Affirmative action decision doesn't erase racial disparities; it's time to protect telehealth: Your letters

Your letters to the editor for July 16, 2023:

'A Decade of hate' unbecoming of loving community

Shaming. On the front page of the Sunday Sioux Falls Argus of July 9th,in BOLD letters was printed A DECADE OF HATE. That message is very unbecoming of a community of LOVE and RESPECT of all. This is absolutely unnecessary to attempt to desecrate our community. Your message is a disgrace to all citizens.

− Rick Althoff, Sioux Falls

More: A decade of hate: How South Dakota's anti-LGBTQ+ bills have grown in the last 10 years

Racial disparities still exist. Supreme Court decision doesn't change that.

Comments on two recent circumstances of political significance – Supreme Court decision on Affirmative Action and South Dakota congressional Republican endorsements of Tim Scott for President:

I support the Supreme Court recent decision on Affirmative Action BUT not the all-inclusive rejection that many attribute to it of reparation-like policies to address racial disparities in our country. Racial disparities still exist and in terms of national metrics, no more so than with black and native American populations. Racial disparities still exist – in education, housing, health metrics, economic mobility, you name it – and even if we dismiss affirmative action programs in colleges as the cure, the underlying issue remains….yet to be addressed. Surprisingly, the Court’s decision didn’t rest solely along white/black demographics but with how Asian Americans were disparagingly impacted. But what really caught my attention was Justice Clarence Thomas’s declaration (by self-admission, a beneficiary of affirmative action) that the Constitution is “color-blind” and thus, his concurring opinion. That same Constitution included when written what came to be called the “3/5 Compromise”, that every non-free (i.e. slave) person counted as 3/5 a person for purposes of calculating congressional representation and taxation. That was in the Constitution: Article One, Section Two until it was repealed in 1868 with the 14^th Amendment. What that tells me is that neither the Constitution nor the Declaration of Independence were color-blind because the authors of both documents surely were not!

As for Presidential candidacy endorsements, both Senators Thune and Rounds have endorsed Tim Scott of South Carolina for President in 2024. Interesting! What strikes me is, given that everything I’ve seen indicates former President Trump is the, by far, front runner, that their endorsement ignores the current reality of where the Republican Party stands. My sense is that in the modern “MAGA Republican” era of Donald Trump, the moderate Republican Party that Tim Scott and his supporters try to appeal to doesn’t exist anymore. Not since 2016 for sure, and probably more like 2012. The real competition in the Republican Party is between Trump and those who appeal to his base but try to do so without his baggage. Baggage? What baggage? Think Jan 6, think classified documents, think “Character Counts”, or the lack thereof that doesn’t seem to matter to the Trump faithful. The only candidate in the Republican field willing to explicitly call out Trump for what he is – Chris Christie, and he doesn’t stand a chance because of it. Mike Rounds and John Thune are good men but they demonstrate little political willingness to explicitly critique in detail anyone, on a national scale, other than Joe Biden.

− Bill Kubat, Sioux Falls

Just because I oppose you, doesn't mean I hate you

When I saw the title of an article called A Decade of Hate: A History of Anti LGBT Legislation, I was deeply offended. Just because I believe the Bible says that kind of life style is wrong, I am seen as unloving. I would never condone being mean or nasty to anyone. Sometimes confronting someone about their choices is the most loving thing you can do if done in a respectful way. Just because we have opposing views does not mean I hate you. I feel we can have opposite views and still respect each other's view point and not try to force the other person to change his or her mind.

