Sibby Online

South Dakota War College promoting RINO lies to defend Lust and Rausch, while SDGOP proceeds to implement Obama's healthcare and education agenda

SDWC, the SDGOP Establishment blog started by Pat Powers (currently a director in the Secreatary of State office), goes to deception in order to defend the RINO leadership of the South Dakota House:

This past legislative session has been an interesting one to say the least. There is a striking rift between certain members of the legislature and different “conservative” factions across the state. The troubling thing is, it seems we are dividing our party while splitting hairs.

Speaker Val Rausch and Majority Leader David Lust have been lambasted by some members of the legislature. Now I know the rap on David Lust is that he is a “moderate,” but it’s strange that a moderate would cut the state budget across the board by 10% while also standing up to many of the leaders in the South Dakota public school system in order to deliver a substantial budget cut.

...

I would suggest you couldn’t find many budgets as fiscally responsible as those passed during Rausch and Lust’s tenure in the state house.

What we are not being told is that all but $2 million of those 2012 cuts were added to other areas, primarily the Department of Social Services Medicaid. We now know that the 2012 Medicaid budget is about $150 million too fat, of which $50 million is from the General Fund.

What we are not being told it that the Lust/Rausch legislature passed a 2012 budget that had a $45 million surplus that was based on revenue projections that were understated by $40 million. That is how you get $78 million in "Special Appropriations" (one-time money) to now hand out 5% bonuses to state government employees. Anybody think Lust or Rausch will say no to those spending increases?

Also lost in the discussion is the 100s of millions of Obama stimulus that was added to the state budget. That brings the total federal funding to nearly $2 billion, meaning nearly $800 million is part of the federal debt. And that is fiscally responsible?

And how conservative is the SDGOP leadership who is continuously all to happy to implement Obama's healthcare and education agenda? Check out the research that was sent to me (person asked not to be identified in order to avoid retaliation):

Governor Daugaard's campaign promise was to sign any bill repealing ObamaCare that crossed his desk....and he made good on his promise by making sure no such bill crossed his desk this session.  He had several chances to influence those bills by giving "talking points" to legislators to thwart the bills' passage in committee hearings.  Sen. Deb Peters was heard in the halls saying, "I have talking points from (Lt. Governor) Matt Michels to oppose this bill."

"This bill" just happened to be a Health Care Compact bill giving South Dakota the option to join in a compact with other states to opt out of ObamaCare.  Once a majority of states pass such laws, Congressional approval would be sought and granted because no Congressman would vote against the state they represent. 

Here are the bills that Governor Daugaard could have encouraged, but instead called on weak-minded legislators to help kill:

- HB 1191, a bill to join with other states in forming a HealthCare Compact, mentioned above.

- HB 1165 and HB1167 to repeal the latest components of ObamaCare that were signed into law last year.  They were obediently killed in the House State Affairs committee (known as 'the killing fields' for all but the members' own bills).

- An Amendment to HB1220.  HB 1220 is an ineffective suicide clause that was brought as a ruse.   It falsely claims that South Dakota's ObamaCare laws would be repealed in the event that the Federal Law was repealed.  The amendment was brought (and ceremoniously killed) that would have insured that would happen.  HB1220 was passed but its "suicide" clause is only effective if the ENTIRE Federal ObamaCare law (PPACA) is repealed...and we are not even suing for a complete repeal. The Obama administration has said that if the lawsuit in which our state is a plaintiff prevails, they will just change the wording from "individual mandate" to "individual health tax"....and Daugaard/RomneyCare remains codified in South Dakota law.   

- They even killed HB1190, a bill that put the legislature in control of making the ObamaCare Exchange operational in South Dakota.  All other states have this authority. An Exchange can either become operational through a legislative vote, by a Governors' Executive order, or by a Department proclamation.  The people deserve to know when it’s coming on board.  But this bill was killed by the same taking points parroted by all the Senators who opposed it in committee.  Funny, they all had the exact same comments which they read with beat red faces, stuttering words, sweat on their brows, and complete ignorance of what they were saying.  Hmmm…five Senators spontaneously spewing the same convoluted talking points that smelled like Matt Michels (a ' big hospital'  kind of guy, since he worked for them)!  Ironic that they ALL concluded simultaneously that having legislative control would be redundant because legislators already control initiation of an Exchange (the landing place for ObamaCare).....when we vote on the huge budget bill.  The Budget bill has thousands of items all rolled into a sausage-style bill that is voted on at the end of session. The appropriators can just stop the whole appropriation process if they happen to see a buzz word in the text that alerts them that an Exchange is being funded.  What are the chances that they know the buzz words...like connector, meaningful user (that is their word for your doctor), units (that is their word for patients), and many others?   And we have a double protection!  Any legislator can peruse the few hundred pages of numbers and note if they spot something that resembles ObamaCare verbiage.  Amazing...they all thought of this on their own!

