S.D. Legislature: State should not compete with private business

The Legislature is faced with lots of choices this year. Not only are we being swept up in the spending frenzy, but now we are being tempted to compete with private business. There are several examples being proposed by the Governor’s administration and that includes childcare, a shooting range, and campgrounds.  

The childcare business is being “stabilized” with over $60 million, plus an additional $30 million for new childcare businesses. The proposed / planned shooting range near Rapid City is being billed out at about $11 million. The Custer State Park campground development is another several million dollars. Each of these types of businesses are either functioning within the private sector or they are new ideas that will steal away from the private sector.  

The childcare business has traditionally been the responsibility of families. However, those who endorse big government see the care of their own children as a responsibility of the “state”. When that happens, it is no longer a streamlined individualized personal service, but rather it becomes a regulated ‘industry’.  

The shooting range that is being proposed for the Rapid City area appears to have taken the business plan of an individual who was seeking to establish a large-scale business that would have accomplished the same goal.  

The Custer State Park campground development is being proposed to be placed in the heart of the Park, which would disrupt the movement of buffalo, elk, and all of the wildlife in the Park. And, it would also use taxpayer dollars to compete with the private campgrounds that provide those services near the Park. The state should not be in competition with those businesses which are also paying taxes.    

All of us have heard of the Roman Empire blurring the lines of government responsibility and private enterprise. Eventually the people were mesmerized with “bread and circuses”. We are heading in that same direction with ‘money’ that flowed from a government growth opportunity resulting from a pandemic. Please don’t become distracted with the plans and promises of our government.

I invite you to review the Committee calendars and agendas to see which issues are of special interest to you.  Please go to www.sdlegislature.gov to listen in on the meetings or to find out when and where you can be involved.