Obesity takes a front row seat in Brookings

Hot off my Brookings bingo card, Earth hating Representatives Mellissa Heermann, Roger Degroot and Senator Tim Reed, all representing District 7 in the South Dakota's deranged and demented legislature addressed a gaggle of white people some of whom can't even see their own genitals without a mirror.

Shad Olson noticed it, too.

Fred Deutsch and Katie Hoffmann are a grotesque love coupling. These are losers. Stupid people. Ugly people. Katie Hoffmann is an inarticulate untalented advocate for the continuation of state prohibition loopholes to allow baby death. Because in her family, with a man who is pint sized and acquiescent, she wears the oversized pants. And she invokes the one sister who is the only member of her family who will still speak with her after she falsely accused her stepbrother of rape, as a confirmation for her stupidity. Fred Deutsch is a neoconservative pussy who passed a bill specifically criminalizing anything that can be characterized as antismetic [sic] speech. Both idiots. Easily dismissed. I'm sure Lee Schoenbeck and Pat Powers both reached climax. Possibly in the same room.

Brookings County screwing taxpayers, shitting in their own water supplies

There was a time when settlers could make a living clamming on the James, Big Sioux and Vermillion rivers but the industry dwindled in the 1940s due to over-harvesting, watershed depletion and environmental degradation. Since then the number of acres in agroecosystems tripled but poor ag practices like tiling have made soils unable to absorb rainfall creating toxic runoff and flooding. 

In 2024 nine of eleven sites below Watertown tested positive for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances including a hot spot in Falls Park in Sioux Falls but researchers found thirty two samples with nine types of PFAS compounds all the way to the Iowa border. None of that is lost on the Brookings County Commission so that same year Brookings provided rain catchment barrels with hopes to reduce stormwater runoff. Tiling by farmers increases water flow into the Big Sioux and more hard surfaces, such as roads, parking lots and driveways are increasing stream bed scouring in the river. 

Now, after spending some $70 million granted by federal and state governments on a water treatment plant Brookings officials have admitted the system fails at removing all the PFAS created mostly by 3M. Contaminated stormwater often overwhelms the collection pond on Solventum (3M) property then spreads the contaminants into aquifer recharges, to soils under George S. Mickelson Middle School and to the already polluted Big Sioux River because the State Senators and Representatives of Brookings County and the Mayor of Brookings are all Earth hating Republicans.

Media should investigate the collusion between the state and polluters instead of pandering to the South Dakota Republican Party as it destroys watersheds by deconstructing the Waters of the United States rule protected under the 1972 Clean Water Act because South Dakota will flout WOTUS until the cows come home.

Yes, the grassland fire danger index will reach the extreme, very high, high and moderate categories again Monday for parts of the horrible red state even in Brookings County.

Learn more at the Brookings Register.

SD Earth haters hate education, love wage slavery

Just caught this on Faceberg in the early hours of this morning, sleepily scrolling and it woke me up with a start. It's a scary tale to begin my day posted at the Pennington County Earth haters' page.

Did you know in South Dakota that public school employers are allowed to use your tax dollars to support labor organizations? 

On Monday, a bill to end this, HB 1217, is being heard in the House Education Committee. This bill, sponsored by John Hughes for District 13 House would: 

~ Stop payroll deduction of union dues from employee paychecks  

~ Prohibit using compensation increases intended to route money to union dues 

~ Restrict sharing employee personal information without written authorization 

 ~ Prohibit coercing employees to meet or interact with a labor organization 

 ~ Prohibit distributing union communications through school channels 

~ Prohibit endorsing/favoring any labor organization 

 ~ Prevent spending public school funds on behalf of a labor organization 

 ~Limit paid leave for labor organization activities (with exceptions in the bill) 

Taxpayer money in our public schools should be centered on instruction, student outcomes and neutrality. 

This graphic was posted on the South Dakota Democratic Party Facebook page in opposition to this bill. Does the symbolism (clenched fist against a red background) remind you of anything? 

 Please contact your Representatives and Senators and ask them to vote YES ✅ on HB 1217! --Beth Hughes

Republicans want a police state, Libertarians want anarchy and Democrats just want a good ol’ fashioned representative democracy with all the warts of a constitutional republic so police unions in South Dakota are showered with cash while teachers' unions get the shaft. 

Yes, 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 and now a socialized internet are all fine with Earth haters in South Dakota but then they insist teachers' union membership is socialism.

Gaia still targeting horrible red state

Update, 7 February: critical fire weather in overwhelmingly Republican counties again.

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Because of Republican failures Gaia is targeting parts of South Dakota.

Trump's popularity in the shitter

Trump job approval rating by news platform 🟢 Twitter/X: +9 🔴 Facebook: -7 🔴 Cable TV: -10 🔴 Podcasts/YouTube: -14 🔴 Local TV: -17 🔴 Instagram: -21 🔴 Broadcast TV: -28 🔴 TikTok: -28 🔴 Newspapers/news sites: -33 🔴 Reddit: -40 www.theargumentmag.com/p/twitter-is...

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— Poll Tracker 📊 (@polltracker.bsky.social) February 6, 2026 at 6:10 AM

Google AI on Epstein's South Dakota ties

Updated 6 February, 1624 MST. Minutes before he was driven from the White House Herr Trump in 2021 pardoned Maria Butina's lover, Paul Erickson after his conviction for wire fraud and money laundering likely at at Earth hater request. Erickson's indictment, his relationship with Butina, his efforts to establish backchannel communications with the National Rifle Association and MAGA conservatives smothering the Epstein connection. Butina was deported for being a Russian agent.

