Letters to the Editor

To Editor Sundance Times:

The 30 July 2020 edition had an article “Voters to decide on senior services levy”. I have some problems with your against argument.

1. The levy is not taking revenues from the individual and putting it into the hands of the government for distribution. I wish to state that the government has failed to ensure vital services for our seniors it has provided. That is why we at the local level have been forced to institute the levy. The need is vital and exceeds the abilities of families and churches. We, the seniors of Crook County (this is not a government entity) had to ensure that our vulnerable seniors who would have been left helpless were able to have the assistance they needed to exist. Meals, transport to medical facilities (some 100 miles away), home cleaning and other similar items are the services which our local community is providing our seniors because of the existing levy.

2. The money is not going into services like education, support for new families as was intimated in your article.

3. 20% of our citizens provide 80% of the volunteer work. Our volunteers in this county are not capable of supplying the vast effort that is required. Hence the need for the levy supported items.

4. Should the levy fail to be passed, a number of seniors who are in the poverty level would be forced into assisted living or other government programs. It is less costly to use a levy to enable the less fortunate seniors to stay at home.

5. Isaiah 3:15 and 2 Nephi 13:15 tell of a time when we would “grind the faces of the poor” I want this prophecy to not apply to us.

M. Ross Feeney

Dear Editor,

I find the early start for the Crook County School District to be annoying in any year. I find the early start this year to be, frankly, reckless. To start school three days after the close of the largest gathering in the entire country since the start of the coronavirus (and, as the BBC reported, arguably the largest gathering in the world) is, at best, optimistic, and at worst, irresponsible and even dangerous.

Sturgis, Rapid City and Spearfish school districts have pushed back their start dates until September 8 to allow their communities to somewhat shelter in place after the Sturgis Rally. Belle Fourche schools are starting on August 31. These communities are seeking to protect their students, staff and families from a possible uptick in coronavirus cases by allowing some time to pass before gathering in classrooms and on busses for extended periods of time. Even our neighboring Wyoming Counties, Campbell and Weston, who have far less contact with bikers than we do, have later start dates than Crook County, starting August 24 and 26 respectively.

When asked at the community meeting whether the committee evaluating coronavirus adaptations had considered pushing the start date back, Mr. Broderson replied that yes, they had, but there would always be a reason to push it back farther, and they had to start sometime, so no change was made. It is somewhat absurd to think that there would be any local event which would affect our communities to any comparable degree as what will conceivably be the world’s largest gathering during the pandemic.

Just think about it. We are starting school, one week, seven days, after the Sundance Burnouts and the Hulett Ham and Jam. Three days after the official end of the Rally. It takes between 2 and 14 days for symptoms of coronavirus to manifest themselves. Some of the coronavirus testing results can take up to a week or more to receive. 

Sure, we may be fortunate. We may not experience a spike after the rally. But we will not know that with any certainty until two to three weeks after the rally. Mr. Broderson talked about sending people home to self-quarantine after a known exposure in class. Why not take the safe route and take a few weeks to self-quarantine after the Rally? At worst, we may enjoy a few extra days of summer, and make it up in early June. At best, we may be saving lives.

Amy Julian