Guess who else is working for state government?
Lieutenant Governor Larry Rhoden’s youngest sons are about 24 and 20. Reggie is getting $17.45 an hour working for the Department of Labor and Regulation, but he’s proud to clock out from his government job, stand next to Kitty Werthmann and other right-wing radicals, and vow to defy “Socialism with every fiber of my being.”
Tristen is doing “Advanced Profession Work” for the Legislative Research Council for $15.63 an hour. Hey, Tristen! How do you feel about those government checks?
That’s what I thought.
Lt. Gov. Rhoden is thus one up on his boss Governor Kristi Noem for immediate family working nice government jobs in Pierre. Noem’s imminent son-in-law brings her to a tie with Rhoden on the nepotism count. But in dollars, the Noem clan is winning: daughter Kennedy and soon son-in-law Kyle Peters combined are pulling in $103,000 a year in tax-paid salaries, while the Rhoden boys, at full time, will just crack $68,800.
Ohferpetessake. Why doesn’t every SD taxpayer just grab a big wad of cash, take it to Pierre and put it in Noem’s hand, with another handful for Rhoden.
When they get back home, after bouncing over planetary-sized potholes, holding their breath over rickety bridges, sending their children to leaky roofed schools with 20 year old textbooks, and wondering how they’re going to keep the home fires burning, at least they’ll know they’re taking care of the Noem and Rhoden families, if not their own.
Ain’t life with the SDGOP grand?!?
Our Great Leaders demand tribute.
South Dakota, under one party rule, qualifies for one slogan after another. But one that would rise to the top with all of the Rounds family in and around state government, Daugaard, Noem and now Rhoden — a fitting state slogan should be:
“South Dakota. Nepotism R Us”
You know how attractive some couples are, say dung and dung beetles, flies and manure, etc? Pols and their worthless offspring? Drumpf and former Florida guv/healthcare company fraudster Rick Scott? Guess who is in charge of Drumpf’s new health care plan that won’t ever be ready at least not before the 2020 elections?
How about “Under Corruption the People Rule” for SD state motto?
That’s a winner, Jenny!
More like: “Under corruption the people are ruled.”
Wingnut version of “bleeding the beast”?
http://www.mormonfundamentalism.com/teachings/156-2/
The last line of the story is pure gold: Replace “polygamist” with “wingnut” and “food stamps and free medical care” with any other of the seemingly countless government-sponsored programs that their voting bloc publicly decries but privately indulges in, and you’ve got a winner.
Of course the LRC needs a 20 year old to do “Advanced Profession Work.” This has nothing to do with the fact he’s Larry Rhoden’s kid. Certainly they interviewed multiple job seekers and he was the most qualified.
I do have to call BS on the story Reggie Rhoden posted on Facebook that he says Kitty Werthmann related about her husband working as a doctor under Hitler’s socialized medicine plan. If Kitty was 12 in 1938, she would have been 18 or 19 when the war ended. She was married and her husband was a doctor then? If so, he would have been in the army. People during the end stages of the war surely were not going to the doctor complaining about splinters and such.
Noem and Rhoden put the kids in the pickup and come to town to git some them guv’mint jobs! Hillbillies who think they’ve found their pot of gold.
Seriously, why is the first impulse to sprinkle jobs and sweetheart deals on family members? And what’s wrong with those kids? Do they have so little respect for their parents’ position in public service that they think they deserve a prize too? Or are they so spoiled rotten they can’t get a job anyplace else?
https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/kitty-werthmann/
Snopes isn’t real sure of her history of events, either way.
She was a student teacher in ’44.
Why don’t you look up Larry Rhoden getting first dibs on investing in the States life insurance company (like a company could lose being a STATE company) THAT is bigger news than kids getting 15 bucks an hour….
Lora,
Have you investigated Larry Rhoden getting first dibs on the State’s life insurance company?
Do you have investigative resources?
I have visited with a few people…why Roger…did you get the same “opportunity?” If you want to talk to my source again, i will..
Nepotism at its best, come on down to your local Pierre shop and get a job.I wonder if Jason Gant will show up or magical Pat Powers.
No I didn’t get an opportunity to talk to the same source as you did, I was just curious where an allegation of that sort came from and if you could provide further information.
If true, it is damning information.
