The SDSU Collegian lands a meaty interview with South Dakota Congressman Dusty Johnson. Among the notable quotes:
- Dusty says the most important thing to get right in the Farm Bill is keeping Kristi Noem’s husband in business:
[Collegian]: Rep. Johnson, you were named the most effective House Republican for agricultural issues. What are your priorities for the upcoming farm bill?
[Johnson]…The number one job is to protect crop insurance. It’s a very effective risk management tool. A lot of producers buy it, and it’s something that they wouldn’t want to try to do business without. Number two is probably to make sure that we’re analyzing whether or not the right risk management tools exist for livestock. We’ve added a few more of those in the last couple farm bills, but I don’t know that we’re hitting the center of the bullseye yet.
Number three, I think, would be looking at our conservation programs and just make sure that we’re doing even more to encourage Working Lands Conservation [Jacob Boyko, “Rep. Dusty Johnson Talks TikTok, Pipelines, Student Debt,” SDSU Collegian, 2023.04.25].
2. Dusty says freedom means leaving people the opportunity to make bad decisions, like giving their data to Communist China:
You helped lead the charge on restricting TikTok in some federal government settings like military bases. Does Congress need to go further?
I’m a freedom guy, so I think we want to be really careful before we start to tell private citizens they can’t download private apps on their private phones. My bill, which was a Senate version of my bill, was passed at the time. That took TikTok off of all federal government devices, so I was very proud to be a pretty big part of that major legislative victory. But before we start telling private citizens what to do, I think we want to do some more analysis. I would say TikTok is nothing more than Chinese spyware. It’s just Chinese malware. Anybody who has it on their phone is making a big mistake. That being said, it’s a free country. … Our default assumption should be that people still have the opportunity to make bad decisions. Freedom isn’t getting you to decide what I want you to do. Freedom is getting you what you want to do. I think the best case scenario for all of America would be for the Chinese parent company, ByteDance, to spin TikTok off into its own company, because we know that there have been massive data releases to the Chinese Communist Party. Americans are being actively surveilled and they should not have TikTok on their phones [Boyko, 2023.04.25].
3. Dusty doesn’t say he’ll run for Governor, but he doesn’t say he won’t:
Last question: Are you running for governor in 2026?
Well, I mean, we’re a long ways away from that. I love service. I work hard. I do a good job. But it’s way too early for anybody to announce their interest in a job that’s not open for three more years [Boyko, 2023.04.25].
If we could count on Dusty to remain true to his word, it might be nice to have him run for Governor. It might be nice to have a Governor who (a) doesn’t decry socialism while deriving profit from farm socialism and (b) doesn’t preach freedom while trying to legislate away our freedom to do things that the Governor finds disagreeable.
The contrast between Howdy Doody Dusty and our three Democratic US House social justice warriors here in the Land of Enchantment is unequivocal. Our people are furious at Mr. Johnson’s Earth haters for their stinginess, race hatred and absence of compassion. The SDDP needs to get its act together and start running radio adverts against him now.
Before you vote for Gubner Dusty, consider he was a major whip for Kevin McCarthy’s Speakership. It must mean he is on the same wave length as Kevin and Marge Taylor-Greene and Gym Jordan and Rep. Comer and the Colorado Pistol Packin’ Mama… well, buyer beware!
His little spiel on freedom is interesting because it certainly goes against everything that the current Republican Party is doing. What about that?
I would like to know how short man Dusty can leave a message on my phone when the number is “blocked”.
Ms. Genie, I suspect Mr. Dusty has computer gurus. But is he “short”, or are you 6’5″?
Dusty Johnson needs to be held accountable for allowing Donald Trump to become a repeat offender.
Mr. Johnson, whatever my good friend Lar’s concerns about Mr. Trump are, is taller than my close personal friend Bob. I’ve seen them measuring up next to each other.
Say it with me, Republicans: Socialism is the beating heart of industrial agriculture. From endless billions devoted to commodity subsidies, federal crop insurance premiums (yes, Dusty, public money pays for 62% on average), indemnity payments, environmental blackmail (conservation) subsidies, market facilitation (Trump trade war) payments, to government mandate boondoggles like the RFS, to futile attempts to address systemic negative externalities like water pollution and society-level ill health propagated by a food system fueled by toxic farm chemicals and antibiotics–the bottomless taxpayer trough is the everlasting watering hole of Big Ag and its shameless minions.
I hereby nominate Nick Tilsen as our party’s choice to run for South Dakota’s At-large US Representative.
Apparently dustup johnson thinks that freedom is free.
Johnson was McCarthy’s point man on the debt ceiling nonsense bill that proposes a 22% cut in the Veterans Administration.
Truth is that republicans hate veterans, once those republicans are done with using veterans as photo ops.
If dutup johnson gets his way . . . it will effectively close the VA in Hot Springs and reduce services at Fort Meade and the Sioux Falls VA.
“According to a VA press release, that would mean 81,000 jobs lost in the department’s health services, 30 million fewer outpatient visits for veterans and an increase of disability backlogs by 134,000 claims, among a range of other concerns.”
“More than 20 veterans groups sent a letter to Congress this week protesting McCarthy’s budget, saying it would “leave many veteran resources open to cuts, potentially undoing years of progress VA has made.”
https://thehill.com/policy/defense/3976425-veterans-sound-alarm-on-mccarthy-budget-cuts/
I am a long time Republican, probally a strong “Conservative”, and a very limited government guy. I do not like many of our current Republicans in current office today, many of them are way to progressive, left leaning than I like. They are merely Democrats posing as Republicans.
