September 18, 2018 www.broadcasteronline.com Confirm Kavanaugh By Sen. John Thune After the president nominated Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court several months ago, based on what I had read about him as a judge on one of the nation’s most prominent circuit courts, I said he seemed like the kind of judge who interprets the law and the Constitution as they are written. From what I had seen, he didn’t seem interested in legislating from the bench, understanding that the proper role of a judge is to just call balls and strikes. After hearing from Judge Kavanaugh at his lengthy and in-depth confirmation hearing, I’m convinced of those impressions now more than ever. Something else became abundantly clear during Judge Kavanaugh’s hearing. It helped clarify for the American people that my Democrat colleagues, who engaged in a coordinated and purely political attempt to delay the hearing to appease the far-left of their base, were more interested in scoring political points than considering Judge Kavanaugh on the merits of his nomination, which are indisputable. In fact, Judge Kavanaugh’s resume is nearly impeccable. He graduated from Yale Law School, lectures at Harvard Law School, clerked for Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy, was given the highest possible rating by the American Bar Association (unanimously), and has spent the last 12 years ruling on cases at the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, a court from which several other Supreme Court justices, including Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Clarence Thomas, and Chief Justice John Roberts, have also served. If someone were tasked with drawing up the background and qualifications of what a good Supreme Court justice would look like, Judge Kavanaugh’s record would be a good example at which he or she could look. Since my Democrat colleagues are finding it difficult to land any punches with respect to Judge Kavanaugh’s qualifications, they’ve shifted their focus to the amount of written material that’s available to be examined. Aside from the fact that Judge Kavanaugh has written more than 300 opinions at the circuit court level, all of which are publicly available, nearly half of a million additional pages of documents from his time serving in the executive branch have also been made available to the Senate. Not only is that a record number of pages for any Supreme Court nominee, but it’s more pages than the committee received for the last five Supreme Court justices (including both of President Obama’s nominees) – combined. For Democrats, 12 years of publicly decided cases and hundreds of thousands of pages of documents from his previous service aren’t enough, though. They say they want more. I would take their concerns more seriously if nearly half of them hadn’t Noem: Breaking Barriers Surrounding Mental Health By Rep. Kristi Noem In South Dakota today, about 30,000 adults and 9,000 kids live with serious mental health conditions. With nearly every family and every community impacted, it’s overloaded the system. As a result, too many are falling through the cracks, landing in a jail cell, homeless shelter, or worse. The reasons for this are numerous. Some people may lack the financial resources for treatment. Others may be able to afford help, but there are no spaces available. Still others may fear what their friends or family may think, so they never seek assistance. We need to break these barriers down. While not everything can be solved on the federal level, we’ve worked over the last few years to aggressively address this issue in the U.S. House. In 2016, for instance, we passed legislation I cosponsored to help make sure families can be meaningful partners in caring for those with serious mental illnesses. That same legislation made advances in telepsychiatry to better reach rural communities and offered more tools for suicide prevention, especially in tribal communities. Other provisions were included to fix the shortage of crisis mental health beds, improve the transition from one level of care to another, and even offer alternatives to institutionalization for those with serious mental illnesses. More recently, the House passed a bill I introduced that aims to dig into the mental health resources available to those on Medicare. Today, millions of seniors lack adequate access to mental health services. By taking a data-driven approach, I’m hopeful we can quickly and accurately target resources to do the most good with the fewest amount of taxpayer dollars. At the same time, we’ve been working to increase access to mental healthcare for veterans. In 2016, we got the Clay Hunt SAV Act signed into law, which I’m hopeful will help as nearly two dozen American veterans lose their life to suicide daily. We have also dedicated more resources to exploring how factors like military service, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and traumatic brain injuries can put one at higher risk for suicide. Still, there is much that must be done in this area. While this is not true in