Letters to the editor April 11
Nurses here to help
You wouldn’t know it from the latest ads from hospital management, but the nurses of Kalispell Regional Healthcare are calling for transparency, consistency, and safe staffing with input from frontline nurses. We are seeking a wage scale comparable to that of hospitals in Missoula, Bozeman and Billings, so nurses can afford to live and stay here. Nurses have put in the work to organize with our coworkers to make our workplace one that respects all individuals.
KRH management prides themselves on the hospital being “anti-bullying” and “anti-misinformation,” and claim that they appreciate the nurses. But what we see in the hospital, at the bargaining table and in the community is a backhanded, misleading campaign against the nurses’ union that disregards the voice and expertise of bedside caregivers.
Nurses need a true voice in policy decisions and a place on the hospital board to help prevent the administration from blindsiding us with changes that negatively impact our working conditions and ability to provide the highest quality patient care, like the restructuring that forced out many of the expert nurses. Giving nurses a voice would place the care of our own community ahead of the mad rush to acquire outside clinics and hospitals. And nurses’ participation on the board would bring added accountability in use of funds and give greater assurance against any conduct that could incur further federal fines.
The administration has made working nurses into adversaries precisely because we are trying to make the hospital a fairer and safer place to work and to receive care. We believe that the business of a hospital is excellence in patient care, not excessive administrative salaries, bonuses and monopolistic expansion.
Nurses are here to help guide the hospital back in the right direction and are waiting for a respectful counter proposal at the bargaining table.
—Tara Lee, Lakeside
Half-truths and lies
Is a half-truth the same as a lie? Well, if you research this on the internet it’s hard to get a definitive answer. There are a lot of opinions and qualifications, but the general agreement is that a “half-truth is a statement that mingles truth and falsehood with deliberate intent to deceive.” It’s also considered equivalent to propaganda and is most commonly used to advance a political agenda.
What brought this to my attention was an article in the opinion page of the Daily Inter Lake on April 1 titled “A rainy night in Georgia” by Jim Elliott from Trout Creek. In his article Mr. Elliott makes a statement that “The new Georgia law makes it a crime to give water bottles to voters waiting in lines.”
President Biden has made this claim several times recently and it has been declared untruthful by “The Washington Post” and other news media. That is not exactly what the Georgia law says, it does prohibit any person from giving money or gifts, including food and drink to an elector but the law does allow for a poll officer to make available self-service water to an elector. Mr. Elliott is guilty of repeating a falsehood with his statement and that is exactly the definition of a half-truth or lie. I would argue that if a person makes one or more misleading or false statements in an article then the entire article must be considered untrustworthy.
So, I say to all the local Democrat voters, President Biden has lied to you, several times, about this new Georgia law and this lie is being perpetuated by our local resident Mr. Elliott. In other words, both of these gentlemen are untrustworthy in their public statements and they should be disregarded. I know it is hard to find an honest politician but if a person starts believing and repeating what an untrustworthy politician says then that person is no more honest than the untrustworthy politician.
The Democrat Party leaders are the enemy of this great Republic, do not abet them by believing them.
—Duane Egan, Columbia Falls
Covid response
When our grandchildren read about the history of COVID-19, they will be baffled by the American response. Why would such a large portion the country stubbornly resist the pleas of health experts to wear masks, social distance and get vaccinated?
Why would the Montana Legislature write a bill (HB-632) to give less than their fair share of federal stimulus funds to schools (like our School District 5) and local governments (like Whitefish) who are following health safety guidelines? Requiring people to wear masks costs nothing and saves lives. I am surprised that a Kalispell legislator thinks health safety disincentives are a good idea. Let him know that’s bad policy.
Our local superintendent, school board, and educators should be congratulated for providing in-person and online classes for students this past year. It has taken a great deal of effort, and requiring masks is one of the keys to their success. Give them your support.
How did we get 550,000 deaths in America? One factor was the message that masks were optional, but the former president wasn’t going to wear one. Our new governor said everyone should wear masks (that’s better), but he isn’t going to require them (not better). He assumes individuals, left to their own self-interest, will make the “right” health decisions. To which I ask, “Then why do we have speed limits?” The same reasoning should apply to both pandemic safety and driving, because bad individual decisions put community lives at risk.
We need to keep wearing masks and social distancing until we get the country vaccinated. Time will tell whether enough Americans will get their shots or whether the pandemic will go on longer than needed. With 64,000 new U.S. cases daily and rates starting to increase again, this is not the time to let our guard down.
—Chuck Cummings, Kalispell