When South Dakotans choose their elected leaders, they look for a candidate who shares their values.  Voters want to know that they can trust their elected representatives to act as they would themselves act in similar circumstances.

Hard Work
I believe in the value of hard work. Growing up on the family farm, hard work was a daily chore - a way of life. Every morning, I woke up at 5:00 a.m. to help dad milk the cows before school, and I was back at it again in the evening. When a cow broke Dad’s shoulder, my sister and I milked the cows without him. In our family, we all worked. Everyone in the family pitched in to help with chores – whether it was feeding and watering the chickens, collecting and washing the eggs, shoveling silage for the cattle, or bottle-feeding the calves – we all helped. We all picked apples and worked together to make them into applesauce. We grew acres of cucumbers, hoed by hand, to sell to the Gedney pickle company. From hauling corn during harvest, to fixing fence, to maintaining the buildings, we all knew hard work.

Personal Responsibility
My parents also taught me about personal responsibility. When I was in high school, our farm went under, and we were forced to auction the livestock and equipment. My dad was able to hold on to the home quarter by taking a job as a janitor, driving fifty miles round trip from the farm to town and back every day. He worked just as hard as a janitor as he did at everything else he did. I learned from my parents that all work has dignity. It’s not so important what you do, but rather that you do whatever it takes, to make your own way.  The only shame is failing to give every undertaking your all.

I remember, during tough times, my mother being concerned about feeding the family, and Dad refusing to rely on charity or government support. He knew he was capable of working, and he believed that, since he was capable, he should make his own way.

After I graduated from high school, I wanted to go to college, but I knew that my parents were not able to help. I found summer jobs and odd jobs during the year. I worked hard to pay for my education. After I graduated from USD, I went to Chicago and worked my way through law school. I learned from these experiences that the key to success is hard work, persistence, and determination.

Limited Government
A few years ago, Linda and I stayed at the State Game Lodge in Custer. In the 1920s, the Game Lodge was the “Summer White House” for President Calvin Coolidge. I ran across this statement from President Coolidge that I believe captures South Dakota values:

“Nothing in the world can take the place of perseverance. Talent will not – nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent.  Genius will not – unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not – the world is full of educated derelicts.  Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.”

Hard work, persistence, and personal responsibility are not new ideas. They came to South Dakota with the pioneers. I learned these values from my family, just as so many South Dakotans learned from theirs. That is why I am committed to small and limited government. I believe our state is at its best when every person works hard and is responsible for his own actions. Too often, government officials see a problem and try to solve it with a new program or a new piece of legislation. Most of the time, the best law is the law that is not passed. South Dakota needs to keep our government small, efficient, and limited to the areas where private citizens cannot act alone.

Neighbor Helping Neighbor
Of course, the ideas of personal responsibility and limited government do not mean that there aren’t people who need help. For eighteen years, I worked at Children’s Home Society, a charity which helps children with emotional and behavioral problems. Some of these children come from good families, but most are victims of severe abuse and neglect. In their families, no one loved them, encouraged them, or cared for them.  I believe that every child, wanted or unwanted, is important and valuable, and our society cannot deprive any child of the chance for a happy and productive life.

These children cannot help themselves, and we must help them. That is one role of government – to help those who cannot help themselves. Still, it is important to remember that those who can help themselves should do so. The worst thing we can do for able-bodied South Dakotans is to expect nothing from them. Everyone deserves to experience the satisfaction and sense of self-worth borne of self-achievement.