Warnings about SD's Republican Party, Sanford merger is worrisome: Your Letters

Argus Leader letters to the editor for Feb. 12:

South Dakota's Republican Party is dangerous to individual rights

South Dakota politics are dominated by the Republican Party (GOP) that is endangering lives and liberty of all the citizens of South Dakota and USA.

Look to the legislature and see what they (and supporters) have proposed thus far. Look at some legislators, out of state influencers coming in, and SD groups supporting the ban on anything for trans youth, even if their parents, doctors, and mental health professionals support trans youth. Groups like the SD Heritage Alliance, Concerned Women for America, , SD Catholic Conference, and the SD Freedom Caucus.

Groups, which are faith based Constitutional movements that are a “political movement that embraces far-right nationalism and the forceful suppression of any opposition, all overseen by an authoritarian government (10-20-2020, CBS News Leslie Gorstein.),” − this is ChristoFascism.Look to the HB 1234 that allows public funds to be spent at private (and religious) schools). Again, the right GOP, legislators, and associated groups will support the destruction of public schools.

Teacher pay in SD is 50th in the nation (KELOLAND 1-23) and more teachers will leave because of this and other actions by state government. The proposed Social Studies Standards that emphasize Conservativism (brainwashing?) in the standards. Look at the lack of SD Educators input into those standards. Look to HB1070 “…K-12 curriculum available to all public schools in American history and exceptionalism, explaining why America rose to greatness and how to keep it that way…”What is happening is the loss of individual rights, lose of school district funding/textbook selection, and mandating control of our society by radical groups with help from GOP Legislators. Is this what SD citizens want? Your choice or your loss. Which do you want?By the way, “Christian/Bible/God” are not in the Constitution.

− Paul A. Harens, Yankton

More:How does a fast-growing city like Sioux Falls handle all this snow?

Sioux Falls needs a better focus on neighborhood infrastructure

This winter has been reminiscent of childhood memories. I am well past middle age now, but I seem to remember the street clearing was much better back in the 60’s, maybe because the plow drivers were trained well, and took pride in what they did.

One wonders living on a street with NOT ONE sewer drain for snow melt: where is all the water going to go? Let me enlighten you, there are places along west 65th street where the water pools, because (there is) not enough of a grade for the water to move.

There are approximately 20 plus homes from the Tea/Ellis road to Galway. All have snow piled mailbox height, plus in yard. The nearest sewer drain is one block south of 65th on Galway for all that snow! Basements will be flooded, insurance rates will go up, the cost to repair water damage will rise. There is a solution to this problem… put the city workers to work clearing the snow to a place closer to the river.cost to city: tax dollars that have been paid for years and misused for dressing up the city instead of tackling the base problems of infrastructure.

When this area was built, along with areas popping up since Galway Park − all have the same problem. No forethought, no planning, no infrastructure that help shomeowners have a good experience in rainy weather, dry weather.

My house is going to suffer, because SIOUX Falls thinks more about building new. Forget city infrastructure, sell the new, count the added numbers of homeowners and citizens. The mayor and council think more about art in the cost of a budget than fixing what has been left out of building a city. It is time to hold our city people to the task of getting this city in tip top shape. How much of that Biden infrastructure bill money did SIOUX falls get?

− Kay Nelson, Sioux Falls

SD lawmakers are taking away the rights of the parent with HB 1080

The South Dakota legislature overwhelmingly passed HB 1080, and the bill will be signed into law by Governor Noem.

Legislators accepted as true the disinformation propounded by the bill’s supporters, ignoring the substantial medical evidence against the bill’s premises and consequences presented in both direct testimony and written communication. Legislators’ rejection of this evidence and acceptance of the disinformation is puzzling, and, I think, was likely due to embedded, narrow-minded and well-hidden prejudices held by many South Dakota legislators against those suffering from gender dysphoria.

Gender dysphoria is a real disorder defined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5-TS) with separate and specific criteria for children, adolescents and adults.

Bill sponsors would have us believe “children are being mutilated, sterilized and turned into permanent medical patients,” but that is simply not true.

What is true is that legislators with no medical training are substituting their twisted ideas about professional medical treatment for that of highly trained physicians. They are taking from parents the right to care for their children together with their doctors and threatening doctors with serious legal consequences for nothing more than their best efforts in treating their patients.

The citizens of this state should know this legislation will benefit no one except the egos of the legislators supporting it and they should not be fooled by baser motives hidden behind a facade of virtuous intent.

− Henry Travers, Sioux Falls

Stop blindly voting for party people

Congratulations South Dakota. While you were all busy working and taking care of your families, the GOP legislature voted to take away the rights of parents to decide on the medical care of their children! The fact that these parents have trans children should not make their rights any less important.SD does NOT do gender affirming surgeries on minors, yet fear mongering and misinformation won out. Why do Legislators think they know more about medicine than doctors that have studied for years? If I was a doctor, I would stop voting for and donating to the GOP, until they stopped interfering in the medical decisions.The GOP always claim they want to 'protect' our children. If that were true, they would pass some common sense gun safety laws since the No. 1 killer of children is gun violence.Ironically, many of the same legislators that voted to take away the rights of these parents also had sponsored a bill to "codify the rights of parents," but then they pulled it. I suppose it would be awkward for them to explain why they sponsored that and turned around and took away parent's rights.We have schools underfunded, a shortage of teachers, nursing homes closing, infrastructure that needs repair, and working people struggling but the focus of our GOP is preventing transgender care and drag shows! Good grief! Stop blindly voting for a party people!

− Sheryl Johnson, Sioux Falls

More:Ban on gender-affirming care for transgender children heads to Noem's desk for signing

Sanford merger could be a disaster for women's, trans health

I am a retired physician. I worked 30 years for Sanford Health Family Medicine in Sioux Falls and I am very proud of my medical care and service all those years.I received all of my higher education in South Dakota and proudly graduated from the South Dakota School of Medicine in 1984.I was reading the article in the Argus Leader about Minnesota medical student's concerns about the potential merger of Sanford Health and the Fairview medical system in Minneapolis. This could be a disaster for your women's care and trans care.I absolutely agree with their concerns.I was totally disgusted that my medical school's name was changed to "The Sanford School of medicine."Evidently money can get you darn near anything you may want, including the naming of a medical school after you, and allegations of legal felony charges. Continue to press your protest against this merger.The University of Minnesota Medical Center needs to live on as it has always been, not named Sanford.− Doug Geise, Sioux Falls

More:Minnesota's med students oppose Sanford-Fairview merger, and politics play a major role

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This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Warnings about SD's Republican Party, Sanford merger is worrisome: Your Letters