Recent investigations and a massive Department of Justice (DOJ) document release in February 2026 have provided the most detailed look yet at Jeffrey Epstein’s secretive financial network.

South Dakota’s Role as a Financial Hub

South Dakota served as a critical domestic hub for Epstein due to its unique trust laws that prioritize secrecy and asset protection.  

High Concentration: Investigations revealed Epstein utilized the state to hold 81 different trusts, more than any other U.S. jurisdiction in his network.

Legal Shielding: These "SoDa" trusts allowed for high levels of privacy, no state income tax, and protection from creditors, effectively creating a "secret web" that made it difficult for victims to trace his domestic assets.

Perpetual Secrecy: South Dakota law mandates that court records regarding trusts are sealed forever, preventing public scrutiny.

Asset Protection: The state allows for "self-settled spendthrift trusts," which protect assets from creditors and legal judgments, making it exceptionally difficult for victims to trace or recover funds.

"Quiet" Trust Laws: These laws allow a grantor to withhold all information about a trust from its own beneficiaries, even after the grantor's death.

Tax Shielding: South Dakota has no state income tax, no capital gains tax, and has repealed the "rule against perpetuities," allowing for "dynasty trusts" that never expire.

Current Estate Status (2026)

Fluctuating Value: Initially valued at $630 million, the estate has dropped significantly due to legal fees, taxes, and restitution. As of late 2025, it held approximately $120 million to $131 million in assets, bolstered by a $112 million tax refund from the IRS. 

Victim Compensation: The estate has paid out $121 million to over 135 victims through a compensation fund, plus an additional $49 million in separate settlements.

Distribution Freeze: No funds from the 1953 Trust will be disbursed to beneficiaries until all creditor claims and victim compensation obligations are fully resolved.

The 1953 Trust & New Beneficiary Details

The "1953 Trust," named for Epstein's birth year, was a "pour-over" trust signed just 48 hours before his death to shield his assets from public view and legal claims. Newly unsealed records list 43 beneficiaries:

Karyna Shuliak (Primary Beneficiary): Epstein’s girlfriend at the time, a Belarus-born dentist, was allocated $100 million ($50 million in cash and a $50 million annuity). She was also designated to inherit his real estate holdings, including his private islands and Manhattan mansion, plus a 33-carat diamond ring given "in contemplation of marriage".

Ghislaine Maxwell & Mark Epstein: Both were designated to receive $10 million each.

Darren Indyke & Richard Kahn: His longtime lawyer and accountant, who serve as co-executors, were slated to receive $50 million and $25 million, respectively.

Other Associates: Harvard math professor Martin Nowak was listed for $5 million.

Outlaw obesity in South Dakota

If Republicans really want to end women's health care decisions state government should outlaw obesity and encourage businesses like airlines and taxi services to charge more for obese people. Food stores would have scales at tills that add surcharges according to body mass index, businesses with buffets would have scales, too and anyone with a BMI over 23 will pay an additional $1.00 for every whole number above that. Gas stations would have scales that determine price per gallon according to BMI unless you have documentation in your debit/credit card updated by your physician that you’re on a weight reduction regimen and Mr. Trump's health guru, Mr. Kennedy, apparently concurs.

Groups warn of ag sector collapse

Since at least 2017 Creighton University's Ernie Goss has been warning that the Trump Organization is bad for American agriculture.

Late 2025 marked the most severe three-month cost-price gap for U.S. agricultural producers since 2015, driven by soaring production costs and lower commodity returns.  

Key findings from the USDA data and analysis:

• Deepening Deficit: October 2025 was the worst month in over a decade for the cost-price spread.
• Worst 3-Month Period: The final quarter of 2025 saw record-breaking gaps, with October (-34.1), December (-32.2), and November (-27.9) being the most severe.
• Long-term Trend: This is not a new issue; farmers have faced a cost-price deficit in every single month since at least January 2015.
• Production Costs vs. Revenue: In late 2025, production costs reached a point where they were 50% higher than in 2011, while prices received for crops and livestock were only 21% higher.
• Contributing Factors: High input costs (fuel, fertilizer,, labor) combined with reduced commodity prices (e.g., corn falling from $7 to closer to $4 per bushel) are forcing difficult financial decisions for farmers.

So, a cynical observer might suspect bankers provided gloomy outlooks to the Rural Mainstreet Index for the last five months of the Biden administration especially in midwestern swing states to sink Democratic Party prospects in 2024 just as Republicans in congress stalled immigration reform because it makes sense to Earth haters that after he was elected again the Orange Julius would run America into the dirt so banks can foreclose on the whole dealio to massage auction price points. 

Data from December 2024 indicated that the average South Dakota household needed to spend approximately $191 more per month to maintain the same standard of living as the previous year, with cumulative costs since January 2021 being significantly higher, particularly for transportation, shelter, and food. Factors like tariffs have complicated anti-inflation efforts, and some sectors, such as the cattle industry, are experiencing higher costs. South Dakota experienced a 2.8% headline inflation rate in August 2025, with core inflation (excluding food and energy) at 3.0%.

A bipartisan group of former leaders of America's major agricultural commodity associations and biofuels organizations, farmer leaders, and former senior USDA officials sent congressional ag leaders a letter on Tuesday warning about the deteriorating state of the farm economy, stating there is a risk of "widespread collapse of American agriculture." The letter comes as the Purdue University-CME Group Ag Economy Barometer (AEB) Index fell in January. [DTN/Progressive Farmer]

Yes, the grassland fire danger index will reach the very high category again Thursday for much of the horrible red state of South Dakota.