Oh Nesselhuf where art thou?

Technically, journalists don’t have a “right” to talk to anyone, let alone public officials; however, civic leaders have a responsibility to the people who elected them to speak to the press. The press is how people get the information they need to be informed citizens. Without informed citizens, democracy can’t exist.

When gathering information and setting up interviews for three different stories during the last month, I had attempted to get in touch with a certain state senator from Vermillion. After a number of unanswered phone calls and more than a couple voice-mails, I began to think that the 2010 Democratic Secretary of State candidate was ducking me.

By now if you haven’t figured out whom I am speaking of, it is the honorable Sen. Ben (BJ) Nesselhuff.

I understand the man is busy attempting to further his political career, something he said a year ago he wouldn’t do, but he is still the representative of District 17, Vermillion and the University of South Dakota.

When a story is written about the economic climate in South Dakota and what is going to be done about it in Pierre, our senators are the ones we turn to.

I’m not sure if the senator IS avoiding me intentionally, but I wonder if I was not seeking information as a journalist if he would talk to me. Is he accessible to others?

When I first met Nesselhuf during the 2008 election season, he was very likable and very accessible. I got to know the senator quite well when I went to Pierre the following January to cover the legislative session. We had drinks from time-to-time and discussed contentious issues off-the-record.

A seasoned politician such as Nesselhuf wouldn’t, one would assume, hold any differences in personal opinion against anybody, would he?      

The intention of this post is not to be in any way detrimental to Nesselhuf or his campaign for state secretary. It is merely me contemplating through Microsoft Office Word.

It might take a lot of effort on my part, but I look forward to speaking with the Sen. Nesselhuf soon.

Fair and Balanced…

During yet another night of enjoying myself at the fine establishments Vermillion has to offer, a few people approached me with dissent to some of my news articles. Apparently many of Vermillion’s residents think Joe Sneve is another liberal media tool.

I’m going to set the record straight. I write news stories. I present facts, and only facts, to the readers. If someone doesn’t necessarily like the “facts,” thats OK, but please do not accuse me of misrepresenting them.

Of course, mistakes arise from time to time for journalists; however, this is not unlike any other profession in the world.

I obviously have opinions, some very strong, about certain issues. Every journalist does. Enabling people to be journalists is a fiber in our mental make-up that allows us to put aside our opinions and beliefs and just tell the story. From there, letting the reader apply what they’ve just learned any way they see fit. That is journalism!

Is the media pushing an agenda?

Mainstream and not-so-mainstream media outlets are often accused of being “liberal.” This is not a fair accusation in most cases. Sure there are exceptions. It doesn’t take a political science major to know where MSNBC and FOX News stand on many issues, but for most other news sources it’s not so simple.

The world we live in is, by its very nature, becoming more liberal. It’s evident in the crap we see on television and the Internet. Cultures are mixing and diversifying faster than ever, and it’s all we can do to try to keep up. The injustices in the United States and the world are being erased. Erased can mean change and change is not conservative. The news media, if it’s doing a good job, has no choice but to cover these “liberal” changes in society.

That’s where I see this misconception of a “liberal media” beginning.

What do you think?

Taxation Without Representation,.. or something like that

When interviewing freshman to get their take on what it means for the university and the class itself to have zero freshmen representation in the Student Government Association for my story that ran in this week’s print issue, I was amazed to find out very few students actually knew the group existed, let alone what SGA’s main function is.

In the interview process, I asked students if they knew what SGA was. None of the 11 freshmen interviewed were familiar enough with SGA to recognize the acronym, except for Christena Georgas, who was offered a senate seat but declined due to a conflict of interest. Well more than three quarters of the freshmen were not aware USD had student government that actually dealt with significant issues.

Georgas said students fresh out of high school perceive collegiate student government to be as uninteresting as student government was at the institutions they just left.

But I’m not sure Georgas is entirely correct. She is right in that the majority of students I spoke with expressed absolutely no interest in the topic at all, but it goes beyond mere interest. They didn’t seem to think that student government was vital to the makeup of the university. Many appeared bewildered that a lack of freshmen representation in SGA was even news worthy. It just wasn’t important. If my analysis of the interviewees is even close, then let me just say this: If this is as civic-minded as these students are going to get, then we are in big trouble.

SGA needs freshmen representation in part to bring fresh ideas to the table but also there are certain issues that relate mainly to freshmen. SGA President Blake Alberts has told me more than a few times the dorm decoration ban would not have remained intact as long as it did if any of the senators or SGA administration had been aware of it. And because hardly any freshmen knew what SGA was, not one of the disgruntled students, and there were many, thought of bringing concerns to their senators.

