Teacher shows concern for students; Amendment C a ploy; who helped Russia?: Your letters

Teacher was showing concern for students

Regarding the newspaper’s accounts of Mr. Calvin Hillesland, the German teacher, may I suggest another viewpoint. The accounts state Mr. Hillesland was a very good teacher and was liked by a lot of students. That makes me think that the letter Mr. Hillesland gave to the four students was because of his love and concern for them.

He wanted them to think about the fact that they cannot change the DNA in their cells. He stated that every cell in their body was a female cell. That is merely stating a scientific, biological truth. Individuals may take chemicals to make their bodies have different reactions, but they cannot change the DNA in their cells.

It is also a fact that individuals who struggle with their gender are more susceptible to suicide. Mr. Hillesland was showing compassion and offered the students a DVD. I do not know what DVD he was thinking about, but I know there is a DVD entitled “In His Image” where individuals who in the past have struggled with their gender discuss the freedom and health they now have after leaving their transgender lifestyle.

Mr. Hillesland is a teacher and wants the best for his students. I believe he was trying to show love and compassion for the students.

Dwayne Rehfeld, Webster

Amendment C a Republican ploy

Regardless of political affiliation, all voters have an important reason to vote on June 7: Amendment C. If passed, it would allow a minority of voters (40%) to veto any new state program that spends more than $10 million per year. It's a sneak attack on the constitutional ballot initiative rights of South Dakotans.

I agree with Sen. John Wiik that we're at a crossroads in South Dakota. We're in a period of strong economic growth thanks to the billions that President Biden is making in infrastructure investment. But other important facts were omitted from a letter he wrote.

He didn't mention that Amendment C is really a ploy by Republicans to grab power from the people and keep more of it for themselves. Rather than put this measure on the November ballot, Sen. Lee Schoenbeck put it on the June ballot, when the voter turnout is usually low.

Groups including the South Dakota Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the South Dakota Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church stand against Amendment C.

Talk of new taxes in arguing Amendment C is a misleading scare tactic. South Dakota citizens are already on the hook for federal debt, whether or not they participate in the benefits of the Affordable Care Act. That's what Amendment C is really about as Medicaid expansion will be on the November ballot. Stubbornness in Pierre has cost our state billions of federal dollars for health care. Our counties continue to pay health care costs that would have been covered by federal money, and our citizens continue to suffer and die unnecessarily because won't expand Medicaid.

Early voting has already started, and the primary election is June 7. If you care about our democracy and majority rule meaning something, please join me in voting no on C.

Susan Wismer, Britton

Obama was soft on Russia

Lately, it has been proposed that President Trump was more accommodating to Putin than President Obama. Not how I remember it.

During the 2012 presidential campaign, Mitt Romney stated Russia was “without question our No. 1 geopolitical foe.” Obama said, "And the 1980s are now calling to ask for their foreign policy back." Romney right, Obama wrong. Then-President Obama was caught on microphone offering Russia unilateral concessions after November's election. To prove he could be Putin's “BFF,” Obama dismantled our missile-defense plans for Central Europe and inked the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty. While the U.S. dismantled 1,500 nuclear warheads, Russia added 200. Obama "Made Russia Great Again" at our expense.

On Obama's watch in 2011, our North Atlantic 2nd Fleet was deactivated. In 2012, our V Corps in Germany was deactivated. By 2012 ,every U.S tank was withdrawn from Europe. Deterrence completely evaporated. Russia invaded Ukraine and annexed Crimea. Obama sent blankets.

In 2018, at a contentious NATO meeting, Trump successfully pressured NATO members to increase their defense spending. NATO increased its overall defense spending by 3.8% in 2018. That year, the Trump administration began sending Ukraine lethal arms including Javelin anti-tank missiles. Neither Putin nor his tank crews are likely having warm, fuzzy thoughts about Trump. Also on Trump's watch, V Corps was reestablished in Europe.

Now, on Biden's watch, Putin invades Ukraine again. No surprise after the Afghanistan debacle. During President Biden's recent trip to Europe, Ukraine President Zelenskyy accused Western leaders of being all talk. "If only those that have been thinking for 31 days on how to hand over dozens of jets and tanks had 1% of their courage (defenders of Mariupol)", he said.

Oscar Wenholm, Clark

This article originally appeared on Watertown Public Opinion: Letters to the editor on transgender issues, Amendment C and Russia