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Candidates respond
October 23, 2008 | Pierre Capital Journal

Editor's note - A shortened version of this article appeared in Monday's Capital Journal. Below are the candidates' full responses.As the Nov. 4 election approaches, the Capital Journal will ask candidates for local and national office to submit written responses on how they would handle some of the issues facing South Dakota and the United States. Today and tomorrow, we will feature candidates for the U.S. House and Senate; next week, we will print responses from state legislature candidates.

Democrat Stephanie Herseth Sandlin

What do you think should be done to fix America’s economy in the long term?

While the long-term prospects for the American economy are good, we are dealing with what many economists are saying is a recession, potentially a deep one, in the short term. How long and how deep a recession may very well depend on how effectively the government addresses the credit crisis and the related turmoil in the financial markets. This crisis could well affect South Dakota’s economy more deeply than it has, and has already had a dramatic effect on South Dakotans’ retirement accounts.

I had serious reservations about the $700 billion bailout package and voted against it. I remain concerned that it grants far too much discretion to the treasury secretary to spend taxpayer funds, and that it may not get at the root of the problem. Fed Chairman Bernanke recently said that economic activity over the next few quarters will depend in great part upon whether the financial markets return to normal, so that is an important element in the short term.

For the long term, we’re blessed in South Dakota, and in many other areas around the nation, with a well-educated workforce, strong families, a thriving entrepreneurial spirit, ingenuity and skill, and fundamentally I think that the key to future economic success is gearing our policies toward allowing this natural talent and expertise to flourish.

The particular formula for success may vary from state to state, but I do think there are some policies that can be set at the federal level to prevent further turmoil in the financial markets, get the credit markets flowing again, and help private enterprise compete even more effectively on a global level.

To preserve the strength of the nation’s agricultural sector, we’ll need to build upon the success of the 2008 Farm Bill, which I helped to shape as a member of the House Agriculture Committee.

To bolster the national economy, we’ll also need to look at improving our regulation of the financial markets, where speculation and unregulated derivatives markets contributed to the instability and current crisis in the markets that has frozen credit markets and is driving down retirement savings for South Dakotans. We want to be sure not to overregulate, but at the same time, it’s clear there are gaps in transparency and accountability that need to be addressed.

Our nation also has some pressing health care needs. Fixing the health care system through a bipartisan effort will not only lower health-care costs for South Dakotans, and preserve and enhance access and quality of care, but also, importantly, improve the overall competitiveness of our nation’s businesses.

It is also vitally important to continue important renewable energy policies and ensure the renewable energy sector is one of the leading sectors for the American economy. South Dakota is already playing an important role in driving the development of the renewable energy economy and has the potential to take an even more prominent role. Wind power, ethanol and biodiesel are not only key to reducing our dependence on foreign oil and strengthening our national security, but they represent an investment in the future of rural states like South Dakota. By taking a leading role in the production of biofuels and wind, South Dakota farmers,

ranchers, and other entrepreneurs are already playing a vital role in addressing one of the greatest challenges facing our nation, and I’m confident that with the right policies at the federal level we’ll help South Dakotans exceed everyone’s expectations.

What will be your priorities in votes addressing U.S. military policy in Iraq and Afghanistan?

First and foremost, we must ensure our troops, who have experienced increased mission tempo and multiple deployment to Iraq and Afghanistan, have the equipment and resources they need to successfully and safely complete their missions.

Additionally, I will continue working in a bipartisan manner to establish a plan to responsibly and safely transition our military away from a direct combat role in Iraq and require the Iraqi government and military to continue to take more responsibility for their own security.

We must also renew our focus on the military and diplomatic efforts in Afghanistan. Violence by militants in Afghanistan has risen dramatically this year and deaths are rising among allied and American forces and in recent months have outnumbered those in Iraq.

How much of a priority should a return to balanced budgets be during our current economic climate? What will be your priorities for either additional spending or for spending cuts?

While a second bipartisan stimulus package may be necessary this year to counteract the short-term situation in the economy, over the long term, I believe balanced budgets are a key to the future economic health of our nation.

Not only has the House of Representatives shown time and again over the past two years that we can find non-controversial offsets to pay for our priorities, but I believe that paying for our priorities is the only way we’ll eventually reduce the mountain of debt we’ve accumulated over the last eight years and strengthen our economy. I believe that what works for South Dakota families works for the federal government – and fiscal responsibility is a core South Dakota value.

Clearly, if we’re going to stop digging ourselves deeper into debt, we need to find spending to cut. I’m proud that the House of Representatives led this Congress in finding wasteful spending to cut in order to pay for real priorities, such as preventing catastrophic cuts to Medicare and extending the Production Tax Credit for wind.

What do you believe is the most important issue no one is talking about right now and what do you think should be done about it?

A critically important issue that has not received the attention it deserves is the decline in safety and security across Indian Country. Law enforcement is one of the federal government’s trust obligations to federally recognized tribes. While the federal government has this responsibility to work with tribes for safe communities, the federal government continues to come up woefully short. Less than 3,000 law enforcement officers patrol more than 56 million acres of Indian Country,

which reflects less than one-half of the law enforcement presence in comparable rural communities nationwide.

Congress should tackle this problem on two fronts: increasing funding levels and requiring more oversight and efficiency within the federal agencies charged with providing tribes the tools they need. While I was pleased to see a $28.7 million increase from fiscal year 2007 to fiscal year 2008 for tribal law enforcement, tribal courts, and tribal detention facilities, the need far outstrips even this funding level.

Additionally, Congress has a responsibility to make sure the money gets to the right places — the local communities who have the expertise to address the challenges they face. That is why I am proud to sponsor the Tribal Law and Order act. This bill would not only increase resources for Indian Country but also improve coordination and communication in and amongst various law enforcement agencies at the tribal, state and federal levels. There will not be a “quick fix” to the complex problems facing tribal law and order issues, but the federal government must do more to address crime in Indian Country. After all, Native American families – like every other family in the United States - deserve to raise their children in a safe community.

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