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Video: Kristi Noem Town Hall in Watertown

Here’s today’s just-concluded Watertown town hall with Rep. Kristi Noem, recorded by Anne Weyer. The moderator is former District 5 Senator Ried Holien:

Always fun hearing anti-regulation Republicans lay down strict rules for participation in a public forum.

Noem said she wants to hold more events like this. Let’s hold her to that promise and see if maybe we can get more than 24 hours notice of future events.

35 Comments

  1. John Kennedy Claussen, Sr. 2017-03-18 14:19

    Well, I am glad she had a town hall meeting. But you are definitely right, she does need to give more proper notice of these meetings….. Maybe Janklow’s once lack of fear (Springfield 1984), when it came to town halls, inspired her, who knows?… ;-)

    And since she held it in Watertown, I am surprised she didn’t advocate the complete ending of Medicaid like State Senator Tapio recently suggested at a legislative coffee in that town. Although, the AHCA, if enacted, would work towards doing just that, however, more or less…..

  2. Roger Cornelius 2017-03-18 14:48

    That was 1hr 25min and 48 secs wasted and that I can’t get back.
    It was disappointing that more questions weren’t directed at the chaos created by Trump and the lies that he has told South Dakotans and Americans.

    As far as town halls go, I would challenge Noem to hold one in Indian country since so much of the Trumpcare and the Trump budget cuts will significantly impact Indian reservations.

  3. Tim 2017-03-18 19:00

    RC, there is no way in hell she will come within a hundred miles of a reservation.

  4. Lee Schoenbeck 2017-03-18 20:24

    Word was out about it yesterday, more people than usually attend one of these , only people disappointed where the sport bitchers. Looks like appropriate purpose of public discourse was well served for the full house in attendance

  5. Darin Larson 2017-03-18 20:33

    Word was out yesterday? Wow, you have to love all the advance notice. . . . But she probably doesn’t know her schedule more than a day in advance.

  6. mike from iowa 2017-03-18 20:41

    Nice boots. She’s got that going for her.

  7. John Kennedy Claussen, Sr. 2017-03-18 21:38

    “Word was out about it yesterday” and ” appropriate purpose of public discourse” are the phrases of a rubber stamp acceptance and tolerance, which are not acceptable nor tolerable in a democratic society……

    I wonder how many of those in attendance were a part of a Republican Party call list, who had notice prior to the pubic at large? Representative Noem needs to hold not one, but many town halls with credible advance notice to all in our state…..

    I noticed that the DWC is excusing itself for not posting the event until the day of the event….. Apparently, the press release about the town hall must have been “lost in the mail”….Yah, that’s it…(Whatever)…. ;-)

  8. Jason 2017-03-18 21:41

    Kristi wants the elderly, disabled and children to pull up their bootstraps and work their way up the economic ladder. At the same time she receives millions of dollars from the federal government. Welfare for the rich and rugged individualism for the poor …

  9. SDBlue 2017-03-19 04:24

    She gave 24 hours notice. She held it at a police station. Was she that scared of South Dakotans? The room held 50 people and the media touts “standing room only.” Duh. On a Saturday morning, after all the St. Patrick’s Day celebrations the night before and when everybody and their brother was more than likely at a basketball tournament. Wow. Way to put yourself out there Kristi. I can’t stop laughing…a police station!

  10. Mark Winegar 2017-03-19 06:40

    Kristi may be on ACA but unlike normal South Dakotans she’s paid a $174,000 annual salary not to mention the government subsidies she receives for her ranch. If she is really concerned about the cost of healthcare why isn’t she working for cost controls on prescription drugs, medical equipment, and medical services?

  11. jerry 2017-03-19 06:41

    NOem and Jackley both have the issues of ACA/Obamacare lurking at their backs. I would run Joe Lowe against the winner of these two loosers. Have Joe Lowe run some town halls on what he would do to end the corruption and bring leadership to the state. Have Rick Weiland run to take NOem’s spot and we would see some incumbents get kicked to the curb. Why is it that when a Democrat gets beaten in South Dakota they just go off into the wilderness. Stephanie did not do that and she won. Come on fellers, your name is out there, get on that horse and ride.

