Get the latest in South Dakota politics from interested party!
4/10/26
Trump Organization strips protections from Pecos watershed
The Black Hills of South Dakota and Wyoming are hardly the only public lands plundered by foreign companies under cover of the General Mining Law of 1872 enacted to settle Civil War debt and rob Indigenous peoples of their homes and human rights.
Until it closed in 1939 the Tererro Mine in the headwaters of the Pecos River took gold, lead and other metals then left piles of toxic waste rock in their place. After major flooding in 1991 when sulfuric acid, aluminum and zinc swept into the river miner Freeport-McMoRan was held responsible for the deaths of some 100,000 Rio Grande cutthroat trout and for the subsequent decades of acid mine drainage.
Despite opposition from Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham and Senator Martin Heinrich during the first Trump term in 2019 an American subsidiary of Australian company New World Cobalt, was granted twenty federal permits to drill test holes into the Sangre de Cristo mountain range on the Santa Fe National Forest in the Jones Hill area north of Pecos, New Mexico.
Federal officials announced the Upper Pecos Watershed, thousands of acres of forest service and public lands, will reopen next month for potential mining and geothermal extraction projects. “The Trump administration is putting foreign mining corporations and oil and gas interests ahead of New Mexico families, our water, our public lands, and our sacred tribal sites,” said U.S. Representative Teresa Leger Fernández during a press conference. [Feds quash lawmakers’ effort to prevent new mining operations in Upper Pecos Watershed]
4/9/26
4/8/26
Today's intersection: grasslands disappearing as grazing expands
Ag producers have destroyed shelter belts to plant industrial crops that deplete aquifers and now drought is blowing toxin-laden topsoil into downwind states. Another early spring wildfire season has begun in Nebraska, eastern Colorado, western Kansas, the panhandles of Oklahoma, Texas and other Republican-held areas where moral hazard and poor ranching practices routinely decimate the high plains. In the last 10 years alone, we have lost more than 50 million acres of grasslands.
Habitat loss from factors such as agricultural conversion and invasive species, compounded by climate change, threaten the health of grasslands. Agricultural cultivation, development, and invasive species have led to a loss of at least 80% of these grasslands, including a loss of 99% of tallgrass prairie. Of the 20% of Great Plains grasslands that remain undisturbed, 93% of it is unprotected and at risk of conversion. Conversion of grasslands to agriculture and forests is reducing biodiversity, and invasive grass species, which account for 13-30% of the grass species in the Great Plains, further influence biodiversity loss. When native grasslands disappear, so do the benefits they provide. [Grasslands are being lost at a far faster pace than they are being conserved.]South Dakota's governor is a committed Earth hater and the legislature is dominated by Republicans who ignore the effects of the Anthropocene so lobbyists like the American Farm Bureau Federation and Americans for Prosperity are lining up again to stuff their pockets with cash.
Geoffrey Gray-Lobe is a county commissioner and board member with the Clay County Park, a few hundred acres along the Missouri River where South Dakotans can camp, boat, picnic and hike. He has led the effort to convert about 30 acres of the park into native prairie. The site is part of 125 acres the park has been renting to farmers for years. Gray-Lobe said he did some research and found the park could more than double the rent it charges on the land. [Most American prairies are gone. These people are working to bring them back]The reasoning is hardly mysterious: it's all about the money hunting and subsidized grazing bring to the South Dakota Republican Party depleting watersheds and smothering habitat under single-party rule. South Dakota's experiment introducing an exotic species has just not been able to keep up breeding a bird unable to adapt to the state's brutal weather and climate science-denying legislature.
In January Earth hater Doug Burgum pulled the Bureau of Land Management leases from American Prairie. In February BLM and Forest Service bumped the Animal Unit Month or AUM lease to $1.69 from $1.35 for one cow and her calf, one horse, or five sheep or goats for a month. Now, BLM and Forest Service have an app that locates unused grazing allotments.
Leaders from several government agencies and organizations joined together to discuss working together for improving cattle grazing opportunities, as U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to launch the Grazing Action Plan. [MOU Signed to Expand Federal Grazing]Instead, the United States should rewild the high plains by connecting the CM Russell Wildlife Refuge in Montana along the Missouri River to Oacoma, South Dakota combined with corridors from Yellowstone National Park to the Yukon in the north and south to the Canadian River through Nebraska, eastern Colorado, western Kansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Texas.
