Kaiser Health News an Politifact offered Governor Kristi Noem an opportunity to elaborate on her Fox News claims that South Dakota has taken “a unique approach” to the coronavirus pandemic that “worked really well” and that South Dakota “got through it better than virtually every other state.”
What? “Got through it,” past tense? The pandemic is over? Ah, no wonder we can afford to stop spending coronavirus dollars on coronavirus relief, keep the federal assistance, and illegally spend it on a skid steer, a new plane, and a new $200 million trust-me-forever fund.
Kaiser Health News and Politifact asked the Governor’s Office to clarify whether we are really “through” the pandemic and on what measures the Governor bases her claim:
In an email, communications director Ian Fury didn’t address the first question. On the second, Fury cited South Dakota’s standing in these categories: vaccine distribution, unemployment, the number of people moving to the state and the state’s budget surplus.
Fury dismissed using an “apples-to-apples” comparison between South Dakota and other states on measures such as deaths and case counts, saying such assessments are flawed because the timing of surges and the metrics used can vary by state [Carmen Heredia Rodriguez, “S.D. Governor Gives State High Marks in Handling the Pandemic. Are They Deserved?” Kaiser Health News, 2021.02.12].
Notice that the Governor’s Office argues that we can’t compare states on public health metrics that make South Dakota look bad, but state-to-state comparisons on the Governor’s chosen economic metrics are perfectly valid.
Kaiser Health News and Politifact look beyond the Governor’s propaganda to the actual numbers:
- South Dakota’s 205 coronavirus deaths per 100,000 residents is one of the ten worst state death rates in the nation.
- South Dakota’s persistently high test-positivity rates “can indicate a lack of adequate testing” and a higher-than-reported death count.
- We are among the top ten for vaccine distribution, but seven out of eight South Dakotans haven’t gotten a single coronavirus shot. We have not gotten through the pandemic; we’re just starting to get through it.
- KHN/Politifact find another expert, SDSU economist Evert Van der Sluis, to support the state economist’s analysis that our state economy survived and grew in the past year primarily due to a boom in wind-farm construction and lots of federal support, including lots of additional farm subsidies.
- Professor Van der Sluis warns that the shiny short-term economic numbers may mask some long-term economic harm:
“We can talk about economic well-being,” he said, “but some of the enormous harm done by covid is not reflected, at least in the short run, by economic measures.” It may become apparent in long-term measures like health care spending and lost productivity, he added [Rodriguez, 2021.02.12].
KHN/Politifact conclude that Governor Noem isn’t telling her Fox News audience the full story:
Noem’s statement on South Dakota’s performance cherry-picked the data, emphasizing the state’s economy while giving less weight to the lives lost and the burden of disease its residents suffered. We rate it Mostly False [Rodriguez, 2021.02.12].
Funny: those of us who know her and live with the consequences of her policy failures rate the Governor herself Mostly False.
Does South Dakota include the Rez unemployment stats with the rest of the state?
drumpf/noem death by incompetence count….
Last updated: February 14, 2021, 14:28 GMT
United States
Coronavirus Cases:
28,198,566
Deaths:
496,065
3373 moar, additional and too, still yet bodies tallied Saturday the 13th of February.
There is endless amazement of how poorly governed and led are these single-party flyover states. If their party had the right answers, the better policies, the better economics, the better education — these states should consistently rank among the top 10% of US states. Yet, these states consistently rank in the bottom quartile, or less. Their lying politicians successfully deceive their voters for campaign funds and support. Glance at noem, for one example, she passed 1 act while in congress – that has yet to be implemented, and the act virtually helps no one in South Dakota. The flimflam is replicated by others across these red flyover states.
Just learned that friends in Sioux Falls just got their first jab of vaccine. They’re under 75 and part of the Sanford system.
Here west river, we’re being shorted on doses and Monumental still has the monopoly on vaccines.
WTF, over?
Jeez LBN (Life Before Noem) days South Dakota was a mentioned as a good place to live and work. Now, during the Noem era, South Dakota has evolved into the state to visit to spread or catch a germ or two. Kinda like the brothels in a third world country. Without balance the 1 controlling party of the state is taking the state to undesirable rankings with pass through faces. Yep, Noem picks a number then develop or spins a untruthful story around it… she, like her mentor, believes in giving people what they want to hear, not what they should hear. Just think in 2022 Trump will order her to run against RINO Thune.
People under age 75 began receiving first doses of the Pfizer vax Saturday (Feb 13) – via the Monument clinic at the former Herberger’s in RC. Monument cannot deliver more doses than they receive.
Last updated: February 15, 2021, 14:12 GMT
United States
Coronavirus Cases:
28,262,355
Deaths:
497,175
1080 Valentines gave their lives to drumpf/noem incompetence.
In a similar vein, Texas magats are being lambasted for power outages while they laugh at Dems and global warming.
https://www.rawstory.com/texas-republicans-2650547175/
Texas does not belong to National Power Grtid and refused to spend money to freeze proof wind turbines because they are smarter than scientists. Sound vaguely familiar?