Several weeks ago, stories began to emerge about administrators at the Veterans Administration (VA) Hospital in Phoenix falsifying medical records to cover-up delays in care to veterans. The story also highlighted a number of preventable deaths of veterans who were victims of the secret wait lists. Since then, similar stories... Continue Reading
South Dakota is scattered with creeks, stock ponds, and ditches. In wetter years, the creeks run a little faster and the stock ponds fill and may even overflow, but landowners generally know what they need to do to plan ahead and manage the water on their properties. These small and... Continue Reading
Benjamin Franklin famously coined the phrase, “In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” While this is undoubtedly the case for those of us who are still recovering from last month’s tax filing deadline, we recently learned that far too many employees of the... Continue Reading
Each year in early May we join as a country to celebrate the extraordinary role mothers play in each of our lives. Kids get out the construction paper, macaroni, and glue, and design homemade cards to be given to their mother with sticky hands and proud smiles. Moms everywhere will... Continue Reading
As a country, we take special opportunities to thank the men and women in uniform who bravely defend our freedoms at home and abroad. These heroes deserve our gratitude and praise for the work they do throughout the world to keep us safe. While we remember our troops, we sometimes... Continue Reading
South Dakota is one of seven states throughout the country without a state income tax. With a zero percent state income tax rate, zero percent corporate income tax rate, and four percent sales tax rate, South Dakotans enjoy one of the lowest tax burdens in the country. Our state’s strong... Continue Reading
Each year, South Dakota’s agriculture industry faces significant uncertainty as a result of our state’s unpredictable weather conditions. From droughts to floods to snowstorms, our ag producers continue to meet weather-related challenges with resilience and perseverance. Unfortunately, this year South Dakota producers are also facing significant problems getting reliable rail... Continue Reading
As the annual tax deadline quickly approaches, businesses and families across the country will sit down to review their receipts, earnings, and finances to submit their 2013 taxes. According the National Taxpayer Advocate, Americans spend $168 billion and more than six billion hours each year complying with our complicated tax... Continue Reading
On March 25th our country celebrates National Agriculture Day. We honor the farmers and ranchers whose ingenuity and dedication has enabled them to continue to provide a stable and affordable food supply for our country and the world, even when faced with adverse weather and numerous challenges. National Ag Day is... Continue Reading
Water from the historic Missouri River flooding in 2011 has receded, but the damage caused to homes, businesses, and communities remains fresh in the minds of many South Dakotans. In 2011, the snowpack runoff and heavy spring rain led to the highest recorded water levels in the region and forced... Continue Reading
For more than five years, the Obama administration and Democrats in Congress have been trying to tax, spend, and borrow our country’s way out of economic turmoil. Unfortunately, the failed economic policies of the past five years have left 3.6 million Americans out of work for six months or longer... Continue Reading
Congress has a bad habit of passing legislation that treats the symptoms of our problems rather than the problems themselves. From reauthorizing emergency jobless benefits, to expanding Medicaid, too often the quick fix is the wrong approach, and taking the easy way out merely leads us further from addressing the... Continue Reading