4/7/26
Earth hater Sanborn turns apologist
Republican former South Dakota Secretary of State Shantel Krebs was driven from South Dakota politics for outing Kristi Noem as a philanderer and it's common knowledge that Krebs, Joni Cutler and other South Dakota legislators loathed Noem. In 2013 Noem's eldest daughter was slightly injured in a vehicle rollover apparently after having learned her driving skills from her mother.
Rapid City, South Dakota barker, Mike Sanborn began The Decorum Forum in 2009 which enjoyed a significant following for several years. Other local notables, Bill Fleming, a Democrat and Bob Newland, a Libertarian have been authors there. Mr. Sanborn is responsible for some of the most sexist and misogynistic Deadwood and Sturgis Rally billboards littering I-90 but perennial loser, Sanborn was destroyed in Rapid City's 2015 Ward 3 runoff election that kept incumbent Jerry Wright on the City Council.
Today, Earth hater Sanborn writes an occasional column for the Spearditch-based Black Hills Pioneer and like Pat Powers' Faceberg page Mike's is plastered with his own image likely signs of a deep narcissistic insecurity but hey—any issue that divides their party is progress.
The public did not elect him. South Dakota citizens elected his wife. South Dakota voters did not elect their children – they elected their mother.
However, when political commentary and satire move away from the officeholder and target the family, satirists, cartoonists and content providers go too far. That’s not always the case, but recent revelations about an unelected husband went too far.
The fallout that follows our former governor will inevitably reach her family. Late-night television and social media can be unforgiving. Lampooning comes with the territory of public office, and officials who behave poorly should expect sharp public ridicule. But integrity is measured by restraint — by knowing where the target ends, and having the discipline to leave private families out of the line of fire. [Sanborn, Scrutiny for the elected, not their families]
4/6/26
New foals!
She is a tiny filly from the critter we call the grumpy black mare. The stallion is probably a grey sired by Alph before he was gelded and a sorrel mare at least three years ago.
4/5/26
Socialized Platte-Winner bridge gets federal cash
In South Dakota infrastructure suffers partly because of the state's underperforming retirement system so the Platte-Winner bridge just received a $65 million federal handout for its upcoming renovation project.
South Dakota consistently ranks among states with the highest percentages of structurally deficient bridges, with approximately 16%–17% of its roughly 5,900 bridges in poor condition or nearly 1,000 bridges. A 1954 bridge on US 12 over Moccasin Creek in Brown County is rated among the most deficient as is the Grant Street bridge over Spearditch Creek.
And, the new John C. Waldron Memorial Bridge over the Missouri River between Fort Pierre and the cesspool on the east side, which was scheduled to open in 2023 but was completed significantly later than originally planned experienced over-budget issues for the Iowa-based contractor.
A collapse of the agriculture sector, $650 million plus cost overruns for a prison, $240 million plus cost overruns for the Platte-Winner Bridge rebuild, $150M plus cost overruns for a Capitol remodel, $70 million plus cost overruns for a computer update and at least $2 billion for a boondoggle West River water pipeline but just a $65 million surplus, the end of property taxes and TIFs galore?
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, 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.
4/3/26
AI on Brady Folkens wrongful death; mother finally gets press
Just before Christmas in 2013 Brady Folkens of Brookings died in state custody after a medical attendant likely administered a lethal dose of the antibiotic minocycline to the teen at the former State Treatment and Rehabilitation (STAR) Academy in a South Dakota county named for a war criminal.
But in a 2014 phone interview, Brady's mom, Dawn Van Ballegooyen told this blog he never had a previous acne condition that required an antibiotic and in 2016 Jonathan Ellis formerly of the Sioux Falls Argus Leader called out the State of South Dakota for covering up the truth in Brady's death.
After a public whimper petered out the death camp was shuttered and the sprawling property carved from the heart of Indian Country put up for auction. The stigmatized site was sold four times at sequentially reduced prices after the first buyer bounced a check to the state, the financing was unworkable or the scope of work proved too great.
Avera McKennan Hospital pathologist, Raed A. Sulaiman ruled Brady’s ultimately fatal lymphocytic myocarditis was caused by Parvovirus B19 despite clinical evidence that anaphylaxis often induces an infarct and Parvovirus can produce a rash that looks like acne.
