• As South Dakota families gear up for the frenzied holiday shopping season that begins for some after the last bite of turkey on Thanksgiving Day, it's important to remember the role our small businesses play. November 24th is "Small Business Saturday," a day to celebrate small businesses and the impact they have on our communities.
• South Dakota is home to over 78,000 small businesses that account for almost 62 percent of the private-sector jobs in the state, according to data from the Small Business Administration. While the national economy has struggled over the past few years, South Dakota's economy has grown, due in large part to the success of small business. In fact, South Dakota continually ranks as the friendliest state for small businesses.
• Unfortunately, many small businesses in South Dakota and across the nation are facing unprecedented uncertainty about where our economy is going. Looming at the end of the year is what has become known as the "fiscal cliff," a combination of across-the-board spending cuts and tax increases that economists tell us could send America back into a recession. According to a recent survey by the National

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