Entries Tagged 'South Dakotans' ↓

Will Governor Noem apologize to Biden and the DOJ over claims of hacking?

It’s seems even Mr. HEIDELBERGER is wondering where the radio silence is from Noem and the supposed ‘hacking’;

Governor Noem has declined to comment on this dubious prosecution, but she made sure her taxpayer-funded lawyer, general counsel Katie Hruska, was in the courtroom yesterday, even though Hruska was not one of the prosecuting attorneys and even though Noem herself did not file the complaint that prompted this show.

So let’s review how adults handle situations like this;

• Dakota News Now did the right thing by terminating Mr. Goss

• The courts did the right thing by sentencing the case properly

• Mr. Goss did the right thing by apologizing to all involved parties

So my question is, will Noem do the right thing and apologize to the president and the DOJ for falsely accusing them of phone hacking?

Where you went wrong Mr. Goss is admitting ANY guilt. You just lost your street cred with the Pierre Country Clubbers.

Is the Carbon Pipeline really for Carbon?

It’s not what is in the pipeline but who is burying it.

There has been a lot of chatter about the proposed carbon pipeline and some of the extraordinary actions taken to get it in the ground.

Of course none of this is surprising considering some of the players in this and everything done so far has worked in their playbook.

I asked someone recently who has been around in politics since the late 60’s, “Do you think there is some kind of other agenda when it comes to this pipeline?”

Let’s be brutally honest, grain ethanol is NOT the solution to our energy problems. Green energy is. We should be using all the available farmland we have to grow crops that feed PEOPLE not create waste with an energy source that really isn’t that sustainable. Which brings us back to the ‘agenda’ question.

This person pointed out to me that once the easements are set and the pipeline is approved and buried in the ground the servicer of that line can transport any material thru the line like oil from North Dakota or Canada.

Is it much easier to sell a carbon pipeline that will somehow trickle down to benefit farmers or an oil pipeline?

We know the answer to that question.

The affected landowners need to start asking the carbon pipers what exactly will be in this pipeline because right now there is something flowing and it ain’t carbon.

Eliminating Drop Boxes in South Dakota mostly hurts the majority party

I was well aware that former City of Sioux Falls Deputy Chief of Staff (who left the administration suddenly with little to no explanation) was behind this baffling legislation;

T.J. Nelson, a lobbyist for Opportunity Solutions Project, a conservative advocacy group that has pushed for restrictions to absentee voting in state legislatures, also issued warnings while working with legislators and county auditors to make it “easier to vote but harder to cheat,” a mantra used by supporters of early-voting reforms.

“Other states have a lot of issues with people just going out and pre-filling these absentee request forms, doing the work for the voter except signing their name, and then dumping ballots,” Nelson testified. “We need to make sure someone isn’t taking a hundred ballots and stuffing them into a ballot box.”

If a ballot is signed by the voter in a sealed envelope how is this fraud? Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny can drop your sealed ballot in a drop box at 2 AM if they wanted to, it doesn’t change the status of your vote OR your valid signature. As pointed out in the article, a USPS box is NO different then a drop box since you can still mail in a ballot. Oh, there is a difference, a postal box is less secure.

I believe the absentee voting rhetoric actually cost councilor Stehly her re-election to city council (she lost by less then 100 votes). There was so much fear out there that I think many old school conservatives and Republicans who supported Stehly simply didn’t trust the system and either didn’t vote absentee or voted at all.

When you have a state with 50% of it’s registered voters identifying as Republican why would you want to limit their voting opportunities? Drop boxes are invented to assist ALL voters no matter your political stripe so when you limit access to Indies and Democrats you are essentially limiting Republicans also.

I sometimes wonder how these supposed right-wing activists get around with all the holes in their feet.

Noem’s grocery tax repeal was just a political ploy

I never believed Noem truly wanted this tax cut and was probably secretly giddy it failed. I would be shocked if ANY tax cut is approved this legislative session. Playing the Devil’s advocate, why would those who control the coffers want to eliminate a reliable revenue source?

If I were a legislator the prudent thing to do would have been a step reduction in the food tax (eliminating 1.5% this year and 1 penny the following three years and on the 5th year eliminate the municipal food tax portion).

