Amber Arlint, Republican candidate for District 12 House, has a really hard time giving straight answers about public policy. In August, she refused to tell South Dakota Public Radio and the voters where she stands on abortion policy. Now she refuses to tell the Sioux Falls Argus Leader and the voters where she stands on expanding Medicaid and legalizing marijuana:
South Dakotans are voting on two ballot measures this year: one to expand Medicaid and one to legalize recreational marijuana. How do you plan to vote on those measures and why?
If voters pass Amendment D, my role as a legislator is to implement the will of the people. As a state we have a responsibility to take care of people that truly cannot care for themselves. Voters will need to evaluate if they believe Medicaid expansion belongs in South Dakota’s Constitution. They will also need to consider the funding sustainability and its potential impact on other budgetary priorities like education, infrastructure, and public safety.
In the past, the citizens of South Dakota have voted to legalize both medical and recreational marijuana. If recreational marijuana passes again, I will implement the will of the people, work to stop illegal use, and protect children from exposure [Amber Arlint, quoted in Annie Todd, “Get to Know the Sioux Falls Candidates for South Dakota State Legislature in Districts 6–12,” Sioux Falls Argus Leader, 2022.10.16].
Amber, read the question. Todd did not ask what you will do if Amendment D and Initiated Measure 27 pass. Todd asked you (and the voters want to know) whether you will vote to expand Medicaid and legalize recreational marijuana and why you will vote that way.
Arlint’s fellow District 12 Republican, incumbent Representative Greg Jamison, had no trouble enunciating his position clearly. He’s Aye on both D and 27:
I plan on voting yes on both Amendment D and IM27. For me Amendment D is about helping the poorest South Dakotans among us. I believe Amendment D also helps mothers keep their unborn babies and when the child is born, they will both have access to care helping them live healthy lives.
IM27 is like the end of prohibition of alcohol in 1933. Marijuana is used by many and ultimately the public will decide the outcome. The use of marijuana has many problems like alcohol, and we will do our best to create a safe and well-regulated system [Rep. Greg Jamison, in Todd, 2022.10.16].
Arlint’s Democratic opponent Erin Royer was just as clear:
I will vote yes on both of these. Medicaid expansion is a no-brainer for helping South Dakotans access healthcare, supporting rural hospitals, improving access to nursing homes, and boosting the economy of SD by investing in the health of our communities. Recreational marijuana was already approved by voters in SD [Erin Royer, in Todd, 2022.10.16].
See, Amber? It’s not hard to say where you stand on ballot measures and other matters of public policy. I’d argue it’s actually a job requirement for legislators.
So hey, District 12, pick legislators who will tell you where they stand. Keep Greg Jamison in office, and send Erin Royer to help make policy. Leave Amber Arlint and her empty platitudes at home.
Amber appears to be a dim bulb. Voters have two much better choices on the ballot.
I know on personal experience that
Greg Jamison is a good man.
One of the few in Pierre that has common sense.
For crying out loud South Dakota,
EVERYONE that wants to consume
Cannabis is and has been for years.
Years.
The Neanderthal laws do not and never
have done what the cruel bastards had
in mind when they ruined countless lives
because they were circus fleas.
Time to pass IM27 so I’ll be able to
handle the next boogeyman that Fred
Deutsch and Jim Kinyon dream up.
96, I wonder: as an insurance agent, is she still too steeped in people-pleasing sales techniques that lead her to try avoiding disagreeing with her customers—oops, voters!—and thus failing to talk like a serious statesperson? She sounds somewhat intelligent when she speaks. She at least seems to be putting a lot of thought into crafting her answers to avoid taking a position. But that’s not the job of a legislator. While I agree that legislators should listen to their constituents, they must also exercise independent thought and demonstrate their ability to analyze and articulate policy positions to educate the voters. We hire legislators to pay attention to more issues with more depth than the typical person in the street has time to do. Arlint is not ready for that job.
Arlint is another “empowered Conservative woman” with an opportunity for advancement within the Party. These women are a relatively new phenomena within the Party which used to select only the old, grey, sage and barely continent men of stature to their ranks in the Legislature. I don’tm know if this rising womanhood is progress for the Party of not. They seem more regressive than the old farts.