It's commonly called the "fiscal cliff" and it involves a series of drastic cuts in government programs affecting everything from the National Park Service to the military. But the Democratic candidate running for South Dakota's Congressional seat says that cliff must be avoided at all costs.

     Matt Varilek says, "The economy is not as strong as we want it to be. And if we allow this fiscal cliff to happen the way Congress has designed it, or the way Congress has allowed it to happen, that will certainly be very harmful to the economy. How harmful, we don't know. But we shouldn't let it happen. We shouldn't let taxes go up on middle income families, regular working families. But some people are holding those tax cuts hostage to protect the Donald Trumps of the world." Varilek's incumbent opponent is in partial agreement with Varilek.

     Representative Kristi Noem recently voted for a House bill that would extend the tax cuts now in effect for another year. But the bill did not address the cuts in government programs that will also take effect at the beginning of the year.

Al Van Zee