Last updated on 2013.08.30
The continuing anonymous PAC attack on the Republican leadership in the South Dakota Legislature picks a handful of veteran-related bills floated during the 2011 and 2012 sessions... but not all of them. Reps. David Lust, Justin Cronin, and Brian Gosch and Senate Majority Leader Russell Olson may not have voted pro-veteran on some bills, but they did on others. Let's look through the list at veterans bills from 2012 not yet included in the PAC attack (I'd do 2011, too... but work that hard for David Lust and Russ Olson? Forget that!):
2012 House Bill 1205: My Winfred neighbor Rep. Patricia Stricherz brought this bill to exempt veterans' federal disability benefits from income calculations for child support, creditor claims, and legal seizure. Rep. Cronin signed on as a co-sponsor, but Rep. Gosch joined an 8-to-4 majority to kill it in committee.
2012 Senate Bill 4: The state Department of Veterans Affairs requested a million bucks to sustain the veterans' bonus program. Basically, if you've served in the military since 1993, South Dakota hands you cash. DVA was running short, and the Legislature voted unanimously to hand over the million bucks.
2012 Senate Bill 80: Reps. Cronin and Gosch helped sponsor this bill to exempt veterans from the twelve-month residency requirement to qualify for in-state tuition at our public universities. Darn near everyone voted for this, including all of the Republicans facing the current PAC attack.
2012 Senate Bill 189: Legislators fell all over themselves to sponsor and vote for this measure to add veteran designation to drivers licenses and other ID cards for honorably discharged veterans. Rep. Cronin was the prime House sponsor. No one voted nay.
2012 House Concurrent Resolution 1014: Ah ha! Senator Russell Olson finally distinguishes himself as a veteran-hating pinko! The Legislature expressed its "extreme concern" with proposed federal revisions to the Black Hills VA health system and in particular demanded full federal funding for the Hot Springs VA hospital. Rep. Gosch, Cronin, and Lust got up on the right side of the bed with 63 other House members and voted aye, but over in the Senate, Russ Olson told Hot Springs to go to heck with a big fat nay, as did four other obviously veteran-hating Republicans: Corey Brown, Deb Peters, Craig Tieszen, and Elizabeth Kraus...
...oops, dang, which is exactly the politically consistent conservative position I've suggested good Republicans ought to take. Hmmm....
So, Republicans, does that breakdown help you make sense of your leaders' record on veterans' issues? Or should we just throw them all out and try some new people in power?
Great work, Cory.
It's kind of sad with our one party system that the left's only role is to sort out which faction in the ruling party is lying.
We are the begrudging referees of the state, except we don't have a whistle.
"2012 House Concurrent Resolution 1014: Ah ha! Senator Russell Olson finally distinguishes himself as a veteran-hating pinko!"
Or as Stace would call him-a Democrat
Yep, sadly, South Dakota government has gone the way of one party corruption and further isolates itself from the rest of the nation. Oh well, at least I don't live there anymore :)
Justin,
Cory's work here is contributing to our collective body politic. I'm sure Cory would love to see those attacked replaced by Democrats. But, there is a point where some attacks smear all of us because the purpose of the attack is so dishonest it is an affront to our democracy.
And, Cory is articulating a principle that Democrats winning not because of their vision in some degree diminishes the liberal/Democrat cause as it doesn't present any real endorsement of Democrat principles.
Finally, many people on both sides value the two party system as critical to successful democracy. I know I do which is why sometimes I praise Democrats, even when I disagree with their agenda. Republicans need honest Democrats. Democrats need honest Republicans.
And, whoever is behind this is not being honest, which should be an affront to us all. It is to me and Cory.
It is to me too.
Is there something I wrote that would cause you to doubt my sincerity?
At least we have some role.
This post by Cory is better journalism than you will find anywhere in this state in any medium
Not at all Justin. I guess I was using your question/comment to speak to a broader audience. No diss intended at all.
And, I agree this is journalism. Rare on blogs. This one or any other as blogs usually argue opinion, perspective, world view. And that is ok. In fact, better than ok.
Thank you, gentlemen. I was surprised that someone in the paid press didn't beat me to the punch on digging further into the voting record on veterans. Maybe this side of the story hasn't gotten much air yet for the same reason that I went after the "Who did it?" and "Why'd they do it?" line first: the political baseball stories are easier to write and grab attention with. It could also be that the journalists cynically assume that most voters aren't going to pay attention to a deeper analysis of the voting records because issues don't win elections.
Do issues win elections? Do the candidates attacked by this secret group beat the attack by telling stories about the full voting record and the complex nature of each bill under discussion? Or do they overcome the attack simply by handing out more candy at parades?
That said, I would indeed love to see Lust, Gosch, and Olson all replaced by Democrats (though in Gosch's case, where there is only one Dem challenging two Repubs, I wonder: would it be better to see Jackie Swanson dislodge Gosch or Kristin Conzet?)
Keep it going C.H.HOLD THOSE ACCOUNTABLE WHO VOTE AGAINST VETERANS .Where is Stace Nelson on these issues.
"...would it be better to see Jackie Swanson dislodge Gosch or Kristin Conzet?"
Conzet.
"This post by Cory is better journalism than you will find anywhere in this state in any medium"
No this post is proof that big government far-left liberal Democrats will protect their Republican In Name Only cohorts.
Do you have a problem with factual content Steve?
What was your role in this?
"Do you have a problem with factual content Steve?"
That fact that everyone, or most everyone, voted for a piece of legislation is not a defining piece of legisltion. So why include it on a little postcard where you are putting forward legislation that is to define those who "fully", or not, support veterans?
Steve: Lust, Cronin, Gosch, and Olson are anything but my cohorts. Remember (if you don't, Troy will remind you) I once voted for a convicted felon over Russ Olson.
It is plausible that nearly everyone voted for the legislation listed above because it was simply good legislation, while some of the bills listed on the postcard did not meet with the same near unanimous support because they were not as good.
I'm doing no one's bidding here, Steve. I'm trying to give a full picture. Now have I gotten any other facts wrong?
Cory,
Think about it. On one side is you, Fleming, and most of your liberal buddies. On the other side are me, Schoenbeck, Hoffman and our cohorts. We disagree on about everything.
It really says alot about someone who can unify us.
Stace Nelson: The United.
The United Stace of America...har har har that is funny Mr. Jones. But I must come to Mr. Nelson's aid and insist that he had nothing to do with these slimeball calls. And I called Mr. Sibby. He didn't sound like himself.
Grudz, I meant to say uniter but the typo actually made your interpretation funnier.