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Rounds Claims He Didn’t Know State Employee Signed Contract with Himself

David Montgomery gets Republican Senate candidate Mike Rounds to come out from hiding and answer a few questions about Joop Bollen, the man who ran the state's EB-5 visa investment program while Rounds was governor. Predictably, Rounds says he "wasn't informed of the specifics" (Montgomery's words) and "was not aware that [Bollen] was signing items on his own behalf" (Rounds's words).

Rounds is thus claiming that he did not know that state employee Bollen signed a contract with his own newly formed corporation, SDRC Inc., on January 15, 2008, the company to which Rounds's Office of Economic Development granted a lucrative no-bid contract on December 22, 2009.

Montgomery reports that "Bollen didn't disclose his connections to SDRC, and officials last week said they hadn't known at the time." I don't know the full roster of officials who said that last week, but Bollen did disclose his connections to SDRC Inc. when he formed it. Check out the articles of incorporation for SDRC Inc.,* which Bollen signed on January 3, 2008, and filed with the South Dakota Secretary of State on January 10, 2008. Joop Bollen lists himself as registered agent, incorporator, and president. No one else's name appears on the document, most certainly not James Park of the Hanul Law Firm, who signed the January 15, 2008, contract on behalf of SDRC Inc. On April 7, 2009, the Secretary of State received a statement of change naming Park as SDRC Inc. president and registered agent, but on June 1, 2009, the Secretary of State received articles of amendment from Aberdeen attorney Jeffrey T. Sveen naming Bollen again as the only director of the corporation.

The State of South Dakota knew that Joop Bollen was SDRC Inc. It stretches belief to claim that Mike Rounds had no knowledge of his employee's conflict of interest in 2007 when his administration helped request that the USCIS recognize SDRC Inc. as an integral part of South Dakota's EB-5 program, in 2008 when it started, in 2009 when his office rewarded Bollen with a five-year contract, or in 2010 when he wrote a passel of lame-duck grants to Northern Beef Packers, the pet project that Bollen was keeping alive via SDRC Inc.

But if Rounds wants to confess his inability to root out corruption in his own administration for three years, fine. Let him run on that.

*I'd direct you to the Secretary of State's corporate database, but during the past year, Secretary Gant appears to have scrubbed most of the corporate archives, providing only the last year or two of documents for corporations.

136 Comments

  1. Lynn 2014.09.17

    After reading this post I immediately visualized the famous three monkeys I see nothing, hear nothing, say nothing representing the Rounds administration.

  2. John Tsitrian 2014.09.17

    That he didn't know something of this magnitude was going on is prima facie evidence that Rounds is unqualified to represent the State of South Dakota in the United States Senate.

  3. 96Tears 2014.09.17

    Prediction: Mike drops out of KELO debate.

    Mike is lying. He can't possibly be that ignorant of his office or be that out of the loop and protected from its functions as this. But let's take Rounds' word that he did not know Bollen was running a racket.

    Who should have known and stayed on top of it? Who's protecting him from the details?

    Rounds' former chief of staff is also his campaign manager. He had to have known there was a racket running in the Rounds Administration. His former press officer is writing press releases for his campaign today. Who knows who else was there when he was Governor is now on the Rounds Gravy Train to reap the plunder of Mike in the U.S. Senate. All of them had to have known. This is a tightly knit group of pals going way back.

    Or does everything happen in a vacuum in the Governor's office? Don't be stupid, folks.

  4. JeniW 2014.09.17

    "But Rounds says he didn't know full role of Joop Bollen"

    Which implies that Rounds knew at least some of what Joop was doing. That did not raise any questions from the businessman that Rounds claims to be?

    Really?

  5. Steve Hickey 2014.09.17

    Rounds is once removed from this and it's entirely plausible he didn't know. If you have ever been at the top of an organization you know lots happens under you. You make sure you have good people and sometimes a problem blows up and gets your attention. I'm not a micro manager and those who work for me are trusted, until they break trust or until something doesn't add up. The state government is a massive operation. I expect the governor to be a leader which is hard to doing you are a micro manager.

    Joop is the guy who broke trust. That fact became known long after Rounds left office. If Rounds wasn't running for Senate this scandal would deflate. It's inseparable right now from politics.

  6. larry kurtz 2014.09.17

    Bridgegate/Bendagate/Perrygate/Bitchgate: GOP corruption is endemic.

  7. Lynn 2014.09.17

    Rep. Hickey

    NBP was a pet project for Rounds and he put quite a bit of effort into it. If Rounds was not running for Senate I'd still be just as frustrated and determined to see what happened and hold those accountable. If the table were turned and this happened under a Democratic Party administration nothing would change in my determination and frustration. I watched and read about this ongoing drama for years before that plant finally closed and have seen how it affected people negatively including one close to me.

    Rounds denies he knew about this which is unbelievable yet if this were a success he would claim it his own. At the very least it is very poor management especially since this was a very important highly publicized project for Northeast South Dakota and beyond in regards to farmers and ranchers.

  8. mike from iowa 2014.09.17

    How is it possible that Rounds did not know any of this stuff? Willful ignorance? Sheer incompetence? Outright lying? Eyes shut with his fingers in his ears?

  9. larry kurtz 2014.09.17

    Joop is the Oliver North of South Dakota.

  10. mike from iowa 2014.09.17

    Rep Hickey,send a memo to wingnuts in DC and tell them to cut Obie some slack. He has a much larger workforce to contend with than Rounds does so he can't possibly be blamed for every mishap.

  11. Steve Hickey 2014.09.17

    Exactly Mike. It would seem entirely plausible to most reading this blog that Obama truthfully had no awareness of a long list of scandals on his watch; IRS targeting conservatives, NSA hacking and spying, fast and furious, VA abuses and Benghazi. Lots of grace here for Obama.

    Yet Rounds is the captain of the ship. It's politics.

  12. larry kurtz 2014.09.17

    Imagine the EB-5 scandal happening under a Governor Heidepriem.

  13. Lynn 2014.09.17

    I'm very supportive of value added agriculture in our state but NBP was a mess and underfunded from the start. Contractors getting stiffed, It was well known if you went out there to work it was at your own risk of not getting paid and then there were the shady things going on from construction to financing doing everything on the cheap with mysterious financing yet state funds and resources were involved. Rounds is ultimately responsible at the very least.

  14. mike from iowa 2014.09.17

    Rep Hickey-why do people rob banks? Because that is where the money is. Why target conservative groups? Because they cheat and then scream they are helpless victims.