Before he died, guardianship was also transferred back to her. And then the medical bills totaling up to $200,000 started coming in. She fought the debt collectors off, telling them to go directly to South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley’s office. The state ended up paying her son’s medical fees, but she was left with questions that she didn’t know how to find answers to. [Brady Folkens died a ward of the state. His mother seeks answers a decade later.]
To provide the most current context as of April 2026, here are the key points regarding the status of this case:
- Ongoing Advocacy: Dawn Van Ballegooyen remains a central figure in South Dakota’s juvenile justice reform discussions. Her push for "Brady’s Law"—which would require parental notification for all medications prescribed to minors in state custody—continues to be a focal point for legislative advocacy in Pierre [1, 2].
- Medical Debate: The core dispute remains unchanged: the state maintains the parvovirus B19 (lymphocytic myocarditis) finding, while independent experts cited by the family point to Drug-Induced Hypersensitivity Syndrome (DIHS) or DRESS syndrome caused by minocycline [2, 3].
- Media Coverage: Recent retrospectives by local outlets like the Mitchell Republic and Sioux Falls Live have used Brady’s case to evaluate the effectiveness of the 2016 juvenile justice reforms and the subsequent closure of the STAR Academy [4, 5].
- Legal Standing: Following the withdrawal of her 2018 lawsuit, the legal path has remained difficult due to the complexities of suing state-contracted medical providers and the statutes of limitation, though the family continues to explore civil rights avenues [2, 6].
4/2/26
Black Hills coalition sues for peace
Preservation is a weak spot in the Republican agenda and if enough people believe forest and rangeland resilience is a bankable position the South Dakota Democratic Party needs to exploit it by fielding candidates who can convince voters to reject politicians like John Thune, Marty Jackley, Mike Rounds and Dusty Johnson who work for the grazing, mining and logging profiteers at the expense of public lands.
4/1/26
South Dakota a financial education black hole
Source: WalletHub
Today, the horrible red state has dropped to 50th in financial literacy and 51st in financial knowledge and education rank, 41st in innovation, 45th in human capital rank, 47th in innovation environment and 50th in share of technology companies.
Creighton University's Ernie Goss has been warning that the Trump Organization is bad for American agriculture and follows the economies of several breadbasket states including South Dakota's. Banksters are freaking out because the March Rural Mainstreet Index dropped to its lowest level since October 2025 and loan delinquency rates increased. Goss says it’s the 13th time since January of last year that the rural economy reading fell below the growth neutral threshold.
The March RMI for South Dakota sank to 40.3 from February’s 47.2. According to trade data from the [International Trade Association], South Dakota exports of agriculture goods and livestock for the first month of 2026, compared to the same period in 2025, fell by 82.2%. Compared to the first month of 2024, the South Dakota exports of agriculture and livestock for the first month of 2026 sank by 39.9%. [Mainstreet Economy]
3/31/26
Bryon Noem a cross-dresser?
Josh Boswell and this interested party are Faceberg friends and have traded information about Mrs. Noem's infidelity.
We’ve reviewed hundreds of messages involving three women from the 'bimbofication' scene – where p*rn performers transform themselves into real-life Barbie dolls by pumping colossal amounts of saline into their br**sts.
— Josh Boswell (@JoshTBoswell) March 31, 2026
3/x
See for yourself - go to @Daily_MailUS to read the whole story.https://t.co/nOVyfBc6LT
— Josh Boswell (@JoshTBoswell) March 31, 2026
Dems, Natives poking Earth haters in Rapid City elections
Rapid City's population is about 11% Native, Indigenous people account for nearly 60% of arrests there and South Dakota's jails and prisons are overwhelmingly warehousing American Indians.
From the days of card tables and stock pots filled with steaming soups every Sunday on the banks of Rapid Creek Deirdre Monahan, Pat Zent and their intrepid group of Food not Bombs volunteers provided an alternative for up to seventy people otherwise subjected to persecution at the hands of the christianic religionists who operate the Cornerstone Mission.
Laura Armstrong is a local speech language pathologist who served on the Rapid City Common Council from 2017-2023, twice as Council President and in December this interested party asked her to enter the Democratic gubernatorial primary so elderly spoiler Rick Knobe would stay out of the race. Today, Armstrong a shoo-in for Ward 5 as Rod Pettigrew is not running again.
