There are two things that stood out to me at the Nesselhuff-Higman debate tonight. The first, is that for all the talk of economic development, neither candidate could name a specific way in which they would help economic development, at least directly. The only one, in fact, that offered anything logical and recommended by the state is Senator Nesselhuff, whose commitment to education should be clear to all who attended the debates tonight. After all, no one talks that much about education and would spend so much time working for his education unless he was devoted to the idea of education.

For all the talk of economic development, the main reason South Dakota struggles to create jobs is the lack of an advanced work force. That means that education, particularly science education, must start at the high school level. As Senator Nesselhuff said, this is something he supports and it was the only tangible plan presented tonight. I appreciate the fact that Mr. Higman brought his construction business to District 17, but at the same time, all the management experience is meaningless if he does not have a good grasp about the functions of government. After the debate tonight I am convinced of two things: Ben Nesselhuff is dedicated to the continued evolution of the South Dakota education system and Jerad Higman, for all his experience in business management, does not have any idea how politics work.

What's more, I think it becomes clear to anyone who attended this debate tonight that the difference between Mr. Higman and Senator Nesselhuff is that Ben could not only tell you what he believes, but also tell you with great accuracy what he will do to solve the problems which we face. His understanding of current state laws and his clear, concise answers to questions of policy showed him to be a better candidate on the issues of most importance.

Unfortunately, there was a lot of time dedicated to anything but policy during this debate. If any of you are put off by personal drama, I ask you to stop reading now.

The second thing, unfortunately, that really stood out about the debate for me is something that we're all too familiar with on the national level. At the risk of sounding demeaning, if some of the folks who asked questions at the debate tonight had a drink of water, I'm positive they would grow roots. I'm not accusing one campaign or one organization.....ah hell. Who am I kidding, I am accusing Matt Hittle and the College Republicans of once again being an enabler of the non-functioning political dialogue that has arrested the national exchange of ideas in this country. This was not an event of gotchas and ambushes, it was supposed to be an exchange of ideas and educations about the issues. The fact that someone feels insecure enough to plant obviously preprepared questions in the audience that was more focused on same old politics rather than the exchange that was supposed to define this debate. This does not help the political situation, this hinders it.

For Mr. Higman, it is my sincere wish that you would have no part of this mess, it seems rather petty for someone of your economic standing and stature. For Matt Hittle, I would like to once again accuse you of being a tool. No, in fact, I wouldn't even call you a tool. You, sir, are a sub-tool. A person who has so little meaning that his only function is to polish the tools to allow them to function. You contribute so little to a political process that you seem to be such a big fan of, that I am not sure if you're existance is a paradox to me or just a Greek tragedy. You, sir, are a good example of everything wrong with this political process. I have long believed that these ad hominem attacks have little place in dialogue, but I'll allow myself this small allowance of it.

I am offended by your methods, I am offended by your victim complexes and your idiotic insistence on performing every task with seemingly the most contempt possible for the rules established. I can only hope that you and your party and the crazy, contradictory ideology which has become synonymous with it is driven into regional status forever after this election. This is the only thing I can hope for because I have no hope that you will ever change.

And Tim Carr, you're beneath my contempt.