Commentary
Praising free speech while trampling on it
It was Newspaper Day 2020 at the South Dakota Legislature. The morning was filled with press conferences featuring the leaders of the Republican and Democratic parties. Then newspaper editors and publishers hosted a lunch at the Ramkota for their legislators, using the time to explain why House Bill 1241, which sought to change the definition […]
Expansion of antitrust enforcement in agriculture is a hopeful sign for farmers and ranchers
I’m a fourth-generation Brown County farmer and cattle rancher determined to make it possible for my children to be fifth-generation family farmers. That’s why I’ve been advocating since the 1980s for enforcement of antitrust laws protecting family farmers and ranchers from abuse and market manipulation by meatpackers. Now, as president of South Dakota’s largest agriculture […]
Challenge accepted: Reading Noem’s book yields even more damning info
Like many South Dakotans, I was intrigued by Gov. Kristi Noem’s chances for being selected as Donald Trump’s running mate, and I paid attention to the release of her book, “No Going Back.” When her promotional appearances turned into the book tour from hell, it was hard to look away. During an interview with Stuart […]
Shedding tears as we shed our common sense on guns
It’s enough to make a grown man cry. And one of my friends did just that during a recent school board meeting here in Rapid City as he was trying to offer public comment about a pending board decision on guns in schools. Yes, guns in schools. How’s that for dissonance? Remember those “What doesn’t […]
Fireworks sales have fallen back to Earth after years of explosive growth — here’s why
It’s the Fourth of July — a day of parades, barbecue and, of course, fireworks. But while parades and barbecues are still very popular, shockingly, this year fireworks are less so. Imports of fireworks reached a peak in 2022 of almost US$600 million, according to the U.S. International Trade Commission. But today, just two years […]
Flood washes away Noem’s false veneer of leadership
Severe weather brought a deluge to southeast South Dakota recently and exposed Gov. Kristi Noem’s faults. While the rain fell, she abandoned the state for a political conference and television interview. When catastrophic floodwaters surged toward McCook Lake, her cursory appearance there — along with her lackluster crisis communications and departure for an out-of-state political […]
Primary upsets could cause a hard right turn in the Legislature
It has been known for some time that there are two Republican parties in the South Dakota Legislature. Now one of them is getting bigger. The Republican primary earlier this month saw 14 legislators defeated. Add to that 21 Republican legislators who chose not to seek reelection or were term-limited in their chamber and did […]
With marijuana on the ballot, it’s not just about good times. It’s also about money.
To the casual observer, it might look like South Dakotans are addicted to voting on recreational marijuana. Legalizing grass was on the ballot in 2020, 2022 and will be again in 2024. For the backers of legalized marijuana, the high point came in 2020 when voters here approved a constitutional amendment with 54% of the […]
The funding of a civic engagement center is its own civics lesson
Rep. Scott Odenbach has to wonder why he went to so much trouble. The Spearfish Republican was the driving force behind two legislative attempts to create a center for civic engagement at Black Hills State University. Little did he know, all he had to do was put in a good word with the Joint Appropriations […]
The unsaid words that matter most in Noem’s feud with tribes
Words matter. And for Gov. Kristi Noem and her relationship with Native American tribes, two words could matter most of all: “I’m sorry.” I’ve been thinking about the importance of apologies and their potential value to state-tribal relations since the Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe decided to ban the governor from tribal lands. Flandreau was the […]
Becoming a lawyer shouldn’t depend on multiple-choice answers
Licensure for new attorneys in South Dakota depends on exam results from essays and timed multiple-choice questions. But the current exams place more emphasis on the wrong portion of the tests. An applicant’s ability to quickly select answers preferred by the author of the multiple-choice questions often determines licensure — even where the test-taker provided […]
Why South Dakota health care is the nation’s second most expensive
Several months ago, Forbes, a respected business and economics publication, released an analysis of the “The Most (And Least) Expensive States for Healthcare 2024.” A striking — and concerning — finding was that health care expenses in South Dakota were the second highest in the nation. The multiplicity of payers and the differing demographics of […]