Murray Lee from NDN Collective is challenging Ward One incumbent Josh Biberdorf. Christopher Vanderhoof is challenging incumbent Lindsey Seachris’ seat in Ward Two. Ward Three incumbent Keven Maher is being challenged by Andrea (ANNDREA) Schaefer. John Roberts, the incumbent for Ward Four, being challenged by Valeriah Big Eagle and Ardin Jay Cychosz (SEE-KOSH). Laura Armstrong and Pat Roseland, both former Council members, are running for Pettigrew’s seat in Ward Five.Some of the council candidates appeared at a recent Pennington County Democrats candidate forum at The Dahl in Rapid City, where party organizers emphasized candidate support, petition drives, and fundraising to help local campaigns get on the ballot and meet their goals.The evening highlighted the growing presence of Native candidates and women seeking local office. Big Eagle who is the director of He Sapa Initiatives at NDN Collective and Yankton Sioux and Crow Creek Sioux, spoke about working with youth, confronting high Native student dropout rates, and coaching basketball as a way to keep young people in school and “off the streets.” She tied her city council bid to long-running work on affordable housing, clean water, and opposition to mining projects that threaten the Black Hills and local water supplies.
Read it all at Native Sun News Today.
3/29/26
Dems thumping Earth haters in latest polls
Generic Ballot Polling: 🔵 DEM: 45% 🔴 GOP: 42% Rasmussen / March 26, 2026 (Republican Pollster)
— Polling USA (@usapolling.bsky.social) March 27, 2026 at 11:29 AM
Trump Approval Polling: Disapprove: 55% Approve: 44% Rasmussen / March 26, 2026 (Republican Pollster)
— Polling USA (@usapolling.bsky.social) March 27, 2026 at 11:30 AM
It's amazing how badly Trump is doing
— Polling USA (@usapolling.bsky.social) March 27, 2026 at 11:30 AM
[image or embed]
Generic Ballot Polling Among Independents: 🔵 DEM: 45% 🔴 GOP: 30% Quantus / March 25, 2026 (Republican Pollster)
— Polling USA (@usapolling.bsky.social) March 27, 2026 at 7:33 PM
"The national economy is heading in the..." All: Wrong direction: 60% Right direction: 23% GOP: Right direction: 55% Wrong direction: 25% IND: Wrong direction: 66% Right direction: 14% DEM: Wrong direction: 90% Right direction: 2% Ipsos / March 23, 2026
— Polling USA (@usapolling.bsky.social) March 28, 2026 at 2:25 PM
House Model Update: 🔵 DEM: 236 (+21) 🔴 GOP: 199 (-21) - March 29, 2026 - (Seat change with 2024 Election) Full article available for Substack subscribers here -> usapolling.substack.com/p/a-presiden...
— Polling USA (@usapolling.bsky.social) March 29, 2026 at 10:07 AM
[image or embed]
3/28/26
Wildland firefighters fretting Trump, agency shakeups ahead of dangerous fire season
Key Forecasts and Conditions (As of March 2026)
- Early Start: An exceptionally early snowmelt in the West has left landscapes primed for fire, breaking records set over the past 40 years.
- High-Risk Areas: In March, elevated risks are focused in the southern Rockies, southern Plains, and Southeast.
- Impending Western Risk: For April through June, the Southwest, Pacific Northwest, and Central Rockies face above-normal fire potential, with a long, busy summer season expected.
- Primary Drivers: Climate change and extreme drought are severely drying out vegetation and reducing soil moisture.
The Forest Service and Interior’s Bureau of Land Management each have slightly more than 170 million acres in the Lower 48 states (they own another 22 million and 71.3 million acres in Alaska, respectively). Those two agencies have somewhat similar responsibilities for producing timber, grazing livestock, and providing recreation among other open-space activities.But the Interior Department also includes the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service and Bureau of Indian Affairs. Each of those has its own wildfire protection force, with significantly different priorities. For example, BIA might want to protect commercial timber stands from a forest fire on a Tribal reservation, while NPS might view a similar blaze in a national park as a necessary ecological service. FWS administers 12.6 million acres of wildlife refuges in the Lower 48, which have different habitat needs than either national parks or reservation timberlands. [Wildfire Forecast, Part 2: A Fractured Federal Wildland Fire Service
3/27/26
Tribes take giant step to regain He Sapa
The Black Hills have been broken since at least 2002.
The white race stole the ground, plundered the resources, continue to pollute waterways and deplete watersheds, and have encouraged ponderosa pine to infest lands once dominated by aspen and sage. But, the de facto repatriation of one tiny parcel to an Indigenous community is hardly monumentizing gone wrong. In fact, it could be a giant leap toward reconciliation.
