South Dakota

Biden in Sioux Falls: A Post Mortem

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Joe Biden was in Sioux Falls on Friday; he spoke at the South Dakota Democrat Party State Convention. South Dakota media have been competing with each other in producing puff-pieces about his appearance. That’s nothing new because what passes for “major media” in this state are reflexively pro-Democrat despite the fact that 52% of the registered voters in South Dakota are Republicans (a paltry 22% are registered Democrats with the rest independents, third parties, or “no party affiliation”). No wonder their readership/subscriptions have been in the tank for years!

Energy Infrastructure, Power Grid Reliability, and Small Modular Reactors in South Dakota

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South Dakota stands at an energy crossroads. The explosive growth of data center development, driven by the artificial intelligence revolution and the insatiable demand for cloud computing, is converging with longstanding agricultural and industrial energy needs to strain the state’s grid in ways that cannot be managed through inertia or wishful thinking.

Economic Development in South Dakota, Part 1

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Analysis from a constitutional conservative perspective Economic development has been a hot topic in South Dakota for years. At one extreme, there are those among the political class who push development on behalf of out-of-state interests constantly (and seemingly regardless of the impact on long-time residents). At the other end of the spectrum are those …

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South Dakota State Politics: The Top 12 Issues, Part I Primary considerations for all candidates

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South Dakota’s 101st session of its state legislature recently completed work and adjourned last month, with a number of unresolved matters carrying forward for further work and deliberation.

The top 12 issues that continue to be debated are discussed below, with the ranking order determined by estimated public interest and salience. Each of the issues presented concludes with a positional statement on the issue from a traditionalist constitutional and fiscal conservative standpoint.