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Novstrup Cranky with Nelson; Economic Development Bill Rolls Along

Legislators have said at Spearfish crackerbarrels and elsewhere that the 2013 Session has been marked by significantly more comity than the 2012 session. Our elected officials are just trying to get along.

Messrs. Montgomery and Mercer note that whatever comity may have broken out this year hasn't helped the legislators reach a final budget any more smoothly. Our legislators may have to work Saturday to hammer out their differences over how much money they think we're sending them to spend.

Meanwhile, I turn to one small personal story that suggests not everyone in Pierre is playing nicely. A circumspect reader in Pierre says that after what appears to have been a contentious GOP caucus meeting, Rep. David Novstrup (R-3/Aberdeen) came out nipping at Rep. Stace Nelson's (R-19/Fulton) heels. Novstrup followed Nelson to Nelson's seat on the House floor rather forcefully denouncing Nelson's lack of support for the Speaker and the GOP leadership.

Believe it or not, Nelson appears not to have threatened to eat Novstrup alive; Nelson's sternest words to his Republican colleague appear to have been along the lines of "Get the hell away from me." This confrontation ended when another legislator intervened and encouraged Novstrup to back off. It sounds like a couple of fellas are ready to be home.

In related news, Rep. Nelson's dissent on Senate Bill 235 has indeed been printed in today's House Journal. SB 235, the omnibus economic development bill that Nelson and a few colleagues consider unconstitutional, came out of conference committee and passed both chambers with only single-digit nays. The House and Senate will rush through more decisions tomorrow... and possibly Saturday.

20 Comments

  1. Jana 2013.03.07

    "Novstrup followed Nelson to Nelson's seat on the House floor rather forcefully denouncing Nelson's lack of support for the Speaker and the GOP leadership."

    Stepford legislators?

    Independent thinking? Putting voters first? Not on my watch says Al "Stepford" Novstrup.

    Nothing to see here folks...just trying to keep the one party group think going...long live the South Dakota Politburo.

    I may not agree with Stace on many issues, but I admire his courage to stand up and speak his mind and not forget that he works for the people of his district and not the speaker, the governor or the party.

  2. joelie hicks 2013.03.08

    What about the democrats who seem to have vacated their principles because some of their pet projects were offered a little something? Then cry foul when they discover the State leadership is really focused on economic development? While no one spoke against 235 on the floor, I would think that looking at the list of entities that spoke in favor of the bill would show it to be a goody bag for a chosen few.
    This year I really did support the idea that the E/D money should go to education instead, that education was short changed by the state the last few years. But next year? I will remember that all the education lobbyists sold out the citizens of SD and supported a bill that is bad for SD. When they whine about being underfunded, I will remember. I don't find it reassuring that our state's educators sold out the families of their students.

  3. Steve Sibson 2013.03.08

    "Nothing to see here folks...just trying to keep the one party group think going...long live the South Dakota Politburo."

    The "one party group think" now includes South Dakota Democrats have have joined in with the crony capitalist movement. I suspected it for a long time, now we have confirmation. South Dakotans are now slaves to the international wealthy divine rulers.

  4. Steve Sibson 2013.03.08

    "Novstrup followed Nelson to Nelson's seat on the House floor rather forcefully denouncing Nelson's lack of support for the Speaker and the GOP leadership."

    That is how Novstrup earned water boy priviledges to the House State Affairs kangaroo committee.

  5. LK 2013.03.08

    “South Dakotans are now slaves to the international wealthy divine rulers."

    The Matrix series was fiction, Sibby.

    SD Democrats may very well be selling their birthright for a bowl of pottage as they support SB 235. That fact means they play politics badly. It doesn't mean they are part of an international or intergalactic or inter-dimensional conspiracy

  6. Dougal 2013.03.08

    Aren't Stace's hands registered as lethal weapons? Beware, young Novstrup. He let you get by making a jackass of yourself once, but there may not be a second time. Beware.

  7. Frank Kloucek 2013.03.08

    When a respected journalist offers a great way to protect the integrity of the GOED funds by using the DENR Water Board meeting model for awarding loans and grants and it falls on deaf ears {Except for you Stace}, when the legislature continues to put in "shell bills' that bypass at least half the process with no public knowledge or input, when more than 1 subject are in a bill at least 5 broad subjects in SB235, when term limits destroy common sense, integrity and institutional knowledge, when leaders break their own rules on procedure and rulings,when redistricting is used to get people in office and finally when the people [the citizens of South Dakota] are less important than the corporate business world it is a sad day for South Dakota.

