Voice of our Readers April 15, 2021

Meinerts: 'This is why I love America'
To the Editor:
Thanks for the response, Rae, I was beginning to think that the sea of red was much wider and deeper than I had imagined. My response has been overwhelmingly positive. This is why I love America and freedom. Everyone is supposed to have a voice, but with big tech censorship and biased media it’s really difficult to find the ever elusive truth.
I can only imagine the haughty response if I had made an absurd claim such as, if only we had not worn masks we would be done now because we reached herd immunity. I would like to know where you found that knowledge, because I have spent countless hours looking for the truth and only getting conflicting reports from Fauci and his cronies. If your statement is true, wouldn’t all of us uncaring, cruel, heartless, even elderly and compromised non-mask wearers already have fallen victim to this deadly virus? The growth rate of the U.S. death rate has been going down since 2014 – including 2020, so mask wearing and social distancing does not support your views. Again, this is why I love America, you are completely free to do what you feel is best.
The my body my choice phrase you referenced was purely a question I posed about mandatory vaccinations. Please circle back and read my letter. I am adamantly opposed to killing babies.
What was said in my letter was referring to the Jeremy Munson petition for Minnesota counties to join South Dakota. If that ever gains traction, the Dems could exercise their right to move on, just like you told the pipeline workers to do when you terminated their jobs.
You keep masking up and I’ll continue fighting for our defenseless unborn babies.
God bless America!
Todd Meinerts
Luverne
Sasker: 'We have a new savior: the vaccine. What will be next?'
To the Editor:
We were gone most of March, so it has been quite a challenge catching up with the letters to the editor. Here’s one more opinion.
Beginning with March 11, and Mr. Peterson’s comment on unnecessary questions regarding gender on a form; I believe you are correct in saying more was asked than needed to be asked. According to our Creator, there is male and female: Genesis 1, verse 27. Period!
No matter the number of degrees someone has behind their name, one cannot change God’s law with a pen. Making new rules does not change facts.
As for Mr. Meinerts’ and Mr. Kracht’s comments, if we had more of their type of thinking in the chambers of Congress, we would not be in the mess we are in.
And lastly, I feel Jesus has been dethroned as our Savior. We have a new Savior: the vaccine. What will be next?
Thank you for reading this.
Marilyn Sasker
Luverne
Frakes compares coronavirus between states
To the Editor:
At our Sunday morning Bible class at St. John Lutheran, we discussed when Christians might make exceptions to obeying those in authority (Romans 13).
The conversation turned to restrictions placed on churches during the pandemic, and I defended Governor Walz and his decisions made under executive authority, including those affecting churches.
When I got home, I decided to look up some statistics on the Web to see how Minnesota has fared compared to our South Dakota neighbors led by a conservative Republican governor who placed very few restrictions on the residents across the border.
Here are the results of my search, based on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report at www.covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker
As of April 8, 2021, South Dakota’s COVID-19 case count was 13,449 cases per 100,000 residents for a total of 119,705 cases (population of 884,659 residents) for the second-highest rate of cases for all states.
Minnesota’s COVID-19 case count per 100,000 residents is 9,445 for a total case count of 540,277 cases (population 5.6 million and rank of 31).
If the same case rate had existed in Minnesota as in South Dakota, Minnesota would have experienced 753,144 cases!
But the comparison is even more staggering in death rates in the two states.
South Dakota experienced 1,946 deaths as of April 9, and Minnesota has had 7,022 deaths. If Minnesota had had the same death rate based on population as South Dakota, 5,298 more Minnesotans would have died from COVID-19 to date for a total of 12,320!
I am so thankful that we have been led by a governor who has made the tough decisions, based on the best recommendations of the CDC experts, to try to keep us all safe during this pandemic.
Esther Spease Frakes
Luverne
Vink: Both Democrats and Republicans need to address the economy
To the Editor:
I read all the left and right letters to the editor, but I’d like to see both sides address the economy.
Ten years ago I clipped an article from the May 30, 2010, Parade magazine titled “Do We Need a National Sales Tax?” At that time, alarmed by our country’s then annual $1.4 trillion deficit, some economists suggested that the U.S. adopt a national sales tax. The tax typically applies to all purchases, as well as services from haircuts to stock trades. Each one percent of the tax could raise $1 trillion over 10 years, according to the then Congressional Budget Office. This tax could strictly be used to pay our country’s debt, now at $28 trillion.
Of course, first our Congress would have to balance each year’s budget so no more debt is added. Huge job, but our policymakers got us in this mess, now it’s high time to get us out of it.
Over 30 percent of our loans is borrowed from foreign governments, about 70 percent is borrowed from our own people and government holdings, mostly Social Security. And by the 2030 decade, Social Security will be exhausted. Plus, quoting the Peter G. Peterson Foundation, in 10 years our interest will double from where it is today, becoming the fastest growing part of the federal budget.
Imagine what our country could do if not paying nearly $1 billion in interest each day.
Janice Vink
Luverne