South Dakota Identity: Best to Fly State Flag Alone Some Days

The average South Dakotan tends to see his or her identity in national and global terms these days.  That’s all most of us are able to see. Whether we turn on the television or log in to the Internet, we unknowingly buy into larger networks of priorities.

      Even local news agendas are set elsewhere.   Our very thinking is “framed” from the get-go.  We are told what values and emotions we should have—as well as which candidates to support–or relegate to the “fringe” trashcan.   Our options are narrow and one-sided.

      The question remains: should South Dakota surrender its personal identity to become just one minor player in a confederation of fifty other states, especially with the federal government becoming the sole or dominant player?

     On the federal level, the Supreme Court is much less independent than it was meant to be, while the President has more central power than ever.   The political influence of unelected billionaires seems greater than both houses of congress.

       Few citizens seem to care that  the Tenth Amendment is being shamefully ignored.  It is foolish today to talk about a “balance of power” within the national government itself.  With states losing their rights and independence, will the federal sector operate without challenge?

      Isn’t it time for states and citizens to display their state flags alone on some days as a protest and reminder of freedoms that have been lost?