Alberts has said he hopes to avoid occurrences such as this one and is hopeful SGA will have freshmen senators in the spring. Many freshmen aren’t sure how much they can handle when they first get to college, Alberts said.

If Mr. Alberts hopes to come through on his claimed ambitions, he is going to have to recruit like the SGA has never seen before and I hope he does.

Good luck!!!

I’m back!!!

Let me start this long overdue blog post by expressing my gratitude to those who encouraged me to get back on the horse; but I never really fell off the beast that is blogging, just gracefully hoisted myself off and away from it.

While attempting to resurrect my blog, I hope to tap into some newly acquired knowledge obtained at student government meetings and through interviews I’ve conducted for Volante stories. Local, state and federal legislation is still fair game as well.

Posts should be coming steady from here on out and I look forward to giving you some fat to chew on soon.

Cheers

Johnson Interview

Thursday night Senator Tim Johnson had a Get Out the Vote rally in Vermillion. After the event I sat down with the Senator to discuss his campaign and issues surrounding it. You can view the interview in two parts at The Volante’s webpage, VolanteOnline.com.

Picture Parody

All who watched the debate between Ben Nesselhuf and Jerad Higman noticed the candidates agreed with each other on many issues. As I was browsing through some of the District 17 Senate candidate’s brochures and I noticed they not only agree on issues, but the little things about campaigning as well.

On the back of Nesselhuf’s flyer, which emphasizes education, there is a picture of school children raising their hands in eagerness to participate in class. Higman has a flyer also touting education. On the back of his flyer, there are series of photos with school children. What I found to be a bit funny is Higman used the same photo as Nesselhuf, or vice versa, however you want to look at it. Apparently, the photo is so powerful, neither candidate could afford to go without it.  

One could assume the ad agencies used have a pool of photos to pick from and the similarity was peer chance. Also, I’m pretty sure neither candidate is aware of this. None the less, it makes me wonder how often in other political races this type of parody occurs.   

I know this revelation won’t stop the presses, but I thought I’d share it with you.   

 

The Nail in the Coffin???

Wednesday night, Oct. 29, at 7:00p Central Standard Time, Barack Obama aired a 30-minute television advertisement on CBS, NBC, FOX, BET, MSNBC and TV One and Univision; an attempt to give viewers some insight to who he is, where he comes from and what he is all about . The move is unprecedented in modern elections. Media expert Tracy Evans said the ad cost the Democratic nominee’s campaign at least 3.5 million dollars. She also said the daunting ad is evidence “that the Obama campaign has more money than there is ad time left to buy.”

It’s been no secret the Democrats have more disposable money in this election than the Republicans do. It’s also no secret that it takes money, and lots of it, to win elections. It can easily be argued that John Kerry could have, and would have, beaten President Bush in 2004 if he just had the money to combat 527’s and other negative ad campaigns, such as the swift boat ads. With only six days until Election Day and trailing by a sizable margin in most polls, things all ready weren’t looking good for John McCain, but things got a lot worse as of 7:00p this evening.

John McCain cannot win this election when Barack Obama is spending huge chunks of money at will on advertising. McCain and the Republican Party just don’t have the resources to compete anymore. However, the conservatives have always been better with grassroots efforts. I suppose that could be their one ray of hope.

It’s the Economy Stupid!

The US strike on Al Qaeda facilitators in Syria has prompted much discussion among many about whether President Bush is using our military to play politics.

Syrian Ambassador to the United States Imad Moustapha said the strike was unwarranted and was a terrorist attack. He also claimed the strikes were an attempt on President Bush’s part to gain political ground for his party in the upcoming elections.

Others have said the Syrian government hasn’t done enough to control their border to Iraq which is why the strike ultimately happened.

It’s plausible, but not likely, Bush would take advantage of a bad situation for political gain. However, the conversation is all for naught.

Pundits can say what they want about how the circumstance will affect the election, but this journalist says it won’t have an effect. Barack Obama will continue to insist his rival’s philosophies are Bush philosophies. All the while McCain will maintain his attempts to distance himself from the President. Active supporters of both candidates will be further emboldened, but undecided voters won’t be swayed by this sudden splash of foreign policy interest.

Above anything else, Americans are focused on the economy; and with only seven days until the election, and another down day on Wall Street Monday, both candidates will be telling people what they want to hear.

Party lines give people perspective

Thursday night I moderated the debate between Jerad Higman and Ben Nesselhuf. I spent a good chunk of time developing the questions for the first half of the 90 minute debate. When contemplating what to ask, I made sure not to pose any questions that could be perceived as bias. All of the questions, which you can view at the The Volante website, were neutral. It was my intention not to give either candidate any unfair advantage.