  12. Jenny 2017-03-19 07:37

    Kristi kept saying there will be $2000-$14000 tax credits to help you afford health insurance. She is wrong, as of now the Trump plan only has tax credits from $2000-$4000 (NOT 14000) which will really be of little help.

  13. owen 2017-03-19 10:19

    If I heard it right Noem also discounted the CBO.

    But I wish someone would have asked her if she supports Betsy DeVos and if she supports the cuts to public education that Trump has proposed

  14. mike from iowa 2017-03-19 10:56

    You get $14000 credits when you get 9% growth Noem sez is possible.

  15. owen 2017-03-19 10:58

    Thanks for the link Tim. Maybe send it to Noem

  16. bearcreekbat 2017-03-19 12:17

    I see Noem makes the same old false “across state lines” argument about Obamacare precluding out of state insurance companies from selling insurance at lower costs to South Dakotans.

    In 1945, in response to a SCOTUS decision that the federal government could regulate insurance under the commerce clause, Congress enacted the McCarran-Ferguson Act declining to regulate insurance companies, instead expressly granting states the right to regulate health plans sold within their state borders.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McCarran%E2%80%93Ferguson_Act

    This law authorized each state, not the federal government, to decide the rules that insurance companies must comply with in order to sell insurance in that particular state.

    The ACA did not repeal that provision. Instead, it reportedly added a provision specifically allowing states to enter into compacts with other states for multi-state regulation of insurance companies.

    http://jamiedupree.blog.palmbeachpost.com/2017/03/18/selling-health-insurance-across-state-lines-its-already-legal-under-obamacare/

    If South Dakota wants insurance companies from other states to sell in South Dakota, all it has to do is repeal all of our state law consumer protection insurance regulations and we are good to go. As an alternative, if we still think some regulations are needed to protect consumers, we simply need to find like minded states and enter into the compact provided for by the ACA.

    Doesn’t it seem odd that this false talking point is still being put forth by opponents of the ACA?

  17. bearcreekbat 2017-03-19 12:32

    The National Association of Insurance Commissioners and the Center for Insurance Policy and Research also identifies and refutes several additional myths about interstate insurance sales.

    MYTH: Allowing individuals to purchase insurance a cross state lines will give them access to coverage at lower premiums.
    REALITY: Interstate sales will start a race to the bottom by allowing companies to choose their regulator. . . .

    MYTH: Mandated benefits are the reason insurance is more expensive in some states than others, and interstate sales would lower premiums by allowing people to forgo benefits they don’t want.
    REALITY: This isn’t about the mandates. Mandated benefits add, at most, 5% to the cost of a policy. . . .

    MYTH: Interstate sales will simply provide people with more options. People who don’t want interstate policies can keep the coverage they currently have.
    REALITY: Interstate sales would actually reduce the options available to consumers. . . .

    MYTH: Policies sold across state lines would be governed “cooperatively” by the states with no loss of consumer protection.
    REALITY: Allowing insurance to be sold across state lines would eliminate the ability of insurance regulators to assist consumers. . . . .

    http://www.naic.org/documents/topics_interstate_sales_myths.pdf

    Come on Kristi, (and John and Mike) at least be honest with the people you represent.

  18. Loren 2017-03-19 12:49

    Advance notice? Really, folks, can you imagine Kristi in a room full of folks, irate because of the harm these Republican proposals would do to S Dakotans? Would she cry? Would she run? Would she not show up? Please, anyone, print that “long” list of accomplishments Kristi has achieved over her tenure as our “representative”. And she wants to be our governess? Who will print her daily talking points? Maybe she can get her marching orders from Fox News, just like our “President”.

  19. owen 2017-03-19 13:55

    Bear. What insurance company could compete in South Dakota when the 2 biggest insurance providers Dakotcare and Sanford Insurance are with the 2 largest hospitals? That si why insurance left this state. Not the ACA

  20. bearcreekbat 2017-03-19 14:57

    Owen, good question. I suspect you are probably correct about the ACA’s effect on insurers in SD.