− Cherie Zehendner, Harrisburg

More: A decade of hate: How trans activists pressured Gov. Dennis Daugaard to veto HB 1008 in 2016

Telehealth access should be permanently protected

As a mental health therapist in South Dakota, I see the benefits of telehealth every day and am a staunch advocate for resources that expand access to care. According to a study from the University of California Davis, telehealth has increased access to care for rural families by allowing them to save money and time by not having to drive the hours it would take to get to a provider location, like a clinic. It has allowed me to support minors and low-income families who can't reach my clinic due to transportation, but can instead access critical care from a laptop, phone, or tablet at home. During long, snowy winters, the travel-based alternative can become massively challenging, especially for patients coming longer distances from rural areas. Telehealth is a service needed, not wanted, in saving lives and providing interventions in the treatment of mental health and eating disorders. Without access to telehealth, more than 50 percent of my clients would be left without support. Senators Rounds and Thune showed support for telehealth by co-sponsoring the CONNECT for Health Act. I encourage them to finish the job and ensure permanent protection for telehealth access is passed in Washington.− Faith Carlson, Sioux Falls

More: Concerns for taxpayer money going out of state; Congressional support needed against animal fights: Your letters

A Hillsdale IMPRIMIS speech summary

Gov.Noem unilaterally chose Hillsdale College’s curriculum materials. That show of power is enormously consequential. Tens of thousands of youngsters are now to learn what Gov. Noem alone wanted and decided for them to learn.

Hillsdale College is a small conservative college in Michigan that draws financial and political support from wealthy conservative sources. Hillsdale will likely be pleased to know that I read their IMPRIMIS periodical. The April/May 2023 message publishes a recent speech entitled, “Thinking Smartly About Climate Change.” The length of the full speech is about 3,000 words, so my written critique is quite selective in what I choose to report.

The speaker identifies himself to be a social scientist focused on the economics of climate change, rather than science. As such, he studies the global economic effects of climate change. He insists we can reduce climate harm without breaking the bank. Rather than throwing so much money at it, his solution is to be more innovative. One example he offers was when invention of the catalytic converter that reduced most smog from automobile exhaust.

Thus, he asserts, we simply need to develop new technologies. The emphasis should be on innovation that will produce affordable and dependable green energy. We can do this, he insists, without sacrificing amazing opportunities that currently abundant energy will deliver.

As a signal that this Hillsdale speaker is a true conservative speaking to other conservatives, his speech deliberately misquotes Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) with words that jumble what she actually said. The quote as he revised it: “the world will end in 12 years if we don’t address climate change.” He should have provided context and a correct string of her words. The 2018-UN-Climate-Agreement specifically stated that “climate-change effects would become unavoidable and irreversible unless carbon emissions were to be reined in within the next 12 years.” When AOC was asked by someone to explain that UN assertion, she did so. She then added that she herself supported more spending towards reduction of carbon emissions.

− Dave Wegner, Sioux Falls

More: Minnehaha County state's attorney declines prosecuting 2022 Gateway Lounge homicide

Where is the salvation for a closed homicide?

WOW, I can't help from not responding to the Argus story, 07/23, "2022 Homicide at Gateway Lounge now considered closed".What?The case was "closed" by the Minnehaha State's Attorney's Office.Sheriff Sam Clemens said, " We didn't know if there had been some fight, if he fell, if there was some type of medical event". "The following autopsy determined the death was by homicide."How can you "close" a homicide case without identifying the cause of the "homicide?"The Argus or someone needs to explain this a little more than the information we have been given.This looks a lot like a recent rather famous legal case in South Dakota being dismissed and "closed" by the State' s Attorney General's office when the evidence presented showed that this person was obviously guilty.Thank you to the lawyers and the legal system to be able to turn justice into salvation.−Douglas Geise, Sioux Falls

EDITOR'S NOTE: Sam Clemens is the spokesperson for the Sioux Falls Police Department. He is not tied to the Minnehaha County Sheriff's Office.

How to submit a letter to the editor:

Letters need to be roughly 300 to 500 words, and will need to include first and last name, address, city and title. Addresses won’t be publicized, of course, but it’s a way for us to make sure those who submit a letter are who they say they are.

Letters will run on Sundays in print and online as we receive them. There may be moments, however, when we don't have any as we work to solicit interest and actively rebuild this part of our coverage for readers.

You can submit those to News Director Shelly Conlon by emailing sconlon@argusleader.com or submit them through our online form here, which also is sent directly to the news director.

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Affirmative action decision doesn't erase racial disparities; it's time to protect telehealth: Your letters