  15. Lynn 2014.09.17

    Sorry for the rant! This subject just always fires me up! lol

    Watching the Argus Leader's 100 Eyes Patrick Lalley yestrday emphasized repeatedly that we need open records in our state! So much is kept from the press and the public. I understand the need for confidentiality in regards to economic development at times but it would be nice for all of us to find out what is really going on or happened with our state government.

  16. caheidelberger Post author | 2014.09.17

    Rep. Hickey, you continue to try to draw me into a debate that I'm not entering and that is not relevant to the facts at hand. This blog is primarily about South Dakota issues. If you want to write a blog about national issues and hang the President for a laundry list of abuses occurring on his watch, have it at it. I haven't really staked out a position on any of the issues you list that you could use to refute my position here.

    Rounds is the captain of his ship. He let this corruption happen. He was briefed several times on the SDRC Inc. privatization scheme. He failed to see what was wrong with it. He gave up an opportunity to competitively differentiate on cost and public service and perhaps bring even more EB-5 investment to South Dakota projects. Rounds owns this failure. We cannot trust Rounds with an even higher public office.

  17. Steve Sibson 2014.09.17

    "Because that is where the money is."

    Exactly Mike, that is why the only logical response to corruption is to reduce the amount of money the government controls. Liberal Republicans and liberal Democrats are pushing for the opposite.

  18. Steve Sibson 2014.09.17

    "We cannot trust Rounds with an even higher public office."

    I agree, but who can we trust? Certainly not anyone who proposes a bigger government. How does the 4 Senate candidates line up on that point?

  19. Steve Hickey 2014.09.17

    I'm not trying to steer anyone into a conversation about Obama. It's a comparison that fits. Lots of liberal grace for their scandals, zero for conservative scandals, and visa versa. My point is this thing deflates fast without Rounds tied to it. And with that tie being weak what we are left with amounts to partisan drama.

  20. Steve Hickey 2014.09.17

    Sibby do I detect a hint of your defection from team Howie? Imagine how he'd stand up as a top tier candidate to this level of vetting.

  21. larry kurtz 2014.09.17

    Rounds, et al. are under federal investigation, Rep. Hickey; they broke the law and are being sued by tribes for seizing kids in violation of federal law: a suit filed, btw, nearly concurrently with the subpoena of state EB-5 records.

  22. Bill Fleming 2014.09.17

    Sibby, isn't the opposite the case in the EB-5 story? i.e. The corruption occurred when the state divested itself from control of the money?

  23. Bill Fleming 2014.09.17

    Hickey, the comparisons that fit best are Watergate and New Jersey's Bridgegate. What did they know, and when...

  24. Steve Sibson 2014.09.17

    "Sibby do I detect a hint of your defection from team Howie? Imagine how he'd stand up as a top tier candidate to this level of vetting."

    Perhaps we can agree that Jesus Christ would be the only one to stand up to this level of vetting, which then leads to why the Founders designed a limited government. So again I ask, of the 4 Senate candidates, which one(s) would promote reducing the size and scope of government, work to eliminate private/public partnerships, and reject the Keynesian policy that the government is responsible for creating jobs?

  25. larry kurtz 2014.09.17

    Only unicorns have magical powers so magic must be real.

  26. Nick Nemec 2014.09.17

    I'm interested about the footnote at the end of the story. Secretary Gant no longer posts corporate records older than two years on this web site? Does he have a reason for this reduction in public information?

  27. mike from iowa 2014.09.17

    Sibby-smaller gubmint,as wingnuts want,is to hand more taxpayer dollars to the koch bros and starve the gubmint of its constitutional duty to promote the general welfare. Your side wants to promote the koch bros welfare to the detriment of the rest of the citizenry.

  28. Steve Sibson 2014.09.17

    Mike, more lies from the Democrats. True conservatives are not in bed with the Koch bros. True conservatives want a balanced budget. First step is reduced spending, including corporate welfare. A true conservative would eliminate the Governor's Office of Economic Development and the SD Dept of Education. In case you don't know, those two agencies are working together to help out the corporatists, who want education to be "skill" development. There is more legalized corruption in South Dakota besides EB-5.

  29. Lynn 2014.09.17

    Steve Rounds is obviously not the true conservative limited government candidate. Gordon your candidate is sitting at 3%. Have you been offline helping him increase his chances for winning?

  30. Lynn 2014.09.17

    Steve,

    *Mike Rounds*

  31. Bob Klein 2014.09.17

    Lynn made what I consider to be the most valid point as to why Rounds should have known what Bollen was doing: At the time in question NBP was to be Rounds shining example of leadership.

  32. mike from iowa 2014.09.17

    True conservatives is such a discombobulated term it has to be an orymoxon.

  33. Bill Fleming 2014.09.17

    Nice that Monty got an interview with Mr. Rounds. Trying to get what is being said between the lines of it straight in my mind.

    Is Rounds saying that they knew all along that the EB-5 program was going to be privatized?

    And if so, was it always the plan that whoever got the contract would be able to take all of the States files home with them so no one could ever review those records?

    It's still curious that the Board of Regents didn't seem to know about that part, isn't it? And even more curious that nobody seems all that concerned about getting those records back.

    But then maybe I'm just missing something. Maybe Monty can straighten us out, so we don't have to look like we're trying to make this thing "political."

  34. Roger Cornelius 2014.09.17

    If there is a liberal conservative, is there such a thing, in this saga it is Mike Rounds, there is a reason the tea party has hung the RINO Mike tag on him.

  35. Steve Sibson 2014.09.17

    "Have you been offline helping him increase his chances for winning?"

    How is a conservative going to convince the 97% of South Dakotan who plan on voting for one of the liberals, to vote for Howie? If you want a chance to reduce corruption, why don't you liberals wake up and promote voting for a limited government candidate?

  36. Roger Cornelius 2014.09.17

    Bill,
    Thanks for mentioning Watergate, I have compared Rounds scandal to Watergate several times, not to rehash history, but because Watergate is a template for the Rounds scandal.
    At some point during this mess people will start talking and making plea deals for their testimony, more will be charged for perjury and obstruction of justice, this is where Rounds scandal is headed.
    It may take sometime to strike the king, but there will be a lot of middlemen going down in the meantime.
    The SDGOP might like to think that Rounds scandal will stop on election day if he is elected, the reality is that in Washington it will only have started.

  37. Bill Fleming 2014.09.17

    Right Roger, who's going to be EB-5's Alexander Butterfield and John Dean? And where are the equivalent "White House Tapes" and the "missing 18 minutes?" Like Pat Duffy says, somebody out there must know something.