Today, U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz and the Great Sioux Nation tribal representatives signed a Memorandum of Understanding for co-stewardship of the Black Elk Wilderness on the Black Hills National Forest in Mystic, South Dakota.
“Establishing this agreement will enhance consultation, collaboration and co-stewardship of the Black Elk Wilderness with the Great Sioux Nation Tribes,” said Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz. “This agreement focuses on active management for recreation, habitat improvement, wildlife benefit, invasive species mitigation and wilderness management.”
The agreement enhances opportunities for tribal guidance, knowledge, and consultation regarding wilderness management, resource protection, recreation, and cultural interpretation, at the discretion of the tribe and as applicable and permitted under federal law. It also ensures tribal interests of preservation, site protection, wilderness integrity, and cultural practice and access are heeded.
“These MOUs are important because our Lakota children are our most important resource for the future of our Nation, and we want our kids to have a chance to visit our sacred lands, plant trees and enjoy Mother Earth, where our ancestors once roamed free,” said Boyd Gourneau, chairman of the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe.
“Our most sacred lands are the Black Hills, and Black Elk Peak is tied to Black Elk, our Holy Man and it is an honor for us to care for these lands at Black Elk Wilderness,” said Wayne Boyd, treasurer for the Rosebud Sioux Tribe. “We welcome the jobs and opportunity for our kids and the chance to teach our culture and history to our neighbors.”
Tribes represented in the agreement include: Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, Crow Creek Sioux Tribe, Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe, Lower Brule Sioux Tribe, Oglala Sioux Tribe, Rosebud Sioux Tribe, Santee Sioux Tribe of Nebraska, Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate, Spirit Lake Sioux Tribe, Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, and Yankton Sioux Tribe.
The Black Elk Wilderness was congressionally designated in 1980 and spans 13,534 acres in the center of the Black Hills National Forest in western South Dakota. This historic partnership serves as a model for future co-stewardship agreements. The U.S. Forest Service and the Great Sioux Nation will continue to work closely together to implement the agreement, with upcoming joint initiatives. [press release]
3/26/26
Xitter is a shit hole
NEW: Data shows out of the top 100 most-viewed X accounts posting about politics in February 2026, 74 were conservative-leaning and 26 were liberal-leaning. 📉 Keep reading for why...
— Kyle Tharp (@kylewilsontharp.bsky.social) March 26, 2026 at 8:31 AM
[image or embed]
3/24/26
Olson watching the SDGOP imploding
Editor's note: like Liz May, South Dakota's favorite former teevee anchor-turned author, Shad Olson is watching the South Dakota Republican Party turning to shit.
"Toby Doeden should have spent his money supporting good conservative legislative candidates instead of running for governor."That's the running "true fighters" narrative, now that many more smart and seasoned conservatives are begging Jon Hansen to see what was true, even before the Hansen-Lems campaign jumped Toby Doeden's formal campaign announcement date and Scott Odenbach seethed and fumed in Chamberlain last July about Doeden's presence in the race.The Hansen-Lems ticket will split the conservative grassroots and give Dusty Johnson his best possible pathway to victory in the June primary. Because that was always the plan. Because ALL OF THEM are backed and supported by AFP and AIPAC.All except the businessman outsider from Aberdeen.But then, I wrote exactly that in February of 2025 and have repeated it ad nauseam, while the pipeline sheep dreamed their sleepy delusions about the true reasons for a Jon and Karla ticket.Today's narrative, now that a great many others are making impassioned appeals for conservative unity as our only chance to show the establishment phonies to the door..."Toby should have spent his money supporting legislative candidates instead of running for governor."Yes. Morons. Now some facts. He has. He is. And he will.It was only Toby Doeden's cash and support from Dakota First Action that allowed the "Freshman 15" conservative legislative class to sweep out the establishment incumbents and punch tickets for Pierre in 2025.Including $50,000-plus in one State Senate district primary alone, allowing Carl Perry to stave off the Schoenbeck-Dusty Johnson RINO, Katie Washnok. (How's ole Carl expecting to fare against Ms. Washnok this time, without that kind of backing?) Good luck to you, Mr. Perry.Doeden's PAC is spending $2-million in the 2026 legislative primaries in hopes of repeating the trend, in addition to bankrolling his own campaign. A campaign pledge announced at the same Chamberlain strategy session where Jon Hansen asked Scott Odenbach's permission before speaking to the group. (Real alpha, that guy.)Anyone believing in some stupefying zero-sum game where Doeden's run for governor was coming at the expense of assisting another grassroots groundswell of actual conservative legislative candidates doesn't know fava beans from the hole they're planted in.As I've maintained repeatedly and will until the end of time: South Dakota conservatives are too stupid, and now, too fractured to win.All by design.So, welcome one and all to the Tea Party Era, Part II. No