every circumstance, the consequences of not addressing mental health concerns could be a matter of life and death. This month is Suicide Prevention Month in South Dakota. We have one of the nation’s highest suicide rates, so please be aware of the people in your life. If someone you know is struggling with their mental health, act now. If it’s an emergency, dial 911 immediately. If not, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (1-800-273-8255) is open around the clock for help. Don’t wait to call. Together we can work to overcome this. Kavanaugh Eminently Qualified To Be Supreme Court Justice By Sen. Mike Rounds Earlier this summer, President Trump nominated U.S. Circuit Court Judge Brett Kavanaugh to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court. If confirmed, Judge Kavanaugh will replace Justice Anthony Kennedy, who recently retired from the court after 30 years. President Trump made an excellent decision when he picked Judge Kavanaugh as the nominee. After watching his Judiciary Committee hearing, studying his judicial philosophy and meeting with him in person, it’s clear that he is eminently qualified to serve on the Supreme Court. Judge Kavanaugh served on the D.C. Circuit Court—widely referred to as the “second highest court in the land”—for the past 12 years. During his time there, he issued more than 300 opinions and heard more than 2,000 cases. In fact, the Supreme Court endorsed his opinions more than a dozen times. A graduate of Yale Law School, Kavanaugh clerked for Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy, whose seat on the bench he will take if confirmed. Before his time on the D.C. Circuit Court, he worked as White House Staff Secretary and Associate White House Counsel for President George W. Bush and as a partner at a law firm. While on the D.C. Circuit Court, Judge Kavanaugh made it clear that he understands a judge’s responsibility is to interpret the Constitution and apply the law as written and not based on a judge’s personal views or political ideologies. I believe it is very important he or she recognize their job is not to make laws, it is to interpret them. Throughout his career, Judge Kavanaugh has shown that he respects the separation of powers and will not overstep his authority as a member of the Supreme Court. His opinions have shown that he is and will continue to be an independent and impartial judge. In a speech to a group of law school students in 2016, Judge Kavanaugh expanded upon Chief Justice John Robert’s premise that judges should be umpires, calling balls and strikes. He said, “At its core, in our separation of powers system, to be an umpire as a judge means to follow the law and not to make or By Gov. Dennis Daugaard those who qualify can receive assistance Aging can be a difficult thing. Whether with day-to-day household tasks like groit’s harder on the one growing older, or their cery shopping, meal preparation, laundry, loved ones, I’m not sure. When a spouse or vacuuming, sweeping and dusting. “Pera parent grows older and starts to need help sonal care” is available as well for individuwith everyday tasks, there are many difals who need a hand with routine personal ficult decisions to make. You want them to hygiene tasks. We also work with our local be close, to have as much independence as partners to offer “adult day services” which possible and you want to be there as much allow individuals to spend a part of their as you can. day outside of the home through strucMany families are dealing with these tured activities. And Emergency Response decisions today. As the Baby Boomer Systems are available for those who may be generation has aged, South Dakota is seeing at risk for falls. a growing need for services. That need will Caregiving can exact a heavy emotional, continue to grow: By 2035, it is estimated physical and financial toll. It can be espethat within our state the number of elders cially difficult for those who are juggling (65 and older) will increase by 84 percent full-time work schedules while acting as carand the number of elders with disabilities egivers for other family members. To make is expected to be 71 percent higher than it things easier, we offer caregiver services is today. throughout the state. “Respite Care” is availAnticipating these changes, we are able – which can provide some temporary redoubling our efforts to ensure that South relief for caregivers who need a break. Dakotans can access a variety of long-term Counseling and training is also available. services and supports. Last year, I signed Some caregivers may be eligible for a proan executive order to establish the Divigram which provides financial assistance sion of Long-Term Services and Supports, for supporting everyday activities. within the Department of Human Services. There’s no need to navigate the system This reorganization aims to create a more on your own. The process of aging is difintegrated approach to providing long-term ficult enough as it is, so we have people services in South Dakota and to ensure that throughout the state who are ready