At least 5 of the Senators stayed in Committee and voted....2 walked out because they knew this would be post card material. Only one didn't drink the Kool-Aid and voted for the people to have representation.

And can SDWC defend Val Rausch's 2010 $23,000 campaign contributionsin which $5,700 came from the healthcare's corporate special interests?

The research emailed to me provides more insight into the Medical Corporate Establishment's desire for ObamaCare:

And what about those RomneyCare consultants, Ms. Gillespie and Ms. Handrich?  These two ladies who set up Socialized Health Care in Massachusetts were hired to attend our South Dakota task force for the same purpose.  Yes, they were at all the meetings and helped write ObamaCare for South Dakota.  At least Mitt Romney was open and honest when he set up RomneyCare for Liberal Massachusetts....but in conservative South Dakota our leaders pretended to be against ObamaCare while setting it deep into Codified law over the last few years.  Sanford CEO told about 400 people at their Research Conference in June that, "Whatever you think about PPACA, sometimes referred to as ObamaCare, we must not repeal it or we will have to go back to the drawing board..."  Well GOOD....repeal it like 80% of South Dakotans want!

After Daschle failed to get HillaryCare passed in the 1990's, he wrote in his book that it failed because they didn't get the hospitals and insurance stakeholders on board.  Voilà! 10 years and $54 Billion in hospital perks later...the hospitals are now on board!  And how convenient that hospitals and insurance companies are now rolled into one tax-exempt entity called "managed care".  If they get their way, as a government-subsidized monopoly, they will be "too big to fail" and receive bail outs that smaller private insurers cannot compete with. 

If that does not disturb you, then what about this:

We've all been told the Executive branch against Socialized Health Care.   Did you know that in 2007 Gov. Rounds' administration formed a bill to force all South Dakotans to buy health insurance or face a fine?  With Lieutenant Governor Daugaard as the co-chairof the task force, they even talked about putting you in jail if you didn't buy the amount of healthcare they deemed necessary from you. Granted, they would need to know ALL your financial assets and information so they could determine how much you would "owe" as your debt to healthcare.  Yes, this is the same individual mandate our Attorney General is fighting on the National stage. Can you say 'schizophrenic'?

How telling that former Governor Rounds is now a co-chair with Socialized-Medicine-Man himself…Tom Daschle, at the Bipartisan Policy Center in DC…where they advise Obama on healthcare!

Perhaps the legislators of the SDGOP leadership will start scoring higher on the SDGOP Republican Platform Scorecard if they would add to their platform this summer...corporate socialism, fascism, and cronyism. Instead they will be more likely asking conservatives for contributions in order to defeat Obama in November.

Romney likes Obama's merit pay for teachers

More on how Americans have no real choice come November:

But we at Politics K-12 are perplexed by Romney's comments on education policy, an area on which he says he has some common ground with President Barack Obama.

Here's the relevant exchange:

PEOPLE: In the holiday spirit of comity, can you say one thing President Obama has done right?

Romney: "He's a good example of a husband and father. Some of his education initiatives—merit pay for the best teachers and school choice—have been positive. The surge in Afghanistan was the right choice. But the pluses are far exceeded by the places where I'd give him a minus."

The merit pay for teacher thing we get. Obama has pushed for an expansion of the Teacher Incentive Fund, which doles out grants to districts to create pay-for-performance programs. And he made performance pay a component of both Race to the Top and the School Improvement Grant programs.

But school choice? Okay, Obama has pushed for an expansion of charter schools, again under Race to the Top and SIG. But he also scrapped the DC Opportunity Scholarship Program (though the money was ultimately put back at the behest of Rep. John Boehner, R-Ohio, the speaker of the House.) And his waiver package doesn't require districts to offer mandatory school choice or tutoring services.

So we're wondering what exactly Romney was talking about here.

Daugaard pushing Obama's education plan that includes merit pay for teachers

Check this out:

Merit pay for teachers, an idea kicked around for decades, is suddenly gaining traction. The concept is picking up steam from a growing cadre of politicians who think one way to improve the country’s troubled schools is to give fat bonuses to good teachers.

The Obama administration has encouraged states to embrace merit pay, highlighting it as one step states could take to compete for more than $4 billion in federal funds through the Race to the Top program.

Leo Sibson RIP

Here is my father's obituary that was published in today's Mitchell Daily Republic:

Leo F. Sibson, age 83, of Mitchell, died Saturday, February 11, 2012 at the Prairie View Care Center in Woonsocket. Funeral services will be 10:30 AM Friday, February 17, at Holy Family Catholic Church with burial at Servicemen’s Memorial Cemetery. Visitation will be from 6 to 8 PM Thursday, at Will Funeral Chapel with a prayer service beginning at 7:00 PM.

Leo Francis Sibson was born on April 8, 1928 in Mitchell, SD to Limbert and Johanna (Rankin) Sibson. He grew up in Artesian and attended Artesian country school. He later moved with his family to a farm in Mitchell in the spring of 1942. Due to his father’s ill health, he quit attending school to help on the family farm until 1950. In 1950 he entered the U.S. Navy and was honorably discharged in 1954.