That is what I thought….seems to be the way of South Dakota….legislators getting State jobs after serving if they “vote right” as determined by the Governor….people getting bribes to be funded or threats of being primaried if they don’t “play ball” . I have not heard back from my source but i think the company is “Plains Life” or something like that ..don’t quote me until I hear back about it…but it’s one of the oldest life ins companies in SD…somehow the State got a hold of it or influence in it.
Check out Great Plains Financial….my source (a Democrat) says it was a shady “republican insider” gig that took over a life insurance company and that the state boys ran it into the ground. Im just the messenger here….I know little of the situation….not really interested but just passing on to people who have access to information. It may be a rumor but I know of no way to research it like Cory does.
Curious: did Rhoden wait until after Session was mostly done and the reporters weren’t around to pay attention before plugging his boys into their Trumpy/Kushnery positions?
I work out of the DLR in Rapid City, not Pierre, so that’s the first incorrect fact. I wasn’t hired or referred by my father, I was encouraged by a current member of the DLR staff to apply for my current position (as well as my cousin who worked in this same office years before), along with several other positions outside of the State. Some I was turned down, some I wasn’t, yet i ended up in a position I am very proud to serve. My younger brother worked a temp job for the college credit he needed for about 2 months, so compiling average earnings into a gross yearly income is pitifully unfair and intellectually dishonest. These types of dramaticized conflations dignify no response, but misinformation is a wildfire that needs to be stomped out before it spreads.
Hey, everybody! I’m verifying by e-mail that the Reggie commenting really is the Reggie of this story, but let’s take a look at the points made:
In Rapid, not Pierre—a useful elaboration! The state’s payroll website does not tell us where state employees work. The fact that the son of the new lieutenant governor has a new job for state government and does that job in Rapid City instead of Pierre does not change the essential concern of nepotism.
“I wasn’t hired or referred by my father…”—hmm… I’m looking for the line where I said Reggie was hired or referred by his father. Where is the incorrect fact I stated?
Encouraged to apply by a current member of state government—hmm… how does that alleviate any concern about nepotism?
“along with several other positions outside of the State. Some I was turned down…”—doesn’t get jobs out of state, gets this job in state government… again, I’m looking for the impact of this point.
“My younger brother worked a temp job for the college credit he needed for about 2 months, so compiling average earnings into a gross yearly income is pitifully unfair and intellectually dishonest.”—the state payroll website does not tell us how long anyone is hired for. It does not distinguish temporary and full-time employment. Anyone listed on the state employee payroll list could quit or be fired tomorrow. Such changeability, unknown to users of the state payroll website, does not change the factuality of comparing pay rates by putting them into comparable units. I could as easily have compared the salaries this way: “But in dollars per hour, the Noem clan is winning: daughter Kennedy and soon son-in-law Kyle Peters combined are pulling in over $49 an hour in tax-paid salaries, while the Rhoden boys, at full time, will just crack $33.” Would that statement have been unfair and dishonest?
“These types of dramaticized conflations dignify no response,”—but they do, Reggie says with this response, and I welcome further responses for the sake of transparency and fullest disclosure and understanding.
“…misinformation is a wildfire…”—I’m still looking for any misinformation here other than the statement of where one state employee works. We’ve stomped that out with one easy blog comment, providing information not made available on the state’s source of information. Thank you for helping—the knowledge of the crowd makes the blog work better.
We could also say that nepotism is a wildfire that needs to be stomped out before it spreads. When we see smoke, we should send people out to check for flames.
It’s great that Reggie commented so we could get info from the individual involved.
Reggie, I look forward to your follow up comments to Cory’s response. And thank you for this one and future clarifications.
Nepotism: “the practice among those with power or influence of favoring relatives or friends, especially by giving them jobs.”
“Lt. Gov. Rhoden is thus one up on his boss Governor Kristi Noem for immediate family working nice government jobs in Pierre. Noem’s imminent son-in-law brings her to a tie with Rhoden on the ‘NEPOTISM’ count”
Cory’s Response: “I wasn’t hired or referred by my father…”—hmm… I’m looking for the line where I said Reggie was hired or referred by his father. Where is the incorrect fact I stated?”
Maybe incorrect and slanderous misuse of the word ‘nepotism’, one would have to think..?
Cory’s response: “Encouraged to apply by a current member of state government—hmm… how does that alleviate any concern about nepotism?”