I personally support the property tax cut. While they contend it will only save taxpayers around $300 a year it is around a $800 savings each year in Sioux Falls (that is the approximate take of the SFSD for a $100K valuation). The food tax cut would only save me about $150 a year. As for helping the poor with a food tax cut that is a false flag (an overall sales tax reduction would have a bigger impact). Since most legitimately poor in our state receive food from food banks, FREE school lunches, WIC, churches and SNAP they pay NO taxes on food so why not give them real savings by reducing the overall sales taxes on anything purchased (especially on cigs and beer their biggest staples 🙂 I also think there should have been legislation to eliminate sales taxes on gas and electricity (something renters and homeowners both pay). As I said from the beginning, I don’t think our legislature has the courage to cut taxes. As my stepdad used to say, ‘Gutless Wonders’.

Advertise your salary

Several years ago, now retired Minnehaha County Commissioner, Jeff Barth suggested that Sioux Falls City Councilors impose an ordinance that requires employers within the city limits list their salary in want ads. Not only is it a good idea, employers who do list wages usually get better and more applicants. We all know why some don’t list the salary, because it ain’t squat and most people see thru the ruse and don’t apply. Senator Reynold Nesiba is proposing such a thing statewide;

A private employer with one hundred or more employees shall disclose in each job posting the hourly or salary compensation or range of the hourly or salary compensation and a general description of all benefits and other compensation to be offered to the hired, promoted, or transferred applicant or employee. Such disclosure shall not affect the applicant’s ability to negotiate compensation or benefits.

As you can see, this would only affect larger employers. While a great idea that has proven to have beneficial opportunities to employees and employers it will likely die in committee because one of the legislators wives on the committee will cry about paying her 10 year old niece minimum wage to make goat cheese soap candles in the barn.

New South Dakota DSS director has history of trying to cover up abuse

Don’t take my word for it, listen and read this interview done in 2017;

After the priest council got her letter, Matt Althoff and Diocese Attorney Dan Fritz called for a meeting with Cindy, which she also secretly recorded on her phone. 

“You are the victim of sexual harassment,” Althoff said in the recording.  “And you are the victim of somebody that crossed professional boundaries.” 

“And Matt said to me if I sent another report, I lose my job,” Cindy said. 

“Let me tell you… I don’t like to be threatening. But because it’s an employee situation. I think now that we have this established arrangement or understanding, you need to understand (Cindy) that that complicates the church’s ability to employ you if you disobey that. If you continue to send things out,” Althoff said in the recording.  

Besides Althoff clearly defending the abuser I have heard he has taken similar stances while defending the current mismanagement of the Bishop Dudley house, unfortunately I can’t get anyone to go on record to verify these accusations but it seems people need to start recording convos with this guy.

This isn’t the first time the SD Catholic Diocese has attempted to infiltrate state government. Back in 2008 they recruited John Madigan to register as a fake Democrat in District 15 while trying to keep his profession as the Diocese employee a secret. They failed.

Maybe Kenneke can make a guest appearance and refresh the memories of KELOLANDERS and Althoff’s past guidance in the Diocese. Not sure having a person who defends sexual predators is the best person to run DSS. What’s next? Appointing Ravnsborg to run the DOT?

What location will the state build its new prison?

Will it be built in Sioux Falls? I would assume that they would either have to build it in the city limits or in a suburb of Sioux Falls in order to have the workforce. A rumor swirling around is to build it at the 1880 Cowboy Town or the Buffalo Ridge Ghost Town (which is on I-90).

Patrick Lalley with his new digs at siouxfallslive.com throws around an interesting idea;

Here’s the question, what land?

There’s not much left on the current site, perched as it is on the bluff overlooking a packing plant, Falls Park, downtown and the verdant city beyond.

There’s the diversion channel to the east, rail lines and the airport to the north and housing to the southwest.

Where oh where will our prison go?

What an opportunity to transform the industrial and penal character of that high-profile section of the city, not just on the top of the bluff, but down below.

Maybe, and this is crazy dreamy stuff, the prison and the packing plant are a package deal.

The whole debate over where Wholestone Farms should build their plant only refocused the reality of the legacy of Smithfield.

Lalley is suggesting we tear down the old prison AND Smithfields and use the area for redevelopment. Yeah, it’s a pipe dream and Lalley knows it.

Smithfields isn’t going anywhere and as for the prison, I wouldn’t be surprised if the state sells it to a private developer who may remodel the existing prison for a different use like Dakotabilities did with the former Jefferson elementary. Take the bars off the windows and you could repurpose it for a pretty cool apartment building.

We will see if the legislature even passes the funding. $52 million seems like a lot of coin just for land acquisition and design. And where would we get money to actually build it? This facility could easily cost north of $100 million.