On May 2, 1951 he married Dolores Gau at Holy Family Catholic Church in Mitchell. They celebrated 60 years of marriage in 2011. Starting in 1955 the couple lived on a farm near Mitchell where they raised 3 children. In 1958 he was honored to be the Outstanding Young Farmer from Mitchell Junior Chamber of Commerce. After 35 years of farming and back grounding calves they retired in 1990. Leo was a member of Holy Family Catholic Church, the Elks, Farmers Union, and Davison County Taxpayer charter member for Dakota Proposition.

He is survived by his wife Dolores, three children: Steven (Kathy) Sibson of Mitchell, Michael (Sue) Sibson of Howard, and Lynette (Gary) Nutter of Howard. Six grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren; two sisters, Jean Danielson of Rapid City and Margaret (Bill) Pierson of Mitchell; two brothers, Herb (Georgie) Sibson of Ft. Pierre and David (Joyce) Sibson of Mitchell.

He was preceded in death by his parents, a sister Elsie Hemmer, an infant sister Marie, brother in laws Leo Hemmer, Duane Danielson, and sister in law Lavalle Weber.

Note my father's work on Dakota Proposition that laid the ground work to the state aid formula for education which shifted costs away from property owners and to the general fund. Certainly my father would not be in peace if he was here to read the reports in today's Mitchell paper where the governor has signed legislation that will dramatically raise valuations on Ag properties and legislation that will increase property levies for the state aid formula, all so that huge sums of money can be spent on other things. (Here is a second link reporting huge spending increases.)

As today's South Dakota property owners are being saddled with higher taxes so that foreign dairies and foreign cheese makers can make more profits while putting out of business small family farms , may my dad rest in peace.

HB1169: Smokeout attempt in process to remove Real ID

Here is the problem:

Strict federal rules aimed at keeping terrorists off planes are blocking some Americans from renewing their driver's licenses or getting other state-issued IDs.

The consequences can be staggering. Without an ID, people cannot change jobs, drive legally, collect Social Security or Medicare, get through airport security or open a bank account.It's "a persistent problem across the country," says Chris Calabrese, legislative counsel at the American Civil Liberties Union. The problems stem from the Real ID Act, passed by Congress in 2006 in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, when terrorists used easily obtained driver's licenses to carry out their plans.The law says that by 2013, only IDs from states that require applicants to present proof of citizenship or legal residency will be accepted to board an airplane or enter a federal building. In most states that have begun to comply, that proof means a birth certificate or immigration papers.The ACLU and others predicted that the law's documentation requirements would be a burden to many Americans, and the issue becomes more pressing as the deadline nears.Sometimes birth certificates are incomplete, inaccurate, missing or were never recorded.When corrections officer Charles Lust, 46, of West Palm Beach, Fla., tried to renew his driver's license in February 2010, he was shocked to discover his birth certificate said his name was Bell. A court, establishing paternity when he was 14, changed his name from Lust, his mother's name, to Bell, his father's name.After his driver's license expired, he couldn't open a bank account, cash a check or change jobs. He had to make special arrangements to pick up his kids from school because the school requires ID."It kind of put my life on hold," Lust says. He finally got his license in September after the Florida governor's office granted an exception.

HB 1169 is the solution and was moved to the 41st day by the House State Affairs committee. Rep. Lance Russell successfully smoked it out of committee yesterday and has an up hill battle to get it passed on the House floor today. which is crossover day. Here are the smokeout votes from yesterday:

Yeas 25, Nays 43, Excused 2, Absent 0

    Yeas:
Dennert; Elliott; Feickert; Greenfield; Hickey; Hubbel; Iron Cloud III; Jensen; Jones; Killer; Kirschman; Kloucek; Kopp; Liss; Lucas; Olson (Betty); Russell; Schaefer; Schrempp; Sigdestad; Steele; Stricherz; Tornow; Venner; Verchio

    Nays:
Abdallah; Blake; Bolin; Boomgarden; Brunner; Carson; Conzet; Cronin; Deelstra; Dryden; Fargen; Feinstein; Gibson; Gosch; Haggar; Hansen (Jon); Hawley; Hoffman; Hunhoff (Bernie); Hunt; Kirkeby; Lust; Miller; Moser; Munsterman; Novstrup (David); Perry; Romkema; Rozum; Scott; Sly; Solum; Street; Tulson; Turbiville; Van Gerpen; Vanneman; White; Wick; Willadsen; Wink; Wismer; Speaker Rausch

    Excused:
Magstadt; Nelson (Stace)

Stace Nelson defends constituent who was attacked by legislative abuse of power

From a comment left by Rep. Stace Nelson:

They forced Rob Bender to sit on his hands on the sidelines witnessing my removal from the Ag Committee and hearing about the dog & pony investigation that they conducted with their friends to give the appearance that they were "cleared" of all wrong doing all the while they refused to hear his testimony about what he knew. All the while having the knowledge of what happened on July 13th and what was reported by the LRC staff member. I can asssure you, he did not lie as insultingly alleged by Rep. Lust. Rob is well known in Hanson County as being one of the finest people to ever be born in South Dakota. He is an honest, kind man with a generous heart. He is as good a farmer, neighbor, and South Dakotan as Rep. Lust is a lawyer.

