Letters
- Details
- Written by: Sandra West
My doctor was Tim Young, MD and chief of surgery at St. Helena Hospital. I was hesitant when choosing Dr. Young, knowing that my surgery would be at St. Helena Hospital, but due to his reputation of having an excellent bedside manner, I made my choice. Dr. Young and his assistant, Johnna, at his Clearlake office were professional, accommodating, pleasant and took the time to answer all of my questions and concerns about my upcoming surgery.
The day of my surgery I was a bit nervous but my nerves where quickly relieved upon arrival as I was treated with the utmost respect and care from Dr. Young and his surgical team at St. Helena Hospital. Thanks again Dr. Young and to all of your team including Johnna, Lee, Linda, Bill, Dr. Richi and Leslie for making my experience at St. Helena Hospital exemplary.
Sandra West lives in Kelseyville.
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- Details
- Written by: DA and Leona Butts
Things we know:
a. Recreational boating contributes approximately $16.5 billion to the gross state product and supports more than 8,500 related businesses, and 284,000 direct and indirect jobs. (Source: DBW Boating Needs Assessment Study, 2002)
b. With a Boating Director and a statewide Boating and Waterways Commission, DBW provides accountability, transparency, and leadership in its use of boater-derived taxes and fees. This will be lost if the DBW is absorbed into the larger Department of Parks and Recreation (which relies on the state General Fund).
c. DBW invests in boating infrastructure – docks, ramps, and marinas in a revolving fund that pays itself back (with interest!).
d. DBW ensures safe boating by supporting local law enforcement agencies, and boating safety education.
e. DBW is funded solely by boaters. It does not take general funds!
f. We certainly have nothing against the Department of Parks and Recreation because their function is very valuable to the citizens of California, even though it does take general funds for support.
g. It is rare to have a government department which is self supporting and does not use general funds for operations. Please do not destroy this important function.
DA and Leona Butts live in Clearlake Oaks.
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- Details
- Written by: Anna Ravenwoode
After engaging in hours of reading, listening to economists from both conservative and progressive camps, and researching endless Web sites, I have discovered something important about being a taxpayer and how this is connected to my personal values: I want our government to put my tax dollars into economic programs that support my values. Allow me to provide some examples:
Workers: Amid the massive layoffs in America, I want my tax dollars to assist those who are experiencing the hardship of unemployment, or being underemployed. This is financial assistance to hardworking Americans who must pay a mortgage and feed themselves and their families. The unemployment benefits provided to these people will be used to pay for the “necessities,” like their house payment (which will support banks), rent (which will support the land lords, who also have a mortgage payment) and local stores (where people buy food). It is a temporary form of stimulus, to keep people from financially going under.
Military: I have never supported the Iraq War. So I want my money used to bring our troops home. And once home, I want them provided with the best medical care, GI Bill and any other veterans benefits they were promised when they joined the military.
Small businesses: I support local commerce. These people need loans to stay afloat or start a new business. They are closely connected to the local community, and bring tax revenues to financially struggling local governments.
Financial institutions: I support executive pay cuts, and our government paying off the mortgages of all workers who have had their jobs outsourced or who have become recently unemployed. If a homeowner qualifies for this type of program, there is a three fold benefit. The homeowner will not go into foreclosure and can keep their home. The financial institution receives the money which they can lend to small businesses to keep them open. The money normally used by the homeowner to pay the mortgage, will be spent locally on necessities: food, gas, utilities, etc.
Green jobs: Of course, the best way to stimulate an economy is to create permanent, well paying jobs, with health benefits. If the stimulus package creates these new jobs with federal funding, then businesses can later buy these operations and privatize them. When this happens, the taxpayers get their money back. But we only get it back when our economy improves. And it cannot improve without federal stimulus dollars.
Will the economic stimulus legislation satisfy my personal taxpayer values? It will address some, and not others. And it goes without saying that this legislation will put us deeper in debt. But after looking at the alternative to no federal stimulus, I believe this debt must be incurred. Without it, we won’t have an economy to save.
Anna Rose Ravenwoode lives in Kelseyville.
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- Details
- Written by: Rachel McFarland
We sent a call out to service organizations in our area to help us achieve a monumental task. This year, we are sending all 56 Lower Lake Elementary School sixth graders to Alliance Redwoods outdoor education camp.
Three local Masonic lodges responded to our call for help. We would like to thank Masonic Lodges No. 183 (Clearlake), No. 199 (Kelseyville) and No. 146 (Ukiah) for their generous donations toward our sixth grade field trip. We appreciate their commitment to our children and the local community.
I look forward to rising to the challenge of making this field trip an annual event that all prospective Lower Lake Elementary sixth graders can look forward to.
Rachel McFarland is a sixth grade teacher at Lower Lake Elementary School.
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