On the Issues: Janette McIntyre

Incumbent candidates have a voting record upon which we can rely to know whether they will support Republican values and principles if re-elected.  The best indicator of how a candidate will behave if they receive our support is how they have already voted on the issues. If a candidate has faithfully supported Republican principles in the past, there is every reason to believe they will continue to do so, if re-elected. If a candidate has done a poor job of representing Republican principles, or has even done more to help the other side than their own, then there is every reason to believe this behavior will continue if they are re-elected.

Janette McIntyre

But fresh candidates with no voting record are an unknown.  Often times we only hear sweet-sounding mottos and phrases from them that don’t really tell us how they will vote on various issues or certain bills in particular.  Also, we sometimes hear that a candidate is in favor of this issue or that, but when the rubber meets the road and a bill is before them, the tune changes.

American Clarion recently submitted a list of questions to new candidates for the South Dakota Legislature in 2016.  These questions focused primarily on bills that were considered in the 2016 legislative session, to develop an idea of how the candidate might have voted on these issues, were they in office at the time the bills were considered.

The next installment in this series comes from Janette McIntyre, a Republican candidate for the South Dakota Senate in District 34.  You can read more about her at her website.

The candidate’s responses are below, presented un-edited and in full.

How would you have voted on HB 1182, the education tax bill?

I would have voted against HB1182.  Education funding for many years has been “fixed” by demanding more money.  Efficiencies of all shapes and sizes are NEVER on the table when groups like the Blue Ribbon Task Force are created.  Example:  District 30 (where I used to live) has 7 – yes SEVEN school districts.  Wall, New Underwood, Oelrich, Hot Springs, Edgemont, Custer and Hill City.  There are not as many students there as in Rapid City with 1 (ONE) superintendent.  Until consolidations of ADMINISTRATION ONLY – No schools would close no teachers would be fired – I would not vote to increases the taxes on the voters.

If you would have opposed HB 1182, what kind of legislation would you have sponsored or supported?

Administrative consolidations must be discussed and looked at seriously.  It has been tried in the past and has been defeated with the lobbying efforts of both Superintendents association as well as school boards.

How would you have voted on HB 1008, the restroom privacy bill, and why?

I would have supported HB 1008 all the way through the veto vote.  It is common sense and we are lacking that it appears.

Would you have voted to override Governor Daugaard’s veto of the privacy bill, and why?

Yes, I would have overridden the Governor’s veto.  If you believe in the bill when it is presented, you should stick with your principals through the last vote.  And yes, the VETO is a VOTE on the bill.

Would you have supported HB 1076, the drug testing for welfare recipient’s bill, or a variation thereof? Why or why not?

I would have supported HB 1076.   I am drug tested for my position with Carnival Cruise Line.  If you apply for a job, or accept wages you abide by the terms of the company.  No one is forcing welfare recipients to take the money.  It should be just like a job.  Those are the “terms of employment.”  Taxpayers are tired of working for a living only to support those who don’t work.  Perception is reality to many.

How would you have voted on HB 1107 to protect religious freedom and the right of conscience for Christian organizations and businesses?

I support a business’s right to run their business as they see fit.

How would you have voted on HB 1110 to provide taxpayer-funded health care to pregnant illegal aliens?

I would not have supported this bill.  I see the hook that those proposing it have.  If they keep the cost down on even one neonatal baby they have saved the taxpayers but I think it is a slippery slope that we are traveling down to provide this funding.

Do you support or oppose legislation which would better enable South Dakota to deal with the illegal immigration problem in our state?

This question is a bit broad.  Most citizens are concerned about illegal immigrants taking jobs from local citizens.  I don’t believe this is an issue that impacts SD on a broad scale.

What is your opinion of Governor Daugaard’s refusal to stand against the resettlement of improperly vetted Syrian refugees in South Dakota?

South Dakotans are conservative by nature and have not been overly impacted by immigrants/refugees in the past.  The national focus on Syrian refugees makes people nervous and without some assurance that there has been a proper vetting process in place they have a valid concern.   Governor Daugaard’s refusal to stand against this resettlement seemed to make him unwilling to take a stand consistent with what his constituents want/feel.

Do you support or oppose Common Core and other nationalized education standards? Why?

I oppose Common Core.  I believe Education is and should have always been a state’s rights issue.  Directives from the national Department of Education are an over reach at best and should be seen as illegal.  Our education system has been dumbed down for many years and this is another example of it.

Do you support or oppose expanding Medicaid in South Dakota? Why?

I oppose expanding Medicaid in South Dakota.  Although the sales pitch being proposed by the Governor makes it sound like a good deal, the addition of IHS (Indian Health Service) will be another failed attempt to satisfy the treaty obligations of the Federal Government.  It will leave South Dakota taxpayers on the hook for an additional 50,000+ citizens that will be extremely burdensome and cost prohibitive.

Do you support or oppose legislation that would reduce the number of abortions that occur in South Dakota?

I would support legislation that would reduce the number of abortions in SD.

Do you support or oppose legislation allowing law-abiding South Dakotans to carry a concealed weapon without a permit?

I support legislation allowing law-abiding South Dakotan’s to carry a concealed weapon without a permit.

Based on the bills that have passed the South Dakota Legislature in the past two years, and the bills that have been killed in the South Dakota Legislature over the past two years, do you believe the majority of South Dakota Republican legislators are doing a good job of upholding the values and principles of the Republican Party? Why or why not?

I do not believe the majority of SD legislators have practiced what they have been preaching to the voters to gain their vote and support.   Their conservative principals are only as good as the next donor’s request and they should be embarrassed.  You either have principals and stand by them or you should at the very least tell the voters where you really stand.

If elected to the South Dakota Legislature, what is your number one legislative priority, and why?

I don’t believe I am a one issue candidate.  Although I don’t claim to be an expert I do have a passion for education, and South Dakota’s second economy, tourism.  I think SD has a tremendous untapped opportunity with tourism that would mean a boost to all of the local venues.  In many cases, legislators and people in general, don’t think outside of the box – tired cliché I know, but so many look at proposals with the attitude of “why this won’t work” rather than “how can we make this a positive and make it work.”   We need an attitude change!

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Bob Ellis has been the owner of media company Dakota Voice, LLC since 2005. He is a 10-year U.S. Air Force veteran, a political reporter and commentator for the past decade, and has been involved in numerous election and public policy campaigns for over 20 years. He was a founding member and board member of the Tea Party groups Citizens for Liberty and the South Dakota Tea Party Alliance. He lives in Rapid City, South Dakota with his wife and two children.

Bob Ellis

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