The Argus Leader would not let me publish my letter to the Editor because i am no longer a subscriber so here it is! I received an interesting phone call on the evening of 25 March inviting me to join a teleconference concerning a possible threat to the ready availability of medical care for veterans at Sioux Falls Veterans Hospital. As a retired Army Col., disabled veteran, and father of an active-duty Army soldier Veterans Affairs are an important issue. I willingly logged into the teleconference and was surprised within a few minutes to realize that the group holding the teleconference were supporters of a referendum to block the construction of an indoor aquatic facility at Spellerberg Park. I attempted to ask a question about the relationship between an aquatic center and reduced access to care for veterans but I was not called upon. The more I listened to the rhetoric the angrier I became, to think that veterans health care was being used as a wedge issue to encourage people to vote against the construction of a much-needed indoor aquatic facility for the city of Sioux Falls! Whether or not you support the construction of an aquatic facility should be decided strictly on the merits of the proposals; an attempt to bring voters sympathetic to veterans needs to the side of one of the parties is unseemly. Ive read and listened to the proposals and feel quite strongly that the city needs an indoor facility if for no other reason than winters get long and cold in South Dakota. I would urge voters to support veterans issues by voting no on the referendum. There is actually no relationship between ease of access to the hospital and the construction of any facility on land adjacent. Whether or not the hospital has parking lot issues is unrelated to the construction of either an outdoor or indoor pool as both plans include dramatic increases in the amount of parking available at Spellerberg. Please dont be misled by the attempts to make veterans health care a political issue.
Posted on: Thu, 27 Mar 2014 00:51:16 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015