Overall, I thought the debate was a hit. Good questions and good responses all around, but there was one exception. I understand that being bipartisan is important, and I don’t blame either candidate for agreeing on more than one topic; however, a certain question prompted, in my opinion, a less than impressive answer by Jerad Higman.

The question was about public smoking bans. I expected the incumbent democrat Ben Nesselhuf to tout the anti-smoking propaganda that Americans have heard since what seems forever, which he did. What I didn’t expect was republican Jerad Higman to concede to the liberal ideology, whether it’s correct or not, that business owners shouldn’t be able to decide what they can or cannot do in their own establishments. Correct me if I am wrong, but I thought conservatives protected the interests of business owners and personal freedoms, whether they want to bring their kids to Applebee’s or not.

LIVE BLOG: Nesselhuf, Higman debate at Freedom Forum

Ben Nesselhuf and Jared Higman, candidates for District 17 State Senate, debate at the Freedom Forum at the Al Neuharth Media Center. Follow the debate with our live blogger Patrick Morrison.

For live, streaming video of the debate, click here. Mac users will have to download Flip4Mac. Click here for a free download.

For a live blog with Assitant News Editor Patrick Morrison, click here.

Nesselhuf Strikes Back, sort of…

 

In the first print edition of The Volante, which came out on Constitution Day (Wednesday), the political mud was already flying. Verve columnist Matt Hittle’s first opinion piece of the fall was an attack on Ben Nesselhuf, the incumbent District 17 senator from Vermillion. The column was a focused assault on Nesselhuf’s voting record.

It’s not up to this journalist whether or not the attacks were warranted but, by the way it read, Hittle is absolute in his beliefs. He criticized the senator for voting in support of the statewide smoking ban last year. He criticized him for voting to regulate preschools. And he criticized him for voting to raise the minimum wage. Hittle also made claims that, although the senator is a USD student, Nesselhuf has “rarely impacted the university in any meaningful way.” In concluding his column, Hittle listed the accolades of Nesselhuf’s competition, Jerad Higman(R-Vermillion).

Hittle’s rhetoric, and I use rhetoric in the most literal sense, should not take anyone by surprise. It’s no secret Hittle is the president of the College Republicans on campus and is notorious for having strong libertarian views. However, what may be relatively surprising to some is in a press release issued Wednesday afternoon in response to Hittle’s column, Nesselhuf’s camp only addressed one of the columnist’s claims, the claim accusing the senator of not doing enough to benefit the university he attends.

The press release cited four occurrences where, from their viewpoint, the senator has benefited the school and students statewide. One could assume that in analyzing the column and the press release Nesselhuf feels justified in voting for a statewide smoking ban, preschool regulation and a minimum wage hike. I can’t really speculate on why he feels the way he does or whether he does at all, but you can be sure I will find out.

Have no doubt the College Democrats are preparing a response. I cannot wait to see if the mud is thrown back, or, if by some incredible means, a more positive stance is taken.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Passing the Buck…even if it isn’t worth much.

Because of the recent events on Wall-Street and in Washington, presidential hopeful John McCain said today that he is going to “suspend” his campaign until the financial situation is stabilized with legislation and urged Obama to do the same. He also asked call for postponement of Friday night’s debate in Mississippi.

 In response to the Arizona senator’s statements, Obama said he would go to Washington to discuss and pass the bail-out legislation, but doesn’t find it necessary to stop campaigning or postpone the debate.

“We’ve both got big planes… that can get us from Washington to Mississippi fairly quickly,” Obama said.

Obama also said he thinks it’s important for Americans to hear what their presidential candidates have to say about the situation.

McCain said the situation is too dire to have the debates and in doing so legislation could be passed by the end of the weekend.

“I’m confident that before the markets open on Monday, we can achieve consensus on legislation,” McCain said.

I’m not an economist or a financial expert by any means, but anyone can see something needs to be done to stabilize the economy.  Hell, even Democrats and Republicans can agree on that, but I can’t help but think both candidates are politicizing the situation just a bit. The attack ads are flying. Both men are blaming each other for the problem. As said previously, I’m not an expert; but it’s obvious that this problem is much larger than two men. Millions of taxpayers are being affected by whats happening in Washington and on Wall Street, and all these men can do is pass the buck.

Maybe they are both to blame. They are in fact senators. Maybe their culpability lies in congress’ failure to act sooner. Either way, it’ll all come down to what the public thinks on Nov. 4.