Being referred to a Career Advisor position by a literal Employment Specialist (Whose job is to literally refer people to jobs) isnt nepotism, that’s an Employment Specialist doing their job, Cory. This is why you should dig for information before jumping into slandering folk you dont know and have never bothered to speak to.
Cory’s Response: “along with several other positions outside of the State. Some I was turned down…”—doesn’t get jobs out of state, gets this job in state government… again, I’m looking for the impact of this point.”
I was originally selected to be hired as a Compliance Officer with the Board of Technical professions but the vote didnt pass. There were state jobs that turned me down, private jobs that turned me down, and both private and public jobs that accepted me. I chose what I was most passionate about, helping people gain employment, and I love it.
Your long paragraph and the others that follow after this are merely an attempt to save face for intellectual laziness. You wrote this article purely to slander. Had you not, you’d reached out for information to get your facts straight before publishing farcical material like an actual journalist. I should expect more objectivity in the future, or at the very least an honest phone call before you put mine and my brother’s name in your mouth.
Well, Reggie, you’re working for state government in a gubernatorial administration that’s going to be known for nepotism and incompetence. You have a surname that is also inextricably tied to that administration. It’s entirely possible that you’re eminently qualified (and more qualified than the applicants named Smith or Jones) for a job that is necessary to the function of democracy in South Dakota. If so, you’ll survive the sniping, but you have to admit, you ARE an easy target.
Quit digging, young Rhoden. You’re in way over your head.
We live in the age of Trumpistan. When people are so elitist and so self interested, that they will deny the obvious, even though there is evidence to the contrary.
Thou doth protest too much.
Oh, goody: Reggie (who didn’t respond to my e-mail, but oh well): Reggie thinks that misusing the word “slanderous” will scare me away from my position that having both sons of the Lieutenant Governor placed on the state payroll in the first couple months of holding office looks a lot like nepotism.
It doesn’t take a lot of intellectual effort to look at that situation and wonder why so many executive children are getting jobs with state government. It takes much more effort to concoct the smoke and threats and insults Reggie is blowing.
Maybe the children of our elected leaders should consider that it just isn’t appropriate for them to take state jobs when their parents are the ultimate bosses. Good organizations take steps to prohibit situations like this that create even the appearance of nepotism. But in South Dakota, we send out legislators to defend nepotism.
The facts have been set straight. Enjoy backtracking and slandering 20 year olds for getting jobs and God Bless you and yours.
Reggie, did you go to the G. Marky Mole Rat Mickelson school of voter appeasal?
I suppose “appeasement” would have been more grammaticment.
Funny how many words Reggie uses incorrectly.
At best, he set one fact straight, the location of his job, not plural facts.
I have engaged in no backtracking. I have explained the primary issue that remains unrefuted: hiring four members (or imminent members) of our two chief executives’ families looks like nepotism.
No slander has taken place.
… pitifully unfair and intellectually dishonest. These types of dramaticized [sic] conflations dignify no response, but misinformation is a wildfire that needs to be stomped out before it spreads.
Reggie, we don’t like trump either. welcome! Good to see you may know it when you see it.
My younger brother worked a temp job for the college credit he needed for about 2 months *** slandering 20 year olds for getting jobs and God Bless you and yours.
Why did the little brother you got in trouble take a state job under daddy’s administration? Coincidence? Likely there is a Latino or Muslim or Indian student needing a couple hours of job credit. Many of our children don’t have as easy a time with completion of their college educations. And many of us here don’t like unconstitutional mixing state government with religion, as your boss has been doing.
Your family are public employees susceptible to public comment for lack of integrity. I would think your God knows that. You?
We already have idiots JR and Eric who make fools of themselves daily. Please don’t add to both administrations befuddlement. Porter may have meant something like this.
So first it WAS Nepotism as you said yourself when you blatantly used the word nepotism in the actual article, but now that I’ve corrected you and you couldn’t produce a rebuttal, the object of the article is that it “LOOKS LIKE Nepotism” so really, you’ve just been right all along, right? Not backtracking? Let’s fact check that shall we?
Backtracking: reverse one’s previous action or opinion.
So, yes, %110 backtracking on the subject of nepotism. This is South Dakota, we own up to our mistakes here.
You also left out how you quoted a yearly income for a job that my younger brother only held during session which I ALSO corrected, yet received no mention in your last comment?
