South Dakota War College

According to KELO and the Argus Voices blog , the nanny staters are going to make another run at telling everyone how they're supposed to live their lives. Good god, I hope we have a few Republicans left in the legislature to let this veto stand: This year the South Dakota legislature tried to close that gap with a booster seat law, requiring all kids use them until they're at least 80 pounds or 57 inches tall. Governor Mike Rounds vetoed that bill, saying the highway patrol would have to bring along scales to check children's weights and parents would have to bring along birth certificates to prove their age. and... Willadsen was shocked by the governor's veto. Willadsen says, "When it's evident almost 60 percent of injuries and fatalities could be prevented by having a booster seat, it seems like a no-brainer to me. We need to have this. Kids don't get a vote. Kids can't say I need to be in a booster seat. " Supporters of the booster seat bill n...

Over at the Aberdeen American News website , they've posted an associated press story by Chet Brokaw that has Hog House Blogger Denise Ross complaining about closed caucuses, and Dave Bordewyk, general manager of the South Dakota Newspaper Association saying they're ok: For an hour or so before each day's floor session, the lawmakers in each chamber meet in separate, private party caucuses to discuss bills, strategies and other issues. And in the final days of a legislative session, the lawmakers frequently will stop public debate and disappear into private caucus meetings, said Denise Ross, a former reporter for the Rapid City Journal. The legislators then reappear and decide the fate of the year's most important bills, she said. and... Ross, who covered the Legislature for six years, said she objects because lawmakers hold closed meetings in the Capitol, the most public of all buildings in South Dakota. and.. Dave Bordewyk, general manager of the South Dakota Newspa...

I was looking at some of last week's legislative columns when I stumbled across this candidate for quote of the week from Republican Representative Gary Jerke: "I am having a great deal of difficulty justifying all these bills in that the government is getting more and more involved in decisions about our very being. We need less government in our lives, not more." I did a little research to see if we could test his commitment to less government, and in a several year review of the legislation he's sponsored (both prime sponsored, and otherwise), I have to give Representative Jerke credit. His record of sponsorship is not only good, I'd call it exemplary. But then I get to a couple of his votes. On House Bill 1189 , the Republican sponsored car seat bill, he voted to put 5-7 year olds in car seats when the Governor says it goes way too far. But, to his favor, he voted against SB 196 , (banning smoking in bars on the precept it was to save the children who hang o...

I spent some time out with several of the legislators tonight as they prepare for the sojourn home, and there were some interesting comments and information that came across. One thing was the fact that I actually saw some Legislative Interns and legislators in the same room for the first time this session. I was pointing this out and noting that when I was an intern myself (way back in 1988), the big speech from the Intern supervisors that we got was that because of events in previous years, the Intern were admonished that they should not fraternize with the high school aged legislative pages. (Of course, it was quipped that "according to this years' legislature, fraternizing with the pages is OK .") For those readers who are asking, no, I'm not going to tell what I saw, was told, overheard, and those photos were not for the blog. I was out being social, and everything was off limits. Except for this photo. This one was kind of funny. Whether I agreed with them or no...

I was trying to figure out something to write this this cold and wintery morning. As I was reminded recently by someone who didn't like what I had to say, despite my political affiliation, I'm sometimes accused of being too tough on my fellow Republicans. (As if they haven't been giving me a reason to grumble with some of the legislation this year). People who know me understand that more than anything, I go after stupidity. But yes, let me assure everyone, I remain steadfast to my political affiliation, and take ample opportunity to remind everyone that we live in a conservative red state. To point out why Republicans are always the better option in South Dakota, let's take a look at the batting averages of some of our new Democratic all stars. Tom Katus was one of the more expensive players for the Senate Dems this year, but with Benedict Arnold Republican Stan Adelstein backing him, price was no object. Too bad Tom isn't producing very well this year. With one ...

Democratic State Representative Jim Bradford has been a bit of a cut up this session, and I have the sound clips to prove it. I'm trying to get the best one to convert, but converting the 3 hour block of audio I have to convert to get to it is giving me fits. Until I get that one, here's a pretty good one on Senate Bill 70 regarding massage therapy .

Barry Wilfhart of the Dakota Sioux Casino was nice enough to provide a recap of the charitable gaming night held last Thursday night at the Ramkota Inn which raised money for the favorite charity of each legislator. Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate charitable gaming night legislative event held last Thursday, February 22nd. 79 legislators attended and played blackjack for their favorite charity. $13,630 was won and will be contributed to the charities by Dakota Nation Gaming Enterprise, the Sisseton-Wahpeton Tribes gaming operation. (see the results sheet below distributed Tuesday to the legislature) This was the third year for this event, one that has rapidly become one of the legislator's favorites. We want to thank everyone who attended the event. We enjoyed visiting with you about our recent expansion project and plans for future growth pending successful gaming compact negotiations with Governor Rounds. We look forward to seeing you next year. The results of the Sisseton...