  38. Roger Cornelius 2014.09.17

    Where was attorney general Larry Long during this, was he still in office?
    Where was attorney general Marty Jackley, what do he know and when did he know it. Marty is actually at the core of the Rounds scandal. Does anybody believe Jackley knew nothing until Cory told him about it. What did Jackley know and when did he know it.
    The DCI, whoever the head of that agency is, the same question applies, what did he know and when did he know it.
    Did the cover up began the day when Bollen made his self contract?
    Shouldn't have a corporate filing by Bollen gotten the attention of the secretary of state? What did SoS know and when did he know it.
    Rounds will remain elusive up to and beyond the election, the federal investigation has probably shifted somewhat to the stooges.

  39. Troy 2014.09.17

    Oh, my gosh. I think I just stumbled on a "birther" website. I forgot Ed Willey was taken out in a forest so Bill Clinton could do his wife Kathleen. Clinton liked women. Rounds likes steak. All makes sense.

  40. larry kurtz 2014.09.17

    The feds subpoenaed records March 13 and DD ordered an audit of the Governor's Office of Economic Development on November 27, 2013.

  41. mike from iowa 2014.09.17

    Rounds likes steaks. Makes more sense if Rounds likes tube steaks. That could 'splain many things.

  42. lesliengland 2014.09.17

    "stumbled?"
    good one, Troy
    tip o' the hat to larry

  43. Roger Cornelius 2014.09.17

    On the Tidemann ad thread, Sibson has attempted to distract the Rounds Scandal to big vs. small government without addressing exact legislation that would allow legislature and their committees to investigate political corruption and to prosecute those that crimes and violate their constitutional oaths.
    Throw a penny is the wishing well, Steve. Government will always be too large for you, big business likes it that way and keeps it that way. The question will always be, what do the Republicans want to cut and what do the Democrats want to cut, and what cuts best serve the country.
    Sibson, the only answers and truths we are seeking on Cory's EB-5 threads is what South Dakota Republicans like Mike Rounds and Dennis Daugaard do or not do to help criminalize the EB-5 program. This scandal has nothing to with the size of government except for those that want to distract from the stink Mike Rounds allowed.

  44. Douglas Wiken 2014.09.17

    Rancid Rounds is the Sgt. Shultz of the campaign.

  45. grudznick 2014.09.17

    Mr. Wiken, I have heard that Mr. Rounds is Catholic and practices it hard, but Sgt. Shultz was Jewish.

  46. jerry 2014.09.17

    Rancid Rounds, priceless. Rounds is Jewish according to the way he pranced around in Israel, he looked good in the little cap. Our masters there, welcomed him with an open checkbook.

  47. caheidelberger Post author | 2014.09.17

    "our masters there"? I'm not sure I'm comfortable with that comment... and I definitely don't want the discussion of Rounds's corruption getting thrown off the rails by what the comment might portend.

  48. lesliengland 2014.09.17

    sib-u call ia. mike and democrats liars but Koch evidence is ripe against repubs support, whether they are "true", "liberal", "christian" conservatives, wingnuts, teabaggers, neo or whatever you are denominating them. give us that lil' phamphlet would you, of definitions you go by.

  49. Roger Cornelius 2014.09.17

    Cory,
    Another great article in South Dakota Magazine, kudos to you for focusing on the four areas of the scandal a year ago, and to realize you were on target.
    The year long evolution of the Rounds Scandal is actually unfolding as most scandals do.
    It does bother me that we still can't get a feeling on whether or Rounds' Scandal will have an impact on the senate race. More people seem to be aware of the mess created by Rounds but don't seem to realize the impact of all these misdeeds.
    Obviously most Republicans that do know about the scandal don't want to talk about it in hopes it is not true and will simply go away. The Republicans that will talk about it limit their comments to party talking points and blame partisan politics.
    I'm concerned that our messaging isn't connecting with the average voter, Republican or Democrat. That is disappointing in this age of so many ways to communicate. If don't press the DNC to tell this story to the national media, we are stuck.

  50. jerry 2014.09.17

    Sorry, about that. I let my opinions about what congress did today authorizing more proxy war in the Mid East make that statement. I am thinking that more war brings more corruption which would be a perfect fit for Rounds as he certainly has the experience. Somehow and somewhere, Rounds came up with 9 million bucks and counting. http://www.salon.com/2013/09/06/these_6_players_made_syria_a_proxy_war_partner/

  51. Reynold Nesiba 2014.09.17

    Perhaps this scandal would be clearer if we referred to the office through which it occurred? Rather than EB-5, we should be referring to it as the Governor's Office of Economic Development scandal.

  52. Jane Smith 2014.09.18

    Whichever side of the political party one may be in, these parties shamelessly tried it dupe the people of SD - and high chance they did not selectively process one party any less than the other. That said, for those of you Republicans, reason party affiliation is mentioned, all the characters involved happens to from the ruling party. It is what it is. Also, you have a candidate for a senator seat, who has a difficult time addressing the people face to face, and he chose the cowardly option of responding via writing. He is pretty audacious to deny the public a fair personal interview. Let's say he does get appointed a seat as a senator, is he going to address the nation via writing only? Had he stepped up properly, he would not be the end of the mule everyone wants to kick. He blew it when as a leader he mismanaged programs that were critical to economics of SD. He blew it when he is not informed by his subordinate of facts pertinent to said matter. A true leader would take accountability for any successes as well as failures on their watch.
    By the way, looks like the politicians whereabouts are accounted for. Where is Joopster these days? Is he even in SD? James Park has moved to South Korea. Austin Kim, his minion, is holding down the fort in Santa Ana, CA. How about Pyush Patel? Anyone venture to guess what roles these had?

  53. caheidelberger Post author | 2014.09.18

    Rep. Hickey, fine. If the Obama-Solyndra-etc. comparison fits, then I invite everyone who applies that captain-of-the-ship thinking to the President to apply that same thinking to Rounds as Governor and vote for someone else for U.S. Senate... and I invite everyone who applies that thinking to Rounds to also refuse to vote for Barack Obama the next time he runs for public office.

  54. Slynn 2014.09.18

    Fortunately for Mike Rounds, Richard Benda is dead and it is therefore easy for Rounds to throw him under the bus. Joop Bollen is still very much alive and able to defend himself. Consider that it is possible Bollen was doing what he was told when he created SDRC, Inc. Recall that the contract between the Department of Tourism and State Development and SDRC Inc. created funds for the state department, including a $350,000 slush fund. Perhaps we will learn something new on or about September 24.

  55. caheidelberger Post author | 2014.09.18

    The idea Bollen was doing what he was told is the most plausible explanation... more plausible, certainly, than believing that no higher-ups knew about and approved of Bollen's actions on behalf of the Governor's Office of Economic Development while collecting his state paycheck through December 2009.

  56. Troy 2014.09.18

    Cory,

    By that logic, everyone at the IRS targeted conservative groups because Obama told them to do it and Susan Rice was told by Obama to lie about what occurred with regard to Benghazi.