    Meanwhile, Ian Millhiser sheds a bit of light on Ryan’s “across state lines” theme:

    . . . . bold promises that are often contradicted by other proposals elsewhere in the overall package of reforms. To give just one example, Ryan’s paper places state regulators on a pedestal. These regulators, Ryan claims, “should be empowered to make the right tradeoffs between consumer protections and individual choice, not regulators in Washington.” “The federal role,” Ryan adds, “should be minimal and set a few broadly shared goals, while state governments determine how best to implement those goals in their own markets.”

    Yet, despite this stated goal, Ryan later offers a proposal that would effectively gut state regulation of the health insurance industry and impose a federally mandated, laissez faire regime on state insurance markets throughout the nation. . . .

    . . .

    . . . Ryan’s call to permit consumers to buy insurance “across state lines.” . . .

    To understand just what such a proposal would entail, however, it is important to understand exactly why many Americans historically have not had the option of buying health insurance in another state’s market.

    Even prior to Obamacare, many states had laws setting minimum standards for health insurance. . . . Allowing consumers to buy insurance “across state lines” means permitting them to buy insurance even if it does not comply with the laws of the state where they live. It is a proposal to eliminate state regulation of health insurance, by allowing insurers to avoid regulation simply by relocating to the state with the least consumer-protective laws. . . . .

    https://thinkprogress.org/the-most-overrated-intellect-in-washington-f785dbb48d1b#.wdltgkq87

    So now Kristi and friends want the federal government to run health insurance for every state rather than allow each state to decide what is best for the state?

  21. bearcreekbat 2017-03-19 15:09

    I think I might be on to Kristi’s long term plans if the “across state lines” bait is taken. She wants to be Governor in 2018 and could believe this to be a great opportunity for incredible economic development for the state. As Governor she could work to completely dismantle our state division of insurance and deregulate health insurance responsibilities altogether.

    Then fly-by-night “insurance” companies would see SD as a state in which to licence the business while marketing substandard and ineffective policies nationally. SD could make a ton of money by charging an annual licence fee to each company, thereby bringing economic development to our state, and Kristi’s popularity and legacy would be established.

    Well played Kristi, well played.

  22. jerry 2017-03-19 16:27

    Wyoming allows and has allowed for some years the insurance companies from other states to market products there. As of March 19, 2017 year of the trump, there has been a grand total of zero sales and zero interest. That dog won’t hunt. The reason insurers left the state was one reason only, the requirement from the state that 80% of premium collected must go to pay claims. They left in droves. Used to be you could buy insurance until that company took a bunch of losses and then you could go to another one if you could stand the underwriting. NOem is full of the beans, just like Jackley. They both are toxic when it comes to the ACA/Obamacare. Time to bring a good candidate like Joe Lowe or equal to kick the winner of these two loosers arse to bring about change to the state.

  23. Cory Allen Heidelberger Post author | 2017-03-19 17:32

    Lee, you know I do not bitch for sport. There are a lot of people sincerely unhappy with the Trump budget, the Trump health care plan, and Trump’s lies and selfishness. We recognize this isn’t sport.

    I might suggest Noem runs for office for sport. She certainly doesn’t run for office to get things done. Just another pageant.

  24. Cory Allen Heidelberger Post author | 2017-03-19 17:39

    Bearcreekbat, we need to shout that more: the Affordable Care Act already allows states to set up exactly the cross-state-lines insurance Noem says she wants, and in seven years, no state has taken the deal.

  25. Cory Allen Heidelberger Post author | 2017-03-19 17:40

    I agree: 24 hours notice is not enough. If I’m a Congressperson, I have a staff that can arrange and notify the public of such events well ahead of time, not just “get the word out” around town to Ried Holien, Fred Deutsch, and my other party pals.