It is my understanding that Lust & Rausch were so angry about my editorials in the Aberdeen, Mitchell, & Pierre papers, that they have again mischaracterized the above incident (exactly how they did with lies that I threatened Rep Moser) to the Republican Caucus in an effort to try and get someone to try and move for a written motion on the House floor to form a discipline committee to expel me from the legislature. I guess the public won't stand for them usurping the power of the legislature again in "punishing me" so they are attempting to misinform Republicans to the point they can.

**Of Note- When confronted by Republican legislators, Rep. Nick Moser confirmed to his whip group members that I never threatened him nor did he ever feel threatened during our mutual disagreement. Lust & Rausch LIED to the press & to the Republican Caucus and used that claim to "punish" me and to edict me thrown out of a democratic caucus.

Something is truly ROTTEN in the state of South Dakota, and that smell is not coming from me.

The so-called citizen legislature of South Dakota goes after a citizen

Several years ago I witnessed the House State Affairs committee go after the citizens who represented the South Dakota Gun Owners. Yesterday the same committee went after Rob Bender. Here is the account from the Rapid City Journal:

Harsh words and accusations of lying preceded a committee walkout Friday morning when a Republican lawmaker again clashed with Rep. David Lust.

Rep. Stace Nelson, R-Fulton, left the House State Affairs Committee after exchanging words with Lust, R-Rapid City, during a testy hearing. Nelson repeated accusations from last year that Lust and other Republican leaders had behaved unethically before he and Lust accused each other of lying.

The occasion was a hearing on House Bill 1142, sponsored by Nelson. It would have required confidentiality by Legislative Research Council staff - a reaction to accusations by Nelson that Lust and other leaders violated this confidentiality.

During his testimony, Nelson and Robert Bender of Hanson County rehashed many accusations against Lust, Agriculture Secretary Walt Bones and others.

Lust allowed the testimony to proceed when Rep. Gene Abdallah, R-Sioux Falls, asked him to cut it off.

But matters came to a head when Lust offered his own comments on the testimony.

"What I find unconscionable is when someone comes and throws around lies about legislators," Lust said. "I find it more hurtful and problematic when they do it about someone who's not an elected official and who really cannot defend themselves in public, being the LRC."

At that time, Bender appeared to shout something at Lust from the committee room audience and walk out of the room.

Lust replied that Bender's rudeness to lawmakers had cost him respect and that he was "glad" Bender was leaving.

Nelson then stood up to leave too and joined in the crosstalk.

"I'm glad you're leaving too," Lust said.

"I understand that sir," Nelson replied. "Please pass more lies to the press about me."

"You've done plenty of that on your own, Rep. Nelson," Lust shot back.

After the two left, the House State Affairs Committee voted unanimously to kill HB1142.

Smokeout on HB1015 concealed carry this afternoon? Val Rausch making up rules?

From an email from the National Association for Gun Rights sent yesterday afternoon, as Rep. Betty Olson got her HB1248 passed out of House Judiciary:

It appears that anti-gun RINO (Republican In Name Only) Speaker Val Rausch has hit a new low.

As I’ve reported, the National Association for Gun Rights has been working with South Dakota Gun Owners to pass Constitutional Carry in South Dakota (HB 1015).

But Republican leadership, specifically Speaker Pro Tem Brian Gosch, quickly stonewalled the bill in committee.

As Speaker Pro Tem (Assistant Speaker of the House), Gosch works closely with RINO Speaker Val Rausch, and is apparently picking up his anti-gun tendencies.

After the bill was blocked in committee, I worked closely with pro-gun legislators and South Dakota Gun Owners to bring the bill to a vote in the House with a maneuver called a “smokeout.” Led by pro-gun champions Rep. Don Kopp and Rep. Phil Jensen, the bill was brought to the floor yesterday.

But when Rep. Jensen made the appropriate “roll call” motion to bring Constitutional Carry to the House floor for a vote, Speaker Rausch summarily ruled him out of order!

The state Constitution requires in Article III, Section 13, that the Speaker conduct a standard roll-call vote “on any question,” as long as twelve legislators will stand with the sponsor. Even the Speaker must agree that Constitutional Carry had support from twelve pro-gun Representatives.

But the last thing anti-gun RINOs like Rausch want to do is go on record killing a pro-gun bill. They prefer stonewalling them in committee. That way it’s more difficult for gun owners like you to hold the RINOs accountable on Election Day.

I need your help to turn up the heat on Speaker Raush and his anti-gun pals, right now.

