IT’S TIME TO SUPPORT THE GOVERNOR

By Ed Randazzo

Dusty Johnson, Governor Dennis Daugaard’s Chief of Staff, visited Rapid City yesterday and spoke to the Ambassadors Club meeting at the Holiday Inn.

In most effective fashion, Dusty reminded the assemblage of the Governor’s budget proposal. Governor Daugaard has commited to balance the budget and eliminate the structural deficit in one year without the use of state reserves, one-time money or increasing taxes.

Since revenue is declining, the only way to accomplish this is to make the significant cuts across the board in expenditures he has proposed. This includes cuts in the education and Medicaid budget.

Governor Daugaard’s proposed budget is courageous in that no one likes to cut budgets and there will be hard choices to make to accomplish this. But it is absolutely essential that the State of South Dakota live within its means. We cannot continue to spend money we do not have.

Increased taxation is not the answer. We are taxed enough already and increasing taxes will only enable the ever-increasing size of government.

Our legislators in Pierre have been, and will continue to be, deluged with communication from those whose budgets will be cut. Now is the time for us to remind our legislators of our support for the Governor’s proposed budget.

Please call, write or email your senator and your representatives and ask them to make the state live within its means.

Phone messages are effective: You can call and leave a message for your senator or representative at (605) 773-3851. Your message can be as simple as “Please ask  _________ to stand firm and support Governor Daugaard’s proposed budget.”

For those in Pennington County, there is a Crackerbarrel meeting on Saturday at the School of Mines in Rapid City at 9AM. Please attend and support the fiscal responsibility of our state.

I salute Governor Daugaard and appreciate his commitment to fiscal responsibility.