Letters to the editor Oct. 25
Board of Health meeting
Last Thursday at the Flathead City-County Board of Health we lost many things – transparency, decency and leadership. I am disappointed and alarmed. I have concluded that the county commissioners have left us in a leadership void that can only be resolved by the community holding them accountable. The covid health crisis will only be resolved by the community coming together to build local solutions.
It was wrong that the Health Department proposal to implement control measures was pulled from the table at the beginning of the meeting. In my opinion, something nefarious happened there. I believe the commissioners applied undo pressure to pull the proposal before the meeting and that they worked together to make sure the Health Board took no action. That action was done in private, and is a violation of Montana open meeting laws.
I admit that there were things in the Health Board proposal that gave me concern. Some of the public comment that we received informed me of changes that were needed to improve the proposal. The Health Board may not have had the votes to pass the proposal as it was written. But by pulling it from the table before the meeting, the citizens were robbed of the chance to make improvements to the proposal and of any chance for action to be taken at this critical time. If the board had the chance to discuss the proposal, the final measures passed could have yielded much needed action, and a better fit for the community.
What I fear is that if we don’t get on top of the current rise of Covid-19 cases, the governor will respond with restrictions that don’t fit the Flathead. I believe that we should engage as a community to address the spike in cases, knock spread down and keep businesses open. I believe that the community has solutions to do this; and saw them in the public comments we received from business owners, faith leaders and citizens.
If we don’t find a way to come together as a community, then Covid cases will overwhelm the hospital, close schools and shut businesses. If we work together then we can pull the numbers down and begin to address other public health concerns – namely winter, which is a health event itself in Montana.
—Kyle Waterman, Kalispell
Welcome to the Flathead
As we have more new residents than ever I would like to put 10 things out there:
Welcome. Please don’t come here to change this place. Let it change you.
We don’t need endless housing developments. Most of us who came before came here for the wide open spaces, not to see a bunch of ticky-tacky houses go up.
Please be courteous to the people whom are trying to be courteous to you. This especially includes cashiers and fellow drivers.
We don’t care to hear how they did things back home. If it was so great there you wouldn’t have left.
Let’s leave those gun rights alone. If you don’t carry one, that’s OK, but don’t try and change our laws or opinions on the subject.
You can try the bear spray but a firearm works better against a bear. Even if you fire a warning shot most will run away.
Enjoy nature and leave it as you found it.
Get to know your neighbors as you see them out and about.
If you see someone needing help, offer it. You’ll feel good.
As we see the first snows of what most are saying is going to be a brutal winter, get your firewood ready; get those snow tires; make sure you have the right clothing; leave 15-30 minutes early and drive with the knowledge that you would rather be late than cause an accident due to inexperience.
—Karen Pollick, Bigfork
Protect the public
People continue to die every day from covid-19 and yet I often see people who refuse to wear a mask in public. Apparently wearing a mask somehow infringes on their freedom. Our elected officials refuse to enforce a public mask mandate in order to protect this freedom. So how is it that in some cases we have freedom and in others we do not?
I can get a ticket for not wearing a seat belt while driving. And yet if I choose to not wear a seat belt and get into an accident the only person who might die is me. But if I do not wear a mask in public I can cause the death of everyone that I come into contact with.
Children under 12 years of age are required by state law to wear a life jacket while boating. And yet if a child falls in the water without a life jacket the only one who might die is the child. But if that same child does not wear a mask in public they can cause the death of everyone that they come into contact with.
During rifle season hunters in Montana are required to wear a certain amount of fluorescent orange material. And yet if a hunter does not wear orange while in the field the only one who might die is the hunter. But if that same hunter does not wear a mask in public they can cause the death of everyone that they come into contact with.
How ironic it is that we can infringe on the freedom of individuals in order to protect those individuals but we cannot infringe on that same freedom in order to protect the public at large.
—Jeff Van Fleet, Marion