I don’t know why, but my house has been invaded by a variety of germs and viruses lately. You can’t see these “bugs” but you sure can feel their consequences. I suppose we should expect it. We are in the middle of cold and flu season. Every third person I talk to has been to the clinic, had children home from school or has had to leave work early.  These bugs zap our energy, lessen our enjoyment of life and God’s bounty and separate us from those with whom we have our closest relationships.
Once we get sick there are medicines we can take to help us deal with the symptoms, but they really don’t make the cold or flu go away. I grew up with this adage: “Treat a cold and it will last about 14 days. Leave it alone and it will last about two weeks.” What we can do is get plenty of rest, eat right and drink lots of water. No matter what we do, when we battle a cold we are in the fight alone.
Then there are the measures that restrict the access of the “bugs” to us: we can stay away from people with colds and flu, avoid crowds, wash our hands frequently and clean our surroundings. Other suggestions take more time and energy. They include regular workouts, growing organic food, cooking whole foods, along with adequate rest and again, plenty of water. The trouble is, no matter what we do the germs are there. Sometimes they are just waiting inside us. We just have to keep fighting them off one by one.
Health professionals say we can’t completely prevent colds and flu, but we can do lots of things to lessen our chances of getting them. We can get a flu shot in the fall, but it must be repeated every year.  Some people refuse to get a flu shot because of the discomfort. Others just don’t want to take the time to go get it. But many people just wouldn’t go through the season without one. It builds them up and makes them strong against the bugs out there. Still the shots can’t prevent the flu entirely, but they strengthen us against the flu’s power.
I have been contemplating how these viruses and germs are a lot like sin. We can’t necessarily see sin, but we sure do feel its consequences. Sin zaps our energy, lessens our enjoyment of life and God’s bounty and separates us from those with whom we have our closest relationships.
There are ways we can restrict the access of sin to us. We can stay away from activities that are sinful. Do a gut check. If you aren’t sure, you are probably in the wrong place or doing the wrong thing. We can clean up our surroundings. (A lot of what passes for entertainment is less than holy. Again, trust your gut.) We can live a healthy lifestyle, with plenty of rest, good food, lots of water, read the Scriptures and daily devotions and pray. The trouble is, no matter what we do sin is there. Sometimes it is just waiting inside us. We have to fight sin off, one by one.
We can’t completely prevent sin. But we can do lots of things to help prevent our falling into sin, like going to worship. Some people don’t want to take the time. Others consider it a painful experience and avoid it. Others complain that it must be repeated. For these people worship is like getting a shot. But many people just wouldn’t go through the week without it. It builds them up and makes them strong. Worship doesn’t prevent all sin, but it does strengthen us against sin’s power.
There is one big difference: when we battle a cold or flu we battle it alone, but when we battle sin, Jesus is with us, to help us battle both the sin and its consequences. Count on Jesus and do what you can to stay healthy my friends.
Your Sister in Christ,
Pastor Mindy

By Rep. Scott Parsley, Dist. 8
With only two weeks left in the main run of the legislation session, the pace has begun to accelerate. Wednesday of last week which is known as “crossover” day was a very long day. We adjourned the House for the day at 10:15 p.m. The House had nearly 20 bills to deal with on that day in order to ensure that every bill that had passed out of committee had its hearing on the House floor.
Among those bills were several controversial bills including HB 1142, the so-called “any willing provider” bill. This bill will end the practice of insurance companies negotiating with certain providers for better rates, and will allow the insured to seek any doctor they wish regardless of the cost. This bill passed the House and is now on its way to the Senate for action.
Another very controversial bill is HB 1237, which requires a waiting period to be three working days before a woman may have an abortion. The law today requires a woman to receive counseling and wait 72 hours before being able to receive an abortion; this bill excludes weekends and holidays when counting the 72 hours. The bill passed the House and is now on its way to the Senate.
We have now begun taking up Senate bills in my committees and must have everything through the second house by March 5, so we have a very busy two weeks ahead of us.
Discussion continued this week on expanding Medicaid coverage with a joint hearing of the House and Senate Health and Human Services Committee last Wednesday. Testimony was heard from more than 20 individuals and providers with the vast majority in favor of expanding Medicaid with two individuals in opposition. The testimony generally focused on the cost of not expanding Medicaid in terms of those not covered accessing medical services at emergency rooms with no ability to pay and that cost being passed on to those who have insurance.
Testimony was also presented addressing the loss in productivity and inability to maintain employment. Many who have no medical coverage don’t get early treatment, and what may have been a rather simple medical issue, turns into a big medical issue and the individual is unable to continue employment.
There is no easy answer to this issue. As I have written in the past, according to the South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation in 2010 (the most recent year data is available) almost 180,000 South Dakotans, or about 40 percent of our work force, had an income of under $11.50 an hour. At this level of income it is very difficult, if not impossible, to afford health care insurance.
As has been documented many times, we have about 48,000 South Dakotans who would qualify for expanded Medicaid should we expand Medicaid coverage. Of these 48,000 about half will have income high enough to qualify them for the insurance exchanges that will begin in January of 2014. This still leaves about 24,000 South Dakotans who need coverage that would be provided through Medicaid expansion.
As always I am very interested to hear from you about issues that are important to you. Please contact me at rep.parsley@state.sd.us.

By Rep. Leslie Heinemann
The impending snowstorm this past week delayed another activity I was looking forward to with the arrival of the little legislators from Madison. They have rescheduled their trip to Monday, March 4. We’ll pray for good weather and look forward to hosting the fourth graders at the Capitol.
The past week included an important day, crossover day, on Wednesday. The House dealt with many last minute details to get any bill that originated in the House, acted upon so it could be sent over to the Senate. Thus, the term crossover day. We debated over 20 bills late into the night and finished a little after 10 pm.  I’ll list some of the following highlights.
HB 1161 passed with a 63-6 margin. This Act continues to be a work in progress as it heads to the Senate. In a nutshell, HB 1161 would establish and provide certain incentives for projects that create new jobs, promote economic activity and  establish the rural economic development partnership program. The bill would help promote expansion of existing South Dakota businesses and provide incentives for new businesses that would create jobs.
HB 1237 (Abortion Counseling Revision) The bill would exclude any Saturday, Sunday, federal holiday or state holiday from being counted in the calculation of the 72 hour minimum time period between the initial physician consultation and the time of the scheduled abortion procedure. The bill passed the House 56-13. I supported this recommended change in statute, as it would provide better access to counseling prior to an abortion.
The Senate and House Health & Human Services Committees, which I serve on,  held a joint meeting on Feb. 20 to listen to public input in regard to Medicaid reform. The joint committee listened to public testimony for over two hours and efforts to facilitate more public discussion will be ongoing.
SB 45 passed the House on Feb. 21 and will now go to the Governor. The bill will allow citizens to apply for renewal of their driver’s license by mail or internet once in any 10 year period. This bill will make government more efficient and reduce waiting periods.
HB 1135 (Nonmeandered Lakes Bill) The bill would regulate access to and use of public waters on public and private property. The bill passed House Agriculture & Natural Resources Committee 12-1 and the House floor 37-32. However, it was defeated in Senate State Affairs on Feb. 20. Both proponents and opponents agreed to work on a compromise solution over the next year. I received a lot of correspondence, both pro and con, on this issue.
Our leaders in the legislature are expressing caution and fiscal responsibility as they prepare the state budget, realizing that significant federal cuts as a result of sequestration are very realistic. Stay tuned…
As always, I look forward to your input, and especially if you travel to Pierre.  Please call 605-773-3851 or e-mail me at Rep.Heinemann@state.sd.us if you want to discuss a particular issue.