I will say though, after immediately debunking your incorrect use of the word ‘nepotism’ you seemed to think that baselessly claiming that I was the one incorrectly using words without defining them yourself, as I have done, was the immediate response. Here is one more word definition.
Self Projection: The attribution of one’s own attitudes, feelings, or suppositions to others. The attribution of one’s own attitudes, feelings, or desires to someone or something as a naive or unconscious defense against anxiety or guilt.
As for the slander, it’s written all over every comment you’ve made and the article itself and needs no distinction.
Reggie, you have just proven why you are not qualified for any job in SoDak which requires a working knowledge of English as your primary language.
Are we doing definititons, young Mr. Rhoden?
slan·der
[ˈslandər]
NOUN
law
the action or crime of making a false spoken statement damaging to a person’s reputation
Don’t you mean,
li·bel
[ˈlībəl]
NOUN
law
a published false statement that is damaging to a person’s reputation; a written defamation
Indeed, Porter. Until Cory can correct my own correction of his “False spoken statement” of Nepotism, then this is verified slander, so thank you for that. Until then you can all just go along pretending the main subject of the article was that it “looks like” nepotism as he backtracked to in his last reply. Thank you for that definition. Fittingly, the accumulative yearly incomes which was also ‘false’ makes it even more slanderous by its definition, as well as the claim of “right wing radicals” as I took pictures with the AG and other friends of mine during the campaign. Despite the fact that I’m personally a moderate Conservatarian and none of you know who anyone in the photos are other than Ed and Jason. I thank you for generously providing us this irrefutable proof. I appreciate the backup.
(Sidenote to Cory: I know you like to go off topic or pick and choose items to respond to in order to make it easier to “win” arguments, so to avoid confusion I’d make it clear that you respond to my previous response, and not this response which was directed to Porter.)
ANYONE who would willingly be pictured with Jason Ravnsborg or Ed Randazzo is a dangerous person, in my book.
Headline: “Two Rhoden Sons Working for the State.” True at time of publication.
“Lieutenant Governor Larry Rhoden’s youngest sons are about 24 and 20. Reggie is getting $17.45 an hour working for the Department of Labor and Regulation, but he’s proud to clock out from his government job, stand next to Kitty Werthmann and other right-wing radicals, and vow to defy ‘Socialism with every fiber of my being.'” True and true.
“Tristen is doing “Advanced Profession Work” for the Legislative Research Council for $15.63 an hour. Hey, Tristen! How do you feel about those government checks?” First sentence true. Second sentence a question, followed by a picture that represents the answer suggested by his willingness to do the job and take the government check.
“Lt. Gov. Rhoden is thus one up on his boss Governor Kristi Noem for immediate family working nice government jobs in Pierre. Noem’s imminent son-in-law brings her to a tie with Rhoden on the nepotism count. But in dollars, the Noem clan is winning: daughter Kennedy and soon son-in-law Kyle Peters combined are pulling in $103,000 a year in tax-paid salaries, while the Rhoden boys, at full time, will just crack $68,800.” Except for the mention of Pierre as the literal worksite of the four individuals referred to, a fact about which no counter-information was available and which is less important than the overarching fact of being on the state payroll, true. “The nepotism count” refers to our tally of all the close relatives or soon-to-be relatives of our executive families who at the time of this article were listed as state employees. All appear to have begin their employment after the election of their kin. Looks like nepotism to me. I stand by the word.
Reggie has proven nothing I said false other than his worksite, a trivial matter to the core issue of the appearance that being the son or daughter of our Executive Branch officials significantly increases one’s chance of landing a good job in Pierre—er, excuse me, in state government.
It’s clearly something Reggie is sensitive about and that’s understandable. However, it’s also entirely understandable on the part of the public to have questions about what’s going on.
I believe the Noem and Rhoden children did not work for the state of SD, yet soon after their parents became the top executives of the state, the children got jobs there. Of course many folks across the state suspect nepotism. The situation fills in all the correct blanks.
That doesn’t necessarily mean Reggie is a liar, but in this era of extreme political dishonesty, led by the president, of course disbelief is likely to be widespread.
That’s why most of the best run businesses and governments have laws against nepotism that they closely enforce. Regardless of what Reggie says, a significant share of the population will continue to believe the Rhoden and Noem children are mooching off them.
Is that fair? Possibly not, but that’s humanity and the price included in winning an election and part of Serving the Public.