John Thune

Sen. Tim Johnson was on his way to the office. The radio was on, and there was something about a plane crashing into the World Trade Center.

Like millions of Americans, Johnson heard about the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks as he drove to work. And like millions of others, he at first assumed it was a terrible accident.

We all remember where we were that day. Each of South Dakota's politicians has their own unique experience.

And they believe Sunday should be about honoring those who serve, rather than remembering the peril of the attacks.

President Obama's proposed $450 billion American Jobs Act, promising more jobs and more money in Americans' pockets, drew both skepticism and support from South Dakota officials.

Obama's plan would slash the Social Security payroll tax for employers and for tens of millions of workers. For individuals, that tax has been shaved from 6.2 percent to 4.2 percent for this year but would go back up again without action by Congress. Obama wants to deepen the cut to 3.1 percent for workers.

Washington - President Obama's plan for getting the economy back on track should include cutting federal regulations, Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., says.

Obama, who is addressing Congress tonight, is expected to propose a $300 billion package of spending plans and tax cuts.

It's a safe bet that many of America's farmers woke up in early June only to discover that Washington had been taken over by a troop of rhesus monkeys.

What was going on, they must have thought. There it was in the Federal Register, the Mount Sinai of Washington, from which wisdom is handed down from bureaucracies minor and major to the 300 million mortals who inhabit the Republic.