Please contact Speaker Rausch and demand that he stop breaking the rules! Demand that he respect the rules and allow a Constitutional Carry “roll call” vote on the House floor!

Tell him you want a fair floor vote on HB 1015 -- your Constitutional Carry bill.

You can leave a message for him at the Capitol tomorrow (605) 773-3851 or feel free to call him at home over the weekend at (605) 862-8635.

You can also email Speaker Rausch: valrausch@hotmail.com

Tea Party Movement represents Democratic Jeffersonian heritage, now rejected by leadership of both parties

The New York Times has a pieced called "Jefferson's Tea Party Moment" that ties the policies of today's Tea Party Movement with the limited government agenda of Thomas Jefferson:

America’s first elected opposition party, the Democratic-Republican Party formed by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in the 1790s, promised a “second revolution” whose axioms included “the general principle that payment of debt should take precedence of all other expenditure,” as Henry Adams put it in “History of the United States of America During the Administrations of Thomas Jefferson,” his monumental study.

The trouble, as Adams noted, was that this principle conflicted with another, “reduction of taxes; and the revenue was not sufficient to satisfy both demands.”

The solution was to trim the size of government. The biggest departments were the Army and the Navy, which were duly cut back. It seemed a sensible solution since Jefferson, along with the public, wanted no more wars. But the Barbary pirates were attacking American merchant ships, and since taxes were needed to pay for a series of naval battles, Jefferson authorized a new federal fund, in violation of his anti-Federalist politics.

Démarches of this kind became the essence of Jefferson’s two terms. He forswore “entangling alliances” with foreign powers, but when Napoleon offered to sell France’s holdings in the Louisiana territory, Jefferson accepted. He raised the $15 million fee by issuing government bonds and taking over payment of the French debt to American citizens. Some objected to Jefferson’s annexing “a foreign people and a vast territory,” Adams wrote. Others protested that Jefferson, the devout anti-monarchist, had recast himself as the virtual king of this new land acquisition.

Thus did Jefferson’s mission to eliminate the debt and repeal taxes — “the foundation for his system of politics abroad and at home,” as Adams described it — yield to the practical demands of governing a young, ambitious nation.

For all this, Jefferson remains the originator of the anti-statist movement, with its aversion to debt and taxes, that is dominating the debt-ceiling impasse and has been a defining and recurrent strain of American politics. He has had many ideological successors, up through today’s Tea Party movement.

I found this interesting:

Former Sen. Tom Daschle and former Rep. Patrick Kennedy, D-R.I., will join former Sen. George McGovern and Sen. Tim Johnson, D-S.D., at the annual McGovern Day Dinner on March 31.

The event is sponsored by the South Dakota Democratic Party and serves as a major party fundraiser.

“I can think of few other people who have changed the course of South Dakota as much as Sens. McGovern, Daschle and Johnson,” said SDDP chairman Ben Nesselhuf.

They are the three most successful Democratic politicians in South Dakota history. McGovern served 22 years in Congress, 18 in the Senate. Daschle served 26 years in Congress, 18 in the Senate. Johnson has served 26 years in Congress and is in his third term in the Senate.

Rebranded in 2002 from the Party’s Jefferson/Jackson Day, McGovern Day is the largest annual event for the South Dakota Democratic Party, an institution shaped by McGovern during the 1950s and throughout his political career.

So it seems that the original Jeffersonian policy of limited government was a Democratic idea and now rejected. And it also appears that the Republican leadership is not willing to accept that rejected Jeffersonian policy:

U.S. Rep. Kristi Noem, R-S.D., said she has not yet decided whether to join the House’s Tea Party Caucus.

Noem was confronted by constituents about the issue at a town hall meeting held over the weekend in Rapid City, according to media reports. Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., founded the Tea Party Caucus in July 2010. The caucus’ website lists 60 members from the House’s 435 representatives.

Rapid City resident Stephanie Strong announced recently that she plans to challenge Noem in a Republican primary, in part because Noem voted in August for a debt-ceiling increase.

Bachmann did not fair well in this year's GOP primary for president. And we have the leadership of the South Dakota Democratic Party also voicing opposition to his own party's Jeffersonian heritage:

A Democratic Party official criticized Noem’s tea party comments later Thursday.

“After only a year in Washington, Congresswoman Noem has learned how to play the political games,” said South Dakota Democratic Party Chairman Ben Nesselhuf.

“She is going to ride the fence on this one for as long as she can. She has two equally unappealing choices: Join the Tea Party Caucus and show her true colors to the people of South Dakota, or reject the tea party and alienate her base.”

So how have we got to the point where Jefferson's limited government policies have been completely rejected by the political party that carried his heritage and the base of the GOP, who now carries that legacy, is shamed by both the GOP and Democratic leadership? Populists Democrats are being deceived by their Marxist leadership that government is the answer to controlling the ruling elite, when in fact less government is the solution. Conservative Republicans understand that, but they are being deceived by the GOP leadership who claim to be on board with less government. 