ALL Federal and State Tax Subsides, Credits, Tax Allowances, Benefits, of all types are defined as “Government Welfare” aka Socialism.
I wrote an article on my own website under the name of SIOUX FALLS COMMUNITY CHRONICLE of which I posed the question – “Are We Becoming a Plutocracy”, check it out if you care to read, I tried to hit on many points of which States and Individuals have become way to dependent on the Federal Government, I think many of you may find my article interesting. Find it on my Local News tab
As a Preecinct Committeeman – I have tried to inject positive conversation, tried to present to people our history in order to learn of how we got to where we are today…
I am NOT a believer in taking any type of Federal Subsidy whether it is Farm, Healthcare, Education, Housing, Childcare, Retirement, Food Stamps, etc. One must invest in themselves for their future, and stop depending on government. It are the SUBSIDIES that force you to pay a Federal Income Tax, period.
We need to convert the Republican Party back to its origins of which it was when it was established in 1850
Welcome, Mr. Zitterich. Your flight from Pat’s Pissoir is long overdue. We listen to all points of view here then bury most conservatives in their own gibberish so anarchocapitalists beware.
Zitterich doesn’t believe in subsidies but uses Cory’s blog for free publicity for his own attempt to sway opinions. I’d say the advertising Zitterich wrote above is worth a minimum on $2500.00. Have you paid Cory yet? Or are you just taking a free subsidy?
Mr. Zitterich is insaner than most, but he’ll gladly sell you another car, Lar.
Mr. Zitterich, you have some wildly inaccurate factual information on your web place. What say you? Your credibility is in question.
grudznick is zionist for concern troll.
I thank you for your opinions we are free to disagree, But you will get no argument from me, all I want to see is a Free America. Because I am grounded in morals, values, and have the self discipline to not attack, or insult people, I really do not care if you agree with me or not. I grew up in a family where my mom owned and operated a small home daycare from 1983 to 1990 of where we had upwards of 15 kids in our home each day of the week, where I was taught early on as early as 10 years old, to take care of little ones, changing diapers, reading stories, and becoming a role model; while my father owned a small successful auto repair facility where I was taught early in life how to help operate a business, where at even 7 years old (1979) I learned how to clean bathrooms, sweep floors, to dealing with customers, which taught me early on how to manage and successfully operate my own used car dealership as a small, but perfect size for someone like me. My family was grounded, and raised by the Lutheran Catecism, where we remained very right and close to the community, where we were always friendly, honest, and carefree people, never very vocal, but easy to get along with. South Dakota is quite a wonderful “State of People very grounded in their home grown family values, Prostestant Beliefs, and Conservative Traditional Ways of Life, nearly identical to the manner of ways of which their Great-Great Grandparents first envisioned establishing the State. I am proud of the fact that my own Ancestors were smart enough to place Almighty God in our State Constitution, taking the vow to honor the Holy Trinity of Almighty God, the Holy Spirit, and Jesus, as the Trinune of God. If you people actually research our own history, you would learn of how and why the People of South Dakota act, and do the things they do, and beleive as they believe. We are truly “One State Under God”.
Mr. Zitterich uses the term “you people” and apparently has little to zero understanding of what that term implies.
– The term “you people” is confrontational and accusatory, indicating a sense of distrust or suspicion towards the person or group being addressed. “You people“ is a subconscious expression of paranoia and a state of feeling extremely anxious or fearful about something. Using such language suggests that the speaker views others as a threat, and creates a communication barrier by causing the listener to become defensive.
Mr. Zitterich. It is important to be mindful of the language you use and how it may affect other people’s impressions of your legitimacy.
P.Aitch, check out the commentary by Dr. Lilah Morton Pengrain today’s Standard, along with the comments to her piece. You are not alone in your assessment.
https://www.sdstandardnow.com/home/fkepwb53o6mitt6erokr3o875xq84m
Pengra, not Pengrain.
Mr. Zitterich, you people best keep your god away from grudznick, or I will put my government in your church.
Thought provoking piece, BCB. Thanks for sharing.
Mr. Zitterick–you state that South Dakota is “grounded in Protestant beliefs”…Please…this is just your inherited Protestant Chauvinism which is mythic in its preference for discrimination, close minded attitudes,, and judgementalism. I grew up in a small town with an even split, one third Lutheran (Missouri and Evangelical), one third Irish and Palentine German Catholic, and one third everything else. Lots of religious controversy and senseless tension, in our daily lives. The business men, primarily Irish Catholic and Methodists, did their best to hold the town together. As teenagers we thought the religious intolerance was absolutely silly and I still do.
https://www.chronicletimes.com/articles/opinion/like-crop-insurance-lay-off-food-stamps/
Cherokee, iowa, my hometown, got a new locker plant replete with government subsidies and a visit from local and state pols. Even Marlboro Barbie gets in on the action, talking about a new farm bill with food security, but ignores the fact the people that want to take food security away are firmly entrenched in the magat party and are okay with keeping luxury boat tax breaks for the wealthy while cutting food stamps and placing undue burdens in front of the needy.
Magats want to blame the “freedumb caucus” fot yjr cits but Noem and Reynolds and Burgtum hardluy qualify as “freedumb caucussers.”
https://crooksandliars.com/2023/07/gop-targets-food-assistance
Oops, they did it again.