Opinion

You know the Founding Fathers, the men who laid the foundation for this great nation. You probably know Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Madison, Franklin, and Hamilton.

I first ran for public office for a handful of reasons, but the reason at the heart of everything has always been my kids – and now my grandkids. I ran to ensure that they would be able to live in the same South Dakota that I was born and raised in.

Summer in the Midwest means vacations, family holidays, stunning sunsets, fresh sweet corn, long bicycle rides, crowded state fairs, and an increased need for blood. While you enjoy your fun and summer holidays, the need for blood never takes a vacation.

The Missouri River, at 2,540 miles in length, is one of the nation’s most historic arteries. It was the primary route of Lewis and Clark on their epic journey to the Pacific Ocean and back.

When was the last time a ranch group went public and said that despite grandiose reports from the pharmaceutical industry and government about the safety of a novel and yet unapproved synthetically produced immunization delivery system for cattle - in this case, messenger ribonucleic acid, or mRNA - the truthful answer is that we don’t yet know the long-term effects of mRNA injections in livestock?

“American school children are taught that Lewis and Clark were the first white men to penetrate the interior and therefore open up the West for the fur trade and succeeding generations of settlers.” These were comments made by Shebby Lee in April of 2008. Lee, a historian, researcher, and writer, made these remarks in a paper which she presented at the Rivers and Plains 40th Annual Dakota Conference held at Augustana College. In her comments, she examined just why the American explorers were accorded such an unearned reputation.

MidAmerican Energy and Missouri River Energy Services (MRES) have long histories of safely, economically, and reliably serving their customers with the energy they need. Recently, the two companies teamed up to explore the Gregory County Pumped Storage Project as a way to store the clean energy that is already being generated from MidAmerican’s wind fleet and to supply energy to the grid when it’s needed. While pumped storage technology is proven, and the need for energy storage solutions is essential for regional reliability, MidAmerican and MRES have decided not to pursue the project at this time.

South Dakota’s kids are our future. This point really hits home for those of us who are already seeing our own kids have kids of their own! And we must set our kids up with the skills and knowledge to build the best possible future for our state and nation.

On May 20, 1873, a patent was issued by the U. S. Patent Office in Washing ton, D. C. for an item which was needed for the continued progress and success of placer miners in California. Those panning for gold at the time near Sutter’s Mill found that the conditions were terrible. Physically, they were miserable most of the time while in the water trying to separate the flakes and nuggets of gold from the sand and debris.

On this Memorial Day I am sending warm wishes to the armed forces of America, who have always been fighting, for the glory, freedom, happiness, and growth of our country and countrymen. May God bless you! Citizens please: 1.