Remember those who died of COVID-19 on Memorial Day; elect true conservatives: You letters

Remember COVID-19 deaths on Memorial Day

On Memorial Day, it is customary to remember our fallen soldiers who gave their lives for freedom, as well as our family and friends. This year, it is important to remember the others who gave their lives for freedom. South Dakota enjoyed freedom from masks and the freedom to gather in large groups. (For example, Sturgis.) But freedom is not free. It costs lives, but often we do not know the cost. South Dakota had 330 deaths per 100,000 population. Two places whose governors took more restrictive measures —Vermont and Puerto Rico, one affluent and rural and, the other crowded and poor— had, of course, fewer deaths. Vermont had 103 and Puerto Rico 133 average deaths per 100,000 people. The difference applied to South Dakota’s 800,000 population meant 1,900 additional deaths.

South Dakota had more deaths, but more freedom to balance it out. Those 1,900 additional deaths were the price of freedom to go mask-less and gather in groups.

That issue of freedom vs cost has divided the state and nation. The family and friends of the deceased might question whether the small increase in freedom was worth their suffering and the the lives of their loved ones. But many South Dakotans support the governor’s decision that this freedom is so important that fewer than 2,000 lives lost was a small price to pay to keep that freedom for the other 800,000 South Dakotans

So this Memorial Day no matter which you believe, please take time to remember the fallen COVID-19 people who preserved our freedom to go mask-less and gather in large groups. Freedom is not free.

John Cunningham, Sioux Falls

Vote for true conservatives

Similar to Hillary Clinton referring to us conservatives as "deplorables," Lee Schoenbeck calls us who care about election integrity, health freedom, truth and righteousness "wack-a-doodles."

Gov. Kristi Noem and her sidekick, Schoenbeck, have teamed up to blacklist our "wack-a-doodles," also known as genuine conservatives, in the Legislature. Why?

My representative from District 23, Spencer Gosch, is on their hit list. Gosch was one of the 29 "wack-a-doodles" who stood against Noem and did not cede the Legislatures' authority that she wanted for herself to shut the state down during COVID-19. However, when Noem saw a popular public response and another chance at self-promotion, she was happy to take credit for what the "wack-a-doodles" did. (See 2020, House Bill 1297 and DakotaTruth.com)

Schoenbeck likes to throw his weight around when he threatened the Public Utilities Commission to get the hazardous carbon dioxide pipeline moved off "that new housing project or they won't like the legislation they'll see next year." After his threat, Summit Carbon Transport changed the pipeline route. (See PUC docket HP22-001.) The rest of us affected landowners have to lawyer-up and spend thousands of dollars and countless hours and endure a year-long PUC process to fight ruthless billionaires, corrupt politicians and climate change globalist agendas to protect our land. Does this seem right to you?

Don't be fooled, vote for the true conservatives. The primary election is June 7.

Jodi Waltman. Wetonka

Toss out the incumbents!

I say we throw every incumbent out. It can't be any worse than what we got now.

Marian Gates, Rapid City

This article originally appeared on Watertown Public Opinion: Politics and COVID-19 deaths on the minds of letter writers