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Noem Not Doing Job, Waiting for Someone Else to Build Consensus to Protect Property Rights

Six Republican Representatives—Jon Hansen, Carl Perry, Scott Odenbach, and rookies Scott Moore, Karla Lems, and Brandi Schaefbauer—are trying to get their Legislative colleagues to sign a petition to convene a Special Session on eminent domain to respond to landowners concerns that an Iowa corporation is seizing their land for a private, for-profit carbon dioxide pipeline. Governor Kristi Noem, who has wanly claimed to stand perpetually with landowners, has refused to help bring lawmakers together for that discussion:

Gov. Kristi Noem voiced her skepticism on the likelihood of a special session before the petition was circulated.

“Well, the legislature has the ability to go into session. And once they go into session they have to act. What their leadership has told me is that they don’t have consensus, they don’t have the ability to pass a bill right now, if they were to go into special session,” Noem said. “So, me forcing them to do so would be fruitless. The legislature can build consensus, come forward with a bill, call themselves into session, and take action if that’s what they choose to do” [Evan Walton, “State Lawmakers Call for a Special Session over Eminent Domain,” SDPB Radio, 2023.07.19].

Landowner concerns about property rights prompted a Special Session in 2017 on nonmeandered waters. Then-Governor Dennis Daugaard called that Special Session even though he had no guarantee that Legislative leaders had reached consensus—indeed, the House and Senate had to work for ten hours, including a conference committee meeting, to work through disagreements, overcome deadlock, and pass the bill Governor Daugaard wanted.

Governor Daugaard worked to influence the Legislature toward the solution he wanted favoring the rights of landowners over the public. If Governor Noem really wanted a solution favoring the rights of landowners over her corporate Republican pipeliner friends, she could do similar work, using her enormous political capital (remember: 62% reëlection mandate!)

Instead, she’s busy playing nurse/plumber/welder dress-up to get out-of-state web hits.

Public concern about the use of eminent domain for private corporate projects seems to be more prominent than the concern about nonmeandered waters that prompted the 2017 Special Session. The threat posed to property rights by wealthy outside corporations seems greater than the threat posed by people fishing and canoeing on new lakes. If Governor Noem really stood with landowners, she wouldn’t wait for consensus to materialize on its own; she’d round up legislators and (perhaps with the help of an effective chief of staff?) whip them into a consensus of her liking.

13 Comments

  1. Ryan 2023-07-20 09:06

    Gosh, can you imagine all that we could accomplish to better society if people weren’t so easily conned by shysters?

  2. Dave Spier 2023-07-20 09:52

    Noem is too busy building her national image to get involved in tough fights at home – especially when one of the sides has directed lotsa money her way. South Dakota is funding her national campaign via those faux ads showcasing her more than the state.

    Kind of soon for DJT to announce his VP choice.
    It would be a surprise if Rapid City doesn’t get stuck with the security bill like Sioux Falls did when DJT came there and saved Noem’s campaign against Billie.

    Ignore and distract. I regret ever voting for the show pony.

  3. sx123 2023-07-20 11:24

    @Dave – I would bet you are not alone. What % of farmers voted for her and now have a pipeline proposed through their fields? I’d say near 100%.

  4. leslie 2023-07-20 12:49

    gosh, oh gee! Noem is a complete, incompetent flake of an elected leader—and she has squared off against Sheryl Crow and has been busy playing in the make-up/botox box making selfies—along with her likely steroid use (my guess) for those big arms and hands. Kristi wants to be Taylor Swift.

    https://www.thedailybeast.com/right-wingers-flock-to-jason-aldeans-defense-after-pro-lynching-video-pulled?ref=home

    She gives guns to her toddler grandchildren? Of course! Mike Rounds openly threatens President Biden with his guns and a vicious dog.

    John Thune is so in-bed with Mitch McConnell that he can’t tell the difference between the truth and RADICAL CONSERVATIVE EXTREME REPUBLICAN hate-mongering! But despite the right’s senseless attacks on Biden eating ice cream, John still wants those votes and said yesterday on Twitter there is “No better way to celebrate #NationalIceCreamDay & a hot summer day in South Dakota than with a Blizzard.”

    Republicans are so desperate to find fault with Biden, last week Thune’s great thinking brought us this Twitter gem:

    “Instead of completing border wall construction, President Biden is allowing millions of dollars of steel to go unused — creating a literal “wall of waste” at the southern border.”

    He is literally blaming Biden for wasting an opportunity to continue building Trump’s Republican Border Wall (C). Talk about digging in his heels on one of the stupidest of Trump’s ideas.

