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A little advice for the next leader of South Dakota’s Democrats
Shane Merrill is a farmer, so it’s a given that he knows all about hard work. Yet Merrill has set himself up to take on the hardest job in the state as chairman of the South Dakota Democratic Party. Merrill had the chance to move up from interim chairman after the previous chairwoman, Jennifer Slaight-Hansen, […]
So this is what passes for ‘unity’ in the Trump era
There was a time in 2004 when South Dakota Democrats had plenty to celebrate. This was back in the days before South Dakota politics was awash in red. It was likely even before the days when anyone would characterize states as red or blue. On the national level, there was a short time when South […]
Democracy demands less time behind closed doors for local governments
Hear about something called “Democracy Day” and it’s easy to imagine it refers to the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., the White House and the federal government. But democracy isn’t limited to the halls of Congress. Democracy plays just as big a role in the county courthouse and city hall. The most common display of […]
Without a motorcycle helmet law for adults, we all pay
There’s a legend in journalism circles about a metropolitan daily newspaper that published a weak editorial page that was squeamish about taking a stand on anything. The paper was so consistently wishy-washy that the editorial writers had their keyboards fixed so that if they hit control-T, their computers automatically typed: “This bears watching.” This time […]
‘You get what you pay for’ with government services
The scene was a District 7 legislative cracker barrel in Brookings, circa 2011 or thereabouts. The lawmakers on hand were two Republicans, Sen. Larry Tidemann and Rep. Scott Munsterman, and one Democrat, Rep. Spencer Hawley. Near the end of the allotted time for the cracker barrel, Tidemann and Munsterman remained seated but they were taking […]
South Dakota political parties battle themselves more than each other
It used to be that the toughest thing about politics was getting elected to office. Lately in South Dakota, the toughest thing about politics has been keeping the parties in line. That was apparent this month when Dan Ahlers, the executive director of the South Dakota Democratic Party, resigned. Ahlers, who was hired in May […]
It’s hard to get stoked about repealing medical marijuana
One feature of South Dakota’s citizen ballot initiative process is that it values effort over expertise. Consider the case of Travis Ismay. The Newell man would like the 2024 election to include a ballot initiative repealing the legality of the state’s medical marijuana program. Ismay is full of praise for the Legislative Research Council and […]
Johnson subjects military funding to partisan politics, despite pledging otherwise
How times have changed for the Republican Party. It was once the party of law and order. Now Donald Trump, its top candidate for president, is facing his third recent indictment, this time for fomenting the overthrow of the very government he purportedly wants to lead. It was once the party of business, but now […]
Lawmakers have themselves to blame for SD’s embarrassing teacher pay
Call it deja vu gone bad. A recent meeting of the state’s Teacher Compensation Review Board had to once again deal with the fact that teachers’ salaries in South Dakota are a national embarrassment. At the board meeting, figures were used from the National Education Association which listed the average teacher pay in South Dakota […]
Amendment is clumsy way to keep Legislature from manhandling voter initiatives
South Dakota’s legislative process is haunted by the ghost of Initiated Measure 22. Endorsed by a little more than 51% of voters in 2016, the anti-corruption measure was quickly dismantled in the next legislative session. Since then, lawmakers have lived with a reputation for dismissing the will of the people. Derailing IM 22 has had […]
Gannett policies change the face of journalism in South Dakota
On June 5, journalists at two dozen newspapers across seven states went on strike for the day to show their disapproval of Gannett board chairman and chief executive officer Mike Reed. Journalists were protesting the state of their trade at the Gannett newspapers where they work. Their ability to do that work has gone downhill […]
South Dakota’s ‘tax holiday’ may be shorter than expected
Recently a news release from Gov. Kristi Noem heralded a “tax holiday” that started on July 1. On that date, the state sales tax dipped from 4.5% to 4.2%. If that doesn’t sound like a big savings, that’s because it’s not. At the new rate, spend $100 and you’ll save 30 cents on your sales […]