Ring in the New Year
By: Lt. Gov. Larry Rhoden
December 27, 2024
New Year’s means looking ahead. Growing up on my family ranch, we always looked forward to a long year of hard work. After all, calving season wasn’t too far in the future. We celebrated the holidays; we wished each other “Merry Christmas!” and “Happy New Year!” with smiles, good food, and the enjoyment of each other’s company. And then we got back to work taking care of the land and the animals so that they can feed us and everyone else.
We have important work to get back to in the upcoming year, as well. A new year means that a new legislative session is right around the corner, and we will get back to work on behalf of the people of South Dakota.
It is in my nature to always look for ways to do even better. New Year’s is a great time to do this. As Benjamin Franklin once said, “Let every new year find you a better man.”
South Dakota is full of truly excellent men and women. Over the last several years, I have been so impressed by how South Dakotans tackle adversity. And through that adversity, we found an opportunity to demonstrate to the nation what adhering to Christian conservative principles can achieve. We demonstrated to the state, the nation, and the planet what Freedom looks like.
We’ve built the strongest economy in America, and I hope that we find opportunities to take our state to even greater heights. We’ve become the freest state in a nation built on the principle of Freedom. But defending the Freedom of our people is not work that ever ends. We need to work hard to protect our rights and look for leaders who understand where those rights come from – from God. And we should honor those who fought and died to defend the Freedoms which we are blessed with.
It is an awesome charge to carry Freedom on to the next generation, and South Dakotans are well equipped to do it.
I hope that every South Dakotan took time to celebrate with friends and family this holiday season. I hope that your time together was special and full of memories, and I hope that the new year brings plenty more for you to celebrate. As we kick off 2025, I hope that you find ways to make your families, your communities, and our state stronger than ever before.
Our people have built a state that I am proud to call home. I have been honored to serve them in a position of leadership alongside Governor Noem. I am blessed with the opportunity to continue serving South Dakotans in this new year. If you ever have any ideas for how we can make South Dakota even stronger in the days and years to come, please do not hesitate to reach out.
God bless you all, and Happy New Year!
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