  26. moses6 2017-03-19 18:34

    Hey Reid your a whimp

  27. Anne Wimberly 2017-03-20 10:23

    I attended this town meeting. My friends told me about it 7:30 pm the night before. I want to firstly applaud everyone who made it to the meeting on such short notice. To clarify, we were strictly told the rules at the beginning of the meeting. This was NOT set up as a place for debate. This was set up, rather, as a forum to ask one question, accept the answer, and if the moderator and Noem felt so inclined, one or two follow up questions were allowed. The manner of the meeting was controlled, and everyone respected that control, whether we liked it or not. Additionally, only one question per attendee.

    Most of the people who attended were not Noem fans. It’s a tough battle we have ahead of us, but it sure was nice to meet others from all over the state! Many drove 2 + hours on short notice to make it to this Town Hall. Keep asking for more! Noem claims that she has not been invited to any public forums except this one, which we know is not true, but now more pressure than ever is on her and her scheduler to provide meetings when asked for!!!!

    A question about DeVoss and education was asked, in fact. The short answer was the cheap answer – people want more choice with education. And, when it comes to budgets, Noem feels it best to uphold protection (i.e. cyber security, building a wall, armed forces except for Coast Guard – although people spoke out on this as well – ) over funding for education, NEA, public broadcasting, increased insurance premiums, etc. No promised support for education, or the arts, or public broadcasting, one way or the other.

  28. John W 2017-03-20 12:10

    If there are “rules” that impair ones ability to speak freely in a public forum; how can it be said that it is a public forum???? If these public meetings require the employment of a “Sergeant at Arms” so to speak, that is typical of a fraternal closed door opportunity for a “mentorship” exercise. While I understand the necessity for maintaining order and civil decorum, what I also understand is that these meetings are done for nothing more than political appearance. “Look what I’ve done”! I’ve noticed that this sort of suppressed interchange with those of us being served, (allegedly) has filtered up from all the government agencies who say they seek “public input” into policy and process when the genuine purpose of the process is to “inform” the public and provide verbal and slight of hand guidance on what to think and how to think. They have all the answers and we’re suppose to have all the mundane questions for which there are easy answers. When we leave these town halls with more questions than honest answers, just how can anyone feel comfortable or confident that our government is in good hands and not the good hands of Alstate.? These town hall meetings are no different that GFP’s public meetings to “inform the public” about the Spearfish Canyon Park Plan and Federal Government Land Trade.” The decisions have already been made and now the task at hand is to persuade and market those decisions to a public that obviously doesn’t understand anything until they are duly advised; they don’t understand what they want until properly and thoroughly informed, or they need government to mitigate disagreements on the basis of which party has the numbers resources to overwhelm the other. It is nothing but a disingenuous excuse for another “campaign” rally. I’ve heard it said that the one of the best qualities in a leader is the ability to “listen”. Just when, if ever, has Noem or any of these people “listened” to anyone. I think there are times when “Daugaard” does indeed listen. Why that quality doesn’t rub off on congressionals and his bureaucrats is bewildering.

  29. jerry 2017-03-20 14:17

    NOem as well as Jackley need to answer up why they have such a love affair with this boondoggle of a wall comrade trump wants built with our taxpayer money. Both of them need to answer why they have done everything in their power to kill Medicaid Expansion in our state that continues to cause financial problems for our hospitals. Then, for the hell of it, ask them why they both support the ending of feeding our disabled and elderly with Meals on Wheels. But who will ask them those kinds of questions? How about inviting her to a town hall meeting? Maybe have one of those tee vee stations do something like that. Those guys seem like they are good at delivering warrants so they should be able to follow the same kind of pattern and just invite our little fibber to a meeting.

  30. leslie 2017-03-20 15:22

    I am not convinced daugaard has listened and withdrawn his errant memorial to himself by taking federal land back in Spearfish Canyon. The feds just executed a 1000 acre swap, using legitimate federal land exchange rules , on the outskirts of Deadwood, bringing it into city limits.

    This reminds me of state / red-neck reactionism to Harney County Oregon and mal-named Harney Peak. Thank goodness he vetoed the recent gun law, at least.

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