Shout out to Rapid City Reporter Arielle Zions, who had a poignant observation today about those who keep throwing stones at Governor Noem for putting off College and then finishing her degree while she was in Congress.
I’ve seen people have been making fun of Gov. Noem for dropping out of college to work after her father died+then earning her degree when she was older. I’m not sure what’s funny about any of this. There is nothing funny or wrong w/ finishing college late or not going to college.
— Arielle Zionts (@Ajzionts) January 13, 2021
There was also this reply from one of her professors:
Governor Noem finished her degree while serving as a US Representative. She worked hard to earn her degree, I can attest, as an instructor in one of the classes she took literally while commuting back and forth.
— Michael Card (@MCard605) January 13, 2021
In one of my trips to DC visiting the Congressional offices, then Congresswoman Noem was giving my wife and I a look/see around her office, and pointed out her pull out sleeper chair, and indicated that she would work on classes in the evening, and sleep in the office. To me, finishing her degree that way shows a pretty strong work ethic, when I’m sure there are a lot less boring things to do in Washington DC at night for Congressional members.
Education is good. And as Arielle noted, there’s nothing wrong with going back to school.
If there are those on the other side of the aisle who want to trash talk Governor Noem, they can always find reasons to dislike her. But doing so for completing her degree?
That’s nothing but petty ignorance.
Governor Noem was so conservative – maybe reserved is the word – as a Representative, it was difficult to discern her principles. I didn’t vote for Noem for Governor, but I didn’t take a vote away from her, either. I let others decide, and voted down the ballot.
Since that time I’ve seen Governor Noem earn my vote with difficult decisions, but also functional executive orders that restrained her administration while retaining the power should it be needed.
But nobody is perfect.
It’s pretty bad optics to cut $400/mo from the state’s weekly unemployment assistance, tout the healthy budget, then turn around and fund a state lawsuit against the state for people’s choice Amendment A.
It’s a tangled web we weave.
But I consider Governor Noem coachable for those who have a good insight to offer. My advice to you is to be correct about the issue you’re championing, pound the message through Noem’s team with comedy, persistence, and thrift of word. But you better know when to hold ’em and know when to fold ’em.
Noem not locking down the state was less risky on paper than NY because of population density, but it did take guts, and I appreciate all that she did to help retain someone in office who puts America first and listens to the collective of the American people (pure population or electorally).
Mr. Dale will you be voting for CJ Abernathy for Governor again?
Anyone who trashes another person for working to improve themselves and learn is a pretty terrible person. Good post, Pat.
I’ve learned the people who don’t like “bootstrap” stories in others don’t have a bootstrap story.
Some are of privilege and thus never forced to face adversity and don’t know how they would have handled the test.
Some are people who know they never stepped up to better themselves and wallow in wondering what they could have done with their lives.
She’s managed to ignore the crazies and do what is best for South Dakota for the long term. Masters Degrees & Ph.D.s can’t give a leader tenacity and steadfast resolve. She has that in spades. As Troy said – it’s a gained value of experiencing & facing adversity head-on.
If anything, Noem earning a college degree later in life raises my view of her. I myself have two BA degrees earned after I turned 30. Personally, I believe most of the HS graduates who go into college right after high school should reconsider and get their noses bloodied a little bit and find out just what they may want to study. Very few people come out of high school knowing what they want to do with a career. I am semi-retired now, but I had three distinct careers, two of which I was able to do when I decided why I wanted to finish my degree and earn another.
Bernie says we need to pay for college.
College says yes.
Students say yes.
I think we should question whether or not these colleges are providing anything of economic value to the student. It does not make sense for someone to pay to earn a degree that the career afterwards cannot generate enough income to pay for.
It’s time we tell these colleges to lower their prices to a rate that provides the student value and allows them to find employment that repays the debt.
Ultimately the problem is that the service colleges provide is not worth the cost to attend.
They need to be told the hard truth.
Education is never a waste if money. If you think the purpose of college is to become a slave to corporate overlords, you should demand a refund because you obviously didn’t learn a damned thing.
When someone receives something for nothing they seldom value that thing. Also, when something is passed out for free, the quality tends to decrease. The best way to make it so someone is not a slave to corporate overlords is to remove financial aid. I believe financial aid is the single largest contributor to rising tuition costs. Also, if the student has to actually pay for his education, he may choose a course of study other than art history.
“something for nothing”
Like, say, a bunch of free “internship credits” for doing your job? At least I earned my degree by going to class and doing the work.
On another note, I guess high school graduates’ educations are useless since they didn’t actually pay for them. Or athletes/smart kids on scholarships. I understand Rhodes Scholars really hate that they got that free education across the pond. Useless!
Ike, again you don’t read in full context.
Dugger said seldom. I think the distinction is those who are given things and are grateful and those who think they are entitled.
A few years ago, I was involved in some final candidate interviews. Two of them were pretty close on everything (in particular first job success) so I probed to character. During the process, one of the candidates ended up mentioning from whom the person got scholarships and had stayed in contact through college and after.
So I called the other and asked “Did you receive any scholarships for college?” When the answer was yes, I asked who from but the person couldn’t remember.
Who do you think we hired?
She should be proud of herself, but if she would have earned a doctorate in education, do you suppose the Wall Street Journal / Tucker Carlson would say she couldn’t call herself Dr. Kristi Noem because she’s not a medical doctor?
While I may have some issues with some of Governor Noem’s political stances, I will never fault her for completing her college education.
I’m currently finishing my Masters of Education degree in Educational Leadership from Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas. Taking those classes, while continuing in my full-time job and being present for my family takes a lot of organization, self-discipline, and commitment. I can only imagine what the Governor went through as an elected U.S. Representative.
And Jess, if someone has a doctorate, whether it’s an MD, Ph.D., Ed.D, D.O., D.C., or DVM, I will always call them “Dr.”, unless they prefer otherwise. It’s just a matter of professional respect and courtesy.
Yes, that was my point. Dr. Jill Biden deserves the same respect.
Exactly!
My wife is a university professor and has a Ph.D. You would be surprised how many times she’s called “Mrs.”, “Ms.”, or anything but “Dr.”… and she put in 12 years to get that title (4 years undergrad, 3 years MFA, 5 years doctoral)!