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‘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 […]
Legislative term limits punish success, rob voters of power
State Sen. Brent Hoffman would be pleased if, in the next election, voters would tell him that his days in the Legislature are numbered. Hoffman, a Republican from Sioux Falls, is the moving force behind an initiated constitutional amendment that would set term limits for state legislators at eight years in the House and eight […]
When it comes to classified docs, Trump and the DOJ, Rounds wants it both ways
The federal indictment of former President Donald Trump has elicited a variety of responses from members of the Republican Party. Sen. Mike Rounds has decided to straddle the fence on this one. If he straddles it much harder, he’ll get splinters. After Trump’s indictment, Rounds put out a statement, the gist of which is that […]
Seeking election integrity behind closed doors
The shouting about the mishandling of the 2020 presidential election has been long-winded and false. However, it has led a number of states, including South Dakota, to make moves designed to increase election integrity. One move was the passage in the last legislative session of Senate Bill 160 which requires county auditors to conduct a […]
Bizarre legal debate shows it’s time to talk about the death penalty
Read the next paragraph and see if it doesn’t seem like the plot of a dystopian science fiction novel in which the future is going horribly wrong. Or maybe it’s the plot of a social satire in which society has gone horribly, well, wrong. Lawyers are arguing over the future of a young man accused […]