2014 SD Senate debate: on Corporations

Rick Weiland: Stop sweetheart deals for businesses 'too big to fail'

A: Rick is running so that we can take back our country and our government--so that every small business, every family farmer and rancher, and every working person in South Dakota gets a fair shake and an even playing field. Rick is running so that we can stop the waste in government, so that we can stop the sweetheart deals and the government bailouts of businesses that are 'too big to fail'. It's time for the everyday citizens to take back our country and that is what this campaign is about.

Mike Rounds: $75M in Future Fund grants to support entrepreneurialism

By comparison, a total of 55 grants were handed out in 2013, totaling $12.8 million. Rounds told the Capital Journal the increase in Future Funds during his final year in office occurred as the state's businesses attempted to recover from the recession. "As we came out of the recession and new manufacturers started showing up, they would apply for workforce development grant funds," he said. Rounds called Future Funds "one of the best tools South Dakota has for economic development efforts."

The Future Fund provides S.D.'s businesses support for workforce development and technical assistance programs, as well as encourages entrepreneurial activities.

Larry Pressler: Both parties beholden to corporate backers

"I think we can change history in South Dakota and the United States with this campaign," he said. Pressler said he was choosing to run as an independent because he was disgusted by the changes within his former party and the Democratic Party since he left office

He said both parties had become increasingly beholden to corporate backers rather than constituents. He pointed to the influence of the insurance industry on health care reform and the success of military contractors in lobbying for projects the Pentagon doesn't want. "We have this poisonous, locked political system in place," Pressler said. "And we can't get a budget. We can't get a farm bill."

Rick Weiland: Immigration problem from profits from cheap immigrant labor

Weiland called the Senate bill--which he supports--a "band-aid solution" and said a real fix would involve raising the minimum wage to stop employers from turning to immigrant labor for low costs, and harsh penalties such as prison time for people who employ undocumented workers.