The Great Debaters

Friday night’s debate was a success no matter who you ask.  Political pundits from both sides of the isle have been claiming victory for their candidate since it ended.

I feel I can say it was a hard fought debate by both. It seemed to be a back and forth slugfest. It was apparent that McCain had the upper hand on foreign policy. It’s no secret Obama doesn’t have the foreign policy experience his adversary has.

Obama fared better when discussing the economy which shouldn’t have been a surprise either. McCain himself admits he’s not an economic expert, and the economy isn’t his strong point.

Both candidates did a descent job at playing to their strengths.

I found it thought provoking when both men told stories of receiving bracelets from the mothers of fallen soldiers. McCain said the soldier’s mother told him to make sure his son didn’t die in vain by ensuring “victory” in Iraq. The viewpoint is understandable.

Obama responded with his own bracelet story. Obama said this particular mother asked him, “Can you please make sure another mother is not going through what I’m going through?” This, also, is an understandable position to have.

What I’m getting at is, on issues such as Iraq, neither candidate did anything to persuade anyone, as far as I could tell. They simply reiterated the partisan platform they’ve been standing on since the campaigning started, and reaffirmed already held viewpoints by the viewers and voters. So…, if there isn’t any ground gained on the issues during the debates, are they even debates?  

Bailout, Bailout, Bailout

I can’t really blame anyone for being tired of hearing about the bailout situation, and whether the proposed legislation should or shouldn’t be passed. The crisis has consumed most media during the last two and a half weeks or so. I think, however, the media is justified in giving so much coverage to the situation at hand. Realistically, all taxpaying Americans should pay attention to what’s happening in Washington.

The proposed legislation is unprecedented. The fundamental dynamics of our so-called capitalistic economy are about to change before our very eyes. I don’t know what the solution is, but I do know many in Congress think they do.

The skeptic in me immediately wants to know who Congress is heeding advice from. It appears to me many are following instructions from the fed and Henry Paulson. Paulson and the fed got us into this mess to begin with, so why are legislators looking to them for solutions?

Congress will vote on revised legislation Wednesday after Monday’s bill tanked. The new bill has stipulations on healthcare as well. The legislation includes a “Mental Health Parity.” Apparently it would mandate insurance companies to offer coverage for mental illness in the same way they do physical illness.

No matter what the outcome, the effects of the crisis are going to become more immediate in many aspects of American life.

Higman V. Nesselhuf

The South Dakota District 17 senate race is an interesting one to say the least. The school year has been the fuel on the flames without a doubt. The first fall print of The Volante offered a spirited opinion column from USD College Republican President Matt Hittle about Democratic incumbent Ben Nesselhuf and, in Hittle’s opinion, his lack of productivity as a District 17 Senator during the past four years.

The USD College Democrats are hitting back with their own onslaught of writing letters to the editor of The Volante advocating their candidate. Hittle has reported Nesselhuf’s competition, Jerad Higman, has had campaign signs torn down throughout town. Who the culprit is cannot be speculated on by this journalist, but Hittle is not shy in insisting the vandals must be Nesselhuf supporters.

The campaign fireworks have already been bright this fall, but are about to get brighter. On Oct 23 at 7:00 pm in the Al Neuharth Media Center, The Volante will hold a debate between Republican Jerad Higman and Democratic incumbent Ben Nesselhuf. The debate will be lively, I guarantee you that.

The College Democrats, the College Republicans and the Political Science League will provide a pool of questions to me and The Volante’s editorial staff. We will then choose which questions we see relevant and fair. If you would like to offer a question or questions, feel free to send questions to me or an editor at The Volante. The last portion of the debate will be questions from the audience.

It is an honor to say that yours truly will be moderating the debate.

I hope to see many of you there.  

Desperate For Depression

The second debate between Barack Obama and John McCain provided nothing new. This reporter is getting tired of chewing on the same rhetoric day after day and night after night. There are, of course, tidbits of sound bites that could be mentioned, however, none of which I find sufficient to elaborate on.

I am beginning to get frustrated with the whole thing obviously, and can’t wait for Nov 4. However, I did find one question to be thought provoking.

I will paraphrase here, but the question went something like this:

At no time since the Great Depression have Americans been asked to sacrifice outside of the military. What will you ask the American people to sacrifice in order to get the country back on track?

McCain proposed freezing spending, and Obama said the government is going to have to fix the problems. Neither really implied the American people would have to make sacrifices. My frustration peaked at this point. Before being a journalist, I am an American. I hold nationalism in very high regard. My love for America is the bedrock of my interest and passion for journalism.