to help. people get the services they need within You can reach the Dakota at Home advotheir own communities. The Division supcates by calling 1-833-663-9673 or visiting ports individuals 60 years and older as well DakotaAtHome.org. Call today, and find help as adults with disabilities. to allow more South Dakotans to live longer, Following the reorganization, we have healthier, more fulfilled lives at home in focused on a program called “Dakota at their own communities. Home” which assists elders, those with disabilities and caregivers by pairing them with services offered in their Earn as much as $400+ this month communities. These services & $120 this week are designed to help people stay in their homes as long as possible. For instance, - ROOFING - SIDING - - GUTTERS - - EXTERIOR PAINTING - 605-595-7809 • Vermillion, SD TEXT ALERTS TEXT: NEWSBULLETIN TO: 20673 Get Breaking News From The Vermillion Plain Talk! *Message and data rates may apply. announced their opposition to his nomination before the first day of the confirmation hearing even began. Some of my colleagues announced they would vote against him before they even knew he was the nominee! To summarize, Judge Kavanaugh is more than qualified to serve on the Supreme Court, he has hundreds of cases and a record number of pages of documents from which he himself can be judged, and he faced hours upon hours of questioning from Republicans and Democrats on the Judiciary Committee, despite my colleagues’ best attempts to unnecessarily delay the hearing. I’m hopeful his nomination will come to the Senate floor without delay, and when it does, I look forward to casting my vote to replace “judge” with “justice” in front of Brett Kavanaugh’s name. Dakota At Home re-make the law—and to be impartial in how we go about doing that. That has to be our goal.” I couldn’t agree more. The legislative branch is responsible for making law and the job of the judiciary is to interpret it in a fair and impartial manner. I recently sat down with Judge Kavanaugh in my office where I had the opportunity to gain additional insight into his judicial philosophy. We spoke at length about his time as a D.C. Circuit Judge, as well as about issues important to South Dakotans, including the role of limited government, states’ rights, priRead vacy and cybersecurity. I appreciated hearing and his thoughts on the delicate balance between liberty and order and the thoughtful analysis Recycle that he exhibits in his opinions. In my meeting with him, it became abundantly clear that Judge Kavanaugh holds a deep respect for the federal bench and the United States Constitution. Based on his extensive Asphalt Shingle - Steel - Flat - EPDM record and my own interactions LP Smart - Cement - Vinyl - Stone with him, I believe Judge Kavanaugh Heavy Duty Seamless - Gutter Guard has the aptitude and qualifications Sherwin-Williams Pro for a lifetime appointSTORM RESTORATION - HAIL OR WIND ment to the Supreme Certified Installation Experts Court. I look Call Steve or Karl forward to supporting his nomination when it comes to the floor in the coming weeks. NEWS KING REA B Broadcaster Press 5 Stories you missed this week because you’re not a Plain Talk subscriber Photo and news coverage of the annual Ribs, Rods and Rock ‘n Roll event held in Vermillion Sept. 7 and Sept. 8, including an interview with the Minnesota family that was crowned grand champions of the barbecue competition, and a story about Marilyn Harnois being named winner of the Heck Harnois Award. Heck Harnois is a pioneer of the rich barbecue history of Vermillion that dates back decades ago. A story about the plans Gretchen Burbach has as she steps into her new role as artistic director of the Vermillion Children’s Choir. Burbach, a longtime elementary vocal instructor in Vermillion, is a founding board member of the children’s choir. News that Maxine Johnson of Vermillion is one of eight outstanding women nominated by their communities to be honored at the Spirit of Dakota’s 32nd Anniversary Celebration and Award Banquet in Huron. South Dakota’s premier woman’s award will be presented Saturday, Oct. 6 at the Huron Event Center. The award is given to a woman who has demonstrated vision, courage and strength of character in the development of her family, community and/or state. And if you want to see: A report following a public open house to share information about a Bicycle Master Plan for the City of Vermillion. Over the past nine months, a planning team has been working to develop the plan and one aspect of that plan is to gather public input. Coverage of the 135th birthday celebration of the W.H. Over Museum, which was held Sunday, Sept. 16. A report from the annual River Appreciation Day held Wednesday, Sept. 12 that attracted students from Vermillion and surrounding communities. Topics ranged from discussing the wildlife that call the river area home to other hands-on learning experiences including writing and art inspired by the flowing river channel. Pick up this Friday’s Plain Talk! 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