political power. No access to actual policy influence. And lots and lots of rah-rah rallies and patriot commiseration events, full of energy but devoid of substance or ability to inflect the political universe."Scott Pressler came to South Dakota and scolded John Thune's obstruction of the SAVE Act.ZERO impact on who controls the machines or counts the votes.2000-era White House policies beget 2010-era political irrelevance for the GOP.And lots of halting and meandering Rumble podcasts featuring painfully inarticulate, obviously confused and visibly miserable cultists, explaining to the room why running a Governor's campaign to nowhere, with zero money, to upend the state's most generous conservative political donor, was the "good and righteous" thing for South Dakota.If Hansen-Lems were ever interested in that, they wouldn't have assisted in driving the wedge and sent out their battery acid-and-razor blades surrogates to set the scars.A Dusty victory in June would and will complete the most stunning act of political subterfuge and betrayal in the history of South Dakota.And, oh, how very different it all might have been...
3/23/26
Liz May: SD Earth haters are a wreck
After the Soviet Union fell Republicans became Earth haters and began their war on the environment substituting a new Green Scare for the old Red Scare.
Today, Liz May is a white christianic Earth hater who clearly ignores historical trauma and institutional racism but represents District 27 in South Dakota's demented legislature anyway and blames the victims of Manifest Destiny for being part of the Fourth World. At any rate, it sounds like Earth haters aren't getting along and in Watertown there was a big blowup at Friday’s SDGOP women's meeting.
This Isn’t About Republicans. It’s About How We Govern.By Rep. Liz MayBefore I get into the substance of this session, I want to share, I missed the first week of session this year due to a brain injury. The following week, I was only able to make it through a couple of days before needing to step back again. It wasn’t until after that I was able to push through and finish most of the session—though I ultimately missed the final week as well. It made for one of the hardest sessions I’ve experienced.At the same time, it was also one of the most contentious. The infighting within our caucus made it even more challenging to stay focused and do the job I was sent there to do. I’ll be honest—I had moments where I had to work hard to keep my emotions in check. That’s not something I’m proud of, but it’s something I’ve learned over the years. Once words are said, you don’t get them back. And if I’m being real, my ancestral background reminds me I’ve got a little fire in me—I’ve had my share of moments. You either learn to manage it, or it manages you.Through all of that, I never lost sight of one thing: it is an honor to serve the people of District 27. The folks back home didn’t elect me to be perfect—they elected me to be honest, to stay grounded, and to do the work, even when it’s hard.When people look at the South Dakota Legislature today, they see something they’re not used to—Republicans disagreeing with each other, sometimes sharply. To some, it looks like division. To others, dysfunction. But what we’re actually seeing is something much deeper—and much more honest. The truth is, this isn’t a fight about personalities or even about conservatism itself. It’s a debate about what government is supposed to be.The Republican Party is a political label. But what’s happening inside the legislature has very little to do with party—and everything to do with how each of us views the role of government. There are three primary governing philosophies at play, and understanding them is the key to understanding everything else.The first is populism, often closely aligned with libertarian thinking. This group is driven by a deep skepticism of government. Their focus is on limiting it, resisting it, and questioning whether it should be involved at all. Their first question is simple: should government be doing this in the first place?The second is conservatism. Historically, conservatism has included both limiting government and responsibly governing the institutions that exist. A true conservative does not reject government but believes it should be structured, stable, and accountable. Conservatism is about managing government responsibly—ensuring it functions properly, maintaining order, and improving systems where needed without tearing them down.The third is what can best be described as expansion or growth-oriented thinking. This group views government as a tool. They are focused on using it to drive economic development, build infrastructure, expand services, and create outcomes.All three of these philosophies exist within the same political party—and that’s why the conflict feels so sharp. These are not disagreements about being Republican. They are disagreements about what government should do.You can see this divide in nearly every major issue. Taking money from one fund and redirecting it to another—some see that as economic growth, others see it as misuse. Regulating behavior in schools—some see it as protection, others see it as overreach. Funding nonprofits—some see it as meeting real needs, others see it as expanding government. These are not partisan disagreements. They are philosophical ones.That same divide exists in how people interpret the South Dakota Republican Party platform. The platform emphasizes individual liberty, limited government, and personal responsibility—principles