🕵️ The Disinformation Machine: How Power Brokers Manipulate the Narrative

🏛️ SEAL SD Exposes the Tactics Against Tax Freedom

At SealSD.com, we’re fighting to pass the Core GRT Plan—part of the Maximum Liberty Plan (Plan 2)—which replaces all state taxes with a single 5% Gross Receipts Tax (GRT), generating $3.6 billion and saving you $3,000–$5,000 annually by eliminating property taxes. But history shows that constitutional amendments like ours face fierce opposition, often fueled by dark money and psychological disinformation campaigns designed to manipulate voters into rejecting them. Power brokers, both inside and outside South Dakota, will likely oppose this plan because it threatens their control—property taxes have long been a tool to keep citizens under their thumb. This page exposes the “Fake News Industrial Complex,” detailing how these entrenched interests use fear and misinformation to maintain power, and outlines strategies to counter their tactics, ensuring your voice for tax freedom prevails in November 2026.

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🕰️ Historical Resistance: Dark Money and Disinformation Campaigns

Constitutional amendments have historically faced heavy opposition from special interests using dark money—untraceable funds from anonymous donors—and psychological disinformation campaigns to sway public opinion:

• Prohibition Repeal (1933): The repeal of Prohibition via the 21st Amendment was met with fierce resistance from temperance groups backed by wealthy donors. These groups spread disinformation, claiming repeal would lead to societal collapse, using fear tactics to manipulate voters. Despite this, the amendment passed, showing the power of public resolve against dark money (April 6, 2025, 08:13).
• Women’s Suffrage (1920): The 19th Amendment faced opposition from liquor industries fearing women voters would support Prohibition. They funneled dark money into campaigns spreading disinformation, like claims that women voting would destroy family values, a psychological tactic to exploit social fears (Page 34: Deep Dive: The Bill of Rights and Tax Freedom).
• Modern Examples: In South Dakota, recent ballot measures like the 2016 medical marijuana initiative faced opposition from out-of-state groups using dark money to fund ads claiming legalization would increase crime, despite evidence to the contrary (April 18, 2025, 20:26). These tactics mirror what we expect for the Core GRT Plan—power brokers will likely spread lies to scare voters, such as “It won’t fund schools” or “First responders will suffer.”

Analogy for Clarity: Power brokers are like sneaky picnic planners—they hide picnic money in the shadows, spread scary picnic stories to keep picnic friends in line, and try to stop a free picnic because it means they can’t control the picnic anymore!

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🎭 The Fake News Industrial Complex: Fear and Misinformation

The “Fake News Industrial Complex” combines media outlets, special interest groups, and power brokers to drive false narratives, using fear and misinformation to maintain control over citizens:

• Media Manipulation: Media outlets, often influenced by dark money, amplify disinformation to shape public opinion. In the 2016 South Dakota marijuana initiative, local news ran sensationalized stories about crime spikes, funded by out-of-state groups, ignoring data showing no such correlation (April 18, 2025, 20:26). We expect similar tactics against the Core GRT Plan, with media spreading lies like “Your taxes will skyrocket” to stoke fear.
• Psychological Tactics: Disinformation campaigns use psychological strategies, such as fear-based messaging, to manipulate voters. Historical examples like the anti-suffrage campaigns exploited fears of social upheaval (Page 34: Deep Dive: The Bill of Rights and Tax Freedom). For the Core GRT Plan, power brokers might claim “Your schools will close,” ignoring the $960 million locked in for education (Page 16: Implementation Plan).
• Inside and Outside Influence: Power brokers inside South Dakota, like local officials reliant on property tax revenue, and outside groups, such as national real estate lobbies fearing a precedent, will likely fund these campaigns. They frown upon efforts like the Core GRT Plan because it threatens their control—taxation is their primary mechanism to keep citizens financially chained.

Analogy for Clarity: The Fake News Industrial Complex is like a picnic rumor mill—sneaky picnic planners whisper scary picnic tales, like “The picnic cake will disappear,” to keep picnic friends from enjoying a free picnic, even though the picnic budget is safe and sound!

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🛡️ Countering the Tactics: A Proactive Campaign

To combat these disinformation campaigns, we need a counter-campaign to protect the Core GRT Plan’s ballot initiative, ensuring South Dakotans can vote for tax freedom without manipulation:

• Expose Dark Money: Transparency is key—SD-DOGE’s public reporting can track funding sources for opposition campaigns, exposing dark money from power brokers inside and outside South Dakota (Page 29: Deep Dive: How SD-DOGE Will Function). By revealing these sources, we can discredit their narratives and rally public support.
• Educate Voters: Public awareness campaigns, like those recommended for election integrity (Page 35: Election Integrity and the Core GRT Plan), can educate South Dakotans on the facts. We’ll use social media, town halls, and local events to counter lies like “Your schools will close,” highlighting the $960 million for schools and $215 million for first responders (Page 17: Supporting First Responders).
• Amplify Citizen Voices: The First Amendment protects your right to speak out (Page 34: Deep Dive: The Bill of Rights and Tax Freedom). By sharing stories of property tax burdens—like seniors facing $3,000 annual bills on fixed incomes—at events like the Liberty Forum, we can counter fear with real experiences, building momentum (Page 22: Thank You to Liberty Forum Attendees).
• Preempt Disinformation: We’ll proactively address rumors through fact-based campaigns, such as our upcoming “GRT Truth” page, ensuring voters have the truth before lies take hold (Page 37: GRT Truth: Busting the Myths About School Funding, First Responders, and More).

Analogy for Clarity: Our counter-campaign is like a picnic truth squad—we shine a picnic light on sneaky picnic money, tell picnic friends the real picnic budget, share picnic stories of unfair fees, and stop picnic rumors before they ruin the picnic party!

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💡 Why It Matters: Protecting Your Fight for Tax Freedom

Power brokers will not give up control willingly—property taxes, and taxation in general, are their primary mechanism of control, keeping citizens in financial chains. The Core GRT Plan threatens this system by eliminating property taxes, saving $1.6 billion state-wide, and empowering you to break free. By exposing the Fake News Industrial Complex and countering their disinformation with transparency, education, and citizen voices, we can protect your right to vote for tax freedom in November 2026. This isn’t just about policy—it’s about dismantling a system designed to limit your liberty, ensuring your fight for a freer South Dakota prevails against the entrenched interests trying to stop it.

Analogy for Clarity: Sneaky picnic planners want to keep picnic friends paying unfair picnic fees, but our picnic truth squad shows their picnic tricks, shares the real picnic plan, and helps picnic friends vote for a free picnic, breaking the picnic chains for good!

📂 Learn More

• 🌄 Our Vision for South Dakota
  The future we’re building — bold, free, and family-first.
• 📊 End Property Tax: GRT Plan
  How the 5% Gross Receipts Tax will replace property taxes — and why it works.
• 📈 Revenue Verification
  Ensuring every dollar is accounted for — transparency you can trust.
• 🛡️ Safeguards to Protect Homes
  No tricks, no traps — just locked-in protections you can count on.
• 🕵️ SD-DOGE: Our Government Watchdog
  Efficiency, oversight, and a watchdog that works for the people.
• 👉 Get the Facts
  Will Prices Go Up?: Debunk myths about price increases under the GRT.
• 🚜 Family Farms & Ranches
  How the GRT protects and empowers South Dakota’s agricultural backbone.
• 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 For Our Kids’ Future
  Building a legacy of freedom and opportunity for the next generation.
• 🏛️ South Dakota First
  Prioritizing our people, our values, and our future — always.
• 🆕 What’s New?
  Stay updated on the latest developments and announcements.