HB1234: SDGOP form super committee to pass the Governor's global education plan resulting in a heated partisan ideological war between socialism and fascism

Today's Mitchell Daily Republic has a column by District 20 Rep. Tona Rozum that includes this admission:

Contrary to what you hear or read, the majority of conversation centers around education in Pierre.

The end goal is student achievement, and the current focus is on teachers. A committee composed of three representatives and three senators (Sly, Dryden and Brunner in the House; Peters, Heineman and Johnston in the Senate) form the group receiving ideas, suggestions, opinions and solutions. The ideas have been steadily flowing into the committee: Allow systems to design their own bonus system; bonuses for National Board Certification; school-wide incentive program; tuition reimbursement-style bonus; bonuses for two highest-need areas in a district; end tenure; create some kind of partial tenure/due process; 10,000 upfront bonus paid over five years; revisit Dakota Corps Scholarships; revisit TCAP for compensation.

That SDGOP members only super committee put together "THE Education Plan" that passed the House Education committee on a party line vote:

Gov. Dennis Daugaard’s plan to give bonuses to the state’s top teachers was endorsed Wednesday by a South Dakota House committee after supporters said it would lead to better teachers and improved student achievement.

The Education Committee voted 11-4 along party lines to send the measure to the full House. All Republicans supported the plan, while Democrats opposed it

Democrats said merit pay never works in schools, but Republicans argued the proposed bonuses should eventually improve the quality of teachers in South Dakota’s school districts.

So we have the Democrats wanting to maintain a socialistic public education system, where regardless of effort all teachers are given one loaf of bread, and the Republicans who want to tie teacher pay to their willingness to implement the globalists Common Core Standards. Here is a link to some research I found that provides the history behind the decades long fascist/Marxist/socialist agenda to use education to transform American and to provide the global economy with trained workers.

The war on education in Pierre is much like WWII, communism versus fascism, which are basically two forms of socialism. Will conservatives see through the governor's deception, which calls his merit plan a free market concept, and realize that his plan is simply more of the same policies that has created a system that has more than doubled per student costs while not impacting quality. Worse yet, the governor's plan is to continue the decades long transformation of an America that raises children in families to a tyrannical state where kids are raised by the government. Call it socialism, call it fascism, call it communism, call it Marxism, the end result is the same.

Bob Mercer sees mysterious bloc of conservatives and Democrats in South Dakota legislature

While I get beat up for bringing up conspiracy theories, Bob Mercer comes up with one of his own:

Two other dynamics shaping this legislative session are the infighting among Republicans, and the lack of a Republican legislative agenda such as was seen during the latter years of the Rounds administration.

The intra-party feuding is more than personality differences among Republicans. The forces that have shaped the Republicans in Congress are finding their way into our Legislature.

The rift is more visibly prominent in the House of Representatives, which has twice as many seats as the Senate. The GOP numbers are 50 of the 70 in the House and 30 of the 35 in the Senate.

Something to watch in the remaining four weeks of the 2012 session is whether the House and Senate split on some major issues, especially spending, because of the various Republican blocs in the House.

It’s possible there are enough independent-minded Republicans in the House that, should they be so inclined, they could weld together a bare majority with the House Democrats.

But for what meaningful purpose would be the mystery.

Both the Democrats and the Conservative Republican Caucuses are open. It is the SDGOP Establishment caucus that is closed and remains a "mystery".

Stace Nelson versus Bob Mercer

Received word from a legislator that Stace Nelson has a letter in the Pierre Capital Journal the "scorched" Bob Mercer. Mercer has this on his Pure Pierre Politics web site:

First, in the interest of disclosure, Rep. Stace Nelson, R-Fulton, took this reporter to task in a letter to the editor that was published Monday.

Looks like the Aberdeen News also ran the editorial:

How about that "retired Marine" and modern day Rambo-Hulk rapelling down the Capital rotunda and rampaging the halls, threatening pasty-faced, slick-haired politicians for insults uttered during debates? Reliable rumors are representatives actually fainted at the sound of the giant's voice or a glimpse of the fierce war machine's visage! The Speaker called out the highway patrol, and rumors were the governor almost activated our SDANG to deal with the berserk juggernaut!

I was as surprised as everyone to find this contrived menace was this career law enforcement officer, retired NCIS Investigator and your duly elected representative!

Reality? Another legislator and I had a minor disagreement regarding the legislator's inappropriate comments toward me during debate and his anger toward me for helping put his voting record online at http://www.SDRepublican.org.

No threats were made, and it was an un-newsworthy incident. The discourse was intentionally blown out of proportion and mischaracterized to facilitate retaliation for my reporting misconduct of tampering and obstruction of legislator's bills and my removal from the ag committee because of my opposition to the massive foreign dairy they are trying to force on Hanson County. Rausch and Lust immediately reported they "punished" me by edict that I was not welcome in the Republican caucus, my "seat" was moved, it was reported I was being removed from Judiciary, and I was forbidden to speak during session!