that strongly reflect populist and libertarian thinking. At the same time, it recognizes that government has essential functions that must be carried out—something rooted in conservatism. One philosophy reads the platform as a call to limit government wherever possible. Another reads it as a responsibility to govern effectively within defined limits. Both claim the platform—but they are not operating from the same understanding.And right now, that tension is playing out in a very visible way. The populist wing—supported and amplified by outside voices, advocacy groups, and social media commentary—has had a significant influence on the tone and direction of the party. That influence is not always about governing. Often, it is about messaging, pressure, and defining who is or isn’t considered “conservative.”Strong disagreement is expected in a legislative body, and no group is without fault. But when disagreement turns personal, it undermines the work for everyone. That shift in tone was evident this past session, where debate too often moved away from policy and toward confrontation.I also want to share a personal perspective on the Freedom Caucus, because I had the opportunity to see it up close when it was first being formed in South Dakota. I was invited to attend an early meeting to consider joining. I listened carefully, and when I left that night, I asked that the national leadership reach out so I could better understand how the group operated. A few days later, I received that call. Toward the end of the conversation, I asked a simple question: would I be expected to vote the way the group directed? The answer I received was yes—that membership required voting with the group. That told me everything I needed to know.
I’m a ranch girl, and I wasn’t elected to take orders—I was elected to use my judgment. The people I represent expect me to be honest, to think for myself, and to make decisions grounded in logic and common sense. We’re not going to get every vote right, but we won’t get any of them right if we’re just following someone else’s instructions.That’s not how I believe this job should work. In my view, the Freedom Caucus—both in South Dakota and across the country—operates from a libertarian philosophy that prioritizes limiting government above all else. That approach helps explain much of the disruption and tone we saw this last session. It may work for some, but it’s not how I believe governing should be done.The divide becomes even clearer when you look at the budget. Every year, we hear concerns about the size of government. But the legislature is only in session for about 40 days, while the executive branch operates year-round, building and administering the base budget long before we ever step into the appropriations room. By the time most legislators are reviewing the budget, much of it is already built. Limiting government is part of governing—but governing also requires deciding what must exist and making it function responsibly.If the true concern is the size and growth of the general appropriations bill, then the focus has to be where that bill is actually built. That means spending less time bringing policy bills that add mandates and more time in the appropriations room—where budgets are reviewed line by line, questions are asked, and real changes can be made. That’s where outcomes are shaped. Raising objections on the final day may sound strong, but it doesn’t change the result. At that point, the work has already been done. If anything, it highlights a lack of engagement in the process itself. Governing requires more than commentary at the end—it requires showing up early, doing the work, and taking responsibility for the outcome.When you look at the bills that were brought forward this session, many of the same voices calling for smaller government were also introducing legislation that expanded it. Bills like HB 1243 required schools to take on new mandates and even exposed the state to additional legal costs. Others, like HB 1241, added procedural requirements that increase administrative burden. Even when framed around rights or values, these bills still require enforcement, oversight, or compliance. Government doesn’t grow only through spending—it also grows through mandates, enforcement, and administrative requirements. You cannot say you are limiting government while consistently adding mandates to it.Citizen engagement is important and necessary—but it is different from carrying the responsibility of governing. There is a growing trend of voices who follow the process from the outside and speak with certainty about how it should be done, without ever having to carry the responsibility of doing it. They reduce complex decisions to simple narratives and labels. Anyone can criticize a vote. Governing requires owning the outcome.At the end of the day, this isn’t about factions in Pierre. It’s about the people back home. They’re not asking us to win arguments. They’re asking us to get it right.We don’t need to eliminate disagreement. But we do need to be honest about it—and responsible in how we handle it. Because the future of this state won’t be decided by who is the loudest. It will be decided by who is willing to do the work.
Montana Libertarians field candidates for every federal office
Founded in 1979 the Montana Libertarian Party has been a factor in elections in the state for decades often stealing voters from Republicans and since this interested party left Montana in 2011 more Earth haters moved into the state making it ripe for another Copper King era.