Prison building is just a scam on the taxpayers to make the private vendors who service the prison money and little else.

Will local leadership like Sioux Falls district legislators, council and mayor fight to keep the prison in the city limits? Likely not, but I would encourage the state and the city to do an economic impact study of the financial benefits of the prison. Personally I think we could save taxpayers millions by releasing all non-violent offenders with ankle monitors and drug tests while on parole. But that would require our legislature to have compassion, something they locked away decades ago.

Noem has initiated South Dakota ‘Gay Wars’

The official soap of the South Dakota Governor’s Mansion

You would think this would be a fight between the woke radical liberals and the right wingers, but now Kristi is fighting with her fellow nuttery;

“As a result, my office will no longer work with the Alliance until and unless its executive director chooses to act professionally,” Noem said, criticizing Woods for “sending this letter and releasing it to the media at the same time, instead of reaching out to my office to have a productive conversation about how we can work together.”

I won’t bore you with the letters sent back and forth, but if you read between the lines, Noem isn’t mad about the letter (BTW, she wasn’t attacked) she is mad she couldn’t have a closed door meeting to sweep this under the rug.

I also chuckled a bit in the Alliance letter boasting about protecting our kids from weed and gays, as if they are one in the same. I will admit, back in the day when I was high on pot I did some pretty crazy stuff, but sex with another man wasn’t one of them 🙂 It didn’t even cross my mind (whilst eating ketchup flavored cheese balls and playing Mario Brothers for 3 hours).

I guess I have never understood homophobia, it is just an excuse to be a hater, or just plain ignorant.

Let’s assume for a moment you don’t have any gay friends, relatives, or co-workers. Let’s even go a step further and assume you have never knowingly met a LGBTQ member of our society? Where is the vitriol coming from?

Drag shows for youth are meant to EDUCATE them about an alternative lifestyle before they grow up to be another a**hole republican.

If you want to protect our kids volunteer to be a mentor, a youth sports coach, a Sunday school teacher, a school crosswalk guard, or any other various youth associations. Being face to face and truthful with kids goes a lot farther then disgusting laws and legislation that only fuel a hateful divide and further cement the pitiful ignorance and hate of the radical right running our state.

By the way, I have noticed Noem’s wardrobe over the past couple of years, and I would be hard pressed to admit any of her clothing items were designed by a straight person. Her next piece of legislation will be titled ‘Fairness in Women’s Clothing Design’.

Lazy South Dakota PUC allowing a 6 month increase of electricity rates

During the run-up to the mid-terms, PUC incumbent Chris Nelson threw around wild claims that the PUC couldn’t limit imminent domain, BUT they can limit electric rates, if only they decided to research it and make a decision;

Xcel Energy will increase its electricity rates by 17.9 percent, starting Jan. 1. That’s a jump of $19.60 per month on an average residential customer’s bill. The proposed changes affect 97,500 customers. 

The PUC had six months to investigate and make a decision about the rate request before the company implemented it, but the three-member commission will not declare its decision in that timeframe.

That window closes at the end of December. Commission Chairman Chris Nelson said the PUC rarely completes its investigations in six months. 

“Once that rate increase was filed with us, our staff immediately began working through the evaluation process,” Nelson said. “That is a very lengthy and complex process.”

SIX MONTHS! C’mon! It is probably a difficult decision to make and takes awhile to research, but while you are dragging your feet thousands of customers are paying a higher rate.

The commission will subsequently have another six months to make a retroactive decision, but meanwhile, the requested rates will go into effect as an interim rate hike.

Seems convenient, doesn’t it?

Noem bans Chinese owned TikTok

It’s about those pesky communists;

“South Dakota will have no part in the intelligence gathering operations of nations who hate us,” Noem said in a statement. “The Chinese Communist Party uses information that it gathers on TikTok to manipulate the American people, and they gather data off the devices that access the platform.”

Of course, our mayor is still on his ‘save the kids’ campaign he must be carrying over from the anti-IM 27 campaign;

“This app needs more federal scrutiny to ensure our kids (and national security) are protected,” TenHaken wrote on social media.

Okay, why stop there?

• Why not BAN state government from purchasing any products made in China?

• Why not BAN any 5G antenna equipment from China?

• Why not BAN farmland or any property owned by Chinese investors? Or businesses (Like Smithfields)

This is more huff and puff and smoke blowing from the biggest offenders. Hypocrisy at it’s best. Now let’s go fight homeless cannabis use, the real problem ravaging our state ;(