ORLANDO, Fla.—South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem told the audience at an annual conservative conference on Feb. 27 that lockdowns and other restrictions imposed by state and local governments were to blame for the economic crash in 2020, and not the pandemic which the constraints were intended to snuff out. “COVID didn’t crush the economy. Government crushed the economy,” Noem said, prompting applause from the crowd at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Orlando, Florida. “Just as quickly, government turned around and held itself out as the savior, and frankly. the Treasury Department can’t print money fast to keep up with Congress’s wishes. But not everyone has followed this path,” she continued. Noem has become the target of establishment media and Democratic politicians for her approach to the pandemic. South Dakota was the only state that never ordered any businesses or churches to close, never imposed a lockdown or a …