Over 100,000 new residents moved to Montana since 2018, contributing to a 2-to-1 Republican-leaning voter registration edge among new arrivals. This trend contributed to a sweep of statewide elections in 2024, including the defeat of incumbent Democratic Senator Jon Tester by Republican Tim Sheehy, a newcomer to politics. The 2024 election cycle cemented this change, and early candidate filings for 2026 indicate a further push by conservative state leadership to consolidate power, highlighting the ongoing, complex political realignment of Montana.
So, migrating Republicans from California and Washington State warp elections in Montana where conservatives in the eastern district detest Californians even as real estate values soar putting people in the margins who voted for the Orange Julius farther into the boonies where jobs are scarce. So, contradictory occurrences are making Montana politics very weird and rich catholic Californians in the Bitterroot Valley clash with rural eastern Montana-born Protestants.
The Montana Libertarian Party holds online Zoom gatherings for interested parties every Wednesday at 6:00 pm MST.Libertarian candidate interest is up, party leaders say, and they expect voter interest could be too. The Libertarian ballot is full of candidates, all younger than 50 and none having previously run for office in Montana under the Libertarian banner. In the Western Congressional District, there are 10 candidates — five Democrats, three [Earth haters], an independent [sic] and a [L]ibertarian — lined up to replace retiring incumbent Republican Rep. Ryan Zinke, who is not seeking reelection. All told, there are nine Libertarians on the Montana ballot in 2026, including five for the state Legislature: Dru Koester of Helena, J.C. Windmueller of Missoula, Dave Von Eschen of Great Falls, Jordan Ophus of Havre, and Greg DeVries of Jefferson City. [Montana Free Press]
Pop quiz @SteveDaines: Who attacked the United States on 9/11?
— Montana Libertarian Party (@Montana_LP) March 3, 2026
Was it:
A) Sunni Islamist al Qaeda, a known enemy of the Shiites in Iran, or
B) Shiite Islamists in Iran, Hezbollah, and the Houthis
HINT: The US is now backing the group in Syria at Israel’s request https://t.co/KWaHq17aVy
3/22/26
Bayer is killing people
Roundup® is a threat to human life and is known to cause birth defects and spontaneous abortions despite assurances from manufacturer Bayer but high levels of glyphosate, a known endocrine disruptor, are still found in oats, chickpeas and corn sugars. In February Bayer and attorneys for cancer patients announced a proposed $7.25 billion settlement to resolve thousands of lawsuits alleging the company failed to warn people that Roundup® causes cancer. More than 60,000 active lawsuits remain, with new cases still being filed.
3/21/26
Hit on Epstein an open secret
Newly released US Department of Justice documents from March 2026 highlighted a $5,000 cash deposit made to Tova Noel, one of the prison guards assigned to monitor Jeffrey Epstein approximately 10 days before his death in 2019. The $5,000 was part of roughly 12 deposits totaling over $11,000, according to reports.
Bags of shredded documents
— Melanie D'Arrigo (@DarrigoMelanie) March 21, 2026
Broken cameras
Missing security footage
Edited security footage
Destroyed hard drives
Sleeping guards
Falsified guard records
Autopsy disputes
Crime scene not preserved
Epstein’s death happened under a Trump administration.
The coverup isn’t new. https://t.co/w9L3CwSJcL
Trump wants to disenfranchise Native voters
Donald Trump hates Indigenous Americans so here are more reasons Democrats and American Indians need to vote in midterm elections.
Fueled by Trump's racism US Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol agents have wrongfully stopped, detained, and interrogated Native Americans during raids even though they are US citizens and because of the unlawful treatment of Indians activists are calling for documentation to be carried for protection.
Chair of the U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), is voicing opposition to the SAVE America Act, legislation being aggressively pushed by the Trump administration. For Indigenous voters, she said, several provisions in the SAVE Act would pose significant challenges. While tribal identification cards may be accepted for voting, she noted they would not qualify for voter registration. She also cited the long distances to travel to register to vote would prevent some to do so. The law, which requires proof of citizenship for federal registration, invalidates many Tribal IDs, creating severe burdens for rural Alaskans, say advocates, noting that only six election offices exist in the state. [Native News Online]
The SAVE Act would require Americans to drive, fly, or even take a ferry to exercise their constitutional right to vote. Alaskan Senator Murkowski explains:
— Center for American Progress (@americanprogress.bsky.social) March 20, 2026 at 1:44 PM
[image or embed]
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)