Secretary of State Monae Johnson really needs to keep her nose out of economics. Not only does her latest economic report present an incomplete and imbalanced picture of South Dakota’s economy; not only does it contradict her party’s message that rising GDP helps everybody; not only does it ignore basic research on commuting and productivity; but it also lets slip under the Secretary’s smiling imprimatur an anecdote from DWU soccer coach Nicolas Reinhard that suggests life is better under the European socialism in his native Germany:
He explained that housing in Germany and Nashville is expensive and difficult to find, while Mitchell offers affordable, higher-quality housing. Nico also believed groceries in Germany are generally cheaper and higher quality than in the United States.
Regarding transportation, Nico noted that Germany’s government-operated public transportation system is more affordable and accessible, while transportation in the U.S. is often more expensive because it is privately operated.
Finally, Nico compared healthcare and taxes in Germany and the United States. Germany has higher taxes, but citizens receive benefits such as free healthcare. However, wait times can be long and quality may vary. In the U.S., healthcare is more expensive but often faster and higher quality. Nico admitted that the high cost of healthcare in America sometimes causes him to avoid routine check-ups. He also explained that taxes in Germany are automatically deducted from paychecks, unlike the annual tax filing process in the U.S. [Secretary of State Monae L. Johnson and Dakota Wesleyan University, 2026 Q1 Business and Economic Data Analysis Summary, 2026.05.21, p. 44].
Secretary Johnson is already on the outs with the radical right-wing base that elevated her to election chief over more qualified candidates. Using office time and resources to promote socialism straight from the land of Marx—that’s going to send Monae’s wingnuts into a real tizzy.