3/20/15

Noem caught up in Schock scandal



Photo: Rep. Aaron Schock and Rep. Kristi Noem (R-SD) at the Great Wall of China last April.

What no one realized until the past few months was that Schock, now 33, was apparently mooching off donors and taxpayers all along. [The Fix]
From the Associated Press:
In resigning abruptly on Tuesday, Schock cited a "heavy heart," following six weeks of revelations about his business deals. He said in a statement that the constant questions about his spending and business dealings had made it impossible to serve effectively as congressman.
South Dakota's current At-large representative, Republican Kristi Noem, met with donors in Rapid City recently. Her political party's stonewalling on immigration is preventing some Black Hills businesses to hire summer help.
While Obama-bashing has become almost a sport among Republicans across the nation and here in South Dakota, U.S. Rep. Kristi Noem, R-South Dakota, said Wednesday that it's time for GOP leaders to step up and define a vision of their own for America's future. Noem, now in her third term in Congress, broke ranks a bit from her GOP colleagues by criticizing a recent effort by House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio to hold up funding for the Department of Homeland Security as a way to pressure Obama to rescind his executive amnesty order that could allow as many as 5 million undocumented immigrants to temporarily stay in the country and work. [Rapid City Journal]
She tossed bones to her campaign contributors by railing against the protection of endangered species like the northern long-eared bat and for more money for the Neiman family to log the old growth ponderosa pine essential to preserving Black Hills habitat.

South Dakota's GOP-dominated legislature is also pandering to the logging industry by voting to give them more cash.

Noem voted for an amendment that would have ended federal funding for Amtrak. A bill investing $8 billion in Amtrak's future was ultimately passed.

Recall that former GOP governor, Mike Rounds, squandered Amtrak money on an airplane for his personal use now Pierre continues to suffer Essential Air Service woes and low boarding numbers even while the legislature is in session.

Noem voted against protections for women and to protect white stalkers. She was the only woman to vote against both Senate and House versions reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act.

Now, under revised VAWA provisions tribal courts can prosecute more crimes:
A 1978 U.S. Supreme Court ruling stripped tribes of any criminal jurisdiction over non-Indians on their reservations. But the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act in 2013 allowed tribes to charge non-Indians who are married to or in a partnership with a tribal member for domestic violence crimes and violations of protection orders. The Justice Department has said that American Indian women suffer from domestic violence at rates more than double national averages. [Associated Press]
Noem has a reputation for being on the wrong side of history.

The League of Conservation Voters has released their 2014 environment scorecard. It doesn't look good for South Dakota's GOP congressional delegation.

Johnson, Tim P. D-SD 2014: 100%  lifetime: 73%
Thune, John R. R-SD   2014: 20%    lifetime: 13%
Noem, Kristi R-SD       2014: 3%     lifetime: 7%

Democrats: let's work to fire her.

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