Jay Williams in 2016 SD Senate race
On Abortion:
Passing laws that restrict abortions won't stop abortions
Republicans use labels like "pro-life" to mislead the American public with the idea that passing restrictive laws will prevent abortions and make people safer. Jay believes that Democrats do the hard work of investing in education and health services
that will actually reduce the number of abortions. Passing laws that restrict abortions won't stop abortions, it will just move them into the shadows. That doesn't make anyone safer, and it doesn't respect women's autonomy.
Source: 2016 South Dakota Senate campaign web JayWilliams2016.org
Apr 1, 2016
On Civil Rights:
Far too often, Native Americans are forgotten & ignored
Far too often, Native American South Dakotans are forgotten and ignored. With Jay, that will change. He will maintain an open dialogue with Native Americans across South Dakota.
He will work to ensure that IHS facilities are high quality, accessible, and equipped to handle as many patients as possible.
While Jay has ideas about how he can best serve Native Americans in South Dakota, he knows that the best answers will come from listening to what Native American South Dakotans have to say.
The most important thing that he can do is to listen to those who are Native American, and then translate their ideas into policy.
Source: 2016 South Dakota Senate campaign web JayWilliams2016.org
Apr 1, 2016
On Crime:
Our criminal justice system is broken
The American criminal justice system is broken. Mass incarceration is expensive, ineffective, and in desperate need of reform. Additionally, it's a system that disproportionately affects minorities. A person of color should not be more likely
to go to jail than a white person for commiting the same crime, but unfortunately, that is the case today. This kind of institutionalized racism cannot stand. Jay believes in criminal justice reform to fix a broken system.
Source: 2016 South Dakota Senate campaign web JayWilliams2016.org
Apr 1, 2016
On Energy & Oil:
This planet is our only home; curb carbon emissions
Sen. John Thune has acknowledged that humans play a role in climate change, and yet he refuses to do anything about it. At best, that's lazy, but in reality, it's a careless disregard for the well-being of future generations. By acknowledging that human
activity plays a role in climate change, but refusing to support legislation to curb carbon emissions, Thune is behaving irresponsibly and dangerously. According to NOAA, 14 of the 15 hottest years on record since modern record keeping began in 1880
occurred in the 21st century. Last year, 2015, was the hottest year on record, and 2014 was the second hottest. The number of Category 4 & 5 hurricanes is increasing, heat waves are becoming more frequent, more than a million species could be driven to
extinction by 2050, worldwide sea levels are rising, and sea ice is melting. This planet is the only home we have. It's our responsibility to ensure we don't destroy it. Jay will support legislation to curb carbon emissions and protect the environment.
Source: 2016 South Dakota Senate campaign web JayWilliams2016.org
Apr 1, 2016
On Foreign Policy:
Negotiate with Iran over nuclear weapons
While the United States was actively engaged in sensitive negotiations with Iran to prevent them for obtaining a nuclear weapon, John Thune signed a letter to the "Leaders of the Islamic Republic of Iran" urging them not to
negotiate with the United States. This action is at a bare minimum unpatriotic and it is certainly a reason why he should not be re-elected to the U.S. Senate.
Source: 2016 South Dakota Senate campaign web JayWilliams2016.org
Apr 1, 2016
On Government Reform:
GOP's 2013 government shutdown caused S.D. suffering
As a child, when I behaved badly, my Mom would admonish me not to be a "dog in the manger". She related the fable in which the dog, who could not eat the oats in the manger, nonetheless lay in the manger to prevent the horse from eating. With his dogged
steadfast refusal to let the horse eat, both the dog & the horse starved to death.Mom's admonition not to be a "dog in the manger" is especially relevant today. John Thune's party, with his participation, engages in classic dog-in-the-manger behavior.
In 2013, John Thune's party was responsible for shutting down the Federal Government in an attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act. John Thune participated in this government shutdown while farmers and ranchers in western South Dakota were
suffering from the effects of an historic blizzard and were in need of the government's help.
Thune and his Republican Senate cohorts refuse to even hold hearings on the President's Supreme Court nominee, thus leaving the court short handed.
Source: 2016 South Dakota Senate campaign web JayWilliams2016.org
Apr 1, 2016
On Government Reform:
Campaign spending is out of control
John Thune has spent the past twelve years raising millions of dollars for his campaign, but Jay hasn't had that chance. Jay has spent his time working hard for the people of South Dakota.