With that being said, America is in such a deep hole we will, without a doubt, have to make sacrifices. The recession, though alarming to most, comes as a relief to me. Some time ago, being ignorant during an era when life’s perceived expectation were predisposed to the finer things of societal norms, yours truly had yet to realize the latter. Despite the churlish behavior, the idea maintained was always that the masses are asses.

With that said, the discussion shall progress.

Human existence and trade coupled at the dawn of man. Along with the birth of assets and monetary commodities came financial responsibility. Beings rationed their resources or died.

Before continuing, let be reiterate my disenfranchisement with any party in modern American politics. The thoughts expressed are explicitly this American’s perspective on the problems at hand.

 

 

 

It is my belief that the financial behavior of its citizens in the last three and a half decades has spoiled American society. Since the seventies, constant advancement toward the hazardous behavior, which is hasty financial decision making, has ultimately created a recession, and most have no right to dissent.

South Dakota, America, and the Capitalist West, listen up!

Be proud of our governmental processes, but it’s vital that individuals understand freedom isn’t free. The thought currently being conveyed is not the common notion of blood being spilled for freedom, but a less primitive idea. In order to maintain an efficient democracy with fundamental free enterprise underpinnings, the average citizen must realize their stake in this magnificent machine, which we call a country, is a dictating conductor of direction and transgression.

Recession, or even depression, will cure American apathy and reinstate a sense of nationalism. We are all in this together. The sooner we realize it, the sooner we can do something about the problems the baby boom generation left us to deal with.

Where do we begin?

It’s simple really. Read a newspaper, watch the news, chitchat with your neighbors, and above all else, don’t constantly think of yourself.

JFK said it best.

“Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.”

 

 

Politicians Play with Personal Freedom

This week in The Volante print edition, in order to give students a better understanding of the 2008 South Dakota ballot, I have laid out what the seven constitutional amendments and initiatives are and what they are about.

This task got me to thinking about what isn’t on the ballot. The two things that come to mind are the video lottery and smoking ban concerns. I feel it is unfortunate that these debated issues didn’t make the ballot. Citizen passed legislation, in my opinion, is preferred to politician passed legislation when it comes to issues concerning personal freedoms; and the mentioned issues being left off the ballot only invites the state legislature to do its own tampering with our freedom.

When it comes to video lottery, I can be somewhat at ease; being that every push for a ban has failed since the conception of video lottery in 1987. Not to mention the state makes bank off of video lottery taxes. You have to believe everyone at the capitol likes playing with that chunk of change.

The smoking ban issue, however, is in jeopardy of being resolved in Pierre and not by South Dakotans. One reason for the notion: Iowa and Minnesota have recently implemented smoking ban in bars and restaurants, which will most definitely put pressure on South Dakota legislators to do the same.

I am not saying whether or not smoking bans should be put in place in South Dakota; I am merely suggesting freedom issues are better off left up to the masses the freedoms pertain to. Let’s hope there are enough folks in Pierre that think like me, right?    

Joel Dykstra Interview

Hello all-

This past Tuesday I sat down and had a chat with Joel Dykstra, the republican challenger to Tim Johnson’s senate seat. Mr. Dykstra and I discussed a wide range of issues, from abortion to gun control to education, just to list a few. The senate hopeful was kind enough to let The Volante video tape the interview, and I thank him for that.

Be sure to check out the interview back at the homepage. We have broken it down into three parts. Part one is up already, and the remaining two parts will go up tomorrow and Monday. You can look forward to my interview with Senator Tim Johnson in the next couple of weeks.  

Who knew plumbers were loaded?

The final debate last week between the two most famous people in America was a bit more interesting than the first two. Of course the post-debate buzz has been all about “Joe the plumber.” McCain alone mentioned the wealthy dude from Ohio over 20 times.

I agree with idea of allowing people to keep the money they work hard for; and the wealthy work just as hard as people in lower tax brackets. Despite my somewhat conservative viewpoint, I don’t understand why the majority of the debate was spent referencing a plumber in Ohio who makes $250,000 a year. Maybe I’m way off, but I didn’t know the average plumber made that kind of coin. I think I’m in the wrong business.

But seriously, my parents don’t make and have never made that much money in a fiscal year, but are well off by any reasonable standards. Anyone who makes as much as “Joe” does isn’t struggling. I feel McCain missed the mark by initiating “Joe’s” situation into the discussion to begin with. There is a time and a place for it, but not in October when you’re behind in the polls. McCain’s effort was wasted on the wrong audience.

Obama faltered in not calling his adversary on addressing the wrong constituents, but with a perceived sizable lead he was careful not to make any waves or doing anything to diminish it. Now that the debates are done and behind us, it’s in God’s hands, or the media’s.