An Open Letter To South Dakota's 2019 Legislators

Dear Legislators,

We live in an angry era. In my memory, citizens have not been this divided since the Vietnam War/Watergate era. We also live  in an era in which many believe that people are entitled to select their facts as well as their opinions. You have chosen to serve in interesting times.

Given the divisiveness and anger rampant in political discourse nationally and online, I have three small requests that I believe are achievable and may even be bipartisan.

First, I don't expect you to agree on everything. In fact, the two of you whom I know personally may vote against each other 75% of the time. I would ask, however, that you remember the words of a former state legislator from Illinois who urged that people act "with malice toward none [and] with charity toward all." If South Dakotans are indeed the friendly, neighborly folks we claim to be, this request should not be that difficult to fulfill.

Second, put South Dakota first and the national debate second. Although many politicians seem fixated on a large construction project far south of us, many South Dakota communities struggle to maintain their infrastructure. In addition to physical roads and bridges, work to bridge the divide that separates South Dakota's Native American community from the rest of the state's citizens. Further, don't leave education for the last moments of the session. South Dakota's students at all levels deserve better.

Finally, accept that change is a constant. In 1999 many were worried about a Y2K computer glitch creating economic ruin if not societal collapse. Google was not commonly used as a verb; Facebook did not exist, and birds were the only species associated with tweeting. In short, remember that many current controversies will not matter 20 years from now Seek the counsel of clear headed people who look to the future to guide your deliberations and decisions.

As is often the case, Shakespeare offers the best closing: as you serve during 2019, "God's benison go with you and with those who make good of bad and friends of foes." (Macbeth Act II, Scene 4)

A Look Ahead To 2019

Few of the comments that follow count as predictions; rather, they are events that bear watching.

On the national level, I have a few things I am keeping an eye on.

Will Lindsey Graham, the man who has yet to find a war he didn't love, devolve into a a 21st Century version of Joseph McCarthy? It seems obvious that the late John McCain had a far greater moderating influence on Graham's worst instincts than was previously known. Trump seems to have the superpower of making people debase themselves, so Graham, who seems to vying for the role of Trump's chief apologist,  may well sink to new depths

How will House Democrats play the game of chicken that Donald Trump has set up? It's clear that Trump is ginning up his base into a berserker rage to fight an impeachment battle. It's unclear if the Democrats have a coherent strategy to both pass legislation and deal with an angry old man full of sound and fury and capable of little to nothing positive.

Will the Democrats move beyond Warren, Sanders, or Biden and avoid the shining star of the moment like O'Rourke? In any election for national office, I will refuse to vote for anyone older than I am. The digital age demands someone who isn't old enough to remember sticking a quarter in a machine to play Pong. Likewise, I would prefer a candidate who has more of a record than raising a crap ton of money and losing to Ted Cruz.

Finally, the nation hasn't faced a major crisis since 2008, and we are likely overdue. Are there any adults in Washington capable of dealing with one when it occurs?

At the state level, there are are also three things.

Will Kristi Noem govern as a Trumpist? Governor Daugaard, for all his faults, was able to keep the worst elements of the Republican populist right fringe at bay. Noem seems much more willing to give that faction free rein.

The second question is related: what will Noem do? Her political raison d'être has been ending the estate tax. South Dakota Republicans take perverse pride in the state's low taxes and Noem's campaign promises about transparency and ethics were both vague and vapid, so it's unclear if she wants to accomplish anything other than be elected the state's first woman governor.

Finally, can the state's Democrats finally realize that Will Rogers wasn't praising them when he said, "I am not a member of any organized party — I am a Democrat"? I'll stipulate that demographics, including the urban/rural divide are against them, so they will not be the majority party, but adding a few seats shouldn't be too much to ask. Also, I fear they will continue the practice of eating their young and force some of the rising stars into statewide races prematurely.

Finally, I see that I averaged 111 words per comment in 2018 on the Dakota Free Press. I have to work to become more concise. That too will have to be a work in progress.