    Or are you saying that while the IRS and Susan Rice was told to do it by a "higher up" it was done wholly without the knowledge or approval of Obama?

  57. Bill Fleming 2014.09.18

    As you and others piece the story together Cory, it seems equally as plausible that Mr. Bollen is kind of a rouge a agent who routinely acted on his own and seemed to almost dare his supposed supervisors to try to stop him. Sounds like he only checked with them when he got his ass in a jam and needed a bailout. It could be, with people like Joop, that his supervisors were just doing what HE told them to do. It wouldn't surprise me to learn that he just made thing up to get what he wanted and knew quite well how to manipulate the Rounds admin culture and the state's permanent bureaucracy.

  58. caheidelberger Post author | 2014.09.18

    Plausible, Bill. Joop appears to have some leverage, based perhaps on his remarkable skill, but more plausibly on his knowledge of where the bodies are buried. But Joop-following-orders and Joop-flexing-muscle both assume superiors knew what was going on.

  59. Bill Fleming 2014.09.18

    Yes, I agree, Cory, but there is a little different argument as to Rounds's culpability in the "steamroller Joopster" context. We don't need a Senator who whimps out when confronted with more dominant, manipulative personalities, folds like a lawn chair when making tough decisions that might make him look bad, or who buys outlandish sales pitches hook, line and sinker.

    i.e. it's not that he was too strong a self-serving leader, it was that he was perhaps too weak of one. A go-along-to-get-along kind of guy translates into just another partisan rubber stamp in DC. Exactly what South Dakota doesn't need.

  60. Lynn 2014.09.18

    Troy is once again trying to deflect the comments from the focus of the posting and the purpose of the blog as Chief Apologist and Enabler of what is wrong in the SDGOP.

    We are focused on South Dakota issues here Troy. Wasn't it reinforced in our old government classes in school and for those who took Political Science in college that we are more affected by government the more local you go? We as taxpayers have more control from local issues and it diminishes going to the national level?

    Lets get back on the focus of why former Governor Mike Rounds should answer questions regarding what happened at GOED under his watch and why this man based on his past performance should definitely not be elected as our next US Senator.

  61. Jenny 2014.09.18

    And besides, Troy, a lot of us dems are very disappointed with Obama, and can admit he has made plenty of mistakes. So, like Cory says, this isn't about Obama (although I do still think Obama and Rounds have a lot of similarities - too trusting (sure looks Rounds was with Joop), over-rated, smooth with talking points, naive, arrogant, corrupted, etc.

  62. Jenny 2014.09.18

    Cory, who was the whistleblower that wrote Senator Grassley the note to look into the SD EB-5 situation? I wondered why Grassley was campaigning for Rounds - this would be payback for Grassley starting the investigation?

  63. Roger Cornelius 2014.09.18

    Troy's defense of Rounds goes something like this, your scandal is more corrupter than my scandal.
    Will that work in testifying before GOAC, a federal grand jury, or a federal court?

  64. Roger Cornelius 2014.09.18

    Jenny,
    Whoever wrote the note to Grassley will likely be U.S. Johnson's first witness. He/she may have already been granted immunity.

  65. Jenny 2014.09.18

    Roger, how come this 'whistleblower' didn't go to SDs Thune and Tim Johnson, or Noem? That's another question.

  66. Slynn 2014.09.18

    When Mike Rounds created the Secretary of Tourism and State Development position in 2003, combining 5 departments, 4 of which were previously cabinet-level positions, it was described at the time as the COO position of the State of South Dakota. So, it defies reason that Rounds did not know the "specifics" of the contract Benda signed with SDRC, Inc. Bollen's revelations and evidence re "what did they know and when did they know it" may well be the demise of Michael Rounds.

    http://m.bhpioneer.com/article_ce11a9d6-b140-5c31-a6d2-36138980f0d0.html?mode=jqm

  67. Roger Cornelius 2014.09.18

    Jenny,
    The whistleblower may have gone to our congressional delegation who in turn passed it on to Grassley because of the committee (can't think of the name of the committee) he chairs and the oversight it has.
    I don't think it is likely that the whistleblower would pass information on to Republicans Thune and Noem for obvious reasons.

  68. Troy 2014.09.18

    I wasn't asserting any excusing of anything or Obama's "scandals" are worse or tying to minimize anything. I was only applying Cory's logic to Obama. If you don't think it applies to Obama, why does it apply to Rounds? Just asking.

  69. larry kurtz 2014.09.18

    $500,000 is the price of a green card and $50,000 pretty good seed money to start a trafficking business.

  70. larry kurtz 2014.09.18

    Rounds showered $75 million on political cronies and donors from the Future Funds slush pool.

  71. larry kurtz 2014.09.18

    $120 million would buy green cards for a quiet invasion of whatever.

  72. Roger Cornelius 2014.09.18

    Troy,
    It is simple, as Cory pointed out, I can't vote for President Obama again, unless as Republicans often point that he is a dictator and will remain in office as long as he wants.
    I can vote against the Republicans and Mike Rounds because of his local scandals.
    Logic is needed in debate, but so is reality. The reality is that Mike Rounds is knee deep in this sh&#, if his eyes aren't brown, they soon will be.
    The reality is that I don't know Rounds eye color, we never see him in western South Dakota, at least not at debates.

  73. caheidelberger Post author | 2014.09.18

    Troy, at no point have I said the "Captain of the ship" logic does not apply to President Obama. Do you thus concede that it applies to Governor Rounds?

  74. Roger Cornelius 2014.09.18

    I finally got around today's Rapid City Journal and was happily surprised. The leading front page story about Rounds not knowing what Bollen was doing was the lead.

    The Rapid City Journal for crying out loud!!

    Are we finally making an impact?

  75. Troy 2014.09.18

    Cory,

    Good question and I'm happy to answer. Since this is about Rounds, I'll start with Obama.

    Obama is responsible for the policy of Obamacare, his "waivers" which are admission of its fundamental flaws, and unwillingness to address solutions with Congress. He is not responsible for the fiasco of implementation (healthcare.gov) but may get some responsibility because the company that failed at implementation is being charged with fixing it. If they don't get it right this time, he gets that responsibility too.

    Obama is not responsible for the failure of Solyndra (business failure to NBP is quite similar). His administration pushed Solyndra (as did Rounds with NBP) but there is no evidence he advocated anything nefarious to get it done (as there is no evidence against Rounds). In both cases, Obama (support for alternative energy) and Rounds (support for value-added agriculture) were pushing policy goals consistent with stated positions. I am more critical of Obama because 90% of the loss was experienced by the federal taxpayer with Solyndra vs. about 3% by the SD taxpayer with NBP but politically I don't think most voters see or appreciate the distinction.

