Citizen Writers Fighting Censorship by Helping Americans Understand Issues Affecting the Republic.
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.
One of the three South Dakota Public Utilities Commission (PUC) billets is up for election in 2026 (commissioners are elected in partisan elections to staggered six-year terms).
Let’s examine some questions that should be asked of PUC candidates this year.
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 …
Rising property taxes in South Dakota have become a major burden on homeowners, particularly seniors on fixed incomes and young families, often making homeownership feel unaffordable or like “renting from the government.”
Part I (see here) discussed the first six of the top 12 issues that continue to be debated in the state, 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.
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.
Nature’s beauty evokes a deep emotional response that many interpret as a connection to God. That divine connection was evident on a recent trip to the Dakotas.
For people who have lived most of their lives in urban areas, South Dakota, northern Wyoming, and eastern Montana (the parts with which I’m familiar) would seem like completely foreign countries