Rounds not conservative; Senator Johnson tours Wagner IHS

Remember when a Republican governor let the Homestake fill with water? Mike Rounds=Todd Akin? Ouch.

The former South Dakota earth hater governor is hardly universally liked, even among members of his own party. David Montgomery reminds readers of the Sioux Falls Argus Leader:

“There are a lot of people that are discouraged, in a sense, from the way Gov. Rounds spent his time in Pierre,” said state Rep. Manny Steele, R-Sioux Falls. “I’ve heard other conservatives talking, and would tend to agree, Mr. Rounds has a pretty good spending history — he likes to build government and likes to spend money,” said Mike Mueller, president of South Dakota Citizens for Liberty, a Rapid City-based tea party group.

From a hopeful piece in the Mitchell Daily Republic, Tom Lawrence reports to readers that Senator Tim Johnson isn't slowing down:

“I commend you for the progressive agenda you set for yourself,” Johnson said to Bryan Slaba, the CEO of Wagner Community Memorial Hospital. The Indian Health Service facility in Wagner was open March 24, the first time in almost five years it was open on a Sunday or a holiday, Slaba said. Johnson wrapped up his afternoon with a tour of the Wagner VA clinic, where he witnessed a presentation on telemedicine. It provides veterans with access to treatment by specialists, he was told. Johnson said he wanted to ensure veterans were being well cared for, and advances in technology can help provide that.

While the recent Public Policy Polling findings suggest that the GOP is failing South Dakota voters, Senator Johnson is being recognized as a tireless champion for sustainability in his state. Ducks Unlimited member, Darrel Reinke writes in the Pierre Cap Journal:

For nearly 50 years, a federal program, The Land and Water Conservation Fund, has been working effectively in our state to protect our most critical outdoor resources and to provide recreation opportunities that have helped spur a $1 billion recreation economy in South Dakota. Yet the fund, which is supposed to receive $900 million annually, has been constantly raided by Congress and used for other unintended purposes. Sen. Tim Johnson wants to fix that problem and make sure the promise that was made to the American people is finally fulfilled. He has co-sponsored a bill (SB 338) in the U.S. Senate that would make sure LWCF receives the annual funding that the federal government collects from offshore drilling.

Sen. Johnson is a strong leader and is expected to defend the environment from the seat he holds until the end of the upcoming election cycle.

West River ranchers describing themselves as Republicans are angry that their political leaders aren't doing more to end the land grab that would spoil their livelihoods:

Dwayne Vig, 71, a cattle rancher near Mud Butte in Meade County, says while he's no Obama fan, he is even less enthused about TransCanada's pipeline. The couple feared they would be taken to court by TransCanada under eminent domain, a law that allows land to be acquired if it is perceived as being in the national interest.--Daniel Simmons-Ritchie Rapid City Journal staff.

A now-dethroned former GOP strategist taught meanness as an effective political tool: some of us learned better than others have.

The earth hater party is splintering in South Dakota; it's a state that traffics Native children and is under fire by civil rights groups.