Weekly Column - Remembering Mothers Day

Statement

Most of us hopefully remembered this last Sunday was Mother's Day and lovingly sent a card or flowers or a gift to thank our moms for the role they have played in our lives. I always look forward to the day as a mother of three and as the daughter of a wonderful woman, Corrine Arnold, who lost her husband and my father when I was 22 years old. My mom is an amazing example of the courage, joy, and strength every woman should strive to exhibit.

While serving as South Dakota's lone U.S. Representative is extremely important, I still think of myself first and foremost as a wife, a daughter and a mother. As I celebrated this Mother's Day with my family, I was reminded of the important job we must accomplish in Washington, DC : We must leave our children and grandchildren a nation that provides them with as much opportunity for success as the one our parents gave us.

Some polls show that a growing number of Americans no longer believe their children will be more successful than the current generation. Essentially, some Americans are losing hope that America's brightest days are still ahead of us. This nation was founded on such a hope. Generation after generation has flourished despite extremely difficult circumstances, including a Civil War, a Great Depression, two World Wars and numerous other dramatic struggles.

When I look in the eyes of my three growing children, Kassidy, Kennedy, and Booker, I still want to believe we can give them a country that is prosperous and freedom-loving. But in order to do so, we need to start making tough decisions in Washington, DC. We need both parties to come together to tackle what has been called the most predictable financial crisis in our history. We must put a stop to our exploding debt and deficit spending. This is not a Republican issue or a Democrat issue. It has to be an American issue. Both parties helped get us into this mess and it will require both parties to get us out.

It's my hope that as leaders in Washington, DC debate our budget and spending agenda over the next few months we approach these issues not only as legislators and policymakers, but also as mothers and fathers, aunts and uncles, and grandmothers and grandfathers. The next generation deserves nothing less.

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