Reality? Only the House body can punish someone (House Rules Chapter 6), and the Speaker is required to allow every legislator to speak during debates (Joint Rules chapters 1-4 and 1-5). As proof, they had to quietly rescind their illegal edict that I am forbidden from representing my district in session, claims of removing from judiciary, and the extra HP security was canceled.

Many despise the incestuous nature of Pierre politics. Too many people are intertwined and interconnected. In this case, a reporter, who worked for previous Republican administrations, helped weigh in with slanted reporting and followed up with an editorial job to finish the character assassination. The reporter knew I am a retired NCIS investigator and not a retired Marine. The ominous pistol trophy on my desk? A legislative charity pistol trophy I won raising $1,200-plus for Mitchell CASA program.

Readers would not have believed the mischaracterizations peddled though absent such salient facts.

The real issue? I don't play party politics or take orders on voting. I refused to turn a blind eye to misconduct simply because they were registered Republicans. I vote and speak on the issue on the merits, which is often contrary to the way they order, and which often helps defeat or pass legislation against their wishes.

In three recent conservative voter report cards, I was ranked at the top of the whole Legislature. They were near the bottom.

Regardless of petty political attacks, I will never sell out my duty to you the folks I love and serve. Questions? Rep.Nelson@state.us.sd.

God bless and Semper Fidelis.

Conservative Republican Caucus of Convenience makes front page of today's Mitchell Daily Republic

The Conservative Republican Caucus of Convenience (CRCOC) made the front page of The Mitchell Daily Republic with a report from Tom Lawrence, the assistant editor:

A third legislative caucus is now holding daily meetings in the state Capitol. A conservative caucus is huddling daily, just as the Republican and Democratic caucuses do, according to state Rep. Stace Nelson, RFulton. It has been given the tongue-in-cheek name of “Conservative Republican Caucus of Convenience,” Nelson said.

Nelson and state Rep. Lance Russell, R-Hot Springs, were removed from the GOP caucus last week by Speaker Val Rausch, R-Big Stone City.

Nelson was expelled after a vocal disagreement with another GOP lawmaker last week. His seat also was relocated in the House chamber.

Armed state troopers patrolled the halls and Rausch was given a personal guard after the reported outburst. Nelson said it was a simple verbal exchange and reports of anything more were exaggerated.

Russell was removed from the caucus because he was not attending the meetings, Rausch said.

Nelson said the conservative caucus was organized last session and had previously met once a week but switched Monday to meeting every day the Legislature is in session on Jan. 30.

“The caucus (meeting) is relaxed and all are equal, kind of in line with the King Arthur idea of a roundtable,” Nelson said in an e-mail.

He said some Republican legislators who have been at the meetings — he didn’t want to release their names — have said they are being chastised for attending.

“They’re getting a lot of heat not to attend, so I’m not sure how much longer this will go on,” Nelson said.

While the caucus was intended to draw what Nelson termed “Republican-platform believing Republicans,” at least one Democrat, state Rep. Frank Kloucek, of Scotland, has attended a session.

Nelson said Kloucek was welcomed. The idea is to discuss conservative ideas and issues, he said during a telephone interview.

The caucus meetings are open to the public and a few non-legislators have sat in, he said.

Steve “Sibby” Sibson, a Mitchell man who has run for a seat in the Legislature, maintains his own politics blog and is a frequent online commentator, attended one meeting, Nelson said.

The caucus meets in Room 464 on the House side of the Capitol at 12:30 p.m. The meetings typically last about 35 to 45 minutes, Nelson said.

Nelson said while some perceive him as being outspoken, he feels he is representing the voters who elected him.

Sounds like the SDGOP leadership would probably refer to the CRCOC as a "CROCK".

Abdallah proved he violated his oath, justified the South Dakota Gun Owners; and did Stace Nelson kiss a RINO's rear end?

In a previous post I showed how a half dozen House Republicans switched their position on a gun bill they voted against last year. Yesterday HB1132 hit the House floor with Rep. Abdallah carrying the bill. Twice during his opening remarks he said the bill was about the Second Amendment. That proves that his vote last year against the very same bill was a vote against the Second Amendment (certainly in his mind) and therby a violation of his oath to defend the Constitution of the United States. What kind of legislator would step on the Constitution in order to seek revenge on his political opponents? I was waiting for Stace Nelson to point that out, wondering if Speaker Rausch was going to even let him speak. He let him, and Nelson actually did what the RINO SDGOP leadership calls civility and thanked Abdallah for bringing the bill instead of asking, why the turn around. Or was it really a coy slap, known only to those in the know? In the South Dakota House nowadays, if you want Constitutional rights, you have to learn to like (or appear to like) kissing the rear ends of RINOs. Here is the final vote:

