[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 11]
[Senate]
[Page 15297]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




     CELEBRATING THE 125TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE STATE OF SOUTH DAKOTA

  Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I rise today along with my colleague from 
South Dakota, Senator Johnson, to commemorate South Dakota's 125th 
anniversary of Statehood. One hundred twenty-five years ago, on 
November 2, 1889, President Benjamin Harrison shuffled the Act of 
Admission Papers for North and South Dakota to ensure that no one knew 
which State entered the Union first. To this day, we still don't know 
which act President Harrison signed first.
  South Dakota is perhaps best known as the home of the Shrine of 
Democracy at Mount Rushmore, which opened to the public just 50 years 
after South Dakota attained statehood. This monument captures the way 
of life and governance structure that we have in South Dakota. Our 
elected officials take the concerns of their constituents to Pierre and 
ensure that our State is bettering the lives of its citizens in a 
fiscally responsible manner.
  We believe in limited government which provides room for individuals 
and businesses to grow and thrive. Our model of free enterprise has 
allowed businesses to flourish in South Dakota, and as a result, is one 
of the best States in the country to start a business.
  We consistently have one of the lowest unemployment rates in the 
country, which is currently at 3.7 percent. Our labor force and our 
economy are driven by our State's top industries of tourism and 
agriculture. The 28,000 South Dakotans who work in our tourism industry 
ensure that people from all over the world enjoy our great places. 
Tourists enjoy visiting Mount Rushmore, of course, but also seeing the 
sights throughout the Black Hills and the Badlands, the Corn Palace in 
Mitchell, the Crazy Horse Memorial, and the falls in Sioux Falls.
  In addition to welcoming Americans from coast to coast, South Dakota 
is feeding our Nation and our world. Each year, one South Dakota farmer 
produces enough food to feed 155 people. South Dakota ranks in the top 
10 States for wheat, corn, soybeans, alfalfa, and sunflowers. We are 
also in the top 10 States of bison, honey, sheep, and beef. In all, 
South Dakota's agriculture industry contributes $26 billion annually to 
our economy.
  While the productivity of our farmers and ranchers is unmatched, all 
hard-working South Dakota families contribute to our State's success. 
Whether they are educating our children, serving in our growing health 
care and financial services sectors, conducting research in our college 
laboratories, hard work is what binds South Dakotans together and has 
made our State's experiment in democracy one of the most successful in 
our Nation's history.
  I am proud to call the great State of South Dakota home, and I am 
honored to have the privilege of serving all South Dakotans here in the 
Senate.
  Today I wish to honor the spirit that has endured in our State for 
the last 125 years by celebrating this special anniversary.

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