean making cuts – it simply means giving Congress the authority to review them to make them as efficient as possible and to make sure they are available for individuals who need them, both now and in the future.
Surpassing $20 trillion in debt should be a wake-up call to Washington, which for decades has failed to own up to their responsibility to balance its checkbook. I continue to work with my colleagues in the Senate to shake up the budget process in Congress, and open up the entire budget to congressional review – including mandatory payments. It is the only way to slow down the fiscal train wreck. Simply delaying action and looking the other way is not an option.
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Real, Genuine Accountability
By Rep. Kristi Noem
Trust in government is at an all-time low – and who could blame folks? Fraud, mismanagement, and abuse are rampant within government agencies. Taxpayer dollars are too often misspent by bureaucrats. And many people aren’t given basic courtesies when they interact with some federal employees. We need accountability in government – and I mean real, genuine accountability.
A few weeks ago, after speaking to the Watertown Rotary, a local radio commentator summarized my remarks like this: “If you don’t like the IRS, it probably doesn’t compare to Rep. Kristi Noem’s disgust with the agency.” It’s true – and the agency’s lack of accountability has a lot to do with that disgust. This should be a “service first” agency, but customer service at the IRS is appalling. During 2015, only 38 percent of callers could reach an IRS representative. Meanwhile, they targeted conservative groups and wasted millions of dollars on conferences and “Star Trek” parody videos.
Through the House, we’ve passed legislation to prevent the IRS from targeting taxpayers for political gain. We’ve passed a Taxpayer Bill of Rights. And we’ve passed legislation I wrote to stop the IRS from rehiring employees who have already been fired for misconduct. Unfortunately, Senate Democrats and President Obama blocked much of this agenda from moving forward.
Thankfully, we turned a new leaf with President Trump’s election. Alongside the previously mentioned reforms, one of the best ways to hold the IRS accountable is by drastically reducing its role. By simplifying the tax code, we’re hopeful most Americans’ tax returns could fit on a postcard once tax reform goes through. That leaves little room for the IRS to take advantage of hardworking South Dakotans.
But I have a problem with federal agencies beyond the IRS too. Today, a wanted felon can evade prosecution for months – even years – and yet somehow still receive a check from the Social Security Administration every 30 days or so. Let’s be clear: taxpayers shouldn’t be asked to make payments to people who are running from the law. Period.
I’ve introduced legislation to stop these payments, which is making quick progress in the House. This is not simply a fairness issue either. Staci Ackerman, the Executive Director for the South Dakota Sheriffs’ Association points out: “This bill will also limit [wanted felons and parole violators’] ability to avoid justice using taxpayer dollars to evade capture.” On top of it all, the legislation is estimated to save more than $2 billion.
I’ve also introduced legislation to bring greater integrity to the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, which is the country’s primary assistance program for low-income individuals and families. Today’s program often perpetuates poverty, rather than opportunity. With my legislation, we realign TANF with its core mission: offering upward mobility and the opportunity for greater financial independence to hardworking Americans.
Additionally, I’m fighting to make sure the Indian Health Service (IHS) is held responsible for the care it delivers. Whether it’s a drug testing program for employees or strengthening fiscal accountability measures, greater accountability will better keep the IHS focused on serving tribal communities.
I’ve also voted to expand whistleblower protections within the VA and streamline the process required to fire any VA employee, reforms President Trump signed into law. All of this only scratches the surface of what’s being done, which highlights just how broken the federal government is.
As we continue to work toward fixing agencies across the board, I encourage you to reach out to my office if you need assistance with the IRS, VA, Social Security, or any other federal bureaucracy. We can help you navigate the process and, when necessary, hold them directly accountable on your behalf.