2010 Election

My first term in the South Dakota House of Representatives was quite interesting and sometimes frustrating to say the least. Many of the good ideas were shot down because of whom may have gotten the credit for bringing those bills forward if they passed. There was a lot of jockeying for position as we had many members of the State House interested in running for the State Senate and for the US House of Representatives. It is important to look toward the future to serve everyone and not be self-serving and only looking for self-betterment.

In preparation for the upcoming campaign for re-election to the S.D. House of Representatives, I have been attending a lot of informational meetings, meeting with constituents, and formulating areas of importance to be addressed if re-elected.

South Dakota faces some extremely challenging budget times ahead because of the growth of state government which has averaged over 5% the past eight years. The growth of state government caused the current administration to run a structural deficit seven of the past eight years. Yes, the budget by law was balanced, however the method used has put the state in this predicament. The Administration’s usage of reserve funds and transfer of funds from various department reserves balanced the budget but has left a gaping hole for future budgets. We are facing an eighty to one hundred million dollar plus budget deficit for the fiscal year 2011-2012, which means the state will be spending that much more than the revenue collected. This is one issue that I will devote my attention to if re-elected.

We’ve had the same people running State Government for the past thirty years and history shows one party power is not always in the best interest of all residents of the state. Balance of power allows all members of the legislature to be involved in the process and share their vision for the betterment of all people. To many people, State Government is broken. We feel IT’S TIME for a positive change to get our fiscal house back in order. As your elected Representative, I will work diligently for the following:

CAP SPENDING AT 3% OR THE RATE OF INFLATION

This bill will limit increases in spending by state government to no more than 3% or the rate of inflation, whichever is less. The current Administration talks a lot, about smaller government, but their actions have not matched their talk.

MAKE STATE GOVERNMENT MORE TRANSPARENT

Under the current Administration, too much of the “peoples” business is conducted behind closed doors. We need to open up state government to the people and press so that everyone has a clear view of how things are run.

RESTORE COMPETITION/ELIMINATE “NO BID” HANDOUTS

Unfortunately, South Dakota spends about $97 million on personal service contracts, with significant amounts of these dollars being spent on “no bid” contracts.

WORK TO IMPROVE STATE FUNDING FOR ALL LEVELS OF EDUCATION

I feel that we have lagged behind in state funding of education and have been shifting too much of the burden from the state to local tax payers through property taxes and opt outs.

Education needs to be viewed as an investment for the future thus we need to work to adequately fund all levels of education. Better teacher pay will curtail the loss of quality teachers to other states that pay more and encourage more individuals to go into teaching, as a career.

We need to enable more qualified and willing youth an opportunity to pursue higher education in the state, which creates the need for affordability and accessibility of higher education. 

An educated and quality workforce is a strength that will help draw businesses to South Dakota.  And current businesses can’t expand if they can’t find the quality and quantity of workers they need, which an education helps provide.

Innovation and entrepreneurship creates opportunities, thus growing our own can be the best kind of economical development. Education helps create innovators and entrepreneurs who more often than not start and build companies where they are educated, thus creating more jobs on a local level. Solid economic growth begins with a good education.

STRIVE TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF JOBS AND WAGES IN S.D.

As a state we need to work more aggressively with the private sector to create more jobs with higher wages. Too many of our workers are under employed and working for wages that lag behind neighboring states, thus they live in poverty or just above the poverty line.  It is unfortunate that we have 1 in 7 in South Dakota that live in poverty.

Low wages in S.D. contributes to our youth leaving for better paying jobs in neighboring states and also brain drain of the brightest seeking better opportunities throughout the country. This all has a negative effect on the quality and quantity of the workforce.

Low wages also shifts too much of the burden to the government and local tax payers.  We’ve seen rapid increases in the number of people eligible for Medicaid, which sadly enough consists of many who are employed in the state, but still qualify because of low household income. 

Also low wages encourages welfare, as many individuals feel that they are better off collecting a welfare check than working for low wages. After paying a baby-sitter and
buying gas to get to and from work, a welfare check pays them more that a low wage job.
A working community is a prosperous community.

Together we can make South Dakota a better place for individuals to live, work, tour, and shop in. It’s time to move forward and create a better life style for our residents.