Yeas 49, Nays 15, Excused 6, Absent 0

    Yeas:
Abdallah; Bolin; Boomgarden; Brunner; Carson; Conzet; Cronin; Deelstra; Dryden; Gosch; Greenfield; Haggar; Hansen (Jon); Hickey; Hoffman; Hubbel; Hunt; Jensen; Kirkeby; Kloucek; Kopp; Liss; Lust; Magstadt; Miller; Moser; Nelson (Stace); Perry; Romkema; Rozum; Russell; Schaefer; Schrempp; Scott; Sly; Solum; Steele; Stricherz; Tornow; Tulson; Turbiville; Van Gerpen; Venner; Verchio; White; Wick; Willadsen; Wink; Speaker Rausch

    Nays:
Blake; Dennert; Fargen; Feickert; Feinstein; Hawley; Hunhoff (Bernie); Iron Cloud III; Jones; Killer; Kirschman; Lucas; Novstrup (David); Sigdestad; Wismer

    Excused:
Elliott; Gibson; Munsterman; Olson (Betty); Street; Vanneman

UPDATE: And now Bob Mercer is beginning to catch up to my research at his Pure Pierre Politics blog:

"The House vote was 49-15. This matter really is political cover in the deepest sense. House and Senate Republican leadership brought the bill, yet four of the same folks voted to kill a 2011 version of it that was brought by Rep. Lance Russell, R-Hot Springs. Those four were House Speaker Val Rausch of Hot Springs and representatives Justin Cronin of Gettysburg, Hal Wick of Sioux Falls and Charles Hoffman of Eureka. It appears that none of the nearly two dozen Republicans and Democrats who signed their names onto the 2011 version were brought aboard onto the 2012 version, whose prime sponsor is Rausch. Many of the House Republican leaders seem to think they need cover after their votes on other firearms bill in recent years and their 2011 votes on this specific topic (with the exception of Rep. Brian Gosch of Rapid City, who voted in favor of the bill last year in committee, and House Republican leader David Lust, who voted against the bill last year and isn’t on the sponsor list this year)."

 

Public school monopoly now has its eyes set on putting private daycares out of business

After about five years of efforts, the Educrats may have finally got their foot into the daycare business by getting pass teh House Chamber. And how, because some schools are already doing it, we need to make it legal. That was the argument, for HB1195. It also included Drivers Ed. First Rep. Hunt tried an amendment that stripped the daycare part, leaving the Drivers Ed. Here are the votes on his amendment:

Yeas 26, Nays 41, Excused 3, Absent 0

    Yeas:
Bolin; Conzet; Feickert; Gosch; Greenfield; Haggar; Hansen (Jon); Hickey; Hoffman; Hubbel; Hunt; Jensen; Kopp; Liss; Miller; Nelson (Stace); Novstrup (David); Russell; Steele; Tornow; Tulson; Vanneman; Venner; Verchio; Wick; Willadsen

   Nays:
Abdallah; Blake; Boomgarden; Brunner; Carson; Cronin; Deelstra; Dennert; Dryden; Fargen; Feinstein; Gibson; Hawley; Hunhoff (Bernie); Iron Cloud III; Jones; Killer; Kirkeby; Kirschman; Kloucek; Lucas; Lust; Magstadt; Moser; Perry; Romkema; Rozum; Schaefer; Schrempp; Scott; Sigdestad; Sly; Solum; Street; Stricherz; Turbiville; Van Gerpen; White; Wink; Wismer; Speaker Rausch

    Excused:
Elliott; Munsterman; Olson (Betty)

Took the RINOs teaming up with the Democrats to stop the amendment. Then came the final vote:

Yeas 55, Nays 12, Excused 3, Absent 0

    Yeas:
Abdallah; Blake; Bolin; Boomgarden; Brunner; Carson; Conzet; Cronin; Deelstra; Dennert; Dryden; Fargen; Feinstein; Gibson; Greenfield; Haggar; Hawley; Hickey; Hoffman; Hunhoff (Bernie); Hunt; Iron Cloud III; Jones; Killer; Kirkeby; Kirschman; Kloucek; Lucas; Lust; Magstadt; Miller; Moser; Nelson (Stace); Novstrup (David); Perry; Romkema; Rozum; Schaefer; Schrempp; Scott; Sigdestad; Sly; Solum; Steele; Street; Stricherz; Tulson; Turbiville; Van Gerpen; Vanneman; White; Wick; Wink; Wismer; Speaker Rausch

    Nays:
Feickert; Gosch; Hansen (Jon); Hubbel; Jensen; Kopp; Liss; Russell; Tornow; Venner; Verchio; Willadsen

    Excused:
Elliott; Munsterman; Olson (Betty)

I will recommend both votes make the 2012 SDGOP Republican Voting Scorecard. This is a direct attack on free markets by government monopoly. The New Age Theocrats can't wait to get their hands on kids at ages young enough to make their indoctrination that much more effective. Common sense would say that the inefficient public schools should have their scope reduced, not increased.