  8. Steve Sibson 2013.03.08

    LK, SB235 is no conspiracy theory. It really happened. So did Clinton's Goals 2000 and Bushy's NCLB, and now Obama's Race To The Top. Same things....different names. Education is now simply workforce development for the "international wealthy divine rulers", been that way for decades now. Set down the Kool Aid and start thinking for yourselves instead of believing everything your told in school.

    [LK I read the Chick link, what point were you making yesterday?]

  9. Steve Sibson 2013.03.08

    Frank, at least one Democrat is not bought off by the Corporatists. Wait there is two, Feinstein voted against SB235 the first time. Not sure about votes after that,

  10. mike 2013.03.08

    No one in Pierre takes young Novstrup seriously. If he was an MMA fighter he'd be down for the count at the ring of the bell.

    As a legislator he doesn't do anything productive other than try to raise his pay...

  11. Bryce Rausch 2013.03.08

    "If he was an MMA fighter he'd be down for the count at the ring of the bell."
    MMA fighters aren't down for the count, that's boxing.

  12. mike 2013.03.08

    He's be down with a single slap or poke to the chest. He's not a fighter in spirit so it's odd to me that he would assume the role of attacking Stace.

    Who does this?

  13. Steve Sibson 2013.03.08

    "He's not a fighter in spirit so it's odd to me that he would assume the role of attacking Stace. "

    Probably hoping Stace would respond and then whine to the cops.

  14. LK 2013.03.08

    Sibby,

    Sorry--I just saw that I missed your question on the other thread yesterday.

    I'm trying to make the same point that I always make. There are plenty of bad laws passed every session. SB 235 may well be one of them. That fact doesn't mean there are Masons ruling the world. It means that good old boys look out for other good old boys.

    Each and every one of us is, to quote Macbeth, "guilty of every sin that has a name." Legislators make the bad votes they because they are flawed humans not because they have they have sacrificed their first born to the New World Order.

    If you want to break up the good old boy network, which is a laudable goal, you'll have a far better shot at it if you don't misapply Hegel or engage in conspiracy theories that make you sound as if you've read too many of Chick's comics.

  15. Steve Sibson 2013.03.08

    LK I have never heard of Chick before yesterday and have never seen Chick's comics before yesterday. I disagree with some of his position's and agree with others. Sad that once somebody is proven wrong on an issue we are to assume that that person is wrong about everything, This is exactly how the SDGOP Establishment operates. Marginalize those who brings the truth by focusing on their mistakes and errors. Just look at the SDWC if you want a flaming example of that.

    How many perfect humans do you know LK?

    Now regarding the New World Order, if a Vatican official comes out with a book that exposes exactly what has been going on behind the scenes at the Vatican, but disagrees with the plan being secret thus supporting Chick's position, and that person is viewed as a mentor by Obama...should we take notice? That is what Quigley's Tragedy & Hope had done...it verifies that the conspiracy is not a theory, but it is reality.

    And I am not about breaking up the old boy network, because that would mean I would be trying to prevent Biblical prophecy from coming true. And that point is supported by the Catholic apologist that you linked to who trashed Chick in an effort to marginalize him to protect the Pope from scrutiny.

  16. Steve Sibson 2013.03.08

    LK, again: I am not about breaking you the old boy network, I am just not chosing to be a part of it. I am also warning others not to be a part of it. Unfortunately the South Dakota Democrat leadership deciding to sell their souls to the devil and jumped in with the old boy network by supporting SB235.

  17. Steve Sibson 2013.03.08

    "you" should be "up" on the first line...sorry

  18. Danny Boy 2013.03.08

    Does anyone know what has GOP "leadership" done about Norstrup's unacceptable behavior?

    It looks like they are trying to create something to go after Nelson..

  19. Rorschach 2013.03.08

    Rep. David Novstrup isn't a very forceful person. Nice guy who intimidates nobody. If he were a knife, he'd be the kind that the TSA is letting back into carry on luggage. His claim to fame is that a lobbyist for the SD Network Against Family Violence & Sexual Assault gives him a bill every year making some small tweak to protection order laws. He pitches his annual bill by stumbling over a short spiel someone wrote for him, then refers all questions to someone else who knows what the bill does. This year's bill is HB1150.

  20. Danny Boy 2013.03.08

    I heard Novstrup got into it with May and Russell yesterday too. How did Novstrup ever get elected?

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