    Obama is not responsible for the IRS fiasco. I think he is the victim of over-zealous IRS senior leaders taking it upon themselves to do what was illegal to keep their jobs/serve their master. I do not hold him responsible for his tepid response at first because I don't think even he imagined the magnitude of it.

    Benghazi is the issue that I put greatest directly on his shoulder because it was in the heat of an election and Susan Rice is still in the administration. If he had fired her (even if after the election) and anyone else directly involved in the deception, I'd be less harsh on the "Captain of the Ship" despite himself even advocating it after it became evident the film was of no consequence.

    So, where are with with Rounds?

    First, like Solyndra, I don't hold him any more or less responsible for advocating NPB than Obama Solyndra except to for 90% of the transaction lost by the taxpayer.

    Second, I don't hold him responsible for Benda's double billing or what appears to be a quid pro quo on the grant which went to Benda. I think it comparable to the IRS- employees willing to break the law (no matter the motive) don't get stopped until they are caught. No government or business can afford the controls and systems in place to stop people willing to steal and breach their fiduciary obligations. The best we can afford is to have systems in place to catch them after the fact. And, it is absurd to think Rounds had any knowledge or would be willing to be a party to these two things. There is no motive.

    Now, the EB-5 program.

    First, I think this program was fundamentally flawed (in Customs and not either the SBA/Commerce with SEC oversight). Obama himself has admitted this which is why the GOP in Congress have backed off on criticism. My suspicion is it will get fixed after the election when they also are scheduled to deal with immigration (Customs is the focal point of immigration reform).

    Second, until and unless there is either a fraud suit by investors or indictment by the US Dept. of Justice (this is a federal program), we don't even know if anything illegal was done regarding this program.

    As conceivable as it is that something illegal occurred, it is just as concievable the actions of SDRC were done as Customs intended/approved based on objectives given from higher ups for whatever reason or allowed because they didn't have the requisite skills that would be in place at SBA/Commerce/SEC and Joop exploited those shortcomings either opportunistically but not illegally or exploited them illegally because he saw his over-seers were incompetent.

    Finally, whether something illegal or unethical occurred at SDRC or not, there still is no nexus to Rounds (ala IRS has no nexus to Obama) and since Benda (plus possibly Joop and someone at NBP) already showed a willingness to breach their fiduciary without knowledge, authority or approval of superiors, it is reasonable to believe any SDRC illegal/immoral actions were done outside Rounds knowledge and actions (like the grant/double billing) were taken to deceive Rounds/make sure he didn't know about them.

    After the national conventions, Romney and Obama were in a dead-heat. I believe he lost because he got into throwing red meat to the base by focusing on scandals and questioning Obama's integrity. The voters cared about issues and generally believed Obama was a good person. Romney should have stayed on policies/iissues by criticizing Obama's policies and articulating an alternative which Romney especially didn't do with regard to health care (which I believe is the reason we still have 8 toss-up Senate races which all should be firmly in the GOP column in my opinion).

    Similarly, I think you have made the same mistake. Most South Dakotans (except for the hard core Democrats) think Rounds is a good person. In the end, your effort to attack his integrity (especially with arguments that only are believed by those already against him) will not fly. From my perspective, Weiland has pushed an issue where Rounds is not in tune with most South Dakotans and he is. In fact, on most issues, he has talked about issues in ways that appeal to the hard-core Democrats (which is never enough to win elections in South Dakota).

    Maybe if I was in the position of liberal Democrats in South Dakota and my only chance was a "Hail Mary" I'd do the same thing but if that was going to be my strategy, I'd have made sure I had a QB with an arm strong enough to throw the bomb. I don't think Weiland has the arm. Personally, if I really believed Rounds was vulnerable on the issues or was a weak candidate (hard to assert considering his electoral success), I'd have found someone with a proven track record to appeal to the middle (ala Hunhoff) and taken my chances that a solid two minute plan of a series of short passes, well-timed runs, and an occasional long pass would get you in the red zone at this stage where anything can happen.

    This said, I don't really blame you for making EB-5 your focus. Campaigns too often get caught up in thinking this is the best path to victory. However, the actual success of this focus is actually quite small in history. Watergate might actually be it. Not a good percentage.

    P.S. Banking on Pressler and Howie being a net positive was not a bad gamble. It like thinking that with some good routes and plays, the defender might slip and you get some long, easy gains. Unfortunately for you, it never came to fruition.

    Cory, I can already anticipate the response of your readers. I took the time to do this because you asked me a straight questions. I hope I answered it. Someday I'm sure the Democrats will give us a drubbing like you did in 1958-1962 and 1970-1974 (you just about did it in 1986 if Herseth had won). This just isn't the year and won't happen until you have the candidates and organization to do it.

  76. Troy 2014.09.18

    Correction: "Weiland has NOT pushed an issue where Rounds is not in tune with most South Dakotans and he is."

  77. Troy 2014.09.18

    Unrelated comment: Anyone else think it crazy we are going to arm and train Syrian insurgents. Has that ever worked? Vietnam? Afghanistan? Iraq? Lebanon?

  78. jerry 2014.09.18

    Of course you are correct Troy, and that is why Rounds will not come to the debates to discuss the EB-5. Rounds knows that we will be as understanding as you are with the fraud, corruption and the cost of this to us, the South Dakota taxpayers. After all, it is only those of us on this blog that see things differently from your point of view so we should disregard the polls and disregard the facts and the news that does seem to disagree with you as well.

  79. Bill Fleming 2014.09.18

    Troy, yes, I think arming the Syrian's is crazy. I hope Cory will put a post up about it. (EB-5 is important. But so is going to war.) I want to know where my fellow South Dakotans stand. I see Kristi voted to do it. I hope Thune and Johnson have better insight. But I'm not holding my breath.

  80. jerry 2014.09.18

    I made a comment earlier about the proxy war we are involved in regarding the whole area. This kind of action is obscene and fits right into what we are discussing, corruption and politics.

  81. jerry 2014.09.18

    The vote sailed past the senate with 78-22 vote. Both senators from South Dakota voted for more corruption and more proxy war. I get Thune in his vote, but I thought Johnson would say no after voting to send his kid to Iraq under Bush. If Rounds gets the nod here, you can count on him to keep up this constant war.

    An example of doublethink in George Orwell's novel 1984. The totalitarian government of Oceania is constantly at war with one of the other two totalitarian superpowers that dominate the world: Eurasia and Eastasia. The objective is not to win the war, but to maintain a constant state of war in order to keep its citizens under control. When it is at war with Eastasia, the government declares that it has always been at war with Eastasia, that its people are an eternally hated enemy that must be destroyed. When the sides change, the same thing is said about Eurasia. It is considered every patriotic citizen's duty to believe both statements are true.

