10/4/26

South Dakota's economy is failing under Rhoden

The Trump Organization is propping up Larry Rhoden's flaccid campaign with another $7.2 million in federal funding following continued Republican failures in South Dakota.

Creighton University's Ernie Goss follows the economies of ten midwestern states including South Dakota's where the manufacturing sector lost about 800 jobs over the last year or 1.8% of its manufacturing base, ag workers still face severe stressors and a mental health provider shortage affects at least 62 of South Dakota's 66 counties. 

Goss noted that in September the overall reading fell below growth neutral for the fourth time in the past six months and 79.0% of banksters reported that the Trump tariffs levied a negative impact on the agriculture and livestock economies where persisting pessimism is dooming Republican candidates even in red states.

50.0 is growth neutral.
Approximately, 41.7% of supply managers reported that tariffs were having a negative impact on profits. Continued elevated inflation at the wholesale level points to at least one more Federal Reserve interest rate hike before the end of 2026. Approximately, 58% of supply managers reported that the Iran conflict has made the supply chain less reliable. 
The September Business Conditions Index for South Dakota dipped to 56.0 from August’s 56.4. However, 2026 state manufacturing exports, compared to the same period in 2024, are down by $154.4 million or -13.1%.
Read that here.
The September [Rural Mainstreet Index] for South Dakota declined to 45.1 from 50.0 in August. South Dakota’s September new hiring index dipped to 49.9 from 50.8 in August. According to trade data from the [International Trade Index], South Dakota exports of agriculture goods and livestock for the first seven months of 2026, compared to the same period in 2025, slumped by $47.4 million for a 46.7% fall. The greatest downturn in South Dakota ag exports was to Mexico with a 58.5% drop from 2025 to 2026.
Read that here.

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10/3/26

Study: christians aren't that smart

A recent study titled, Cognitive Ability and Christian Nationalism, authored by sociologist Samuel L. Perry and published in the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, provides key empirical insights into how vocabulary and individual cognitive resources interact with religio-political ideologies in the United States.

The statistical analysis demonstrates a consistent inverse relationship between verbal intelligence and Christian nationalist ideology. As vocabulary test scores increased, individuals were significantly less likely to endorse these beliefs. Sociologists note that this research builds on existing academic literature connecting lower cognitive ability metrics to rigid ideological frameworks, religious fundamentalism, and reactionary political views. 

Because the data relies on observational surveys taken at single points in time, the study establishes a strong link but cannot definitively prove that cognitive capacity directly causes or shapes these complex societal beliefs. This negative association remained robust even when researchers controlled for formal educational attainment, as well as other factors such as household income, political ideology, demographic variables, and religious habits. This indicates the trend relates specifically to underlying cognitive resources rather than simply differences in schooling.

Read it all here. 

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Trump Organization padding Rounds' and Rhoden's campaigns

The Trump Organization is giving $7.2 million in federal funding to two flagging South Dakota political campaigns through the Rural Health Transformation Program and padding emergency medical services, expanding ambulance-based telemedicine, upgrading emergency dispatch/communications, and funding workforce training.
Today’s investment was made possible through the Working Families Tax Cuts Act — passed by Republicans in Congress and unanimously opposed by Democrats — delivering a historic $50 billion investment to help states transform the way healthcare is delivered in America. [press release, The Trump Organization]
Yes, socialized workforce development, socialized agriculture, socialized dairies, socialized cheese, socialized livestock production, a socialized timber industry, socialized air service, socialized freight rail, a socialized nursing home industry, socialized water systems, a socialized internet and socialized infrastructure are all fine with Republicans in South Dakota but then they insist single-payer medical insurance is socialized medicine.
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10/2/26

‘Falling like dominos’

This interested party was duped by NMDOT then became frustrated with the magical thinking among most of the community members but is convinced now that there is likely a tribal government conspiracy to extort landowners whose property is on the real estate market. Taxes on some 937 acres on the market are likely substantial but after the Pueblo buys that property at a steep discount and puts it into trust it is no longer taxable by the county.

And thanks to a couple of vindictive community members who failed to negotiate a memorandum of understanding with the Kewa Pueblo this citizen journalist is being heavily trolled by a thing called Emily Hartigan at the online Santa Fe New Mexican.
A road in western Santa Fe County used for decades by residents of an off-grid community was blocked Wednesday afternoon by Santo Domingo Pueblo — leaving about 30 households with only rough backroads to reach their homes. “We’re going to start falling like dominos,” said Larry Kurtz, who has lived in the area for 15 years. “There’s already talk of people bugging out of here.” [Santo Domingo Pueblo closes primary road for off-grid Santa Fe County community]
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9/30/26

New poll launches Bengs

 

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