dryabogin

DASHA RYABOGIN. State: South Dakota Political Party: Republican (Moderate)

I agree with Senator Tim Johnson the most on state issues.

He was re-elected to his third term as senator in 2008. He was elected to the United States House of Representatives inn 1986. He said to balance debt reduction, tax relief, and policy investment. " Working hard. Making a Difference." - Senator Tim Johnson

I agree with him because he wants to help the economy of South Dakota, which is not doing very well. It is one of the lowest profiting states, and I'm glad he's doing something about it. Almost 20% of South Dakota's population are below the poverty line. At the moment, tourism is very important, as it provides more jobs and opportunities. In 2006, it provided more than 33,000 jobs and contributed over two billion dollars to the economy. He also believes in energy and water conservation, which will help save money and create healthier lifestyles. He was re-elected because he has made a large and extremely improvemental difference in the lives of South Dakotans.

His website: http://johnson.senate.gov/public/

Interesting Facts:

1) It still functions underneath its original constitution drafted at the time of statehood. 2) The capital of South Dakota is the city of Pierre. 3) First newspaper published in 1858. 4) Laura Ingalls Wilder, who wrote the "Little House on the Prairie" books, used her experiences growing up on the homestead in South Dakota as the basis for many of her stories. 5) State Bird: Ring- Necked Pheasant 6) Known as the Mount Rushmore State.

Interesting Facts Relating to my Issues:

1) 20% of the state's work force is involved in agriculture. (Economy-agricultural) 2) South Dakota has no individual income tax, due to economical issues. (Economy) 3) On March 22nd, 2011, South Dakota's abortion bill was signed into the law by Governor Dennis Daugaard. Women there will have to wait a period of three days before an abortion can be performed- the longest amount of time in the nation- and also attend counseling sessions to discourage having the abortion done. (Health Care/Abortion) 4) On South Dakota's Pine Ridge Reservation, an American Indian Reservation, Indian range land is leased for 80 cents, as opposed to the 15$ that are leased to white people. Also, state sales tax does not apply to Indians on Indian reservations. (American Indians) 5) The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), originally intended to help American Indians, was removed because of its long history of corruption and mismanagement.(American Indians)

The state of South Dakota is a very interesting state, yet it has many issues that stop it from reaching its full potential.

Important Issues: 1) Bad Economy: South Dakota is one of the lowest profiting states overall. It has an unemployment rate of 3.3 %, but it still struggles mightily. People are now trying to speak out against the issue, and are finding new ideas. I think that bad economy is a very important issue that influences many lives today. In an effort to make more money, tourism and gambling attractions have increased in past years considerably. 2) Health Care/Abortion: I believe that every person in our country has the right to be provided with excellent health care. However, many people actually do not receive this, and I want this to improve. Abortion is a type of special Health Care that is hotly debated, and recently South Dakota passed a bill regarding this problem and how to deal with it in this state. 3) American Indian Reservations and Facilities: South Dakota is known for it's Native American history, and there are many reservations in South Dakota. Tourism is supported there by places such as casinos, and many improvements have been made.

Helpful websites:

http://sd.gov/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Dakota http://issues.abc-clio.com/Search/Display/953204?terms=south+dakota http://issues.abc-clio.com/Search/Display/1454334?terms=south+dakota+dennis+banks http://issues.abc-clio.com/Search/Display/1185107?terms=south+dakota+dennis+banks+american+indians http://issues.abc-clio.com/Search/Display/914879?terms=south+dakota+american+indian+movement http://www.agclassroom.org/kids/stats/southdakota.pdf http://www.netstate.com/economy/sd_economy.htm http://www.ontheissues.org/states/sd.htm http://johnson.senate.gov/public/ http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0108270.html

My Bill:NASA Sponsorship Program

17 billion dollars of our tax money every year is being handed over to NASA. However, many NASA centers are being shut down because there is no reason to operate them anymore, and there are no missions. The enormous quantity of money that NASA has been given by the government, and hasn't spent, should go towards something more useful. Our bill is to take a portion of that money and use it for better education and economy. Many children nowadays say that they love to learn, but what keeps them from achieving at their highest level isn't the teachers, but the curriculum. We want to fund a special science program across the country for a couple of years, using 53 million dollars of the 17 billion given to NASA every year. The program will include visits to Challenger Learning Centers, and old Space Education buildings. This program will help make learning fun, and teaching easier, while improving the economy. With so much extra money, we hope that schools will improve. In reality, we won't be "robbing" NASA, or spending a huge amount, because the money we are using for this program will be money that NASA has no use for. People should vote on our bill because it will definitely help children have fun in school, while learning advanced material, and the extra money could help the sinking economy at the same time.

Bill Websites:

1. "Nasa Budgets: US Spending on Space Travel since 1958 | Society | Guardian.co.uk." //Latest News, Comment and Reviews// //from the Guardian | Guardian.co.uk//. Web. 05 June 2011. .

2. "Nasa Spending | Out-of-this-world Missions, and Costs - Los Angeles Times." //Featured Articles From The Los Angeles Times//. 19 Dec. 2008. Web. 05 June 2011. .

3. "News Headlines." //CNBC Mobile Home//. Web. 05 June 2011. .

//4. NASA - Home//. Web. 05 June 2011. .

5. Reinert, Patty, and Mark Carreau. "Bush Budget Plan Boosts NASA Spending | Space | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle." //Houston News, Entertainment, Search and Shopping | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle//. Web. 05 June 2011. .

//6. Challenger Center for Space Science Education//. Web. 05 June 2011. .

7. "Government Spending." //Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia//. Web. 05 June 2011. .

//8. USAspending.gov//. Web. 05 June 2011. .

9. "Favorite Subjects | Basic Research on Academic Performance International Survey of Six Cities." //Child Research Net Web Site//. Web. June 2011. .

10. "Federal Spending on Science Pays Off, Analyses by Research Advocates Say - Government - The Chronicle of Higher Education." //Home - The Chronicle of Higher Education//. Web. 05 June 2011. .