  82. mike from iowa 2014.09.18

    Every time 'murrica arms and trains people to fight a proxy war,those weapons and people are turned against us. Never fails. But Troy,your comparison of Obie and Rounds is full of holes big enough to drag the Titanic through sideways.

  83. Roger Cornelius 2014.09.18

    Regardless of what President Obama did or didn't that Republicans don't like, when we wake up tomorrow the same questions about the Rounds Scandal will still be there, still unanswered.
    Rounds will continue hiding and not debating in western South Dakota.
    Tidemann will still be covering up and stonewalling for Mike Rounds and is financial master, Joop Bollen.
    Cory will probably have another revelation about the Rounds Scandal that adds another piece of the puzzle and further implicates Mike Rounds complicity or ignorance, or both.
    Powers over at the dump site will continue to post Wadhams' denials and try to explain the Rounds Scandal away.
    And Troy, chief Rounds apologist, will be posting on Madville dissecting every word in an attempt to blame President Obama for Mike Rounds Scandals and criminal behavior.
    Oh well! Tomorrow is another day. The questions of Rounds involvement in his own scandal will be waiting for us.

  84. lesliengland 2014.09.18

    troy, that sucks. you must have a very sincere fear of losing something. you can send out a mailer now to your republican friends.

    by the way, i used to live in hawaii, i have been to obama's hospital. there is a framed copy of his birth certificate hanging on the wall!

  85. caheidelberger Post author | 2014.09.18

    (Bill, dang, we are going to war, aren't we? I need to look at the SD delegations statements. But that war won't change Mike Rounds's responsibility for corruption in GOED one iota.)

  86. caheidelberger Post author | 2014.09.18

    Roger, I read Wadhams's denial. I haven't seen any original analysis from Pat. Notice that, once again, Wadhams says nothing about the actual charges. He refutes not one iota of what Patrick Duffy said today. He calls the ad buyers "sleazy" and "slimy", and he accuses them and Weiland of illegal coordination on entirely circumstantial evidence, but he does not respond to the meat of what we are saying about Rounds. The GOP is scared. The GOP knows we've got the goods. They have to throw up all the flak they can to keep the truth from getting through to the voters.

  87. Roger Cornelius 2014.09.18

    Precisely Cory,
    Naturally, Wadhams and Powers can't address the charges against Rounds and his scandal, for them the spin will work better.
    What I found ironic is that you provided a excellent critique of the ad that would have worked well for them. Funny.
    I don't understand what the "illegal coordination", what is that about?

  88. lesliengland 2014.09.18

    apt analogy: "flak" and what a mess of it; and bill's war comment-chrrrissst! we have been at war daily with the repubican party on behalf of their their KO[CH] nstituents - a great distraction and disservice from the realities of steering this great ship o' state.

  89. Roger Cornelius 2014.09.18

    A big thank you Bill, I was looking for it earlier to no avail. Thanks again.

  90. Troy 2014.09.18

    When Rounds wins and Pressler either beats Weiland or is within five points, maybe you will start re-thinking what is real. It's not good the Democrat Party is virtually irrelevant.

  91. jerry 2014.09.18

    Troy, if my grandmother had wheels, she would be a bicycle. Will you fall on your sword after the twerp gets his just reward and has a number under his picture both frontal and the traditional side view?

  92. Roger Cornelius 2014.09.18

    Troy,
    Consider this, if Rounds wins his scandal will follow him to the senate chamber. Are you so naïve that you believe that the Rounds Scandal goes away on election day and vindicates him?
    The reality is that we will make sure the Senate Ethics Committee is aware of Rounds involvement with selling visas.
    The reality is Troy, that between election day and January when Mike Rounds is sworn in, this EB-5 investigation may just be starting.
    The national media has been largely absent from the EB-5 coverage here in South Dakota, I'm certain they will be more than a little curious about an ongoing federal investigation.
    Rounds in handcuffs on Nov. 5 is a reality.

  93. Bill Fleming 2014.09.18

    Any time, Roger.

  94. lesliengland 2014.09.18

    we got a live one here folks, "what is real" as in troy's opinion of obama, our president of the united states' birth certificate. listen to "coast to coast" much?

    maybe if rounds wins he can run as vp w/ trump?

    sorry, it just is hard to take a birther seriously. you are obviously a well educated person.

  95. Troy 2014.09.18

    Leslie, I have never doubted Obama's citizenship, being a Muslim, or a secret Cub fan.

  96. Roger Cornelius 2014.09.18

    Troy,

    Why does Mike Rounds run and hide from debates?

  97. jerry 2014.09.18

    Troy speaketh from both sides of his mug, much like his hero, the bandit Mike Rounds. I will bet myself that you Mike Rounds must have had some great times together, making small talk while you watched the fleecing of South Dakota taxpayers in your dreams. Like other Caporegime's before him, his time will come to face the federal authorities and then what Troy, how will your broken heart allow you to even bear knowing what we all know here, except you...

  98. JeniW 2014.09.18

    Troy, I can appreciate your support for Rounds, each of us have those we prefer and those we do not.

    That said, the EB5/GOAD issue is not the main, or the only issue as to why I do not like Rounds, and will never vote for him for anything. I way more prefer Pressler over Rounds.

    I could cite my reasons for disliking Rounds, but I have done so on other threads. I am not sure if you are one of Rounds campaign team or not, and you are using this cite to campaign for him, and coaching him about what others are commenting on.

    When some Republicans have blamed Obama for all the negative stuff, I have pointed out the shortcomings in SD and how the Republicans have not been successful in addressing those issues. I get the "Yeah, but, but ... that is different" and the "the "buck stops here" does not apply to the past or present governor(s).

    To put it bluntly, I trust Rounds as far as I can throw him, which is not at all, and would not trust him to make decisions about issues and concerns that impact everyone living in the U.S.

  99. lesliengland 2014.09.19

    you accept his citizenship? good, my apologies. i may have misunderstood.

    u said u stumbled onto a birther website yesterday, on this thread.

    i said sure you did.

    after your diatribe, i said i have seen a copy of obama's birth certificate framed on the wall of the hospital where he was born.

    then late tonight on this thread, u said when rounds wins we will re-think "what is real".

    but just now you coyly say you think obama is non-american, a muslim and some silly chicago sheit.

    so i think i withdraw my apology and will no longer take you seriously here. have a good night. quit wasting our time .