    Digging in your heels has consequences. Now that idiot Texas governor Abbot is trying to drown immigrant children in the Rio Grande. South Dakota did that too, to the Indians and protestors on its North Dakota border not too long ago spraying ice water cannons as crowd control at them on the Cannonball River in the late November Standing Rock Reservation border. Using the states or National Guard militias! https://www.reuters.com/article/us-north-dakota-pipeline-idUSKBN13G1RS

    When will Republicans have had enough of Republicans and Trump’s racism, misogyny and criminality? When— John, Kristi, Mike and Dusty? Just because you can manipulate and deceive your South Dakota voters with disinformation designed for that purpose, doesn’t mean you should.

  5. Arlo Blundt 2023-07-20 14:28

    Being Governor leads to a lot of messy situations which make the Governor “feel sad.” The Governor avoids situations which make her “feel sad.” The Girl Just Wants To Have Fun.

  6. e platypus onion 2023-07-20 14:48

    As long as we are on the Cyndi Lauper vibe, if Noem really wants to have fun there is always She Bop.

  7. e platypus onion 2023-07-20 14:52

    She wouldn’t have to ” Drive all Night” to “She Bop” “Time After Time.”to “Find Her True Colors” because “Money Changes Everything.”

  8. Robert Kolbe 2023-07-20 19:15

    Our fine Governor has a Constitutional right for Cranial Rectitus. Here she can at least call people together to debate this Constitutional problem.

  9. 96Tears 2023-07-20 19:46

    If you want to understand Kristi Noem’s idea of her job, I hope the following will help clarify it. Now the theme of a popular new movie:

    Hiya, Barbie
    Hi, Ken
    You want to go for a ride?
    Sure, Ken
    Jump in
    I’m a Barbie girl, in the Barbie world
    Life in plastic, it’s fantastic
    You can brush my hair, undress me everywhere
    Imagination, life is your creation
    Come on, Barbie, let’s go party
    I’m a Barbie girl, in the Barbie world
    Life in plastic, it’s fantastic
    You can brush my hair, undress me everywhere
    Imagination, life is your creation
    I’m a blonde bimbo girl in a fantasy world
    Dress me up, make it tight, I’m your dolly
    You’re my doll, rock’n’roll, feel the glamour in pink
    Kiss me here, touch me there, hanky panky
    You can touch
    You can play
    If you say, “I’m always yours” (ooh, oh)
    I’m a Barbie girl, in the Barbie world
    Life in plastic, it’s fantastic
    You can brush my hair, undress me everywhere
    Imagination, life is your creation
    Come on, Barbie, let’s go party (ah ah ah yeah)
    Come on, Barbie, let’s go party (ooh oh, ooh oh)
    Come on, Barbie, let’s go party (ah ah ah yeah)
    Come on, Barbie, let’s go party (ooh oh, ooh oh)
    Make me walk, make me talk, do whatever you please
    I can act like a star, I can beg on my knees
    Come jump in, bimbo friend, let us do it again
    Hit the town, fool around, let’s go party
    You can touch
    You can play
    If you say, “I’m always yours”
    You can touch
    You can play
    If you say, “I’m always yours”
    Come on, Barbie, let’s go party (ah ah ah yeah)
    Come on, Barbie, let’s go party (ooh oh, ooh oh)
    Come on, Barbie, let’s go party (ah ah ah yeah)
    Come on, Barbie, let’s go party (ooh oh, ooh oh)
    I’m a Barbie girl, in the Barbie world
    Life in plastic, it’s fantastic
    You can brush my hair, undress me everywhere
    Imagination, life is your creation
    I’m a Barbie girl, in the Barbie world
    Life in plastic, it’s fantastic
    You can brush my hair, undress me everywhere
    Imagination, life is your creation
    Come on, Barbie, let’s go party (ah ah ah yeah)
    Come on, Barbie, let’s go party (ooh oh, ooh oh)
    Come on, Barbie, let’s go party (ah ah ah yeah)
    Come on, Barbie, let’s go party (ooh oh, ooh oh)
    Oh, I’m having so much fun
    Well, Barbie, we’re just getting started
    Oh, I love you, Ken

  10. grudznick 2023-07-20 20:58

    Did you write that song, Mr. Tears? It is very nice.

  11. Ryan 2023-07-21 08:10

    96tears – that was my favorite song in middle school, but not for the lyrics or melody. The sole female member of the group Aqua, Lena Nystrom, is the picture of beauty that noem wishes she was.

  12. 96Tears 2023-07-21 09:48

    Annoying, isn’t it? Maybe Kristi can use it for her talent portion in the 2024 RNC Presidential Beauty Pageant.

  13. Sam2 2023-07-21 19:22

    Our Governor only cares about one person and it is not you

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