A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION, Affirming, supporting, and defending certain principles, values, and goals.

WHEREAS, the fundamental principles of the American form of government are rooted in the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution of the United States, and the Constitution of the State of South Dakota; and

WHEREAS, the preservation of our Constitutional Republic, its ideals, and its institutions should be supported for the good of all Americans; and

WHEREAS, the strength of our nation derives from an adherence to Judeo-Christian values; and

WHEREAS, our nation has a heritage of religious freedom, freedom of speech, and personal responsibility; and

WHEREAS, this Legislature must be proactive in defending freedom at every level; and

WHEREAS, equal rights and equal justice should be available to all; and

WHEREAS, the free enterprise system and the work ethic of our people is the foundation of our economic success and security; and

WHEREAS, the proper role of government is to provide for the people those critical functions that cannot be performed by individuals or private organizations; and

WHEREAS, the most effective and responsible government is government closest to the people; and

WHEREAS, this Legislature must be cognizant of and responsive to the fundamental principles of the Constitution of South Dakota and the United States of America; and

WHEREAS, South Dakota is an exceptional place to live, raise a family, and pursue economic opportunity; and

WHEREAS, the rights of American citizens proceed from God, not from government, and government authority proceeds only from the consent of the people; and

WHEREAS, individuals, including the unborn, have an intrinsic right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness and the sanctity of all human life should be affirmed; and

WHEREAS, federal, state, and local governments should be transparent and limited to their respective roles as essential to inherently governmental functions; and

WHEREAS, individuals and families are responsible for their behavior, and public policy should encourage and empower their efforts to provide for their own health, safety, education, moral fortitude, and personal wealth; and

WHEREAS, private property rights are guaranteed by the Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution; and

WHEREAS, the best interests of all South Dakota citizens will result from working cooperatively with tribal governments; and

WHEREAS, national security, national sovereignty, public safety, the right to self-defense, the rule of constitutional and statutory law, and civil justice should be preserved without excessive, undue burdens to civil liberty; and

WHEREAS, the State should only collect taxes to fund legitimate government functions, and government taxes, fees, and spending should be limited to essential, inherently governmental functions; and

WHEREAS, the right of individuals to keep and bear arms, as confirmed by the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution and Article VI, Section 24 of the South Dakota Constitution, is essential; and

WHEREAS, traditional American families and moral values should be encouraged and supported by policies to nurture strong marriages between one man and one woman; and

WHEREAS, parents have the first and primary responsibility of educating their children; and access to locally controlled education is essential; and

WHEREAS, the public policy of this state should encourage a strong and viable economy for agriculture; competitive, open, and transparent markets; the responsible use of natural resources; private efforts to develop and utilize traditional, new, and renewable energy resources, striving for reliable energy independence; the responsible and multiple use of public lands; private property rights; and due process; and

WHEREAS, the public policy of this state should promote the creation of new jobs, economic development, and job training to encourage South Dakota's youth and adults to stay in the great State of South Dakota; and

WHEREAS, the right-to-work provision in the South Dakota Constitution and the employee's right to have a secret ballot in any election called to organize a union are essential; and an employee should never be coerced to pay union dues; and

WHEREAS, modern infrastructure to foster economic growth should be developed; and

WHEREAS, economic activity thrives in an environment of limited government intrusion and can be stifled by government overreach and excessive taxation and overregulation; and

WHEREAS, government should not compete with private enterprise and the implementation of Environmental, Social, and Governance standards should be opposed; and

WHEREAS, the physical, mental, social, and spiritual wellbeing of all South Dakotans is important to the wellbeing of society; and

WHEREAS, parents have the right to be the primary nurturers of their children and are responsible for the financial support, moral training, education, childcare, health care, and discipline of their children; and

WHEREAS, the private practice of medicine should be supported and socialized medicine in the form of a universal health care system and medical mandates, coercion, and intimidation of individuals should be opposed; and

WHEREAS, the timely, accessible, and high quality healthcare for South Dakotans as served by the Veterans Administration and the Indian Health Services should be supported; and

WHEREAS, working relationships with faith-based organizations to address wellbeing should be supported; and

WHEREAS, a commitment to quality education consistent with our state's values; with public, private, and home school educational opportunities; and with policies that allow families to direct the use of their education tax dollars are all essential for educating our youth; and

WHEREAS, control of a school curriculum should be returned to the parents and communities that fund it and all federally mandated requirements should be eliminated; and

WHEREAS, parents have the right to personally observe classroom instruction, to access their children’s instructional materials and records at no cost to them, and to have a voice regarding their children’s involvement in assessments; and

WHEREAS, an educational setting should be wholesome and free from inappropriate sexual or cultural information, and participation in school-sponsored sex education ought to be entirely a parental opt-in; and

WHEREAS, students should be instructed on the social, psychological, economic, and health gains to be realized by abstinence from sexual activity until marriage; and

WHEREAS, an individual's biological sex at birth, male or female, should determine one’s participation in or use of restrooms, locker rooms, sports teams, or other accommodations; and

WHEREAS, the history and heritage in South Dakota is relevant in our time, our state's greatness results from diverse individuals assimilating into our American heritage, and the English language is a unifying factor to this end; and

WHEREAS, the Mayflower Compact, the Declaration of Independence, the United States Constitution, the South Dakota Constitution, the Federalist Papers, and the historical role of faith and the Bible should all be taught, and further emphasis on the principles and values upon which our nation was founded, such as a constitutional republican form of government and the benefits of capitalism, are essential to forming our youth; and

WHEREAS, the Pledge of Allegiance should be recited in schools without deletion, change, or amendment; and the South Dakota Motto, “Under God, the People Rule,” and the Ten Commandments should be displayed in schools; and

WHEREAS, personally identifiable information should be protected and the unethical collection of personal information should be opposed, as such information should not be obtained without legal consent; and

WHEREAS, free speech in education is critical to the expansion of thought; and

WHEREAS, to “trust the science” is inherently unscientific, and that proper science requires that science be questioned in accordance with the scientific method; and

WHEREAS, a lower tax burden, limited and effective spending at all government levels, as well as limiting growth of government should all be goals of elected officials; and

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