Instead of building a war chest for himself, Jay has brought millions of dollars into the South Dakota economy with his small business.
Campaign spending is out of control, but this is South Dakota's chance to prove what really matters.
When Jay gets to Washington, he'll fight for a campaign finance system that doesn't favor Washington insiders and that limits the influence of corporate and ultra-wealthy contributers.
Source: 2016 South Dakota Senate campaign web JayWilliams2016.org
Apr 1, 2016
On Gun Control:
Common sense measures like background checks
From his childhood experiences growing up on a farm in north central South Dakota, where the annual pheasant hunt brought hunters from all over the country, to the NRA gun safety course he took as a young person,
Jay has had lots of experience with firearms. In the military he was exposed to many different kinds of weapons, including fully automatic machine guns.
Today, mass shooters have demonstrated the danger that guns pose when they are in the wrong hands.
Jay supports common sense measures like background checks to make sure guns are in the hands of responsible gun owners, not criminals or at-risk individuals.
Source: 2016 South Dakota Senate campaign web JayWilliams2016.org
Apr 1, 2016
On Health Care:
Health care is a basic human right
Healthcare is a basic human right. The Affordable Care Act has brought healthcare to millions of Americans, but Sen. Thune is working hard to take that away, without a plan to replace it. Later this year, South Dakota is expected to expand
Medicaid, bringing healthcare to 55,000 South Dakotans. This is possible because of federal funds provided through the Affordable Care Act. Jay will work to ensure that all South Dakotans have access to quality, affordable healthcare.
Source: 2016 South Dakota Senate campaign web JayWilliams2016.org
Apr 1, 2016
On Homeland Security:
Don't use fear of ISIS to justify government overreach
As a Vietnam veteran, Jay has experienced war firsthand. His ideas about national security and combating threats like ISIS are informed by his personal experiences. In recent years,
Republican leaders have used fear of groups like Al Qaeda and ISIS to justify government overreaches. Jay knows that Americans can live in safety without sacrificing the freedom that make our country great in the first place.
Source: 2016 South Dakota Senate campaign web JayWilliams2016.org
Apr 1, 2016
On Immigration:
Get ten million undocumented immigrants out of the shadows
The United States of American is a nation of immigrants. It's a nation where immigrants landed on Ellis Island without a penny to their names and made something of themselves. We owe it to the next generation of immigrants to create a functional system
where those who want to make a better life for themselves can do so. Jay will work to ensure that the ten million undocumented immigrants in the United States can come out of the shadows and fully participate in the American experience.
Source: 2016 South Dakota Senate campaign web JayWilliams2016.org
Apr 1, 2016
On Jobs:
Time for the entire nation to get a raise
In 2014, South Dakotans voted for an increase in the minimum wage, because they know that people deserve to be fairly compensated for their work.
Jay believes that it's time for the entire nation to get a raise, and he will fight for a minimum wage that is fair, just and livable.
Source: 2016 South Dakota Senate campaign web JayWilliams2016.org
Apr 1, 2016
On Social Security:
Eliminate taxable maximum of $118,500
Social Security is a program designed to make sure that, after paying their fair share, individuals can retire with dignity. Right now, if you make more than $118,500 each year, any additional income is not taxed for Social Security.
In order to ensure that Social Security is sustainable for future generations, we should eliminate this taxable maximum of $118,500, and have those who are the most able to contribute, pay their fair share.
Source: 2016 South Dakota Senate campaign web JayWilliams2016.org
Apr 1, 2016
On Welfare & Poverty:
Address the growing problem of income inequality
The United States recovered from a financial collapse and an economic recession, but Republicans in Congress have blocked progress on addressing the growing problem of income inequality. Right now, the system benefits those at the very top in a few key
ways. First, the top income tax rate is $250,000, far above the income of everyday Americans, but at the very bottom rung of the income of Wall Street investors, bank executives, and CEOs. Second, the payroll tax needed to fund Social Security is capped
at $120,000, so wealthy individuals don't have to pay their fair share. Third, capital gains and dividends that inflate the bank accounts of the richest Americans are taxed at half the income tax rate middle-class Americans pay. The ultra-wealthy of
America get special treatment because they pour money into the campaign accounts of Republican politicians like John Thune. Jay won't represent the special interests in Washington, he will represent you.
