A Message from Sioux Falls for President Donald Trump
I had this message for President Donald Trump on the Patrick Lalley Show on Friday:
The president of the United States is in Sioux Falls right now, at least that was the plan. About the only way you’d know is that you probably can’t drive on Minnesota or Russell from the airport to the convention center.
I’m not going to make it to the fundraiser for Kristi Noem’s gubernatorial bid so I’m not going to get to talk to Mr. Trump. But I figure, hey, maybe he’s go the radio in the limo tuned to INFORMATION 1000 KSOO, you know, just to pick up a little local flavor.
So just in case, I’d like to speak directly to the president right now.
Welcome to South Dakota Mr. President. I hope you looked out of the window of Air Force One on the way down as it’s pretty much the only view you’re going go get going from the airport to the Kristi Noem fundraiser.
I have no quarrel with you raising money for Kristi, just for the record. That’s how the world works. I think we all get that.
Sure wish you could have stuck around awhile though. I hope Kristi filled you in on some of the things going on here and how you can make life better for us.
First off, though, I should tell you not to be worried about crime here. Kristi is sometimes misinformed on the rate of violent crime in downtown Sioux Falls. It’s not as bad as she might suggest. In fact, I’m pretty sure you and I could walk down the street this evening without any trouble, anywhere in the city.
I know you probably don’t really consider us a city. It’s only about 250,000 people after all. That’s not big, but it’s pretty good.
We have a couple issues though that I think you could help if you really want to.
First off, the trade war with China is hard on us out here. The tariffs have already cost farmers in South Dakota a lot of money. When they get concerned, they quit buying things and the people in the small towns quit spending money and then we all get a little nervous.
So please find a way to end this tit for tat. It’s not good.
And please find some common ground with Canada and Mexico. They’re our biggest trade partners. We need markets more than bailouts.
We need workers, as many parts of the country do. Our kids need access to affordable education across the spectrum, whether that’s one of our fine universities or tech schools or even post-secondary job training. Please start looking at this issue.
And on the issue of workers, we need people from all over the world. We’ve had a significant influx of refugees and immigrants. They’ve found a good life here, by and large. I think we could use more if you ask me.
Listen, I know politics is politics. It’s a contact sport to be sure. I spent a lot of time covering politics. I know there are great people on both sides of the aisle and people that didn’t particularly enjoy.
But man, you have to tone it down or you’re going to implode. Try to be a leader and not a twitter machine. Trust me, I understand the impulse to fire back but it never works.
Finally, and this is more personal, I find it’s best to start the day with a little reflection on the good things in my life. Gratitude and humility can take you a long way. I’ve learned that the hard way.
You’ve got a lot to be grateful for. I think if you expressed that a little more and lashed out a little less, you’d sleep better. Maybe watch less TV. It works for me.
Anyway, welcome to the Best Little City in America. Next time you’re here, give me a call and I can show you around.