  100. Roger Cornelius 2014.09.19

    leslie,
    Don't worry about any birther comments, they didn't work in 2008 or 2012, and they won't work today or tomorrow. Anybody that pursues that line is a lunatic.

    By the way, does Mike Rounds have a birth certificate or was he cloned from Don Corleone?

  101. mike from iowa 2014.09.19

    If Rounds wins,this scandal will not matter in DC to Wingnuts. They will have another soldier in their quest to make Obama a one term Potus. Then,when Hill gets elected Rounds and the rest will try to make Obama a one term Potus all over again. Progressive wingnuts,forty years behind the curve and losing ground.

  102. Troy 2014.09.19

    Leslie,

    I guess this explains why you live in a fantasy land.

    I say I have never doubted his citizenship, said he was a Muslim, or being a Cub fan (Obama is a White Sox fan) and you think it is a coy statement of the opposite. Wow. Your reading comprehension needs work and your capacity to reframe information to fit your agenda and prejudice is pathological.

    By the way, the "birther website" I stumbled on is this one. You guys are just as paranoid, conspiracy minded, and as aware of reality as a "birther."

  103. Troy 2014.09.19

    And, you prefer Madville to be an echo chamber. So much for confirming liberals are anti-intellectual.

  104. larry kurtz 2014.09.19

    go home, troy: you're drunk.

  105. larry kurtz 2014.09.19

    "Evidently, former Gov. Mike Rounds thought this was a great idea, because this program ballooned in South Dakota during his administration. However, it doesn’t appear that Rounds asked for much accountability from those he put in charge. Because if he had, we would not have had a few individuals making financial deals that involve millions of dollars, with little or no supervision. What kind of leadership is that? I guess you don’t need to be much of a leader when one political party holds all the cards and then takes a vote of silence when they are called to action. Without subpoenas, why would any of those involved talk? Silence is golden, especially when you can protect the guilty."

    http://www.argusleader.com/story/opinion/readers/2014/09/19/letter-little-supervision-eb/15871185/

  106. Bill Fleming 2014.09.19

    Troy, I think your "birther" comment was so far off the mark that people here couldn't figure out what in the heck you were talking about. Cognitive dissonance. It was, in its way, like Sibby saying you are a neofacist having a conversation with us neomarxists. Or like Grudz accusing you and me of stealing his gravy taters when he had to leave the table to hit the head yesterday at the breakfast in Sturgis we never attended.

    Madville is a lot of things. Birthers and echo chambers aren't among them. But of course you already know that.

  107. Bill Fleming 2014.09.19

    To clarify, the reason "birthers" are goofy is because they insist against mountains of evidence to the contrary that Obama isn't really an American Citizen.

    The problem with Rounds and SD's EB-5 scandal is completely different. The evidence of what happened there has been shrouded, hidden and obfuscated by design (as you, yourself acknowledge) and that raises a lot of well justified red flags, begging the question, what did Mr. Rounds know, and when did he know it? A question you, yourself either can't answer or don't want to.

  108. Lynn 2014.09.19

    Troy there are times I wonder why you come to Madville to post. It's somewhat like Anne Beal that posts a grenade comment for the day and leaves for entertainment without any desire to actually discuss what and why she posted but obviously you put more thought and effort into your comments and many times willing to discuss.

    I'd say many or most that post here on Madville are multi-dimensional rather than one dimensional in their views.

    Growing up I remember my family going to both Republican and Democratic fundraisers and have had a deep respect and I have voted for Republican legislators long ago from my district. Some of those legislators are some of the best South Dakota has ever had and one in particular was a real trailblazer. Father is a Republican and Mother is a Democrat. Father always stressed vote the candidate and not just the party.

    The SDGOP has had a great responsibility being the dominant party here in the state but it has unfortunately dropped the ball several times and rather take responsibility, be totally transparent, and self police they cover, stall and deny what has been going on with for example the state's administering of the EB-5 program.

    Do you realize the opportunity they lost by self policing and instilling confidence with the citizens of SD? They may take a short term hit just maybe but they would gain the respect of many including myself if they would of handled all of this differently.

    Think about human nature. Besides the losses, communities that suffered if there is an appearance of something being covered up and it is very difficult or practically impossible to get records to find out what really happened it's only going to fester. Again all of this could of been prevented and there could of been a great opportunity for the SDGOP but it was lost.

  109. mike from iowa 2014.09.19

    When was the last time in living memory that a wingnut pol asked for or demanded accountability from anyone other than Libs?

  110. caheidelberger Post author | 2014.09.19

    Actually, I'm glad Troy comes here to post. His explication of the Obama-Solyndra-Rounds-NBP comparison is useful.

    Let me dig at a little point. Troy continues to brush off discussion of EB-5 as a federal issue. I don't know what violations of federal law the feds may be investigating and when or if they will press charges. But the main infractions we are talking about are violations of state rules and regs committed by the man who happened to be implementing EB-5 in support of Rounds's state economic development policy: banking laws, bank franchise tax, conflict-of-interest law, Board of Regents policy. The feds have no jurisdiction on those issues. We do. The South Dakota Attorney General does. The South Dakota Banking Commission does. The South Dakota Board of Regents does.

    As for Rounds's cognizance of these infractions: we have a lot of points of recognition of Bollen's hanky-panky. The state signs off on the November 8, 2007, regional center amendment request that pitches Bollen's privatization. We have Rounds himself saying he was briefed "several times" on the privatization scheme. We have the Secretary of State receiving the SDRC Inc. incorporation papers and subsequent corporate filings from Bollen himself. We have NSU attorney Meyers, BOR attorney Shekelton, and BOR exec Tad Perry cleaning up Bollen's illegal litigation on behalf of the state. We have AG Larry Long swearing that Governor Rounds received no service in the Darley complaint, which I would suggest means Long went to Rounds's office and asked, "Did you get served in this SDIBI-Darley lawsuit?"... which question common sense would see would provoke an attentive governor to ask, "Served? Lawsuit? SDIBI? What the heck is Bollen doing?" We have NSU President Smith knowing Bollen walked off with boxes of state documents when he quit. We have Richard Benda sending EB-5 duties and the opportunity to make millions in fees right out the revolving door to Bollen.

    To accept Troy's thesis of Rounds's non-cognizance, we must posit a whole lot of state officials (I just listed seven without breaking a sweat) firewalling Rounds from Bollen's stink, even when Rounds himself is in the room for some of the discussions. I will grant that non-cognizance is not nearly as damning an indictment of Rounds's fitness for office as direct naughtiness. But such persistent non-cognizance does not speak well of Rounds's ability to surround himself with reliable people to root out corruption.