Source: 2016 South Dakota Senate campaign web JayWilliams2016.org
Apr 1, 2016
On Homeland Security:
Cut defense spending: 6 aircraft carriers instead of 11
Although he's a 10-year Naval vet, he's eager to help cut defense spending from a Senate seat. The Navy has 11 aircraft carrier groups that eat up too much money when six would be enough, he says. The savings could go toward helping people who need it
in America, on Social Security and health care, Williams said.Besides his military background, Williams is a small business owner with an entrepreneurial streak. He formed Excelltech in Yankton, selling a variety of computer related technology.
Source: Capital Journal on 2016 South Dakota Senate race
Mar 29, 2016
On Jobs:
Raise minimum wage to $12 and then $15
Dixon supports raising Social Security taxes on incomes above $150,000 and raising income tax rates on people earning more than $250,000 and thinks the federal minimum wage should be raised to perhaps $12, if not $15, an hour.
"People who make $250 million a year pay the same (income) tax rate as people who make $250,000," he said. "It's gotten very skewed. It doesn't hurt the wealthy to pay a little bit more."
Source: Capital Journal on 2016 South Dakota Senate race
Mar 29, 2016
On Education:
Served a term on the Yankton school board
"My family and I moved back to South Dakota for the quality of the schools and the sense of community. I'm afraid our young people and those considering a move to South Dakota wouldn't make the same choice to raise a family in our great state today.
We need a Senator focused on the priorities that matter to South Dakotans," U.S. Senate candidate Jay Williams said."We are excited that Jay has entered the race. He brings a wide range of experience that positions him to be a strong voice for
South Dakota," said South Dakota Democratic Party Chair Ann Tornberg. Born in Gettysburg, South Dakota, Williams has a Bachelors degree in Political Science from the University of Madison-Wisconsin and has a Master's Degree in
Computer Science. He has served in the Navy, Peace Corp and mostly recently a term on the Yankton school board. He has been a small business owner in Yankton since 1987.
Source: Dakota Free Press on 2016 South Dakota Senate race
Feb 19, 2016
On Homeland Security:
Served in the Peace Corps as well as the U.S. Navy
Williams made his announcement for Senate in Sioux Falls. "My family and I moved back to South Dakota for the quality of the schools and the sense of community. I'm afraid our young people and those considering a move to South Dakota wouldn't make
the same choice to raise a family in our great state today. We need a Senator focused on the priorities that matter to South Dakotans," said Williams.
Williams is originally from Gettysburg and has a bachelors degree in Political Science from the University of Madison-Wisconsin and has a Master's Degree in Computer Science.
He has served in the Navy, Peace Corp and mostly recently a term on the Yankton school board. He has been a small business owner in Yankton since 1987.
Source: KDLT-TV on 2016 South Dakota Senate race
Feb 19, 2016
On Tax Reform:
A call for rationality: Tax is NOT a dirty word
Williams has a history of supporting higher taxes and has said Americans aren't taxed enough. "Look at yourself. If you have property, ask for your property taxes to be raised. If you have income, lobby for a state income tax. If you buy lots of things,
go for sales tax," he said during a presentation called "Tax is NOT a dirty word: A call for rationality" in Yankton in 2011.That pro-tax stance and a lack of name recognition could be problematic for
Williams, said the chairwoman for the South Dakota Republican Party. "Jay Williams isn't known to many South Dakotans today but as they learn about his passionate support for increased income, property and
sales taxes on the rich and poor, young and old, I believe the choice for U.S. Senate will become very clear," she said in a statement. "We don't need to send someone to the U.S. Senate who would be another vote for the Obama-Clinton-Sanders agenda."
Source: Argus Leader on 2016 South Dakota Senate race
Feb 18, 2016
On Tax Reform:
Pushed for $1.4M property tax to fund school operations
During his time on the school board, Williams backed a two-year, $1.4 million opt-out from the property tax levy to fund school operations.
The opt-out was struck down by voters in February 2012. Williams has a history of supporting higher taxes and has said Americans aren't taxed enough.
Source: Argus Leader on 2016 South Dakota Senate race
Feb 18, 2016
Page last updated: Dec 09, 2018