Billions of tax dollars have poured out of Washington D.C. since the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks to help states and local governments better secure their populations against terrorist threats. But the money allocated to one state demonstrates the questionable decision-making that comes from trying to prevent future threats on U.S. soil.
South Dakota, which has only 800,000 residents, has received $100 million in grants from the
Department of Homeland Security since 2003. This largesse has been bestowed on a state with no known terrorist threats, now or ever.
The only potential threats facing South Dakota, according to a state strategic plan, come from white supremacist groups and environmentalists opposed to uranium mining and the Keystone XL pipeline.