    Perhaps the appropriate analogy is not Obama and Solyndra. Perhaps more apt is Iran-Contra. Rounds is Reagan (not hero 1984 Morning in America Reagan, but slipping 1987 Reagan), Bollen is Ollie North, and deniability is quickly exceeding plausibility.

    Even if Troy is right, just how clueless is a Governor allowed to be? And how clueless do we want our next Senator to be?

  111. larry kurtz 2014.09.19

    What prevents DD from pardoning the players?

  112. Roger Cornelius 2014.09.19

    Troy got my attention with this, "By the way the "birther website" is this one, you guys are as paranoid, conspiracy minded, and as aware of reality as a birther".
    When Orley Taitz pushed her conspiracy that the president wasn't born in this country, multiple copies of his birth certificate appeared and all proven fraudulent. As recently as last week Pat Boone was still promoting the birther theory.
    Cory presents documents supporting the conspiracy that Rounds and company perpetuated, note that I did not say conspiracy theory. The documents are not redacted by Cory and can be found elsewhere on the Internet.
    What I have seen and am a part of on Madville is not paranoid, with the exception of one or two commenters, the threads are well written and supported by documents and quotes from those involved.
    Comments for the most part have substance and ask legitimate questions about the topic and at times offer a theory, note I did not say conspiracy theory. We challenge each other and can provide proof when one of us is wrong. That is a well engaged conversation, not a conspiracy theory.
    Since we are offered crumbs of information from the state that refuses to adequately investigate Mike Rounds, we are entitled to engage in some speculation, that is not a conspiracy theory.
    Now Troy, compare Madeville to Pat Powers Dump Site where he rarely presents his own threads and are primarily full of press releases from Thune, Noem, and Daugaard.
    It is seldom, if ever, you can engage in a discussion without being called a dumb liberal or other trite childish name calling. I've noticed that you are often frustrated with the "profound" one liners that portend to be intellectual or insightful.
    The one thing that the Dump Site does do is reflect the shallowness of Republican voters. They can't help it, they are not to blamed, they are under the spell of a party that will continue to fight against their own best interest.
    I often say that Republican women are victims of the Stockholm Syndrome because they accept the dictates of their white masters and again, vote against issues that would be in their own best interest.
    The low income and middle class Republicans fit the Stockholm Syndrome to a tee.

  113. Troy 2014.09.19

    Roger,

    Thanks for proving my point.

    Definition of conspiracy: A secret plan by two or more to do something illegal.

    Definition of theory: an idea or set of ideas that is intended to explain facts or events

    Thus, a conspiracy theory is an explanation of the what occurred was the result of two or more who planned to do something illegal.

    Just because you assert Cory has proven a conspiracy doesn't make it not a theory. In fact, by definition it is a theory. And, when the commenters here assert a theory that is a conspiracy, they are asserting a conspiracy theory whether you want to say "conspiracy theory" or not.

    In light of your lamenting your treatment at DWC, I find it hilarious that you are so full of fantasy that you would actually patronizingly and insultingly assert that an entire class of free and independent women are victims of Stockholm Syndrome who aren't even commenting. This assertion is indefensible and even your liberal female compatriots should be admonishing you.

  114. jerry 2014.09.19

    Troy, speaking of points, have you sharpened the one on your sword to fall upon when your boy gets the number imprinted on his mug shot?

  115. Roger Cornelius 2014.09.19

    Troy,
    Don't attempt to parse your words with mine, and I have not proven you right, that notion rests in your mind.

    Two robbers conspired to rob a bank. They than executed their conspiracy and hold up the bank. Law enforcement has to figure out how this robbery happened, they offer various conspiracy theories. One conspiracy theory is proven, and the good guys arrest the bad guys.

    You know as well as I do Troy that a conspiracy theory as they relate to politics are usually a far fetched and even ridiculous idea and is not based on fact, (i.e. the birthers).

    My point is that Cory has made fact based (documents, etc.) to present his theory of an ongoing conspiracy and cover up going on in Pierre. The birthers, and you have to agree, went off the deep end with the Obama birth certificate, nothing like what you will read from Cory or Madville commenters.
    As far as Cory proving his legitimate conspiracy theory, he hasn't fully done that,Yet, but he is getting pretty damn close. Joop Bollen, Mike Rounds, Dennis Daugaard, and Marty Jackley are preventing that by not cooperating with GOAC and Tidemann not meeting his constitutional responsibilities to seek the truth.
    Cory has laid out a well documented case for the Rounds Scandal pointing to likely illegalities and often times blatant political corruption.
    This week in one of their final acts of the session, every single Senate Republican voted against the equal pay for equal work amendment. Regardless of their motives, it gives every appearance that Republicans don't respect the work women do. When liberals say that Republicans have declared war on women, this is precisely what we talking about.
    As far as the Stockholm Syndrome comment about women, I have been using that term for years and have never been called out by a woman.
    I will respect the opinions of female Madville commenters such as Deb, Lynn, leslie, SLynn and others. If I am wrong I will apologize to them, not you.

    You may read an occasional off the wall conspiracy by one or two commenters here, for the most part you will read well thought out explanations and legitimate questions.

    If you respond to the comments about women, please include Republicans support of any legislation that support women. Remember, even Kristi Noem voted against WAVI.

  116. Troy 2014.09.19

    Roger,

    My mother, daughters and wife wouldn't expect an apology from you. They would just dismiss you as a narrow minded bigot. They also don't think they need special treatment in law. They are too busy making their own way and intend to win the war against them by a paternalistic patronizing government and men like you who think they can't do it.

  117. Roger Cornelius 2014.09.19

    Troy,
    As to the point you made earlier, it is on the top of your head, buy a cap!

  118. larry kurtz 2014.09.19

    Yeah, Roger: Troy's female relatives are entitled to 5/6 catholic sacraments that men are.

    People are squealing like pigs: whistleblowers are talking with the feds while analysts pore over the Benda emails and law enforcement is following the conspiracy tracks all over GOP bodies.

  119. mike from iowa 2014.09.19

    Troy is starting to sound like Sibby Redux. Thanks for proving my point.AAAARRRRRGGGGGHHHH!!!

  120. Catherine Ratliff 2014.10.11

    The governor's #1 responsibility: SDCL 1-7-1(1): "He shall supervise the official conduct of all executive and ministerial officers."

  121. caheidelberger Post author | 2014.10.11

    And Joop Bollen was the executive officer of SDIBI, right, Catherine?

  122. JeniW 2014.10.11

    IMO, whether the issue is about the EB-5, Rounds use of the federally paid for airplane for his personal use, or his inability to create a positive relationship with any of the tribes, and other issues, it gets down to if he is not able to manage in a small state like SD, how is he going to be able to deal with the many and diverse issues that impact the whole country?

Comments are closed.